Post by GuardianTempest on Oct 15, 2018 21:29:41 GMT -6
The Rakasta are a race of humanoid cat people. Their origins are unknown, but they like to think they were made in the image of Luna, who they interpret in religious iconography as being a cat. It's far more likely that the Rakasta are descended from housepets that were lost in the Warp and naturally evolved in their own little bubble over the course of millions of years. Regardless of the strange circumstances behind their creation, the Rakasta certainly exist, and can be seen hocking their wares anywhere from Sigil to Baator.
Rakasta hail from a jungle planet they call Kyushu, but Kyushu was accidentally listed in the Imperium's charts as Carlos McConnell and the name stuck. While exploring the Great Wheel, you're wont to run into two kinds of Rakasta. The first kind are the landowning nobility, warrior clans that adhere to a complex system of honor and duty. The other sort are travelling nomads, traders and vagabonds who own little property of their own and are constantly on the move in order to ensure their survival.
Physical Characteristics
Average Height: 1.5-2.2m
Average Weight: 75-120 kg
Languages: Trade, Rakasta
Common Personality Traits: Curious, mischievous, vain, sharp-witted, catty
Common Physical Traits: Triangular ears, fluffy tail, patterned fur, pettable head
Example Names: Aisha, Lion-O, Okayu, J'zargo, Chen
Racial Statistics
Characteristic Bonus: +1 to Dexterity or Charisma
Skill Bonus: +1 to Athletics and Perception
Power — Feline Physiology: You begin play with the Catfall feat and the Dark Sight trait. You also gain +2 speed while wearing light or no armor.
Size: 4
Racial Feats
Bakeneko (Paragon Asset)
You were born with two tails, granting you Speak Language (Spirit-tongue) and allowing you to see the Umbra overlaid over the Materium. You can communicate with entities in the Umbra from the Materium, but cannot physically interact with them unless you find other means to do so.
All Fours (Rakasta/Lupin)
Some xenos races are closer to their feral origins than others. As long as your hands and feet are free, you add your Dexterity once more to your Speed.
Cat's Meow
A crafty Rakasta knows how to use their natural cuteness to their advantage. Once per scene, you can cast Charm Person, using Level + Charisma instead of the normal Focus Power test. You can do this twice per scene at Level 3, and three times per scene at Level 5
Jungle Panther
You're a master of pouncing. You gain a +1k1 bonus to your grapple rolls when you grapple an opponent from a jump, stealth, or charge. This bonus lasts until the grapple is broken.
Retractable Claws
Rakasta have been using their claws as dueling weapons since the beginning of their history. You gain a Claw weapon with the following profile (1k1 R, Melee, Brawling) that can be readied as a free action.
Physical Qualities
The Rakasta are descended from carnivorous feline stock, and it shows. They're bipedal humanoids with catlike heads, their bodies covered in short fur that comes in all sorts of reds, browns, and blacks. Some Rakasta have stripe, spot, or ring patterns on their fur, while others are simply solid colored. They have large, triangular ears that rest atop their heads, and long, non-prehensile tails that can be anywhere between two to four feet in length.
The sclera of a Rakasta's eyes are solid colored (usually green, blue, or yellow), and their pupils are black, vertical slits. The eyes of a Rakasta are geared towards night vision, allowing them to see in the dark just as well as they can during the day. All Rakasta are born with a set of retractable claws on their forepaws, but it takes a great deal of sharpening for them to be considered any good in a fight.
Playing a Rakasta
Historically, the Rakasta were stratified into two major social groups based on gender. The areas of warfare and politics were seen as jobs for the (cat-)men-folk, while the women were held responsible for everything else. At an initial glance, it seemed like women got the short end of the stick, but in reality they were responsible for everything that didn't fall under the purview of warfare or politics. That meant that if the females were to suddenly vanish, Rakasta civilization would implode on itself because your average male was illiterate and had no concept of money. As a matter of practicality, this tradition became scarce once the Rakasta began exploring the Astral Sea, but it is still practiced by many noble houses to this day.
Due to vestigial territorial instincts influencing their culture and general psychology, a Rakasta is only as good as the amount of land they (or their spouse) owns. A Rakasta's physical holdings determine not only how they see themselves, but how they are judged by others of their kind. For this reason, modern Rakasta society greatly resembles the pre-industrial feudal system it was preceded by. In order to prevent the males from killing each other in honor duels every time they slighted one another, a rigid system of social conduct was invented to moderate their behavior. Thanks to that, the Rakasta are very polite to each other, and are at worst passive aggressive to outsiders. They also like being pet behind the ears.
Rakasta Heroes
Long ago in the distant region of Kagutsuchi, the shape-shifting Black Beast sprung forth from nothingness and unleashed an unspeakable evil. But six heroes, each wielding different magical weapons, stepped forth to oppose it. Before the final blow was struck, the monster tore open a portal in the Materium and flung itself into the Umbra, where its evil can be raw. Now the six heroes are scattered across the Great Wheel, searching for their eternal foe. Their strongest member, the mighty two-tailed Jubei, is itching for a rematch with a pair of swords that can breach dimensions.
Kit Ballard is a slippery bounty hunter hailing from Midsun, which is now in ruins due to a Modron invasion. After fleeing the ruins of her homeworld, she has wandered throughout the Great Wheel making a name for herself as an excellent bounty hunter. Although the people who have worked with or against her believe "fortuitous" is a more appropriate description. They claim that Kit has the uncanny ability to leverage her circumstances and bail herself out of whatever seemingly-impossible odds standing against her.
Shere Khan was genetically engineered to be the best of his kind. Unfortunately, the people that created him made him too well. Khan went rogue, for he was a lone hunter who could not be tamed. After destroying his creators, Khan retired to a jungle Death World, becoming a primal king who gave no quarter in combat and accepted it from no one. He stayed this way, proud of his power, until he realized that there were ways he could become more powerful. He then started a small manufacturing firm in the Eastern Fringe, now aware that money and power go hand in hand.
