Homebrew Canim Species Details
We had have an ancient saying in my family, never cross a wealthy canim. If they're wealthy, then the rest of their pack is probably more than you can handle.
Hailing from a strange and distant land, wandering canim are canine humanoids who possess an innate sense of community and belonging that they are driven to seek out. They were created millennia ago by humans to fight with and become companions. They have since outlived the last of their creators and while some have formed their own societies, they are developing an increased tendency to strike out into the world and form their own packs with humanity again.
Wandering Outcasts
Most canim remain in their distant homeland, content to dwell in small, tight packs. These canim hunt for food, craft goods, and largely keep to themselves.
However, many canim have begun branching out into the world to restore their lost connection with humanity. They strive to form bonds with others and form their own packs in order to foster a family bond of their own.
Community Over Self
Canim value their sense of family over everything else. As a result their society is built around the notion of "the good of the pack," which drives the members of the pack have a fierce ambition to succeed, however canim will very rarely pursue material wealth for themselves.
Canim tend to have a very strong drive to succeed, largely due to their attitude that if they succeed that means the pack has grown stronger in some way. If a canim gets paid 100 gold pieces by a wealthy merchant for saving their life, then that means that canim's pack has just earned 100 gold pieces. Similarly any material goods are immediately redistributed among the rest of the pack in the most efficient way possible.
Fiercely Loyal Protectors
Canim are famed for their loyalty to their pack, to the point where it is regular for a canim to put their life directly in harms way to protect a packmate. Once they form a pack with others they are fiercely loyal to their alpha and fellow packmates, to a fault at times.
Canim would readily lay down their lives for their companions since they see their life as serving a purpose as a part of the larger machine of the overall pack.
Warriors and Craftsmen
Canim packs always form around someone who is seen as the strongest among them, they are then dubbed the alpha. At any time however, any other member of the pack may challenge the alpha if they feel that the alpha is not living up to expectations. As such every canim possess a fierce fighting spirit and typically want to be in the fray where they believe they can make the most difference.
Due to this mentality, very few canim become rogues, most of them seeking out the lifestyle of a fighter, paladin, or cleric, since these careers offer the greatest augment to their natural skills, while allowing them to protect other members of their pack.
Due to their natural strength and hardiness they also take very well to physical crafts, such as blacksmiths and masons, where they can put their natural abilities to the greatest use. Most canim also see the roguish types as dishonest and untrustworthy and therefore have a general distaste of such jobs. It should be noted that while uncommon, canim magic users are not unheard of.
Canim Names
Each canim only carries a single name, only taking a surname if their pack alpha has one, and even then abandoning it as soon as the alpha changes. Due to their heritage as human companions they take their names from traditional human naming conventions for first names. If they need to differentiate, due to redundancy in names within the pack, then they usually take on a nickname based on their role within the pack.
The following list of sample canim names includes nicknames in parenthesis.
Tabaxi Names: Jackson (Heals), Robert (Two-swords), James (Longshot), Michael (Chopper), Bruce (Bulwark), Sarah (Crush), Connie (Black Magic)
Canim Traits
Your canim character has the following racial traits.Ability Score Increase
Your Strength score increases by 2, and your Charisma score increases by 1.
Age
Canim have lifespans equivalent to humans.
Alignment
Canim tend towards lawful alignments. They have an unwavering sense of loyalty and family, and once a person earns the trust of the pack, they tend to keep it for life.
Size
Canim are tall and strongly built, usually standing between 5'6'' - 7' tall. Your size is Medium.
Speed
Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Darkvision
You have canine eyes which are adapted to see better in low light conditions, however this does result in red-green colorblindness. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Canine Agility
Your reflexes and agility allow you to move with a burst of speed. When you move on your turn in combat, you can double your speed until the end of the turn. Once you use this trait, you can’t use it again until you move 0 feet on one of your turns.
Dog's Bite
Your jaw strength increases and you can perform a bite attack that deals 1d6 + your Strength modifier. This attack is considered a natural weapon and deals piercing damage.
Canine Aptitude
You have proficiency in the Perception and Athletics skills.
Languages
You can speak, read, and write Common and one other language of your choice.
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