Description: In general, Catfolk are lithe and slender, standing roughly the same height as humans in stature. While clearly humanoid, they possess many feline features, including a coat of soft fine fur, slit pupils, and a sleek, slender tail. Their ears are pointed, but unlike those of elves, are more rounded and catlike. They manipulate objects as easily as any other humanoid, but their fingers terminate in small, sharp, retractable claws. These claws are typically not powerful enough to be used as weapons, but some members of the species, either by quirk of birth or from years of honing, can use them with deadly effect. Feline whiskers are common, and hair and eye color vary greatly.
Society: While self-expression is an important aspect of Catfolk culture, it is mitigated by a strong sense of community and group effort. In the wild, catfolk are a hunter-gatherer tribal people. The pursuit of personal power rarely comes before the health and well-being of the tribe. More than one race has underestimated this seemingly gentle people only to discover much too late that their cohesion also provides them great strength.
Catfolk society is a living game board of ambition, dares, and daring. At its core, it prizes merit through performance, not just who you are, but what you've done lately to prove it. Leadership is typically held by the most competent among them, often a monarch or dynastic ruler, but bloodline alone is never enough. True authority must be earned, and often re-earned, through acts of cunning, courage, or charisma. As a result, many Catfolk governments resemble a shifting patchwork of aristocracy and meritocracy, with councils, constables, and generals often drawn from the ranks of living legends rather than blue-blooded lineage.
Public glory is everything. Catfolk elevate those who accomplish the extraordinary; slayers of beasts, master chefs, aerial dancers, horizon-chasing explorers, and grant them social clout that can eclipse traditional nobility. These individuals are often awarded honorary or actual positions of power: adjudicators of law, commanders of watchposts, even temporary rulers of city districts during festivals or crises.
Underlying all this is the Perennial Dare, an unspoken (and sometimes extremely spoken) cultural obsession with one-upmanship. Social standing isn’t just achieved, it’s defended constantly. Challenges are issued as casually as greetings, ranging from harmless games to wildly dangerous stunts. The Catfolk version of “chicken” is more of a lifestyle than a pastime, with escalating trials of balance, speed, wit, or bravado serving as both sport and social test. The braver, cleverer, and more flamboyant the challenge, the more respect it garners... even when it ends in failure.
Relations: Catfolk in Xeres approach relationships with a flexibility similar to humans; marriage is common but not compulsory, and while bonds run deep, polygamy remains uncommon and often frowned upon outside specific regional traditions. Social creatures by nature, Catfolk typically get along well with most races, so long as personal boundaries and grooming space are respected. However, they tend to steer clear of particularly musky species; Orcs, Goblins, and other strong-scented folk often trigger instinctive aversion or cause social tension, especially in enclosed spaces. Fenrics, with their boundless energy and tail-wagging persistence, are treated like an itchy tag on a nice coat, tolerated, but only in short bursts. Ratfolk, on the other hand, are rarely tolerated at all; most Catfolk view them as twitchy, untrustworthy, and prone to hoarding both secrets and shiny things that don’t belong to them.
Male Names: Tibbin, Nimbus, Pickle
Female Names: Luma, Taffy, Velvet
Standard Racial Traits
- Ability Score Modifiers: +2 DEX, +2 CHA, -2 WIS
- Type: Humanoid (Catfolk)
- Size: Medium
- Base Speed: 30ft
- Starting Languages: Catfolk and Common
Other Traits
All Catfolk characters also can choose 3 of the following abilities. If multiple abilities affect an attribute or skill, only the highest bonus is applicable.
- Cat's Claws: Gain developed claws that function as natural weapons. They deal 1d4 damage. This claw attack can be used as a primary attack at no penalty, or as an additional attack during any full-round, but with a -2 penalty.
- Cat's Luck: Once per day when you have to make a Reflex save, you may opt to roll with Advantage. You must decide to use this ability before rolling anything, however.
- Clever Cat: Gain a +2 racial bonus on Bluff and Sense Motive.
- Climber: Gain a +2 racial bonus on climb. Once a day you can reroll a failed climb roll, but you must keep the second result.
- Jungle Stalker: Gain a +2 racial bonus on Acrobatics. Ignore difficult terrain if in a Jungle.
- Low-Light Vision: Gain the ability to see twice as far as normal in dim light.
- Natural Hunter: Gain a +2 racial bonus on Perception and Survival.
- Nimble Faller: Ignore the first 20ft of falling when determining damage. Any active damage reduction you possess can reduce fall damage.
- Scent: Gain the Scent ability.
- Sprinter: Gain 10 bonus feet to your movement.