Tabaxi

Hailing from the jungles of Nalendi, the catlike tabaxi are driven to explore, listen to stories, and see every wonder they can.
The ultimate wanderers, tabaxi rarely stay in place for very long. They're constantly looking for the next adventure, and collecting stories or artifacts along the way. They've got a knack for picking up a new obsession every few weeks as well, becoming deeply invested in it and devoting all their attention before seemingly dropping it entirely a short time later.
Though they roll their eyes hearing it, there is a good deal of truth to the old axiom about the tabaxi - curiosity may kill the cat.

Jungle Cats

Tabaxi are generally tall and very slender felines, with a long tail and lanky limbs. Their clawed hands and feet lend themselves well to climbing, and their excellent vision, hearing, and smell aids them in exploring every nook and cranny they can. Their short fur coats come in a variety of patterns and colors, from solid color to striped or spotted, yellow to white or black. Their faces are very expressive, with ears, mouth, cheeks, and eyes all moving freely when speaking or showing emotion. It can be very hard for a tabaxi to hide their feelings, despite their reputation as untrustworthy or sneaky.

Fleeting Fancies

Wandering tabaxi are mercurial creatures, trading one obsession or passion for another when a whim strikes. Desire and interest burns bright, but snuffs out quickly when met. Objects, stories, or places are only interesting as long as they hold secrets to be discovered. A tabaxi thief could spend months plotting a heist, only to burn through the stolen coin paying for stories from a bard at the first tavern they stop in.

Cooks and Collectors

Tabaxi who don't seek out adventure find other ways to pursue their boundless curiosity. They're more than willing to trade with anyone who has anything interesting, and a collection of bizarre purchases from one city might have rare goods in the next. Swapping stories is a common pastime among tabaxi, and some have found excellent and fulfilling lives as bards, minstrels, or writers. A remarkable sense of smell also lends itself to the culinary arts. Fine dining across the world chases the trends of tabaxi cuisine, and the rarer the ingredients the better. Chefs may pursue the perfect recipe for years, suddenly retiring and passing their knowledge to an apprentice when they feel fulfilled.

You can use the tabaxi quirk table to determine a personality quirk or inspire a mannerism for your character.

d6	Personality Trait
1	Your tail betrays your inner thoughts.
2	You have a tendency to make cat-related puns as often as possible.
3	When talking about an obsession, you speak so quickly others can't understand you.
4	You have a minor phobia of water and can't stand being wet.
5	You are a font of random trivia from the lore or stories you've heard.
6	You can't help but pocket interesting objects you encounter.

Tabaxi Names

Each tabaxi has a single name, determined by clan and based on a complex formula that involves astrology, prophecy, clan history, and other esoteric factors. Tabaxi names can apply to both males and females, and most use nicknames derived from or inspired by their full names.
Tabaxi Names: Cloud on the Mountaintop (Cloud), Five Timber (Timber), Jade Shoe (Jade), Left-Handed Hummingbird (Bird), Seven Thundercloud (Thunder), Skirt of Snakes (Snake), Smoking Mirror (Smoke)
Tabaxi Clan Names: Bright Cliff, Distant Rain, Mountain Tree, Rumbling River, Snoring Mountain.

Tabaxi Traits

Your tabaxi character has the following species traits:
Ability Score Increase Your Dexterity score increases by 2, and your Charisma score increases by 1.
Age Tabaxi age and mature at about the same rate as other medium species.
Alignment Tabaxi tend to lean towards chaotic alignments, but rarely evil.
Size Your size is medium or small, chosen when you select this species.
Speed Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Darkvision You have a cat’s keen senses, especially in the dark. 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.
Feline Agility Your reflexes and agility allow you to move with a burst of speed. When you move on your turn in combat, you can double your speed until the end of the turn. Once you use this trait, you can’t use it again until you move 0 feet on one of your turns.
Cat's Claws Because of your claws, you have a climbing speed of 20 feet. In addition, your claws are natural weapons, which you can use to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with them, you deal slashing damage equal to 1d6 + your Strength modifier, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike.
Cat's Talent You have proficiency in the Perception and Stealth skills.
Nine Lives When making a saving throw against death, you may reroll one failure. This ability can not be used again until three long rests have passed.
Language You speak Common and Felese.

Origin/Ancestry

Nalendi

Lifespan

60

Average Height

4'0" - 5'6"

Average Weight

60 - 110 lbs.

Related Organizations

• Nalendi

Feline Form

Originally hailing from the tropical forests of Nalendi, the Tabaxi have shown remarkable capacity to adapt their body plan to almost any climate and temperature. The tabaxi who've lived on the frosty peaks of Honamaya have developed thicker fur and stouter limbs, while the desert-walking tabaxi of Pirenni have even longer limbs than their cousins and short, bristly fur. Tabaxi who've spent generations living in urban environments have developed an impressive array of fur colors, heights, and builds - from short and sleek to tall and fluffy, and everything in between.

Nine Lives

Other species have an old axiom about the tabaxi: "a cat has more than one life to live." Of course, tabaxi experience death in the same way all people or beasts do. The number of "lives" a tabaxi has varies depending on culture, but the sentiment remains the same. Perhaps these sayings originated from the tabaxi's mercurial tendencies and their willingness to move around the World - living a life in one town for a number of years before uprooting and starting over elsewhere. Or perhaps it relates to a perceived luck that follows the tabaxi. There are plenty of recorded incidents of tabaxi falling from heights impossible for most to survive, and winding up with nothing worse than sprained ankles and sore knees. Wherever the saying comes from, almost any tabaxi you meet can tell you they've been asked how many times they've died.

Dinner With a Tabaxi

It rained all evening. Most of the townsfolk stayed inside their homes, leaving the tavern quieter than normal for a week's end night. Inside was myself and two strangers. One, an ursinin, sat and read in privacy while drinking his mead. The other, a tabaxi, a head taller than me and with dusty brown fur, sat down across from me.
"You are the bard, no? The one who has been asking about the people of this land for a book?" I nodded in response before briefly explaining my quest to uncover the tales of the World and its inhabitants. He gave a toothy grin. "I have a proposition for you. I was once a wanderer like yourself. I went with my companions to many dangerous and strange places to seek great wealth. I can share these stories with you for a small price. Do you agree to this?"
I eagerly shook his hand and prepped my quill and notebook to jot down his stories. I couldn't let a source like this go to waste , even if it meant losing some of my coin. "Very good."
He'd tell me a story of his wandering days, of treasures and beasts found deep in the wilderness or in a forgotten crypt. He'd pause while he gathered his thoughts to take a drink, and I'd fill silence with tales of folk I'd met and places I'd seen. He listened with an intensity a bard can only dream of his audiences having, savoring every sentence like a great meal. Three hours passed like this.
"So what do I owe you? You said the stories had a price," I remarked while reaching for my coin purse. He smirked, leaned back in his chair, and kicked his feet up onto the table.
"You have already paid me what I requested, friend. I heard your stories in return for mine."
-Rodanté