Kyuko (5e Race)
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Japanese Kitsune[edit]
| “ | If we earn the goddess' favor, we can become heavenly attendants! Then it's good times and high rolls all the way! | ” |
Physical Description[edit]
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| Picture of a kitsune by who-stole-MY-name |
Kyuko, meaning "old fox", are beasts with the cognitive ability rivaling that of humans. They typically appear like that of a normal fox, but with some slight differences. For example, they can walk on their hind legs. Additionally, they usually have more than one tail sprouting out from their rear. The number of tails can range from two to nine. There are two types of kyuko that are well distinguished: zenko and yako. Zenko are known to have red markings on their fur and usually wear some sort of jewelry, like prayer beads, around their necks. Yako, in contrast, have black markings and wear no special regalia, appearing much more wild and often feral. Kyuko in general can speak human languages and can even assume human forms through magic of trickery.
History[edit]
Inari, a goddess of harvest, has foxes as her attendants. These foxes tended to be extremely long-lived beasts that eventually grew a wit and soul that earned them a place alongside the loyal servants of gods. They were largely benevolent towards good humans and tried to help when they could in times of famine. These were the zenko. Originally, yako did not exist. However, when some of Inari's attendants grew overzealous about the pathetic humans, they fell off the path of divine goodwill and became yako. Yako roam the mortal world content with their freed status and seek amusement in tormenting humans and other creatures they do not like. Historically, statues of foxes are dedicated to zenko, who carry Inari's will and can even heal people. Yako are usually a sort of bogeyman in many a horror story instead.
Society[edit]
Kyuko society is similar in a way to the Ordning of giants. According to the order of foxes, Inari's attendants rank the highest in their society. The zenko sit at the very top, with the subgroups of tenko, kūko, and kiko. Under them are the two larger groups of chiko and ashireiko. Yako typically belong to these two rankings, though they are sometimes excluded entirely. This order of the foxes extends to communities of kitsune as well, and basically establishes their proximity to becoming divine. Kyuko are supposed to help serve humans to increase their ranks and curry favor with the gods. But yako mostly don't care.
Kyuko Names[edit]
Names for kyuko are usually of Wa tongue, as kyuko originate from Wa-an in Kara-Tur.
Male: Akihiko, Akihiro, Akio, Aoi, Daisuke, Hiroshi
Female: Ai, Asami, Chikako, Hideko, Izanami, Kiyomi
Kyuko Traits[edit]
Old foxes that have lived and become divine servants
Ability Score Increase. Your Wisdom score increases by 2.
Age. Kyuko can live between 50 and 1400 years. The older they are, the more they tend to be highly ranked, though this is only a rule of thumb.
Alignment. Zenko kyuko tend to be good while yako usually are neutral or evil at worst.
Size. As they are about the size of normal foxes, your size is Small.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 25 feet.
Darkvision. 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.
Human Form. You can disguise yourself as a human easily. You can cast the disguise self spell. When you cast this spell via this trait, you can make yourself appear human, with the appropriate placement of limbs and a much taller height difference of up to 3 feet. You can use this trait a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, regaining all uses when you finish a long rest. Wisdom is your spellcasting modifier for this spell.
Beastly. Your creature type is Beast instead of Humanoid.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and one other language of your choice.
Subrace. Choose either yako or zenko.
Yako[edit]
Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score increases by 1.
Master of Trickery. You are proficient in Deception.
Kitsune Trickery. You know the minor illusion cantrip and can cast it without material components. Wisdom is your spellcasting modifier for this spell.
Kitsunetsuki. Yako are notorious for draining the life force of humans they look down upon. As an action, you choose one humanoid creature within 30 feet of you that you can see and force them to make a Wisdom saving throw (DC = 8 + your Charisma modifier + your proficiency bonus). On a failed save, they take one level of exhaustion and you lose a level of exhaustion, if you had any. You must finish a long rest before using this trait again.
Zenko[edit]
Ability Score Increase. Your Wisdom score increases by 1. As normal, you cannot increase an ability score over 20 with this feature.
Divine Protection. You have advantage in saving throws against being charmed and poisoned.
Benevolence. You can cast cure wounds as a 1st-level spell. You can use this trait a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, regaining all uses when you finish a long rest. Wisdom is your spellcasting modifier for this spell.
Random Height and Weight[edit]
| Base Height | Height Modifier | Base Weight | Weight Modifier |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | +1d12 | 40 | × (1d10) lb. |
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