Playing a Kenku in Dungeons and Dragons - Includes 12 Unique Character Builds

You hear the voice of your companion calling out for help in the other room! You rush in to help, and are surprised to see an empty room full of nothing but long shadows...before there is a rustle of feathers and you feel a knife between your shoulderblades!

This is the dirty work of the Kenku, D&D's master sleuths, spies, and tricksters.

Playing a Kenku in Dungeons and Dragons can be one of the most challenging things to do as a player, but also the most rewarding. I would not recommend it for the first time player!

For those ready to play a memorable and unique character however, it's a great fit.

First we'll talk a little bit about what Kenkus are, and then we'll dive into tips on how to roleplay them well. AT the end of this article we'll list out twelve potential Kenku builds that we think would be a lot of fun to bring to the table.

What is a Kenku?

A Kenku is a bird like humanoid in the world of Dungeons and Dragons loosely based off of the 'tengu' in Japanese mythology. They look a bit like ravens but have hands instead of wings, cannot fly, and mimic sounds and dialogue perfectly.

History Check

The Kenku first appeared in 'Fiend Folio' (1981) which was basically the old school version of the monster manual for Advanced Dungeons and Dragons. In the Fiend Folio they looked like these adorable little parakeet, wielded quarterstaffs and katanas, and had some inherent magical abilities (like being able to change their appearance once a month, RIP to that ability).

From that point they were developed and reiterated in multiple monster manuals and finally got a player class in Volo's Guide to Monsters.

The Kenku's Curse

The story goes that Kenku's once served a powerful unnamed god, but they were cursed by this god for coveting his riches. As punishment their wings, creativity, and voices were taken away, making them forever a cursed race.

Because of this, Kenku's can only speak through precise mimicry of others. They have no voice of their own and cannot speak original words. It's even said that they can never create original works or handwriting, and can't even think their own unique ideas. They are condemned to lives of hopeless plagiarism.

On the other hand, this makes them master plagiarists and disguise artists. They can lure unsuspecting foes into traps with the words of their friends and copy handwriting and turn of phrase with ease.

Kenku Society

Kenku's typically work in gangs, clans, or groups called 'flocks'. It's common to find them in large cities working as thieves or spies. They are commonly servants, scouts, spies, or minions for stronger creatures of overlords.

Kenku's are wry, cruel, and secretive. They are bitter about their cursed state, and turn that anger into cruel works on those who wrong them. Rumors tell of horrific executions where Kenku punish the weak among them by strapping heavy wooden wings to their backs and throwing them from tall towers to mock their loss of flight.

In early Dungeons and Dragons most Kenku worshipped the demon prince Pazuzu, and many Kenku clerics venerate Vecna.

There is also a Kenku specific deity named Quorlinn. He is a god of trickery, disguise, and thievery and wears a mask with a large false nose. He is a likable trickster with a tinge of malice, and spends most of his time whining about the responsibilities imposed on him by a race he did not choose to have created in his image.

Rules for Kenku player characters

There are two official sources for the Kenku player character: Volo's Guide to Monsters and Mordenkainen Presents: Monster of the Multiverse. I have copied them below.

They are both pretty similar with some small differences (which I have '*' below for ease). I tend to prefer the Mordenkainen entry (I think the Recall ability is very cool and the Insight check against a CR is cleaner than an opposed roll for the mimicry) but I don't love that it doesn't specify that you must use mimicry when speaking your languages, and I also like the push for +2 Dexterity and +1 Wisdom.

Ultimately you can run either one, or your GM may let you run a combo of the two, as they are very similar.

Volo's Guide to Monsters

• Ability Score Increase: Your Dexterity score increases by 2, and your Wisdom score increases by 1*

• Age: Kenku have shorter lifespans than humans. They reach maturity at about 12 years old and can live to 60.

• Alignment: Kenku are chaotic creatures, rarely making enduring commitments, and they care mostly for preserving their own hides. They are generally chaotic neutral in outlook.

• Size. Kenku are around 5 feet tall and weigh between 90 and 120 pounds. Your size is Medium.*

• Speed: Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

• Expert Forgery: You can duplicate other creatures' handwriting and craftwork. You have advantage on all checks made to produce forgeries or duplicates of existing objects.

• Kenku Training. You are proficient in your choice of two of the following skills: Acrobatics, Deception, Stealth, and Sleight of Hand.

• Mimicry. You can mimic sounds you have heard, including voices. A creature that hears the sounds you make can tell they are imitations with a successful Wisdom (Insight) check opposed by your Charisma (Deception) check.

• Languages. You can read and write Common and Auran, but you can speak only by using your Mimicry trait.

