Meowth (5e Race)
Meowth
| “ | "Round things... I adore them, meow!" | ” |
| —Meowth, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Red/Blue Rescue Team | ||
Physical Description
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| An Alolan meowth (left) with a Galarian (center) and Kantonean variant (right). Source |
Meowth is a small, quadruped feline, but it is capable of bipedal movement. It is covered in cream-colored fur, with brown fur at the ends of its hind paws and tail, which curls tightly at the end. Meowth's head is almost oval in shape, and has purple eyes with slit pupils. Its ears are black with a brownish interior. Finally, its head sports 6 large straight whiskers, 4 on it's cheeks and two at the top of it's head flanking a gold coin-like object that adorns it's forehead.
Some meowth have been known to have a slightly darker cream-colored fur, with the brown parts of it's tail and hind paws ending in a pinkish fur instead of brown. Meowths with this and the previous coloration are known as Kantonean meowths.
In Alola, however, meowths appear almost the same as their Kantonean counterparts, but have a light, gray-blue fur covering it's body with a whitish-gray color on it's paws and tail. Unlike it's Kantonean counterpart, it's whispers have a slight curve instead of standing straight. It always seems to have it's eyes half closed and appear to have a silvery color.
Just like their Kantonean counterparts, some Alolan meowths have been known to have an alternate fur color. Their body is covered in a dark gray-blue fur and it's paws and tail have a dark purple fur color.
Galarian Meowths are a different story altogether. These bipedal felines are covered in a shaggy, greyish-brown coat that practically resembles a beard and it's paws and tail have a dark-brown, almost black color. Their eyes are yellow and often sport a toothy grin. The coin on their head, unlike their Kantoenan and Alolan cousins, is black and hard.
As is the case with the aforementioned breeds, Galarian Meowths too have been seen with odd-colored fur. Its eyes are white and its body covered in a golden fur coat while its paws and tail are completely black. Even the coin on its head has turned black.
History
Meowths are said to have originated in Kanto, but can be found almost anywhere in valleys, forests and in urban areas. Nocturnal by nature, meowths usually sleep during the day and patrol their territory at night. They have a love of round and shiny objects, especially coins. When it sees such an object, the coin-shaped growth on it's head shines as well, and it cannot help but stop whatever it was doing to play with it. Some have joked that meowths are related to dragons since they hoard whatever they find, especially coins. Though they are capable of bipedal movement, they prefer to move on all fours.
In the tropical island of Alola, however, meowths were not native but brought over by foreigners as gifts to the monarchy. The luxurious lifestyle they were given changed them, making them selfish and prideful and caused them to exclusively walk on two legs instead of four. When the old monarchy fell, they lived on the streets in urban areas, but still retained the selfish pride they had. Such is the delicacy of their pride that they fly into hysterics if the coin on it's head is dirtied or it's pride is wounded in any way.
When a meowth evolves, it becomes a larger quadruped known as persian. The coin on their heads becomes a small, round jewel embedded in their forehead. Kantonean Persians are rather fickle and, despite their regal appearance, will scratch and bite for little reason. Alolan persians are adored because of their round face, which is a sign of nobility to the island people, but it's temperament is even worse than that of their Kantonean counterparts as they are not above fighting dirty and even torturing their weakened prey.
In the colder climate of the Galar region, meowths were, like their Alolan cousins, not native to the region but brought there by a war-like, seafaring people. These pokemon adopted the art of war from these people, and their fur partially turned to iron and their claws became sharper as a result of fighting alongside them. Their head-coins hardened and blackened as well, and a meowth gains more respect among its peers the harder and blacker the coin is. As a result of their savage nature, they are not liked at all by their Alolan and Kantonean brothers.
A galarian meowth does evolve, but not into a persian. Instead, these little barbarians evolve into perrserkers after having endured countless battles. Unlike persians, perrserkers are bipedal and retain their head-coin. The fur on their head has hardened in such a way that it almost looks like a viking's helmet, and their claws morph in a way that looks like daggers. Needless to say, the pugnacity of these little savages only increases upon evolution.
Society
Meowths usually live either on their own or form packs. If they do form packs, any "treasures" they find are kept in a large hoard. Anyone caught holding out on the group is either punished or expelled from the group. Although meowths are capable of bipedal movement, they despise any meowth that does this and even despise fellow meowths who speak Common. It is unknown why this is the case, though some believe that this is the Kantonean meowth's response to it's Alolan variant. However, this behavior has been recorded prior to the Alolan meowth even existing.
