Rakasta

Rakasta are a race of catfolk hailing from the Known World of Mystara, in Dungeons & Dragons. They are literally one of the oldest catfolk races in D&D, having first appeared in the X1: Isle of Dread and X2: Castle Amber modules back in 1981.

In their native setting, rakasta rule over and comprise two major kingdoms; Bellayne on Mystara proper, and Myoshima, a faux-Japanese empire on Mystara's moon, where rakasta samurai ride into battle on flying sabertooth tigers. Originally a non-playable but not necessarily hostile humanoid race, they were soon promoted to playable. Their mystical origin, supposedly, is that they were created at the dawn of time when a female cat, the familiar of a human shaman, fell so deeply in love with her human master that an Immortal took pity on her and turned her into a human so she could marry him. Then the Immortal decided to see if she had fully acclimatized to being human and sent a mouse to run across the cave's floor; when she tried to catch and eat it, he was disappointed and turned her and her husband, who refused to abandon her, both into the first Rakasta. Since this was the early days of D&D, it was stated that their mother, Ba-steh, eventually was promoted to the rank of Immortal and left Mystara's Crystal Sphere; she was worshipped on Earth by the Egyptians as Bastet for a while, then returned to Mystara when Christianity killed off her faith, becoming the patron of her now-thriving mortal children.

In Basic D&D, their stats first appeared alongside those of lupins in Dragon Magazine #181, as part of two parts of The Voyage of the Princess Ark focusing on the lupin kingdom of Renardie/Renardy and the rakasta kingdom of Bellayne. More official stats for BD&D appeared in Champions of Mystara.

In Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, they were again presented thrice over. Their first AD&D appearance was in the Mystaran sub-setting of Red Steel. Then, when the Savage Coast of Mystara was reprinted under the Odyssey line - presumably an AD&D 1e vs AD&D 2e matchup - they appeared again in the Characters of the Savage Coast sourcebook. A final appearance was in Dragon Magazine issue #247, which, much like the lupins, presented an enormous and insanely complex array of rakastan "subspecies", based on various real-world cat breeds and types.

Basic D&D Stats

When they first appeared in Dragon #181, rakasta players were told to use the rules for Human PCs, with the following changes:

Rakasta can be of any class that humans can be, including Paladin, Druid and Mystic

A rakasta PC start with 2 Hit Dice at first level, using the hit dice for the chosen class.

A rakasta PC starts with an XP debt of -2200 XP, which must be paid off before any class abilities an be used.

Rakasta PCs suffer a -30% penalty on all XP gains.

Rakasta PCs have a maximum Intelligence and Wisdom value of 17.

Rakastas must respect all ability limitations taht are normally part of their chosen class.

Rakastas have no level limitations.

Rakastas only apply their Constitution adjustments to hit points once per class level, until they reach 9th level.

Rakastas fight and save as the 'better of either their chosen character class or 2 HD Monsters.

Rakastas receive a +2 bonus to Dexterity at character creation, with a maximum Dex value of 18.

Rakastas have heightened senses, giving them Infravision, the ability to Hear Noise as if they were a Thief of equivalent level, and the ability to Detect Invisible within a 10' radius.

Rakastas have both claws and fangs, allowing them use either a natural weapon routine (two 1d2 Claw attacks and one 1d4 Bite attack) or a single weapon attack in each round of combat.

When they reappeared in "Heroes of the Princess Ark", part of the Champions of Mystara boxed set, their ruleset was identical to the above, just with a few minor/clarifying tweaks:

Rakastan Infravision has a range of 60'.

Rakastas start with 2+1 Hit Dice at first level.

When modifying XP to account for their -30% penalty, round the result up to the nearest 100.

Advanced D&D Stats

The first introduction of Rakasta as a PC race in Advanced Dungeons & Dragons happened in the Red Steel mini-setting for Mystara, though their stats would be reprinted without any real change in "Savage Coast of Mystara", part of TSR's "Odyssey" book line. Their stats in this edition were as follows:

Ability Score Modifiers: +2 Dexterity, -2 Wisdom

Ability Mins/Maxes: Minimum Strength of 9 and Dexterity of 8.

