Race: Prra’atii

The Prra’atii are a humanoid, feline hybrid race, their origins found in a land known as Tiger’s Maw. Their features vary from mostly human, with only feline ears, a tail, and claws to distinguish them, to humanoid creatures covered head to toe in soft, short fur and large paws at their feet. They make excellent hunters and messengers, with speed typically being a prized trait among them. They are a proud species with rich, ancient traditions, and harbour a strong curiosity for the world outside their homeland.

Children of the Tiger Goddess

Legends say that all Prra’atii were once humans, living in tribes upon a large island, carved out from the main continent of Lyr’andor. The tribes found an immense statue of a humanoid tigress, depicting a Goddess once lost to the ages. Soon, they renewed their worship of her, and found their efforts rewarded. Their hunts were more fruitful than planned. Their females more fertile, their children stronger, smarter. The more they devoted themselves to her worship, the more powerful they seemed to become.

Devotion took many forms. For some, it was a simple offering with every meal, or a prayer before rest. For others, it consumed their live, devoting all their time to worshiping their new Goddess. Generations went by, and their tribes swelled. Some returned to the mainland, and continued their worship there. New statues were made. Shrines were erected. Devotion spread, and so did the power of the Tiger Goddess. Finally, it is said that she became powerful enough to sink her claws back into the mortal plane. From the first statue, she returned to the world, and knelt, observing her devoted. She reached out, and touched every last soul that had spent any time in prayer to her. With her powers, she changed those people, remaking them in her image.

A Question of Devotion

Just how these people were changed gives way to the three classes of Prra’atii seen in the modern world. It’s said that the most devoted among them became what’s known as the “Chosen” Prra’atii. They are modeled in her image, their bodies covered in short, soft fur, baring ears, tails, paws and claws. They gained superior speed and dexterity as their reward. Those who committed reverence to the Goddess through much of their life were transformed into the Devoted Prra’atii, mixing humanoid and feline in equal parts – they bare manes or tufts of fur above their breasts, their hands form to sharpened claws, and they retain their feline ears and tail. Finally, those who lived their lives under her watch, but did not devote much time to worship, became the Hunter Prra’atii; mostly human, baring only feline ears, smaller claws, and tails.

Wild and Civilized

The first time one meets a Prra’atii, they might mistake them for a tribal beastman, or other uncivilized beast. In truth, the Prra’atii are quite intelligent, and while their society didn’t develop into the same types of cities most other races did, they are no less civilized than other races. When the tribes finally ventured out into the world and encountered other species, they quickly learned languages, the Hunters most adept as bridging the racial gap, and began to integrate into society rather quickly. They do bare a few traits that hearken them back to their primal roots; they have a preference for fresh meat from their own hunts, they tend to be rather impulsive and often don’t learn from their mistakes, and then tend to lack the modesty of other races. While the hunters might be more prone to wear clothing and armor, the Chosen prefer to use their fur as their clothing, and often do not dress themselves much further.

Tribes and Settlements

Within Tiger’s Maw, one can easily find three distinct forms of civilization. The Hunter Prra’atii tend to occupy the outskirts of the jungles, forming homes from the trees there, in clearings and deforested locations, similar to most humanoids. Further inland, and especially near the coasts, the Devoted Prra’atii live in small settlements, with huts made from bamboo and straw. Upon Tiger’s Island itself, great pyramids have been erected in their Goddess’ honor. The Chosen Prra’atii live within these pyramids, and perform many of their day to day tasks in the courts below.

A Thirst for the Kill – And Glory

Prra’aati pride themselves as skilled hunters and trackers. They love to keep trophies from their accomplishments, and they often prefer to acquire and prepare their own food. This eventually translated to Prra’atii integrated in other lands, as a competitive spirit. They end up making some of the best mercenaries, simply from their desire to accomplish the greatest deed and bring back a trophy to carry with them always. A Prra’atii finds challenges difficult to ignore, and will always step up, no matter how terrible the odds.

Prra’atii Traits

Skin Colours: Cream, tanned, orange, black, white, brown

Hair Colours: All normal human hair colours, with the addition of more vibrant reds, oranges and yellows. Their ears and tails (Even as hunters) are covered in fur of similar colorations. For devoted and chosen Prra’atii, their fur is similar in coloration to cats and tigers.

Eye Colours: Hunter Prra’atii have normal human eyes, with a tendency towards greens, ambers, and blues. Chosen and Devoted Prra’atii have cat like eyes, and tend more towards amber, green, brown, or orange colors.

