themourningstar
2014-03-03, 09:02 PM
Hi people! I am working on a homebrewed setting, and since Ive always liked the idea of the kenku- but have never actually seen them utilized- I decided to make my own version as a playable race.
I am wanting to see if yall think that the race as I've envisioned it is balanced as a level one playable race. I've never seen their stats, and I'm not worried about making mine match whatever is in the monster manual- I want crowlike humanoids with a fetish for death as a playable race. :D
Kenku
Devoted worshippers of a goddess of death, the kenku are barely accepted throughout most of Aeryandor. Crowlike humanoids, the kenku are adabtable and resilient to survive in some of the harshest of places, and tend to either live in small tribal communities or in large metropolitan cities of other races. Focused on death to a degree that unnerves most other people, the kenku tend to stick to the edges of civilized areas.
Personality: Before all else, kenku worship their death goddess, Modra. Having based their culture upon the worship of such a deity for such a long time has caused the kenku to almost completely lose the fear of death- death in the service of Modra is the path to eternal paradise, obviously.
This complete and utter lack of death is uncomprehensible to most other beings, but what is immediately obvious is that a person does not bother a kenku unless they are prepared for the worst. While the kenku are not innately evil, the concept of surrender or of a “fair fight” is beyond their understanding. If they die, then so be it- and if they send their enemies to Mordra, then even better.
Though not greedy in the traditional sense, kenku love small shiny objects. It is not uncommon to find one carrying a small bag full of buttons, smooth pieces of glass or metal, and even gems or unusual coins. Other than this, kenku don’t tend to own much. They are more interested in the afterlife than in the current one, and anything they own tends to be dirty and used, if not broken.
Kenku are strict carnivores, and cannot be forced to eat vegetables or fruits. They cannibalize their dead ritualistically, and have no issue with eating the dead of other races- a fact that does not contribute to their acceptance amongst the other more “civilized” races.
Kenku are very secretive, and tend to not speak to outsiders. Their voices are very high pitched and they speak very quickly, and some of the other races find them hard to understand. Kenku bond for life- if their lifemate is killed, a kenku will stop at nothing to get revenge. For most kenku, when their mate dies, the survivor will leave their tribe and seek out death in some fashion.
Physical Description: Kenku look like humanoid ravens. Their heads are entirely raven shaped, with large black, unblinking eyes and a wickedly sharp beak. Their hands end in short claws, and their feet end in talons. A kenkus body is entirely covered in short soft black feathers, though males grow thicker “ruffs” across their shoulders and neck. Kenkus have longer feathers that protrude from the backs of their arms, and a short rudimentary feathered tail- combined, these features can allow the kenku to glide short distances.
Tribal kenku tend to wear as little clothing as possible, while civilized kenku wear clothing specially made for them, so that they can use their gliding ability if they need to. However, many kenku wear a large number of necklaces, bracelets and anklets, usually with some small shiny object attached to them. Kenku do not need to wear boots and rarely do so.
The typical kenku is around five and a half foot tall, but only weighs around 100 pounds due to their avian like bone structure. Kenku universally have black plumage, though a very rare few have pure white feathers- these kenku are considered touched by Mordra, and are thought to be blessed by her.
Relations: Dwarves distrust the kenku on principle- how can your forebears rest comfortably if you ate them?- while elves despise them for their reliance on their death goddess. Of course, the kenku could care less. Kenku generally get along with humans, and fit in amongst their cities better than in any other races. Both tieflings and warforged tend to get along with kenku, as all three are treated as outcasts in many places. The hobgoblins actually allow the kenku a place in their society- they find their cannibalistic tendencies useful in disposing of both their own dead and that of their enemies, and Mordra is even worshipped by some hobgoblins. It is rare to find a kenku on a gnome ship, but it is not unheard of- there is no general animosity between the races. Interaction between sand kings and kenku is extremely rare, but the two sometimes find common ground in their religious beliefs.
Alignment: Kenku naturaly lean towards neutral, but unfortunately, there are more evil kenku than good. This does nothing to contribute to their reputation as cannibals, murderers, and death worshippers, but again- the kenku could care less.
Kenku Lands: The kenku do not have any “kingdoms” or cities as such- they simply aren’t organized enough for such things. Most kenku live in temperate to cold climates, in small hunter-gatherer tribes. The leader of a tribe is always the most senior priestess of Mordra, and the kenku frequently have huge intelligent ravens (treat as a giant eagle) guarding their homes- and sometimes undead.
Kenku tend to build their villages along cliff edges, or amongst the tops of massive trees, in order to take advantage of their ability to glide.
Religion: Kenku whorship one being and one being only: Mordra. An ascended humanoid of an unknown race, Mordra is a deity of death, magic, and darkness. Worshipped primarily by the kenku, she has a small following amongst the hobgoblins, and amongst some necromancers and sorcerers. Though neutral evil in her own right, Mordra does not actively push the kenku towards evil. She allows them their own choice, and rewards them according to her own wishes. Suicide is anathema to Mordra however. The rewards of death are to be earned, not given.