Mordenkainen Presents: Monster of the Multiverse

• Ability Score Increase. When determining your character’s ability scores, increase one score by 2 and increase a different score by 1, or increase three different scores by 1. You can't raise any of your scores above 20.*

• Creature Type. You are a Humanoid.

• Size. Your size is Medium or Small. You choose the size when you select this race.*

• Speed. Your walking speed is 30 feet.

• Expert Duplication. When you copy writing or craftwork produced by yourself or someone else, you have advantage on any ability checks you make to produce an exact duplicate.

• Kenku Recall. Thanks to your supernaturally good memory, you have proficiency in two skills of your choice.

  • Moreover, when you make an ability check using any skill in which you have proficiency, you can give yourself advantage on the check before rolling the d20. You can give yourself advantage in this way a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.*

• Mimicry. You can accurately mimic sounds you have heard, including voices. A creature that hears the sounds you make can tell they are imitations only with a successful Wisdom (Insight) check against a DC of 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier.*

• Languages. Your character can speak, read, and write Common and one other language that you and your DM agree is appropriate for the character. The Player’s Handbook offers a list of languages to choose from. The DM is free to modify that list for a campaign.

How to Roleplay a Kenku character

Roleplaying a Kenku can be a monumental feat. Here's a few ways you can do it, but be careful what you pick! If you want these ideas to work at the table it will require some careful roleplaying from you.

How to roleplay the Kenku's unique mimic ability (from easiest to hardest)

1. Modulate your voice frequently to make it appear as if you are recalling dialogue you have heard from someone else instead of coming up with your own words. Halfway through a conversation switch to a gruff voice, then switch to a high voice, then to something singsong. It will sound like you are playing back recordings vs coming up with your own words.

2. Make note of common words or phrases that other players or NPCs say in your game and incorporate them into your speech. If you're feeling brave you can even try to mimic the tone and sound of the other players at your table.

3. Jot down quick notes of words that you hear other players say and limit yourself to only these words when you speak. This method takes a lot of work, but could be a fun way to limit yourself as a player and find ways to express ideas creatively that will give your character an unforgettable voice.

4. Always copy the behavior of those you observe. For example if you sit down in a tavern, order the same thing another player orders. Purchase identical gear to another party member. Sing the same song or dress in the same way.

5. Imitate your party members' playstyle in combat. If there is one character that always rushes in headlong, try rushing in headlong as well. You could even follow the exact actions of the player going immediately before you in the initiative order (though you want to be careful this does not become frustrating or annoying to the rest of the table).

6. Limit your suggestions to the party to things you think your character has observed. If you believe you have never witnessed a conflict solved through negotiation, then do not be the player to suggest that course of action. Consistently suggest courses of action that have already been taken or that you believe your character has heard of.

What kind of gear should a Kenku character carry?

You can play your Kenku however you want, but here are some thematic suggestions you may find fun:

• Try carrying only very small items. Kenkus are known for their shadowy robes and their ability to easily disguise themselves, so carrying around bulky gear will make this tricky.

• Try using only stolen items. Because you as a Kenku have no concept of what is good or helpful on your own, you may want to observe your enemies and then steal whatever gear they had that was most useful to them.

• Consider having a stash of secret or stolen items that only you and your GM know about. Kenkus are notorious thieves, and it can be a great moment at the table if you hoard stolen items and reveal them at key moments to the surprise of your companions.

• Frequently steal from NPC's and foes. Kenkus, like magpies, can never resist something shiny.

• With the permission of your GM and the other players at the table you could even consider stealing from players in your party! This can make for a mischievous and silly game, but make sure everyone at the table is on board, as it can become annoying if it's not wanted.

12 Kenku Player Character Builds

Kenku characters come in many shapes and sizes, so don't feel locked into any of their tropes! Here are twelve ideas I came up with for Kenkus I personally would love to play at the table.

Waxbane, the Master Forger - Kenku Rogue

Rogue is one of the easiest classes to play as a Kenku. The Volo's Guide to Monsters gives a +2 Dexterity score increase, which plays perfectly to a rogue's strengths, and the ability to choose 'Small' as your size (if you are using the Mordenkainen Presents stat block) is also a helpful trait if you're going to be sneaking about and scurrying underfoot.

The Mimicry trait pairs very well with the rogue's sneak attack, as you'll find yourself dealing extra damage any time you an lure an enemy alone into a secluded corner.

My suggestion to make your Kenku rogue more unique would be:

• Focus on the forging skill in particular. Maybe your Kenku training is in toppling politicians and rulers, and you excel at gathering secrets, blackmail information, intercepting letters, and forging powerful signatures to win yourself money and turn the wheels of power in your favor.

• You keep a collection of wax seals and signet rings so you can forge powerful documents and requests at a moments notice. You could wear these signet rings as an ominous necklace.

