Kemono

The Kemono is an eastern race of people with features borrowed from many animals. They exist within a very traditional society; They have a very traditional way of life- And by nature, they are orderly and traditional creatures. Family values are more important than anything else, and they're willing to follow their families honor to the ends of the earth should it be necessary.

The appearance of an individual can vary widely- The race has no set features. But common features tend to appear in ways that mark the individual as more human, or elvish as they often show pointy ears, than animal, and are passed down from parent to child. An aquatic kemono having the face of a dumbo octopus is incredibly rare, but not unheard of. They all fall into one of three categories- Terrestrial, aquatic, aerial. All three dominate one of the nations three islands and thus have their own culture. They're taught common, 1 form of Primordial (Aquan for aquatic kemonos, Auran for aerial kemonos and Terran for terrestrial ones), and Kemono, a complex language with clear sounds and its own script.

They share a value towards discipline, order, and law. Their goddess, Inna, places great importance on the value of ones heritage- Most households have strong family values as a result. People are constantly seeking to bring honor to their family, and are proud of the nation in which they live, with the 9 great families ruling above all else. Most of them live in a moderate sort of lifestyle, eating what they can get and growing crops to survive.

Chickens are popular livestock and commonly raised by farmers of all nations.

## Military Tactics

Because they don't have access to magic, the militia generally uses battle strategies reliant on Artificers and Fighters- Primarily Samurai, although there have been a few national variations. Local Militia's often use brutes, as they're less expensive and well suited towards doing raw damage. Against foes without any form of ranged combat, Avians have been known to simply fire from the air while their enemies are vulnerable. Avians also unlock other tactics, such as flying over enemy groups in order to set up a flank, or firing from the above the trees, reigning arrows down from above the foliage. Because of their ability to fly, they're able to use the inventions of the Artificer's, mainly bombs and thunder cannons, to rain fire down upon their enemies.

Aquatic kemonos are most at home fighting under water- And as such often create ambushes from down under. Traps generally involve finding ways to keep their opponents underwater as they continually attack from down under. For tactical reasons, most aquatic kemonos rely on rivers or moats to gain a combat advantage. They mostly rely on water for defensive purposes but have been known to use particularly muddied waters for espionage. If they can't bring the enemies close to a pool of water, they'll generally try to sneak ahead and sneak attack their enemy from where they wouldn't expect it. Most of them are rogues, primarily scouts.

Finally, terrestrial kemonos are taught from young ages the ways of combat and act as the most basic militia. They generally run in with their swords and fuel themselves by raw determination as they push through the battle. Unlike most others, the Terrestrial Kemono have the most savage way of combat. They are known for wildly attacking their enemies with whatever's available, and taking advantage of every opportunity to strike. Kemono fighters make use of their animalistic traits to get an edge in combat; Because of this, fighters generally try to hide such features before combat begins, so that they'll be able to win with the element of surprise.

Most combat units are led by a noble, who is experienced in some form of magic. The noble is mostly there to rally the groups' men, provide support and heal injured fighters, while at the same time slaughtering hordes of foes all on their own. The presence of Nobles, either men or women, is one that gives their followers a sense of purpose. So most combat units bring along a noble for that reason alone.

## Subspecies and Types

### Universal Traits

**Speed:** Your base walking speed is 30 ft.

**Alignment**: Kemono respect tradition and law so tend to be lawful.

**Darkvision**: You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light and in darkness as though it were dim light. You cannot discern color in darkness, only shades of grey.

**Weapon** **Proficiencies**: You are proficient with longswords, longbow, and daggers.

**Languages**: You know Common, one form of Primordial, and Kemono. Kemono is a complex language with clear sounds, it has its own script and is a very poetic language.

### Terrestrial Kemonos

Kemonos come in many varied shapes, and no subrace is more diverse than the terrestrial kemonos.

**Ability** **Score** **Increase**: Your Charisma score increases by 2, and another ability of your choice increases by 1.

**Age**: Terrestrial kemonos reach adulthood at around 20 years old, but can live up to 400 years.

**Size**: Terrestrial kemonos stand anywhere from 5 to 7 feet tall. Your size is medium.

**Acute** **Senses**: You have proficiency in the Perception or Insight skills.

**Beast** **Attack**: depending on your animal part you have a special attack you can use, discuss with your DM which is the best type of attack you can have and how it works. The damage you deal is 1d6 + your Strength or Dexterity modifier, this attack is considered finesse. If the attack asks for a save, against being grappled or pushed away for instance, the DC is 10 + the same ability modifier you used to attack. The most common attacks are: bite, ram and scratch.

### Aerial Kemonos

Those kemonos have wings and sometimes even beaks, they’re among the smartest of all kemonos.

**Ability** **Score** **Increase**: Your Intelligence score increases by 2, and another ability of your choice increases by 1.

**Age**: Aerial kemonos age faster, reaching adulthood at 18 and living up to 360 years.

**Size**: Aerial Kemonos stand anywhere from 4 to 6 feet tall. Your size is medium.

**Winged** **Grace**: You have an innate fly speed due to the large wings that protrude from your back, although it's not uncommon to have aerial kemono with wings attatched to their arms. Your fly speed equals 10 feet times your proficiency bonus. You must be in a space wide enough to accommodate your wingspan to fly. Your wingspan is equal to twice your height and as such you must have at least 5 feet of space on either side to fly. In addition, you cannot fly if you are wearing medium or heavy armor, armor you are not proficient in and armor not tailored to accommodate your wings.

### Aquatic Kemono

Some kemonos can fly high in the skies, aquatic kemonos can dive deep into the ocean.

**Ability** **Score** **Increase**: Your Constitution score increases by 2, and another ability of your choice increases by 1.

**Age**: Aquatic kemonos mature a little slower, reaching adulthood at the age of 22 and living up to 440 years.

**Size**: Aquatic kemonos stand anywhere from 5 to 7 feet tall. Your size is medium.

**Swimming** **Speed**: You have a base swimming speed of 45ft.

**Amphibious**: You can breathe both air and water.

**Slippery**: You have advantage on dexterity saving throws against being grappled or restrained.

**Tentacles**: Your animal part gives you tentacles, they usually grow as hair. As a melee attack action you can use those tentacles to grab a creature within 5 feet, if you can use your tentacles, the creature must succeed a Dexterity saving throw or become grappled, due to the poison in your tentacles the creature also takes 1d4 poison damage. The DC is 10 + your strength modifier.

**Eel** **Body** (variant feat): Your animal part makes you have fins, they normally grow alongside your limbs. Your swimming speed is 90 feet. As a melee touch attack, you can electrocute one creature of your choice. The creature must succeed a Dexterity saving throw or take 1d6 + your proficiency bonus lightning damage. The DC is equal 10 + your dexterity modifier.