Language: The native kenku tongue, skwa, sounds more like the caws and whistles of a bird than that of a language, but the kenku can pass along detailed information using it. A person not knowing skwa and unable to see a person speaking it must make a DC 15 intelligence check to even realize a language is being spoken.
Names: A kenku typically has two names- their first name, which is generally an adjective that they feel describes themselves, and their second name, which is that of their tribe. When in their own communities, most of their names are in skwa, though many kenku translate them into the common tongue when in the civilized lands.
Adventurers: Many kenku adventure out of a natural sense of wanderlust. Others are trying to spread the worship of their goddess, both by evangelizing and through their deeds. Still others might be seeking out the good death, ready to go to their goddess and her shadowed realm.
Racial Traits: Male and female kenku are equally able to pursue any class they choose, and their abilities are not affected by their sex.
-Ability Scores: +2 Dexterity, -2 Constitution. +2 Wisdom, -2 Intelligence. Kenku are very quick, and very perceptive, though they are not as intelligent or sturdy as some of the other races.
-Medium. As medium creatures, kenku have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
-A kenku has a base land speed of 40 feet.
-Natural Attack: A kenku can deliver a vicious bite with their curved beak. This bite is treated as a primary natural attack, and does 1d6 damage with a critical rating of 19-20/x2.
-Dark vision: Kenku can see in the dark up to 60 feet. Dark vision is black and white only, but it is otherwise like normal sight, and kenku can function perfectly fine with no light at all.
-Death lover: Due to their natural attraction to death, kenku have a -2 racial penalty to saves against spells or effects with the death descriptor.
-Glide: Though their wings and tail are simple compared to a true avians, kenku can still glide over a short distance. A kenku can glide 20 foot forward with poor maneuverability for every ten foot that they fall. A kenku wearing armor or clothing not specially designed and crafted to allow for flight cannot glide, and a kenku cannot glide while carrying a medium or heavy load.
-Weapon Proficiency: Kenku treat the boomerang, bolas, and the sling shot as martial weapons instead of exotic weapons.
-Automatic Languages: Skwa and Common. Bonus Languages: Goblin, abyssal, gnoll, giant, and infernal.
Also, on a side note- this was all very nicely formatted at one point. I simply copied and pasted it from my wordsheet, and now it looks like crap after t has been posted. Sorry :c
I am wanting to see if yall think that the race as I've envisioned it is balanced as a level one playable race. I've never seen their stats, and I'm not worried about making mine match whatever is in the monster manual- I want crowlike humanoids with a fetish for death as a playable race. :D
Kenku
Devoted worshippers of a goddess of death, the kenku are barely accepted throughout most of Aeryandor. Crowlike humanoids, the kenku are adabtable and resilient to survive in some of the harshest of places, and tend to either live in small tribal communities or in large metropolitan cities of other races. Focused on death to a degree that unnerves most other people, the kenku tend to stick to the edges of civilized areas.
Personality: Before all else, kenku worship their death goddess, Modra. Having based their culture upon the worship of such a deity for such a long time has caused the kenku to almost completely lose the fear of death- death in the service of Modra is the path to eternal paradise, obviously.
This complete and utter lack of death is uncomprehensible to most other beings, but what is immediately obvious is that a person does not bother a kenku unless they are prepared for the worst. While the kenku are not innately evil, the concept of surrender or of a “fair fight” is beyond their understanding. If they die, then so be it- and if they send their enemies to Mordra, then even better.
Though not greedy in the traditional sense, kenku love small shiny objects. It is not uncommon to find one carrying a small bag full of buttons, smooth pieces of glass or metal, and even gems or unusual coins. Other than this, kenku don’t tend to own much. They are more interested in the afterlife than in the current one, and anything they own tends to be dirty and used, if not broken.
Kenku are strict carnivores, and cannot be forced to eat vegetables or fruits. They cannibalize their dead ritualistically, and have no issue with eating the dead of other races- a fact that does not contribute to their acceptance amongst the other more “civilized” races.
Kenku are very secretive, and tend to not speak to outsiders. Their voices are very high pitched and they speak very quickly, and some of the other races find them hard to understand. Kenku bond for life- if their lifemate is killed, a kenku will stop at nothing to get revenge. For most kenku, when their mate dies, the survivor will leave their tribe and seek out death in some fashion.
Physical Description: Kenku look like humanoid ravens. Their heads are entirely raven shaped, with large black, unblinking eyes and a wickedly sharp beak. Their hands end in short claws, and their feet end in talons. A kenkus body is entirely covered in short soft black feathers, though males grow thicker “ruffs” across their shoulders and neck. Kenkus have longer feathers that protrude from the backs of their arms, and a short rudimentary feathered tail- combined, these features can allow the kenku to glide short distances.
