Human Line

Dogan

Medium

Pack-Blood — Bones of Winter

“The pack endures. The weak are memory, the strong are story.”

Appearance

Compact and brutally built, Dogan average between four and a half and five feet tall but weigh as much as humans twice their size. Their muscular bodies are covered in coarse hair and thick hide ranging from grey to earthen brown, often marked by scars that healed faster than memory could form them. Their faces are unmistakably lupine — angular jaws, ridged brows, and predatory eyes that gleam amber or icy blue. Every scar on a Dogan is a story.

Origin & Lore

The Dogan did not descend from Human stock so much as Human stock was compressed by the north until something harder came out. The Long Night hit the northern tundra with particular savagery — no jungle to retreat into. Dogan ancestors survived in packs in the open, in the cold, moving constantly. The regenerative blood came as an Essa adaptation. The Wall's frontier commanders learned to station Dogan packs along the most brutal stretches of the northern perimeter. The Empire calls them soldiers. The Dogan call themselves what they have always called themselves: the pack.

Baseline Traits

All Dogan receive these traits at character creation at no cost.

Regenerative Blood
When you start your turn with fewer than half your maximum HP and more than 0 HP, regain HP equal to your proficiency bonus. Does not function if you took fire damage since your last turn.
Cold Adaptation
Resistance to cold damage and advantage on saving throws against extreme cold environments and cold-based effects.
Lupine Instincts
Proficiency in Perception and Survival. Advantage on Perception checks relying on smell or hearing.

Species Advancement Tree

You earn Species Points at levels 1, 3, 5, 7, and 10. Tier 2 requires at least 1 Tier 1 purchase. Tier 3 requires at least 1 Tier 2 purchase.

Tier 1 Available at levels 1 and 3

Pack Tactics 1 SP
When an ally is adjacent to your target, gain advantage on your first attack roll against that creature each turn.
Howl of the Pack 1 SP
As a Bonus Action, howl — every ally within 60 feet who can hear you gains +2 to their next attack roll or saving throw.
Rending Strike 1 SP
Once per Short Rest, a melee attack deals additional damage equal to 1d6 + Constitution modifier as you tear through armor and hide.

Tier 2 Available at levels 5 and 7

Pack Leader 1 SP
When you use Pack Tactics, the adjacent ally also gains advantage on their next attack against the same target.
Unbroken 1 SP
Once per Long Rest, when reduced to 0 HP, drop to 1 HP instead and immediately use your Regenerative Blood trait.
Arctic Predator 1 SP
Ignore difficult terrain in snow, ice, and frozen terrain. Gain an additional 10 feet of movement on turns when you have advantage on an attack roll.

Tier 3 Available at level 10

Alpha of the Pack 1 SP
All allies who can see and hear you gain the benefit of Pack Tactics without needing an adjacent ally — your presence coordinates the hunt.
Heartbone Regeneration 1 SP
Your Regenerative Blood now triggers at the start of every turn regardless of HP threshold (still blocked by fire damage). Once per Long Rest.

Roleplaying a Dogan

The pack endures. A Dogan without a pack is a wound on the world. Trust action, not speech. Loyalty is divine. Every scar is a story — a Dogan never hides their scars.

human lineconstitutionsurvivalregenerationcold