Kenku (/kɛŋˈkuː/ keng-KOO)
Basic Information
Biological Traits
Kenku have no wings or capacity for flight. Instead, they have arms in place of wings and bird-like talons for hands and feet. They retain a lot of bird-like features, however, with black and beady eyes and a long dark-hued beak. Head and torso are covered with soft feathers, a dark russet-brown color, while their scrawny limbs are bare and scaled like birds. They most resembled ravens.
Basic Traits
Ability Score Increase: Dexterity score increases by 2, and Wisdom score increases by 1.Speed: Base walking speed is 30 feet.
Expert Forgery: Can duplicate other creatures’ handwriting and craftwork. Kenku have advantage on all checks made to produce forgeries or duplicates of existing objects.
Kenku Training: Proficient in two of the following skills: Acrobatics, Deception, Stealth, and Sleight of Hand.
Mimicry: Can mimic sounds that were heard before, including voices. A creature that hears the sounds one makes can tell they are imitations with a successful Wisdom (Insight) check opposed by one's Charisma (Deception) check.
Language: Can read and write Common and Auran, but kenku can speak only by using the Mimicry trait.
Source: Volo's Guide to Monsters
Additional Information
Social Structure
Kenku live in close-knit gangs, family groups, or clans, commonly called "flocks". These flocks are distrusting of outsiders, even of other kenku. They establish aeries or nests, usually hidden and often near large cities or at least in civilized lands.
After hatching from their eggs, kenku remain in their home-nests with their families. Once they reach adulthood at age nine, they leave their nests forever. Unwilling to travel alone, most soon band together with other young adult kenku of similar habits for mutual protection and profit, forming new flocks. A few make their way on their own or form partnerships with other creatures who need their services.
Civilization and Culture
Naming Traditions
Given that kenku can duplicate any sound, their names are drawn from a staggering variety of noises and phrases. Kenku names tend to break down into three categories that make no distinction between male and female names.
Kenku thugs, warriors, and toughs adopt noises made by weapons, such as the clang of a mace against armor or the sound made by a breaking bone. Non-kenku refer to the kenku by describing this noise. Examples of this type of name include Smasher, Clanger, Slicer, and Basher.
Kenku thieves, con artists, and burglars adopt animal noises, typically those common in urban settings. In this manner, kenku can call out to each other while those who overhear them mistake them for common animals. Non-kenku use names that refer to the sound made or the animal a kenku mimics, such as Rat Scratch, Whistler, Mouser, and Growler.
Some kenku turn their back on crime to pursue legitimate trades. These kenku adopt noises made as part of their craft. A sailor duplicates the sound of a fluttering sail, while a smith mimics the clanging of a hammer on metal. Non-kenku describe these folk by their trade sounds, such as Sail Snap, Hammerer, and Cutter.
History
The kenku once served a mysterious, powerful entity on another plane of existence. Some believe they were minions of Grazz’t, while others say that they were scouts and explorers for the Wind Dukes of Aaqa. Whatever the truth, according to legend, the kenku betrayed their master. Unable to resist the lure of a beautiful sparkling treasure, the kenku plotted to steal the item and escape to the Material Plane.
Unfortunately for the kenku, their master discovered their plan before they could enact it. Enraged, the entity imposed three dreadful curses upon them. First, the kenku’s beloved wings withered and fell away from their bodies, leaving them bound to the earth. Second, because their ingenuity and skill had turned toward scheming against their patron, the spark of creativity was torn from their souls. Finally, to ensure that the kenku could never divulge any secrets, their master took away their voices. Once the entity was satisfied that they had been sufficiently punished, the kenku were set loose on the Material Plane.
Since then, the kenku have wandered the world. They settle in places that accept them, usually bleak cities that have fallen on hard times and are overrun with crime.
Why go on an Adventure?
- Were you the survivor of your nestling?
- Are you weary of being in a life of crime?
- Do you seek the magic of flying?
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