Tribal kenku tend to wear as little clothing as possible, while civilized kenku wear clothing specially made for them, so that they can use their gliding ability if they need to. However, many kenku wear a large number of necklaces, bracelets and anklets, usually with some small shiny object attached to them. Kenku do not need to wear boots and rarely do so.
The typical kenku is around five and a half foot tall, but only weighs around 100 pounds due to their avian like bone structure. Kenku universally have black plumage, though a very rare few have pure white feathers- these kenku are considered touched by Mordra, and are thought to be blessed by her.
Relations: Dwarves distrust the kenku on principle- how can your forebears rest comfortably if you ate them?- while elves despise them for their reliance on their death goddess. Of course, the kenku could care less. Kenku generally get along with humans, and fit in amongst their cities better than in any other races. Both tieflings and warforged tend to get along with kenku, as all three are treated as outcasts in many places. The hobgoblins actually allow the kenku a place in their society- they find their cannibalistic tendencies useful in disposing of both their own dead and that of their enemies, and Mordra is even worshipped by some hobgoblins. It is rare to find a kenku on a gnome ship, but it is not unheard of- there is no general animosity between the races. Interaction between sand kings and kenku is extremely rare, but the two sometimes find common ground in their religious beliefs.
Alignment: Kenku naturaly lean towards neutral, but unfortunately, there are more evil kenku than good. This does nothing to contribute to their reputation as cannibals, murderers, and death worshippers, but again- the kenku could care less.
Kenku Lands: The kenku do not have any “kingdoms” or cities as such- they simply aren’t organized enough for such things. Most kenku live in temperate to cold climates, in small hunter-gatherer tribes. The leader of a tribe is always the most senior priestess of Mordra, and the kenku frequently have huge intelligent ravens (treat as a giant eagle) guarding their homes- and sometimes undead.
Kenku tend to build their villages along cliff edges, or amongst the tops of massive trees, in order to take advantage of their ability to glide.
Religion: Kenku whorship one being and one being only: Mordra. An ascended humanoid of an unknown race, Mordra is a deity of death, magic, and darkness. Worshipped primarily by the kenku, she has a small following amongst the hobgoblins, and amongst some necromancers and sorcerers. Though neutral evil in her own right, Mordra does not actively push the kenku towards evil. She allows them their own choice, and rewards them according to her own wishes. Suicide is anathema to Mordra however. The rewards of death are to be earned, not given.
Language: The native kenku tongue, skwa, sounds more like the caws and whistles of a bird than that of a language, but the kenku can pass along detailed information using it. A person not knowing skwa and unable to see a person speaking it must make a DC 15 intelligence check to even realize a language is being spoken.
Names: A kenku typically has two names- their first name, which is generally an adjective that they feel describes themselves, and their second name, which is that of their tribe. When in their own communities, most of their names are in skwa, though many kenku translate them into the common tongue when in the civilized lands.
Adventurers: Many kenku adventure out of a natural sense of wanderlust. Others are trying to spread the worship of their goddess, both by evangelizing and through their deeds. Still others might be seeking out the good death, ready to go to their goddess and her shadowed realm.
Racial Traits: Male and female kenku are equally able to pursue any class they choose, and their abilities are not affected by their sex.
-Ability Scores: +2 Dexterity, -2 Constitution. +2 Wisdom, -2 Intelligence. Kenku are very quick, and very perceptive, though they are not as intelligent or sturdy as some of the other races.
-Medium. As medium creatures, kenku have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
-A kenku has a base land speed of 40 feet.
-Natural Attack: A kenku can deliver a vicious bite with their curved beak. This bite is treated as a primary natural attack, and does 1d6 damage with a critical rating of 19-20/x2.
-Dark vision: Kenku can see in the dark up to 60 feet. Dark vision is black and white only, but it is otherwise like normal sight, and kenku can function perfectly fine with no light at all.
-Death lover: Due to their natural attraction to death, kenku have a -2 racial penalty to saves against spells or effects with the death descriptor.
-Glide: Though their wings and tail are simple compared to a true avians, kenku can still glide over a short distance. A kenku can glide 20 foot forward with poor maneuverability for every ten foot that they fall. A kenku wearing armor or clothing not specially designed and crafted to allow for flight cannot glide, and a kenku cannot glide while carrying a medium or heavy load.
-Weapon Proficiency: Kenku treat the boomerang, bolas, and the sling shot as martial weapons instead of exotic weapons.
-Automatic Languages: Skwa and Common. Bonus Languages: Goblin, abyssal, gnoll, giant, and infernal.
Also, on a side note- this was all very nicely formatted at one point. I simply copied and pasted it from my wordsheet, and now it looks like crap after t has been posted. Sorry :c