My Aurikesh campaign has its own player species – I wrote new mechanics for humans and goblins, and wrote several new species. Only the githyanki PC uses D&D’s official mechanics. One of these new species is kagandi, who are lightly reptilian humanoids. In the narrative they’re as common and “default” as humans. The nobility of the setting are exclusively humans and kagandi.
While one doesn’t expect players to reflect setting demographics, I think the story and mechanics of kagandi up to this point have contributed to making them a less exciting and appealing option than I would like them to be. Check out previous versions here and here.
Kagandi
The kagandi are a widespread race, equal in number to humans. On average they are slightly larger than humans. Kagandi skin is more leathery than human skin, and generally appear in ten colors: black, blue, brass, bronze, copper, gold, green, red, silver, and white; they often have both a metallic color and a chromatic one, one as an accent on the other. There is some deep connection between kagandi and dragons, though they have more speculation than answers on this.
Because kagandi have innate resistance to poison and many stories of their nobles using it on humans and one another, they have a reputation treachery and poisoning that considerably exceeds the truth of the matter. Nevertheless, most kagandi demonstrate a natural facility for alchemy, brewing, and poison use.
Kagandi also possess an innate connection to sorcerous power, which usually manifests in late childhood or early adulthood. The particular spells that one manifests are believed to say something meaningful about them, though this is closer to phrenology than truth.
Kagandi families have surnames that pair a metal with an adjective or noun: Silvergrove, Coppercrown, Ironspar, Ferngold, and so on.
Kagandi Traits
- Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 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.
- Poison Resistance. You have resistance to poison damage and advantage on saving throws to avoid or end the poisoned condition.
- Draconic Legacy. You know one sorcerer cantrip of your choice. When you reach 3rd level and again when you reach 5th level, you learn one of the following spells: Burning Hands, Detect Magic, Disguise Self, Expeditious Retreat, False Life, Feather Fall, Jump, Ray of Sickness, Silent Image, Sleep, and Thunderwave. You can cast each spell that you choose once without expending a spell slot, and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest, or by consuming a vial of basic poison and losing 1d4 hit points. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells.
- Baliothan Cultural Benefit: You gain proficiency with Alchemist’s Supplies and Herbalism Kits. When you restore hit points or deal damage with an item you created with alchemist’s supplies or an herbalism kit, treat the die result as its maximum value. You can use this part of this feature once, and regain the use of it when you finish a short or long rest.
- Sestomeran Cultural Benefit: You gain proficiency with Poisoner’s Kits. You can apply poisons to weapons or mix them into food and drink as a bonus action. When you deal poison damage, treat the die result as its maximum value, You can use this part of this feature once, and regain the use of it when you finish a short or long rest.
- Languages: Sestomeran, choice of one other
Design Notes
Draconic Legacy is a considerable power increase and clearer rules expression on the previous Sorcery of the Fen feature. It’s still just a few spells known and two free 1st-level spells per day, but the previous rules around ulishau root poison just meant that even people interested in that character story had to work too hard to use the feature. Please, for Heaven’s sake, use the improved version of Jump from UA, until we see a final form in the rules revision later this year.
The Cultural Benefits are still a choice of one or the other. One of the huge benefits of writing species that only have to work for this one setting is that I can make definite statements about cultures as well. These are much more powerful implementations of the previous concepts, with a 1/short rest maximizing of healing or damage for some kinds of items. The Baliothan one pushes self-reliance, while the Sestomeran feature is fine with you buying someone else’s work.
Darkvision is an incredibly rare feature in Aurikesh, so giving it to kagandi is intended to be more valuable than in most D&D settings.
In conclusion – I doubt that this creates a huge influx of kagandi PCs in Aurikesh, but making the mechanics more fun and playable is the right decision regardless.
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