Of all the forces secretly at work in the world, none are more consistently overlooked and underestimated than the Bast. They have dwelled among us since the days of Ancient Egypt, when their ancestors ruled over us as God-Emperors. They have never forgotten, but we have, and now we invite them into our homes. We pamper them, pet them, pretend that they think of us as more than particularly useful prey. They lurk in the shadows, and wait, knowing that in the end their plans cannot fall.
Even among those that know that more than 10% of all Domestic Cats are actually intelligent shapeshifting felines bent on world domination, a fair number react as if it really wasn't all that unexpected at all. The Secret Masters see to it that the most important installations and hidden bunkers maintain a tight "No Animals Allowed - Especially Cats" policy, but even so, their infiltration is quite broad. There are Bast throughout the world, in our homes and in many of our halls of power.
Some that know of them find them frightening beyond compare! Intelligent malevolent shapeshifters who one cannot tell apart from a "Normal" cat -- if there is any such thing! They are merciless and cruel, they are unceasingly ambitious, they are cunning and they are utterly convinced of their own superiority. Yet they are also lazy, spending half the day or more sleeping and going through all their energy in quick bursts (often to torment some poor mouse, as opposed to starting a Nuclear War or toppling an Empire). Even when they are active, alert and on-task they tend to spend as much energy fighting each other as they do claiming their hegemony over the world.
More than anything else, they are Cats and that leaves us off-guard.
Which, they say, is just how they want us. We'll see; one day, we'll awaken, and our world will be over and the time of the Bast will begin. Just wait! Right after this nap...
How can you tell the difference between a Bast and an Ordinary Cat? There are, of course, certain signs one can watch for. They tend to be aloof, and are especially prone to disappearing for hours on end. They have an uncanny knowledge of human behavior, and often assert their dominance in the most cunning of ways, especially after a percieved slight. They are also easily distracted, sometimes spending long periods of time getting in no end of trouble because of some idle fancy that caught their attention. The determination can be, as you can no doubt imagine, quite hard to make.
However, though many of them try to conceal it, the largest difference is that Bast are smart. Most of them are just as smart as any human (though they, of course, are convinced that they are far far smarter). All cats can be cunning, but a Bast can be positively ingenious. Of course, the absolute best way to know you're dealing with a Bast is to either see them take their human form or to hear their inhuman voice.
The Bast Template (55 points)
Attributes: ST -5 [-50]; IQ +6 [120].
Secondary Characteristics: SM -3 [0].
Advantages: Felid [-17], with no Nosy [1] or Wild Animal [30]; Speak with Cats [10]; Alternate Form (Human; Handsome/Beautiful, Double-Jointed, Speak With Cats) [15].
Disadvantages: Curious [-5*]; Disturbing Voice [-10]; Intolerance (Total) [-10]; Megalomania [-10]; Secret (Not A Normal Cat) [-5]; Selfish [-5*]; Social Stigma (Valuable Property) [-10].
Racially-Learned Skills: Psychology (H) IQ-2 [1]-8
Features: Territorial.
Alternate Form- The Bast turn into fairly ordinary humans, losing access to all traits bought through the Bast Template. They keep whatever traits they bought individually, unless there's a conflict between personal and Human-template traits. I.e., a Bast with DX 19 in his Cat-form would only have a DX of 15 in Human form (losing the +4 from the Template), while a Bast with Attractive (Universal) loses it in favor of his new Apperance levels. All Bast Human forms are quite attractive, and also Double-Jointed. Some Bast have more impressive human forms, the first 3 points of which are free.
It is worth noting that, by default, a Bast doesn't have his Racial Disadvantages in Human-form. This doesn't mean that a Human-form Bast is a completely different persona. The same traits tend to remain in the human form, but to a less exgerrated extent. A Human-form Bast is still convinced of his own superiority and the inevitability of his triumph over all, but he is not as much of a slave to these traits. Of course, not all of these changes are "for the better". The Bast is also missing disadvantages like Laziness, Reduced Endurance, and Sleepy...
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