Kitsune

Kitsune, or fox folk, are vulpine shapeshifters known for their love of both trickery and art. Kitsune possess two forms: that of an attractive hume of slender build with salient eyes, and their true form of an anthropomorphic fox. Despite an irrepressible penchant for deception, kitsune prize loyalty and make true companions. They delight in the arts, particularly riddles and storytelling, and settle in ancestral clans, taking their wisdom from both the living and spirits.

## Standard Racial Traits

* **Ability Score Racial Traits:** Kitsune are agile and companionable, but tend to be physically weak. They gain +2 Dexterity, +2 Charisma, and –2 Strength.
* **Size:** Kitsune are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
* **Type:** Kitsune are humanoids with the kitsune and shapechanger subtypes.
* **Base Speed:** Kitsune have a base speed of 30 feet.
* **Languages:** Kitsune begin play speaking Common and Sylvan. Kitsune with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following languages: any hume language, Aklo, Celestial, Elvaan, Lalafellan, and Enochian.

### Feat and Skill Racial Traits

* **Agile**: Kitsune receive a +2 racial bonus on Acrobatics checks.
* **Tracker**: Kitsune receive a +2 racial bonus to Survival checks, as well as on Perception checks to detect hidden creatures.

### Magical Racial Traits

* **Change Shape**: A kitsune can assume the appearance of a specific single hume form of the same sex as a standard action. The kitsune always takes this specific form when she uses this ability. A kitsune in hume form cannot use her bite attack, but gains a +10 racial bonus on Disguise checks made to appear as a hume. This ability otherwise functions as alter self, except that the kitsune does not adjust her ability scores and can remain in this form indefinitely.
* **Kitsune Magic**: Kitsune add 1 to the DCs of any saving throws to resist spells that they cast of the charm or compulsion subschools. Kitsune with a Charisma score of 11 or higher gain the following spell-like ability: 3/day—dancing lights.

### Movement Racial Traits

* **Terrain Stride**: Kitsune are found all over creation, and know how to take advantage of the world around them for their benefit. Choose one terrain from the geomancer’s list of favored terrains. This favored terrain is selected at 1st level and cannot be changed.  Kitsune can move through natural difficult terrain at their normal speed while within the chosen terrain. Magically altered terrain affects them normally.

### Offense Racial Traits

* **Hunter**: Kitsune gain a +1 racial bonus to attack against creatures of the animal type.
* **Natural Weapons**: In her true form, a kitsune has a bite attack that deals 1d4 points of damage.

### Senses Racial Traits

* **Low-Light Vision**: Kitsune can see twice as far as humes in conditions of dim light.

## Alternate Racial Traits

The following alternate racial traits may be selected in place of one or more of the standard racial traits above.

##### Replaces Ability Scores

* **Keen Kitsune:** Although amiable, kitsune are notoriously clever and cunning, often far more than they seem. Such characters gain a +2 bonus to Dexterity and Intelligence instead of Dexterity and Charisma. This racial trait alters the kitsune’s ability score modifiers.

##### Replaces Agile

* **Gregarious (Ex):** Even among your own kind, your gift for making friends stands out. Whenever you successfully use Diplomacy to win over an individual, that creature takes a –2 penalty to resist any of your Charisma-based skill checks for the next 24 hours. This racial trait replaces agile.
* **Naturalized:** Kitsune who live their entire lives around humes are able to perfectly mimic how humes talk, act, and think. While in hume form, the kitsune no longer needs to make Disguise checks in order to appear hume and she can take 10 on Bluff checks to convince others that she is hume. This racial trait replaces agile.

##### Replaces Agile, Hunter

* **Nimble Dash:** Kitsune are light on their feet and capable of quick movement in a pinch thanks to their lithe bodies and limber frames. The kitsune gains Run as a bonus feat at 1st level. Additionally, the kitsune receives a +5 foot bonus to her speed when using the charge, run, or withdrawal actions. In her true form, this bonus increases to +10 feet. This racial trait replaces agile and hunter.

##### Replaces Agile, Languages

* **Multilingual:** Although most kitsune speak only Common, some quickly learn other human languages in order to give themselves an edge when dealing with humanity. They speak Common, Sylvan, and any one other common language, and they can learn any language they want (except Druidic and other secret languages) if they have high Intelligence scores. This racial trait replaces agile as well as a kitsune’s normal languages.

