Homebrew Bakeneko Species Details
Shapechanger
In Seigai when a beast reaches a certain age, there is a chance they will grow into a bakemono, meaning “shapechanger.” While this has been known to happen to many kinds of beasts, there are five that show a particular capability of making this ascent: cats, otters, foxes, badgers, and raccoon-dogs. Why this happens, no-one is particularly sure, although there are a number of theories (one even states it is directly related to the amount of lamp oil the creature has consumed in its life).
Shapechangers live mostly among their own tribes in the wild, however they have been known to make trips into urban centres, often out of mere curiosity. When interacting with folk from other races, a shapechanger will almost always adopt a humanoid or anthropomorphic form. Even in their humanoid forms, shapechangers have distinct characteristics that belie their true nature; it is often their tail that gives them away.
Subrace: Bakeneko (Cat)
Cats are often kept as house pets in Seigai, with the added benefit of keeping rodents and other pests out of the home. Seiganese people highly venerate domesticated cats, due to the chance that a cat will awaken as it reaches old age. Poorly treated cats who awaken into bakeneko often devote their time to tormenting their former owners. A well-kept bakeneko may live quite happily in society. Tribes of bakeneko are rare, and they are usually only seen in ones or twos.
Bakeneko Traits
+2 Charisma, +1 Dexterity, Fey, Bakemono, Darkvision, Bakeneko Magic, Feline AgilityAbility Score Increase
Your Charisma score increases by 2. In addition, one ability score of your choice increases by 1.
Age
Bakeneko have usually awakened by age 15 as an adult, and go on to live another 100 years on average.
Size
When in humanoid form, you are a medium creature. When in anthropomorphic form, you are a small creature. When in beast form, you are a tiny creature.
Speed
Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Darkvision
You have a nocturnal creature’s keen senses, especially in the dark. 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.
Fey
Your creature type is fey, rather than humanoid.
Bakemono
You can use an action to shapeshift into your beast form, into a humanoid, or into an anthropomorphic (semi-humanoid) form halfway between the two. Your appearance in all three forms is hereditary just like any other race, and any equipment you wear in your human form adjusts to the size of your anthropomorphic form. When shifted into your beast form, the following rules apply:
- Your game statistics are replaced by the statistics of the beast, but you retain your alignment, personality, hit points, and Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores. You also retain all of your skill and saving throw proficiencies, in addition to gaining those of the beast. If the beast has the same proficiency as you and the bonus in its stat block is higher than yours, use the beast’s bonus instead of yours.
- You can’t cast spells, and your ability to speak or take any action that requires hands is limited to the capabilities of your beast form. Transforming doesn’t break your concentration on a spell you’ve already cast, however, or prevent you from taking actions that are part of a spell, such as call lightning, that you’ve already cast.
- You retain the benefit of any features from your class or other source and can use them if the new form is physically capable of doing so. However, you can’t use any of your special senses, such as darkvision, unless your new form also has that sense.
- You choose whether your equipment falls to the ground in your space, merges into your new form, or is worn by it. Worn equipment functions as normal, but the DM decides whether it is practical for the new form to wear a piece of equipment, based on the creature’s shape and size. Your equipment doesn’t change size or shape to match the new form, and any equipment that the new form can’t wear must either fall to the ground or merge with it. Equipment that merges with the form has no effect until you leave the form.
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 on one of your turns.
Bakeneko Magic
You know the produce flame cantrip. When you reach 3rd level, you can cast the feather fall spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. When you reach 5th level, you can cast the protection from poison spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells.
Languages
You can speak, read, and write Draconic and one other language of your choice.
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