Talk:Catfolk (5e Race)

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The WIP variant for Rakshasa Ancestry includes a statement about not gaining attacks as they level [" however they do not gain additional attacks upon levels. This is true even if the catfolk is not assuming a four armed state."]. This is not an aspect of 5e that can really be modified by Races without completely rewriting the classes and leaves a lot of very open ground for interpretation of what that even means. It sounds like this was taken from 3.5 where characters gained additional attacks if they took a full attack action, but in 5e some classes grant specific attacks as bonus actions and others do not. Many other bonus actions are also available, but you can only preform one bonus action per turn. --Thornbrier (talk) 01:51, 28 August 2015 (MDT)


The entire Catfolk race is not well structured for 5e. It is not structured for the inclusion of Sub-Races and is not designed to stand alone without them putting it in a weird middle ground. The race is supposed to have a lot of variety, so rather than cramming every feature into the Catfolk race that should be done across several sub-races. This whole race needs a re-write, but I don't feel it would be appropriate for me to just up and do that without talking about it first.--Thornbrier (talk) 14:27, 28 August 2015 (MDT)

  • "they do NOT have an off hand, every arm is considered primary." does not make sense in 5e.
  • Is that advantage on all Acrobatics checks? If so, consider proficiency instead.
  • "Catfolk with Displacer Beast Ancestry are almost never small and a rare few grow to be large. " - fine, just tell us what the average height is and make them Medium.
  • "have four arms, all of them considered primary." does not make sense in 5e
  • "They may hold and use items in any of them without penalty" - what would be the normal penalty?
  • Actually, I'll stop there, as it's clear the contributors are not familiar with 5e mechanics. Please take a moment to read through chapter 7 and 8 of the PHB. Marasmusine (talk) 04:49, 13 December 2015 (MST)


What about making two variants, one based off of a smaller feline and one made off a larger one. Small and medium sized felines stop at about 20kg, 45lbs in real life. This includes the bobcats and the lynxes. The larger ones start with the Cheetah all the way to the tiger. I think that there would be enough similarities in each sub group to start Catfolk, small; and Catfolk, large.


There is no reason the Race can't be a small race by default, it does not need to be some special 'mythical' or 'special' miniature breed. The race was fine after the last discussion and both parties were satisfied with the results. Changing it again is unnecessary. All you did was change the "small breed" catfolk to be the same size as the mythic breed, without adding anything new. Both arguing parties were happy with the previous change, and it should be kept that way size wise. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 2601:345:4200:F820:4846:4831:2969:4F78 (talkcontribs) . Please sign your posts.

I changed it because someone else suggested it, considering it a more elegant solution than the one I came up with, and I agreed. I'm sorry you disagree, and your concern is duly noted. — Geodude671 (talk | contribs)‎ . . 19:31, 16 July 2017 (MDT)
The change was completely unnecessary, the race already had a small cat folk type. Its called "Small Breed" I gave it that name because thats exactly what it meant. A small catfolk, not a "slightly shorter" catfolk. And then there is a larger one, called "Large breed" Which would equate to human sized or larger. There is a reason that the race doesn't have one "Catfolk" type size catagory. They can be quite small and larger. Adding a miniature catfolk subclass makes the "Small Breed" Completly irreverent and quite silly. We don't need two small catfolk races. One is fine. You also made there size the same as mystic breed. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Tsuu (talkcontribs) . Please sign your posts.
I gave them the name "small" and "large" breed simply because I couldn't think of any other way to differentiate the two. How about I change the small breed's name to "Ordinary Breed"? Would that make you feel better? — Geodude671 (talk | contribs)‎ . . 19:48, 16 July 2017 (MDT)
Perhaps it was changed before you changed it. All of the edits get confusing to keep track of. The way I had it was I gave two preset sizes for easy of use. A small breed that had a small size. And a larger breed that was larger than your average human. There size ranged from just 3 feet tall all the way up to 8, and that no size was default or 'normal'. That every size was common and regular in every sense of the word. This gave the race a very friendly feel, and was a big part of the inspiration for the race. I would prefer a simply slider if there needs to be something of the kind, showing how the race changes from small to large with stat bonuses and such. Maybe I could whip up something like that if I find the extra time. I would hate to see the race go from the fun multi sized and color race to just...the standard run of the mill catrace that every game has. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Tsuu (talkcontribs) . Please sign your posts.
You could think of the "ordinary" size as being the size that is ordinary from the perspective of intelligent creatures as a whole - most other intelligent races are medium-sized, so they perceive the medium-sized catfolk as being "ordinary" among other intelligent races, with the small and large breeds being outliers in a diverse, multiracial society the same way halflings and goliaths are. — Geodude671 (talk | contribs)‎ . . 20:36, 16 July 2017 (MDT)

Catfolk, small[edit]

Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 2, and your Charisma score increases by 1, Wisdom down by 1

Age. Catfolk reach adulthood at 15, can live to be 100.

