Abilities | +2 Dexterity and either +2 Wisdom or +2 Charisma |
Skills | +2 Bluff and another skill, see "Animal Form" |
Size | Medium |
Speed | 7 |
Vision | low-light |
Languages | Common + 1 |
Traits | Animal Form Elusive Fey Origin Beast Nature Shapechanger Language of Beasts Nature's Mask |
Avg. height | 4'10"–5'6" 147–168 cm |
Avg. weight | 100–140 lbs. 45–64 kg |
Hengeyokai is a character race in 4th edition Dungeons & Dragons.[Dr404:51]
Hengeyokai are shapeshifters native to Kara-Tur.
Racial traits[]
As a player character race, hengeyokai receive the following racial traits.
- Animal Form
- Hengeyokai have one of the following animal forms. The choice of form determines a hengeyokai's second skill bonus.
- badger (+2 Endurance)
- carp (+2 Endurance)
- cat (+2 Acrobatics)
- crab (+2 Intimidate)
- crane (+2 Nature)
- dog (+2 Insight)
- fox (+2 Stealth)
- hare (+2 Acrobatics)
- monkey (+2 Athletics)
- raccoon dog (+2 Stealth)
- rat (+2 Thievery)
- sparrow (+2 Perception)
- Elusive
- Hengeyokai receive a +1 racial bonus to Reflex defense.
- Fey Origin
- Hengeyokai are considered fey creatures for the purpose of effects relating to creature origin.
- Beast Nature
- Hengeyokai are considered both magical beasts and humanoids for the purpose of effects relating to creature type.
- Shapechanger
- Hengeyokai have the shapechanger subtype.
- Language of Beasts
- Hengeyokai in animal or hybrid form can communicate simple commands and concepts to natural beasts and fey beasts with the same form or a closely related form, for example, dogs to wolves. Beasts will not necessarily obey hengeyokai or even be friendly, however. Hengeyokai in human form cannot communicate with such beasts but can understand them.
- Nature's Mask
- Hengeyokai have the racial at-will power nature's mask. Nature's mask allows hengeyokai to change between human, animal, and hybrid forms.
Development[]
Hengeyokai first appeared as a Dungeons & Dragons race in the 1985 Advanced Dungeons & Dragons version of Oriental Adventures, and appeared again in the 3rd edition Oriental Adventures. Hengeyokai are presumably based on yōkai, a group of Japanese folkloric creatures, and in particular, on the group of shapeshifting animal yōkai known as henge, which includes the inugami, kitsune, and tanuki.
4th edition rules for hengeyokai first appeared in "The Ecology of the Hengeyokai" by Tim Eagon in Dragon #404.[Dr404:51]