Kender

D&D 3e (3.0/3.5) Rules

by Dwayne Carnachan

The lessons of history stand firm: kender arose when the gnomes were transformed by the potent and unrestrainable magic of the Graystone of Gargath - or the Graygem, some 3051 years before the Cataclysm.

Personality: Kender of all ages share a childlike nature: curious, fearless, irrepressible, independent, lazy, taunting, and irresponsible with others' possessions.

Kender are curious about absolutely everything. They are natural explorers. They disgorge the contents of locked cupboards and delve into deep caverns. Very little escapes a kender's notice. Kender study every detail in a room, no matter how often they have been there. This curiosity extends to other things. Kender love magic items and rare creatures. Gadgets - especially gnomish gadgets - also catch kender eyes. Kender seek beauty in all things: they might prefer an old tarnished coin to a gleaming, newly minted one merely because the tarnished one is unique.

Kender are often fearless. They cannot grasp their own mortality and thus feel invincible. This fearlessness combines with kender wonder to wash away any dread (and common sense) they may feel. Kender fearlessness does not, however, equate to stupidity. In moments of danger kender bravely battle while others cower behind. And kender rarely let their fearlessness endanger anyone but themselves.

Few on Ansalon can shut a kender up or tie one down. Full of youthful energy, kender dread boredom and seek excitement, entertainment, and fun. While other party members grimly embark upon a grueling trail with a near-certain death at its end, a kender will accompany them "just for the fun of it."

Dwarves say that kender are "good for nothing, lazy doorknobs." True, a kender performing drudgery is like a hobgoblin dancing: it looks and feels unnatural. Kender, however, are among the most industrious creatures of Ansalon as long as they remain curious about their task. Work for work's sake is boring, tedious, and stodgy. Beautiful fields, clever dormice, and antic chipmunks are another matter entirely. Kender love dreams better that realities, and daydreams best of all.

They thrive on stories and storytelling. True stories are routinely modified to make them spectacular, fascinating, and satisfying. But kender willingly listen to any story, no matter how poorly (truthfully) rendered it is. Kender also love music and dance. They have added chimes, bells, and whistles to all of their daily tools.

Kender are oblivious to matters of ownership. If a kender needs something that another person is not using, the kender will innocently borrow the item and put it to use. Curious kender often pick up items for closer examination, and then distractedly forget to put them back. Although kender have common thieving abilities they do not regard themselves as thieves, and they take quick offense at accusations to the contrary.

Physical Description: Adult kender resemble young teenage humans: aside from their pointed ears, they could pass as human youths. Despite their attenuate limbs, kender are well muscled. Most stand between 3'6" to 3'9" tall, although some few reach 4'6" tall. Mature kender weigh between 85 and 105 pounds.

Hair coloration for kender ranges from sandy blonde to dark brown, with some who have coppery red or red-orange hues. Short-cropped shag haircuts are popular in Hylo, but Goodlund kender prefer longer hair: braids, ponytails, knots, and combed manes. Kender cannot grow facial hair.

Although fair-skinned, kender tan quickly, becoming nut-brown by midsummer. Their eye color varies: pale blue, sea green, olive, light brown, and hazel. Their ears have points much as elven ears do.

Typically, kender faces bear the intense, bright-eyed inquisitiveness of children. Happy kender grin madly; sad kender wear an intractable pout. When throwing taunts, kender look impish and shout with an incredibly grating tone. Their emotional intensity is infectious.

Kender clothing varies a great deal, but all wear durable, rustic outfits. Bright natural colors and ribbons accent clothing. Males wear shirts, pants or breaches, laced leggings, and soft leather boots or sandals. Females wear a tunic or dress, pants, and soft leather shoes or laced sandals. All kender wear vests, belts, or short cloaks with many pockets.

Kender live to 100 years and beyond, always retaining their youthful flair for life. Adulthood begins around 20 years, and old age sets in at 70. As kender age, their faces retain a youthful appearance, save for a deepening network of lines and crow's feet. Their hair grays gently, often starting at the temple. Kender consider this aged look attractive, and some accelerate it using mudpacks to dry out their skin.

Kender voices range from the shrill tones of childhood to the husky growls of old age. Most kender can create bird and animal calls. When excited, kender speak very quickly or very loudly to make themselves heard.