Alignment. Can be of any alignment, although lean towards neutral.

Size. You weigh from 50 and 100 pounds. Your size is Small (3'0-4'0)

Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Darkvision. Thanks to your feline heritage, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. 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.

Soft Fall. You have resistance against falling damage, and always land on your feet. You have advantage on saving throws against: falling; being pushed; and being knocked prone

"'Catlike Tread"'. You are proficient in the Stealth skill.

Claws. You have a set of retractable claws that are weapons with which you are proficient. They deal 1d3 and can attack twice slashing damage, and have the finesse and light properties.

Languages. You can speak, read and write Common and Feline.

Catfolk, large[edit]

Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 2

Age. Catfolk reach adulthood at 15, can live to be 150.

Alignment. Can be of any alignment, although lean towards chaotic.

Size. You weigh from 150 and 250 pounds. Your size is Medium(5'0-6'0)

Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Darkvision. Thanks to your feline heritage, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. 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.

Feline Grace. You have proficiency in the Acrobatics skill.

Sprinter. Catfolk gain a 10-foot racial bonus to their speed when using the charge, run, or withdraw actions

Natural Hunter. Catfolk receive a +2 racial bonus on Perception, Stealth, and Survival checks

Claws. You have a set of retractable claws that are weapons with which you are proficient. They deal 1d4 and can attack twice slashing damage, and have the finesse and light properties.

Languages. You can speak, read and write Common and Feline.

--TheFac68 (talk) 14:26, 3 January 2017 (MST)

It seems that anonymous made sure we couldn't undo their edits...they also do not understand the concept of advantage.

Personally, I look at the Rakshasa variant and say why bother with any other


Why wouldn't catfolk have the "Keen Senses" trait? - [Just Curious] 10:50, 8 November 2017 (EST)

Musicus Rating[edit]

Musicus Meter
Score: 5.5
This race has a score of 5.5 according to the Musicus Meter race guidelines. With this metric, first-party races' scores range from 4.5 to 8. This is a guideline, not a rule, and it's important to use your own judgment alongside this scoring.
This scoring may be the groundwork for a focused {{needsbalance}} usage. A contributor to this page may request a detailed breakdown of this page's balance. Without this information, {{needsbalance}} may then be removed. This meter cannot be the sole basis for a needsbalance template, but may be included as an accessory to a wider discussion of a race's balance.
This template should only be placed on a race's talk page. If this template is not placed on the talk page, please move it.


Cost Racial Trait
1 Dexterity score increases by 1
0.25 Low-Light Vision
0.5 d4 unarmed strike
0.25 20 ft/rd climb speed
0.5 Feline Empathy
-0.5 No second language
3.5 Subrace
5.5 Total

This score assumes that a climb speed is worth 0.5 point for every 10 feet, similarly to how the meter handles swim speed.


Ordinary-Breed
Cost Racial Trait
2 Charisma score increases by 2
0.5 Stealth proficiency
0.5 35 ft/rd walk speed
0.5 Damage resistance
3.5 Total


Large-Breed
Cost Racial Trait
2 Strength score increases by 2
0.5 Stealth proficiency
0.5 d6 unarmed strike
0.5 Powerful Build
3.5 Total


Mystic-Breed
Cost Racial Trait
2 Intelligence score increases by 2
0.5 Cantrip
0.5 Arcana proficiency
0.5 Extra Language
3.5 Total

Geodude671 (talk | contribs | email)‎ . . 13:55, 5 January 2018 (MST)


Oh man, this is so good! I like this way better than Tabaxi; the subraces are fantastic! --Carcabob (talk) 12:09, 3 April 2019 (MDT)

5 Star Vote[edit]

I try to state why I vote how I do and I think this article is simply complete. It is balanced and includes quite a bit of info to help players roleplay this. Wouldn't be surprised to see it become FA.   ~BigShotFancyMan   talk   13:27, 12 December 2019 (MST)

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