Classes: Fighter 15, Ranger 11, Wizard (Mage, Conjurer, Enchanter, Illusionist, Transmuter) 15, Cleric 2, Druid 13, Thief 13, Bard Unlimited, Psionicist 8, Dual Classes

Base Armor Class: 10

Infravision 60 feet

Half damage from falls

20% Hear Noises

Automatic Proficiency in Blind-Fighting

-1 penalty to saving throws against sound-based attacks

Special Attacks: 2 hand-claw attacks (1d2 damage each), 1 bite attack (1d4 damage), and a rear claw/rake attack that can only be used if both hand-claw attacks hit the same target in a single round (2D3 damage).

+4 bonus to saving throws to detect invisible creatures and can make this saving throw each round that an invisible or ethereal creature approaches to within or remains within a range of 10 feet

The Many Breeds of Rakasta

Like Lupins, Rakasta received a Dragon Magazine article that fleshed them out even further by giving them a "breeds-base" racial subdivision - they actually got their chance a mere ten issues after the Lupins did. They followed a similar format in racial typing to Lupins, with "Moggies" replacing the Basic Rakasta first seen in Red Steel. The same basic rules apply as with Lupins; pick your Breed Type, which determine class restrictions and max levels, causes adjustment to thieving skills, and affects ability score minimums and maximums, then pick your specific rakasta race, which affects your ability score modifiers, movement value, natural attack damage, whether or not you have a Rakasta Roar, and the severity of your fear of water, as well as potentially giving you other unique racial traits.

Universal Traits apply to most, if not all, breeds of Rakasta.

• Firstly, many Ancestor or Greater breed rakastas have a frightful roar which they can unleashing; doing so must be done in the first round of combat to be effective and it has the effect of inflicting a -1 penalty to attack rolls and saving throws on all enemies who are within range of this roar (100 feet). This penalty lasts for d6+1 rounds.
• Secondly, the fear of water requires rakasta to make a Wisdom check to enter open water; if they fail, they halve their Strength and Dexterity whilst in the water and halve their Charisma until dried off, rounding the ability score down in all cases. Rakasta who have a High fear of water have a -4 penalty to the check, whilst Rakasta with No fear of water, obviously, don't this trait at all.
• The Energy Burst racial trait is universal to rakastas and allows them to temporarily summon up a surge of adrenal energy. At will, a rakasta may declare it is using its Energy Burst, which adds (10 + (1/2 Rakasta Strength score, rounded up) to its Strength score. An Energy Burst lasts until either the rakasta calms down or it has been surging for a number of rounds equal to 1/2 Constitution (rounded down), whichever comes first. This is a draining experience, and a rakasta who has used its Energy Burst trait must then rest for a number of turns equal to the time spend surging, or else halve its Strength, Dexterity and Intelligence scores (rounding down) until it has done so.
• The Need for Rest trait means that, in addition to the above, a rakasta must sleep for 12 hours each day or else suffer the same ability score penalty until it has been properly rested.
• The Light Sleeper trait means that rakastas are entitled to make a Detect Noise roll in response to a suspicious sound being made whilst they are asleep (increase their Detect Noise by +20% for each suspicious sound beyond the first). Success means that the rakasta immediately springs awake.
• The Natural Concealment trait means that when attempting to hide or even just moving slowly through a specific breed's natural environment, they have an innate Concealment chance of 50% against creatures within 100 feet and 70% beyond that distance. Ancestor rakasta species halve these chances, to 25% and 35% respectively.
• Catnip Vulnerability means that when a rakasta is exposed to at least a 1 square foot patch of catnip, they must make a Wisdom check or be unable to do anything but cavort and play with the plants for a number of rounds equal to the amount the check was failed by. Fortunately, they retain magical and dexterity-based bonuses to AC in this state and, furthermore, attackers suffer a -2 penalty to attack rolls due to their unpredictable actions.
• Feline Senses: A Rakasta gets the Blind-Fight proficiency for free and receives +4 bonus to rolls made to detect the presence of invisible or ethereal creatures. It also has a +5% racial bonus to Detect Noise checks and has a default Detect Noises ability score of 15%, for a total of a 20% chance.
• Feline Grace: Rakastas halve the damage they sustain from falls.
• Whiskers: If the sensory whiskers, or vibrissae, on a rakasta's face are damaged or removed, then the rakasta suffers -2 Dexterity and loses access to its blind-fight and detect invisibility/ethereal bonuses until they regrow in 1d4 weeks.
• Fangs & Claws: All Rakasta have two claw attacks, a "rake" attack (claw with feet, only usable if both claw attacks hit the same target in the same round) and a bite attack, dealing damage based on their species.

