Homebrew Catfolk Species Details

You are from a species of magically anthropomorphized cats. While you share many traits in common with many humanoid species, you are not actually humanoid. You are a cat in all ways, save you walk on your hind legs, have hands instead of forepaws, and you can talk.

Age. Cats typically live up to twenty years - although your character may disregard this in favor of a human equivalent lifespan.

Height and Weight. Cats are significantly smaller then humans. Here’s how to determine your height and weight randomly, starting with rolling a size modifier:

• Size modifier = 2d4
• Height in inches = 16 + your size modifier
• Weight in pounds = 8 + your size modifier

Creating Your Character

At 1st level, you choose whether your character is a member of the human race or of a fantastical race. If you select a fantastical race, follow these additional rules during character creation.

Languages

Your character can speak, read, and write Common and one other language that you and your DM agree is appropriate for the character. The Player’s Handbook offers a list of languages to choose from. The DM is free to modify that list for a campaign.

Creature Type

Every creature in D&D, including each player character, has a special tag in the rules that identifies the type of creature they are. Most player characters are of the Humanoid type. A race tells you what your character’s creature type is.

Here’s a list of the game’s creature types in alphabetical order: Aberration, Beast, Celestial, Construct, Dragon, Elemental, Fey, Fiend, Giant, Humanoid, Monstrosity, Ooze, Plant, Undead. These types don’t have rules themselves, but some rules in the game affect creatures of certain types in different ways. For example, the cure wounds spell doesn’t work on a Construct or an Undead.

Life Span

The typical life span of a player character in the D&D multiverse is about a century, assuming the character doesn’t meet a violent end on an adventure. Members of some races, such as dwarves and elves, can live for centuries. If typical members of a race can live longer than a century, that fact is mentioned in the race’s description.

Catfolk Traits

As a cat, you have the following species traits.

Ability Score Increases

When determining your character’s ability scores, increase your Dexterity score by 1, increase either your Dexterity or Charisma score by 1, and increase any ability score other than Dexterity by 1. These increases cannot raise an ability score above 20.

Creature Type

You are a Beast.

Size

You are Tiny.

Manufactured weapons you wield that do not have the light property deal less damage than those used by larger creatures. Decrease all damage dice of such weapons by one die size (minimum 1 damage). For example, if the damage die for a weapon would normally be a d6 it becomes a d4, if it would normally be a d4 it instead deals only 1 damage.

Any additional dice added to damage rolls you make with manufactured weapons are unaffected. For example, any damage added by a feature or trait such as Sneak Attack, a spell such as hunter’s mark, or from a magic weapon such as a flame tongue do not decrease in size.

Talk to your DM about the availability and costs regarding armor in your size.

Speed

Your walking speed is 30 feet, and you have a climbing speed equal to your walking speed.

Cat’s Claws

You can use your claws to make unarmed strikes, using your choice of either Strength or Dexterity for the attack and damage rolls. When you hit with them, the strike deals 1d4 slashing damage, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike.

Cat’s Talent

You have proficiency in the Perception and Stealth skills.

Darkvision

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 discern colors in that darkness only as shades of gray.

Feline Grace

Your reflexes and grace allow you to orient yourself in the air before landing.

You have advantage on Dexterity saving throws and Dexterity (Acrobatics) checks you make to avoid the prone condition.

In addition, whenever you fall from a height of 10 feet or more you can use your reaction to mitigate the damage you take upon landing. When you do so, the fall damage is reduced by a number of d6 equal to your proficiency bonus. You can use this reaction a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and regain all uses whenever you finish a long rest.

Speak with Cats

Through a combination of body language and vocalizations you can communicate with any feline beast.