Womantyger Background/Stats

Womantyger

King Elgol of the Kingdom of Rashessa ruled over a rocky desert. Rare were the rains, coming only when prayed for. His people had come here long ago when their tribes were unable to defend themselves. He did what he could to keep his kingdom safe and secure, but some days even he went to bed hungry.

One day as he lamented his position and wished for his country to bear fruit, a presence came to him. It was the Immortal known as Ems, who was great in magic and ways of change. He promised that he would turn the mud and dirt of Rashessa into a land of grass which Elgol would be glad to be king over. Elgol accepted, and upon his acceptance the kingdom changed. Where once was cracked mud there was now tall grass bearing seeds, and where there were skeletons of animals who died of thirst, there were hearty bison that drank from plentiful springs.

But Elgol and his people changed as well. Elgol's family were the progenitors of the people, and those who shared his direct bloodline took the shapes of Mantygers. With the head of a man and the body of a lion, Elgol ruled his kingdom of beasts. Only those who had come from afar were left in their human state, and they were given teaching and schooling to become diplomats and scholars to do what the Mantygers could not.

As time passed, Elgol grew old, as did his wife Eimle. Elgol spoke to her in a loving tone and said that he loved her and her beauty, and said he would give anything and all things to make her live forever so that her beauty may remain in the world. However, Ems heard this as well, and smiled as he changed the people of Rashessa once more. The mantygers died all at once, but the womantygers lived still. Now they had scales along their legs and face, like those of snakes.

Ems revealed himself to Eimle and said, now you have the gift of immortality, like those of the snake. You need only shed your skin, and your beauty will remain in the world. You no longer need the seed of man, but rather their meat. This shall allow you to continue your race of beastly women. He disappeared then.

The diplomats and scholars remained still, the men as well. Under Eimle's decree, they were given the wealth of the kingdom and told to take wives and husbands from neighboring kingdoms and bring them in to maintain population. From now on, prisoners and criminals were to be fed to the womantygers. Eimle ruled for many years, and shed her skin many times, becoming young once more. As she aged, she forgot her oldest memories, until she forgot the face of Elgol. She left the throne and wandered into the grasslands, where she forgot herself and lived as a beast from there on. The same happened to the oldest womantygers, and continues to happen to this day.

Womantygers outside of Rashessa are oddities of the highest order. Many nobles will have at least one in their employ to show off as a curiosity, and maybe keep their shed skin to be made into a coat. Those who wander tend to stick with groups, as going by themselves makes them more liable to be mistaken as a monster. They even wear disguises of a sort, in the form of hoods with bronze masks over their faces. The facade of a face prevents the full shock of seeing a human face upon the body of a monstrosity.

Ability Score Improvement: STR +1, DEX +1, CHA +1
Size: Medium. You are the height of a small lion with a shoulder height of just under 3.5 feet at the most, with a length of about 4 feet at the withers, not including the tail. You weigh about 250 lbs.
Speed: 40 feet
Age: Womantygers mature at about twenty, and are functionally immortal. However, they lose their sapient mental faculties at about 200 years of age and regress into a bestial state.
Alignment: Younger Womantygers tend more towards lawful good, but as they grow old they tend closer towards true neutral, losing their sense of self and becoming more bestial.
Claws: Your serpentine legs end in leonid paws instead of hands. You are incapable of wielding weapons made for humanoids, only those specially crafted for your claws. You are unable to use perform somatic components for spells. You may use your claws for unarmed strikes. If you hit with them you deal 1d6+ your Strength modifier, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for unarmed strikes.
Charge: If you move at least 20 feet straight toward a creature and then hit it with a claw attack on the same turn, that target must succeed on a DC 13 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. If the target is prone, you can make a second claw attack against it as a bonus action.
Womantyger Skills: You have proficiency in either Performance and Persuasion, or Stealth and Survival.
Leonine Build: Creatures of size Small or smaller may ride upon you.
Shed Skin: Upon reaching maturity, a womantyger may shed the skin from her body. This process occurs naturally every twenty years or so, but under concentration and effort it may be accomplished once per month. You must be living a Wealthy or more expensive lifestyle. Upon being shed, the coat yields a value at around 50 times your proficiency bonus.