Canite (Dogfolk)

There are surprisingly few bird-like races other than the cabaro. Canite society is as strange and enigmatic as the race itself. When interacting with their own kind, canites rarely talk, preferring physical gestures and simple sounds to communicate. Direct translation of this “language” comes out as questions, riddles, and rhymes. When they speak in Common or other reality-based languages, the canites are a little better about cohesion and making sense, but not much.

Canites have no cities, preferring a nomadic lifestyle. They travel constantly, seeking to reinforce positive living and fighting back the nightmares where they can. The largest collections of canites travel in caravans across caverns, deserts, oceans, and plains.

Heritage Traits

• Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution score increases by 2.
• Age. Canites lead short lives compared to humans. They mature by age 4 and can live up to 40 years before their souls are returned to the Realm of Dreams.
• Alignment. Canites may be of any alignment, but their goal of feeding positive emotion into the world to keep the Slumberer at rest paints them largely as good beings. How they go about doing so is where some could see them as otherwise. The way canites see alignment is strange. A traditionally lawful canite may ignore orders from a superior or commit generally chaotic acts for the betterment of a larger number of people. A chaotic canite may swear a lawful oath to protect freedom. A good canite may allow evil creatures to act freely if they do so for the good of others. On rare occasion, a canite might be evil from the perspective of those around him, but even he sees what he does as good.
• Canite Ancestry. Magic can’t put you to sleep.
• Keen Scent. Thanks to your sensitive muzzle, you have advantage on Wisdom (Perception), Wisdom (Survival), and Intelligence (Investigation) checks that involve smell.
• Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common, Elvish, and Gnomish.

Culture

Choose one of the following cultures:

Full-Sized Breed

• Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 1.
• Size. Full-sized canites can resemble danes, mastiffs, or sheepdogs. They stand head and shoulders over the average human, weighing upward of 250 pounds. Your size is Medium.
• Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet. Your speed is not reduced by wearing heavy armor.
• Overpower. Immediately after you hit a creature with a melee attack as a part of the Attack action on your turn, you can use a bonus action to attempt to shove that target. The target must be within 5 feet of you and no more than one size larger than you. Unless it succeeds on a Strength saving throw against a DC equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength modifier, you push it up to 10 feet away from you.

Lupine

• Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 1.
• Size. Lupine canites are as tall as humans, but they are usually as trim and slender as elves. Your size is Medium.
• Speed. Your base walking speed is 35 feet.
• Four-Footed Run. When you move on your turn in combat, if both of your hands are free, you can double your speed until the end of the turn.

Medium Breed

• Ability Score Increase. Your Wisdom score increases by 1.
• Size. Medium breed canites can resemble bulldogs, huskies, and retrievers. They are as tall as humans, and can weigh just as much. Your size is Medium.
• Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
• Dream. When you reach 9th level, you can cast the dream spell once per day. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for this spell.

Small Breed

• Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 2.
• Size. Small breed canites can resemble pugs, pomeranians, or terriers. They stand around 3 feet tall and weigh between 25 and 40 pounds. Your size is Small.
• Speed. Your base walking speed is 25 feet.
• Dream. When you reach 9th level, you can cast the dream spell once per day. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for this spell.

Alternate Traits

These traits can be chosen by any canite culture to replace either Canite Ancestry or Keen Scent (your choice).

• Bite. Your teeth are a natural weapon, 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. A canite without canite immunities can still gain a bite that deals 1d3 damage instead (or 1d2 if Small).
• Emissary. You can give yourself advantage on one Charisma (Deception or Persuasion) check. If you do, you can’t use emissary again until after you finish a long rest.
• Shadow Resistance. You have resistance to cold damage and necrotic damage.