Editing Catfolk (section)

===Midgardian Catfolk===
Originally, the setting of [[Midgard]] didn't really ''have'' catfolk, although as it was based off of the [[Pathfinder Roleplaying System]], there was an implicit place for the Ammuran, or Pathfinder Catfolk, in the world it had built. The first explicit race of Midgardian catfolk were the '''Nkosi''', a race of leonine-featured shapeshifters able to change from their default humanoid shape into the form of lions, who debuted in the original [[Southlands]] [[splatbook]]. But, as Midgard transitioned from Pathfinder to [[Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition]], it saw an opening and hastened to fill it. Thus, the 5e rewrite of the [[Southlands]] saw the N'kosi gain a sibling race in the '''Basteti'''. Later, the Tome of Heroes would add two more catfolk subraces native to the northern regions; the '''Malkins''' and the '''Pantherans'''.

Denizens of the [[Southlands]] empire of Omphaya, the '''Nkosi''' were originally humans, but were warped by the magics of their former god-king, the [[titan]] Gamka, to bear a more leonic visage; writeups of the race describe them as resembling "bestial humans with large feline eyes, flat noses that give their face a leonic look, and a cat's eyes, teeth and fur", as well as noting that their modified jaw structure gives them a certain trouble with properly pronouncing human languages, leading to a tendency to double their vowels. Their mentality also has a strong leonic influence; they are naturally inclined towards teamwork, and also have a strong affinity for hunting: Nkosi tend to couch everything in terms of hunting prey. Even their social unit resembles a lion's pride, with an emphasis on close bonds and communal childcare.

Perhaps because of this, Nkosi are technically an [[Amazon]] race - oh, the males are kept around, and seen as useful when brute force is required, but the womenfolk are crucial to Nkosi society, and are its primary warriors and hunters.

Nkosi regard most other races neutrally, but have both an instinctive fondness for [[human]]s (due to their origins) and an inexplicable distrust of [[gnoll]]s (who, remember, are NOT an [[Always Chaotic Evil]] race in [[Midgard]]).

The 5e Southlands Player's Guide retcons that the Nkosi are "siblings" in some nebulous way to the Basteti [[catfolk]], the difference being that whilst Bastet and Gamka agreed they wanted their children to be feline humanoids, but Gamka wanted them to strictly resemble lions and Bastet wanted them to resemble ''all'' the cat species, so each entity went their own way and made their own take on the basic idea of the catfolk.

When it comes to the '''Basteti''', there's not all that much to say. As we touched on with the Nkosi, they were created by the goddess [[Bastet]], who wanted to blend the best of human and cat. Character-wise, they're pretty standard catfolk; a neurotic bundle of curiosity and impulsiveness mixed up with the killer's instincts of a skilled predator.

'''Malkins''', who have the forms of "small cats" (housecats, wild cats, ocelots... basically, anything that isn't a "great cat") and '''Pantherans''', who resemble great cats, are found in the northern parts of the world, beyond the Southlands, and comparatively rare compared to their Southland cousins. The most widely accepted story is that they are the descendants of Basteti who migrated north and then mutated from their traditional nature, with the fact that pantherans never have leonine appearances being cited as proof. However, individual families of northern catfolk have their own origin stories. Many malkins claim to be creations of [[Loki]], who grew fascinated with the mischievousness and curiosity of the small cats and elevated them to a more human-like form to better serve him. Pantherans, in contrast, claim to have been birthed by the strange and enigmatic powers that rule over Midgard's forests as protectors of the natural world. Whatever their true origins, malkins and pantherans alike are noted for their curiosity, their adventurous nature, their optimism, extroverted natures, and general quirkiness. They are largely matriarchal as a race, although in practice they tend to be meritocratic. Malkins are more heavily associated with urban environments, and pantherans with forests and jungles. Likewise, malkins tend to be vastly more social, whilst pantherans are largely loners and live in small, tribal clusters.

::Ability Score Increase: +2 Dexterity
::Size: Medium
::Speed: 30 feet
::Darkvision: 60 feet
::Cat's Claws: You can make unarmed strikes with your claws, dealing 1d4 + Str modifier Slashing daamge.
::Hunter's Senses: You have Proficiency in Perception and Stealth.
::Subrace: Choose either Basteti, Malkin, Nkosi or Pantheran for your subrace.

''Basteti Subrace:''
::Ability Score Increase: +1 Chariosma
::Bastet's Blessing: You can communicate with all types of cats and have Advantage on Charisma checks against all types of cats. This doesn't necessarily mean they will ''listen'' to you, as cats don't like doing what they're told.
::Climber: When you move at least 10 feet horizontally first, you can use the rest of your movement to traverse vertical surfaces.
::Stalker's Reflex: You have Advantage on Dexterity checks for Initiative.

''Malkin Subrace:''
::Ability Score Increase: +1 Intelligence
::Size Adjustment: You are '''Small''', not Medium.
::Curiously Clever: You have Proficiency in the Investigation skill.
::Charmed Curiosity: When you roll a 1 on a Dexterity check or save, youi can reroll it, though you must use the new roll.

''Nkosi Subrace:''
::Ability Score Increase: +1 Strength
::Form of the Lion: As an action, you can assume leonine form or revert to normal form. In leonine form, you move on all fours, so your speed goes up by +10 feet but you can't use your hands for anything, you can't speak or cast spells, you gain Advantage on Perception checks based on smell, and you can make a Bite attack unarmed strike that does 1d6 + Str modifier Piercing damage. When you transform, your equipment falls to the ground, merges into your new form or is worn by it. Worn equipment functions as normal, but the GM decides whether it is practical for your lion form to wear a piece of equipment.

'''Pantheran Subrace:'''
::Ability Score Increase: +1 Wisdom
::Hunter's Charge: Once per turn, if you move at least 10 feet towards a target and hit it with a melee weapon attack in the same turn, you can use a Bonus Action to attack that creature with your Cat's Claws. This can be done (Proficiency bonus) times per day, and all uses recover on a long rest.
::One with the Wilds: You have Proficiency in one of the following skills; Insight, Medicine, Nature, or Survival.

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