Birali (5e Race)
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Birali
The wire shudders as the young birali crosses it, staying perfectly balanced. The crowd below cheers for her, calling out great things honoring her. A man draws a bow and shoots a volley of arrows at the birali, who immediately jumps down and claws his face to shreds.
Description
The birali are a race of half-cats who roam the streets, having no true home. They are carnivores that feed off the vermin that crawls the street, and that doesn't limit them to rodents. Because of their tragic lifestyle, they sometimes try killing those who have it better than them, and they often do so in horrific ways.
Physical Description
Birali are thin, fearsome catlike people. Domesticated birali display fur patterns similar to those of house cats, while wild birali can have patterns resembling big cats, such as leopards, tigers, and lynx. Wild birali are typically more scarred and feral in appearance. Domesticated birali look cuter and more charming, but don't be fooled: they can be just as fierce as their wild counterparts.
Of Two People
The birali are widely accepted into society, but their harsh actions and rash decisions bring them a bad reputation, with few birali finding their way into a safe social status. The birali are also accepted among the cats with which their heritage lies. Birali will often keep pet cats, but treat them as equals. Birali make brilliant ambassadors for nature and serve as great entertainers.
Ferocious and Unchanged
While the birali can make great companions, they can also be very violent. Their feline instincts give them the desire to hunt, and their human heritage grants them the ability to take that to the next level. Birali are great hunters, and often serve as assassins and hit men for those who offer good pay. The birali disapprove of wasting time playing games, but they're always up for a good mock-hunt.
Domestication
Some birali are born of domesticated cats, while others are born of wild and big cats. The domesticated birali are more docile and friendly, fitting better into society than the wild birali, who tend towards violence as the solution to most problems. It is rare that a wild birali will become domesticated at any point in its life. When this does happen, it is usually during their younger years while they are still learning.
Birali Experimentation
The birali were created many generations ago by a wizard who was in mourning over his dead cat. Also in the area, many people were dying of famine and plague. This provided the old wizard with an opportunity to fuse cats and humans to make a race of genetically superior cat-humans, for the purpose of protecting the town and driving off the rats that were thought to be carrying the plague. The experiment was deemed a success, and the newly-named birali did their job well. But when a greater force of unknown magnitude attacked the village, the birali fled, allowing the townsfolk to be killed. Since then, the birali have mostly existed in the wild, hunting for food and fighting smaller evils. They sometimes find their way back into society and domesticate themselves. Throughout the ages, many wizards have contemplated the being of the monster that attacked the village. The best that they could conjure from their brilliant minds was that it was a celestial or demonic being that felt obliged to study the birali, some of which it must have captured.
Birali Names
Birali are mononymous, having only one name. Their names are usually human in origin, as the cats they dwell among have no names. If they share a certain experience with their feline brethren, such as taking down a beast, they may be granted honorific titles. Some domesticated birali have names reflecting their appearance and personality.
Domesticated: Any human name, some Siamese names, such as Simba, Shadow, Musky, Moonbeam
Wild: Protector, Mammoth-killer, Food-bringer, Defender, Psycher, Survivor
Birali Traits
Birali are nimble cat-humanoid creatures who care not for others' opinions of them.
Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 2
Age. Birali live lives between the length of human and cat, reaching adulthood at around 10 years old and living to be around 60.
Alignment. The birali race's feline nature steers them towards chaotic alignments, and they generally do not fathom evil or good because of their lack of concern of others' opinions.
Size. Birali stand between 4 and 5 feet tall and average about 85 pounds. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 35 feet.
Darkvision. Thanks to your feline heritage, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. 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.
Thick Fur Coat. You have advantage on Constitution saving throws made to endure extreme cold.
Stealthy Hunter. You are proficient in the Stealth skill.
Claws. Your hands end in sharp retractable claws, which you can use to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with this attack, you deal slashing damage equal to 1d4 + your Strength modifier, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike.
Speak with Small Beasts. Through sounds and gestures, you can communicate simple ideas with Small or smaller beasts.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and another language of your choice.
Subrace. Two subraces of birali exist, the wild and the domesticated.
Domesticated
Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score increases by 1.
Street Climbing. You have advantage on Dexterity (Acrobatics) checks made to stay on narrow platforms, ledges and branches.
Wild
Ability Score Increase. Your Wisdom score increase by 1.
Wild Hunting. You have advantage on all Dexterity (Stealth) checks made to hide in tall grass.
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