Wolfborn (5e Race)
Wolfborn
The wolfborn. A race driven to the brink of extinction. A race feared as monsters. Born the child of cursed parentage, they are ever feared. Ever hunted.
Physical Description
In their human form, they look exactly like humans. Their appearance is as varied as humans. Some possess dark skin, some have have lighter skin. Some have brown eyes, others have blue, green, and grey. They can have black, brown, blonde, and reddish hair. In their wolf form, wolfborn look identical to regular wolves. They typically appear to have grey fur, though it is not uncommon for their fur to be white, black, brown, or even tan. Regardless of physical appearance, a keen observer may notice the intelligence in their eyes, an intelligence that does not belong. At least, to a wolf.
History
Wolfborn are a young, nearly extinct race. They are the rare children born to lycanthropes that are "blessed" to not inherit their parent's curse, but yet cursed to inherit a portion of their parent's shape-changing abilities. Most scholars believe that, no more than 250 years after the first wolfborn was born, humans discovered wolfborn for the first time. Naturally, they mistook them for lycanthropes and, in their fear and hatred of lycanthropes, the humans hunted down and slaughtered any and all wolfborn they found. As such, the wolfborn are few and far between. Though they are perfectly capable of reproduction, finding a mate is almost as hard as keeping humans from knowing what they are. There no known cases of wolfborn being descended from non-human lycanthropes, though recorded history regarding the wolfborn is woefully incomplete.
Society
The wolfborn have little contact with each other, as revealing one's true nature is usually a death sentence. Those few wolfborn who meet other wolfborn can at least respect that the other is still alive, if not how and why. Wolfborn who are raised differently almost certain have opinions and dislikes about they other, but they rarely get to the point of violence. Their kind is too few for them to kill each other off. Those few humans who understand the wolfborn, most of them being scholars or those who have fought alongside a wolfborn, find that they are loyal friends and will never abandon a friend or ally, even at the cost of their own lives. Young wolfborn are highly energetic and puppy-ish, often bringing smiles to the faces of most people they meet. Some, however, can see young wolfborn are annoying and irritating. Wolfborn naturally favor being in groups, often times disregarding the risk of their ally killing them if their true nature were to be discovered. Elves are usually understanding if not friendly towards wolfborn, making them a wolfborn's greatest ally. Wolfborn tend to dislike dealing with money, particularly silver.
Wolfborn Names
Wolfborn typically take human names to avoid attracting any unnecessary attention. Some proud wolfborn, usually raised amongst wolves, might choose names that hint at wolves, but these are very, very few.
Male: Ardre, Finton, Furrick, Reggin, Setix, Wolvert
Female: Allin, Crena, Lelliss, Peltilla, Ulisa
Wolfborn Traits
Descendants of lycanthropes who are feared and misunderstood. Their kind are very, very few in number, but those that are alive are still hunted like the monsters they are not.
Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 2.
Age. Wolfborn are considered mature at roughly age 15 and can live to be around 100 years old.
Alignment. Wolfborn raised by humans are generally more lawful, while those raised by wolves are typically more chaotic.
Size. Wolfborn average 5'7" and 150 lbs. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Human Beast. Depending on whether you are in your human or wolf form, your creature type is considered humanoid or beast respectively.
Shapechanger. As an action, you can transform into a wolf. Your wolf form has the same Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma score as your true form and shares hit points with it. Your wolf form's Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution are the same as the wolf statblock. You cannot use any features granted by your class while in this form. You can revert to your normal form earlier by using a bonus action on your turn and you automatically revert if you fall unconscious, drop to 0 hit points, or die. You regain use of this trait when you finish a short or long rest.
Keen Hearing and Smell. You have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks made to detect or find using hearing or scent.
Cursed Heritage. Since the first werewolf, your parent's kind have always been vulnerable to the bite of silver. Though diluted, you still bear a hint of their suffering. Whenever you come into contact with silver, you have disadvantage on all attack rolls and ability checks until your next turn. In addition, as long as you remain in contact with silver, you are unable to change your form using your Shapechanger trait.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common. However, you can not speak any language you know while in your wolf form.
Subrace. A wolfborn is generally either human raised or wolf raised. If your background does not have you being raised by humans or wolves, pick which subrace best applies. For example, if you were raised by a dwarf, then human raised may fit best, while wolf raised may work for a wolfborn raised by an elf.
Human Raised
Some wolfborn are raised by humans or in human society. Perhaps their lycanthropic parent still denies their curse, or maybe they accept it. Perhaps their parents are experts at hiding among humans or maybe humans found and raised them without them ever knowing their true parents. In that case, it may be possible that their adoptive parents raised them knowing what they are. Or maybe they didn't know. Whatever their background, human-raised wolfborn normally take up human hobbies or jobs and are skilled at hiding things, especially their true nature. They see wolf raised wolfborn as barbaric and asking to be killed, but admire their instincts and general freedom. Human raised wolfborn can be as varied as the humans that raised them in terms of personality, though they all tend to favor their human form.
Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score is increased by 1.
Human Society. Due to your upbringing you were taught how to work for a living. You are proficient with a tool of your choice.
Concealed Wolf. Your need to remain hidden shows itself through your actions. You are proficient in the Deception skill.
Wolf Raised
Some wolfborn are literally raised by wolves. Perhaps they were abandoned in the wild and found by a wolf pack, but there is also the possibility that they have a pack they were born to. Interestingly, it seems wolfborn can be born from wolves, only as a wolf pup instead of a human baby, though this often leaves speculation as to how this could be. Wolf raised wolfborn are heavily pack oriented, but their wolfish ways can possibly reveal to humans that this is no simple barbaric person. They are proud, but not stupid. Normally. They believe that hiding is an option, but such an option is only temporary. They are wolves and that cannot be changed, no matter how much they wish it. They see their human raised counterparts as too civilized and too human. They may call such wolfborn weak, yet often cannot help but be in awe at what human raised wolfborn can do. Wolf raised wolfborn hate showing any weakness. If they are injured, they may wait until they are alone or everyone else is asleep or similar conditions before they tend to it. They favor their wolf form.
Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 1.
Wolf Brother. You can speak with wolves, dogs, and similar creatures of the Canis family as if you shared a language. You have advantage on Wisdom (Animal Handling) checks involving those creatures.
As a Pack. Whenever an allied creature makes a successful attack against a creature and you are within 5 feet of the target, you can, as a reaction make an attack of opportunity against that target.
Wild Nature. Due to your upbringing, you are at home in the wildness and tend to be unfamiliar with the peculiarities of society. You have disadvantage on Charisma (Deception) checks made against humanoids.
Random Height and Weight
| Base Height | Height Modifier* | Base Weight | Weight Modifier** |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4′ 8″ | +2d10 | 110 lb. | × (2d4) lb. |
|
*Height = base height + height modifier | |||
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