Legends tell of a long forgotten empire which worshipped the great Cat Goddess Bast. Under her guidance no feline could be harmed in any way, and they roamed free through the winding twisting alleyways of the city.
It so happened that a small family of Halflings lived in the city proper. They were hard-working, honest and canny merchants, and as a result became very wealthy – and unpopular among their peers. Before long a number of them united in their jealousy and fabricated charges of Cat Murder, that most heinous of crimes, against the head of their house, Tobias Caitlin.
Alone in his cell, scared for his life and that of his whole family he prayed to Bast herself, knowing that she would see the untruths of these accusations. He was a good man, as kind to cats as to any creature, and faithfully left a saucer of milk by the door each night as tribute.
The next morning when the jailers came to collect old Tobias from his cell for execution, he had changed. Furry cat-like ears replaced his own, and a long agile tail traced an S in the air. From the other cells the rest of his family were found to share the same Gifts of Bast. All of their accusers had mysteriously died overnight, having choked on hairballs.
The Caitlins were immediately released, their property returned and added to with that of their accusers. No one ever bothered them again.
Caitlins are an offshoot of the Halfling Race that have gained several catlike traits due to their origin. Caitlins and Halflings occasionally intermarry, and the offspring is always a Caitlin. Many share the Halfling’s innate curiousity, though boosted to feline levels. An open window is as inviting as a glass of milk to a Caitlin, and they can be randomly affectionate or uncaring on a whim. Some Caitlins become extremely lazy, particularly if they find a good spot in the sun or a mound of plump cushions. On the other hand, many Caitlins have found a good trade as Assassins – though they do have a bad habit of playing with their targets first.
Ability Scores: +2 Dexterity, +2 Charisma
Size: Small
Speed: 6 squares
Vision: Low-light
Languages: Common, choice of one other
Skill Bonus: +2 Acrobatics, +2 Stealth
Halfling Heritage: You can take feats that have halfling as a prerequisite as long as you meet any other requirements
Nimble Reaction: +2 racial bonus at AC against opportinuty attacks
Playful Pounce: You gain Playful Pounce as an encounter power
| Playful Pounce |
| You are a cat. They are mice. You do the math. |
| Immediate reaction, when a bloodied enemy within 5 squares shifts, Weapon |
| The Caitlin shifts to the nearest square adjacent to the enemy and makes a basic attack against it. |
Almost all Caitlin Clerics worship Bast as the goddess of their ancestors. It’s quite likely that Bast has long since forgotten her random act of generosity. Cats are like that.
| Deity | Alignment | Areas of Influence |
| Bast | Unaligned | Cats, laziness and curiosity |
Notes: The world needs more Anthropomorphic Races, don’t you think?[1. Yes, I know this isn’t technically an anthro race, but run with me on this, ok? :D]
Cute.
.-= EltonJ´s last blog ..The problem with Retexturing Hongyu’s Cowgirl =-.
Do you mean that they can move all the way over to someone within five squares, or does shift only cover one square? (And thus necessitating a ranged attack for an enemy more than two squares away.)
my wife’s going to want to play one, now.
playful pounce is an excellent power.
@Elton Thanks :)
@benpop If a bloodied enemy within 5 squares shifts, they can pounce and shift to the closest square next to them and make a basic attack. The movement doesn’t provoke opportunity attacks at all. As it’s only once per Encounter, I think it balances pretty well with having lost the halfling’s Second Chance ability.
@Drow Isn’t it just? That’s one very catlike ability :D