Homebrew Catfolk Species Details

Description

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.

With no large settlements and a tribe style government structure, they have little to do with the outside world and their schemes. They pass their history as an oral history.

 

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 Tabbies and Lynxes being quite a bit smaller, though the reverse, with large tabbies and small lions and are not uncommon.

 

Care-free and Kind

Catfolk are very accepting of other people. They take every opportunity to try and understand the world around them, even if that sometimes ends up getting them hurt. Because the Feline language lends itself well to music, many tribes teach their young about the race’s history through song and dance. This informative entertainment tends to pique the interest of outsiders, leading to the inspiration of many a catfolk bard.

When spending time in the company of other races, catfolk make themselves useful as minstrels, scholars, and healers. Some catfolk hone their natural grace to become circus performers, and others practice precision in order to make a living as a locksmith. Stronger specimens prefer to work as guards, but some have been known to be very successful farmers. No matter the task, for better or worse, catfolk approach life with confidence, believing that even failure is an opportunity to learn and improve.

 

Subraces

Ordinary-Breed Catfolk

Lanky and lean catfolk that resemble ordinary cats.

Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score increases by 2.
Catlike Tread. You are proficient in the Stealth skill.
Fleet of Foot. Your movement speed increases to 35 feet.
Nine Lives. You have resistance to damage taken from falling.

Large-Breed Catfolk

Large, strong catfolk that resemble lions, tigers, and other large cats.

Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 2.
Big Cat's Claws. The damage die for your unarmed strikes increases to a d6.
Catlike Tread. You are proficient in the Stealth skill.
Powerful Build. You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift.

Mystic-Breed Catfolk

Mysterious, usually black-haired catfolk with an affinity for the arcane.

Ability Score Increase. Your Intelligence score increases by 2.
Cat's Mysticism. You know one cantrip of your choice from the wizard spell list, and can cast it at will. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for this cantrip.
Student of Magic. You are proficient in the Arcana skill.
Extra Language. You can speak, read, and write one language of your choice.

Catfolk Traits

Your halfling character has a number of traits in common with all halflings.

Ability Score Increase

Your Dexterity score increases by 2.

Age

A halfling reaches adulthood at the age of 20 and generally lives into the middle of his or her second century.

Size

Halflings average about 3 feet tall and weigh about 40 pounds. Your size is Small.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 25 feet.

Lucky

When you roll a 1 on the d20 for an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll.

Brave

You have advantage on saving throws against being frightened.

Halfling Nimbleness

You can move through the space of any creature that is of a size larger than yours.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and Halfling. The Halfling language isn’t secret, but halflings are loath to share it with others. They write very little, so they don’t have a rich body of literature. Their oral tradition, however, is very strong. Almost all halflings speak Common to converse with the people in whose lands they dwell or through which they are traveling.