Hand To Hand: Feline

HTH: Feline by Mephisto

(NOTE: Does not include the “two attacks for living!”)

This style of combat is suitable for mutant cats, CS Cat Soldiers, were-cats, animal metamorphosis: feline, and any cat-like alien or mutant. It is not as suitable for characters with exceptionally large teeth or maws but is good for characters with both sharp, vampire-like teeth and claws. Unlike HTH: Canine, feline characters are more than one-trick ponies when it comes to combat. However it is also not suitable to a normal human without claws and teeth to make the style work properly. The basic idea of the style is that you swipe at your opponent with claws or kicks until he or she gets too close, then you bite. Not very elegant or very cultured but quite effective. The biting skills of the feline character may not be as impressive as the canine character but the clawing skills more than compensate for them.
Note that this designed with the Big Cats (Lions, Tigers, and Jaguars) in mind. Smaller cats such as Lynx, Bobcat, Ocelot and similar, do not get the benefits of the additional claw damage bonus that is presented. Cougars however do get the benefits listed below including the Claw Strike bonuses.

(*): Automatic Claw Parry is a defensive move in place of a traditional move like parry, dodge, or Automatic Body Flip/Throw. The Automatic Claw Parry does 1D6 damage to the attacking arm or leg with no bonuses to parry or damage allowed. On a successful Automatic Claw Parry the character initiating the Automatic Claw Parry suffers no damage at all.

Requirements: Automatic for mutant cats raised as Wild Animals or CS Cat Mutants. For other characters it requires three skill slots (available as Secondary skill slots since it is in effect a “self-taught skill.”)

Attacks per Melee: 3

Basic Moves and Special Techniques: Roll with Punch/Fall/Impact, Maintain Balance, Dodge, Parry, Automatic Parry, Bite (1D6), Claw Strike (1D6), Kick Attack (2D4), Snap Kick (1D6), Leap Attack, Pull Punch, Knockout/Stun, Critical Strike, Critical Strike from Behind.

Level Advancement Bonuses:

1st: +2 Parry, +2 Dodge, +1 Maintain Balance.

2nd: +1 Strike, +1 Attack per melee.

3rd: +2 Pull Punch, +2 Roll with Punch/Fall/Impact.

4th: +1 Leap Attack (and add 5 feet to leap distance), +1 Initiative.

5th: +1 Maintain Balance, Critical Strike on Natural 18/19/20.

6th: +1 Dodge, Claw Strike does (2D6) Damage.

7th: +1 Maintain Balance, +1 Attack per melee.

8th: +1 Leap Attack (and add 5 feet to leap distance), Add Automatic Claw Parry (*)

9th: +1 Strike, +2 Parry, +2 Dodge, Knockout/Stun on Natural 18/19/20.

10th: +1 Maintain Balance, +1 Leap Attack (and add 5 feet to leap distance).

11th: +1 Attack per melee, +1 Initiative, Bite does (2D6) damage.

12th: +2 Pull Punch, +2 Roll with Punch/Fall/Impact.

13th: +1 Strike, Claw Strike does (3D6) Damage.

14th: +1 Maintain Balance, +1 Leap Attack (and add 5 feet to leap distance).

15th: +1 Attack per melee.

Notes: I'd adjust the damage to be +1D6 at level one for true claws, more than just long nails (all depends on the Looks the character ends up getting as well as Natural Powers). Also keeping it low is part of a game balance aspect as I use blood loss rules, and blood loss can be pretty severe. The incremental increases can remain the same (so by 15th level the style provides a +3D6 damage bonus). As for the skill cost allocation it's to keep it in line with HTH: Martial Arts, which has a skill cost for being better than HTH: Basic. So that was the mechanic I went with. A character that relies on their natural fighting abilities shouldn't be as penalized as a mutant cat raised as a human that has forgotten all of the innate fighting skills and abilities (think of a cat with psionic powers that is trained for the psionic powers. There's no way they'd have the same fighting skill as a mutant cat living in the wilderness and shunning humanity and hunting on their own).