Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Tectorman 04-20-07, 01:08 PM	Disclaimer: I put this race on a thread earlier, but I also put two other races on the same thread with it (nay, in the same post yet), which I think is the reason why I had something like a hundred views and only 2 posts; people didn't know where to start. So here on its own is my version of RotW's catfolk race, the Felinis-Catfolk. In terms of fluff, just use the description in RotW (Races of the Wild), unless expanded upon or contradicted. Felinis-Catfolk look just like the way they look in RotW except their fur color and patterns are more varied, and they have tails (this of course gives them additional abilities). Felinis-Catfolk Racial Traits • +4 Dexterity, +2 Charisma. • Medium size • Humanoid (Catfolk) • A felinis-catfolk’s base land speed is 40 feet. • Low-Light Vision: Felinis-catfolk can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. They retain the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions. • Racial Skills: Felinis-catfolk have a +2 racial bonus on Balance, Listen, and Move Silently checks. • Cat-Fall (Ex): Whenever a felinis-catfolk takes damage from falling, they take damage as if the fall were 10 feet shorter than it actually is provided that the total fall distance is over 10 feet. {This ability does not require a wall (or any kind of vertical surface) to work. Furthermore, this ability always takes effect, so a character with Slow Fall 20 ft and the Cat-Fall can negate 30 feet of falling damage. A successful Jump check to jump down combined with this ability can negate up to 20 feet of falling damage. This ability also takes place when the actual fall is not necessarily vertical, such as being flung by a far larger and stronger creature.} • Nail-Claws (Ex): A felinis-catfolk’s unarmed strikes may also deal slashing or piercing damage at their option. While using their unarmed strikes in this way, they deal no damage to targets with an armor bonus of +1 or higher or a natural armor bonus of +3 or higher. Gloves and boots not specifically made to accommodate a felinis-catfolk’s appendages interfere with this ability. {A felinis-catfolk’s unarmed strikes will still provoke attacks of opportunity as normal (assuming they don’t have Improved Unarmed Strike or a Monk’s unarmed strike) and still only do nonlethal damage (lethal damage with a -4 penalty to attack). If the felinis-catfolk takes the Versatile Unarmed Strike feat, they gain the benefits of the feat, but may switch damage type as a free action, instead.} • +1 natural armor bonus. • +2 racial bonus on saving throws against Compulsion effects. • -2 racial penalty on saving throws against Charm effects. • Automatic Languages: Common, Feline. Bonus Languages: Draconic, Gnoll, Halfling, Sylvan. • Favored Class: Ranger or Rogue. A player with a felinis-catfolk character picks one of these three classes to be his or her specific felinis-catfolk character’s favored class the first time he or she takes a level in any one of these classes and may not change this choice later. Level adjustment +1. Lands: Felinis-Catfolk are more comfortable in urban areas than their nontailed versions, but they still prefer outdoorsy settings than otherwise. Power Groups: Felinis-Catfolk who maintain tribes away from urban areas operate slightly differently from their nontailed versions. Instead of druids, and a chieftain, they are led by the oldest couple in the leading family of the tribe (i.e., two co-chieftains). Lineage loosely decides who the successors are, though instances of the natural heir(s) declining the position are perfectly normal. In urban areas, tribes are much harder to maintain and act more like extended families, with each individual family governing its own affairs to the extent the specific city's laws allow. Beliefs: Felinis-Catfolk, being more comfortable in urban environs, do not pay homage to deities of nature and traveling so much. They are more likely to not pay much attention to worshipping a deity, content, like their animal brethren, that the universe will unfold as it should and that they're going to end up somewhere when they die. If you had to name what it is they