Kattai (3.5e Race)
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An exotic race of cat-eared humanoids, Kattai are known for their graceful nature and intimate culture. Living in self-imposed isolation on their temperate archipelago nation, Mewji, they remain untouched by foreign culture. Though prone to laziness, Kattai will relentlessly hunt their prey to the ends of the earth.
Kattai often tend to take life at a laid back stand point, although their personalities vary from one Kattai to the next as much as with any other race. They tend to be more curious than cautious when chancing upon a conveniently placed dangling or shining object, and are sometimes aware that it could be bait for a trap. Though prone to procrastination as a race, they are a very respectful people that hold honor in high regard, especially concerning their elders and ancestors.
Kattai personality varies from one to another, almost exactly as with Humans.
Kattai are small but strong, relatively 4-1/2 to 5-1/2 feet tall and weighing 95 to 135 pounds, with males being only slightly taller or heavier than females on average. With the exception of their feline ears and tail, they are human in appearance, with their eyes and hair being black or brown. Kattai are one of the more 'well-endowed' races; their women are curvaceous and statuesque, and their men strong and virile. Both genders share inhuman grace and beauty upon reaching adulthood, and the race as a whole is considered by the few outsiders who have come to their lands to be rather androgynous. It is unknown if these result from selective breeding or are merely a product of Kattai genetics.
Kattai have low stamina, and thus require nearly twice the amount of sleep as others, which often takes the form of 'catnaps'. Though they are often defenseless while they sleep, they are light sleepers, and will bolt awake and roll into a defensive crouch when disturbed. Sometimes, they even blindly attack the closest object in the direction of the disturbance, giving birth to the Mewjian idiom, "Let sleeping Kattai lie" meaning avoid situations that would cause probable death or great trouble.
Since they live in a temperate climate on a string of islands, the Kattai have a myriad of skin tones: from dark tans to lily whites. Skin tone is generally dependant on which job a Kattai takes, as it determines how much time they spend in the sun. Hunters and other outdoor-laborers tend toward the very tan end of the spectrum, with worshippers and other indoor-laborers tending toward the very pale side. However, as Kattai generally have a lot of free time, their skin tone is not wholly decided by their work. A hunter may spend all his free time napping and playing inside and be quite pale, while a priestess may do all her work and play outside and become extremely tanned.
Due to their race's isolative nature, Kattai are emotionally and diplomatically removed from the world that lies past their local waters. With the few other races located on the Mewjian islands they are well acquainted and established. Kattai hold the Draconic Races in the highest regard, seeing them as near-deities.
Compared to the other races, Kattai have a very open minded view of nudity and sexuality. They consider the nude form to be the goddesses' most beautiful creation and sexual intercourse to be the grandest expression of love. For this reason, Kattai despise the concept of rape, since it integrates anger into what they see as a holy and personally-treasured experience. These sexual ideals can be seen in their art and literature, which the outside world shares mixed opinions of. Despite these opinions the Kattai fill their cities with sensual forms of art and draconic tributes, from erotic woodcarvings to richly decorated shrines, making any foreigner feel as though they had stepped into a different world altogether.
In preference of clothing, when not half-nude, they choose light clothes in dark colors which allow them to blend in with their surroundings at night and stay cool in their daily activities. They also favor shiny and dangling ornaments for self-amusement purposes, but they do remove such things occasionally. While fighting, hunting, working, or contributing to the upkeep of their surroundings with labor somehow, Kattai remove their bits, bobs, and bangles. However, each Kattai wears some type of collar at all times. When they marry, they place a tag engraved with the name of their spouse, or some other sentimental decoration onto their collar; the exchange symbolizes their status as bonded lovers, much like the exchanging of rings at a Human wedding.
Alignment and Honor
Though Kattai people are a lazy and playful race, they do not act on whim, but loyally follow the traditions and laws of their people (and are thus neutral: chaotic from day to day, lawful from generation to generation). When alignment discussions come to good and evil, both alignments demand too much dedication for them to give their allegiance to. Kattai also hold their societal code of honor in high regard (see Oriental Adventures for more on honor).
Kattai live on an island nation, and their bays are closed to foreigners. They live in the lush forests of the island, building their homes around and in the trees because clearing land requires too much energy and labor. A Kattai state, called a Lyaki, houses the families of any number of tribes that form a single clan. Each clan is overseen and governed by a Kattai titled as the Loshi, or feudal lord. All Loshi, no matter where they are from, answer to an emperor called a Doji.
