Cat (Dreamlands)
"It was one of the [cat] army’s outposts, stationed on the highest of the mountains to watch the one foe which earth’s cats fear; the very large and peculiar cats from Saturn, who for some reason have not been oblivious of the charm of our moon’s dark side."
- – H.P. Lovecraft, The Dream-Quest Of Unknown Kadath
H.P. Lovecraft really loved cats. In his words, they appeal "to the deepest founts of imagination and cosmic perception in the human mind." He even wrote his own cat (who shall remain unnamed) into stories. So it should come as no surprise that in his setting of the Dreamlands, cats are a deeply magical and mysterious race that possess human-like intelligence (although distinctly alien thought processes). They have their own language, government and military. There is one town that they basically control like a mafia, where it is illegal for any human to kill a cat, even in self defense. Among other abilities, cats in the Dreamlands can literally jump from Earth to the moon and back like it's nothing. In essence, they have the reverse relationship to the Dreamlands as humans, with their dream-world lives being their "real" lives, and their earthly lives being their "dreams".
It is also established that alien cats live on other worlds in Earth's (or Dreamland-Earth's) solar system.
Subspecies[edit]
Though Lovecraft only ever mentioned cats from Earth and Saturn, Chaosium has since added cats from Mars and Uranus too. Though they respect the Dreamlands too much to openly war there, the different races generally don't like each other (or, at the very least, Terran and Martian cats dislike Saturnian and Uranian cats)
Terran Cats (Cats from Earth) are basically cats as we know them.
Martian Cats (Cats from Mars) are friendly and closely allied to Terran Cats. They resemble Terran Cats, but hairless and with brightly (and weirdly) colorful bodies (purple, violet, fluorescent orange, etc) as well as elongated legs and tails.
Saturnian Cats (Cats from Saturn) are marked by their beautiful, brilliantly colorful forms, which are adorned in jewel-like nodules or scales as well as swirling fin-tendrils, giving the appearance of the cat being formed of molded arabesques and filigree. Their heads are virtually abstract, being marked mainly by their large, ever-staring eyes, and they have the ability to extrude and retract legs as they see fit, as well as using a prehensile tail like an arm. Roughly the size of a puma, Saturnian Cats are notably malevolent, and are aligned with the darker denizens of the Dreamlands moon, such as the Moon-beasts.
Uranian Cats (Cats from Uranus) are larger even than Saturnian Cats, and appear as more a cat-shape woven from blue-black-green scaly tentacles, with its head adorned by six spikes and retractile sensory tentacles that give it a star-shaped outline. They are hostile towards Terran Cats, but rarely seen, which is a good thing considering their incredible sensory abilities, mighty claws, and the durability of their otherworldly hides. Unlike the Terran, Martian and Saturnian Cat strains, they are seemingly an invention of Chaosium for Call of Cthulhu, having first been mention in S. Petersen's Field Guide to Creatures of the Dreamlands - ironically, whereas that book depicts a Cat from Saturn, the updated rerelease/compilation "S. Petersen's Field Guide to Lovecraftian Horrors" depicts a Cat from Uranus under the title "Cat from Saturn".
PC Stats[edit]
Cats are one of the four playable races featured in Sandy Petersen's Cthulhu Mythos for Pathfinder and 5E. They are one of the most complicated races to play, for obvious reasons.
Pathfinder[edit]
- -6 Strength, +4 Dexterity, +2 Wisdom, +2 Charisma
- Tiny
- Fast Speed (30ft)
- Darkvision 60ft
- Risky Explorer: Dreamlands cats gain a +4 racial bonus on Climb, Escape Artist, and Stealth checks.
- Natural Attacks: Dreamlands cats have three primary natural attacks: a bite that inflicts 1d3 points of damage and two claws that inflict 1d2 points of damage each.
- Weapon Finesse: Dreamlands cats gain Weapon Finesse as a bonus feat.
- Land on Your Feet: Dreamlands cats treat any fall as if it were 20 feet less than the actual distance of the fall. For example, a cat that falls 30 feet takes only 1d6 points of damage (treating it as a 10-foot fall). A fall of 20 feet or less does not harm a Dreamlands cat. A Dreamlands cat that takes no damage from a fall always lands on his feet. A Dreamlands cat that takes damage from a fall lands on its feet if it makes a successful Reflex save (DC = the damage taken by the fall).