##### Replaces Change Shape

* **Humekin:** Scattered across the world, there are populations of kitsune who over time adapted to appear more hume-like in their true form. Naturally appearing as slender humes with fox-like ears and tails, these kitsune treat this hume form as their true form (gaining their bite attack while in it), do not gain a vulpine form (though they may still use other abilities or feats that rely on their shape change ability, such as the Fox Shape feat), and may use their change shape ability to alter minor physical traits, such as skin, hair, and eye color (but not major traits, such as height, weight, or sexual characteristics) without the use of a disguise kit. Using shape change in this way grants a +2 racial bonus on disguise checks to appear as another person. This racial trait modifies Change Shape.

##### Replaces Hunter

* **Fey Thoughts:** Select two of the following skills: Acrobatics, Bluff, Climb, Diplomacy, Disguise, Escape Artist, Fly, Knowledge (nature), Perception, Perform, Sense Motive, Sleight of Hand, Stealth, Swim, or Use Magic Device. The selected skills are always class skills for the kitsune. This racial trait replaces Hunter.
* **Slippery Step (Ex):** When cornered, kitsune have an uncanny knack for getting out of a bind.  Once per day, kistune with this racial trait can, as an immediate action, reroll any acrobatics check made to move through a threatened square. This racial trait replaces Hunter.

##### Replaces Hunter, Terrain Stride

* **Desert Runner:** Kitsune with this trait are uniquely adapted to extreme environments.  They receive a +4 racial bonus on Constitution checks and Fortitude saves to avoid fatigue and exhaustion, as well as any other ill effects from running, forced marches, starvation, thirst, and hot and cold environments. This racial trait replaces Hunter and Terrain Stride.
* **Sure Step (Ex):** Kitsune with this racial trait are immune to altitude sickness and do not lose their Dexterity bonus to AC when making Climb checks or Acrobatics checks to cross narrow or slippery surfaces. In addition, they receive a +4 racial bonus to their CMD when resisting bull rush or trip attempts while standing on the ground. This racial trait replaces Hunter and Terrain Stride.

##### Replaces Kitsune Magic

* **Duplicitous:** Many kitsune prefer to avoid the attention they often attract from hume neighbors and attempt to convince all around them that they are hume. They gain a +2 racial bonus on Bluff and Disguise checks. This racial trait replaces kitsune magic.
* **Fast Shifter (Su):** You were born with an innate talent for switching between your natural forms. Using your racial change shape ability is a move action instead of a standard action. This racial trait replaces kitsune magic.
* **Kitsune Chakra (Su):** Some kitsune are born with a natural wellspring of *ki*, supernatural energy that can be used to perform amazing feats. The kitsune can spend 1 point from her *ki* pool as a swift action before making an ability or skill check in order to gain a +2 bonus on the check. Additionally, kitsune with this racial trait gain a *ki* pool with 1 point to activate this ability with. The number of points in the kitsune’s *ki* pool increases by 1 for every 4 levels that she possesses. If she already has a *ki* pool from another source, the kitsune does not gain *ki* points from this ability but may use ki points from other sources to activate it instead. This racial trait replaces kitsune magic.
* **Superior Shapeshifter:** Some talented kitsune take more naturally to shapeshifting than magic, and develop that gift. They gain Fox Shape as a bonus feat at 1st level, ignoring its prerequisites. This racial trait replaces kitsune magic.

##### Replaces Natural Weapons

* **Nine-Tailed Inheritor:** The kitsune is a wellspring of magical energy that manifests as additional tails. The kitsune gains Magical Tail as a bonus feat at 1st level. In addition, he adds Magical Tail to all class talent lists as initial choices for those lists. A kitsune with this racial trait cannot select Magical Tail as a talent and as a feat from character advancement during the same level. This racial trait replaces natural weapons.

##### Replaces Tracker

* **Gift of Tongues:** Kitsune gain a +1 racial bonus on Bluff and Diplomacy checks, and they learn one additional language every time they put a rank in the Linguistics skill. This racial trait replaces Tracker.

## Age, Height and Weight

Table: Kitsune Starting Ages:

 20

Table: Aging Effects:

 100 years

Table: Height and Weight

 Male
(5 ft. 0 in.–6 ft. 2 in.)
 Female
(4 ft. 7 in.–5 ft. 9 in.)
(95 – 165 lbs.)

## Racial Feats

The following feats are available to a kitsune character who meets the prerequisites.