usually believe in, the best term would be some sort of "Force":P. Of course, depending on how you look at it, the Sublime Way could just as easily fit that idea, if you word it right. Relations: As the description in RotW, except for a few specific examples. No matter how threatening, how powerful, how respectable they may be, Felinis-Catfolk absolutely do not see Wererats as anything more than a snack. They empathize with Werecats and Weretigers, seeing them as misunderstood, nothing more. And finally, while they have no outstanding problem with Lizardfolk or Dracotaurs, they instinctively start off hating or at least distrusting Nagas, Yaun-Ti, and other snakelike creatures. As Bast would continually battle the evil serpent Apep to allow the Solar Barge to exit the Twelve Hours of Night (see the Deities and Demigods book), so do Felinis-Catfolk think the worst of any snakelike creature. Names: Felinis-Catfolk personal names are always four letters, two syllables alternating between consonant and vowel. Tribe names are usually two syllables, usually five letters, but always include the sound "ir" in them. The Feline language is based off of common, both its spoken and written forms. Among the most noticable differences in the two alphabets are the fact that there are no letters "Q" or "X", there sounds being reproducable using the other letters and the fact that their "C" sounds like "ch". Male names: Gobe, Halo, Haro, Kiyu, Mesa, Mosa. Female names: Buci, Cesi, Ciya, Dena, Hale, Kabi, Sima. Tribe names: Irrah, Tipir. Personality: Felinis-Catfolk are more cautious and solitary than their nontailed versions, especially in the areas of relationships. A Felinis-Catfolk may only end up calling one person a friend in their entire lives, but that one friend is someone whom they deny nothing, no secrets, no favors, no gifts, nothing is denied their friend should they ask, even if they do not reciprocate. Behavior: As the description in RotW, except they they love to name those possessions that they find important. As a cat will clearly tell you where his territory is and whose lap belongs to him, so will a Felinis-Catfolk sign their possessions, even going as far as having a weapon remade, just so that they can have their name on it. Language: As the description in RotW, with the following change: Felinis-Catfolk prefer to converse with each other in Feline, and they have extraordinary talent in identifying the tribal origins of the each other. They are highly suspicious of any Felinis-Catfolk who does not talk to them in Feline, as it is well known that while every tribe has its own dialect, non-native speakers (those who didn't grow up speaking Feline) are never able to reproduce anything more than a generic common dialect that practically paints them as false (making a Speak Language check as important as a Disguise check when dealing with Felinis-Catfolk). Alright, now bring on the water squirt guns, and tell me what you think. Balanced? Interesting concept? "Yeah, why didn't RotW or the MiH have them as having tails?" Comments to the effect of "oh, no, not another one," please keep them short and abbreviated.
Thomar_of_Uointer 04-20-07, 02:55 PM	Felinis-Catfolk Racial Traits • +4 Dexterity, +2 Charisma. • Medium size • Humanoid (Catfolk) • A felinis-catfolk’s base land speed is 40 feet. • Low-Light Vision: Felinis-catfolk can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. They retain the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions. • Racial Skills: Felinis-catfolk have a +2 racial bonus on Balance, Listen, and Move Silently checks. • Cat-Fall (Ex): Whenever a felinis-catfolk takes damage from falling, they take damage as if the fall were 10 feet shorter than it actually is provided that the total fall distance is over 10 feet. {This ability does not require a wall (or any kind of vertical surface) to work. Furthermore, this ability always takes effect, so a character with Slow Fall 20 ft and the Cat-Fall can negate 30 feet of falling damage. A successful Jump check to jump down combined with this ability can negate up to 20 feet of falling damage. This ability also takes place when the actual fall is not necessarily vertical, such as being flung by a far larger and stronger creature.