The Wolfen

Overview

The Wolfen are a lupine ancestry known for keen instincts, unwavering loyalty, and a turbulent past. Though often mistaken as members of the Kurai Shogunate, Wolfen have diverse cultures stretching across the continents. Many live in exile, navigating a world that fears what it does not understand.

Appearance

Tall and broad-shouldered, the Wolfen possess a blend of humanoid and wolf-like features: furred bodies, digitigrade legs, powerful jaws, and expressive ears. Their eyes reflect the moons, often gleaming silver under Selunvar’s light.

Culture and Variants

Wolfen culture is not singular. Three broad groups are known across Arcasia:

Forest Wolfen
Roamers of northern woods and riverlands. They live in tight-knit packs, practicing rites tied to Selunvar’s full moon. Skilled hunters and scouts.

Shogunate Wolfen (Kurai-associated)
Descendants of Wolfen who served within the Kurai warrior caste. Disciplined, honor-bound, and feared for their battlefield precision.

Wanderer Wolfen
Solitary travelers who drift between settlements, often mistrusted but essential as guides through dangerous lands.

Why They Are Shunned

Suspicion toward the Wolfen dates back to the Kurai Coup that cast down the First Empire. Many believed the Wolfen fought beside the Kurai, and the stain of that rebellion lingers. Others fear their predatory grace or misinterpret their pack loyalty as aggression.

To be Wolfen in the Fifth Age is to navigate prejudice, respect, and myth in equal measure.

Rituals and Traditions

Moonbinding
An oath spoken under Selunvar; such vows are said to bind fate itself.

The Last Howl
When a Wolfen dies, the pack voices their final cry to guide the departed spirit into the night beyond.

Trail Vigil
A rite of adulthood in which a young Wolfen must navigate the wilderness alone, returning with a symbol of self-discovery.

Daggerheart Ancestry Features

Top Feature — Lupine Instincts
Add +1 to Instinct rolls made to detect danger, track, or perceive hidden things.

Bottom Feature — Pack Coordination
Once per scene, when an ally within Close Range hits an enemy, you may move to engage that enemy.
If you enter Melee range this way, you gain +1 on your next attack roll against that enemy before the scene ends.