Catfolk

Catfolk are a social and active people of natural grace and obsessive curiosity, resembling bipedal, feline humanoids with tails, cat-like ears, and fur. They are equally comfortable wandering in far-off regions, wallowing in the heart of the largest cities, or delving into the lairs of forgotten horrors. Most catfolk dwell in deserts and endless plains, but love of travel and new experiences often draw catfolk to distant realms. There are whispers of hidden catfolk communities in the deepest jungles or even far to the north in the frozen tundra.
Curiosity and Community

Catfolk are nimble, curious, and adventurous creatures who seek out life rather than wait for it to come to them. Some outsiders believe heedless self-expression alone drives the catfolk. As proof, they point to catfolk fascination with new experiences or quests for heroic glory. Those who make this claim miss the catfolk’s inner strength. Catfolk are optimistic, quirky, sometimes extravagant extroverts who overindulge their own curiosity or motivations. They are a race of extremes. Some catfolk are playful and seemingly irresponsible while others possess unwavering focus and a hunter’s mentality. Many catfolk float between these two viewpoints as the situation—or their mood—dictates. All but the most introverted catfolk enjoy holding the attention of others, but never to the detriment of their friends or family.
Harkening back to their ancestors’ packs and prides, friends, relations, and community hold a special place in the hearts of most catfolk. Because catfolk are a largely matriarchal people, females hold most positions of leadership and power, but competence usually supersedes gender. Catfolk living in mixed communities and cities largely integrate into the overall society.
Other Races

Catfolk get along well with anyone who respects them and accepts their curiosity. They easily accept humans and delight in halflings when they encounter them. Passionate, art-loving elves and boisterous dwarves find common ground with catfolk, while those too bogged down in laws, tradition, and “rules” often find them aggravating. Kobolds and catfolk naturally intrigue each other, though catfolk do not always get along with draconic creatures.
Catfolk In Midgard

Midgard hosts two main branches of catfolk, the mischievous and irrepressible basteti and the dauntless and fierce nkosi. While outwardly appearing to be two different feline races, the basteti and the nkosi share a common origin.

Young catfolk learn this story from the elders. In the early days of the Southlands, Bastet the cat queen and Gamka the lion-headed titan breathed life into tufts of fur plucked from the goddess’s tail and the titan’s mane. The power of these two children of the primordial Aurgelmir, the giant whose body became Midgard itself, worked to shape the first catfolk. However, the brief affair soon perished to the old enmity between god and titan. Central to their contention was the final form of the catfolk. Bastet desired these new creations to resemble her beloved cats while Gamka pushed for the fierce lions. After a brief but violent quarrel, the two divine beings went their separate ways, each taking some of the new mortals for themselves and shaping them according to their own whims. Some suggest Bastet achieved her revenge by engineering the fall of the titan empire, but others disagree, claiming the Cat Goddess would never be so blatant. For more information about the basteti and nkosi, see the
Southlands Player’s Guide.

Given the small populations of the malkins and pantherans and their similarities with basteti, most believe they are off-shoots of the basteti, especially because Midgard pantherans never appear leonine. Many malkins and pantherans also hold this to be true and become devout followers of Bastet. Some families, however, have different stories for their origins. For some malkin families, their legends state the malkin were created by Loki, who was enamored with the natural curiosity and mischievousness of small cats. For some pantheran families, their legends state the pantherans were created by the ancient forests of Midgard as protectors of the natural world, though which forest birthed the first pantherans varies by family. Regardless of the stories, Bastet embraces all catfolk, and Loki’s favor is rarely out of reach for those seeking to cause mischief. As for the forests of Midgard, few can understand the wills and powers of these mysterious entities, and even they aren’t privy to all the forests’ secrets.

Catfolk Adventurers

Many catfolk take up the adventurer’s trade, as it provides an excuse to indulge in their natural curiosity or their glory hunting. Some take up the rogue’s path or find employment as a scout or ranger. Still others pledge themselves as paladins to mischievous or travel-focused deities. The catfolk’s physical abilities and cultural outlook allows them to fill almost any role.
Catfolk Eccentricity

A catfolk’s personality can be flighty, flitting from obsession to obsession, or as constant as the world itself. You can use some of the ideas in the Catfolk Eccentricity table to customize your character in addition to the elements of the background you chose.
Catfolk Eccentricity

d10

Eccentricity

1

You constantly compare everyone’s actions to catfolk heroes of the past.

2

You keep a long list of places you want to go or things you want to do.

3

You must defeat a certain foe to fulfill your oath and reap the glory.

4

You find it amusing to act more bestial because it makes others nervous.

5

You are writing a song about your exploits.

6

You never like returning to a place you’ve already been.

7

Your weapons have names and you speak to them like siblings or lovers.

8

You tend to play with small objects.

9

You growl and show your teeth when things get tense.

10

You can’t help talking to strangers—the stranger the better.

Catfolk Racial Traits

Your catfolk character has the following traits.

Ability Score Increase.

Your Dexterity score increases by 2.

Age.
Catfolk mature at the same rate as humans and can live just past a century.

Alignment.
Catfolk tend toward two extremes. Some are free-spirited and chaotic, letting impulse and fancy guide their decisions. Others are devoted to duty and personal honor. Typically, catfolk deem concepts such as good and evil as less important than freedom or their oaths.

Size.
Catfolk have a similar stature to humans but are generally leaner and more muscular. Your size is Medium.

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.

Cat’s Claws.
Your sharp claws can cut with ease. Your claws are natural melee weapons, which you can use to make unarmed strikes. When you hit with a claw, your claw deals slashing damage equal to 1d4 + your Strength modifier, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike.

Hunter’s Senses.

You have proficiency in the Perception and Stealth skills.

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

Subrace.
Two subraces of catfolk exist: malkin and pantheran. Choose one of these subraces.
Subraces

• Malkin Catfolk
• Pantherans Catfolk