Homebrew Chronicles Rising - Neko Species Details
Nekos are seen as little weirdos that love stealing, but when you befriend one--you have found one of them for life and loyalty.
— Darfona innkeeper
Hailing from all lands, wandering Neko are catlike humanoids driven by curiosity to collect interesting artifacts, gold and shiny objects and lay eyes on all the world’s wonders. Ultimate travelers, the inquisitive Neko rarely stay in one place for long. Their innate nature pushes them to leave no secrets uncovered, no treasures or legends lost.
Misunderstood Criminals
Nekos are revealed as the ultimate lovers of all things shiny and magical, they are often thrown into the cold for the love of shines. Most do not have the will power to go through and resist shinies, but some have been known to do just that. These are a rare breed, indeed.
Barterers of Shinies
Neko treasure knowledge rather than material things. A chest filled with gold coins might be useful to buy food or a coil of rope, but it’s not intrinsically interesting. In the Neko’s eyes, gathering wealth is like packing rations for a long trip. It’s important to survive in the world, but not worth fussing over.
Instead,. Their ears perk up in a busy tavern, and they tease out stories with offers of food, drink, and coin. Neko might walk away with empty purses, but they mull over the stories and rumors they collected like a miser counting coins.
Fleeting Fancies
Wandering Neko are mercurial creatures, trading one obsession or passion for the next as the whim strikes. A Neko’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 Neko rogue could happily spend months plotting to steal a strange gem from a noble, only to keep it for themselves for the rest of their life.
Tinkers and Minstrels
Curiosity drives most of the Neko found outside their homeland, but not all of them become adventurers. Neko who seek a safer path to satisfy their obsessions become wandering tinkers and minstrels.
These Neko work in small troupes, usually consisting of an elder, more experienced Neko who guides up to four young ones learning their way in the world. Sometimes these are called circus. They travel in small, colorful wagons, moving from settlement to settlement. When they arrive, they set up a small stage in a public square where they sing, play instruments, tell stories, and offer exotic goods in trade for items that spark their interest.
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 to get their claws on a particularly interesting item when an owner refuses to sell or trade it.
Neko Names
Each Neko has a single name, determined by those who raise them. These Nekos sometimes will take the sur name but usually they do not acknowledge them. A neko who takes a sur name considered the person family.
The following list of sample Neko names
Neko Names: Dusk, Umber, Dawn, Sky, Jewel, Shiny
Neko Personality
A Neko might have motivations and quirks much different from a dwarf or an elf 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 Neko 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.
Neko Heritage
A Neko tends to be allured to dragons, as some know, that they were created by them with the personification of the dragons greed and used as pets for the mighty beasts. Ingrained in their body was the language to speak to them [Draconic] but at the same time, this died out when the dragons found them stealing their properties. Most Neko today are from a dying, almost extinct race.
Chronicles Rising - Neko Traits
Your Neko character has the following racial traits.Neko's Heat
A Neko enters heat every full moon [once they reach adult matuirty] and things become quite crazy. A neko will have an advantage to charisma checks [because he/she oozes sexual tension] as well as a disadvantage to wisdom checks [she is easily fooled]
This lasts 24 hours.
Ability Score Increase
Your Dexterity score increases by 2, and your Charisma score increases by 1.
Age
Nekos have lifespans equivalent to humans.
Alignment
Nekos tend toward chaotic alignments, as they let impulse and fancy guide their decisions. Being casted towards dragon, with greed...they tend to sometimes be evil.
Size
Neko's tend to be smaller on average than humans and relatively slender. Your size is Small
Speed
Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
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.
Neko'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 1d6+ your Dexterity modifier, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike.
Neko's Senses
You have proficiency in the Perception and Stealth skills.
Languages
You can speak, read, and write Common and Draconian of your choice.