The People of the Cat.

[Garthanos]

I am wanting to build this race.

Their chief racial power is the ability (daily?) to transform in to a common house cat. In general anyone who is trained in Arcana should be able to make a roll to detect that they are something magical in the form of a cat... Most appear very human like though somewhat short in human form. Reincarnative memories and supernal luck are also features I want them to have... though those could be opened up with feats.

There aren't any races with anything quite like that polymorph... is it too powerful (because of sneaking benefits) or underpowered because it doesn't provide much in the way of combat applications. (should I let them have it freeish, and let them use the luck for their combat useful race ability --would that be too halfling like?)... Or Do I need to define it so they could get combat advantage out of transforming back or use the sudden loss of size to dodge an attack?

They are certainly a High Dex race but not sure if any of the other attributes even need boosted.

Meorics/People of the Cat

 

[chronoplasm]

Couldn't they just be Druids that turn into cats?

 

[Garthanos]

Thematically the race makes good wanderer rogues, streetwise being the common lore more often than nature (though you could say that is enhanced instinct), they do have a gypsy theme going on. The druid's wild shape doesnt change size (a druid in cat shaped beast form is the size of a leopard) suppose one could say a pc of this race has a special gift and considered a tribal prince or alternately a freak by others of his kind. If you are making them a druid you are buying in to a lot of baggage that doesnt necessarily fit...

Guess multiclassing as Druid could minimize that baggage... Initiate of the Old Faith.... and give the race the ability to take small form if they learn wild shape and make them mechanically like halflings without the small size mechanics.

 

[Whimsical]

You may want to check out and reskin (heh) the Kitsune from Kobold Quarterly #9.

 

[Whimsical]

Before that Kitsune article came out, I made up my own racial power for this race. I build it by combining the druid's Wild Shape feature and the druid's 2nd level utility power, Skittering Sneak. Then I created two feats to make the fox form useful in combat. I think these elements can be directly useable by your Cat People.

Fox Shape

Kitsune Racial Power​

You assume a humanoid form or return to your fox form.
At-Will ✦ Polymorph
Minor Action (Special) Personal
Effect: You change to one of your fox forms or to your humanoid form. When you change from your humanoid form back to your fox form, you can shift 1 square. While you are in fox form, you can't use attack, utility, or feat powers, although you can sustain such powers.
  Your fox form resembles either a fey fox beast with multiple tails or a natural fox beast with one tail. You choose which form whenever you use fox shape to change into fox form. The fox form is Tiny and doesn't change your game statistics or movement modes. You can’t attack, pick up anything, or manipulate objects while in fox form.
  Your equipment becomes part of your fox form, but you drop anything you are holding, except implements you can use. You continue to gain the benefits of the equipment you wear. You can use the properties and the powers of implements as well as magic items that you wear, but not the properties or the powers of weapons or the powers of wondrous items. While equipment is part of your fox form, it cannot be removed, and anything in a container that is part of your fox form is inaccessible.
  In fox form, you gain a +5 bonus to Stealth checks.
  When you are using the fey fox form, you gain a bonus to AC equal to the number of tails you have against opportunity attacks.
Special: You can use this power once per round.

HEROIC TIER FEAT
LEAD ASTRAY
Prerequisite: Kitsune
Benefit: When an enemy misses you with their opportunity attack while you are in fox form, you can slide the enemy one square.

PARAGON TIER FEAT
SPIN ABOUT
Prerequisite: 11th level, kitsune
Benefit: When an enemy misses you with their opportunity attack while you are in fox form, you can make the enemy fall prone.

 

[Garthanos]

I must stay that does translate very well in to the people of the cat... that multi-tail fey element is fun in itself though.

 

[AbdulAlhazred]

Yeah, it seems pretty good. It is not that different from the fox form I gave my Fox Woman, though in that case it did have a bite attack, etc (being a monster). You could also provide a feat to allow some form of attack or other power use while in cat form. Certainly doesn't seem overpowered. Depending on exactly what extras you give the cat it could be all the power this race needs, or they might also have something else they can use all the time. How about something like a weakened feather fall? That would certainly be appropriate, kind of like dwarven poison resistance.

 

[Garthanos]

Yeah, it seems pretty good. It is not that different from the fox form I gave my Fox Woman, though in that case it did have a bite attack, etc (being a monster). You could also provide a feat to allow some form of attack or other power use while in cat form. Certainly doesn't seem overpowered. Depending on exactly what extras you give the cat it could be all the power this race needs, or they might also have something else they can use all the time. How about something like a weakened feather fall? That would certainly be appropriate, kind of like dwarven poison resistance.

Yeah especially if I do go with the Dex only attribute bonus I probably need to compensate a wee bit...the always lands on their feet is interesting... though the reincarnating 9 lives bit does step a little on the deva schtick. ( I dont have explicit deva but somebody can reskin them as bodhisatva style humans with full approval)

 

[Garthanos]

Ah how about a daily power in cat form only, to knock the enemy prone called
Between the feet

argh.. just noticed spin about is already geared for that.

 

[Garthanos]

Eyes of the Cat: (cloned from Dragonborn Senses).
lowlight vision and +1 to perception, should this be baseline or added as a feat dont know till its built, eh.;-)

Path crossing hex: forces target enemy who succeeded on some roll to reroll.