- Nimble: Dreamlands cats use their Dexterity to modify Climb and Swim checks.
- Dreamlands Travel (Su): A Dreamlands cat can sense the presence of any Gates of Slumber (portals to the Dreamlands) within 1 mile. When a Dreamlands catreturn from the Dreamlands, it can choose to return at Intelligence 2, but if so it remains trapped at this animal intelligence until it next makes a round trip to the Dreamlands. A Dreamlands cat can take any Tiny worn or carried objects with it when traveling to the Dreamlands.
- Moon Jump (Su): In the Dreamlands, a Dreamlands cat can teleport from a planet's surface to one of its satellites (or vice versa) as an action. The trip takes 2d6 minutes to complete. The Dreamlands cat can use this ability twice per long rest, and must return to a spot within 1 mile of where it started from. A group of Dreamlands cats can take another creature with them when they Moon Jump; a group of four is needed to take a Small creature, and a group of eight to take a Medium creature.
- Nine Lives (Su): When killed, a Dreamlands cat returns to the Dreamlands, resting for 1d3 days after which it can return to life by creating a new body. A Dreamlands cat can only do this 8 times. Resurrection through effects such as Raise Dead do not count against this ability limit.
- Languages: Dreamlands cats speak Cat, but cannot speak other languages. Dreamlands cats always know the native language of the humanoid culture they live in and can read them but cannot speak them. Cats can be understood by anyone who speaks Cat, or anyone who has spent a week with a specific cat can understand that cat.
- Equipment Slots: Dreamlands cats cannot use items that require hands. A cat can wear armor if the armor is tailored to fit its body. Cats can wear and benefit from magic rings (up to two, worn on the tail as bracelets) and neck slot magic items. Specially tailored belt, body, shoulder, and wrist slot items can be used if they are created specifically for a cat's physiology. Dreamlands cats are known for wearing magical earrings; at the GM's discretion, a set of earrings could hold the magical power of items that would take the eyes, feet, or hand slots. Under no circumstances can a Dreamlands cat wear more than two sets of magical earrings, regardless of where they are worn. Of couse, a cat may wear as many tail rings as it feels are fashionable.
- Spellcasting: Dreamland Cat spellcasters provide somatic components with tail and whisker motions, and verbal components through feline noises. Material components or spellcasting focuses can only be used if adjacent to the cat.
5th Edition[edit]
- Ability Score Modifier: +2 Dexterity
- Size: Tiny (Reach 5)
- Speed: 40, Climb 30
- Vision: Darkvision 60
- Bite Attack: You can Bite as an Unarmed Strike, dealing 1 piercing damage (if Tiny) or 1d4 piercing damage (if Small or Medium).
- Claws: You can make a Claw Attack as an Unarmed Strike. If you are Tiny, your claw attacks do 2 slashing damage and have the Finesse keyword. Otherwise, your claw attacks do 2d4 damage and lack this keyword.
- Dreamlands Travel: You can sense the presence of any Gates of Slumber (portals to the Dreamlands) within 1 mile. When you return from the Dreamlands, you can choose to return at Intelligence 2, but if so you remain trapped at this animal intelligence until you next make a round trip to the Dreamlands. You can take any Tiny worn or carried objects with you when traveling to the Dreamlands.
- Magic Item Melding: If you are attuned to a Tiny magic item of the Weapon, Armor, Wand, Rod, Staff, or Worn Mondrous Item category, as part of traveling to the Dreamlands, you can cause that item to merge into your body, rendering it incapable of being taken off of you. You can choose whether or not to "de-merge" the item when you travel back from the Dreamlands. A weapon must be melded to either your claws or jaws, adding its magical properties (but not base damage) to your claw or bite attack. Wands, rods and staffs are melded to your eyes, allowing you to use them with a thought. Armors and worn wondrous items meld with your skin and count as being permanently active, unless you deign otherwise.
