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Known the world over for their hospitality and smooth social skills, the frail, frequently pretty Abilen have swiftly become solid city-dwellers, and beloved by many. Despite their origins in the mists of time, they share very few real traits with cats, much like humans and apes resemble one another very little.
Personality
Abilen are typically hospitable and cheerful. Usually, they are optimistic and have strong rooting in common sense. These two ideas are not necessarily contradictory; Abilen are optimistic about issues of random chance, but plan contingencies regardless. It may strike an outsider as curious, that, even while they put the plants out to benefit from the daylight hours of sunlight, an Abilen may well keep his umbrella at hand.
Physical Description
Abilen tend to be slight. Abilen range in height from 4 1/2to 5 1/2 feet, but they more commonly remain in the five foot realm. However, an Abilen of this height may weigh little more than a halfling half his size. Abilen are feline, covered with a thick, lustrous fur. Fur ranges from family to family, and crossbreeds are very much obvious. Abilen have tails, furred as their bodies are.
Relations
Abilen are rarely disliked in many regions. Their overall disposition, work ethic, and general inoffensiveness mean that few races bear them much distaste. Patient Abilen diplomacy over time has brought them from an outcast, freakish race of limber warriors to an artful, refined, courtesan nation of tutors, artists, and politicians. However, half-elves frequently have distaste for Abilen; that the Abilen, a truly alien race in appearance, are accepted more readily than they themselves, frequently grates on half-elves' sensibilities. Abilen also jest well with halflings, and an ill-humoured halfling may find this offensive.
Alignment
Abilen are primarily neutral. They neither favour law nor chaos, nor evil and good. They tend to work well in large cities of like-minded individuals, and an Abilen's alignment is frequently that of the company he keeps.
Religion: Abilen have adopted a human stance towards religion, and there is no true prevailing racial religion. Abilen tend to worship and revere any deity who shares their alignment and perspective. Abilen are famous for friendly, if gruff, religious discussion within a home.
Language
Abilen speak Common. Abilen, given their wide dissemination, may select any language as a bonus language. Abilen once had their own, unique language, but it has since fallen into disuse.
Names
Shamen, Shema, Shameen, Sheiyan, Shoni, Myan, Mia, Moanne, Lerren. Abilen names do not aid in determining gender particularly well.
Adventurers
Abilen adventure seldom, but when they do, they do it with gusto. Abilen adventurers tend to be gung-ho and enthusiastic while holding closely to their ideal of common sense. Abilen may adventure for a variety of reasons; they may wish to learn a new trade, they may be seized with what the Abilen jocularly refer to as Halfling's Disease, or they may wish to embark on a journey of self-discovery.
Game Information
Abilen Racial Traits
- +2 Charisma, -2 Strength: Abilen are friendly and warm, but rarely are they physically adroit.
- Medium: As Medium creatures, Abilen have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
- Light Frame: Abilen are incredibly lightweight and have a hard time bringing their strength to bear on objects, especially those larger than themselves. An Abilen is considered Small in any situation where being small is a disadvantage, and they must wield weaponry for a creature one size category smaller than they are. They do not receive a size bonus to armour class or to hit, nor do they receive a +4 to hide checks. An Abilen monk deals damage as if he or she were small.
- Keen Senses: Once an Abilen has gained 5 hit dice, he or she gains the Scent special ability.
- Abilen base speed is 30 feet.
- +2 Racial bonus on spot and listen. Abilen have keen eyes and ears.
- +2 Racial Bonus to Move Silently and Balance. Abilen have soft feet and walk softly, and thanks to their tails, they have an uncanny ability to move easily.
- Abilen Intuition: Abilen are renowned for being that little bit fortuitous, or for lucky guesses paying off. Once a day, an Abilen may reroll a single saving throw or skill check, and in any situation where an Abilen is in the hands of random chance (flipping a coin, for example), they determine the chance twice and choose the better (so, two coins would be flipped, and the desired result would be chosen of either).
- Automatic Languages: Common. Bonus Languages: All. Abilen take well to languages, and frequently pick those up of almost anyone in the cities in which they live.
- Favoured Class: Bard. A multiclass Abilen's Bard class does not count when determining whether he suffers an XP penalty for multiclassing. (see Experience for Multiclass Characters, PHB, page 56).
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