Homebrew Tressym Species Details

A tressym was a magical beast resembling a small winged cat. They could be found across the warm and temperate lands of Faerûn, and were most common in northern Cormyr, particularly in the village of Eveningstar where they were seen as good luck charms and mascots and praised for keeping down rodents. They were also popular as familiars for good wizards.

Description

A tressym resembled a small cat, roughly the size of a common housecat, and growing up to 2 feet (61 centimeters) long from nose to tail. Their primary feature was of course their wings.

Extending from their well-muscled shoulders, these wings were formed like a bat's, being divided into arc-segments by hollow elongated "finger" bones. However, the leathery membranes between these bones were covered in feathers. These wings had a maximum wingspan of 3 feet (0.91 meters).

Tressym were fluffy and their coat varied in color and length as much as regular cats. The majority were short-haired, with black, gray, or tabby fur.

Some tressym had owl-like faces with tufts of fur at the points of their ears. The fingers of their wings could end in ornate feathers with circular designs rather like the "eyes" of a peacock's plumage.

They were widely considered to be cute or beautiful.

Behavior

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.

They were often solitary creatures, rarely living or hunting with others of their kind, though did usually get along fine. 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.

Ecology

Tressym were carnivorous, like cats, usually hunting birds, rodents, and insects. However, they did not prey on baby birds or eggs.

They mated as often as regular cats, and did not mate for life. Tressym were closely related to the small feral cats that prowled the forests of the Heartlands, which had been domesticated across Faerûn, from the Sword Coast to Cormyr, the Dalelands, Sembia, and the Moonsea. Thus tressym could even mate with normal cats, with which they were fully fertile. However, on average, only 10% of mixed-bred kittens would be winged, while the rest were wingless.

In good health and without accidents or hazards, a tressym could live over twenty years.

Tressym Traits

As a Tressym, you have the following racial traits.

Creature Type

You are a Fey.

Size

You are Small.

Speed

Your walking speed is 30 feet.

Tressym Magic

You know the mage hand cantrip.

Starting at 3rd level, you can cast the detect poison and disease spell with this trait. Starting at 5th level, you can also cast the see invisibility spell with this trait. Once you cast detect poison and disease or see invisibility with this trait, you can’t cast that spell with it again until you finish a long rest. You can also cast either of those spells using any spell slots you have of the appropriate level.

Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells when you cast them with this trait (choose when you select this race).

Flight

Because of your wings, you have a flying speed equal to your walking speed. You can’t use this flying speed if you’re wearing medium or heavy armor.

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 Dexterity modifier, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike.

Darkvision

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.