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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Knightfall" data-source="post: 1810452" data-attributes="member: 2012">RAKASTA CAT (WARBEAST)Large Animal (Dire)Hit Dice: 5d8+25 (54 hp)Initiative: +0Speed: 70 ft. (14 squares)AC: 16 (-1 size, +4 natural, +3 mw leather barding), touch 9, flat-footed 16Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+15Attack: Claw +14 melee (1d6+12)Full Attack: 2 claws +14 melee (1d6+8) and bite +8 melee (1d8+4)Space/Reach: 10 ft. / 10 ft.Special Qualities: Combative mount, low-light vision, scentSaves: Fort +12, Ref +5, Will +7Abilities: Str 26 (+8), Dex 11 (+0), Con 21 (+5), Int 2 (-4), Wis 14 (+2), Cha 7 (-2)Skills: Balance +11, Climb +15, Hide +13*, Jump +19, Listen +6, Move Silently +8, Spot +6Feats: Alertness, Weapon Focus (claw)Continent/Region: Any except the FallenlandsEnvironment: Warm plainsOrganization: SolitaryChallenge Rating: 4Alignment: Always neutralAdvancement: –This large cat is obviously meant to be someone’s mount. It wears an exotic leather saddle on its back, as well a being draped with fine leather barding. The black and silver striped feline glares at you with its beautiful yellow eyes, a stark contrast to the ritual scarring on its face. A low growl warns you to stay clear.Rakasta are known for their nomadic lifestyle and often they must move without notice. While they are more than capable of gathering up and carrying their belongings on their own, they prefer using this large cat as a beast of burden. It is rare for a pride to not have a few rakasta cats, as outsiders call them, on hand for transporting young and particularly heavy belongings.However, more often non-essential items are left behind, as not to burden their favorite animals too much. For the rakasta love their “big cats” like members of the family. They are born, raised, and die in the hearts of the members of the pride and the rakasta rarely lend and never sell these dire cats to other races. They will lend or gift a cat to a lifelong friend of the pride, but the rakasta cat must feel a bond to the outsider.The market price, amongst rakasta prides, for a rakasta cat is 475 gp. They never sell full-grown cats to non-rakasta, but may trade the dire cats to another allied pride for other goods in times of desperate need. It is a given that the pride will trade back for the cat when it can, thus, entrusting its welfare to the other pride. Rakasta cat kittens are sometimes stolen from a pride by rival catfolk, in the same area, or by unscrupulous humanoids, trying to make a profit. This almost always ends in disaster for the thief, as rakasta cat mothers will hunt down anyone who steals one of their kittens.CombatWhile rakasta cats are sometimes used as beasts of burden, they are more likely to be used as mounts by rakasta. These rakasta cat mounts are fiercely loyal to their riders, fighting to the death to protect them. The dire cats are also protective of the entire pride and will help defend against attackers, even without a rider. Rakasta cats attack with razor sharp claws and a powerful bite.Combative Mount (Ex): A rider on a trained rakasta cat gets a +2 circumstance bonus on all Ride checks. A rakasta cat is proficient with light, medium, and heavy armor.Scent (Ex): A rakasta cat can detect approaching enemies, sniff out hidden foes, and track by sense of smell. If upwind, the range increases to 60 ft.; if downwind, it drops to 15 ft.Skills: Rakasta cats have a +1 racial bonus on Listen and Spot checks, a +4 racial bonus on Climb, Hide, and Move Silently checks and a +8 racial bonus on Balance and Jump checks. *In areas of tall grass or heavy undergrowth, the Hide bonus rises to +8.Carrying Capacity: A light load for a rakasta cat is up to 920 pounds; a medium load, 921–1,840 pounds; and a heavy load, 1,841–2760 pounds.Training a Rakasta CatA rakasta cat need not be specially reared, but it must be trained for two months (Handle Animal DC 20) to develop its abilities. (Can only be raised by a rakasta.)</blockquote>

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