TABAXI

W
E HAD A TABAXI COME THROUGH ONCE, A tabaxi rogue could happily spend months plotting to steal
a few winters back. She kept the taproom a strange gem from a noble, only to trade it for passage on a
packed each night with her stories and spent ship or a week’s lodging after stealing it. The tabaxi might
most days napping in a chair in front of the take extensive notes or memorize every facet of the gem
fireplace. We thought she was lazy, but when before passing it on, but the gem holds no more allure once
Linene came around looking for a missing its secrets and nature have been laid bare.
broach, she was out the door before I could      
                          blink an eye. Tinkers and Minstrels
---Toblen Stonehill, innkeeper Curiosity drives most of the tabaxi found outside their
homeland, but not all of them become adventurers. Tabaxi
Hailing from a strange and distant land, wandering tabaxi who seek a safer path to satisfy their obsessions become
are catlike humanoids driven by curiosity to collect wandering tinkers and minstrels.
interesting artifacts, gather tales and stories, and lay eyes on These tabaxi work in small troupes, usually consisting of
all the world’s wonders. Ultimate travelers, the inquisitive an elder, more experienced tabaxi who guides up to four
tabaxi rarely stay in one place for long. Their innate nature young ones learning their way in the world. They travel in
pushes them to leave no secrets uncovered, no treasures or small, colorful wagons, moving from settlement to settlement.
legends lost. When they arrive, they set up a small stage in a public square
where they sing, play instruments, tell stories, and offer exotic
Wandering Outcasts goods in trade for items that spark their interest. Tabaxi
reluctantly accept gold, but they much prefer interesting
Most tabaxi remain in their distant homeland, content to objects or pieces of lore as payment.
dwell in small, tight clans. These tabaxi hunt for food, craft These wanderers keep to civilized realms, preferring to
goods, and largely keep to themselves. bargain instead of pursuing more dangerous methods of
However, not all tabaxi are satisfied with such a life. The sating their curiosity. However, they aren’t above a little
Cat Lord, the divine figure responsible for the creation of the discreet theft to get their claws on a particularly interesting
tabaxi, gifts each of his children with one specific feline trait. item when an owner refuses to sell or trade it.
Those tabaxi gifted with curiosity are compelled to wander
far and wide. They seek out stories, artifacts, and lore. Those
who survive this period of wanderlust return home in their
elder years to share news of the outside world. In this The Cat Lord
manner, the tabaxi remain isolated but never ignorant of the The deity of the tabaxi is a fickle entity, as befits
world beyond their home. the patron of cats. The tabaxi believe that the cat
lord wanders the world, watching over them and
Barterers of Lore intervening in their affairs as needed. Clerics of the
cat lord are rare and typically access the trickery
Tabaxi treasure knowledge rather than material things. A domain.
chest filled with gold coins might be useful to buy food or a
coil of rope, but it’s not intrinsically interesting.
In the tabaxi’s eyes, gathering wealth is like packing rations
for a long trip. It’s important to survive in the world, but not
worth fussing over.
Instead, tabaxi value knowledge and new experiences. Tabaxi Names
Their ears perk up in a busy tavern, and they tease out stories Each tabaxi has a single name, determined by clan and based
with offers of food, drink, and coin. Tabaxi might walk away on a complex formula that involves astrology, prophecy, clan
with empty purses, but they mull over the stories and rumors history, and other esoteric factors. Tabaxi names can apply to
they collected like a miser counting coins. both males and females, and most use nicknames derived
Although material wealth holds little attraction for the from or inspired by their full names.
tabaxi, they have an insatiable desire to find and inspect Clan names are usually based on a geographical feature
ancient relics, magical items, and other rare objects. Aside located in or near the clan’s territory.
from the power such items might confer, a tabaxi takes great The following list of sample tabaxi names includes
joy in unraveling the stories behind their creation and the nicknames in parenthesis.
history of their use. Tabaxi Names: Cloud on the Mountaintop (Cloud), Five
Timber (Timber), Jade Shoe (Jade), Left-Handed
Fleeting Fancies Hummingbird (Bird), Seven Thundercloud (Thunder), Skirt of
Wandering tabaxi are mercurial creatures, trading one Snakes (Snake), Smoking Mirror (Smoke)
obsession or passion for the next as the whim strikes. A Tabaxi Clans: Bright Cliffs, Distant Rain, Mountain Tree,
tabaxi’s desire burns bright, but once met it disappears to be Rumbling River, Snoring Mountain
replaced with a new obsession. Objects remain intriguing
only as long as they still hold secrets.

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 Tabaxi Personality
A Tabaxi might have motivations and quirks much different
from a dwarf or an elf with a similar background. You can use
the following tables to customize your character in addition
to the trait, ideal, bond, and flaw from your background.
The Tabaxi Obsession table can help hone your character’s
goals. For extra fun, roll a new result every few days that pass
in the campaign to reflect your ever-changing curiosity.
Tabaxi Obsessions
  d8   My curiosity is currently fixed on...
1 A god or planar entity
2 A monster
3 A lost civilization
4 A wizard’s secrets
5 A mundane item
6 A magic item
7 A location
8 A legend or tale

Tabaxi Quirks
   d10    Quirk
1 You miss your tropical home and complain
endlessly about the freezing weather, even in
summer.
2 You never wear the same outfit twice, unless you
absolutely must.
3 You have a minor phobia of water and hate getting
wet.
4 Your tail always betrays your inner thoughts.
5 You purr loudly when you are happy.
6 You keep a small ball of yarn in your hand, which
you constantly fidget with.
7 You are always in debt, since you spend your gold
on lavish parties and gifts for friends.
8 when talking about something you’re obsessed
with, you speak quickly and never pause and
others can’t understand you.
9 You are a font of random trivia from the lore and
stories you have discovered.
10 You can’t help but pocket interesting objects you
come across.

Tabaxi in the Forgotten Realms

Tabaxi traits
In the Forgotten Realms, tabaxi hail from Maztica, a Your tabaxi character has the following racial traits.
realm located far across the ocean west of the Ability score increase. Your Dexterity score increases by
sword coast. The tabaxi of Maztica are known for 2, and your Charisma score increases by 1.
their isolation, and until recently they never Age. Tabaxi have lifespans equivalent to humans.
ventured from their homeland. The tabaxi say little Alignment. Tabaxi tend toward chaotic alignments, as they
of why that has changed, though rumors persist of let impulse and fancy guide their decisions. They are rarely
strange happenings in that distant land. evil, with most of them driven by curiosity rather than greed
or other dark impulses.
Size. Tabaxi are taller on average than humans and
relatively slender. Your size is Medium.

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    Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet. Cat’s Claws. Because of your claws, you have a climbing
Darkvision. You have a cat’s keen senses, especially in the speed of 20 feet. In addition, your claws are natural weapons,
dark. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it which you can use to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with
were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You them, you deal slashing damage equal to 1d4 + your Strength
can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray. modifier, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an
Feline Agility. Your reflexes and agility allow you to move unarmed strike.
with a burst of speed. When you move on your turn in Cat’s Talent. You have proficiency in the Perception and
combat, you can double your speed until the end of the turn. Stealth skills.
Once you use this trait, you can’t use it again until you move 0 Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and
feet on one of your turns. one other language of your choice.