Kitsune-jin (3.5e Race)

Stories depict them as intelligent beings and as possessing magical abilities that increase with their age and wisdom. Foremost among these is the ability to assume human form. While some folktales speak of kitsune employing this ability to trick others—as foxes in folklore often do—other stories portray them as faithful guardians, friends, lovers, and wives.

Foxes and human beings lived close together in ancient Japan; this companionship gave rise to legends about the creatures. Kitsune-jin have become closely associated with Inari, a Shinto kami or spirit, and serve as its messengers. This role has reinforced the fox's supernatural significance. The more tails a Kitsune-jin has—they may have as many as nine—the older, wiser, and more powerful it is. Because of their potential power and influence, some people make offerings to them, considering them to be a deity.

Kitsune-jin

Personality

Kitsune-jin tend to live in small units, usually only consisting of their partner and any children not yet old enough to fend for themselves. Being flighty in nature, they are often prone to wander and explore, sometimes leading them to seek more inhabited locations early on, though they can quickly feel overwhelmed in towns and cities.

Physical Description

Kitsune-jin, though resembling elves at first glance, are usually more hairy than a human or elf when pure-blooded. Their hair is usually shades of dark grey, red, and brown, with albinos having silvery hair. Their skin color varies from a light tan to a darker tan color, rarely being pale or dark-skinned. Their eyes can be any color of that of an elf or human, though they are rarely blue or red. For Kitsune-jin, golden eyes are considered very beautiful though they occur about as often as brown eyes and hazel.

Kitsune-jin are much lighter than their size would appear, with hollowed, yet strong, bones allowing them to move gracefully and with great agility. Though they otherwise appear to be elf-like, Kitsune-jin have ears that are located nearer to the top of their head similar to a foxes and bear a similar shape, though they are often hidden by hair which is kept longer for such purposes. A Kitsune-jin grows tails in their human and fox form, almost supernaturally fast, with more tails grown based on its age at equal intervals, having up to nine tails total. All nine tails are grown by time a young-adult age is reached. These tails grow to full length (usually 5ft to 6ft long) in approximately one week, and can be regenerated if lost in approximately two weeks. Despite this, the Kitsune highly value their tails, so much so that they may become extremely aggressive against anyone who intends to harm or even touch their tails without permission. A Kitsune-jin can hide its ears and tails through shape-shifting as a natural reflex to encountering other humanoid races, with the opposing character needing an additional +12 to spot and a +7 to search in order to noticing the Kitsune-jin's tails and ears. Unlike other Kitsune, the Kitsune-jin are granted their nine tails at a younger age.

Relations

Becoming experts at shape-shifting as they mature, a Kitsune-jin may occasionally form relations with other humanoid races, often themselves being mistaken for a humanoid race. Their animal heritage, being more spirit-based rather than animal-based, allows them to breed freely with humans, elves, and the like.

Alignment

Kitsune-jin tend to be chaotic more often than lawful, preferring to exist freely in the woods and away from large population centers. Kitsune can be friendly tricksters, occasionally helping a lost wandering person find their way out of the woods. However, they can also be vengeful and aggressive spirits, taking pleasure in the fright and suffering of those they come across.

Lands

Kitsune-jin prefer to live in the woods, often in mountainous regions to avoid common contact with other intelligent species. Despite this, Kitsune-jin often live near enough to small villages to have contact if they so choose, whether to form friendships, relationships, or to harass, depending on the intentions of the individual Kitsune-jin.

Religion

The Kitsune-jin doesn't conform to any specific way of worship. Religious worship among the Kitsune-jin is very broad and nonspecific.

Language

Kitsune-jin can speak common and sylvan, as well as the local language of the nearest village of intelligent humanoids. They also speak their own language of Kitsune which, when spoken, is similar enough to that of the Hengeyokai to be roughly understood both ways, however their written languages are distinctly different.

