Kenku are highly intelligent and deceitful creatures. Their traits are quite different from and that is why they are considered to be dexterous. Additionally, they are unique in that they speak only by mimicking the sounds and voices they hear; however, they can do so with exceptional ability.
Kenku Traits
Ability score Increase: Your Dexterity increases by 2, and your Wisdom score increases by 1.
Speed: Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Age: Kenku reach adulthood in their teens and have a similar lifespan to humans.
Alignment: Kenku are Neutral Chaotic. Kenku care mostly about their own survival and rarely do they make lasting commitments, thus making them undependable allies in the long-term.
Expert Forgery: You can duplicate other creatures’ handwriting and craftwork. You have advantage on all checks made to produce forgeries or duplicates of existing objects.
Kenku Training: You have proficiency in your choice of two of the following skills – Acrobatics, Deception, Stealth, Sleight of Hand.
Languages: Kenku can only speak in mimicry. You can speak, read, and write Common and Auran, the latter of which is an incredibly rare language.
Mimicry: You can mimic sounds and voices you have heard. A creature that hears the sounds can tell they are imitations with a successful Wisdom (Insight) check opposed by your Charisma (Deception) check.
Size: Kenku stand around 5 feet tall and weigh 90 – 120lbs. Your size is Medium.
Statistics
| Size | Medium |
| Type | Humanoid |
| Tag’s | Kenku |
General Info
| Vision | Low-light vision |
| Fevored Climate | Temperate |
| Fevored Terrain | Plains |
| Language’s | Auran and Common |
Appearance
| Average Height | 5′ (1.5 m) |
| Average Weight | 75 lbs. (34 kg) |
| Distinctions | Talons in place of hands and feet; voice mimicry |
Kenku Features
A group of kenku creatures is known as flock and is led by the oldest of the members; it is because of the simple reason that these old kenku’s are highly experienced and have a lot of knowledge which helps them in reaching the target. Though the kenku do not possess crafting-related traits, they are excellent learners and have a keen eye for details.
Kenku are highly sensitive to sounds and will alert others in the team if they believe danger is present. They can easily create any sound and this is what helps them in sending messages to their team and making robbery possible. Nevertheless, kenku possess a natural ability to mimic sounds with exceptional ability.
Even their talent to copy the sounds is an asset for them. As a player, you can easily utilize all these traits and move ahead without any problem. As you now know more about this creature, it will be easy to embrace the tactics of kenku and enjoy to the fullest.
Appearance:
Kenku are somewhat similar to the crows, except they stand around 5’0 to 5’6 and weigh between 90-110 pounds. Their beaks are large with black feathers and clawed hands. While kenku’s skin color varies from species to species, some may be yellow and a few may be gray-ish. When it comes to their fitness level, they are slightly weaker but more agile than humans.
Their usual characteristic is to fly as soon as they are born while some undergo training and learn to fly high. Though the kenku’s do not have wings but still they love to reach the tall structures. Another physical characteristic that you will find in is the lack of innovation as well as motivation. As their size is a small one it becomes easy for them to collapse anywhere they like thus misguiding the others.
Kenku Society
The early kenku were quite different the one that you will see today. As a consquence of their greed, it is believed that they were transformed into their current appearance and state of being. These work independently and not in groups. The entire species is sub-divided into various flocks and each of them has certain rules to follow and the conduct to go for. Kenku make sure that all the rules are followed strictly and in no way there is any kind of betrayal for the same. If by chance anyone is found violating the rules, stringent action is taken against them as it a crime to go against the laws of conduct. In such cases the kenku can be removed from their team as well.
History
Long before the kenku existed in this form, they first worked for the master who had lost his memory. The wings were given by the king to kenku so that they could soar high and perform all the services assigned to them. But then the kenku managed to steal the speech as well as the language of the king and this is how the new species of kenku came into existence. When the king came to know about their deeds, he cut their wings so they would always beg and stay under him. Owing to this reason only, the lifespan of kenku is quite short and each male one has two wives thus leading to the expansion.
Kenku Names
Both the males and the females have different kind of naming structure. As they are capable enough to produce any sound that is why their names resemble the sounds or the phrases which are used by them. You get a reflection of the sound in both the male and the female names. The naming structure has three parts in it which includes.
- The first class of names come from the weapon noises like the sound produced when the bones break or something similar.
- Then the next set of names are derived from the noises of the animals and this how they call out to each other.
- Last but not the least is the third set of names which come from the robberies or theft cases made by them. Their go into the details of such sounds and master them thus giving it their own unique name being used for them.
Few examples of the male and female names are given below.
Females: Ulkin, Arkri, Kariin, Krekie and Erskin
Males: Rain, Renkil, Ralkin, Surkil, Eerik and Irtilk
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)
Q: Can Kenku see in the dark?
A: Yes! their keen eyes are good at spotting the potential victims.
Q: How did kenku lose their wings?
A: Whenever their god have discovered their deceit and the kenku had their wings stripped from them and also preventing them from naturally flying ever again.
Q: Do kenku lay eggs?
A: The female kenku can lay a clutch of two to four eggs which hatch after 60 days.
Q: Can Kenku use telepathy?
A: From the mystic and warlock classes they can still communicate via the methods like Telepathy.