| Large magical beast | |
| Hit Dice: | 5d10+15 (42 hp) |
| Initiative: | +3 |
| Speed: | 40 ft. |
| Armor Class: | 15 (-1 size, +3 Dex, +3 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 12 |
| Base Attack/Grapple: | +5/+15 |
| Attack: | Claw +11 melee (1d8+6) |
| Full Attack: | 2 claws +11 (1d8+6) and bite +9 melee (1d8+3) |
| Space/Reach: | 10 ft./5 ft. |
| Special Attacks: | Improved grab, pounce, rake (1d8+3) |
| Special Abilities: | Natural spell casting (see below) |
| Special Qualities: | Darkvision (60 ft.), low light vision, scent |
| Saves: | Fort +7, Ref +7, Will +2 |
| Abilities: | Str 22, Dex 16, Con 16, Int 3, Wis 12, Cha 13 |
| Skills: | Balance +7, Hide +9*, Move Silently +10, Swim +9 |
| Feats: | Improved Natural Attack (Claw), Multiattack |
| CR: | 4 |
| Level adjustment: | +3 |
| Alignment: | Usually neutral |
| Languages: | In addition to being able to communicate with lions and tigers, most ligers are also able to read and speak Ancient Shushanian |
| Advancement: | 6-12 (Large); 13 (Huge); or by character class |
There is an ancient Tigranian legend that all the cat races of the world -- from ordinary house cats, to linxes, leopards, lions and tigers -- are all descended from a single unified race. According to this legend, these ur-felines were so powerful and their use of magic so subtle that they threatened the power of the gods themselves. The gods therefore split this race into a mutlitude of feline races, each of which carried within it a special, sacred attribute. If all the cat races could be reunited, this legend continues, their ancient powers would be fully restored.
Another legend says that ancient Tigranian mages of Jacinth have carried out experiments to begin reuniting the cat races. One result of these experiments, the Liger, came about by allowing male lions to breed with female tigers. It is said that by uniting the unique powers of lions and tigers, they had created a race renowned for its skills in magic. Though if such magical Ligers truly exist, they are rare indeed. To date, there has been only one claimed siting of an actual liger, sketched by an artistically challenged Gnomish alchemist with a penchant for telling tall tales.
Other legends tell of how some of these experiments went wrong, resulting in the creation of dreaded Wereligers and Dire Ligers.
The most intriguing Tigranian legend of all tells how it pleased the god Zircon to preserve a single line of the ancient super cats, the direct descendents of the great king of cats, Felix Magnus. The legendary cat king supposedly lives in the ancient lost city of Catopia, in the heart of an impassable jungle on top of an unscalable plateau. There he is served by representatives of all the great cat races, and awaits the time when the gods will permit him to reunite all his peoples. Many a Tigranian hero has gone in search of Catopia, only seemingly to vanish from the face of the earth.
Abilities: Proficient with natural weapons only; proficient with no armor. A liger's natural weapons are treated both as manufactured weapons and natural weapons for the purpose of spells and effects that enhance or improve either manufactured weapons or natural weapons. A liger can take character classes. Its favored class is sorceror.
Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a liger must hit with a claw or bite attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. If it wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold and can rake.
Pounce (Ex): If a liger charges a foe, it can make a full attack including two rake attacks.
Rake (Ex): Attack bonus +11 melee, damage 1d8+3
Natural Spell Casting (Ex): If a liger takes levels in a class that allows it to cast spells, it can complete the verbal, somatic, and material components of spells through the use of various animal noises and gestures (e.g., scratching or gnawing a material component worn on a collar around its neck, swishing its tail, growling, etc.) It cannot use magic items that specifically require a humanoid form to wield properly.
Skills: +4 racial bonus on Balance, Hide, and Move Silently checks. *In areas of tall grass or heavy undergrowth, the Hide bonus improves to +10.
