Homebrew Rift Cat Species Details

Exiled From the Stars

For centuries, the race that became known as rift cats were respected as the greatest warriors and inventors in their home galaxy. Naturally curious, the feline creatures used their military might solely to maintain peace in their galaxy, coming to fore only to prevent interplanetary war. Between these ever infrequent crises,  the race turned inward. They focused on pushing the boundaries of technology, and this obsession required a steady supply of the raw materials their desert homeworld provided. 

In one of the mines of the rift cats' homeworld, a miner unearthed a long-dormant egg of a species that rift cats had vanquished generations before. After much debate, the leaders of the rift cats chose to spare the egg and the creature within as one of their own. This decision eventually proved the downfall of the rift cats. When the creature within the egg learned the fate of its people, it became enraged. It began a genocidal campaign against those that spared its life, turning their own technology against them and driving them to the brink of extinction.

Left with no other options, the rift cat leaders gathered their survivng subjects to the planet's capital. Using an ancient and jealously guarded piece of technology, the surviving rift cats pierced a hole between realities and fled to a far corner of the multiverse. Their home lost to them, the rift cats now use the same technology to wander the planes of existence.

Charting all Existence

Rift cats have made it the goal of their people to map every dimension and plane in the multiverse using the same technology that saved their race. Adventurers sent out to accomplish this task may spend years at a time wandering the realms. While away from their homeland, rift cats do their best to blend in with locals. They hide the devices they used to enter a dimension and forsake most of their technology, save the nanotech imbued in their blood. Rift cat scouts may remain hidden for weeks while they learn local languages and customs. Once they have integrated themselves into a population, they make a point of gathering world maps and wandering between towns. Once they are satisfied with the amount of information they have gathered, they return to their home city to report their discoveries.

While still not common in the multiverse, Rift Cats can most often be found crewing various ships on the Astral Sea or the Wildspace. Such jobs have proved a natural fit for the mechanically-inclined explorers, as it provides them with the opportunity to hop from world to world without reliance on their own complex technology.

 Rift Cat Names

Rift cats often have noble-sounding names and are disinclined to adopt pseudonyms unless absolutely necessary.

Male Names: Alister, Kaden, Cedric, Simon, Percival
Female Names: Angela, Lucia, Catherine, Minerva, Daphne
Surnames: Apex, Azimuth, Halcyon, Eclipse, Tachyon

Rift Cat Traits

+2 Dexterity, +1 Intelligence, Nanotech Surge, Gearhead, High Jump, Strafe

Ability Score Increase

Your Dexterity score increases by 2, and your Intelligence score increases by 1

Nanotech Surge

Upon hitting 0 HP but not being killed outright, you may heal for 1d4+CON. Once you use this feature, you cannot use it again until you complete a long rest.

Gearhead

You gain proficiency in tinker's tools and space vehicles.

Size

Adult rift cats stand between 5 and 6 feet, and tend to be lean. Your size is medium.

Languages

You speak common and one other language of your choice.

High Jump

Your jump distance is increased by 5 feet, and you may use your Dexterity in place of Strength when attempting to jump.

Strafe

After making an attack with a ranged weapon, you may use your bonus action to move up to 10 feet. This movement does not count against your total movement speed.