Racial Appearance Features: All Prra’atii have cat-ears and tails. Hunters have small claws, slightly longer than human nails. Devoted Ones have longer claws, but they are not retractable, and they have manes or patches of fur upon their chest (above the breast), and their normal body hair instead grows as softer fur, but in the same shape and amounts as normal body hair. Chosen ones do not grow normal body hair, but instead are covered in a short layer of very soft fur all over their bodies. Their hands have retractable claws, and their feet are more paw-like.

Naming Suggestions: The Prra’atii use a lot of purred, double “Rr”s, “Ah”s, “Ee” sounds, as well as soft “m”, “sh”,”n”, “prr”, “ss” and “eh.” type syllables. Female names tend to be softer, with more soft vowel sounds and purrs, and male names tend to have more hard syllables, typically harder growled “Rrs”, strong “Kk”s, “T”s or “D”s, and “Sh”s in their names. It’s also not uncommon for Prra’atii to take humanized names when they migrate into human towns and cities, and settle. Apostrophes are used to hang a portion of the word, drawing out a syllable or sound if coming after a vowel set, or accenting a harder change in tone when following a consonant. Prra’atii don’t typically have a family name, though some take titles, especially among the chosen and devoted ones. The one exception is Prra’atii who have integrated into human society – those ones will often choose a last name indicative of their nature, or of something they prize.

Male Names: Rrak’esh, Trra’adii, Vo’sha, Niikrrash, Ve’rrosh’ka

Female Names: Mii’lash, Sarr’iish, Lehrr’iissa, Mii’rraa, Prraa’iis, Siintaa, Nehsiir’ess

Age: Prra’atii typically live long and healthy lifestyles. They develop similarly to humans, lending some credence to the theory that they were shaped from humans in times long past. Their adult prime, however, lasts from 16 through 55,

Height: Prra’atii are comparable in height to humans, except Chosen ones, who tend to stand 2-3 inches taller.

Weight: Prra’atii are an athletic race and tend to be very fit and trim. Devoted and Chosen tend to be more slender than humans.

Alignment: Prra’atii are free to pursue any alignment. They are as varied as humanity in their motivations.

Size: Medium.

Speed: 30ft

Racial Special Traits:

Ability Score Increase: Your Dexterity increases by 2.
Catwalk: You are graceful and well balanced. You have advantage to any ability checks involving balance.
Improved Hearing: Your ears are stronger and pick up more than the average human. You have advantage on active perception checks to listen.
Language: You speak Common and Wildtongue.
Prra’atii Claws: Depending on your subrace, your claws grant you certain advantages.

Hunter Prra’atii

Ability Score Increase: Your Strength increases by 2.
Prra’atii Claws: Your claws grant your unarmed strike an additional 1d4 slashing damage. You are proficient in unarmed strikes. Your claws grant you a climbing speed of 10ft.
Like the Wind: Your speed increases 40ft.
Hunter’s Instinct: You have advantage to nature and perception checks when tracking something, provided they have left behind an identifiable trace, such as footprints, discarded items or a strong scent. You cannot be surprised when tracking something in this manner.
Gift of the Divine Tigress: The Goddess’ keen instincts flow through you. You care not hindered by rough terrain, and you ignore half cover against targets that are hidden behind a natural object, such as a tree, a bush, a log or a rock.

Devoted Prra’atii

Ability Score Increase: Your Charisma increases by 1.
Prra’atii Claws: Your claws grant your unarmed strike an additional 1d6 + 2 slashing damage. You are proficient in unarmed strikes. Your claws grant you a climbing speed of 20ft.
Swift: Your speed increases to 35ft.
Darkvision: You gain Darkvision out to 60ft.
Devotion of the Divine Tigress: The Goddess’ beauty shines through you. Once per short rest, you can engage the devotion of the Divine Tigress, granting proficiency (or double proficiency if you are already proficient) to either persuasion and intimidation (Choose one) checks against anyone who who can see and hear you when you use this ability. Tiger fur grows over your body, you begin to purr or growl (depending on whether you wish to persuade or intimidate), and your eyes shine a bright green colour. The effects last for five minutes before wearing off.

Chosen Prra’atii

Ability Score Increase: Your Wisdom increases by 1.
Prra’atii Claws: Your claws grant your unarmed strike an additional 1d6 slashing damage. You are proficient in unarmed strikes. Your claws grant you a climbing speed of 20ft.
Darkvision: You gain Darkvision out to 60ft.
Chosen of the Divine Tigress: You gain access to one Cleric cantrip of your choice. In addition, once per long rest, you can maximize the healing or damage of any one spell that requires touch to cast, or can be cast upon yourself.