Ancestors are based on the most primordial and savage of feline species. These primeval rakastas have vastly increased physical might (Minimum Strength of 16, Maximum of 19), but their primitive brains are easily overwhelmed (Maximum Intelligence and Wisdom of 12 each). They can become 15th level Fighters, 12th level Rangers, 6th level Clerics, 12th level Druids and 6th level Bards. To represent their sheer might, they should start a campaign as at least third level characters.

• Cave Rakastas are cave lionfolk, with +3 Strength, +1 Charisma, -2 Dexterity, -2 Wisdom, and -1 Intelligence. They have a movement value of 12, a bite that does 1d12 damage, claw attacks that do d4 damage, a rake attack that deals 2d4 damage, a roar, and a High Fear of water. If they use their Energy Burst trait whilst Roaring, their roar is far more potent; those within range mus pass a save vs. paralyzation or be afflicted by Fear, whereupon they will drop whatever they are holding and attempt to flee the Cave Rakasta at top speed for d6+1 rounds.
• Rakastadon Fatalises are sabertoothed catfolk, with +3 Strength, -2 Intelligence, -2 Wisdom, and -1 Dexterity. They have a movement value of 12, a bite that does 2d6 damage, claw attacks that do d4+1 damage, a rake attack that deals 2d4 damage, and a roar. Their Energy Burst has the extra advantage of filling their strikes with immense power; claw attacks from a Rakastadon using its Energy Bursts will automatically knock down any creature that is smaller or lighter than the Rakastadon, whilst other creatures must make and succeed at a Strength check each time they are struck by the Rakastadon's claws to avoid being knocked down. Such creatures, if their Strength is lower than the Rakastadon's, suffer a -2 penalty to their Strength check for each point of difference between their Strength scores. Additionally, a Rakastadon's dirk-like fangs are made for finishing off downed creatures; a Rakastadon automatically kills any knocked downed creature it successfully delivers a bite attack to, unless that creature passes a Save vs. Paralyzation.

Greater Rakastas are based on "big cats" like lions and tigers. This makes them far stronger than humans (Minimum Strength of 14), but also makes their minds cruder, as they are still quite close to their bestial ancestry (Maximum Wisdom of 14). They can become Fighters of Unlimited level, Rangers of 12th level, Wizards of 6th level (but restricted to the Wokan Kits), Clerics of 9th level, Druids of 12th level, Thieves of 6th level and Bards of 9th level. To represent their sheer might, they should start a campaign as at least third level characters.

