Homebrew Tressym Species Details
Those mischievous little terrors, I swear they play pranks just to watch us suffer. And don't get me started on how many of my cats they have kidnapped. If I could cut off all their tails, I would!
In the wild, they could be found in warm and temperate lands. They could easily find and take shelter from bad winter weather, or fly away from it entirely. Individual wild and domestic tressym could be found all over Faerûn and despite the fact they were once rare, they seem to be increasing in population. They only appeared to gather and breed in large numbers in northern Cormyr, mostly lairing in Starwater Gorge, but growing populations across the Moonsea and in Damara have been noted. Night and day, they hunted the fields for rodents, often interacting with local cats and forming a variety of friendships.Tressym were relatively common in the nearby village of Eveningstar, found prowling the streets and perched in the trees; Eveningstar was renowned for its tressym.
Intelligent Felines
Tressym were highly intelligent, being a little above average human intelligence. They could not speak human languages, but had their own language, "tressymspeak", which was based on purrs and growls. They were semi-wild, and most people thought of them as "mischievous little terrors", but otherwise tended to be shy and skittish.
Feline Hunters
Like ordinary cats, tressym typically stalked and pounced on their prey, using their claws and fangs to slay it. However, the ability to fly gave them a new dimension to hunt in and made them much more dangerous to birds and insects. They could also get into aerial catfights.
Otherwise, they avoided fighting with anything larger than themselves, by flying away and hiding.
If pursued by larger flying creature, then they would go to ground and seek a small hole or crevice to conceal themselves in. Nevertheless, they were cunning and quick learners, knowing enough to scratch a foe's eyes and soon learning the danger of weapons and wands held by people.
Fleeting Fancies
Wandering tressym are mercurial creatures, trading one obsession or passion for the next as the whim strikes. A tressym's desire burns bright, but once met it disappears to be replaced with a new obsession. Objects remain intriguing only as long as they still hold secrets.
A tressym rogue could happily spend months plotting to steal a strange gem from a noble, only to trade it for passage on a ship or a week’s lodging after stealing it. The tressym might have in the moment dedicated everything to the gem, but the gem holds no more allure once they turn their attention elsewhere.
Curiosity Killed the Cat
Curiosity drives most of the tressym found outside their homeland, but not all of them become adventurers. Tressym who seek a safer path to satisfy their obsessions become wandering tinkers and minstrels.
These tressym work in small troupes while more experienced tressym who guides up to four young ones learning their way in the world. They travel in small, colorful wagons, moving from settlement to settlement. Some bonded with individuals of other races, like elves and humans, forming close friendships. Stories told of heroic tressym sacrificing themselves to save beloved companions. Equally, they could have strong hatreds of those they disliked. They enjoyed teasing dogs (which could not give chase) but not to the point of danger. They ignored and left in peace birds (when not preying upon them), griffons, and other flying creatures. However, they were deadly rivals to stirges and manticores, to the point that packs of tressym would gather to combat them.
Tressym Names
Each tressym has a single name, determined by their origin and the culture they are influenced by. Tressyms can have anything from a human name to a cat's name.
The following list of sample tressym names or nicknames
Tabaxi Names: Beans, Kitty, Tana, Mittens
Tressym Personality
A tressym might have motivations and quirks much different from a humanoid with a similar background. You can use the following tables to customize your character in addition to the trait, ideal, bond, and flaw from your background.
The Tressym Obsession table can help hone your character’s goals. For extra fun, roll a new result every few days that pass in the campaign to reflect your ever-changing curiosity.
Tabaxi Obsessions
| d8 | My curiosity is currently fixed on … |
|---|---|
| 1 | A god or planar entity |
| 2 | A monster |
| 3 | A lost civilization |
| 4 | A wizard’s secrets |
| 5 | A mundane item |
| 6 | A magic item |
| 7 | A location |
| 8 | A legend or tale |
Tressym Quirks
| d10 | Quirk |
|---|---|
| 1 | You are curious no matter what, chasing after any mystery you come across |
| 2 | You like to try wearing clothes whenever you can, often destroying tailored works in the process |
| 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 in your paws, which you constantly fidget with. |
| 7 | You are always in debt, since you spend your gold on frivolous endeavors |
| 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 can’t help but pocket interesting objects you come across. |
Tressym Traits
Your tressym character has the following racial traits.Ability Score
Your Dexterity score increases by 2, and your Charisma score increases by 1. However, due to your tiny size, your strength score decreases by 2.
Age
Tressym reach maturity by age 1. Compared to humans, tressym don’t usually live longer than 20 years.
Alignment
Tressym tend toward chaotic alignments, as they let impulse and fancy guide their decisions. They are rarely evil, with most of them driven by curiosity rather than greed or other dark impulses.
Size
Tressym are of similar size to an average cat and relatively slender. Your size is Tiny.
Speed
Your base walking speed is 40 feet.
Flight
You have a flying speed of 60 feet. To use this speed, you can’t be wearing medium or heavy armor.
Darkvision
You have a cat’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.
Poison Sense
The tressym can detect whether a substance is poisonous by taste, touch, or smell. You also have immunity to the damage type of poison and poisoned condition.
Cat’s Claws
Because of your claws, you have a climbing speed of 30 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.
Detect Invisibility.
You have proficiency in the Perception skill and advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on smell. In addition, magical invisibility fails to conceal anything from the tressym's sight.
Languages
You can speak, read, and write Common and one other language of your choice.