Caniden The caniden are a race of medium sized humanoids that resemble wolves. They are friendly creatures that value loyalty above all else. Their hind legs are reminiscent of their animalistic side, while the arms sport a pair of furred, clawed hands, instead of paws. Caniden are as varied in their height as humans, but known to be lighter. Their sleek bodies are exceptionally strong and fast. The caniden's bodies are covered in fur that can vary in coloration as much as their canine counterparts. Noble Nomads The caniden were once a race of nomads who lived in forests and on mountains. They lived in packs, and were fiercely protective of those packs. Despite this, they could not resist helping strangers that were in trouble nearby their camps. They began to get a reputation as a group of "savage guardian angels" among other races. Soon, caniden started to move into settlements with other races. They faced some initial resistance from those who mistook them for monsters, but those complaints eventually went away as the caniden proved their worth. Everyone's Best Friend After their excellent tracking skills, the caniden are most known for their welcoming, friendly attitudes. They are a race of empathetic creatures, seeking companionship and a home with friends and family. Those who adventure find a group with which they get along and create a strong bond with them, considering their comrades as their pack. If you happen to be in an adventuring party with a caniden and they take a liking to you, you have made a friend for life, assuming you don't betray their trust. After establishing a pack, a caniden's greatest purpose is to protect that pack and ensure it's sustainability. Their nature makes it so the members of their race bond with others for life. Whether the pack is composed of other caniden or a group of adventurers makes no difference to them. Should they be traveling with a group of other races, they will be happy to meet one of their own on the road and perhaps they will even join forces with the established group. For The Greater Good Caniden have a great sense of honor. Betraying a caniden is courting death, as they see that betrayal as the deepest wound that can be inflicted upon them. If you show them respect, they will return it tenfold. But if you turn on them or their pack, expect swift and total retribution. Most caniden are driven by a desire to improve themselves for the good of the pack. They strive to be considered worthy of their place in the pack, and many caniden secretly worry that they will be abandoned if they aren't pulling their own weight. Their innate "magic" is mostly just mundane tricks they learned to help out their pack. An Introvert's Worst Nightmare Caniden try to turn everything into a group activity. It's commonly said that a caniden can't even order a meal at a tavern without the help of at least three friends. They eat, sleep, bathe, work, and even go to the bathroom as a group. Privacy is a foreign concept to them. Isolation terrifies the caniden. Being alone for extended periods of time is a torment few caniden can withstand without going mad. They might wait for hours or even days in one spot, simply waiting for a friend who has left. A Caniden might act like they haven't seen someone for weeks after only a few hours. A common complaint among their companions is their inability to respect someone's personal space. There is also a rumour that when surrounded by friends and allies, the caniden adopt a more dog-like mannerism, leaving the more animalistic, violent sides of their nature for their enemies. It is believed that the caniden have inherited many facets of canines, one among them being the playfulness of a common domestic dog. Should you feel brave enough to attempt it, try calling them out and throwing a stick away from them, or during a moment of rest, gently run your hands through their fur, as you would a dog's. Language The native language of the Caniden is very difficult for non-native speakers to learn. It is a language with a small number of consonants and vowels that sounds like a series of barks, howls, growls, and whimpers. Differences in pitch and even body language can drastically change the meaning of a word or sentence. A DM might ask for a Performance check for a non-Caniden to successfully communicate in this language.

Lucine's Faithful If you see a caniden howling at the moon, do not interrupt. They are praying to their goddess. Most caniden worship Lucine, the goddess of loyalty. According to folklore, caniden used to worship Malar, god of the hunt, to provide for the pack. However, in a time of famine, Malar allegedly directed some caniden to hunt members of their own pack in order to survive. Unable to betray their own pack, they turned to Lucine. Lucine rewarded their loyalty to their kin and taught them how to provide for themselves. However, Malar was upset that Lucine stole his followers and banished her to the moon. Caniden howl at the moon in hopes that their prayers might reach Lucine, and she may one day return. Caniden Personality While they usually mean well, due to their strange culture and way of living, caniden often acquire an odd personality trait or two. You can use the Caniden Quirks table to inform how you portray your character. Caniden Quirks d10 Quirk 1 You sometimes forget you have a tail. You try to grab that hairy thing behind you whenever you see it. 2 There is no greater pleasure than catching a ball and bringing it back to where it was. 3 You like to bury your favorite things, to ensure that no one steals them. 4 Your tail wags uncontrollably when you are happy. 5 You protect your friends from any threat, even if it's just a courier. 6 You like to get dirty and hate baths. 7 You can't refuse anyone who asks for help. 8 Fighting is like playing, but with more biting. 9 You have no self-control when it comes to food. You will eat the whole party's rations if they let you. 10 Your first instinct upon meeting someone new is to sniff them and learn their scent. Caniden Names Most Caniden are not too concerned with what others call them. Male names are generally more fierce and strong sounding, while female names are much softer and more friendly sounding. The names of their packs are based on wolf parts, mixed in with mostly adjectives. Male: Ataneq, Balto, Duke, Fang, Hunter, Kodlak, Malakai, Niko, Riley, Tundra Female: Aurora, Dakota, Eilyn, Laika, Mishka, Nikita, Raine, Snow, Ulva Pack Names: Bloodclaw, Firefang, Silvertail, Coldgrowl, Keeneyes, Quickpaw, Goldheart, Whitenose Caniden Traits Your caniden character has a variety of natural abilities. Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 1. Age. Caniden reach maturity at 15. The oldest ones live to be anywhere between 60 and 70 years old. Alignment. Caniden love their pack, and would do anything to protect it. More often than not, they are lawful good, but a chaotic good caniden is not uncommon. Size. Despite their friendly nature, caniden are still large predators. They are similar in height to orcs, but they only weigh about as much as a half-orc. They are generally over 6 feet tall and average about 200 pounds. Your size is Medium. Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet. Darkvision. Your superior, wolf-like vision enables you to hunt uninhibited in dusky woodlands and moonlit forests. 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. Keen Hearing and Smell. Thanks to your sensitive ears and nose, you have advantage on Wisdom (Perception), Wisdom (Survival), and Intelligence (Investigation) checks that involve hearing or smell. Bloodhound. As an action, you can learn the scent of a creature within 5 feet of you. Until the end of your next long rest, whenever you make a Wisdom (Survival) check to track that creature's scent, you are considered proficient in the Survival skill and add double your proficiency bonus to the check, instead of your normal proficiency bonus. If you have a possession or garment belonging to the creature, you do not need to learn their scent to gain this benefit. Bite. Your powerful jaws are natural weapons, which you can use to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with it, you deal piercing damage equal to 1d6 + your Strength modifier, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike. Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common, Caniden, and one extra language of your choice. Subraces. There are three main types of caniden: wild caniden, domesticated caniden, and purebred caniden.

