Kitsune
Kitsune are vulpine shapeshifters known for their love of both trickery and art. They have inherent magical potential and can shapeshift between their natural anthropomorphic foxlike state and a human form. While they do tend towards mischief, kitsune are intensely loyal, and their love of trouble rarely extends to anything harmful. Kitsune live up to 80 years old. They are considered to be adults at 14, middle-aged at 40, old at 55, and venerable at 70. Their human forms are too varied to indicate an average, but their fox forms average 5'6" for males and 5'4" for females. Male kitsune weigh around 130 lb and females average 125 lb.
Base Racial Traits
Ability Score Racial Traits: Kitsune are agile and companionable, but tend to be physically weak. They gain +2 Dexterity, +2 Charisma, and –2 Strength.
Size: Kitsune are Medium creatures and thus have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Type: Kitsune are humanoids with the kitsune and shapechanger subtypes.
Base Speed: Kitsune have a base speed of 30 feet.
Languages: Kitsune begin play speaking Ippan and Yokai.
Feat and Skill Racial Traits
Agile (Ex) Kitsune receive a +2 racial bonus on Acrobatics checks.
Magical Racial Traits
Change Shape (Su) A kitsune can assume the appearance of a specific single human form of the same sex. The kitsune always takes this specific form when she uses this ability. A kitsune in human form cannot use her bite attack, but gains a +10 racial bonus on Disguise checks made to appear human. Changing shape is a standard action. This ability otherwise functions as alter self, except that the kitsune does not adjust her ability scores and can remain in this form indefinitely.
Kitsune Magic (Ex/Sp): Kitsune possess a modicum of inherent magical power. Their nature makes them particularly adept with Transmutation magic, and they add +1 to the DC of saving throws against transmutation spells they cast. Kitsune with a Charisma score of 11 or higher gain the following spell-like abilities (caster level equals the kitsune’s level, DC is Charisma-based):
3/day—any arcane cantrip (choose at character creation)
1/day—eagle's splendor or cat's grace (choose at character creation)
Offense Racial Traits
Natural Weapons (Ex) In her natural form, a kitsune has a bite attack that deals 1d3 points of damage.
Senses Racial Traits
Low-Light Vision: Kitsune can see twice as far as humans in conditions of dim light.
A kitsune shugenja, pictured here in the act of transforming to her human form.
Kitsune in Society
Kitsune have a highly mystical society, partly fueled by their own innate abilities, and partly by their interactions with the spirits that roam the lands of Haraki - indeed, their native language is Yokai, the native tongue of the undead. Kitsune follow a feudal governmental structure, their planet ruled by an Emperor who reigns over a network of nobles and aristocrats. Kitsune have a strong sense of the value of titles and nobility, and are somewhat lost in more egalitarian circles - an odd dichotomy from their personal love of individuality and freedom of expression.
The events of the Tonelicant Embolism Event left an indelible mark on the kitsune, leading to a lingering distrust of technology and the humans and qog who brought it to them. Indeed, many older kitsune had parents who fought in the war and claim that the disaster was a deliberate attempt by qog agents to clear the planet of organic lifeforms and create a world they could shape in their own image.
Kitsune frequently pursue magically-oriented careers, and very few of them will delve into technological research. Those who do rarely achieve great success in their fields, held back by an excessive degree of caution that inhibits their potential.