Kzinrret RCC

The Kzinti (plural of Kzin) are a proud warrior race of humanoid felines. They are highly aggressive and very xenophobic, but since the Man-Kzin Wars of the 22nd and 23rd centuries, they have become more open to new ideas and peaceful solutions. However, they still retain much of their carnivore nature and prefer to kill their food personally. Physically, Kzinti are huge, frightening, and very impressive to human eyes. They look like big, fat tabby cats, except that the fat is solid muscle and their tails are furless and rat-like. They spend most of their time on two feet, but can run on all fours and usually do so during the majority of their recreational time, hunting small animals. They have very sharp retractable claws on their hands, rows of needle-sharp teeth in their mouths, and large, thick legs ending in razor claws. The Kzin foot/paw has a dew claw on the ball of the heel, suggesting a vestigial fighting spur. Kzinti ears are as sensitive as any other feline's and can fold and swivel like a housecat's ears (although looking more like a bat's). The ancestors of the Kzinti were fast plains cats much like Earth's cheetahs and seem to share some sort of ancient (pre-evolutionary) relationship with humanity and Earth, because they can eat Earth food animals with no difficulty. They also like hot bourbon as a recreational drink (although it cannot intoxicate them). The only major exception to a Kzin's diet is plants; they will not eat roughage even if their life depends on it--they would sooner eat their non-Kzin compatriots! If honor is at stake, they will starve with food in reach (including friends and allies). Modern Kzinti females are non-sentient and exist only to give birth to more Kzinti; they are not even given names, just property designations. But it was not always so. Thousands of years ago, when the individual Kzinti empires were just beginning to come into conflict with one another on their homeworld, females were still intelligent and selfaware, though they had decidedly fewer rights than males. Fierce and proud as the male Kzinti (called kzintosh), kzinrret were more focused in the area of home defense and protecting the household; they were also successful spies, assassins, and entertainers. Kzinrret were not permitted to hold titles of nobility, elected office, or own property, but this bothered them little. Aloof as the cats they resembled, kzinrret were unimpressed by the trappings of power and far preferred running their households and having enormous control over their mates. It has sometimes been suggested by Carroll Locklear, an ethnologist specializing in the Kzinti, that all of the early Kzin empires were just puppet governments run by the wives and concubines of the various petty kings and emperors--of course, he never says this within earshot of the Kzinti themselves. At some point, estimated to be over eight thousand years ago, a Kzinti king with an interest in eugenics began breeding all of the females in his kingdom for stupidity; soon, the idea caught on, and within a few generations, females had been reduced to the status of property. It took less than a millennium to reduce the once-proud kzinrret to little better than animals and breeding stock. A few intelligent females managed to escape this fate, using their subtlety and ingeniousness to hide among the non-sentient herds, keeping their traditions alive to this very day, both on the Kzinti homeworld and on the worlds that they have managed to escape to. It is thought that a few dozen kzinrret are currently being given secret asylum in human space.

Several hundred (possibly several thousand) intelligent females currently reside on both the world called Zoo and the Ringworld, taken there an interminable number of years ago by forces or persons unknown. In these two locales, Kzinti culture continues on much as it did before the rise of the Kzinti Space Empire, with feudal lords and small nations locked in uneasy peace or outright war (there is no such thing as a "Cold War" among the Kzinti). And the kzinrret continue on there as they always have--with cunning and subtlety, watching and waiting... (Rifts Notes: With all of the chaos and randomness on Rifts Earth, a few kzinrret or kzintosh showing up one day would barely be noticed, whether they crashed through the orbital defense network [like the Arkhons] or just accidentally rifted in. For their part, Kzinti of both genders would consider Rifts Earth a world gone mad; kzintosh would go mad within a few months from the near-constant aggression, though kzinrret would probably adapt within weeks.)

Kzinrret RCC
Alignment: Any except Principled. Female Kzinti follow much the same code of ethics that males do, but subtlety and treachery are both seen as acceptable tactics, and defense of the home is considered to be the most important task a female can aspire to. Attributes: IQ 3D6; ME 4D6; MA 3D6; PS 3D6+5; PP 4D6+6; PE 3D6+6; PB 3D6; Spd 3D6+10. Hit Points: PE +2D4 per level SDC: 2D4x10, plus OCC and physical skill bonuses Armor Rating: 10 against bare-handed attacks and blunt weapons; 7 against edged and piercing melee weapons; none against mega-damage weapons, energy weapons, projectile weapons, or vibro-blades/neural maces. Magic: None. Kzinti are terrified of "supernatural" powers--it's one of the only things they are afraid of--but remember that Kzinti act with aggression toward anything they fear. Female Kzinti, being more in tune with their emotions and less fearful of strange things, would be fascinated by magic if they ever came to a world where it was practiced. PPE: 2D6+2 Psionics: Kzinrret are much more likely to have psionics than the males of their species, with over 50% being minor psionics, 15% being major psionics, and 5% master psionics. It can be assumed that all Kzinrret player characters have minor psionics, but a roll is required for greater ability; master psionics are available only by class. ISP: by psionics Horror Factor: 11 if enraged; Kzinrret just aren't threatening unless they really want to be. Height: 5 feet, plus 2D4 inches Weight: 125-190 lbs.