• Think of yourself as a master collector. Because Kenkus only copy others, you are filled with a terrible jealousy. If you see someone who adores an object and values it greatly, you must have it. You are foolhardy thief who only chooses to steal the things that matter most to those around you.

• You delight in learning everything about your prey before killing them. You learn their every word, phrase, mannerism, and habits so that you can use those you have killed as puppets in your future schemes.

Silvertongue the Ever Watchful - Kenku Bard

Kenkus make excellent bards. Not only does the 'Kenku Recall' ability allow you to get advantage on skill checks you have proficiency in (meaning with 'Jack of All Trades' you are probably the strongest skill tester in the game) your Mimicry checks are deciphered with an Insight check against 8+your proficiency bonus+your Charisma modifier. As Bard is a Charisma focused class anyways, having a high Charisma will pair nicely with this ability.

My suggestion to make your Kenku bard more unique:

• You are a song expert. As you can perfectly remember and duplicate every song you have heard, you are like a walking radio and can perform on demand songs from realms all over. You may pay dearly to learn new songs and tales, and view collecting them as your quest.

• You have the ability to put on hilarious plays and skits that can mock royalty or famous people with perfect accuracy. This makes you an excellent performer but also an easy target for those in power.

• You inspire those around you by repeating words of their loved ones, but can also bring them down by repeating those things they have heard that haunt them the most.

The Ashamed One - Kenku Cleric

Kenku's push for a slight Wisdom score increase makes them decently suited to play clerics. Clerics are one of the most flexible classes in all of D&D, so there's almost no limit to what you could do with this, but I love the idea of a cleric of Quorlinn, the Kenku God, who is never able to get answers from their deity.

Because Quorlinn rejects their followers and it tired of being God of the Kenku, you as a poor cleric could constantly be begging for attention or squeezing power out of Quorlinn against his will. Choosing Trickery as your Domain feels perfect, and the Disguise Self and Pass without Trace spell additions early on will be massively helpful to you as a Kenku.

My suggestions to make your Kenku cleric more unique:

• You are constantly wearing a mask of Quorlinn and are deeply afraid of being seen. Your faith is based around mimicry, and you believe you have no inherent value or identity.

• You are constantly building little shrines to Quorlinn which the god tries to destroy immediately. Your prayers to him are ignored or returned with spiteful or rude answers. Your miracles always turn out to be a bit half-assed.

• You see creation and pride as a sin, and encourage others to be selfless and to not draw attention to themselves.

The Arcane Plagiarist - Kenku Wizard

Of all the spellcasting classes, wizards may be most suited for kenkus. After all, wizards learn all of their magic by copying spells into their spell books. Plagiarism and copying is literally built into their lore.

My suggestions to make your Kenku wizard more unique:

• Agree with your GM that all of your spells will be learned through copying, and not through leveling up. This could be done by either making sure that you level up in areas with sufficient reading material, or by your GM agreeing to provide you with frequent enough access to spell books that you are learning and copying spells all the time rather than waiting on leveling up to learn them.

• When you cast a spell, you can speak in the voice of the person you earned it from and could even argue that the spell itself looks a certain way because you are saying it in exactly the same way as a previous enemy or NPC you have encountered.

• Consider how your spell book would be full of dozens of different styles of handwriting, and that you have inherently learned the handwriting of dozens of potentially famous spell casters.

The Shadow Hunter - Kenku Ranger

With plenty of dexterity and wisdom based abilities, Kenku rangers are a fun option. I know rangers are kind of the black sheep of the class options, but I love the idea of a Kenku ranger that stalks their prey to learn their every move. They are like a collector of dangerous tactics, important words, and vital information. Rather than collecting hides and trophies, they collect words and memories.

My suggestion to make your Kenku ranger more unique:

• You are obsessed with the hunt, but not for the kill - for what you are learning from it. You learn to walk and move just like your prey, repeat their words, imitate their fighting style.

• You play with their food. You spend weeks or maybe even years observing your marks before finally killing them when their use is finished.

• You learn aspects of your prey and can shift between them in combat, emulating the fighting style of everyone you have killed.

• You may capture your foes instead of killing them, keeping them in captivity until you have learned all their valuable secrets and enough words to mimic them fully.

The Cursed Child - Kenku Warlock

With warlocks ability to cast certain powerful spells (like disguise self) at will and almost without limit, they can make for extremely powerful kenku characters.

I love the idea of a Kenku warlock that is bound to the original god that cursed them. Their connection is tattered and painful, filled with resentment, punishment, and old oaths.

As the Kenku returns to the unnamed god with anger and regret, perhaps the ancient deity grants is the temporary ability to fly, or even speak, for a short while...

