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"They appeared to be like mice with ears of a rabbit and the fanged teeth of a cat. They walked on their hind paws like humans, but scurried on all fours when in a hurry. The colors in their fur followed no patterns previously observed in nature."

-Myon Brasolt

Overview

Kan’vi (can-vee) are a small desert-dwelling race of mouse-like creatures. They live in a small village at the center of a massive barren desert, living in complete isolation from the rest of the world for centuries. After a mining expedition broke through to a cavern leading out beyond the desert, a passageway to the outside was established and the Kan’vi were free to explore the world for the first time.This was about 20 years ago now. Many Kan’vi stayed behind, comfortable in the safety of their village, while others ventured out. Many took up residence in the cold northern lands that their tunnel led out to. Others took on a life of adventure, taking up roles that their home was unable to grant them.

Kan’vi have short, bipedal, mouse-like bodies with tall ears, flat cat-like faces and sharp fanged teeth. Their long tails are prehensile and capable of curling around and picking up small objects.

Their height ranges anywhere between two to three feet tall. They are capable of running on all fours if needed. Their most notable feature is their diverse marking patterns.

When a Kan’vi is born, they are one solid color of short fur. They also appear to sometimes exhibit countershading on certain parts of their bodies, always either a lighter or darker shade of their main coat.They’ve learned that shaving off portions of their fur would cause it to permanently grow back a completely different color. This has led to a tradition of creating unique and sometimes intricate fur patterns for themselves.

If the same spot is shaved repeatedly, it will grow back even longer, creating fluffier tufts of fur that are mostly popular on the ends of their tails and tops of their heads, but not limited to such.

Upon reaching adulthood, these markings lock in and they are stuck with them for the rest of their lives. Kan’vi reach maturity at 18 years and live to 80 years at the latest.

Names

All Kan’vi have three-letter names, no more no less. While no two Kan’vi in their village had the same name, it’s entirely possible that repeats may happen as they expand out into the rest of the world.

Alignment

Most Kan’vi may come off as somewhat naïve at first, not quite accustomed to life outside of their desert. They are highly intelligent, quick-learning, and creative, many taking up craftsman trades or even dabbling into magic. Their personalities are just as diverse as any other race, though most tend to be friendly and open to their new surroundings, leaning towards any good or neutral alignments.

Kan'vi Design rules

- Primary Fur, Markings, Eyes, and Skin can be any naturally occurring colors.
- If any portion of fur is longer, it MUST be marking colored.
- Countershading may be a lighter or darker shade of the primary fur color. It can be applied to the belly, face, hands, feet, ear tips, and tail to halfway from the tip. The edges of countershading can be hard or fade into the main fur.
- Countershading is a natural pattern and cannot being unnaturally shaped.
- Markings are applied overtop of the countershading color.
- Short-furred markings can gradient into the main fur color. This can be achieved by plucking individual hairs so the marking color blends with the primary color in different amounts.
- Tail tufts are very common, they are not the default. Feel free to get creative!

Magic Sensitive

Maybe it’s something to do with their size, maybe it has to do with their unusual fur patterns, but for whatever reason, most Kan’vi that practice any form of magic will experience some kind of discoloration to their bodies. These unnatural colors can affect any part of their body, typically manifesting in, but not limited to, eyes, skin, primary fur color, marking color, or any combination of those. These effects tend to be harmless to their user and some even prefer them, gaining a color that would not be possible otherwise.Only one color ever seems to occur on any given kan'vi, the color seemingly random or chosen by some unknown magical resonance. The discoloration always takes over that aspect of their body entirely. For example, if their markings and eyes were to change, it would change all markings and both eyes. The unnatural color eventually fades back to normal when no magic has been used for a while.

Download the template

Design your own kan'vi using these blank templates! Both anti-aliased (smooth lines) and aliased (hard pixel lines) are available.

• Download the Anti-Aliased Template
• Download the Aliased Template

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Kan'vi Gallery

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lore

This section is a work in progress. More will be here eventually!

• D&D 5e Playable Race

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Dungeons & Dragons

5e RACE WRITEUP

Kan'vi

Names: All Kan'vi names contain three letters and are pronounced with one syllable. Their naming conventions are gender neutral: Xik, Zae, Fin, Ril, Kli, Fen, Moe, Dyn, Chi, LanAbility Score Increase: Your Intelligence score increases by 2, and your Charisma score increases by 1.Age: Kan'vi mature at 18. At that time, their chosen markings lock in and become permanent for the rest of their life. They live to be around 80.Alignment: Sheltered from the rest of the world and innocent of any conflicts, Kan'vi tend to be neutral-aligned and mind their own business. Though some are good-natured and are driven to help those in need, unaware of any consequences that may come of it.Size: Kan'vi are small sized, between 2 to 3 feet tall and weigh 20-35 pounds.Speed: Your base walking speed is 30.Darkvision: Descended from burrowing creatures, Kan'vi still spend much of their time underground during the unforgiving heat of the desert day and are accustomed to seeing in low light. You can see up to 60ft in complete darkness.Quadruped: While not wearing heavy armor, you gain 10ft of movement speed for each empty hand. (up to 50ft total)Prehensile: You have full control of your tail. You can interact and carry objects up to 5lbs as if using the spell Mage Hand.Languages: Your first language is Kan'vi, which most nobody but your own race is familiar with. Those who venture out into the world often learn Common as their next language. Curiously, while under the effects of any mind-altering substances (such as alcohol) or spells, Kan'vi will be the only language you are capable of speaking for the duration.

Bel'lossian

Skill Proficiencies: Choose two from Survival, Nature, Performance, InvestigationLanguages: Kan'viTool Proficiencies: Your choice of one artisan's tool or a musical instrument.Equipment: A set of artisan's tools or a musical instrument matching the tool proficiency chosen, a small pouch or trinket containing sand from Bel'los, a set of traveler's clothes, a flask of waterFeature: Guardian Sands
It has become customary to give those who leave the desert a small item that contains it's sand, believing that carrying a piece of it with them will protect them until they return home.It is said that the sand within the item will shift on its own, getting the wearer's attention if there is another Bel'lossian in distress nearby. Likewise, others that carry the sand may come to your aid if you are in trouble.