Description: Kzinrret are feline humanoids, having most of the pertinent physical attributes of the Kzinti, only of smaller stature and thinner build. The only clothing kzinrret consider necessary is a sort of apron which covers their teats and has plenty of pockets for tools and various items (kzinrret are almost pack rats when it comes to possessions, but few things hold their attention for long). Females aren't as insistent as males about freshly killed meat, though they will still not eat roughage; they also don't particularly care if they kill their own food or if someone does it for them--the latter way, they have more time to pursue their own interests. Kzinrret are heavily inclined to the artistic and the philosophical, though they never let philosophical ideas get in the way of practical concerns. Enemies: In most of Known Space, the kzintosh would be at odds with the kzinrret--if they ever found out about their existence. Fortunately, females are left untended in large holding pens most of the time, so males never get a chance to know about their covert activities. Even if they heard rumors about intelligent females, they wouldn't believe them unless they saw such a hing with their own eyes--and maybe not even then. Allies: Many kzintosh would far prefer to have a mate they could talk to and be understood by, but they would be unwilling to let such a thing be known. Average Life Span: 150 years. Kzinrret live longer than the violent males, but their natural life spans appear to be significantly shorter. Habitat: Kzinrret, like Kzintosh, like grasslands and plains where they can run free. Natural Abilities: Nightvision to 350 feet. Ultrasonic hearing equivalent to that of a hunting cat, providing several bonuses (listed below). Endoskeletal armor from a thickened bone structure (AR listed above). Track by blood scent (15% +5% per level). Recognize scent (35% +3% per level). Retractable claws on the hands for natural weapons. Kzinrret have an aptitude for the finer things, giving them a +10% bonus to all skills related to art or domestic situations. All Kzinrret, regardless of occupation, have Hand to Hand: Expert or Assassin (depending on alignment and inclination). Their native language is a variant dialect "the Hero's Tongue" (perfectly understandable both ways, but surprising for a Kzintosh to hear). Vulnerabilities/Penalties: Must eat large amounts of food to survive (the equivalent of two pounds of meat each day) and only eat meat, though it does not have to be raw or still alive. Kzinrret will defend their families and homes to their dying breath. The kzinrret fear response is still aggression, but more easily controllable than in kzintosh. A fourth of kzinrret have the insanity of Frenzy (extreme pain and anger). In Kzinti space, females are considered to be expendable property with no legal rights. Bonuses: +6 to initiative; +4 to roll with punch; +1 to strike; +3 to parry/dodge; +10% vs. coma/death; +2 vs. poison; +7 to perception; +1 attack per melee, and +1 more at level ten. Damage: Bite: 1D6

Punch: 1D6 +PS bonus Claw: 2D4 +PS bonus Kick: 3D4 +PS bonus Foot Claw: 2D6 +PS bonus

OCCs: Most kzinrret fall into the Vagabond/Unskilled OCC, but more than a few receive training in the way of stealth or combat; psionic classes are common as well, and magic could be learned were a kzinrret ever to come to a world where such skills were known (most likely to become Mystics). The following OCCs are permitted in the Known Space setting: Thief; Assassin; Spy; Military Technical Officer (use Coalition Technical Officer); Headhunter; Body Fixer; Operator; Rogue Scientist; Rogue Scholar; Mind Melter; Spacer; Galactic Tracer; Bounty Hunter; Space Pirate; Runner; Colonist. Were they to make it to the Phase World campaign setting, kzinrret would be considered by the Cosmic Forge to become Cosmo-Knights, but would be almost as rare as Kreeghor Cosmo-Knights. Cybernetics: No way! Nope! Never! Kzinrret would rather die than accept prostheses; they are more progressive than males, but they still draw the line at replacing bits of their bodies with machines. Skills, Equipment, Money, XP: As per OCC Cultural Note: There is an underground society on Kzinti worlds, the only religion ever accepted by any Kzinti. It is referred to as the Kdaptist Heresy and was founded by Mad Kdapt-Preacher. After his capture and personal execution by Emperor Kchula-Rrit, most Kdaptists fled or hid. To this day, Kdaptism survives on many Kzinti worlds. Kdaptism is considered heretical because of its belief that God the Creator made humankind in His image! When it was founded, there was a good idea behind it: humans kept winning against the Kzinti, so something had to be going for them; if not the Creator, then what? Kdaptists perform their ceremonies in masks made of human skin, hoping to fool the Creator long enough to win the next Man-Kzin War (whenever it is). Amazingly, Kdaptists show an aptitude for magic! It is thought that this comes from their spiritual devotion to a belief as opposed to a deity. Kdaptists in magic-weak universes (like that of Ringworld) can do little more than illusions and tricks (Arcanist OCC from Beyond the Supernatural, with half PPE). In magic-supercharged worlds (Rifts, Phase World, and Wormwood), Kdaptists may be Line Walkers, Shifters, Techno-Wizards, or Necromancers. However, because of their intense training in magic, they lose half of their racial combat bonuses and all extra attacks from the Kzinti RCC as well as having to depend solely on their OCC's combat skill. Kzinrret who have returned to Kzinti worlds have occasionally encountered practitioners of the Kdaptist Heresy; while not impressed with the philosophical teachings, they are fascinated with the heretics' apparent manipulation of some sort of unknown natural energy field. They are quickly learning the arts of spellcraft and thus far have proved as adept at the Art as they do at any other art.