Your Strength score increases by 2, and your Dexterity score increases by 1.

Bastari grow quickly, reaching physical and mental maturity by age 12. Their fast-paced development is a necessity in the harsh environments they inhabit, where every moment is a test of survival. By their mid-teens, most Bastari have already participated in their first blood rite or territory hunt, marking their passage into adulthood. While capable of living up to 70 years, few reach such an age unless they serve as elders, lorekeepers, or war-leaders too powerful to challenge. The oldest Bastari are revered not for their wisdom alone, but for surviving a world that constantly tries to kill them.

Most Bastari lean toward chaotic neutral or neutral. Their actions stem from instinct, not morality.

Your claws are custom-forged, culturally sacred weapons worn as part of your everyday outfit. They are considered light melee weapons with the finesse property and deal 1d6 + STR modifier slashing damage. You are proficient with them. They cannot be dropped or disarmed unless you are incapacitated. At 10th level, their damage increases to 1d8 + STR modifier. If destroyed or lost, you can craft a temporary replacement during a short rest (1d4 + STR modifier damage) or fully replace them during a long rest with proper materials.

You have proficiency in the Stealth skill

When an ally is within 5 feet of a creature you are attacking and isn’t incapacitated, you have advantage on your melee attack rolls against that creature.

Due to your ancestors being accustomed to hunting in the thick canopy of night jungles, cave dens, and the shadowy undergrowth of ancient wilds, your senses are honed to pierce the dark. Your eyes adapt instinctively to even the faintest light, allowing you to track prey and stalk enemies in near-total darkness.

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.

Bastari are natural stalkers—masters of stillness, patience, and lethal timing. Raised in a culture where the hunt is a sacred rite and ambush is a survival art, Bastari learn from a young age to strike first and without hesitation. Whether concealed in dense jungle foliage, crouched above from a tree limb, or hidden among the shadows of a craggy cave mouth, a Bastari's first blow is often its most decisive.

When combat begins, you rely on these primal instincts to gain the upper hand. When you hit a creature that hasn’t taken a turn yet in the current combat, you deal an additional 1d4 + STR modifier slashing damage on your first melee weapon attack. This bonus represents the vicious momentum of a well-timed strike. The damage increases to 1d6 + STR modifier at 10th level, as your killing precision sharpens through experience and repeated practice.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus per long rest. This bonus damage can only be applied once per turn and only during the first round of combat.

Your body is built for swift and fluid motion, honed by a lifetime of ancestral hunting through dense underbrush, rocky crags, and towering jungle canopies. Bastari are unmatched in their ability to navigate difficult terrain at speed, moving with a blend of muscular grace and raw momentum that puts them ahead of most humanoid races.

Your base walking speed is 35 feet, reflecting your long stride, agile reflexes, and powerful legs built for rapid pursuit. In addition, you have a climbing speed of 20 feet, allowing you to scale trees, cliffs, and structures with the ease of a natural predator. You do not need to make an ability check to climb vertical surfaces that aren’t smooth or sheer.