• Fast Runners are cheetah-folk, with +2 Dexterity and -2 Wisdom. They have a movement value of 15, a bite that does d4+1 damage, claw attacks that do d2 damage, a rake attack that deals 2d2 damage, and a High Fear of Water. They can use their Energy Burst to supercharge their movement; they can triple their movement without a Strength check, quadruple it with a Strength check, quintuple it with a Strength check with a -4 penalty, or sextuple it (multiply movement speed by 6 times) with a Strength check with a -8 penalty. Using this fastest movement option is extremely draining; a Fast Runner can only run at such a speed for one round, after which the Energy Burst automatically ends.
• Jakars are jaguar-folk, with +2 Strength, +1 Dexterity, -2 Wisdom and -1 Constitution. They have a movement value of 9, a bite that does 1d8 damage, claw attacks that do d3 damage, a rake attack that deals d4+1 damage, a roar, and No Fear of Water. During Energy Burst, their natural attacks are capable of damaging creatures as though they were magical weapons with a value of +1, increasing in value by a further +1 for every 5 experience levels that a Jakar has (so a level 6 Jakar has natural attacks that count as +2 weapons for piercing magical protections, a level 11 treats its natural attacks as +3 weapons, etc). They also have animal empathy with jaguars. They can achieve 15 levels in Cleric, instead of the normal level 9 limit for Greater Rakastas.
• Mountain Rakastas are puma/mountain lionfolk with +2 Dexterity, +1 Strength, -2 Wisdom and -1 Constitution. They have a movement value of 12, a bite that does d6 damage, claw attacks that do d3 damage, and a rake attack that deals d4 damage. When they use Energy Burst, they can choose to augment either Strength or Dexterity. Additionally, they are prodigious leapers; they do not need a running start to make a broad jump and such jumps cover 3D6+Dexterity feet, whilst their upward leaps cover 2d4+Half Dexterity (rounded up) feet and their downward leaps cover 3d12+Dexterity feet.
• Pardastas are leopard-folk with +1 Strength, +1 Dexterity, and -2 Wisdom. They have a movement value of 9, a bite that does d6 damage, claw attacks that do d3 damage, a rake attack that deals d4 damage, and a roar. They have +2 Initiative and, when using their Energy Burst, are immune to all mind-altering attacks, bar their fear of water and any spells with such an effect that were cast on them before they used their Energy Burst. They can achieve 15 levels in Ranger, instead of the normal level 12 limit for Greater Rakastas. They can also achieve 12th level as Thieves, contrasting the usual limit for Greater Rakastas as 6th level Thieves.
• Sherkastas are tiger-folk with +2 Strength and -2 Wisdom. They have a movement value of 12, a bite that does d10 damage, claw attacks that do d4+1 damage, a rake attack that deals d6+1 damage, a roar, and No Fear of Water. Whilst under the effects of their Energy Burst, Sherkastas gain a form of spell resistance, being capable of dispelling a directly targeted spell (for example, Charm Person is valid, Fireball isn't) that was cast by a caster with a level lower than the Sherkasta's experience level (for example, a 10th level Sherkasta could shrug off the spells of a Rakshasa (7th level caster), but not a Rakshasa Maharaja ( 13th level caster)). The maximum level of a spell that a Sherkasta can dispel with this ability is 1 plus 1 level per 5 levels the Sherkasta has reached - thusly, a Sherkasta can't dispel level 2 spells until it has reached 6th level. Dispelling a spell requires a successful Wisdom check.
• Simbastas are lion-folk with +2 Strength, +1 Charisma and -2 Wisdom. They have a movement value of 12, a bite that does d10 damage, claw attacks that do d4 damage, a rake attack that deals d6+1 damage, a roar, and a High Fear of Water. Whilst under the effects of their Energy Burst, Simbastas attack and save as if they were three levels higher, and they also deal +2 damage if striking to subdue a target. Uniquely amongst rakastas, they can become Paladins of up to 12th level.
• Snow Pardastas are snow leopard-folk, with +1 Strength, +1 Constitution and -2 Wisdom. They have a movement value of 9, a bite that does d6 damage, claw attacks that do d3 damage, a rake attack that deals d4 damage, and No Fear of Water. They can move across ice and snow without penalty and have the same prodigious leaping ability as Mountain Rakastas. They can use their Energy Burst to Meld With Stone or Ice, physically fusing with a single mass of rock/ice that is big enough to contain them. This lasts until their Energy Burst ends, and though they can perceive the world around them whilst melded, they cannot interact with it until they leave their shelter. However, Snow Pardastas are adapted to icy mountains and do not fare well outside of their native terrain, suffering a -2 penalty to all saving throws, ability checks and attack rolls. They can achieve 15 levels in Ranger, instead of the normal level 12 limit for Greater Rakastas. They also have a maximum Cleric level of 15 instead of the usual breed limit of level 9.

