Homebrew Khajit Species Details

The population of the proud feline Khajit have a wry wit and a hedonistic outlook, but they are fearsome on the field of battle. Hailing from the province of Elsweyr, they are intelligent and quick. They make excellent thieves due to their natural stealthiness. All Khajiit have unarmed claw attacks and are agile enough to almost always stay on their feet.

 

A Varied Breed

There is but one singular physical trait all Khajit share (with one exception): they resemble some kind of cat, be that a domestic housecat or a mighty tiger. Much like the animals they appear to take after, Khajit can look drastically different, as they too share specific breeds. Their breed is based on the phases of the moon, as they are born with extreme variation in their physiology based on what phase they were born under. Every breed has a variant with the suffix -raht, born under the Waxing and Waning moons respectively. The only difference between these two is the -raht is often larger, and will only be listed if they have significant differences or features.

Under a  Masser Full Phase, Khajit resemble large quadrupeds. The breeds include:

• Senche, born under the Secunda Full: A fierce, tiger-like Khajiit that is roughly 7 feet tall when standing on their hind legs. The Senche is often used as a steed by other Khajiit. This appears to be a voluntary job they take on willingly.
• Senche-raht, born under the Secunda Waxing:  By far the largest of known Khajiit breeds, standing at 14 feet tall while on their hind legs. These Khajiit received the term "battlecats" for their use as steeds, though they are slower than their Senche counterparts.
• Pahmar, born under the Secunda New: They look like and are as big as tigers. They are typically not used as steeds, but are fearsome foes.

Under the Masser Waning Phase, Khajit are large bipeds. The breeds include:

• Cathay, born under the Secunda Full: The most common breed of Khajit seen outside Elsweyr, they average between 5-6 feet tall and are the only breed most non-natives will ever encounter.
• Tojay, born under the Secunda New: Little is known besides the fact that they live in the jungles and marshes of Elsweyr.

Under the Masser New Phase, Khajit resemble small bipeds. The breeds include:

• Ohmes, born under the Secunda Full: This breed is unique in the fact that they have almost no feline features and look nearly identical to Bosmer. The only notable difference is they are shorter than Bosmer.
• Ohmes-raht, born under the Secunda Waxing: Still resembling elves more so than felines, this breed is about as tall as an average man. They do, however, possess golden fur and a tail.
• Suthay, born under the Secunda New:  Similar in height to the Ohmes but with much more cat-like features including high set ears and facial features, a long tail and digitigrade legs.

Under the Masser Waning Phase, Khajit resemble small quadrupeds. The breeds include:

• Alfiq, born under the Secunda Full: They resemble small housecats, both in size and color.
• Dagi, born under the Secunda New: Larger in stature than the Alfiq, the Dagi are lanky, lightweight Khajiit that typically live atop the branches of trees.

Thieves and Smugglers

Many Khajiit disdain weapons in favor of their natural claws. They make excellent thieves due to their natural agility and unmatched acrobatic abilities. Many Khajiit are also warriors, although this is mainly true of the Cathay and Cathay-raht, while the other breeds are quadrupedal - either muscular and extremely hardy or lithe and very agile. In addition to their native quickness, Khajiit have developed a natural proficiency in stealth, and have the added benefit of native night vision. These skills, combined with the general tendency of humans and elves to look down on them as "beasts," lead many Khajiit outside of their home province to become bandits or professional thieves and assassins, such as the hired Khajiit assassins from the Dark Brotherhood.

Elsweyr, the homeland of the Khajit, is a dry and humid land, though its geography is as varied as the Khajit themselves. It includes both large patches of dry deserts, like those of Hammerfell, and lush jungles, like those found in Valenwood. Regardless of the climate, however, most think of one thing when the word "Elsweyr" comes up: moon sugar. Moon sugar is a sweet spice native to Elsweyr that is infamous for its ability to be refined into a highly addictive drug called Skooma. Therefore, Elsweyr, and, by proxy, the Khajit, are widely looked down upon as a culture of smugglers, addicts and drug dealers. Not helping this stereotype is that outside their homelands, and due to the persecution they face, many Khajit are forced into a life of petty thievery to merely make ends meet. Others are picked up by assassin groups, due to their natural affinity for stealth. While a large population of Khajit are honest and have never tasted Skooma, enough aren't that it has severely damaged their reputation amongst the other races.