Despite the Kantonean meowth's prejudice against it's Alolan cousins, they don't seem to have anything against humans. While some will help humans of their own volition, many will do whatever you ask with the promise of coin. However, this means a meowth's loyalty is easily bought, and one should use caution if they attempt to earn one's trust in this way, leading credence to the old proverb that one cannot "buy" friends. This does not mean that meowths are always disloyal, as some will stand by their human partners no matter what. One such case is a meowth who journeyed with a duo of criminals belonging to a large crime syndicate, who made their living off of stealing and poaching pokemon, and another case involved one who picked locks with it's claws as the partner of an infamous thief.
Alolan meowth's selfishness results in them rarely ever forming packs, preferring to strike out on their own. However, there are some cases where they will get along with each other and form packs, though usually under a human. One such case involves a police officer whose station was full of Alolan meowth.
Amusingly enough, both versions of meowth are favored among business owners and the wealthy. This is due to folklore surrounding the feline that they can bring good luck and fortune. Because of this, they have earned the name "money cat". However, small business owners tend to prefer Kantonean meowth due to the high maintenance nature that their Alolan cousins are known for.
Galarian meowths, due to how hard they hard to handle given their pugnacity, have a hard time fitting in in human society, so most of the time they stick with a pack led by a perrserker. Amusingly enough, although Kantonean and Alolan meowths and persians despise each other, one thing they share is their disdain of perrserker, as they believe it to be a stain on the regal nobility their species is renowned for.
Meowth Names
Meowth names, unless they are living in a human society, are usually any language but Common. However, Alolan meowth names will more often than not be Common. Galarian Meowths usually have Dwarven names.
Meowth Traits
Adorable yet fickle feline Pokemon who bring luck and trouble in equal measure.
Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score increases by 1.
Age. Meowths mature after 10 years and live on average between 30 and 40 years.
Alignment. Meowths, be they Alolan or Kantonean, usually lean towards neutral alignments.
Size. Meowths stand just a little above 1 foot tall. Your size is Small.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Darkvision. 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.
Cat Scratch. You can use your claws to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with them, you deal slashing damage equal to 1d4 + your Strength or Dexterity modifier, whichever is higher.
Pay Day. When you roll a 1 on an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw, you can re-roll the die and must use the new roll.
Languages. You can speak, read and write two languages of your choice.
Subrace. Pick one from: Kantonean, Alolan and Galarian.
Kantonean
Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 2.
Unnerve. You have proficiency in the Intimidation skill.
Pickup. You have advantage on Perception checks made to locate items.
Alolan
Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity and Intelligence scores each increase by 1.
Classy Cat. You have proficiency in your choice of the Persuasion or Deception skills.
Rattled. You have advantage on Dexterity saving throws while frightened.
Extra Language. You can speak, read and write Common.
Galarian
Ability Score Increase. Your Strength and Constitution scores each increase by 1.
Tough Claws. Your unarmed strikes deal 1d6 slashing damage instead of 1d4.
Galarian Resilience. You have advantage on saving throws against being poisoned, and you have resistance against poison damage, but you are vulnerable to acid damage.
Extra Language. You can speak, read and write Dwarven.
Random Height and Weight
| Base Height | Height Modifier* | Base Weight | Weight Modifier** |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1′ 4″ | +2d4 | 9 lb. | × 1 lb. |
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*Height = base height + height modifier | |||
Kantonean Persian
Prerequisites: Meowth (Kantonean)
Elegant, prideful and aggressive in equal parts, persians are stealthy, fickle quadrupeds who are loved their their regal appearance but often scratch and bite for little to no reason. The lithe muscles they develop are strong enough to resist paralysis and allow them to move silently.
Alolan Persian
Prerequisites: Meowth (Alolan)
Even more haughty than their Kantonean counterparts, Alolan persians are quadrupeds with a rounded face and a thick, elegant fur coat. The fur it has is not only said to be softer than regal velvet but also strong enough to help withstand attacks. These "noble" felines have no qualms about fighting dirty and love sucker punching their foes.
- Your Charisma score increases by 1.
- If you surprise a creature and hit it with an attack on your first turn in combat, the attack deals an extra 2d6 damage to it. You can use this trait only once per combat.
- Your hit point maximum increases by 1, and it increases by 1 every time you gain a level.
Perrserker
Prerequisites: Meowth (Galarian)
Enduring many battles has allowed the Galarian meowth to develop into a savage perrserker. Their fur has hardened like iron and their steely spirit shines in battle, increasing the morale of their comrades and aiding them in landing attacks against their foes.
- Your Strength score increases by 1.
- Your AC increases by 1
- Creatures friendly to you have advantage on attack rolls against any creature within 5 feet of you as long as you are not incapacitated.
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