Unlike many of the other races in existence, the Kattai worship a lunar trinity specific to their race alone. In their culture, the three moon goddesses are ancestral spirits and the founders of their race: Yomai, Nyomai, and Ryomai.
The youngest two goddess-spirits, Ryomai and Nyomai, created the race as a gift to their mother, the goddess-spirit Yomai, who they fondly respected. It is said that Ryomai gave them a sense of honor and respect so that may not disgrace or embarrass their ancestors, while Nyomai granted them the sense of open intimacy so that they may happily grow for the meloration of the race. This myth has established the basis of Kattai culture and opinion, drawing a strong bond to their mothers and the females of their race.
Though they have racial tongue, Mewjian, it has neither a name nor alphabet. It is the language shared by all feline creatures and conveys an infinite number of meanings upon distinctive pronunciation; it is virtually impossible for a non-feline creature to learn because of its complexity in tone. The only other language a Kattai in its homeland learns is generally Draconic; many Kattai dream of meeting these god-like beings one day. For their literature and other written communications, they use the Draconic alphabet and language, as they deify the Draconic Races and do not have an alphabet of their own.
Kattai have both a clan name and given name. The clan name is used before the given name contrary to most other cultures. Often their name ends in an honorific. Addressing them without an honorific, or by only their given name is considered to be disrespectful. The only exception to this rule is speaking from lover to lover. Kattai address their parents, siblings and other relatives in respectful terms, usually denoting the age difference between younger and elder individuals with the appropriate honorifics.
- +2 Dexterity, −2 Constitution: Kattai are agile, but frail
- Humanoid (Feline): Kattai share the agility and flexibility of feline creatures.
- Medium: As medium creatures, Kattai do not receive any bonuses or penalties based on size.
- Kattai base land speed is 30 ft: When unarmed, a Kattai can drop on all fours and move like a quadrupedal creature with a base land speed of 40 ft.
- Tail Dependence (EX): A Kattai born with a tail gains a +4 racial bonus to balance checks. If such type of Kattai were to lose their tail, they also lose this bonus and takes a -4 racial penalty to balance checks in its place.
- Feline Grace (EX): Kattai use their Dexterity Bonus to Jump and Climb checks instead of their strength check.
- +2 racial bonus to Move Silently and Hide: Kattai rely on their stealth to survive. When hiding in tall grass, their racial bonus to hide checks becomes +8 instead.
- +2 racial bonus to Listen, Spot and Survival checks made at night: the Kattai's nocturnal nature has sharpened their senses during this time of day.
- Low-light vision: Kattai can see twice as far than a human in moonlight, starlight, torchlight and in other forms of faint illumination. They retain the ability to discern color and detail under these conditions.
- +2 racial bonus to diplomacy and handle animal checks made to feline creatures: kattai share common ancestry with cats and share an affinity for them.
- Feline Empathy: Kattai can speak with any feline creature such as cats and tigers as though under the "Speak with Animals" spell effect.
- Kattai treat all falls as being 10 ft. shorter than they really are.
- Feline Mind: When a Kattai sees a shiny or dangling object, they must make a Concentration check with a DC of 20 minus her WIS bonus. If they fail this distraction bonus, they take a -2 racial penalty to all attack rolls and Armor Class until the distracting object is no longer is visible, or until they can ignore it. Once distracted, they must make a Will Save every round afterward with a DC of 15 plus her character level or else be overwhelmed with the need to investigate that object and play with to their heart's desire no matter what trouble may between her and it. In this state, they are oblivious to everything but the distracting object and is denied her DEX bonus to their armor class as well as any dodge bonuses that they lose in such a case.
- Weapon Familiarity: Kattai treat Kattai finger claws as martial weapons rather than exotic weapons.
- Automatic Languages: Mewjian (or Common, depending on lifestyle). Bonus Languages: Common, Draconic.
- Favored Class: Ninja.
- Level Adjustment: +4
|Middle Age1||Old2||Venerable3||Maximum Age|
|75 years||113 years||150 years||+4d% years|
|Gender||Base Height||Height Modifier||Base Weight||Weight Modifier|
|Male||4' 5"||+2d6||100 lb.||× (1d6) lb.|
|Female||4' 5"||+2d6||95 lb.||× (1d6) lb.|