Wild Caniden Wild caniden are the most common type. Even with their brutal appearances, they are a people who cherish the lives of all good creatures and defend them as if they were their own. They are sworn to defend their pack at all costs. They are outgoing and friendly to their allies, but to their enemies, they are ferocious hunters and are master trackers. Ability Score Increase. Your Wisdom score increases by 2. Natural Tracker. You have proficiency in the Survival skill. Feral Instincts. As a bonus action, you can mark a creature you can see within 30 feet as your prey for the next hour. As long as the creature is marked, you have advantage on any Wisdom (Perception) or Wisdom (Survival) check you make to find it. The effect ends early if the target dies, you die, or you are incapacitated. Additionally, when you damage the target with an attack or a spell, you can cause that attack or spell to deal extra damage to the target. The extra damage equals your level. If you know this creature's scent and it can see or hear you, when it attacks a creature other than you that is within 30 feet of you, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on the attack roll. You can either deal extra damage or impose disadvantage on an attack roll once each time you mark a creature. Once you use this trait, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest. Domesticated Caniden The caniden are naturally a very trusting species, as long as you have done nothing to betray that trust. Sometimes, other races take advantage of that. Domesticated caniden are descended from caniden slaves and were specifically bred for intelligence and obedience. A domesticated caniden is not nearly as outgoing as their wild kin. While they still crave companionship, they become exhausted if they attempt the same level of socialization as wild caniden. They are extremely sensitive to the emotions of those around them, so they might get overwhelmed in crowded places. They generally put the time and energy they would spend on socializing towards more academic endeavors. Ability Score Increase. Your Intelligence score increases by 2. Fast Learner. The gold and time you must spend to research lore, learn a language, or become proficient with a tool (XGTE pg. 133-135) is halved. The time spent is rounded up to the nearest day. Silent Support. You know the guidance cantrip. When you reach 3rd level, you can cast the bless spell once with this trait, requiring no material components, and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. When you reach 5th level, you can cast the locate animals or plants spell once with this trait, requiring no material components, and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for these spells. Random Height and Weight Table Subrace Base Height Height Modifier Base Weight Weight Modifier Wild 5'8" +2d8 175 lbs. × (2d6) lb. Domesticated 5'4" +2d8 140 lbs. × (2d6) lb. Purebred 5'6" +2d8 150 lbs. × (2d6) lb. Purebred Caniden A subset of the domesticated caniden, they are typically servants of nobles and the upper class. They believe themselves to be "perfect beings," and are incredibly vain. They view themselves as the best and "most civilized" of all caniden. Despite their vain demeanors, purebred caniden have a natural charm that is unsurpassed by most other races. Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score increases by 2. Persuasive You have proficiency in the Persuasion skill. Noble Charm. You know the vicious mockery cantrip. When you reach 3rd level, you can cast the charm person spell as a 2nd-level spell with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells. Feral Caniden The mind of the caniden does not handle isolation well. While they are already prone to panic attacks when left alone for a few minutes, when left alone for months, their minds break. They revert to a more primal mindset, and many become violent. As time passed, they became more and more desperate for companionship. A feral caniden might have a few "pets" that they tried to use to ward off their impending mental break. They might try to kidnap "new friends". They might also confuse those new friends with prey. Feral Caniden Medium humanoid (caniden), chaotic evil Armor Class 15 (natural armor)

15 (natural armor) Hit Points 39 (6d8 + 12)

39 (6d8 + 12) Speed 30 ft. STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 14 (+2) 16 (+3) 14 (+2) 10 (+0) 8 (-1) 12 (+1) Skills Intimidation +3, Perception +3

Intimidation +3, Perception +3 Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 13

darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 13 Languages Caniden, Common

Caniden, Common Challenge 3 (700 XP) Keen Hearing and Smell. The feral caniden has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on hearing or smell. Innate Spellcasting. The feral caniden's innate spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 11, +3 to hit with spell attacks). It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:



At will: friends, vicious mockery

1/day each: charm person, command Actions Multiattack. The feral caniden makes two attacks. Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d8 + 3) piercing damage.