Questions tagged [kenku]
Kenku are a race of bird-like, humanoid creatures in Dungeons & Dragons. They first appeared as a monster race in the 1st edition Fiend Folio, and have appeared in every edition since. They were introduced as a playable race in the 5th edition book Volo's Guide to Monsters.
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Can a Kenku that becomes a Hexblood speak normally?
The Kenku race's Languages trait states:
Languages. You can read and write Common and Auran, but you can speak only by using your Mimicry trait.
The features of the Hexblood lineage state:
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Are Aarakocra and Kenku related?
As far as I can read, the oldest lore on Kenku states that they are avian humanoids who lost their wings and speech when they defied their god. However, I can't help draw striking, yet vague links ...
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Can a Kenku Swashbuckler use the Panache feature?
I am the DM for a player character that is a Kenku Swashbuckler that is currently level 8 and will be level 9 within the next few sessions. The player has been following the advice in the sidebar of ...
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Does the Kenku racial curse prevent the Awakened Mind class feature and similar telepathy effects from helping them communicate?
A Great Old One warlock is granted awakened mind at first level -- a limited form of conversational telepathy that allows communication (with range limitations) with any being that can understand at ...
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Can the spell Alter Self allow a kenku to speak normally?
The Alter Self spell says (emphasis mine):
Change Appearance. You transform your appearance. You decide what you look like, including your height, weight, facial features, sound of your voice, hair ...
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Can kenku repeat things they heard without interference?
Imagine a kenku is listening to someone talking. It’s on a loud, crowded street, but the kenku can still (relatively clearly) hear what their friend is saying.
Afterward, someone else asks them what ...
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Could a kenku talk with thaumaturgy?
I was reading this question about kenku communicating using sign language, and was wondering about the other ways a kenku could communicate.
For example, the thaumaturgy cantrip states:
You create a ...
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Can a Kenku communicate using sign language?
The description for the Kenku race (VGtM, p. 109-111) includes this statement:
You can read and write Common and Auran, but you can speak only by using your Mimicry trait.
In the Kenku origin tale,...
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Can a Kenku use verbal spells?
A Kenku can only speak by mimicry, so can a Kenku fulfill the verbal portion of spells of his class? I would assume that he could only cast a verbal spell if he has heard the spell be cast by another ...
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Can a kenku split a phrase and only use a part?
The idea that I got is for my kenku character to split phrases and use two or more to make a sentence about what I want to say. Is this possible?
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How can I best manage and portray a Kenku's mimicry?
I'm just starting my first D&D 5e campaign, playing as a Kenku rogue. The DM is giving me a lot of leeway, but I'm rather enjoying using only mimicked phrases and actions to communicate. As the ...
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Does a magical creature's sounds mimicked by a kenku have the same effect as the real sound?
One of the antagonists in my plot is a kenku scientist. The party has met her a couple of times and is more and more disturbed with her experiments. She had accepted her curse and the fact that she ...
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Can a Kenku mimic words/sounds that they "heard" through telepathy?
Kenku can only speak in mimicry, but it has been stated that they can still communicate via methods like telepathy from the Mystic and Warlock classes. So a Kenku with telepathy can communicate their ...
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What does a Kenku's speech sound like?
Introduced in Volo's Guide to Monsters, Kenku can only speak by imitating sounds they've heard — they're unable to speak with their own voices (p. 110):
Although unable to speak in their own voices,...
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Is it possible for a Kenku to speak a language fluently through mimicry?
The Kenku racial traits in Volo's Guide to Monsters note that Kenku can only speak through Mimicry, though they do understand Common.
Given that the Kenku can mimic the words they hear, combined with ...
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