- Moon Jump: In the Dreamlands, you can teleport from a planet's surface to one of its satellites (or vice versa) as an action. The trip takes 2d6 minutes to complete. You can use this ability twice per long rest, and you must return to a spot within 1 mile of where you started from. A group of Dreamlands Cats can take another creature with them when they Moon Jump; a group of four is needed to take a creature one size category larger than the cats, and a group of eight to take a creature two size categories larger.
- Nine Lives: When killed, you return to the Dreamlands, resting for 1d3 days after which you can return to life by creating a new body. You can only do this 8 times. Resurrection through effects such as Raise Dead do not count against this ability limit.
- Cat Equipment: You cannot use anything that specifically requires hands to be used, though you can hold wands or carry Tiny objects in your mouth. You can wear armor if it's tailored for a cat, as well as using magic rings, belts, goggles, gloves, boots, bracers, amulets, clocks and similar items. Dreamlands Cats often create enchanted earrings to duplicate the effects of magic items they couldn't normally wield.
- Cat Spellcasting: Dreamland Cat spellcasters provide somatic components with tail and whisker motions, and verbal components through feline noises. To use material components or spellcasting focuses, they must have the components either in their mouth (which doesn't interfere with verbal components), or unattended by another creature and within 5 feet.
- Cat Talk: Dreamlands Cats can speak Cat, which has no written form, and read/understand humanoid languages, but they cannot speak or write any language other than Cat without magical assistance.
- Subraces: Choose the Terran Cat, Martian Cat, Saturnian Cat or Uranian Cat subrace.
Terran Cat:
- Ability Score Modifiers: +1 Charisma, -2 Strength
- Keen Senses: You have Proficiency in Perception.
Martian Cat:
- Ability Score Modifiers: +1 Wisdom, -2 Strength
- Keen Senses: You have Proficiency in Perception.
- Keen Sense of Smell: You have Advantage on Perception checks based on scent.
- Acrobatic: You have Proficiency in Acrobatics.
- Leaper: Your jumping distance is tripled and you always land on your feet after intentionally jumping, even if you take falling damage in the process.
- Nimble: Acrobatics is always a Dexterity skill for you.
Saturnian Cat:'
- Ability Score Modifiers: None
- Big Cat: Your size is Medium.
- Prehensile Tail: Your tail is both retractile (extend or retract as a bonus action) and prehensile, allowing you to use it to manipulate objects as if it were an arm. It is too clumsy and imprecise to use tools, weapons or shields.
- Limb Allocation: You can modify the number of legs you have deployed once per day; this requires 10 minutes and needs you to concentrate, as if concentrating on a spell. Disrupting your attempts to refashion your limb number has no negative effect other than forcing you to start over. When you have an odd number of legs, you can effectively strike with three claws, but you gain no speed bonus from the unpaired leg. When you have an even number of legs, only the front two legs have the reach to claw.
- Four Legs: You can make a Pounce attack by moving 20 feet feet straight towards a target and then making an unarmed strike against it. This forces the target, if hit, to make a Strength save against DC (8 + Your Proficiency Modifier + your Strength modifier) or be knocked prone.
- Five Legs: Your claw attacks do 3d4 slashing damage.
- Six Legs: Whilst the extra legs increase your Walking Speed to 50 feet and your Climb speed to 40 feet, you must spread biomass thinly to have so many; your claw attacks do 2d4 slashing damage and you suffer a -2 penalty to Constitution saving throws.
- Seven Legs: You push your body to the limit to manifest this many limbs. Walking Speed is 50 feet, Climb speed is 50 feet, claws do 3d4 slashing damage and you suffer a -2 penalty to Constitution and Dexterity saving throws.
Uranian Cat:'
- Ability Score Modifiers: +1 Strength
- Big Cat: Your size is Medium.
- Broad-Spectrum Vision: You treat Darkness within 60 feet as Dim Light, and can see invisible creatures and objects within 60 feet. You can spend a bonus action to determine if an object within 60 feet is magical.
- Bulky: Your speed is 30 feet and your Climb speed is 20 feet.
- Natural Armor: Your natural armor class is 13 + Dexterity modifier?
Gallery[edit]
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Saturn
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Uranus
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