My suggestion to make your Kenku warlock more unique:

• Think about warlock abilities that can 'undo' elements of the curse. Look for abilities that grant flight, speech, or other elements of creation. The further that you can bind yourself to this ancient god, the closer you can come to undoing your ancient curse.

• Your patron is a constant reminder of the pain done against you. You are filled with anger for the greed of your ancestors and it comes out in cruel and malicious ways.

The Steel Wing - Kenku Paladin

I love the image of the Kenkus strange execution ritual by strapping heavy wings to a kenku and throwing them from a tower. What if one of these kenku survived, and now forever wears the heavy wings as a reminder of the vengeance they will wreak on those who wronged them?

It's an excellent backstory for a paladin, and you could be an Oathrbreaker or an Oath of Vengenace or honestly several other iterations. The dexterity score increase and wisdom score increase favors a finesse or ranged weapon build well, or you could stack strength and end up with a great melee fighter as well.

The Silent One - Kenku Monk

With natural Wisdom and Dexterity score increases Kenkus can make fine monks, and it didn't take me long to think about the 'vow of silence' as being really fun for a kenku.

Essentially you are ashamed of your history as a plagiarist, and in an effort to never steal anything, you have vowed to not speak. You never take things that are not freely given, and will not mimic others without them giving you instruction freely or as a gift.

The Carrion Lard - Kenku Barbarian

Kenkus don't seem like natural barbarians, but I've always loved a 'small' sized barbarian purposefully. The image of a tiny terrifying bird spinning around the battlefield in a swirl of blood and black feathers is enough to get me excited any day.

The fact that Kenku are basically giant crows or ravens did make me think that the 'carrion lord' could be a fun and grisly concept for a kenku barbarian - basically a ruthless fighter who feasts on the flesh of their enemies after spilling their blood. It would have to be a grisly game (and you'd likely have to avoid the ire of any lawful good friends in your party!) but I adore the image of a kenku with blood encrusted weapons picking the eyeballs out of those it has slain when the battle frenzy is finished. Also could explore using the beak as your barbarian 'form of the beast' using a Path of the Beast build, which is quite terrifying to imagine.

The Miming Sword - Kenku Fighter

I love the idea of a Kenku fighter with a duelist specialty, a signature sword, and a desire to become the greatest swordmaster in the world. How? By copying with exactness every move of their opponent before dispatching them.

You could be haughty, prideful, and full of yourself, constantly convincing your party members to let you take on capable foes in one to one combat. To add insult to injury? While you duel them you can shouting back their own insults and words, in their own voice! You purposefully toy with them as long as possible, so that you learn every move, before finally dealing the killing blow and adding another notch to your scabbard.

If you're someone who loves to narrate the exact effects your attacks have and your killing blows, this is the build for you. Take careful note of every way that you have seen someone killed and every move you have witnessed in combat, and then choose from that menu to humiliate your foes with speciality moves from their own allies and friends.

The Winged Shepherd - Kenku Druid

Though not entirely unexpected, I think playing a Kenku druid with a focus in either shape changing into a bird or summoning and communicating with birds would be a lot of fun. The boost to dexterity and wisdom score also helps in this department. I think the lore also backs up a very interesting druid who is trying to return to the original heritage of the kenku and undo the ancestral crime committed by their forebears.

Choosing Circle of the Moon or Circle of Shepherds should set you up nicely depending on if you want the flavor to be more bird transformation or bird summoning. I can just picture an ominous kenku in a wooden mask, perched high in a tree with a staff, every branch covered in ravens that peer down ominously at the creatures below.

The Mind Mimic - Kenku Sorceror

I got a very mean idea for a kenku sorceror when reading the aberrant mind sorcerous origin.

Essentially these types of sorcerors have special psionic abilities, allowing them to speak mentally to other creatures, cast spells without speaking, and even gain a fly speed at very high level. In so many ways, it's a perfect kenku build.

For starters, the idea of a kenku listening to your thoughts is terrifying. Can they now replicate your thoughts as words? Can they learn to speak things that have never been spoken, or to spill your deepest secrets in your most vulnerable tone? On the other hand, the level of deception they can sow by entering a creature's mind and then speaking in another creature's voice perfectly is almost unfair to comprehend. They can easily convince minions of a great mind to do tasks for them, and the poor minions will be convinced they are serving their great master. They can mess with Clerics, Warlocks, Wizards, those who speak with animals...the possibility for shenanigans is ungodly. A kenke on unholy steroids.

As a fun bonus, not having to speak while you cast spells is a fun narrative work around for the kenku never being able to speak words it has not heard. AND the ability to gain an 'unholy' fly speed at a high level feels so perfect. At long last, wreathed in ungodly sorcery, they can undo the curse of their ancestors and become a full fledged flying kenku.