Felines (Catfolk)
The Felines are a tribal race of catlike humanoids, living in isolated, wild areas of the world.
Though misunderstood and thus unwelcome in most places, Felines tend to end up getting to
most of these places, welcome or no, driven by overwhelming curiosity.
Personality: Catfolk are curious about anything unusual or unconventional, and would
explore such things if given the opportunity, yet they are surprisingly slow to change their
habits and buy into new ideas. Many experience inexorable wanderlust, leaving their home
villages searching for adventure, though they always consider the old, familiar village as their
one true home. Catfolk dislike jokes and jests as they find them hard to get (and generally
suspecting that, ultimately, the joke’s on them), but once befriended they usually make good,
reliable friends. Felines have healthy appetites, and they indulge in food, drinks and play
whenever these are to be found. Most Catfolk like dancing, and Feline tribal dancing is
fascinatingly intricate.
Physical description: Catfolk are about as tall as Elves, between 4.5 and 5.5 feet, but they
are even more slender and weigh from 70 to 110 pounds. A Feline’s head greatly resembles
that of a housecat, and their entire body is covered with fine fur. Their fur is normally tan or
light brown, though darker or striped fur is also possible, and their eyes are either shiny
yellow or green. A Feline has pointed, hairy cat ears, which they instinctively flatten when
feeling genuinely threatened. Feline clothing tends to be light, simple and comfortable, as
they despise most forms of jewelry and adornment. Catfolk obsessively look after their
cleanliness, paying special heed to their fur, which they groom regularly. The average Feline
is very graceful, and has agile, flowing motions. Catfolk achieve maturity at 14, and they
usually live up to the age of 60, though some may live as long as 90 years.
Relations: Catfolk are, by and large, unwanted in civilized lands. They are considered too
bizarre, too savage or too humorless (for races like the Gnomes) for anyone to make serious
contact with them. The Felines, likewise, consider other races to be too peculiar, too
menacing or just stupid jokesters, and thus formal relations between Catfolk and other races
are extremely rare. They sympathize with Orcs and Half-Orcs, however, sometimes joining
these on adventures. Needless to say, their connections with Orcs don’t make them too
popular among civilized races, either.
Feline lands: Feline tribes are usually located in hot climates (either desert or tropical), which
both suits them physically and lowers the chances of encountering other, possibly hostile
races. Feline tribes may sometimes be found near Orcish tribes, as they get along with them
enough for mutual protection and even trade (uneasy alliances at best, of course), which
provides a certain strategic advantage.
Religion: (removed for reasons of campaign world incompatibility)
Language: Catfolk speak Common, though many words were adjusted to fit the Feline way
of pronunciation, changing many of the syllables into variations on a theme of purrs and
yowls, making the language incomprehensible to anyone who isn’t very familiar with this
dialect. Likewise, Felines may have trouble understanding and using “proper” Common
unless they studied this use. There are few differences in writing, which may assist in
communication, albeit few Felines are in fact taught to read or right; this privilege is usually
reserved to the tribe’s scholars and elders. Feline literature consists primarily of legends, as
well as accounts of various adventures of past wanderers.
Names: Every Feline is given a name at birth or a short time thereafter, but that name remains
a secret for years. Only during the Feline’s admission ceremony, held when they arrive age
14, does the young member of the tribe receive his or her name from the tribe elders (the
parents choose the name, but only the elders may bestow a name on behalf of the entire tribe).
Until that time, the Feline is referred to either by any number of traditional tribal names, or by
various nicknames. The revealing of a Feline’s name prior to the ceremony is considered a
serious affront to the tribe’s honor and is punishable by exile (note: this punishment spans the
offender’s entire family). A Feline’s name often represents a personality held in admiration
by the parents, or sometimes a legend or tradition which they consider to be representing their
child’s personality or traits.
For name samples see the Hebrew file (I’m not going to translate it all).
Adventurers: Catfolk value freedom, and nomadic life suits them, so a relatively large
portion of them actually become adventurers, at least for a time. They prefer to do their
wandering in the company of other Felines, though they may associate themselves with other
races if it provides them with the opportunity to undergo new and exciting experiences.
Catfolk go on adventures to see “What’s on the other side” and “What’s it like out there”, as
they commonly put it. They are quite fascinated by life outside their village and would pay
more heed than other adventurers to views, treasures, people and creatures that they meet. A
Feline may eventually tire of the life of adventure and return home – such individuals are
always welcomed back. In fact, a certain ritual is held in honor of returning adventurers,
provided that they were gone for at least six years before returning.
Racial characteristics
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+2 Dexterity, -2 Intelligence: Felines possess natural grace and limberness, but they
are generally propelled by instinct rather than thorough study and analysis.
Medium size (no special bonuses or penalties)
Base movement: 30 feet. A Feline not wearing armor with an armor check penalty
(heavier than leather), carrying only light load and not using any kind of footwear uses
a base speed of 40 feet. A Feline wearing Medium armor or carrying medium load
moves at 25 feet. These bonuses do not stack with the movement bonuses granted by
the Barbarian and Monk classes.
While fighting unarmed, a Feline may use claws to cause normal damage without the
associated –4 penalty (this is considered a claw attack). A Feline may also keep the
claws at bay, causing subdual damage as normal.
Low-light vision: Catfolk may see up to twice as far as humans by starlight,
torchlight, and other conditions of poor visibility. They retain the ability to distinct
color and details under these conditions.
+2 racial bonus to all saving throws against paralysis, hold and magical sleep effects.
+2 racial bonus to Balance, Climb and Hide checks.
+2 racial bonus to Move Silently checks, provided that they wear nothing on their
feet.
All Catfolk gain the Lightning Reflexes feat for free: a Feline’s sharp senses and
natural reflexes allow them to naturally respond with speed that members of other
races must acquire in training.
Light sleep: Catfolk sleep lightly, and they may easily be awakened by the slightest
sound. If they sense no danger, they then return to sleep without this disturbing their
sleep in any way. A Feline may conduct Listen checks as usual while asleep.
Base Language: Common (Feline dialect). Bonus languages: Common (standard),
Elven, Giant, Goblin, Orc and Sylvan. A Feline may learn Elven because they have
more contact with Elves than with all other races (except Orcs), and Sylvan due to
their love of nature and bond with the forests.
Favored class: Ranger. When calculating XP penalty for multi-class characters, a
Felines Ranger level isn’t taken into account.