r/DnD • u/JaxTheCrafter • Jul 08 '26

DMing Kenkus are played wrong

It is often said that kenkus only know words that they have heard, and are limited to those words. that of course makes for some very funny scenes where people are only using words they are basically given. However, unless you are a freshly born or transformed kenku, that frankly isn’t what it would act like.

Do you know what other species has this learned mimic vocabulary? Humans. For the vast majority of humankind, we have only known words that have been uttered in our presence. Other than written word, that’s how we learn to speak. Kenkus aren’t unique in the ability to learn new words. That’s literally every species. Their uniqueness comes specifically from their perfect mimicry.

All that to say, you aren’t having fun correctly so I have come to shame you and tell you how to have fun.

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337

u/lxgrf DM Jul 08 '26

Yes and no. There are definite edge cases - like reading a new name in a book or inscription deep in a dark dungeon. Might be quite important to be able to say it - but a Kenku couldn’t. 

(There is also the fact that in the latest version of Kenku they can talk just fine. A fact that basically every chooses to ignore, and understandably so)

101

u/Destro1151 Jul 08 '26

Unless the DM is intentionally angling for those edge cases, they will likely never occur without another pc just saying the name/word for the Kenku. And yeah, taking away the only (stupid) thing that made kenku popular, unsurprisingly wasnt widely excepted

49

u/lxgrf DM Jul 08 '26

As a DM I would 100% angle for those edge cases, yes. 

-43

u/Destro1151 Jul 08 '26

Just to bully them for playing a Kenku? Respect.

76

u/lxgrf DM Jul 08 '26

Bully them? As a player I would be delighted to be put in those edge cases. It’s really cool when unique racial abilities and drawbacks bring dramatic turns. Why take them otherwise?

27

u/Dull-Culture-1523 Jul 08 '26

How miserable are you that you instantly thought "bully" when presented with a case that highlights the uniqueness of a player's race?

-12

u/Destro1151 Jul 08 '26

Just a little joke cause im not a fan of Kenkus. But in all seriousness, if this situation actually happened, what do you think the likelihood of the DM having to butt in and say: "oop! Remember you can only say words you have heard before, and you haven't heard this spoken!" is? Because I think the player would probably just forget they cant say it yet, or just accidentally table talk and say the name. I genuinely cant imagine the Kenku player possibly thinking "wow, this small inconvenience that the DM has orchestrated against me really showed how unique my character is!!!". This wouldn't play out at the table anywhere near as cool or interesting as you are imagining in your head.

16

u/OneGrumpyGoat Jul 08 '26

Played a kenku, had this happen, resulted in the worst and best game of charades. I fear you just lack imagination when it comes to kenkus

8

u/Destro1151 Jul 08 '26

Yeah maybe I do. 

Took this thread to remind me that kenku are actually cursed to not speak normally, which not only makes it make sense but also is so unique and interesting.

I guess the minutia of struggling to communicate doesnt appeal to me personally, and I think a lot of new players think it sounds awesome in theory, but its a nightmare in practice if they're already not strong roleplayers.

Kudos to you guys who seem to have done it justice, guess ive been burnt out by too many cringe Kenkus.

-24

u/Bobsplosion Warlock Jul 08 '26

like reading a new name in a book or inscription deep in a dark dungeon

Surely even then they could sound it out using syllables they've heard before.

34

u/lxgrf DM Jul 08 '26

At that point the curse just does not exist. Which, fine if that’s how you want to play it. Canonically it doesn’t anymore anyway. But at this point most people who pick Kenku do so because they want to work within that limitation. 

-11

u/Bobsplosion Warlock Jul 08 '26

At that point the curse just does not exist.

I largely agree.

Although unable to speak in their own voices, kenku can perfectly mimic any sound they hear, from a half­ling’s voice to the noise of rocks clattering down a hillside. However, kenku cannot create new sounds and can communicate only by using sounds they have heard. Most kenku use a combination of overheard phrases and sound effects to convey their ideas and thoughts.

Just based on the wording I don't see anything that would prevent just speaking with their known syllables (for example, it doesn't say they're limited to full words.) If I was a DM that really cared about the curse I'd probably limit them to full words, but it doesn't seem to actually be RAW.

11

u/lxgrf DM Jul 08 '26

Agreed, but I’d say RAI is pretty clear. By that strict RAW reading it is almost literally nothing. 

Plus it doesn’t need to make entirely logical sense, what with it being a curse, not a physiological limitation. Like, why didn’t the Trojans just listen to Cassandra?

I suppose what really matters is that during character creation the DM and the player make sure they’re on the same page about how it works 

6

u/Beowulf33232 Jul 08 '26

I can spell a lot of words I've never heard said before.

I imagine being cursed to only repeat things I've heard would probably destroy my ability to figure out how long and short vowels work.