D&D 5E Kenku - Poorly thought out race no matter how cool

[SkidAce]

Publication history

The kenku originally appeared in the first edition's Fiend Folio (1981).[1]

The kenku appeared in the second edition's Monstrous Compendium Volume Two (1989),[2] and reprinted in the Monstrous Manual (1993).[3]

The kenku and the kenku sneak appeared in the Monster Manual III (2004).[4] The kenku was further developed in Dragon #329 (March 2005).[5] An adventure involving kenku appeared in Dungeon #120.[6]

The kenku appears in the game's fourth edition in Monster Manual 2 (2009).

The kenku also appears in the fifth edition in the Monster Manual , the Dungeon Master's Guide (2014), and as a playable race in Volo's Guide to Monsters.

 

[lowkey13]

*Deleted by user*

 

[Alexemplar]

[MENTION=6799753]lowkey13[/MENTION]

I think he's saying that since Kenku are older than 5e, that lots of people have been using them personally, in published campaigns, and in their own homebrews for years and have previously formed ideas about what the "essence of the Kenku race" is. Being restricted solely to "quote-talking" or not being able to cast spells with verbal components has never been a part of it, so they don't feel particularly beholden to it as a defining aspect of the race. They don't see it as subverting expectations in 5e as much as they see it as continuing expectations/subversions of >insert Edition when they first started using Kenku<.

Honestly, until this thread, I hadn't even realized that the "must use mimicry to talk" thing was even in their stat block. If I had DM'ed a game in Eberron or my homebrew (running since 3e) and used a Kenku, it would have been fluff-wise identical to the way I ran Kenku in 3e and 4e.

 

[lowkey13]

*Deleted by user*

 

[Mephista]

Bah. Kenku are +Dex, +Wis. That means that, if there are any spellcasters, they'll be clerics, druids and rangers. Unlike wizardry, I don't think there's exact reproductions of sounds you need for these types. Its not an academic discipline, but one based more on communion with gods and spirits.

I could see issues with wizardry and maybe draconic sorcerers, but the rest? Bah. I don't expect to see them at the table, so I wouldn't bat an eye over this.

 

[GreenTengu]

This is the kind of thing that is meant to be hand-waved away.

The designers for that book did a crap job across all the races within it. Probably out of the 9 contained in that book, maybe 2 are reasonably enough balanced to actually be worth it.

I guarantee you that 0 thought was put into how putting that wonky disability on the race would actually pertain to class abilities. It wasn't something that was supposed to affect class abilities! It was just meant to give players an excuse to talk in a very wonky manner when playing the race-- as though they had tourettes syndom or something.

But, hey, if we are to be honest... I have trouble imagining that any wizard could learn any spell without having it demonstrated to them by someone and, thus, having clearly heard the vocal components. I would also imagine that spells tend to share a lot of the same vocal components. Who knows-- perhaps a Kenku would be able to learn the spell easier than a normal person because they could more perfectly match the exact vocal patterns of the person who first demonstrated it to them.

 

[pukunui]

The designers for that book did a crap job across all the races within it.

Don't get me started on the Volo's races. I provided heaps of feedback on the draft versions and was dismayed to see that the final versions were virtually unchanged.

Probably out of the 9 contained in that book, maybe 2 are reasonably enough balanced to actually be worth it.

Is the hobgoblin one of them?

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Its not an academic discipline, but one based more on communion with gods and spirits.

"Squark! Green Man! Squark! Green Man! Light their butts up!"

*Call lightning takes out several targets*

"Squark! Boo-yah! Boo-yah! Squark! Ooooo-RAH. Aaaaaaaamennnn!"

 

[jgsugden]

The first rule of gaming: If a rule does not significantly impact balance, and the rule is reducing the fun, the rule should be altered to make more fun possible.

Some players might think it is fun to give their characters a challenge in spellcasting - their characters can only cast a spell they have seen cast is a wonderfully fun quirk!

Others might turn an angry glare at a DM that told them they can't cast a spell unless they see it cast.

If I had a Kenkyu player, I'd allow suggest they bypass this rule by allowing them to use a minor illusion, thaumaturgy, or other easy method to create the sounds of the spell once and then copy it in the future.

 

[LotusApe]

Mike Mearls response: https://twitter.com/mikemearls/status/917865250908545024

They use noises and tones they have picked up that fit
2:31 PM - 10 Oct 2017

That was my thought too. Mimic birds don't exactly reproduce the sounds of our voiceboxes, and they can also approximate things like chainsaws and doorbells.

I would even let a Kenku's verbal components be the sound that the spell makes when it goes off. It's flavorful and it matches how I interpret the verbal, somatic and material component rules. They are there so you can disrupt spell-casters with silence or grapple. They are not there as a kind of literacy test for player races.