Catfolk
"Adaptive, tribal felines, with as much variety as there are colors."
Appearance
The appearance of Catfolk vary even greater than humans, with their size ranging from just three feet, all the way up to eight. They are almost always covered in a coat of fur, from short to long, thin to thick, though hairless variations are not unheard of. They have the bone structure of a cats, but are bipedal, though small catfolk are comfortable switching back and forth to quadrupedal. They have retractable claws in their hands and feet, and are feline in appearance. Their markings are also innumerable, with the most common being wild cats, such as lions, tigers, cheetahs, leopards, and lynxes. Another common variety are typical housecat patterns, such as the simple tabby, ranging from any color to any pattern typical of a standard Tabby house cat. Their sizes generally correspond to their ancestry, with Lions and Tigers generally being quite large, and Tabby's and Lynx's being quite a bit smaller, though the reverse, with large tabbys and small lions and are not uncommon.
History
Catfolk descended from felines thousands of years ago, only just older than humans. Catfolk are Tribal people, whose passion and love run deep. They form tribes around the world, often in harsh climates, ranging from deep in the rain forests, to scorching savannahs, all the way to freezing arctic regions, but are far more common around forest edges. Like Elves, Catfolk are attuned to nature, respect it, and defend it against those who would do it harm.
Society
Catfolk are a nomadic race, often traveling from tribe to tribe to experience different cultures. Catfolk get along with with most other races, and is quite common to find Catfolk integrated into other societies, especially human, elves, and halflings. It is less common to find them with Orcs and Dwarves, but it not unheard of due to the variety of Catfolk personalities.
Names
Catfolk names
Vary as much as the race, and is not uncommon to be taken from other race names. Catfolk usually prefer names with T, M, R, U, O and A's often with Males ending in hard letters, and Females in softer letters, but is common for a name to be used for both sexes.
Male - Kova, Trok, Ovarr, Rorran, Mur
Female - Suu, Korra, Mrran, Rorran
Catfolk Traits
- Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 2
- Age. Catfolk reach adulthood at 15, can live to be 150.
- Alignment. Can be of any alignment, although lean towards good.
- Size. Catfolk vary widely between 3'0 and 7'0, from 50 and 300 pounds. Your size is Small (3'0-4'0) Or Medium (4'0-7'0).
- Darkvision. Thanks to your feline heritage, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
- Soft Fall. You have resistance against falling damage, and always land on your feet.
- Tail. You have proficiency in the Acrobatics skill.
- Languages. You can speak, read and write Common and feline.
Catfolk Subrace
Catfolk of the same size are generally the same. Large cats use their size and strength as an advantage and small cats use their size to avoid damage. Choose your size.
Large Cats Lions, tigers and cougars.
- Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 1.
- Claws. You have a set of retractable claws that are weapons with which you are proficient. They deal 1d6 slashing damage, and have the finesse and light properties.
- Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Small Cats Bob cats, Lynx and tabbies.
- Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score increases by 1.
- Claws. You have a set of retractable claws that are weapons with which you are proficient. They deal 1d4 slashing damage, and have the finesse and light properties.
- Speed. Your base walking speed is 25 feet.
- Evasion. As a reaction, if you are subject to a effect that allows a saving throw for half damage, you instead take no damage if you succeed on the saving throw, and only half damage if you failed. You must decide to use this ability before you roll the saving throw. You can use this ability again after a short or long rest.
Variant Catfolk
Displacer Beast Ancestry
Some Catfolk have dark purple fur and altered bodies, a trait gained from their Displacer Beast Ancestry. They tend to be more solitary than most Catfolk and are more likely to get along with outcasts and the downtrodden.
Displacer Beast Catfolk Traits
The following traits replace the normal Catfolk traits.
- Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 2, and your Wisdom score increases by 1.
- Alignment. Can be any alignment, but lean toward Chaotic Good.
- Size Catfolk with Displacer Beast Ancestry are never small. Your size is Medium.
- Non-Combat Claws. Unlike most Catfolk, those with Displacer Beast Ancestry lack any significant claws on their fingers. What remains is equivalent to fingernails in utility.
- Soft Fall. You have resistance against falling damage, and always land on your feet.
- Four Arms Catfolk with Displacer Beast Ancestry have four arms, all of them considered primary. They may hold and use items in any of them without penalty. However they can only use two hands to attack and defend when using weapons and or shields. As normal you may only gain one shield bonus. Any attempt to use more than the proper number of weapons or shields in an attack will result in an uncoordinated mess, sacrificing proficiency, causing all the attacks to have disadvantage, only deal half damage, and the DM should feel free to have critical failures go terribly wrong. Seriously, it might look cool, but it's not worth it. Many a young Catfolk have lost an eye, hand, tentacle, or tail to experimenting with this foolishness.
- Tentacles Catfolk with Displacer Beast Ancestry have two five foot long tentacles with spiky pseudo-pods that have a number of uses.
- Carry Objects Tentacles can hold items but can not use anything more complicated than a lever. Each can hold one hands worth, or they can wrap around something to carry a load like arms. This does not modify the catfolk's encumbrance by weight.
- Tentacle Attack As an action you can attack with your two tentacles, on a hit you may attempt a grab. (light finesse weapon 1d4 bludgeoning and piercing + grab.)
- Grapple Tentacles can be used to grapple an adjacent target without restricting the Catfolk. Grapple ends if the Catfolk is no longer adjacent to the grappled target.
- Displacement Catfolk with Displacer Beast Ancestry learn to channel their ancestors light manipulation capabilities over time. Starting at level 5 and every five levels thereafter they gain one use of Displacement per long rest. As a bonus action, you project a magical illusion that makes it appear that you are standing near your actual location, causing attack rolls against you to have disadvantage. If you are hit by an attack the illusion is disrupted. Displacement is also disrupted if you are incapacitated of have a movement of zero. Displacement requires concentration.
- Exotic Armor Mundane armor does not fit around the extra arms and tentacles. Customization tends to double the costs turning mundane armor into exotic armor. Depending on the world this may or may not apply to magical armors as well, speak with your DM.
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