} • Nail-Claws (Ex): A felinis-catfolk’s unarmed strikes may also deal slashing or piercing damage at their option. While using their unarmed strikes in this way, they deal no damage to targets with an armor bonus of +1 or higher or a natural armor bonus of +3 or higher. Gloves and boots not specifically made to accommodates a felinis-catfolk’s appendages interfere with this ability. {A felinis-catfolk’s unarmed strikes will still provoke attacks of opportunity as normal (assuming they don’t have Improved Unarmed Strike or a Monk’s unarmed strike) and still only do nonlethal damage (lethal damage with a -4 penalty to attack). If the felinis-catfolk takes the Versatile Unarmed Strike feat, they gain the benefits of the feat, but may switch damage type as a free action, instead.} • +1 natural armor bonus. • +2 racial bonus on saving throws against Enchantment (Compulsion) spells and spell-like effects. • -2 racial penalty on saving throws against Enchantment (Charm) spells and spell-like effects. {Note: Enchantment spells and spell-like effects with neither subschool descriptor are treated as normal.} • +8 morale bonus on Will saves against the Despair (Su) ability (such as that used by mummies, mummy lords, mummified creatures [Savage Species template], and the crawling apocalypse [from Sandstorm]). • Automatic Languages: Common, Feline. Bonus Languages: Draconic, Gnoll, Halfling, Sylvan. • Favored Class: Ranger or Rogue. A player with a felinis-catfolk character picks one of these two classes to be his or her specific felinis-catfolk character’s favored class the first time he or she takes a level in either of these classes and may not change this choice later. Level adjustment +1. Mmm... Looks a bit strong for LA +1. It makes a very good Spring Attack rogue, so I'd give it an extra ability like a +3 natural armor bonus and call it LA +2. Nice job!
Tectorman 04-20-07, 03:50 PM	Mmm... Looks a bit strong for LA +1. It makes a very good Spring Attack rogue, so I'd give it an extra ability like a +3 natural armor bonus and call it LA +2. Nice job! Nah, if it came to that, I'd scale something down to leave them at LA +1 (drop the resistance to despair down to +6 or +4). But I'd always read on these threads that Catfolk were weak for an LA +1. Even YabatheWhat's feature point system has them at 1 point over the LA +1 threshold. Oh, and bump for more responses (hopefully, this will get added to the Feline Races Compendium).
Dead_Weasel 04-20-07, 06:20 PM	Now that you can add Dex to damage, I think Catfolk deserve their +1 LA; as it stands your version is more powerful than Catfolk but doesn't *quite* deserve to be LA 2; I'm going to side with Thomar_of_Uointer on this one - not that you need any more AC!
ragoftag 04-21-07, 07:40 PM	Nice work! Fair warning, I'm liable to crib the 'nail-claws' for a inferior clawed lizard-folk I'm stumped on at present. You've gotten a nice touch of flavor into the cogs of the mechanics.
Tectorman 04-23-07, 10:32 AM	Nice work! Fair warning, I'm liable to crib the 'nail-claws' for a inferior clawed lizard-folk I'm stumped on at present. You've gotten a nice touch of flavor into the cogs of the mechanics. Thanks, I'm quite proud of it. Dead_Weasel, how do you get Dex to damage? The only place I remember that from is the PrC class ability from the Champion of Corellon Larethian (and isn't that elves only?). Now, additions to their fluff that I either forgot to put in the first time, or just thought of. Relations: As above, except they also enjoy a rivalry with the Kobold race. Both Kobolds and Felinis-Catfolk claim that they first invented the fiddle. While Kobolds, with their slightly more organized civilization, are able to come up with more proof in their favor, Felinis-Catfolk often simply point out the well-known children's rhyme that begins with "Hey, Diddle, Diddle, the CAT and the fiddle". Needless to say, when a Felinis-Catfolk bard comes across a Kobold bard, even dueling clerics of Hextor and Heironeous stop fighting and watch.
Tectorman 07-01-07, 12:51 AM	Also added Swordsage to their list of possible favored classes. Bump to call attention to that.