Alignment: Kender believes in the rights and freedom of the individual, they resent being ordered about, and would rather do what they want, hence they tend strongly towards chaos. However as an overall compassionate race the majority of them tend to be good or neutral. Evil kender are a virtual unknown, though of course like all the races there are exceptions.

Lands: Kender live in quaint, pastoral villages and towns constructed in the forests of Krynn. Their homes are a variety of incomplete structures: tree houses, terraced decks, spacious huts, snug little burrows, and tree hollows. All dwellings blend beautifully with their environment. Looking upon a kender city, one sees only bountiful woodlands, winter squash, grape and raspberry vines, and blossoming fruit trees. On closer examination, a city appears.

Kender have small immediate families with 2 or 3 children. For all the noise and fuss in a kender house, one would think there were dozens of children. Most kender happily stay at home, close to playmates. Sometime around age 20, kender are overwhelmed by a desire to wander and see the world. They travel for years, enjoying the mysteries of Krynn, before their wanderlust runs out and they settle down. After wanderlust, kender become rooted in the land, remaining in one place until death.

The sedentary nature of aged kender and young kender allows kender societies to crop up. Kender society is an omnigarchy: rulership by everyone. Everyone does whatever they please, so long as they do not harm each other. Kender value individuality and thus have no desire to force their opinions on others. Despite their blatant lack of law, common threats bring kender into quick cooperation. With little preparation, kender nations can field a formidable army.

Occasionally, the kender will submit themselves to rulers who seem interesting at the time. They have had kings, khans, warlords, councils, judges, and priestlords, many of which have not been kender and all of which have fallen from power within a month's time.

Religion: Although kender recognize all the gods (as well as some nature spirits, eldritch beings, and potted plants), they hold four in highest regard: Branchala, Chislev, Mishakal, and Gilean. Kender generally consider Reorx a grumbling but benevolent grandfather, but do not praise him highly. Seacoast kender set Habbakuk high in their pantheons.

Language: All kender speak kenderspeak, their racial tongue.

Kender Racial Traits

• +2 Dexterity, -2 Strength. Kender are quick, agile, and good with ranged weapons but they are small and therefore not as strong as other humanoids.
• Small: As Small creatures, kender gain a +1 size bonus to Armor Class, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, and a +4 size bonus on Hide checks, but they must use smaller weapons than humans use, and their lifting and carrying limits are three-quarters of those of Medium-size characters.
• Kender base speed is 20 feet.
• Low-light Vision: Kender can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. They retain the ability to distinguish color and detail under such conditions.
• +2 racial bonus on Climb, Open Locks, Move Silently, and Pickpocket checks. Kender are naturally agile and athletic, and have plenty of chance to practice these skills virtually from birth.
• +2 racial bonus on Listen checks because of their keen hearing.
• +2 racial bonus on Bluff checks because of their innocent looks and manner.
• +1 racial bonus on all saving throws: Kender are surprisingly capable of avoiding mishaps.
• +3 morale bonus on saving throws against fear (this ability stacks with the saving throw bonus). Kender are renown for their fearlessness (and the lack of common sense it seems to imply)
• +1 racial attack bonus with thrown weapons and slings. Throwing stones is a universal sport among kender, and they develop especially good aim.
• Taunt: Kender can use Bluff to anger others, causing them to act irrationally. Kender can make a Bluff check to taunt anyone that can understand his or her language. They can get someone to attack, or remove their Dexterity bonus to AC (see the Player's Handbook for more details on the skill).
• Automatic Weapon Proficiency: From an early age a kender is trained in the use of a unique kender weapon (more of a personal preference), which they then tend to use over all other weapons. A kender may choose one proficiency from the following list: Battak, Bollik, Chapak, Hachak, Hoopak, Polpak, Sashik, Sithak, or Whippik. (See Dragonlance exotic weapons for details)
• Automatic Languages: Kenderspeak and Common. Bonus Languages: Silvanesti, Qualinesti, Goblin, Regional Dialect
• Favoured Multiclass: Rogue. A multiclass kender's rogue class does not count when determining whether he or she suffers an XP penalty for multiclassing (see Experience for Multiclass Characters page 56). Kender use the terms "scout" or "handler" since they consider terms like "thief" and "rogue" offensive.

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