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So, for me there are three kinds of "cat people" in D&D.
(The original "cat people" from first edition: generic "cat-like" people covered in fur, not too unlike a humanoid "Tom" from Tom & Jerry who is clearly cat-like but clearly not any specific kind of cat.)
(Monte Cook's "cat people" from later in the D20 era: specific cat heads on top of a humanoid body: Lion-headed man, Leopard-headed man, etc. -- kinda like Thundercats)
(Paizo's "cat people" who, as depicted in the Bestiary, look more like characters from the musical Cats, much prettier to look at. (Not like AP illustrations of "Cat Folk" who ruin the example set forth in the Bestiary.))
I've been fine with this for a while now, adding Paizo's to my list when that particular Bestiary was published cuz of the great illustration. But now I have a conundrum.
How do I make racial builds for the three different "cat people"?
I'm gonna stick, of course, with the Bestiary's version of the Cat Folk so I just need different racial builds for the other two. Also, I think Monte Cook's Litorians should not be available for PC play -- they should be more powerful, equitable to gnolls or ogres or even minotaurs in CR.
Ideas?...
You forgot tibbit(s) from the Dragon Conpendium. Not exactly "cat people" they are cat-weres.
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No, I didn't forget; the OP reads "For me there are..."
There are no Tibbits for me, alas.
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Looking at the old 1E modules with Rakasta, it seems a generic +2 to one Ability Score fits best. But that's just feels too human.
So I figure, if Cat Folk are +2 CHA & DEX w/ -2 WIS, then perhaps Rakasta can be +2 DEX & WIS w/ -2 CON. That makes them different than any of the Core and still sounds okay for the Fluff of the Race.
And Litorians should have +4 STR & DEX, +2 CON & CHA -- or some mix thereof. (They can't be PCs, of course.)
They should all have Low Light vision, but after that it gets tricky in my mind.
Simone Simon?
Neko-henge are hengeyokai with the cat form from ancient Japanese folklore, and exist in Rite Publishing's In the Company of Henge - as one of seven 'racial' varieties. Though they can shapechange to human or animal form, their normal form is cat-humanoid hybrid form.
The orcs in the setting I'm working on are kind of sabre-toothed-tiger-people.
It started when I was working on making them recognisably orcs but different enough to be unique, by giving them sabretooth fangs rather than upward pointing tusks. From there, it wasn't much of a stretch to add feline features and incorporate a racial origin amongst large cats.
They're still greenish.
My setting ended up with 2 breeds of catfolk simply because of the different art between the Beastiary entry and the Race Guide.
Southern Catfolk are the ones with the Cat heads as seen in the Race guide. Their social structure is similar to that of a Lion Pride.
Northern Catfolk are the ones shown in the Beastiary with the more human like features, their culture is more wanderer/Gypsy sort of thing going where they want sometimes in small family caravans.
I have 4 allowed as PCs:
1) Standard Catfolk: as per the MM. Really a mix of several races that have been brought in.
2) Centan, also other names: Not quite the book half-orc. May have to steal Umbral Reaver's idea, perhaps Bite instead of Improved Initiative?
3) Abasti: puma-based followers of Bast, keyed to fighting undead.
4) Aki: a Small race, cheated with a Halfling knock-off a friend created. Think Puss-in-Boots.