Kenku (Warrior) (CR 1/2)

Medium Humanoid (Kenku)
Alignment: Usually neutral evil
Initiative: +2 (Dex); Senses: low-light vision

AC: 17 (+2 Dex, +4 chain shirt, +1 buckler), touch 12, flat-footed 15
Hit Dice: 1d8-1 (3 hp)
Fort +1, Ref +2, Will +0
Speed: 30 ft.
Space: 5 ft./5 ft.
Base Attack +1; Grapple +1
Attack: Claw +1 melee or short sword +2 melee or sap +1 melee or shortbow +3 ranged
Full Attack: 2 claws +1 melee or short sword +2 melee or sap +1 melee or shortbow +3 ranged
Damage: Claw 1d3, short sword 1d6/19-20, sap 1d6 nonlethal, shortbow 1d6/x3
Special Attacks: -
Abilities: Str 11, Dex 14, Con 8, Int 10, Wis 11, Cha 9
Special Qualities: Great ally, mimicry
Feats: Weapon Focus (short sword)
Skills: Climb +1, Hide +1, Jump -1, Move Silently +0, and Ride +2
Advancement: By character class
Climate/Terrain: Temperate plains
Organization: Solitary, pair, or gang (3-12)
Treasure/Possessions: Standard

Source: Monster Manual III

A cloaked humanoid clings to the shadows. It has birdlike talons instead of hands and feet, and beneath the cowl of its robe you can discern avian features-beady black eyes, a black beak, and russet-brown feathers.

Kenkus evolved from avians, although they no longer possess wings or the ability to fly. Soft, dark feathers cover a kenku's head and torso, although its scrawny arms and legs remain bare.

Selfish and secretive in their dealings, kenkus gather in large cities, lurk in dark alleys, and hoard purloined gold. They rarely travel alone, instead preferring to roam the streets in small gangs, all the while hatching plots to amass more wealth and power. Due to their penchant for shady ventures, they are often employed as thugs, thieves, spies, and assassins.

A kenku averages 5 feet in height. Because its bones are partly hollow, it weighs a mere 75 pounds.

Kenkus speak common and their own language, kenku.

Combat

Beneath their unremarkable brown robes, kenkus conceal a variety of useful tools and weapons. Vicious but cowardly, kenkus usually flee or surrender the instant things start to go badly for them.

The kenku warrior presented here had the following ability scores before racial adjustments: Str 13, Dex 12, Con 8, Int 10, Wis 11, Cha 9.

Great Ally (Ex): kenkus work exceptionally well with their allies. When successfully aided on a skill check or attack roll by an ally, or when aiding another, a kenku applies or gains a +3 bonus on its check or attack roll (instead of the normal +2 bonus). Furthermore, a kenku gains a +4 bonus on attack rolls against an opponent flanked by an ally (instead of the normal +2 bonus).

Mimicry (Ex): a kenku can perfectly mimic familiar sounds, voices, and accents. This ability does not enable the kenku to speak languages it can't normally speak. To duplicate a specific individual's voice, a kenku makes a bluff check; a listener familiar with the voice being imitated must succeed on an opposed sense motive check to discern that the voice isn't genuine.

Skills: kenku have a +2 racial bonus on hide checks and move silently checks.

Kenku Society

Kenkus hatch like birds and dwell in family aeries and nests, most of which are located in or near large cities. At age nine, a young adult kenku leaves the home-nest forever and strikes out on its own, usually falling in with small groups of like-minded kenkus. Adult kenkus remain with these groups for mutual protection and gain. A few strike out on their own or partner with other types of creatures who value the services a kenku can provide.

Kenkus As Characters

Kenku characters tend toward neutrality; although most kenkus are evil, neutral and neutral good kenkus also exist.

Kenkus favor the rogue class and often pursue the assassin prestige class. Kenku clerics are rare, but those that exist typically worship Vecna, the god of secrets.

Kenkus possess the following racial traits.

Kenkus In Faerûn

Kenku inhabit cities across southern Faerûn, with a large but loose guild of thieves and assassins called the Dagger-talons based in Zazesspur. Kenku living in the eastern nations of Veldorn and Estagund trace their ancestry even farther east, to Kara-Tur.