Homebrew Bakeneko Species Details

Small and Unsuspecting

The diminutive Bakeneko survive in a world full of larger creatures by avoiding notice or, barring that, avoiding offense. Standing about 3 feet tall, they appear relatively harmless and so have managed to survive for centuries in the shadow of empires and on the edges of wars and political strife. 

Bakenekos’ fur ranges from black, white, orange and calico with length ranging from shorthair to longhair. They have green, blue, yellow or hazel eyes. They like to wear simple, comfortable, and practical clothes, from there homeland and enjoy bright patterned robes.

Bakeneko practicality extends beyond their clothing. They are not concerned with riches and shiny things.  Their goals extend to family, community and health.  

Blend into the Crowd

Bakeneko are adept at fitting into a community of humans, dwarves, or elves, making themselves valuable and welcome. The combination of their inherent stealth and their unassuming nature helps halflings to avoid unwanted attention.

Bakeneko work readily with others, and they are loyal to their friends, whether Bakeneko or otherwise. They can display remarkable ferocity when their friends, families, or communities are threatened.

Tinkers and Blade smiths

Curiosity drives most of the Bakeneko found outside their homeland, but not all of them become adventurers. Bakeneko who seek a safer path to satisfy their obsessions become wandering tinkers and Blade smiths.

These Bakeneko work in small troupes, usually consisting of an elder, more experienced Bakeneko who guides up to four young ones learning their way in the world. They travel in small, colorful wagons, moving from settlement to settlement. When they arrive, they set up a small tents where they sell their wares and sharpen blades to extra fine edges.  

These wanderers keep to civilized realms, preferring to bargain instead of pursuing more dangerous methods of sating their curiosity. However, they aren’t above a little discreet theft if the need arises. 

Exploring Opportunities

Halflings usually set out on the adventurer’s path to defend their communities, support their friends, or explore a wide and wonder-filled world. For them, adventuring is less a career than an opportunity or sometimes a necessity.

Bakeneko Names

A Bakeneko has a given name, a family name with the family name coming first.  But this is only used in a formal setting. 

Male Names:  Yupa, Ran, Toki, Mito, Jin, Kayo.

Female Names: Fio, Poko, Pom, Kiki, San, Miko.

Family Names: Fuji, Abe, Aoki, Baba, Chiba, Goto.

Subrace

The Bakeneko has one subrace, the Nekomata.  

Bakeneko Traits

Your Bakeneko character has a number of traits in common with all other Bakeneko.

Ability Score Increase

Your Dexterity score increases by 2 and Charisma score by 1.  Decrease Strength score by 1.

Age

A Bakeneko reaches adulthood at the age of 16 and generally lives into their early 100's.

Alignment

Most Bakeneko are good aligned. As a rule, they are good-hearted and kind, hate to see others in pain, and have no tolerance for oppression. They are also very orderly and traditional, leaning heavily on the support of their community.  They are tentative when meeting new people but once they get a feeling for them that subsides.  

Size

Bakeneko average about 3 foot to 3 foot 6 inches tall and weigh about 40 pounds. Your size is Small.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Mind Link

You can speak telepathically to one creature you can see, provided the creature is within a number of feet of you equal to 10 times your level. You don’t need to share a language with the creature for it to understand your telepathic utterances, but the creature must be able to understand at least one language.  you must be able to see the creature at all times to communicate Telepathically.  Effect lasts for an hour, you can select different creatures within duration of effect..  you can use this Trait 3 times between a long rest. 

When you’re using this trait to speak telepathically to a creature, you can use your action to give that creature the ability to speak telepathically with you for 1 hour or until you end this effect as an action. To use this ability, the creature must be able to see you and must be within this trait’s range. You can give this ability to only one creature at a time; giving it to a creature takes it away from another creature who has it.

Cat’s Claws

Because of your claws, you have a climbing speed of 20 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.

 

Feline Nimbleness

You can move through the space of any creature that is of a size larger than yours.  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.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and Jako(the language of the Bakeneko). 

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.

Squeezable

Do to your small stature you have disadvantage on contested strength checks and saves against being grappled.