Homebrew Canihn Species Details

Canihn

Arv stared out at the tracks before him. They smelled fresh and implanted deeper in the ground than any he had seen before. He was close. “I smell you Hoo!” he called out, “you can’t hide from me anymore!” A rustling in the bushes. Arv dove in and pulled out a little squirming bundle of teeth and claws. “OK, OK,” Hoo said, “ I give up. You are the best tracker in your line of great trackers, you found me, etcetera etcetera.” Arv smiled down at the small canihn before him “so, can I come now?”

 

Pack hunters with great skills and noses, the Canihn are a race of dog-headed folk that build strong communities and work together to live. These people largely stay on their home island, Arrorf, but some more adventurous schools wander off to see the folk of other lands and add new members to their pack.

 

Packs and Alphas

The Canihn social structure largely revolves around the pack. A pack is a strange juxtaposition of fluid structure and rigid ranks. There is no rigid number of people in each rank, and ranks change regularly, even daily, but each rank knows their place and their influence. At the highest rank is the alpha. There are only ever two alphas per pack, and they rule over the rest of the pack. Each alpha exhibits some combination of strength, skill, and smarts that allow them to effectively rule over a pack. One rank lower than the alphas is the beta. There is only one beta per pack, and they often have skills that complement those of the alphas so that they can take care of things that the alphas can’t. 

Underneath the alphas and beta are a fluid structure of informal ranks that change often. These nameless ranks determine how much influence any Canihn has over a pack, but they aren’t formalized and aren’t ever taken for granted, as they may change at any moment. The lowest rank any Canihn can have is the Omega. These workers are peacekeepers and humorous, defusing fights among people and taking the blame for most problems. They have the least influence and station in a Canihn pack but have an important job nonetheless. Canihn don’t see this culture of domination and rank as a problem. It’s simply part of their mind and culture, and though outsiders may label the system as oppressive the Canihn themselves don’t see it this way.

 

Canihn Skills

The Canihn are widely diverse in their abilities and appearance. Though some established subraces exist, no two Canihn have the exact same skills, and they use this to their advantage. In any Canihn pack, you may find skilled crafters, hunters, thieves, mediators, athletes, and any number of other roles. The Canihn are proud of their skills,  and most are born to do some sort of job, their bodies reflecting what their future role is likely to be someday. Because of this variety in skills and body types, they are often considered second only to humans in variety. Though many Canihn are born better at certain things, some find their own paths in life and defy their birthright.

 

Canihn Names

Canihn names are largely one or two-syllabled and gender-neutral. They are often spoken loudly, with prominent vowels and throaty consonants, easy to bark out quickly. Oftentimes, the pitch of a name also matters for identification, with bigger Canihn having deeper names.

Canihn Names: Arv, Aaff, Ayp, Baar, Boef, Borf, Haarf, Hark, Hoo, Hoof, Rark, Reef, Weh, Weehs, Wof, Yik, Yap, Yah.

Canihn Traits

Your Canihn character has many qualities unique to it and its subrace.

Ability Score Increase

Your Charisma score increases by 1.

Alignment

The Canihn are often lawful, believing in a hierarchy and pack structure, very few are evil, and many are good.

Darkvision

You can see well in dim light due to your dog head. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

Skill Versatility

You gain proficiency in one skill of your choice.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and Canihn. Canihn is a language filled with huffs, barks, and howls meant to travel long distances and communicate with pack members. It has no written form and no creatures but Canihn and dogs have the necessary vocal systems to speak it. For this homebrew race's purpose, Gnoll represents Canihn.