Kitsune are a charismatic and witty people with a connection to the spiritual that grants them many magical abilities, chiefly the power to shapechange into other forms. Whether they pass unseen among other peoples or hold their tails high, kitsune are clever observers of the societies around them.
Kitsune are shapechangers with two forms: one of a fox-headed humanoid and one largely depending on where they were raised. Those raised in populated areas typically have what's called a tailless form—a humanoid body without any fox features that resembles a more common ancestry, such as an elf or a human. In wooded or rural areas, their second form is more likely to be that of a fox.
Though all-kitsune settlements exist, most live among people of other ancestries, granting them a degree of external insight into social rules or dynamics that others process only subconsciously. Kitsune enjoy subverting expectations as much as they do going along with them. Their fondness for jokes, stories, and wordplay, especially when the twist of a riddle hinges on the listener's assumptions, reinforces their reputation as tricksters.
With dual forms and a connection to both the material and spiritual worlds, kitsune have diverse concepts of self and identity. Some even view their forms as separate individuals altogether, using them to explore different aspects of their personality.
If you want to play a character with innate magical talents and countless hidden facets, each revealed with a glint of the eye and a twisting grin, you should play a kitsune.
Physical Description
Kitsune have alert vulpine ears, pointed snouts, and short, semi-retractable claws on their fingers and toes. Their fur is dense, countershaded, and most often red, tan, black, or white in color. Kitsune have bushy tails that grow in number as they hone their innate magical abilities, to as many as nine.
Society
Kitsune are rarely the majority in whatever communities they inhabit, and many go their whole lives without meeting another kitsune beyond their family. Their society, as much as it exists, centers primarily around the commonalities that kitsune find as they pass among other peoples. The same social perspective that helps them imitate others also makes them quick to notice signs that someone may need help or a kind word. Due to this, kitsune often form strong interpersonal relationships and tend to anchor their social circles.
When two kitsune do meet, they may find themselves exchanging light verbal repartee, enjoying the sport of trying to outwit each other. While it's considered a grave offense to outright give away another kitsune's shapechanging nature, kitsune relish surreptitiously forcing another to “break character,” shocking the other into disrupting their transformation through a well-placed comment.
Religion
The patron kitsune deity is The Traveler, though The Hunter or The Dread Wolf have a small following.
Adventurers
Kitsune who live among others often have the charlatan, emissary, entertainer, fortune teller, merchant, noble, or nomad backgrounds. Those kitsune who strike out alone favor the acolyte, bandit, or hermit backgrounds. Kitsune often excel as rogues, investigators, and bards. Kitsune who hone their magical abilities lean more toward sorcerers or oracles, and those who forge a stronger connection to the spirits may become witches.
Names
While kitsune have some traditional names, they're more likely to use names that are unremarkable in their local society, the better to pass unnoticed. Some have different names for each form: a kitsune name for their kitsune form, a regional name for a tailless form, and possibly no name at all for a fox form.
Sample Names
Kitsune Mechanics
Traits
Hit Points
8
Size
Medium
Speed
25 feet
Ability Boosts
Charisma, Free
Ability Flaw(s)
Charisma
Languages
Common
Additional languages equal to your Intelligence modifier (if it's positive). Choose from Runic, Sylvan, and any other languages to which you have access (such as the languages prevalent in your region).
Low-Light Vision
You can see in dim light as though it were bright light, and you ignore the concealed condition due to dim light.
Change Shape
As a kitsune, you gain the Change Shape ability.
Change Shape [A]
You transform into a specific alternate form determined by your heritage. If your heritage doesn't list a form, your alternate form is a tailless form, which is a common Medium humanoid ancestry prevalent where you grew up (typically human). This form is the same age and body type as your true form and has roughly analogous physical traits, such as hair color. Using Change Shape counts as creating a disguise for the Impersonate use of Deception. You lose any unarmed Strikes you gained from a kitsune heritage or ancestry feat in this form. You can remain in your alternate form indefinitely, and you can shift back to your true kitsune form by using this action again.
Kitsune Heritages
Versatile Heritages
You select a heritage at 1st level to reflect abilities passed down to you from your ancestors or common among those of your ancestry in the environment where you were born or grew up. You have only one heritage and can’t change it later. A heritage is not the same as a culture or ethnicity, though some cultures or ethnicities might have more or fewer members from a particular heritage.
Celestial Envoy Kitsune
Whether due to Daikitsu's grace or faithful forebears, you have a strong connection to the divine, affording you certain protections. You gain the Invoke Celestial Privilege reaction.
Your alternate form is a common Medium humanoid ancestry prevalent where you grew up (typically human), called a tailless form.
Invoke Celestial Privilege [R]
Trigger You attempt a saving throw against a divine effect, but you haven't rolled yet.
