Tabaxi

Tabaxi, also known as jaguar people or cat-men are a race of feline humanoids.

Tabaxi in Tiriande

Tabaxi live throughout the Imprisoned City, in all walks of life. Their nimbleness lends them well to craftsmanship, and their curiosity leads many to seek out the life of an adventurer.
The rest of this article describes Tabaxi as they are seen in Toril and other places outside the Dungeonscape.

Description

Tabaxi were taller than most humans at six to seven feet. Their bodies were slender and covered in spotted or striped fur. Like most felines, Tabaxi had long tails and retractable claws. Tabaxi fur color ranged from light yellow to brownish red. Tabaxi eyes were slit-pupilled and usually green or yellow. Tabaxi were competent swimmers and climbers as well as speedy runners. They had a good sense of balance and an acute sense of smell.

Personality

Tabaxi were a reclusive people who often avoided interaction with other intelligent races. However, as each tabaxi possessed a specific feline trait, some had an innate curiosity that compelled them to travel and seek out stories, artifacts, new experiences and knowledge, never remaining in the same place or obsessing over the same piece of lore for too long. In general, tabaxi did not care for wealth, but they had an almost obsessive interest in ancient artifacts, relics and magic items, but not for the items themselves, as much as the stories and secrets they held. Once an item had been thoroughly examined and studied, and its secrets revealed, it would lose its allure and the tabaxi would quickly lose interest and pass it on.
Not all tabaxi were motivated by curiosity to leave their homeland, however. Some found safer ways to satisfy their fleeting obsessions by becoming traveling minstrels and tinkers, often accepting interesting objects and stories as payment for their services.

Abilities

Tabaxi were exceptional hunters and utilized these skills in combat. Speed and stealth combined with their natural camouflage meant that tabaxi were particularity skilled at surprise attacks. Tabaxi were even known to disguise their scent with aromatic herbs. Their hunting skills and intelligence made them formidable tacticians. Groups would often drive prey into ambushes, sometime playing with their doomed foe before killing them. Tabaxi clans did have berserker warriors within them, these were known as blood-stalkers. For weapons, tabaxi favored bolas, slings, macas, and javelins with atlatl. These weapons would often be made from wood, bone or stone. Tabaxi were just as likely to use weapons as they were to use their claws and teeth. Their preference of simple weapons was not due to a lack of capability. Tabaxi were quite capable of adapting to new technology or salvaged weapons.
Due to their knowledge of hunting, intelligence and sense of smell, it was practically impossible to trap a tabaxi.

Society

Tabaxi society was built around clans. Clans were split evenly between males and females with 3 to 12 young. Each clan had several Hunts each made up of two to eight individuals. The Hunts patrolled the area around the clan's lair. Although tabaxi lairs were sometimes just temporary, they were more often small villages of ramadas. Each ramada was built from wooden poles with grass roofs.
Clans were led by elders. About half of the time, leaders were aided by shamans. Clans tended to avoid each other and did not engage in trade. Tabaxi considered trade to be demeaning but in rare instances would use third party agents to trade for them.
When the tabaxi started wandering out of their homeland of Maztica, rumors followed about strange happenings there, but the tabaxi themselves said little about them.

Basic Information

Biological Traits

Feline

Civilization and Culture

History

Because of the black market and slave trade that brought them to Faerûn, some tabaxi made the jungles of Chult their home after escaping captivity. Tabaxi minstrels primarily lived in and around Port Nyanzaru, but hunters roamed the entire peninsula.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

Tabaxi had few enemies and only few clans would attack members of other intelligent species without good reason.

Average Height

6' - 7'

Average Weight

200 - 250 lb