Wild Rakastas are based on "wild cats", smaller but no less fierce hunting felines like the lynx or ocelot. They're not as strong as their bigger relatives, but they're still stronger than humans and more than their larger kin, whilst also being less primitive than the Greater Rakasta (Minimum Strength of 12 and Dexterity of 8, Maximum Wisdom of 16). They can become Fighters of 12th level, Rangers of 15th level, Wizards of 6th level (but restricted to the Wokan Kits), Clerics of 9th level, Druids of Unlimited level, Thieves of 9th level and Bards of 12th level. To represent how much stronger they are than ordinary humans, they should start a campaign with at least second level.

• Caracastas are caracal-folk with +1 Strength, +1 Constitution and -2 Wisdom. They have a movement value of 9, a bite that does d4+1 damage, claw attacks that do d3 damage, a rake attack that deals d4 damage and a High Fear of water. Non-spellcasting caracastas who have taken proficiency in the "Karakulak Bow" (Composite Short Bow) can use their Energy Burst to gain +1 initiative whilst attacking with such a bow, increase its damage by +1, and change its range to 7/12/18. Spellcasting caracastas can spend two non-proficiency slots to gain the "Dexterous Ears" traits, allowing them to adapt the movements and twitches of their pronounced ears to provide the somatic components when spellcasting spells of third level or lower. Dry woodlands and scrub are their native territory.
• Cloud Pardastas are cloud leopard-folk with +1 Strength, +1 Dexterity and -2 Wisdom. They have a movement value of 9, a bite that does d4 damage, claw attacks that do d2 damage, and a rake attack that deals d3 damage. Whilst within an area of fog, cloud or mist, a cloud pardasta can use its Energy Burst to mimic the effect of a Dimension Door (range 10 feet per experience level); this dimension door can only travel to an area touched by the mist enveloping the rakasta and using it automatically ends the Energy Burst. They suffer no movement penalties whilst climbing or otherwise moving about upon trees, have free Jumping/Acrobatics proficiencies, and do not need to make Dexterity/Jumping checks if the distance of their horizontal or downwards leap is 15 feet or less. However, they lose these bonuses if their tails are not free, and treat their Dexterity as suffering a -2 penalty whilst on the ground. High and misty forests are their native territory.
• Jakarundis are jaguarundi-folk with +1 Dexterity, +1 Intelligence and -2 Wisdom. They have a movement value of 9, a bite that does d3 damage, claw attacks that do d2 damage, a rake attack that deals d3 damage and No Fear of water. These rakasta have strong innate magic; they can use their Energy Burst to instead cast a wokan spell, being treated as if they were a wokan of level equal to 1/2 their experience level. The Jakarundi must pass a Wisdom check when using this "Wild Spell"; success allows them to choose which spell is cast, otherwise, it is a random 1st level wokan spell. Jakarundis without spellcaster levels have a -2 penalty to this check, whilst jakarundis with spellcaster levels have a +2 bonus. Jakarundis can attain 9th level in the wokan class instead of 6th level like other Wild Rakastas.
• Lynxmen are lynx-folk with +2 Constitution and -2 Wisdom. They have a movement value of 12, a bite that does d4 damage, claw attacks that do d2 damage, and a rake attack that deals d3 damage. Adapted for survival in cold, snowy regions, lynxmen can move across snow without any penalty, and expend their Energy Burst to either shake off the effects of a magical cold attack (for example, nullifying a Cone of Cold spell) or survive a natural cold effect that would normally kill them (for example, falling into icy water and being able to crawl out at 1 HP instead of dying).
• Ocelastas are ocelot-folk with +1 Dexterity, +1 Constitution and -2 Wisdom. They have a movement value of 9, a bite that does d3 damage, claw attacks that do d2 damage, a rake attack that deals d3 damage and No Fear of water. When using Energy Burst, they can choose to have it heal them instead of boost their Strength; when used in this manner, the ocelastas recovers 1HP/level, or 3HP/Level if healing damage from Evil or Chaotic magic (including magical weapons and spells wielded by creatures with either alignment).
• Servastas are serval-folk with +2 Dexterity and -2 Wisdom. They have a movement value of 12, a bite that does d4 damage, claw attacks that do d2 damage, a rake attack that deals d3 damage, and a High Fear of Water. Specially adapted for hunting prey that is underground, they increase their Detect Noises chance when listening for beings under the ground by +10%, though each foot of depth inflicts a -1% penalty. Servastas practice a hunting style that involves making flying leaps onto prey to rend them with fang and claw; this is effortless against creatures 1ft tall or smaller, but by spending their Energy Burst, a Servasta can use the same tactics against bigger creatures. When such an attack is used, the Servasta can choose to either inflict maximum damage with a hand weapon strike (including a Backstab) or to grapple the target, allowing the Servasta to automatically hit with a bite attack each round until/unless shaken off (requires the target pass a Strength check with a -2 penalty). They also have an automatic proficiency in tumbling/acrobatics.

