Neko (5e Race)

Neko

“	The desire of the people that can't control a tabaxi, can't own a cat, but can't tolerate humanity either. That is the neko. Sad, sad people.	”
—King Tiburus, the hunter

Fast, elegant, and always ready to get down and dirty, they are the sprinters and fleeting ones. When a wanted ad comes up in your city for an uncatchable burglar, chances are that a neko was the culprit. However, it is also just as likely when your team is saved from a bear by a passing ranger that a neko was to thank. Harmonious, good natured and admirable, nekos only want two things: to do what they want and to have fun while doing it.

Physical Description

By Aoi Ogata

Neko are small-sized humanoids that look very similar to elves or humans, save the fact that they have cats hairy ears, long furry tails and, occasionally, whiskers. Their hands are structurally like a human hand, but they are wider, tend to be much more hairy, and the fingers are slightly shorter, with curved nails. Unlike humans, they are much more slender and quick with a vast array of hair and eye colors of almost any combination. They are a bit smaller than the usual catfolk or tabaxi, not as strong, and mainly appear more human. However, they do have quickness and often a super endearing face to boot. Their heads are actually more rounded, making them appear more youthful and more desirable than other feline races. They use this to their advantage often, earning points in societies for cuteness to hide the fact that many of them deal in less than respectable professions.

History

The neko are the descendants of an ancient race of cat people who were covered from head to toe in fur and were much more feline than the neko of today. Some investigators even believe that neko, tabaxis, and catfolk originated from the same ancestor, but nothing has been confirmed. These ancient cat people were rare due to them living in the vast deserts, but their settlements were sought after by early races because of their hunting prowess. The early race eventually intermingled with these other races, particularly humans, and the modern-day neko was the result. These interactions were not wholly friendly, as many of early neko were sought after to be caught as pets or even forced into mercenary work. The neko sometimes born as a result of deviant sexual behaviors or bastard births often had harsh lives and lived like strays in societies. However, they learned to turn their charm into a weapon and make a living stealing and then disarming pursuers with their adorability.

As the modern-day neko became more common, the ancient neko ancestor eventually died out. However, some neko will only live as their ancient ancestors did, and are thus called wild neko. These abandoned the settings in which they were likely born to return to the deserts from whence they originated. They have a harsh distrust towards other races, particularly humans. However, the rest of the nekos developed alongside the humans and elves, with whom they share a bond, becoming "domesticated." These domesticated types are vehemently despised by the wild subrace, considered to have been brainwashed cowards to forget the wrongs done to their origin race. Conversely, the domesticated kind despise the wild neko, considering them incapable of having any other emotion besides anger and being uncultured.

Society

Wherever they live, neko prefer to have a polyamorous society, where the concept of marriage is lost to them; although it is not always possible for domestic neko if the society forbids it.

Domestic neko typically are residents in other societies where they perform jobs either as servants or employees of guilds. Many are sometimes "owned" by a master or guild, where they will work for the rest of their lives. Some perform jobs as maids, others, mercenaries. Sometimes a domesticated neko may buy their freedom. However, an untethered neko is usually severely mistreated, as many believe they "belong" with a master and not by themselves. They often have trouble finding work and resort to thievery or eking a living on the streets. Because of their upbringing, they cannot simply run away to become wild neko, and, more frequently than not, they get enslaved by them.

Wild neko, on the other hand, live in societies mimicking their ancestors, making it look virtually unchanged. They have settlements built in deserts, but also some forests or jungles far from civilization. Wild neko are hunters in groups of scouts and move as a swift unit. When confronted with foreigners, they can be very brusque and dismissive. They usually have an initiation ritual that is independent of each tribe; the rituals can range from something as ordinary as a celebration of passage, to brutal rites like sending maturing young ones without any gear into the wilderness. To a degree, it is desirable to raise solitary hunters to prove their survivability and worth. Their society is ruled by a hierarchy of elders who keep the wisdoms and living styles of their ancestors close to heart. They rarely escape these tribal societies to get into cities. These escapees are often killed, if not by the other wild neko, then by humanoids or groups of domestic or untethered neko. They are seen as unworthy of living in a civilization and a complete lost cause.

Neko Names

Domestic neko get named after birth. Their name might change after they get a master, in which case it can be even given by the master or chosen by themselves. These names are permanent and sometimes include several nicknames. Wild neko get their name after they prove their worth to their society, either given by the elders or by themselves. They do not get nicknames unless the elders approve it. Neko are notorious for incorporating cat puns and cat-type wordplay into their names.

Male: Chrimi, Maosen, Bellmont, Felix, Tatsuki, Taeko, Hiroshi, Kimi, Hitoshi, Akio, Katoro, Senshi, Toshiro, Tadaaki, Ichiro, Ryuu, Masanori, Benjiro, Kento, Shohei

Female: Mewlin, Pawla, Tailam, Floof, Chiyo, Akari, Nakano, Yua, Mio, Eiji, Sara, Riki, Himari, Bashira, Hana, Makoto, Danuja, Kiyo, Yamato, Haia

Neko Traits

Anime cat people.
Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 2.
Age. Nekos age as fast as humans but live a bit longer than humans; up to 120 years. There are some that have reached 150 years, but they are extraordinary.
Alignment. Domestic neko tend towards neutral alignments, while Wild neko tend towards more chaotic alignments. They are rarely evil.
Size. Neko are somewhat smaller than the rest of the cat races, being slightly taller than dwarves. Your size is Small.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Darkvision. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Great Flexibility. You are proficient in the Acrobatics skill.
Naturally Graceful. When you are unarmored or wearing only light armor, you halve any falling damage you receive and always land on your feet.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common, and one other language of your choice.
Subrace. Choose either the Domestic or Wild subrace.

Domestic

Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score increases by 1.
Domesticated Skills. Working for others often requires some specialization. You are proficient in one tool of your choice.
Civilized Lurker. Coming from urban environments and working in them gives you an upper hand in sneaking around there. You have advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks in urban environments.

Wild

Ability Score Increase. Your Wisdom score increases by 1.
Fleet of Foot. Your base walking speed increases to 35 feet.
Connection. You are well connected with the lore of your roots. You are proficient in the History skill.

Random Height and Weight

Table: Neko Random Height and Weight

Base Height	Height Modifier	Base Weight	Weight Modifier
3′2″	+1d6	60lb.	x2d6lb.

5.00

(one vote)

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