Homebrew Teacup Tabaxi Species Details

I swear it was the oddest thing. It was only the size of a child, but it took down those raiders faster than we could blink. Sent him out one day with a bounty, assumed the little tyke was picking it up for his parents, and then the next we didn't have any more bandit problems. Talked to him the next day when he asked for an ale... Turns out he's 40 years old!

— Grace Hillsoot, tavernkeeper.

When gnomes and tabaxi get a little too friendly, their offspring can become quite the mismatch of the two races. With a tabaxi's cunning agility and a gnome's insatiable curiosity, the teacup tabaxi have become known as quite the fervent little devils. 

Small, but Mighty

Most teacup tabaxi remain with either their tabaxi or gnomish parents' homeland, content to know they have a stable place to stay. But once they run out of things to explore near home, adventure calls to a great number of them.

These little creatures set out to see and learn everything they can and everything they ask about in one way or another. Teacup tabaxi, though few in number, often find themselves right at home in a tavern full of adventurers. Some even find lifelong companionship joining adventuring crews or guilds outside their small homes. 

Split Cultures

 

Teacup tabaxi, when given the choice, often choose to live with their gnomish parents more than their tabaxi parents. With how long the gnomes live, it's easier for them to settle in with the parent that will live as long, or even outlive them. That's not to say the tabaxi clans hold no interest for them. What few that have stayed around have brought innumerable changes to their homelands. They often bring change to multiple generations at once when they settle down in tabaxi tribes. 

Sadly, most teacup tabaxi would rather spend their energy with other longer lived races. When one feels emotions as strongly as the teacup tabaxi, grief is often too hard to handle in small communities. 

Curious Cats

Wandering teacup tabaxi are mercurial creatures, trading one obsession or passion for the next as the whim strikes. They fly between curiosities as often as they can. A teacup tabaxi’s desire burns bright, and while they often fizzle once an answer is found, some teacup tabaxi's hold an obsession for life. They won't stop until they know everything about their obsession.

A teacup tabaxi artificer might spend their entire life puzzling through the intricacies of potion making, only for their rogue brother to find the answer to twelve mysteries of his own desire. One might fly through dozens of obsessions before finding one that stumps them for the next decade. 

Teacup Tabaxi Names

Each teacup tabaxi gets their name from whoever they grow up with. They could follow the naming conventions of their tabaxi clan or their gnomish family. Often, a teacup tabaxi will find a way to keep a name from each parent and mix the two. 

The following are some examples gathered:

Tabaxi Names: Cloud on the Mountaintop (Cloud), Five Timber (Timber), Jade Shoe (Jade), Left-Handed Hummingbird (Bird), Seven Thundercloud (Thunder), Skirt of Snakes (Snake), Smoking Mirror (Smoke) 

Gnome Names: Gimble, Glim, Jebeddo, Kellen, Namfoodle, Orryn, Roondar, Ella, Ellyjobell, Ellywick, Lilli, Loopmottin, Lorilla, Mardnab, Nissa, Nyx, Oda

Tabaxi Clans: Bright Cliffs, Distant Rain, Mountain Tree, Rumbling River, Snoring Mountain 

Gnome Surnames: Beren, Daergel, Folkor, Garrick, Nackle, Murnig, Ningel, Raulnor, Scheppen, Timbers, Turen

Teacup Mashups: Wickett of the Seventh Peak, Moon's Shine Ferrel (Moon), Four Leagues Riverbend Maulwell (River), Fife of Wide Bay Clan 

Teacup Tabaxi Personality

A teacup tabaxi might have motivations and quirks much different from a tabaxi, elf, human, gnome, or halfling 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 Teacup Tabaxi 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 potion formula
2	A monster
3	A lost civilization
4	An artifact's secrets
5	A mundane item
6	A sacred item
7	A location
8	A legend or tale

 Tabaxi Quirks

d10	Quirk
1	You miss your hilly, wooded home and complain endlessly about the freezing weather, even in summer.
2	You often forget to change clothes when you're really focused.
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 hand, which you constantly fidget with.
7	You are always in debt, since you spend your gold on lavish parties and gifts for friends.
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, facts, processes, and stories you have discovered.
10	You can’t help but try to obtain every item associated with your obsession you come across.

Teacup Tabaxi Traits

Your teacup tabaxi character has the following racial traits.

Ability Score Increase

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

Age

Teacup tabaxi have lifespans that usually rival their gnome parent. They age to maturity relatively quickly at the age of 18, but can live upwards of 300 years old.

Size

Teacup tabaxi are much smaller than their tabaxi relatives, but usually grow taller than their gnomish family. 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.

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.

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.

Gnomish Ingenuity

You have proficiency in the Perception and Investigation skills.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and Gnomish.