Exceed (5e Race)

Exceeds

Design Note: See Flying Races (5e Guideline)

A pair of exceeds playing. Source

Personality

Exceed personalities are nearly as diverse as humans, they generally have a happy, flamboyant and optimistic personality.

Physical Description

A typical exceed has features similar to a house cat, but size more comparable to a bobcat. Unlike the felines they resemble, an exceed is perfectly capable of functioning on four legs or two, and wields dexterity in its forepaws comparable with humanoid hands. Nonetheless many exceed manoeuvre on four legs as often as not, as it reduces strain on their joints and enables greater agility. Amazingly, Exceed are actually monotremes, with females laying one to three large eggs in a nest they build of soft grasses and moss. Upon laying, the initially leathery eggs swell into a classic egg-shape and harden to a consistency similar to stone. Upon hatching, Exceed are much more capable than normal kittens, with their eyes and ears wide open and able to manifest their wings for flight. A newborn Exceed will openly bond with the first creatures it sees, believing these to be their family.

Unique to the exceed race is their ability to manifest and dismiss a small pair of wings, or "aera" in their language. The size of an Exceed's wings is a measure of their innate magical power. While most are only the size of a crow once full-grown, there are accounts of Exceed warriors and mages with wingspans comparable to a condor.

The Exceed are a long-lived race and age very slowly, with it not being unusual for a young male to hold off on beginning an official courtship of an available female until both are well over 100.

Religion

Many of them believe their monarch is a deity, and as such, they have little in the way of an organized religion.

Society

The Exceed are a surprisingly developed race, living in small villages to entire cities built on mountain peaks or on small floating landmasses. Their race is governed by a royal family, with the current king or queen being aided and advised by a council made up of the eldest and wisest of the Exceed.

History

The origins of the Exceed are lost to the mist of ancient history. Many theories have been put forth by academics for generations; everything from being the result of ancient magical experiments conducted on normal housecats, to simply being an ascended species of cats that have evolved naturally as a society. What is known is that, while their race thrives today in their mountaintop settlements, at one time, the race lived in hiding. Always smaller and weaker than most sapient races, other beings took advantage of the Exceed and many did horrible things to them whenever the chance arose. In a desperate bid to bolster the spirits of their people, the Exceed began to trick humanoids into believing they were divine beings, ruled by a royal family with the power to make people perish at their will. The first Exceed council of elders presented their first king to the various tribes and united their race into the kingdom of Extalia. However, the royal family's divine power was an elaborate bluff, maintained by a few select members of the court who were privy to the truth. In actuality, no Exceed has ever had the power to decide if someone will live or die. What they do have is a genetic psychic power among the royal family to see into a nearby individual's immediate future. They can see when someone is soon to die.

Exceed Traits

Small creatures almost indistinguishable from house cats, but capable of walking on two legs and even growing wings.
Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 2 and your Charisma score increases by 1.
Age. Exceeds reach maturity at about 2 years of age, but can live up to an age of 140.
Alignment. Exceed are mostly neutral and sway more towards good, caring more about simple things like fishing and playtime.
Size. Exceed are about the size of a bobcat. Your size is Small.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet. You have a fly speed of 20 feet.
Darkvision. Accustomed to twilit forests and the night sky, 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.
Animal Nature. You count both as a beast and a humanoid for any effect related to type.
Speak with Small Beasts. Through sounds and gestures, you can communicate simple ideas with Small or smaller beasts.
Feline Talent. You have proficiency with the Stealth and Perception skill.
Gift of Flight. As a bonus action, you can manifest or dismiss a pair of magical wings. You cannot fly if your wings are not manifested and if you are wearing armor you are not proficient in or any Medium or Heavy armor.
Nimble. You can move through the space of any creature that is of a size larger than yours.
Languages. You speak, read, and write Common.

Table: Exceed Random Height and Weight

Gender	Base Height	Height Modifier	Base Weight	Weight Modifier
Male	3 ft.	+2d4	10 lb.	×2d2 lb.
Female	3 ft.	+2d4-1	10 lb.	×2d2 lb.

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