Fantasy Race: Beastfolk

The Beastfolk often bear the influences of predatory mammals.
(Khaijiit Mod)

Campaign World: Fianyarr.

Nicknames: Wildlings, Primitives, Kittens.

Origins: Not all of the First focused on exploring the terrain of this world.  Some were quite taken by the animals that moved across the lands and chose to try and live as they do.  They explored the treetops with the monkeys and the cats, crept through burrows with the rabbits, and swam as otters across the rivers.  When mortality struck  they learned to survive by imitating the animals and thus were marked by their lessons.  They took from those markings and made them useful.  Few ever looked back.

Appearance: Most beastfolk have cat- or dog-like ears, tails, furry bodies, slitted pupils, sharp teeth and sharp little claws.  Some have more reptilian or birdlike aspects though, being omnivores, they normally take after more predatory animals.

Demeanor: The Beastfolk are an intelligent and socially savvy people who are often happiest living simple lives where they can focus on their friends and families.  They tend to see beauty in the mundane and can be entertained for years by the simple pleasures of drink, dance, and social celebrations.  This isn't to say that they can't be drawn by great plans, driven by curiosity, or desperate for an audience with the king.  Its just that the majority are normally more content with a decent and reasonable life.

Relations with other Races: Most races are on good relations with the Beastfolk who are pleasant conversationalists and reasonable neighbors.  Due to their reputation as a content and decent people they are often welcome wherever they go and those belonging to nomadic tribes are often even encouraged to stay in an area where they are granted limited hunting and foraging rights.  However most races assume that their animalistic appearance and simple lifestyles mean that they have primitive minds and are incapable of comprehending complex concepts - which is blatantly untrue.

In crueler lands, Beastfolk are chased from their homes or forced into slavery by those who find their only solace in domination and power.  In those lands the Beastfolk often maintain guerilla wars as they strike at better equipped armies by staying on the move and hiding among the populace.  As Beastfolk rebel armies are often generous and kind to peasants, they are often assisted in their efforts though some wonder if that kindness will last should the harried Beastfolk ever gain dominance.  For now the result is truly unknown.

Weakness: While beastfolk don't find it any more difficult to understand the complex sciences, people from the other races find it difficult to believe that they could possibly know anything of worth on the subect.  Beastfolk take a -2 penalty on social rolls made to be taken seriously in intellectual circles and are often treated as being a bit dumb when laying out their plans.  While they don't take this penalty with all people it often occurs often enough even among those who believe themselves to be open-minded.

Racial Abilities

Attribute Bonus: +1 to either Manipulation or Dexterity.

Agile
All beastfolks can spend a point of glamour to gain a 9-Again on any Athletics rolls which involve agility for a single scene due to their innately graceful movements. (Changeling Larcenist  Kith: Night Horrors: Grim Fears page 63).

Claws
The beastfolk have claws or scaly knuckles as well as sharp teeth that allows them to do lethal damage when they make unarmed attacks (Changeling Hunterheart Kith: core book page 102) and provide a +3 bonus to climb checks (Changeling Steepscrambler Kith: Changeling the Lost page 102).

Natural Hunter
The Beastfolk's innate knowledge of the hunt grants them a +1 bonus to all hearing-related Perception checks and they can spend a point of Glamour to reroll a Brawl attack once per day (Changeling Draconic Kith: Changeling the Lost page 114).

Scent
A Beastfolk has a sense of smell equivalent to that of a cat and may use their sense of smell to track animals or people.  This also has the unfortunate side effect of causing them to notice unpleasant odors because, like a cat, they are none too keen on rotten stenches (Changeling Custom kith).

Racially Restricted Merit
(****) Well-developed predator: Some beastfolks grow into their animalistic sides more than most and although this doesn't affect whether they are an erudite scholar or a gong farmer, it does affect their physical ability to survive.  The beastfolk's claws are well-developed enough to gain a +1 bonus to brawl attacks.  A beastfolk's ability to avoid damage is pretty legendary as a number of them have learned to ignore the limits of their perception - or regular reflexes - in order to get out of the way.  Due to this, they use the higher of their Wits or Dexterity for their Defense.  They also gain a +1 bonus to their defence whenever they go full defensive (a dodge action).