Catfolk

Catfolk are a race of people who are a hybrid of cat and human. Though uncommon and a source of curiosity among other mages, they have an inner confidence and curiosity of their own, often hungry for travel and exploration.

## Catfolk

### **Appearance**

A humanoid cat hybrid, catfolk look much like furred humans with feline faces, ears, and tails. Most are around the same height as a normal human, though some are extremely short (3 feet tall) and more rarely, are extremely tall (7-8 feet). Their markings and color patterns are usually that of a feline, and can match house cats, leopards, lions, tigers, lynxs, panthers, cheetahs, and any number of other wild cats. Many have retractable claws.

### **Food**

Catfolk are carnivores with a very high protein requirement. (note: campers who are vegetarians or vegan can still play catfolk)

### **History**

It is generally believed that catfolk were born of a magical mishap long ago, as there is no reliable record of where they came from. Different groups (called clowders) of catfolk have their own stories and legends of how they came to be, some treating it as a game to come up with a more fantastical version of the tale while others staunchly defending a particular legend.

What is known in the records of magekind is that the earliest known catfolk were a nomadic clowder in Egypt. More have been discovered since that time, usually living well away from nonmagical humans who treat them as monsters. They get along fine with magical society, in most cases, though each culture has its own reactions to them.

### **Personality**

Curious, kind, confident, and persevering, catfolk enjoy life and learning more about whatever they are passionate about. Some are more reserved around people, while others can be enthusiastically outgoing, particularly among friends. They are all generally accepting of the differences in other people, and most are confident in themselves as individuals.

### **In Magical Society**

Curiosity or mutual needs can draw a catfolk to work with or live among magekind. Many mages ask what magical experiment or potion went wrong to cause their catlike appearance, and some catfolk make up stories that encourage that, having fun with the tale. Notably, ***most catfolk do not have magic***, but they find acceptance in magical society out of the assumption that they are inherently magical creatures.

Catfolk make great merchants, wildland rangers, musicians, guards, farmers, scholars, craftsmen, and entertainers.

### **Abilities**

As most of their kind do not have magic, they tend to excel at catlike feats of stealth, grace, and agility. They usually have excellent hearing and can see well in low light, and most have retractable claws. Among those with an affinity for magic, the most common skills include divination, illusion, and healing. Some learn illusion spells such as Minor Illusion or Illusory Disguise to hide their catlike traits in places where they need to blend in as humans.

#### **Suggested Combat Spells**

* Minor Haste (2)
* Illusory style defenses: Blur (2), Mirror Image (4), Sanctuary (4)
* Combat abilities: Flanking Strike (3), Blink Strike (4), Sneak Attack (5), Riposte (5)
* Vision or Divination: Clear-Sight (3), FoxFire (3), Tracking Vision (5)
* Healing spells
* Tongue Tie (level 1, cat got your tongue?)

## Part-Catfolk

Displaying fewer feline traits and more human appearance, part-catfolk are not much different than full-blooded catfolk in ability or traits, though may seem more human (including lack of fur, no retractable claws, and a more omnivorous diet). Some only have natural cat ears.

### **In Magical Society**

As there are beneficial potions (Cat's Eye) that can replicate much of their appearance, a lot of mages assume that to be the cause. Some mages ask what magical experiment or potion went wrong to cause their catlike appearance, and some catfolk make up stories that encourage that, having fun with the tale. Others casually admit to being born that way, though may find themselves discriminated against as not being fully human; due to that, most part-catfolk will laugh it off, saying they just like having ears or a tail, or asking why others don't: it lets them hear so much more.

Some learn illusion spells such as Minor Illusion to hide their catlike traits in places where they need to blend in as humans.