* **Fox Shape (Kitsune)**
	+ *You can change into a fox in addition to your other forms.*
	+ **Prerequisite(s):** Cha 13, base attack bonus +3, kitsune.
	+ **BENEFIT**: You can take the form of a fox (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 3 pg.112) using your racial change shape ability whose appearance is static and cannot be changed each time you assume this form. Your bite attack’s damage is reduced to 1d3 points of damage on a hit, but you gain a +10 racial bonus on Disguise checks made to appear as a fox. Changing from kitsune to fox shape is a standard action. This ability otherwise functions as beast shape II, and your ability scores change accordingly.
	+ **Special:** You can take this feat multiple times. Its effects do not stack. Each time you take it, it applies to a different terrain type.

* **Magical Tail (Kitsune)**
	+ *You grow an extra tail that represents your growing magical powers.*
	+ **Prerequisite(s):** Kitsune.
	+ **BENEFIT**: You gain a new spell-like ability, each usable twice per day, from the following list, in order: disguise self, charm, false future, vanish, hypnotic pattern, displacement, confusion, hold. For example, the first time you select this feat, you gain disguise self 2/day; the second time you select this feat, you gain charm 2/day. Your caster level for these spells is equal to your Hit Dice. The DCs for these abilities are Charisma-based.
	+ **Special:** You may select this feat up to eight times. Each time you take it, you gain an additional ability as described above. The eighth time you take it, the magic that flows through you also sustains your life, you no longer age, any penalties and bonuses gained from aging remain in place, but you do not accrue any more. This does not make you immune to supernatural aging effects.

* **Realistic Likeness (Kitsune)**
	+ *When you are in hume form, you can take the shape of a specific individual.*
	+ **Prerequisite(s):** Kitsune.
	+ **BENEFIT**: You can precisely mimic the physical features of any individual you have encountered. When you use your racial change shape ability, you can attempt to take the form of an individual, granting you a +10 circumstance bonus on Disguise checks made to fool others with your impersonation.

* **Swift Kitsune Shapechanger (Kitsune)**
	+ *You can change shape more quickly than most kitsune.*
	+ **Prerequisite(s):** Dex 13, base attack bonus +6, kitsune.
	+ **BENEFIT**: You can use your kitsune shape change ability as a swift action. If you have the Fox Shape feat, you can assume fox form as a swift action as well.
	+ **Normal:** A Kitsune’s change shape ability is a standard action.

* **Vulpine Pounce (Combat, Kitsune)**
	+ *You can change shape mid-charge and pounce on an opponent in the same round.*
	+ **Prerequisite(s):** Swift Kitsune Shapechanger, base attack bonus +10, kitsune.
	+ **BENEFIT**: When you change shape into your kitsune form and use the charge action in the same round, you can make a full attack against your opponent.

* **World Traveler (Kitsune)**
	+ *Your travels have taught you to adapt to the ever-changing world that you find yourself in.*
	+ **Prerequisite(s):** Terrain Stride, Kitsune, Knowledge (Geography) 3 ranks.
	+ **BENEFIT**: Select an additional geomancer’s favored terrain to apply your terrain stride racial trait to.
	+ **Special:** You may select this feat multiple times.  Each time you select this ability, the required ranks in Knowledge (Geography) for the next time you take this feat increases by 3 ranks.

## Racial Traits

The following traits are available to a kitsune character who meets the prerequisites.

* **Among Humes [Race]**
* **Prerequisite:** Kitsune
* **Benefit:** You have spent your entire life living among humes and are an expert at impersonating them. You gain a +2 trait bonus on Disguise checks to appear hume while assuming your specific hume form with the change shape racial trait, and Disguise is always a class skill for you.

* **Nine Tailed Scion [Race]**
* **Prerequisite:** Kitsune
* **Benefit:** You are talented with kitsune magic. You gain a +1 trait bonus on caster level for your racial spell-like abilities as well as those from the Magical Tail feat. Additionally, you can select Magical Tail as a bonus feat whenever your favored class grants you a bonus feat instead of the normal type of feat granted by that class. You cannot exchange specific feats granted by a class or race for Magical Tail in this manner; for instance, a monk cannot exchange her Stunning Fist feat for Magical Tail.

## Racial Archetypes

The following racial archetypes are available to kitsune:

* Trickster Spirit (Ninja; Kitsune)

## Favored Class Options

The following favored class options are available to all characters of this race who have the listed favored class, and unless otherwise stated, the bonus applies each time you select the favored class reward.

