Feline (3.5e Template)
Feline
3e Summary::Always on the prowl, a creature with the feline template takes on many of the features of the hunter and stalker. The creature to which this template acquires many of the traits and characteristics of a small cat, becomming stealthier and much more agile, preffering to firstly to find and trail its prey until pouncing at the opportunity which would yield the best chance of catching its game.
Creating a Feline
The feline template can be applied to any animal, fey, humanoid, magical beast, or vermin (referred to hereafter as the base creature). This template cannot be applied to an animal which is already classed as a feline, meaning all members of the Felidae family.
Size and Type
A feline creature uses all the base creature’s statistics and abilities except as noted here. Do not recalculate the creature’s Hit Dice, base attack bonus, saves, or skill points if its type changes. The base creature's size changes to small (although the actual size and weight of the original creature remain unchanged).
Hit Dice
All racial Hit Die change to d8.
Speed
As base creature + 20 ft on land only
Special Attacks
A feline creature retains all the special attacks of the base creature and gains those described below. All DC of 10 + ½ feline's creature’s HD + base creature's intelligence modifier.
Great Leap (Su): Usuable equal to his Dexterity modifer per day, the feline can now attempt great feats of an acrobatic nature like the jump spell. However, instead of applying this bonus to jump checks as per regular (as an enhancement bonus) it is instead added as a competence bonus, allowing greater freedom of it's use in conjunction with magical items or spells. This ability is only usable on the caster as opposed to in the spell description
Spell-Like Abilities: Cat's grace, 3 + Int modifier per day. This ability is only usable on the caster as opposed to in the spell description. It is suggested that rangers use this ability to boost attack and damage for a short time.
Special Qualities
Low-light Vision (Ex): A feline can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. He retains the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions.
Feline Devotion (Ex): A feline should never be caught in a situation in which it will be lacking of methods with which to escape, so therefore must be prepared to go through a stage of grueling physcial training involving the base creature's flexibility. After this, the base creature may reach a level of contortion where they are able to bend their body into achieving what can only be described as extraordinary feats, also a few other unnatural maneuvers which are simply unachievable of all or at least the greater majority of their race. This allows the base creature to now act for all purposes as a small creature, gaining the bonuses to Hide checks along with attack rolls and AC bonus, also taking on the penalties to special combat options such as Bull Rush, Grapple and Overrun as a small creature would. They may still wield weapons and wear armor made for medium creatures without penalty but may now also do the same with small weapons and armor.
Hide in Plain sight (Su): A feline may use the Hide skill even while being observed. As long as he is within 10 feet of some sort of shadow, a feline can hide himself from view in the open without having anything to actually hide behind.
Abilities
-2 Strength,+4 Dexterity, +2 Intelligence, +2 Charisma
Skills
Felines have a +3 racial bonus on Climb, Escape Artist, Hide, and Move Silently checks and a +4 racial bonus on Jump checks. In areas of tall grass, forest or heavy undergrowth, the Hide bonus rises to +4.
Felines also have a +8 racial bonus on Balance checks as long as they retain a tail.
They may use their Dexterity modifier instead of their Strength modifier for Climb and Jump checks.
Felines also must make a Swim check every 20 feet though open water, regardless of class, because of partial cat-like inability to swim.
Feats
Felines gain the Weapon Finesse and Track feats as a bonus feats, if the base creature already has these feat then there is no change.
Environment
Felines tend to dwell either in the wilds, preffering areas which provide either tall grass growth like grassplains to augment their camofluage or otherwise in dense forest where they take to the trees, each offering equal benefits depending on the particular member of the Felidae family they base themselve upon.
Organization
creatures with the Feline temple tend to either dwell in a symbiotic relationship with a family, pride or group of animals pertaining to the Felidae family. This includes Tigers (Panthera tigris), Jaguars (Panthera onca), Lions (Panthera leo), Cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus), Cougars (Puma concolor), Leopards (Panthera pardus), Lynxs (Lynx rufus) and even as far to say the domestic housecat (Felis catus).
When not connected to a family group or any other form of party, they are wanderers who choose the path of either the wilds or the cityscape, though it is very much difficult to divorce them completely from one or the other.
Challenge Rating
As base creature
Treasure
As base creature.
Alignment
Any.