Neutronium_Dragon 07-01-07, 07:20 AM	Since you mentioned the swordsage, you're close to answering your own question: Shadow Blade Technique, one of the Shadow Hand feats, allows you to add Dex to damage.
snakeman830 07-01-07, 12:49 PM	Nice add-ons to what I thought was already a great race. Especially the choice of Rogue as a favored class (Catfolk make AWESOME rogues, as my younger brother keeps proving). The Cat-fall is a nice ability, since it stacks with slowfall, jump, tumble, and the power of the same name (I can hardly wonder where you got the idea from). Plus, I can't help but love the whole "ha, you only smacked me ten feet with your 'awesome blow'. I take no damage!" Now that I've seen this, some more of your reasoning for your chakats make sense (would have been nice had you put this up earlier, I would have argued a lot less)(did those ever get added to the feline-races Comp.?) EDIT: I love the rivalry with Kobolds. Excellent RP potential there.
Tectorman 07-01-07, 01:32 PM	Nice add-ons to what I thought was already a great race. Especially the choice of Rogue as a favored class (Catfolk make AWESOME rogues, as my younger brother keeps proving). Yeah, I swear I think the writers of the Miniatures Handbook took out a coin, made one side Ranger and the other Rogue, and picked the favored class that way. Yes, I'm quite fond of my tendency to create multiple potential favored classes for races (for instance, Duskblade for the elves). The Cat-fall is a nice ability, since it stacks with slowfall, jump, tumble, and the power of the same name (I can hardly wonder where you got the idea from). Plus, I can't help but love the whole "ha, you only smacked me ten feet with your 'awesome blow'. I take no damage!" Two things: a.) I came up with the ability and it's name long before I ever read the XPH (in other words, they copied off of me:) ), and 2.) an awesome blow hit of 10 feet would hurt as normal; the Cat-Fall only kicks in after 10 feet. Why? Because if you take a cat, hold it up by all its legs (as if it were hogtied {and I don't recommend this}), and then drop it too close to the ground, it won't have enough time to twist in midair to land properly. This I learned after my grandpa did this to my cat (she's never forgiven him since), so I added the 10 foot requirement. Now that I've seen this, some more of your reasoning for your chakats make sense (would have been nice had you put this up earlier, I would have argued a lot less)(did those ever get added to the feline-races Comp.?) EDIT: I love the rivalry with Kobolds. Excellent RP potential there. All of my creations can be found in my sig (so I did put this up earlier). No, this has not been added to the feline races compendium. Should I just ask them to, even if it sinces like bragging or being needy? Yeah, the Kobolds just came to me. Also, I'll expand upon the Races of the Wild entry that Catfolk don't get along with Dwarves. The reason is not that they're too emotional and fun-loving. They don't get along because the Dwarves are jealous that Catfolk get to have facial hair all over their faces, even the women. That's why.
snakeman830 07-02-07, 12:07 PM	Also, I'll expand upon the Races of the Wild entry that Catfolk don't get along with Dwarves. The reason is not that they're too emotional and fun-loving. They don't get along because the Dwarves are jealous that Catfolk get to have facial hair all over their faces, even the women. That's why. :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: From a deleted scene for LoTR (either two towers or Return of the King, can't remember which): Gimli: Only dwarves get to sleep... with little hairy women!
Tectorman 02-25-08, 04:47 PM	Update: changed their reactions to Charm and Compulsion effects to be affected by any such effects (so that I don't have to worry about discrepancies about those effects coming from non-spell or spell-like abilities). Now they'll be in effect for powers, psi-like abilities, or anything else. Also, I considering taking out the resistance to Despair. Y/N?
ciaran 02-25-08, 06:21 PM	It can get annoying for a DM when you have to announce three results for one saving throw. I'm not saying you should change it, I'm just saying.
Maeglin_Dubh 02-25-08, 07:13 PM	I don't know much about how to balance, specifically, but I like the flavor of the nail-claws. Not all claws can cut through armor.
Tectorman 02-26-08, 03:04 PM	It can get annoying for a DM when you have to announce three results for one saving throw. I'm not saying you should change it, I'm just saying. :confused: Just saying what? Why would a player playing a Felinis-Catfolk be announcing three results?