Kitsune as Hunter Lupin (instead of Were-foxes)
by Marc SaindonWhile there is already an established Were-Fox in the RC, Bruce Heard also provides us with the Fox Folk in Dragon Magazine 237:
Foxfolk: This reddish lupin, as can be expected, is perfectly at ease among woodland beings. Unlike to other hunting breeds, a foxfolk cannot be a cleric, however, it can attain unlimited druidic level. A Norwold cousin exists, with white fur, but otherwise no game difference. A foxfolk benefits from an innate ability to smell a trap this is a danger sense alerting it of an impending danger (the DM must score a 1-2 on 1d6 for the ability to be activated). The foxfolk, how ever, knows neither where the trap lies nor its nature, just that danger lurks nearby (a mechanical trap, a hidden pit, a magical snare, or even a foe waiting in ambush). AL: Any Chaotic, usually Good
I'd add two tweaks. First, Fox Folk would be immune to Were-Fox Lycanthropy but can be carriers of the disease. The second is a connection to the Good Kingdom: while they are not Fey, as Tricksters they do fit the theme, so perhaps in primordial times, pacts were struck between the Fey and the Fox Folk (in Yasuko, those communities are called the Yokai and the Kitsune), and part of this deal was never to become Clerics. They CAN become Druids, and you can homebrew a Shinto-inspired Circle (such as a re-skin of the Circle of Dreams). Their Chaotic tendencies make them suitable as Rogues and Bards as well.
Kitsune in Yasuko form a small, but visible minority, and they are well-integrated in the "culture pact". They usually are part of the upper castes, and while they get along with the Rakastas, they would like to take them down a notch or two by shaking the status quo in their own favor. You might split institutions between the Rakastas (secular governement, army) and the Kitsune (religious authority, commerce), with the Tora Rakasta playing a more dominant role, while the Kitsune act more as éminence grise (power behind the throne).
Notes:
MPG, p.90
Yōkai
Druid: Circle of Dreams
(Image from: https://www.deviantart.com/mathiasjudias/art/Kitsune-Fox-Clan-970356578)