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Admiral Squish
2013-12-06, 03:44 PM
Ocelotl/Cuauhtli
Created for Crossroads: the New World (“http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=269334”)

The Ocelotl and Cuauhtli are varieties of warrior that have done great deeds in battle, and for their bravery and accomplishments, have undergone a ritual transformation, becoming even more powerful warriors by taking on the aspects of fearsome animals.
Personality: Both Ocelotl and Cuauhtli are proud, fierce warriors, hardened by battle and, usually, eager for more. There is a lot of camaraderie among each of the groups, a very close-knit bond with their squad-mates, and they may even be distrustful of outsiders. To undergo either transformation, a warrior must accomplish 20 great acts (usually captures) in battle, so their ranks are made up of seasoned veterans.
Physical Description: Ocelotl take on the aspects of the jaguar. Their skin becomes patterned as a jaguar’s fur, and in many places, becomes covered in short fur. Their features become more angular and feral, and they have long, pronounced canines. Their eyes become yellow and slitted, like a cat’s, and their fingers lose their fingernails, replacing them instead with a sharp, retractable claw.
Cuauhtli take on the aspects of the eagle. Their skin remains much the same, but all the hair on their body is replaced with brilliantly-colored feathers of varying length and thickness. The longest feathers are on their heads, followed by a pair of colorful plumes on the sides of their forearms, extending out and back, past the elbow. Their eyes become yellow, with large pupils, and a quite intimidating stare. Their fingertips sprout long, hooked talons.
Relations: Each of the two groups believe their own transformation is superior, and they often butt heads when off the battlefield. However, when out on the battlefield, they work side by side quite well, competition with the other group driving them to perform better and better, leaving their unfortunate foes in a rather rough position. The transformation signifies membership into an elite warrior group, demanding respect equal to a noble, so the common folk are cautious with their words around them, though most nobles still view the common-born among them as commoners, leaving many in a strange limbo between the two castes.
Alignment: Ocelotl and Cuauhtli both have similar alignment spreads to their human roots, though they have a somewhat more lawful bent, due to their military time.
{table=head]|L|N|C
G|15|10|10
N|15|10|5
E|15|10|10[/table]
Lands: The Ocelotl and Cuauhtli continue to live among the humans they used to be, though many move up in their living arrangements to more upscale areas. They mingle freely among other warriors and their transformed brethren. The nature of the transformation tends to make them stand out in a crowd, particularly in places where they are not seen every day, such as formal settings.
Religion: Ocelotl and Cuauhtli follow the same faith they had before the transformation, and many even follow it with more fervor afterward. The Ocelotl are generally aligned with Tezcatlipoca, and the Cuauhtli are generally aligned with Huitzilopotchli.
Language: Ocelotl and Cuauhtli speak the same languages they spoke before the transformation, though they may pronounce some sounds with strange, animal affectations.
Names: Ocelotl and Cuauhtli names are the same as they were before the transformation, though some take a new name afterward, based on their accomplishments on the battlefield.
Adventurers: Adventurers are quite common among the Ocelotl and Cuauhtli. These are usually warriors assigned on special missions by their commanders to accomplish certain goals. Some are retired and take up the sword once again to lend their strength and experience to youngsters heading out into danger. Others abandon their posts against orders, when some greater threat than the neighboring city looms.
Typically, Ocelotl or Cuauhtli with class levels have those levels in hunter or brute, though in recent years, gunslinger is becoming a more common choice.

The Ritual:
The ritual to transform into either a Ocelotl or Cuauhtli is relatively simple. When one is up for promotion, they seek out guidance from their commander and a priest. Then they gather their closest friends and embark on a sacred hunt, where they must find and kill one of the chosen animals. The body of the animal is brought back to the priests at the local temple to Tezcatlipoca. They drain it of blood, and take select portions and reduce them to powder, paste, or patches of fur and feathers. The feathers or fur are applied to the individual, then he is anointed with the blood, pastes, and powders in a highly ritualized fasion. The process takes one hour and three preists of at least 5th level. The ritual can be performed on any human of 5th level or higher, but it is only done on warriors who have reached the appropriate number of great acts. When the ritual is complete, the character loses all existing racial traits and gains the following traits. This causes them to lose any bonus skill points and bonus feats they gained from being human (effectively, selecting one non-background feat to lose). The feat lost cannot be a prerequisite for any other feat.


+2 Dexterity, +2 Wisdom, -2 Intelligence Ocelotl and Cuauhtli are swift, with sharp senses, but the transformation weakens their minds.
Type: Ocelotl and Cuauhtli are Humanoids.
Size: Ocelotl and Cuauhtli are medium creatures with no special bonuses or penalties due to size.
Normal Speed: Ocelotl and Cuauhtli have a base speed of 30 feet.
Low-Light Vision: Ocelotl and Cuauhtli can see twice as far as a race with normal vision in conditions of dim light.
Claws: Ocelotl and Cuauhtli gain a pair of claw attacks that deal 1d4 points of damage.
Feral Senses: Ocelotl and Cuauhtli gain a +2 bonus to perception checks
Battle-Hardened: Ocelotl and Cuauhtli gain a +1 bonus to CMB and CMD

Admiral Squish
2013-12-06, 03:46 PM
Reserved for paragon classes and feats.