You rise above the triggering effect, refusing to be harmed by it. You gain a +1 circumstance bonus to the triggering saving throw and to any other saving throws you attempt against divine effects until the start of your next turn.
Dark Fields Kitsune
You can exert your unsettling presence to subtly Demoralize others. When you do, Demoralize loses the auditory trait and gains the visual trait, and you don't take a penalty when you attempt to Demoralize a creature that doesn't understand your language. You also gain the Invigorating Fear reaction.
Your alternate form is a fox, which has the statistics of 1st-level pest form.
Invigorating Fear [R]
Frequency once per hour
Trigger A creature within 60 feet gains the frightened condition
You are invigorated by the shock of a prank or the thrum of terror. You gain temporary Hit Points equal to the creature's level or 3, whichever is higher. These temporary Hit Points last for 1 minute.
Earthly Wilds Kitsune
You are a creature of the material world, with an affinity closer to the wilds than urban society. You gain a jaws unarmed attack that deals 1d6 piercing damage. Your jaws are in the brawling group and have the finesse and unarmed traits.
Your alternate form is a fox, which has the statistics of 1st-level pest form.
Empty Sky Kitsune
Your spirit is open to the secrets of beyond, granting you greater access to kitsune magic. You gain the Kitsune Spell Familiarity ancestry feat.
Your alternate form is a common Medium humanoid ancestry prevalent where you grew up (typically human), called a tailless form.
Frozen Wind Kitsune
Your ancestors crossed the Crown of the World or resided on snowy peaks. You gain cold resistance equal to half your level (minimum 1). You treat environmental cold effects as if they were one step less extreme (incredible cold becomes extreme, extreme cold becomes severe, and so on). Your alternate form is a common Medium humanoid ancestry prevalent where you grew up (typically human), called a tailless form.
Kitsune Feats
At 1st level, you gain one ancestry feat.
Foxfire (Feat 1)
Kitsune |
A crack of your tail sparks wisps of blue energy. Choose either electricity or fire when you gain this feat. You gain a foxfire ranged unarmed attack with a maximum range of 20 feet. The attack deals 1d4 damage of the chosen type (no ability modifier is added to the damage roll). Your foxfire attack is in the sling weapon group. Like other unarmed attacks, you can improve this attack with handwraps of mighty blows.
Special If you are a frozen wind kitsune, your foxfire deals cold damage instead of electricity or fire.
Hybrid Form (Feat 1)
Kitsune |
When you Change Shape, you retain elements of your kitsune form, allowing you to speak in a fox form, use kitsune unarmed attacks in a tailless form, or gain a tail in your tailless form to use abilities that require one. You can Change Shape to alter the details of your hybrid form without fully changing into your true form or your alternate form. While in hybrid form, your foxlike features make it obvious that you aren't a normal humanoid.
Note Characters with hybrid form can retain elements of their kitsune form when they use Change Shape, but they do not have to (they can still change fully into their alternative form).
Kitsune Lore (Feat 1)
Kitsune |
You excel at navigating social situations and keeping secrets. You gain the trained proficiency rank in Diplomacy and Deception. If you would automatically become trained in one of those skills (from your background or class, for example), you instead become trained in a skill of your choice. You also become trained in Kitsune Lore.
Kitsune Spell Familiarity (Feat 1)
Kitsune |
You've picked up a few magical tricks. During your daily preparations, choose daze, forbidding ward, or ghost sound. Until your next daily preparations, you can cast this cantrip as a divine innate spell at will. A cantrip is heightened to a spell level equal to half your level rounded up.
Myriad Forms (Feat 1)
Kitsune |
With a bit of self-discovery, you find a new form. You gain the alternate form of a kitsune heritage other than your own, adding it to the options for your Change Shape.
Retractable Claws (Feat 1)
Kitsune |
You gain a claw unarmed attack that deals 1d4 slashing damage. Your claws are in the brawling group and have the agile, finesse, and unarmed traits.
Shapechanger's Intuition (Feat 1)
Kitsune |
A lifetime of experience helps you see through disguises. When you come within 10 feet of a creature that is transformed into another form or is Impersonating a specific creature, the GM rolls a secret Perception check for you to realize that the creature is transformed, even if you didn't spend an action to Seek against that creature.
Star Orb (Feat 1)
Kitsune |
Your magic has crystallized into a spherical stone. You gain a familiar, except it's a star orb: a Tiny stone of light Bulk. The familiar has no Speeds and must select a Speed familiar ability before it can move, animating in a way appropriate to the chosen Speed and using the statistics of a normal familiar for that day; when it‘s an immobile stone, it can't select any familiar or master abilities that require it to move. It always has the innate surge master ability.
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