Homebrew Awakened Cat Species Details

Awakened cats may be driven by curiosity to collect interesting artifacts, gather tales and stories, and lay eyes on all the world's wonders. Their innate nature often pushes them to leave no secrets uncovered, no treasures or legends lost. Awakened cats are naturally curious and at home in playful environments. 

While the majority of awakened cats have the appearance, colors, and patterns of a house cat, some may have features or patterning in their fur like tigers, jaguars, or other big cats, while others have unique patterns, might style their fur to their preferences, or may even be hairless. Regardless of any big cat resemblance, they retain the base size and general physique of a house cat. 

Awakened

While they may certainly have been affected by the Awaken spell, here are a few alternative origins for your cat's Awakened state.

• Divine blessing. You have been blessed by the Cat Lord—a divine being of the Upper Planes and the creator of the tabaxi race. 
• Natural magic. In areas with high concentrations of magic, the animals have slowly begun to have their minds Awakened. You are one such example.
• Eldritch influence. Magic of the Infernal, Celestial, Fey, or Far Realms variety has touched your mind, intentionally or in passing, and you have been Awakened as a result.
• Magical mishap. Whether it was the wild magic of a passing sorcerer, a misfired spell from an apprentice wizard, a dubious alchemical concoction, or any other magical mess, you were Awakened as the result of a chaotic event which you may or may not remember.

Feline Quirks

d10     Quirk

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1.       You are convinced, and/or attempt to convince others, that you are, in fact, a very small tabaxi. 
2.       A nice bowl of creamy milk is better than any desert, and you are very insistent on that point. 
3.       You have a minor phobia of water and hate getting wet. 
4.       Your tail always betrays your inner thoughts. 
5.       You purr loudly when you are happy. 
6.       You keep a small ball of yarn (or other cat toy) nearby, which you constantly fidget with. 
7.       You enjoy curling up in a warm sunbeam for a quick nap, or just to relax. 
8.       When talking about something you're obsessed with, you speak quickly and never pause and others can't understand you.
9.       You are a font of random trivia from the lore and stories you have discovered. 
10.       You find it difficult to resist knocking objects (especially small ones) off of tables, counters, shelves, and ledges. 

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Awakened Cat Traits

Your character has the following racial traits:

Ability Score Increase

Your Dexterity score increases by 2.

Creature Type

You are a Beast.

Age

You mature at the same rate as an ordinary cat, but your lifespan has been extended by the magic behind your Awakening to match that of a human.

Size

You are a Tiny Beast.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 40 feet, and your climbing speed is 30 feet.

Cat's Claws

Your claws are natural weapons, which you can use to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with them, you deal slashing damage equal to 1d4 + your Strength modifier, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike.

Cat's Talent

You have proficiency in the Perception and Stealth skills.

Keen Senses

You have a cat's keen senses. 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 can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray. Keen Scent: You have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on smell.

Feline Agility

Your reflexes and agility allow you to move with a burst of speed. When you move on your turn in combat, you can double your speed until the end of the turn. Once you use this trait, you can’t use it again until you move 0 feet (stand still) on one of your turns. 

Languages

Thanks to your Awakened nature, you can speak, read, and write (if you have mage hand or otherwise acquire the ability to hold a writing utensil) Common and one other language of your choice. You may also be able to communicate simple ideas and emotions to regular cats and glean these simple things from them as well.

Physical Limitation

You lack hands and opposable thumbs, though your kitty-cat toe beans are pretty cute. This can limit tool use, weapon handling, and spellcasting components unless homebrewed with your DM. 

If you retain this limitation, you have disadvantage (at the DM's discretion) on rolls for any task that requires the use of hands, especially thumbs, and Sleight of Hand rolls in particular unless they do not require manual dexterity specifically (e.g. could reasonably be done with a cat's paw or mouth). Without hands, you must instead use your paws or mouth. 

If you have the Mage Hand cantrip or similar, you may ignore this limitation. At the DM's discretion, your character may begin with this cantrip regardless of class, and your spellcasting ability for it would be Intelligence. 

Temporary Biped

You have learned how to stand and walk on your hind legs like a Tabaxi or other humanoid does, but your walking speed is halved to 20 feet and you have a disadvantage on all Dexterity rolls until you return to your natural stance on all fours.