SuperDave
2013-12-08, 04:17 PM
I really like these guys so far; they seem like a fun option to play (though I think the plural of "Ocelotl" would technically be "Ocelotli"). I have just a few questions:

Both Ocelotli and Cuauhtli get up to two claw-attacks per round (assuming they don't attack any other way), right? Do they have the option to do claw-attacks with their feet as well, or just with their hands? Does the damage scale with level, or will there be a feat to increase its damage?
Shouldn't the Cuauhtli get substantially more than +2 on Perception? Like maybe gaining the benefit of the Eagle Eyes (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/general-feats/eagle-eyes) feat (without having to actually take it as a feat), or else a free use of the eagle eyes (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/e/eagle-eye) spell as an SLA a few times per day?
Perhaps the Ocelotli could get Scent or Track as a special ability? Or gain the benefits of the Jaguar Pounce (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/combat-feats/jaguar-pounce-combat) feat?
You mention that the Cuauhtli have a very intimidating, unblinking stare. Would they get a bonus on Intimidate checks as a result?
Will there be any special items or equipment that only Ocelotli and Cuauhtli are able to use?


I like the write-up you gave them for culture, background, etc. The lawful bent seems very appropriate, as does the penalty to Intelligence.

Admiral Squish
2013-12-08, 07:30 PM
I really like these guys so far; they seem like a fun option to play (though I think the plural of "Ocelotl" would technically be "Ocelotli"). I have just a few questions:

Both Ocelotli and Cuauhtli get up to two claw-attacks per round (assuming they don't attack any other way), right? Do they have the option to do claw-attacks with their feet as well, or just with their hands? Does the damage scale with level, or will there be a feat to increase its damage?
Shouldn't the Cuauhtli get substantially more than +2 on Perception? Like maybe gaining the benefit of the Eagle Eyes (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/general-feats/eagle-eyes) feat (without having to actually take it as a feat), or else a free use of the eagle eyes (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/e/eagle-eye) spell as an SLA a few times per day?
Perhaps the Ocelotli could get Scent or Track as a special ability? Or gain the benefits of the Jaguar Pounce (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/combat-feats/jaguar-pounce-combat) feat?
You mention that the Cuauhtli have a very intimidating, unblinking stare. Would they get a bonus on Intimidate checks as a result?
Will there be any special items or equipment that only Ocelotli and Cuauhtli are able to use?


I like the write-up you gave them for culture, background, etc. The lawful bent seems very appropriate, as does the penalty to Intelligence.

Actually, Ocelotl and Cuauhtli are both singular.

Claw attacks are just hands. I think there might be a claw damage increase in the paragon classes somewhere, and maybe the ocelotl gets some foot-claw rakes.

Well, if I add more than the base +2 to perception in the race itself, the race becomes more powerful than can be used. I will likely include some of your suggestions in the paragons.

Scent or track might be a good idea for the paragon class. Not certain, though, jaguar are good at tracking, but it doesn't tie into their combat ability. These are supposed to be elite warriors, after all, their abilities should tie directly into combat.

Maybe a bonus to intimidate, not certain. As mentioned, abilities should tie straight into combat. Maybe it could tie into some area intimidate effect, like an intimidating screech?

Quite likely. I can't think of anything off the top of my head, but I'm sure there's something.


In the thread, the idea of a 'war form' was mentioned, which could certainly be fun...

zabbarot
2013-12-10, 10:26 AM
(though I think the plural of "Ocelotl" would technically be "Ocelotli")

-tl and -tli are both singular suffixes. -tl is for words starting with vowels, and -tli is for words starting with consonants. The plural of Ocelotl is Ocelomeh. The plural of Cuauhtli is stranger though... grammar sources I've found suggest it should be cuauhtin, but it is Cuacuauhtin. I'm not sure if there is a special rule I'm missing or if it's just an exception.

As for what to add, the Eagle is the symbol of the sun, and the Jaguar is the symbol of the night. One is aligned with Huitzilopotchli and the other with Tezcatlipoca. This would at least manifest in their religious views, but would give you good flavor options for the class. Don't forget that the Cuauhocelomeh(Eagle and Jaguar warriors) are a religious warrior society, so cleric/paladin types of fluff wouldn't be bad for the classes.

Most Aztec warriors were sword and board, so the claws might not get much use. The Ocelomeh could use something like the shadow jump (http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/prestigeClasses/shadowdancer.html#shadow-jump) feature from the Shadowdancer. For the Cuacuahtin I'd like to see something like Leap Attack (http://dndtools.eu/feats/complete-adventurer--54/leap-attack--1741/) and substantial bonuses to Jump checks. Sure they can't fly, but they can fall with style :smallbiggrin:

Edit: There are two more elite warrior groups in Mexica society. The Otomi and the Cuachicqueh(Shorn Ones) are both veteran warrior societies, but less overtly religious than the Cuauhocelomeh. The Shorn Ones are the highest rank, and Mexica Generals are always members of this warrior society.

Edit 2: Also Eagle warriors appeared to be used as scouts often, so movement abilities and the scouting buffs SuperDave suggested might not be bad ideas.