Catgirl, Domestic (3.5e Race)

Domestic Catgirl

Found mostly anywhere there are civilized folks, every domestic catgirl grows up on a foster home as another member of the family, acting as partner and friend to the inhabitants of the house she inhabits.

Personality

To those unfamiliar with them, domestic catgirls appear carefree and irresponsible, and in most cases, that is exactly right. Catgirls are used to being forgiven and pampered, and seem to have an almost unnatural ability to get into troubles of all kinds. Growing up in foster homes, they tend to adopt the world view of their adoptive parents, while still somehow managing to get in and out of troubles. A catgirl can freely breed with a male of any of the humanoid races, but her descendants are almost invariably catgirls that remain under the same roof as their mother during their first years before they are sent into foster homes, to learn about the lifestyles of other peoples and enrich their own culture while the older catgirls of their new area take unto themselves the responsibility of teaching the newcomer about her own culture. As with most oral traditions, this tends to vary greatly from a region to another, and while for one catgirl it could be normal to give herself a tongue bath in public, it could be a terrible breach of etiquette just a few kingdoms away. They usually carry long scrolls detailing their own family line or pedigree back for dozens of generation, usually starting a new one when they are sent to a city on a different region or nation.

Because they feel they are at such a disadvantage when it comes to their brief life spans, catgirls readily take to the life of the adventurer in order to see as much as they can of the world before retiring after a few years, and looking for a partner amongst the humanoid races.

Physical Description

Standing from 3 to 4 ½ feet tall, and weighting between 40 to 45 pounds, a catgirl is almost invariably an attractive female with definitively feline facial traits, as well as delicate cat ears and a long graceful tail that can reach up to the back of her head. Most have long hair in every possible colouration one could find on a domestic cat, ranging from wholly white to ebony black and passing by spotted cream, soft brown and reddish copper just to name a few. A few varieties of catgirls have claws, but most have delicate human hands and feet. A catgirl reaches maturity at about six years old and then ages as a normal human, dying of old age midway on her third decade.

Relations

Because they can be anyone’s daughters and almost everyone has a catgirl relative, catgirls get along with everyone almost immediately. They can quickly adapt to the culture or their foster homes, and excel at making themselves welcome.

Meaningful Gestures: Catgirls in-character typically exhibit a more cat-like attitude, and may sometimes include cat gestures or sounds in communications. Thus, appropriate use of such will enrich the characterization of a Catgirl.

