Tabaxi

Tabaxi have spotted coats ranging in color from light yellow to brownish red. These graceful feline humanoids are tall and slender, with retractable claws, and eyes of green or yellow.

Some tabaxi have solid spots and are also called leopard men; they pronounce their name ta-BAX-ee. Tabaxi in other regions have roseate spots, are called jaguar men, and pronounce their race's name tah-BAHSH-ee.

Combat: Tabaxi are great hunters, combining quick, stealthy movements with natural camouflage to surprise prey. Enemies suffer a -2 penalty to surprise rolls. Tabaxi are clever and organized, often driving prey into an ambush (though some play with prey before killing it). Tabaxi climb and swim, and can use those abilities in combat. Because of their cleverness and acute sense of smell, tabaxis are almost impossible to trap.

Tabaxi often use weapons of wood, bone, and stone, including bolas, slings, obsidian studded clubs (treat as battle axes), and javelins with atlatl. They are as likely to use claws and teeth as any other weapon. If both forepaws hit, a tabaxi rakes with its rear claws. A group encountered in the wild will include a Hunt Leader with maximum hit points, and may (50% chance) include a 3rd-level priest with appropriate Hit Dice and spells.

Habitat/Society: Tabaxi clans contain equal numbers of males and females, and a full clan has 1d6+1 Hunts of 2d4 tabaxi. The Hunts work the area around the clan lair. Some lairs are temporary, but most are small villages of ramadas (huts with grass roofs supported by tall poles, and no walls). In a lair, 3d4 young with 1 HD each will be found. An elder with 4 HD leads the clan, and 50% of the leaders are aided by a 5th-level shaman. A clan has a 10% chance of owing allegiance to a tabaxi lord; these clans tend toward evil, warlike ways, and their shamans worship evil powers. Shamans of other clans worship powers related to sunlight, rain, or animals.

Tabaxi are reclusive and avoid other intelligent beings, even other tabaxi clans. They do not engage in trade, which they consider demeaning, but some few have agents who trade for them. Tabaxi speak their own ancient language. Legends tell of a great tabaxi civilization that was supplanted by other races.

Ecology: Tabaxi have few natural enemies. For food, they prefer the boar-like peccaries and huge rodents called capybaras; only a very degenerate clan attacks members of another intelligent species for food. Tabaxi are sometimes hunted for their pelts, worth up to 250 gp each. Their skins and claws are also useful in some types of natural magic.

Tabaxi Lord

A tabaxi lord appears as a huge jaguar or leopard, depending on where it is found. They are intelligent, malicious, and cunning. They speak tabaxi and languages commonly used by nearby societies. The antithesis of couatls, tabaxi lords hate them (the feeling is mutual) and attack couatl on sight.

Tabaxi lords use trickery, ambush, allies, and spells to weaken foes before closing for combat. Some 55% are 7th-level wizards, while 40% are 7th-level priests of a dark power known as Zaltec. Five percent are both wizard and priest. Wizard spells are chosen from the schools of illusion, enchantment/charm, or necromancy; spells from the schools of alteration and invocation/evocation are never used. In addition to spells that require only verbal components, they can use the following powers at will: detect good/evil, detect invisibility, bind, and hypnotism. The bravest and cruelest tabaxi lords can use dimension door three times per day.

Tabaxi lords are closely related to tabaxi, perhaps a cursed version. All tabaxi lords are male and must take a tabaxi mate to produce offspring (always a male tabaxi lord). Although usually solitary, a tabaxi lord sometimes takes leadership of a tabaxi clan for the purpose of mating and insuring offspring. Some choose to stay with the clan even after the offspring is born and sent off to make its way in the jungle.