Catfolk

Catfolk are a very fast, agile race, but prone to bouts of dangerous curiosity. No one knows for sure when or where catfolk appeared, or how they came to be. Most catfolk believe that they were created by The Warden; as such, most catfolk worship her. Many historians however believe that catfolk evolved from natural big cats like tigers and panthers. This belief probably arises from from the fact that the thin fur coat of a catfolk can come in a variety of different patterns, from the stripes of a tiger or the spots of a leopard, to the straight black of a panther or the tan coat of a lion. Some catfolk organize themselves into tribes based on their coats, but most do not. Most catfolk tribes are made up of 200-400 catfolk, who move around from season to season, following the food. It's fairly common for a catfolk tribe to winter over in the same location year after year, but where they set camp during the rest of year changes from year to year. It is not uncommon for a catfolk tribe to set up camp on the outskirts of a larger settlement for a few weeks for trading. Typical catfolk trade goods include furs and jewelry made from bone, antlers, or other animal parts. Stationary towns or villages of catfolk are almost unheard of, while catfolk countries don't exist. Catfolk can be found in almost any environment.

Catfolk tribes are typically led by a small council of chieftains, who are usually elected for life. The chieftains choose a head chieftain from among their ranks. The head chieftain is usually the wisest of the chieftains; catfolk are rarely ruled by the biggest and the strongest like many tribal races. It is rare for catfolk to get married or have life partners. It's more common for the women of the tribe to choose their partners based on what interests them at the time. As such, they may keep the same partner for several years, and then make a change. For this reason, catfolk don't have traditional families. Catfolk tribes raise their young collectively, with each new years worth of kittens considered a litter. The kittens within a litter usually think of each other as siblings. It is uncommon for kittens within the same litter to take each other as partners, and they frequently do not mate, except during the spring festival, when many such norms are thrown to the side. Most kittens are born around the same time of the year (late summer or autumn). Many of these kittens are conceived during the festival celebrating the beginning of the spring season. This big party turns into little more than an orgy. Catfolk can have children anytime of the year, but kittens born at other times of the year are unusual and frequently have a difficult time fitting in socially.

Arcane spellcasters aren't rare among catfolk, but spellcasters focusing on nature or planar magics are more common. There is usually at least one arcane spellcaster among the council of chieftains.

It isn't unusual for catfolk in their late teens or early twenties to leave their tribe and travel the world for a time. This behaviour isn't encouraged or discouraged, and catfolk that return to their tribes are welcomed back.

Racial Traits

Medium Size

Speed 10ft

+1 Dexterity, -1 Willpower

Choose two of the following skills and an associated focus to be trained in: Awareness skill and Perception focus, Acrobatics skill and Balance focus, Athletics skill and Climb or Jump focus, or Thievery skill and Stealth focus.

Catfolk have claws, as such their attacks with Unarmed Combat do 1d4 damage instead of 1d3 damage and the damage is considered lethal damage.

A catfolk can take the sprint action for only 3 AP instead of the standard 5.

Low-light Vision

Languages: Common

Catfolk Culture

+1 Strength, Persona, or Wisdom

Trained in Nature Lore skill and Animal Knowledge and Survival focuses

Trained in Martial Ability skill and Unarmed Combat focus

Choose two of the following skills and an associated focus to be trained in: Awareness skill and Perception focus, Acrobatics skill and Balance focus, Athletics skill and Climb or Jump focus, or Thievery skill and Stealth focus.

Languages: Common