• Vocalizations
  • Purr - An expression of pleasure or comfort.
  • Hiss - An expression of displeasure or anger.
  • Snarl - An expression of aggression.
  • Low-pitch Growl - An expression warning. "You don't want this."
  • Strong Sigh - An expression of frustration in the form of a strong sigh or an exhaled snort.
  • Meow - Comes in a variety of sounds, with meanings of broad variation. Commonly used for communication with outside creatures, or when body language is not viable. The following examples are the most commonly used, and can vary from one breed to another.
    • "Greeting" Meow - A low meow or chirp, possibly with simultaneous purring; a happy hello.
    • "Attention" Meow - An expression of desire for attention.
    • "Hunger" Meow - An expression of desire for food.
    • "Outside" Meow - An expression of desire for fresh air. Usually an extended meow accompanied by a nose point.
    • Chirping Meow - An expression of predatory anticipation.
    • Chattery Meow - An expression of frustration.
    • Wailing Meow - An expression of distress. In older Catgirls it is a panicky repeated meow.
    • Caterwaul - A vocal exclamation of sexual heat. Rarely used in standard campaigns, but some Adult campaigns might find this applicable.
    • Insistent Meowing - An meow in response to another creature's vocalizations. Borders on conversational, except it's usually just repeating the same line. Used as a form of self-entertainment (when bored) and also for expressing insistence when they want something.
• Eye Gestures
  • Staring - Asserting and threatening. If visual eye-to-eye contact is made, this is seen as a return of the assertion. Blinking during this is a reassurance that there is no dispute. Breaking eye contact and looking away is a sign of respect. Avoiding even making eye contact is an attempt to avoid the conflict.
  • Fluttering Eyes - Expressing complacence, or just being in a sleepy mood.
  • Partially Closed Eyes - Expressing contentedness and trust. Comfortable and trusting enough of their company to sleep. Only holds this intended meaning when they're not actually asleep.
  • Fully Closed Eyes - Expressing full trust and/or contentedness. Comfortable and trusting enough of their company to sleep. Only holds this intended meaning when they're not actually asleep.
  • Slow Wink - Expressing contentedness.
  • Wide Pupils - Panic, uncertainty. (This goes for most races, but is still worthy of note.)
  • Narrow Pupils - calmness, certainty. (This goes for most races, but is also still worthy of note.)
• Ears
  • "Relaxed" Casual Ears - Ears pointed forward and outward slightly, listening passively.
  • Tilting Both Ears Forward "Alert Ears" - Signals focus & interest, possibly also curiosity.
  • Tilting Both Ears Backward - Signals aggression or fear, can also signal possessiveness.
  • Flattening Both Ears - Signals aggression and defensiveness. Flattening the ears protects them for the impending fight.
  • Twitching Ears - Signals agitation or anxiousness.
  • Rotating Ears - Listening in an attempt to find the source of a sound.
  • One Ear Forward, One Ear Back - Ambivalence.
  • "Pointing" With An Ear - Detects a sound in that direction. Seldom if ever used as an intentional signal by the character.
• Head
  • Head Rub/Head Bump/Nuzzle - A cheerful greeting. The reason for the contact from the Catgirl's point of view is to mingle and share scents to create a family atmosphere and environment.
  • Chin Rub/Chin Bump/Chin Nuzzle - Body language expressing territorial marking. "I like this, and this is Mine!" being the message.
  • Nose-to-nose Touch - A kiss.
  • Head Held Low - Aggressive posture.
  • Head Held Back - Reaction in displeasure.
  • Self Nose or Upper lip Lick - Natural tic expressing uncertainty, or reconsidering.
  • Mouth-open Sniff - Analyzing and savoring scent signals in the air. Seldom used by truly Domestic Catgirls, but usable by all for tracking.
  • Lips Retracted Bared Teeth - Full aggression.
  • Yawn - Indicates stress, ambivalence, and sometimes preparedness for action.
  • Gently Nibbling A Sleeper's Ear - An affectionate way a Catgirl can say "Wake up". Generally used only for those they consider close family.
  • Purring Nip - An expression of playfulness.
  • Nose Point - Expressing the direction of one's attention in a specific direction by "pointing" with the nose in that direction with a head swivel.
• Body
  • Body Rub/Body Bump/Body Nuzzle - A cheerful greeting. The reason for the contact from the Catgirl's point of view is to mingle and share scents to create a family atmosphere and environment.
  • Arched Back - A defensive or panicked stance. This is pre-fight Catgirl body language or a way of avoiding a full blown fight. It can be used as a confident or fearful expression. A confident Catgirl tries to appear larger. The Catgirl stretches her back legs fully and her back becomes arched.
  • "Direct Attack" Approach - An aggressive offensive approach.
  • "Sideways Attack" Approach - A defensive approach used for "Fight or Flight" mode, often used in tandem with the arched back for maximum effect.
  • Falling on Side - Indicates submission, can also be indicative of being unwilling to put up a fight.
  • Sprawling Out - Relaxation.
  • Roll Over - An invitation to physical contact.
  • Kneading - An expression of pleasure, comfort, gratitude. The act itself is also quite pleasurable for a Catgirl.
  • Flick/Tap Another's Nose - A punishment for bad behavior or generally something the Catgirl does not like.
  • Grooming - A familial treatment, expressing care for the beneficiary's hygiene.
  • "Paw" Shake - Expression of disgust.
• Tail
  • Tail Bristled - Expressing rage, anger, and/or panic.
  • Tail Hooked - Expressing uncertainty, but not feeling threatened.
  • Upright Tail - Friendly posture.
  • Upright Tail Quivering - Very pleased, possibly expectant.
  • Flicking of the Tail Tip - Used when acknowledging of an individual presence, but being currently occupied and not wanting to be interrupted.
  • Twitching Tail - Expressing alertness and interest.
  • Thrashing Tail - Expressing excitement or potential aggression.
  • Tail Swish - Expressive of a mental conflict or indecisiveness.
  • Tail Between Legs - Submissive posture.