Names

Names are given after birth, usually within the first month of life. Names are often based on the child's personality, though some names are passed down through the family lineage or based on those of the culture of nearby villages. The names, when spoken, are usually a flowing sound and short in length.

Racial Traits

• +4 Dexterity, -2 Strength, +3 Charisma
• Racial Bonuses: +2 to Listen, Spot, Bluff, and Disguise
• Monstrous Humanoid:Shapechanger
• Medium size
• Kitsune-jin base land speed is 40 feet; while in Fox-form, Kitsune base land speed is 60 feet.
• Darkvision: A Kitsune can see in the dark up to 60 feet.
• Natural Weapons: 2 claws (1d8) and bite (1d10)
• Weapon Proficiency: A Kitsune may treat a katana and ninja-to as martial weapons (instead of exotic), and may treat the wakizashi as a simple weapon instead of martial.
• Fox Form (Su): A Kitsune-jin can assume the shape of Medium-size, nine-tailed fox (as the ability Change Shape) at-will. A Kitsune-jin can remain in its humanoid form until it chooses to switch to its Fox Form. A change in form cannot be dispelled, but a Kitsune-jin reverts to its natural form when killed. A true seeing spell or ability reveals its natural form.
• Scent: Kitsune are able to detect approaching enemies, sniff out hidden foes, and track by sense of smell. When a kitsune detects a scent, the exact location of the source is not revealed - only its presence somewhere within range. Kitsune with the Track feat and scent ability can follow tracks by smell, making a Wisdom (or Survival) check to find or follow a track.
• Low-light Vision: A kitsune can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination.
• Wild Empathy: Ability to lower an animal's or beast's aggression, effectively pacifying them unless provoked.

• :
• Spell-Like Ability:
  • Fox Fire: 1/day per level — Kitsune-jin can produce the effects dancing lights at will, as the spell (caster level 2nd). Kitsune-jin can activate this ability as a standard action: Gaining the ability to produce foxfire with their tales at a young age, Kitsune-jin quickly become masters at manipulating these small lights and using it to trick their enemies or to bring light to dark places. When casting Fox Fire, the caster may summon up to four glowing spheres of light (which look like will-o’-wisps), or one sole faintly glowing, vaguely humanoid shape. The dancing lights must stay within a 10-foot-radius area in relation to each other but otherwise move as you desire (no concentration required): forward or back, up or down, straight or turning corners, or the like. The lights can move up to 100 feet per round. A light winks out if the distance between you and it exceeds the spell’s range.
• Any Kitsune-jin that has levels in arcane spellcasting may add fireball to their known spells list as soon as they are able to learn it without taking up a spell slot. Even if the Kitsune-jin's spells must be normally prepared (as with a wizard), this spell is treated to be as always prepared (as with a sorcerer), regardless of class.

. Caster level is . The save DC is same as Sorcerer -based.

• Automatic Languages: Common, any Kitsune form of language, Hengeyokai (spoken only)
• Favored Class: SRD:Rogue, Ninja, Scout, or SRD:Sorcerer
• Level Adjustment: +2
• Effective Class Level (ECL): 1

Vital Statistics

Table: Kitsune Random Starting Ages

Adulthood	Simple	Moderate	Complex
50 years	+1d100	+3d100	+5d100 -->

Table: Kitsune Aging Effects

Middle Age1	Old2	Venerable3	Maximum Age
500 years	800 years	1000 years	∞ years
At middle age, +1 to Con, Int, Wis, and Cha. At old age, +1 to Str, Con, Int, Wis, and Cha. At venerable age, +1 to Str, Dex, Con; +2 to Int, Wis, and Cha.

Table: Kitsune Random Height and Weight

Gender	Base Height	Height Modifier	Base Weight	Weight Modifier
Male	5'	+2d4"	70 lb.	+3d10 lb.
Female	4' 10"	+2d4"	60 lb.	× 3d10 lb.

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