Domestic Rakastas are the "tamed" rakasta species, losing their physical might for far more advanced minds. They're still stronger and more agile than humans, though (Minimum Strength of 9 and Dexterity of 8). They can become Wizards of 15th level and Clerics of 12th level.

• Alley Rakasta are so mixed and matched that they could have any number of bloodlines, making them highly unpredictable. Though all Alley Rakasta have -2 Wisdom, they randomly generate their ability bonus/penalty for the other five ability scores by rolling a D20 for each one; a result of a 1 equals a -2 penalty, a result of a 2-5 equals a -1 penalty, a result of a 6-13 equals no adjustment, a result of a 14-19 equals a +1 bonus, and a result of a 20 equals a +2 bonus. A total of ability score modifiers resulting in +1 or higher results in the Alley Rakasta having a High Fear of Water, a total of ability score modifiers resulting in -2 or lower results in the Alley Rakasta having No Fear of Water. They have a movement value of 9, a bite that does d4 damage, claw attacks that do d2 damage, and a rake attack that deals d3 damage. They can become 12th level Fighters, 9th level Rangers, 9th level Druids, Thieves of Unlimited level and 15th level Bards, in addition to their Breed classes.
• Basic Rakastas are a stabilized breed of moggy, the "root template" of all rakastas, with +2 Dexterity and -2 Wisdom. They have a movement value of 9, a bite that does d4 damage, claw attacks that do d2 damage, a rake attack that deals d3 damage, and a High Fear of Water. They can become 15th level Fighters, 11th level Rangers, 13th level Druids, 13th level Thieves and Bards of Unlimited level, in addition to their Breed classes.
• Domesticated Rakastas are highly urbane and civilized rakastas, resembling common housecats more than anything, possessed of +2 Dexterity, +1 Intelligence, -2 Wisdom and -1 Constitution. They have a movement value of 9, a bite that does d2 damage, claw attacks that do d2 damage, a rake attack that deals d2 damage and a High Fear of Water. They can expend their Energy Burst to cheat death; something that would normally have killed the Rakasta instead leaves it at 1 HP. However, a Domesticated Rakasta can only do this 9 times in total throughout its life, and permanently loses 1 Charisma point each time it sacrifices a life. They can become 9th level Fighters, 9th level Rangers, 9th level Druids, Thieves of Unlimited level and 15th level Bards, in addition to their Breed classes.