* **All:** Gain 1/6 of a new Magical Tail feat. Any kitsune character can choose this bonus upon gaining a level in her favored class.
* **Archer:** Add +1/2 on critical hit confirmation rolls for attacks made with bows or crossbows (maximum bonus of +4). This bonus does not stack with Critical Focus feat.
* **Astrologian:** Add +1/6 to the bonus of the astrologian’s draw ability.
* **Bard:** Add a +1/2 bonus on Bluff checks to lie and a +1/2 bonus on Diplomacy checks to gather information.
* **Beastmaster:** Add +2.5 feet to the distance the beastmaster can charge or run through difficult terrain. This option has no effect unless the beastmaster has selected it an even number of times. (This FCB increases the distance by an amount divisible by 5; a distance of 12.5 feet is effectively the same as a distance of 10 feet, for example.)
* **Berserker:** Add +1 to the beastmaster’s base speed. In combat this option has no effect unless the beastmaster has selected it five times (or another increment of five). This bonus stacks with the beastmaster’s movement increases.
* **Black Belt:** Increase the number of times per day the black belt can use martial flexibility by 1/4.
* **Black Mage:** When casting black mage enfeebling spells, add +1/3 to the effective caster level of the spell, but only to determine the spell’s duration.
* **Blue Mage:** Add +1/4 bonus to damage to the blue mage’s natural attacks.
* **Chemist:** Add +1 foot to the range increment of the chemist’s thrown splash weapons (including the chemist’s bombs). This option has no effect unless the chemist has selected it 5 times (or another increment of 5); a range increment of 24 feet is effectively the same as a range increment of 20 feet, for example.
* **Chocobo Knight:** Add +1 hit point or +1 skill rank to the chocobo knight’s mount. If the chocobo knight ever replaces her mount, the new mount gains these bonus hit points or skill ranks.
* **Cleric:** Add +1/2 on diplomacy and intimidate checks to change a creature’s attitude.
* **Dancer:** Add +1/2 on Escape Artist checks and on Acrobatics checks to cross narrow surfaces.
* **Dark Knight:** Add +1 to the dark knight’s holy element resistance (maximum +10).
* **Dragoon:** Add +1/2 bonus to Acrobatic skill checks for jumping.
* **Druid:** Add a +1/2 bonus on wild empathy checks and a +1/2 bonus on Handle Animal skill checks.
* **Engineer:** Add +1/2 bonus to Craft skill checks.
* **Fencer:** Increase the total number of points in the fencer’s panache pool by 1/4.
* **Fighter:** Add +1/3 to damage rolls the fighter makes with weapon attacks against an opponent she is flanking or an opponent that is denied its dexterity bonus to AC.
* **Freelancer:** Add +1/2 of an insight point. The first and tenth time you take this reward, gain 1 insight point instead.
* **Gambler:** Add +1/6 for a new gambler gambit.
* **Geomancer:** Add +1/2 bonus on Knowledge (nature) skill checks.
* **Gunbreaker:** Add +1/6 of a new gun arm technique.
* **Gunner:** Add +1/4 to the dodge bonus to AC granted by the nimble class feature (maximum +4).
* **Holy Knight:** Add +1/4 to the number of blessings the holy knight can heal.
* **Illusionist:** Add +1/4 to the penalty of the haze ability.
* **Knight:** Add +1/4 to the dodge bonus to AC while in a defensive stance.
* **Lamentor:** Increase the damage dealt by steal health by 1/4.
* **Medic:** The medic gains +1/6 of a new medical practice.
* **Monk:** Add +1/4 point to the monk’s *ki* pool.
* **Necromancer:** The necromancer gains +1/6 of an additional use of harm touch.
* **Ninja:** Add +1/4 point to the ninja’s ki pool.
* **Red Mage:** Reduce the penalty for not being proficient for one weapon by 1. When the nonproficiency penalty for a weapon becomes 0 because of this ability, the red mage is treated as having the appropriate Martial or Exotic Weapon Proficiency feat for that weapon.
* **Samurai:** Add +1/2 on diplomacy and intimidate skill checks to change a creature’s attitude.
* **Scholar:** Add 1 spell from the black mage or white mage spell lists to the scholar’s known spells. This spell must be at least 1 spell level below the highest level the scholar can cast.
* **Summoner:** The amount of time the summoner must spend to summon her avatar is reduced by 1 round, to a minimum of 1 round.
* **Sword Saint:** Add +1 to the sword saint’s CMD when resisting two combat maneuvers of the character’s choice.
* **Thief:** Add a +1 bonus on the thief’s sneak attack damage rolls during the surprise round or before the target has acted in combat.
* **Time Mage:** Add +1/2 mote per day. (One additional mote for every two times you select this option.)
* **White Mage:** Add +1/4 to the number of uses per day of the white mage’s lay on hands class feature.

This race was designed by Ilorin Lorati. Do not repost or copy this content without permission of the creators. All images owned by their respective owners.