Kender (5e Race)
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Kender
| “ | He gave it to me because he didn't wake up when I took it. | ” |
Physical Description
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| Illustration of a Kender from DL5 Dragons of Mystery, art by Larry Elmore (1985)]] |
Kender are humanoids that resemble halflings at a young age, with youthful features. However, they are taller and thinner. Most kender place their hair in a topknot, which is a source of racial pride. They rarely grow more than 4 feet tall. As they age, they gain a wizened look, which, coupled with their pointed ears, can make them look more elven in appearance. However, their skin tones are notably darker than the fair hues of elves, and their stature is stouter.
History
Kender are creatures from the land of Krynn. They claim descent from tinker gnomes, cousins of dwarves, who descend from humans cursed by Reorx. Due to this heritage, they are capable of reproducing humans, resulting in half-kender. Kender have built a reputation to be a race of fey children who never grew out of the inquisitive stage of their lives that all children possess. Their incessant need to know why and vulnerability to boredom has earned them infamy as trouble makers. Because of their curiosity and inability to control it, they often will wander without fear and cause trouble for others. Even worse is the fact that they have a history of kleptomania, and thus a racial propensity towards sticky fingers, as they are constantly picking pockets, opening locks, and generally getting out in the world making a nuisance of themselves.
Society
People say it is a miracle any kender exist anymore due to their self-destructive nature. Having a society of them would be akin to having a village run by curious children. They actually do not have villages, luckily perhaps. Instead, they make small groups of duos or trios and travel together. Occasionally, they are singular members of mixed adventuring groups. The nature of kender requires that they have a buddy system or they will inevitably die due to curiosity. One option is they have another curious soul with them, namely another kender. Together, they at least can coordinate well and avoid trouble. The other option is to have an actual sensible person play the adult and condition them into learning properly of dangerous situations. People find them generally annoying, as they are prone to stealing even from people they consider allies.
Personality
Kender have no concept of ownership, and tend to "borrow" objects, which they never return. They do so not out of necessity, sometimes for fun. To a kender, there is nothing morally wrong about this, because the concept of ownership is nonexistent. They also have little sense of danger, being like numb to it when they are curious. The exception to this is the afflicted subrace of the kender, who were turned paranoid by corruptive influences from the evil overlords. Regardless, kender are best characterized by their tendency to behave like children. Telling them not to do something will make them prone to commit it. Their boredom can push them to do awful things that can endanger everyone around them as well as themselves.
Kender Names
Kender are typically named after objects or events.
Male: Lockpick, Shoehorn, Earwig, Tasslehoff Burrfoot
Female: Dagger, Bearchase, Haversack
Kender Traits
Small and fearless kleptomaniacs
Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score increases by 1.
Age. A kender has a short lifespan, only able to live up to about 100 years. They often don't even reach that age due to curiosity killing them.
Alignment. Due to their cultural view on borrowing, most kender are chaotic.
Size. Kenders average about 3 feet tall and weigh about 40 pounds, rarely going over 4 feet. Your size is Small.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Darkvision. Accustomed to the darkness of twilight, you have superior vision in the dark and dim conditions. 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.
Taunting Nature. Kender are skilled at exploiting the psychological weaknesses of others. You know the vicious mockery cantrip. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for this spell.
Nimble Fingers. You just happen to "acquire" things which are not yours. You are proficient in the sleight of hand skill.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write in Common and either Gnomish, Dwarvish, or Halfling.
Subrace. There are three subraces: true, half, and afflicted.
True
True kender are the standard fearless, curious beings who annoy people at every turn by stealing and causing trouble through curiosity and taunts.
Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 2.
Fearless. Nothing frightens you very much. You are immune against being frightened.
Scoundrels Tools. You know all the ways to get into hiding places for valuables. You are proficient with thieve's tools.
Afflicted
The dragon overlords corrupted the fair lands where a group of kender lived and shattered their immunity to fear. The survivors look blighted, with sores and such, and are a more wary, paranoid, duplicitous and deceitful form of kender.
Ability Score Increase. Your Wisdom score increases by 2.
Suspicion. Your paranoia makes you hyper focused when looking for threats. You have advantage on Intelligence (Investigation) checks to discern for traps and hidden enemies.
Lost Innocence. Kender are normally ignorant, innocent children. The tragedy you endured has made you distrustful of others and more prone to sneak around. You are proficient in the Stealth skill.
Half
These kender have partial human blood diluting their pure chaos. They are more like teenagers thus, than children, with a limited idea of right and wrong.
Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution score increases by 2.
Fear Not. You have advantage on saving throws against being frightened.
Trained. Growing up with humans, you probably know a thing or two about how things work and how to make a living more than the usual thieving kender. You are proficient in either two tools or one weapon of your choice.
Random Height and Weight
| Base Height |
Height Modifier* |
Base Weight |
Weight Modifier** |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3′ 6'' | +1d6 | 40 lb. | × (1d6) lb. |
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*Height = base height + height modifier | |||
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