Homebrew Wolfman Species Details

A long time ago, a powerful mage wanted a more dependable slave race. Desiring the versatility of humans, but also the obedience of dogs and the keen senses of their wild kin, he started experimenting with wolves and humans. After many, many years of failures he finally succeeded in combining a human with a wolf. He had great success with the new race, as they proved to be fiercely loyal and dependable. As time moved on and the mage died, the race survived. Without the mage to order and guide them, they found a new way of life and started building their own villages deep in the forest, safe and apart from all human races as they ever lived in fear of being enslaved once again. Natural hunters and gatherers, they tend to hunt in packs but can also be seen roaming the forest alone.

 

Description

Wolfmen are human sized with short hair covering their whole body. They come in a variety of colors, sizes and builds. Some have a waggy tail, while some have cut it off during the rite of passage. Their snouts make them exceptionally good at tracking and they have a much more refined hearing than a human. The duality of a Wolfman is always present. The pure natural instincts of a wolf with the more civilized side of a human. For an example: The natural greeting between two Wolfmen is sniffing each other. While on the human side is the standard handshake. Generally there are two types of Wolfmen. One that leans more to the wolf side and one that leans more to the human side. If the Wolfman pack follows the way of the wolf they usually don’t cut the tail. But if they follow the way of the human they usually cut it off. The coming of age ceremony follows one or the other of those two. Of course there are exceptions where one wolfman refuses to cut it off or in the other case insists on cutting it off.

 

Pack societies 

Wolfmen lives in pack societies where the Alpha leads. They don't make a difference between sexes - even a female can be an Alpha. What is most important to them is the hierarchy within the pack itself. The process of picking a new Alpha is a hard one. It’s not one quality the pack looks for. Usually it is a charismatic person with some wisdom combined with intelligence and some muscle to back it up. Alphas are not to be trifled with, they have been chosen for a reason. There are rare cases where an Alpha has been shunned by the pack. It could be a grave misjudgement that leads to deaths within the pack or a series of events over time that shows that they are not fit to lead. If a Wolfman has been shunned by the pack. It is really hard to find a new pack. All other packs know that they have been shunned for a reason. That is one example of wolfmen seeking their way back to human societies. To find a new “pack” within a guild or an army. As a party member you can be a shunned Alpha that has done some terrible deed or a former pack member that is looking for a new “pack”. 

To get shunned by the pack you have to have done something really bad. Commit murder, excessiv cruelty or maybe you are in a pack that leans toward the wolf side and you are too “human”? More or less your values have to be strongly against the pack or the Alpha. Maybee you have an Alpha that is an *******? He got elected by force and is threatening the whole pack and you managed to get away, seeking help to set things straight. 

 

Curious with a bite

Wolfmen are generally curious creatures but can also be very defensive and mistrusting if they have been mistreated. The most dangerous are the ones that have been shunned by their pack.  

Funny fact. If you befriend a Wolfman and scratch them behind the ear, their tongue will hang out and they will lean into the scratching. 

Wolfman Traits

Your wolfman character has the following racial traits.

Ability Score Increase

Your Strength and Dexterity scores increase by 1. One other ability score of your choosing also increases by 1. This point can be placed in any ability score, effectively giving you a +2 in either Strength or Dexterity. 

 

Alignment

Most wolfmen lean toward lawful alignments but there are those shunned from their packs who turn more towards the chaotic side.

 

Size

Wolfman comes in all sizes and heights. Their avarage is the same as a human. Your size is Medium.

 

Speed

As a natural sprinter your base speed is 35 feet.

 

Growl

You have proficiency in Intimidation

 

Darkvision

As a creature that is accustomed to hunts in low light you have darkvision. 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.

 

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and one more language of your choosing.

 

Keen smell and hearing

Wolfmen are natural hunters and have a heightened smell and hearing. You have proficiency in Perception and advantage on Perception checks based on smell or hearing.

 

Bite

You can use your fangs to do a Bite attack. Your damage with a bite attack is 1d6. If you use your bite as an action you can do a Furious shake as a bonus action. If you manage to bite down on your prey you can start to shake them hard side to side in a furious motion. Your prey has to succeed a dexterity saving throw of 10+your dexterity bonus+your proficiency. If failed, your prey falls prone to the ground. 

Wolfmen do not have claws. Their fingernails are thicker and a bit more pointy then an average human.