Khajit and Azurah

The Khajiit worship Azura, spelled Azurah in Khajiit mythology. According to their legends, Azurah was one of the many children of Fadomai, and the only of her children who did not abandon her as she neared death. Fadomai gave Azurah three secrets as a reward for her loyalty, telling her to choose one of the children of Nirni, the mortal races, and change them and name them Khajiit. The Khajiit were given the three gifts: to be the most beautiful, clever, and fastest creatures in the world; to be the best climbers in the world, and to be the best deceivers in the world. Azurah waited as Nirni gave birth, and as Lorkhaj created a place for them to live. Nirni saw many of her children die and many fled to the stars, and of the rest, Nirni was most sad for the forest people (presumably, the Bosmer), whom she felt had not found their place. Azurah came forth and changed some of the Bosmer into the various forms of the Khajiit, and bound their birth and growth to the moons, Masser and Secunda.

A Culture Of Us

One of their most defining features that all Khajit share is their very strange accents and speech patterns. Khajit almost exclusively refers to themselves in 3rd person. "Khajit," "this one," or merely their names are all substitutes for "I" or "me". This is widely believed to be a cultural thing that other races simply do not understand. From birth, young Khajit are taught by a Clanmother, who helps to educate the entire clan and teaches them a sense of "oneness" that all Khajit share. Ta'agra, their native language, simply does not put emphasis on the idea of self and therefore, Khajit rarely use terms that refer to themselves as such. 

Khajit believe that they were shaped by the hands of the Daedric Prince Azura to be "the cleverest, fastest, and most beautiful" of all people, and, along with the Argonians, inhabited Tamriel long before man or even the elves. Their early history suggests that Khajit are, by nature, a tribal group, and only recently started building cities along travel routes when visitors to Elsweyr became more commonplace after it joined the empire.

Khajit Names

Khajiit names mostly describe the talents or skills of the to-be-named, though in their native language, making it indistinguishable to most other races. Sometimes Khajiit take a byname or nickname with meaning, either Cyrodilic or in Ta'agra. They can be taken additionally to the Khajiiti name, an example being M'Aiq the Liar. Nicknames also can be used in an appropriate situation, but note that they do not replace the name entirely.

Another important aspect of Khajiit names are honorifics, more common amongst males than females. They reflect their status in life or society and can change accordingly. Thus, it is considered improper and insulting to apply a wrong honorific. Honorifics are usually a prefix before a Khajiit's name, usually separated by an apostrophe, uncommonly a hyphen, or rarely without separation.

Male Names: Dro'marash, J'darr, J'zargo, Kharjo, Kesh, Ma'randru-jo, Ma'tasarr, Ri'saad, Vasha

Female Names: Ahkari, Atahbah, Khayla, Ra'zhinda, Shavari, Tsavani, Zaynabi

Khajit Traits

Despite their dramatic dysmorphism, all Khajit share some qualities in common with each other.

Nightvision

Nightvision: Your sharp senses 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.

Feline Agility

Cats are naturally agile and dextrous animals, which is a trait all Khajit share in common with them. Once per long rest, you may treat a single DEX check or saving throw (Stealth, Sleight of Hand and Acrobatics) of under 10 as an automatic 13. If being used in combat, this is treated as part of the action you were doing that required the DEX check. If being used for a saving throw, this may be used as a reaction.

Cat's Claws

Because of your claws, you have a climbing speed of 60 feet. In addition, 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.

Night Eye

In addition to being able to see well in the dark, Khajit's other senses are also heightened, giving them extremely strong awareness in places where other creatures would be completely blind. You have advantage on Perception and Investigation checks in the dark and at night.

Aspect of Azurah

When the Daedric Prince Azurah created the Khajit, one of the gifts she bestowed upon them was the ability to be natural deceivers. Starting at level 1, all Khajit have access to the Invisibility spell. This spell may be used once per short rest. At level 7, it may be used twice per short rest.

Ability Score Increase

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

Age

Possibly due to their Eleven ancestry, Khajit live a bit longer than most humans, averaging between 100-150 years. They are fully matured by fifteen years of age.

Alignment

The Khajit are harshly generalized as drug dealers, thieves, and smugglers by most other races, and therefore many of them find themselves pressured into such a life. They tend to lean toward a Chaotic alignment. They are also known to be cunning and silver-tongued, painting them in a light that is very rarely lawful. Khajit are, however, not inherently evil for the most part and are only restricted by third own moral compass.

Size

While most Khajit are around the same height and weight as most humans, average about 5 to 6 feet tall, this size can differ drastically. Your size can be Tiny, Medium, or Large depending on the breed you choose.

 

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet. You have a swimming speed of 15 and a climbing speed of 60 feet.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and Sylvan.