Alignment

Because they grow up on foster homes, catgirls tend to adopt the dominant alignment of the region they inhabit.

Catgirl Lands

Because they are dependant on the males of other races to perpetuate their own, catgirls don’t have lands of their own, instead living within the lands of any humanoid race. Almost every birth leads to a female, and the race as a whole simply could not afford to rely on its own males.

Language

To most folks, the language of catgirls would seem like little more than mewls and purrs, but in fact is an extremely rich language that accompanies every sound with a signifying gesture of the ears or tail to denounce subtle variations of meaning. Written language usually accompanies every word with several symbols to imply deep, rich meanings after every word. Catgirls are always literate in their own language, even in regions where most of the population is illiterate.

Religion

Catgirls usually adopt the same religion of her foster parents, if any.

Names

Catgirl names tend to be short, usually one or two syllables long, and then accompanied by a score of body language gestures. To properly translate a name into another language would require a much longer speech than that any other race is prepared to remember.

Male names: Kurl, Mino, Mita, Sapa, Shy, Tello

Female names: Alua, Miiyau, Nina, Nuku, Priss, Pink

Racial Traits

• -2 Strength, +2 Dexterity, -2 Constitution, +2 Intelligence, +2 Charisma: A catgirl is small and not as strong or resilient as medium characters, but she is nimble and athletic with a sharp mind and wits mixed with an outgoing personality.
• Humanoid (Feline Subtype, Shapechanger)
• Small: As a small creature, a catgirl gains a +1 size bonus to Armor Class, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls and a +4 size bonus on Hide checks, but she uses smaller weapons than humans use, and her lifting and carrying limits are three quarters of those of a medium character.
• Catgirl base land speed is 20 feet when walking upright and 30 when walking on all four. She also has a climbing speed of 20.
• Low Light vision: A catgirl can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. She retains the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions.
• Alternate Form (Sp): A catgirl can change form, assuming that of a normal domestic cat (page 270 Monster Manual). This supernatural ability functions like the polymorph spell, except that you can change only into a domestic cat. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 1 plus your character level. Thus a 1st level catgirl can change into a domestic cat and back again in a single day. Changing form is a full round action that provokes an attack of opportunity.
• Immunity to transformation (Ex): If a effect such as petrification or polymorphing affects a catgirl, she can choose to turn back into her normal form as a full round action, that provokes an attack of opportunity, at the beginning of her next turn, as long as she still has daily uses available of her Alternate Form ability.
• Skills: A catgirl receives a +4 racial bonus on any Climb, Hide and Move Silently skill checks, and a +8 racial bonus on Jump checks. A catgirl can always take a 10 on these skills, even if stress or distractions would normally prevent her from doing so.
• Automatic Language: Felid and Common. Catgirls have their own language of sounds and body language that is impossible to understand without the capacity to hear higher length waves of sound, and impossible to speak without a set of flexible tail and ears. Catgirls in some regions also add the sound of accessories such as kitty bells, just to further enrich the sound of the language Bonus Language: Any. Catgirls mix with all kinds of folk and as such can learn any language found in an area.
• Favored Class: [[Rogue,bard A multiclass catgirl rogue class levels does not count when determining whether she takes an experience point penalty for multiclassing. Catgirls are quick and nimble, and the profession of Rogue comes naturally to them.
• Level Adjustment: +1.

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