So i added a stray cat to an encounter to make my players more paranoid than usual. So they didn’t kill the cute little cat and it won’t leave them now. Anything that seems out of place sends them overthinking. For once, Id like them to be right.
But, this doesn’t need to be a hostile creature. Thinking of the Flerken from Captain Marvel. Off the top of my head Im having a hard time thinking of what this could actually be without it becoming a game breaker once revealed. Party is 4th level and consists of a ranger, monk, sorcerer, druid and rogue. I expect the druid or ranger to discover what the cat is before long. thanks
kinda super typical, but a fey cat is very traditional and you can do a lot with one.
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Only a DM since 1980 (3000+ Sessions) / PhD, MS, MA / Mixed, Bi, Trans, Woman / No longer welcome in the US, apparently
Wyrlde: Adventures in the Seven Cities .-=] Lore Book | Patreon | Wyrlde YT [=-. An original Setting for 5e, a whole solar system of adventure. Ongoing updates, exclusies, more. Not Talking About It / Dubbed The Oracle in the Cult of Mythology Nerds
A person who was polymorphed into a cat. And it’s the person they’ve been looking for all along. And it’s a homebrew polymorph, so a simple dispel magic won’t end it.
A test by some kind of supernatural being. If they keep the cat alive and well fed and cared for x amount of time, the party will be rewarded. If it dies or is mistreated, it vanishes without a trace, and the mystery will never be revealed.
A figurine of wonderous power that’s become sentient.
A person who was polymorphed into a cat. And it’s the person they’ve been looking for all along. And it’s a homebrew polymorph, so a simple dispel magic won’t end it.
A test by some kind of supernatural being. If they keep the cat alive and well fed and cared for x amount of time, the party will be rewarded. If it dies or is mistreated, it vanishes without a trace, and the mystery will never be revealed.
A figurine of wonderous power that’s become sentient.
It doesn't have to be homebrew; a true polymorph spell becomes permanent if it lasts for the duration. Alternatively, hag magic is supposed to break the rules about what normal spells do, so it could be someone transformed by a coven.
Adding in random elements which you have no plan for at the time can be the best way to come up with some over-arching plot which could end up the focus of the entire game.
The cat can be literally anything ...
- fey spirit
- celestial spirit
-fiendish spirit
- polymorphed creature
- just a cat - BUT a cat who is a familiar of a wizard who is looking for their lost kitten
- a spy
- an observer
- a trigger for some other event
The question isn't so much What the cat might be but Why the cat is there .. what is the reason behind the cat's unusual nature and what effect do you want it to have on the plot.
- is the cat a representative of a group or entity that either wants to spy on the characters or has a use in mind for them? This can be good, bad or neither .. perhaps a group is looking for some adventurers that might grow sufficiently in power to be able to help them and the cat is their method of watching and possibly guiding the characters?
- is the cat a devil in disguise looking to build trust with the characters so that they can make a deal with them at the right moment?
- is it a guardian cat, perhaps sent by the diety of one of the characters, with a mission to aid them when some "bad thing" happens to the party? Something that the diety is aware may come to pass but the party does not?
- is it an omen of a coming plague? (perhaps of rats?)
- is it a spirit from the feywild ... either a trickster spirit that wants to play tricks on the party, a representative of a fey lord or lady looking to help/use/enslave/bind to service the characters?
- is the cat a focus for an inter planar spell like Planeshift allowing travel to the cat's native realm? Where the party might have to go one day? They need to search for a focus for the spell allowing them to get there and are surprised to find it already traveling with them.
If you want more than a cat ... it can literally be anything you like :)
You could make it a mischievous Cheshire cat. I know that WotC came out with the grinning cat, but it’s Large, and IMO kinda boring. I had previously made my own Homebrew for a Cheshire cat, if you like it you can use it. Feel free to change anything that doesn’t suit you.
Keen Smell. The cat has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on smell.
Magic Resistance. The cat has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Nondetection.The cat can’t be targeted or detected by any divination magic or perceived through magical scrying sensors.
Pounce. If the cat moves at least 20 feet straight toward a creature and then hits it with its claws on the same turn, that target must succeed on a DC 11 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone if it is a creature. If the target is prone, the cat can make one bite attack against it as a bonus action.
Running Leap.With a 10-foot running start, the cat can long jump up to 15 feet.
Actions
Multiattack. The cat makes two attacks with its claws, and one with its bite.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack:+1 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (2d4) piercing damage.
Claws. Melee Weapon Attack:+4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d4 + 2) slashing damage.
Invisibility and Incorporealness. The cat magically turns partially or wholly invisibleand/or wholly incorporeal, gradually fading away over the course of its turn. Any equipment the cat wears or carries is invisibleand/or incorporeal along with it. It remains invisible and/or incorporeal until it attacks, until it looses concentration (as if on a spell), or chooses to end this effect (no action required), gradually fading back into view over the course of the current turn. The cat can choose to become only partially visible, or choose for only some items it is wearing or carrying to become visible.
While incorporeal, the cat is immune to all damage types except force damage; psychic damage; radiant damage; and bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from magical attacks. In addition it can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. It takes 5 (1d10) force damage if it ends its turn inside an object.
Bonus Actions
Teleport (Recharge (4—6)). The cat magically teleports, along with any equipment it is wearing or carrying, up to 60 feet to an unoccupied space it can see. Before or after teleporting, the cat can make one attack.
Reactions
Phase. Whenever the cat is hit with an attack or forced to make a Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution saving throw by a source it can see, it can momentarily becomes partially insubstantial. The cat adds 2 to its AC against that attack, or to that saving throw.
Description
Cheshire cats are larger fey felines with remarkably wide grins, often growing to the size of a Halfling or a human child. They are called Cheshire cats due to a striking similarity to artwork adorning signs in the village of Cheshire, perhaps even being the inspiration for that artwork. Cheshire cats come in a variety of often garish colors, and usually sport either stripes or spots, and occasionally both. They are mischievous tricksters who are frequently known to engage folks in amusing but sometimes perplexing conversation, often raising philosophical points that annoy or baffle others. Though occasionally vexing or troublesome, Cheshire cats are also often known to aid travelers by indicating routs of safe passage, pointing out helpful items, or even tending to the injured.
Cheshire Cats can become invisible, often disappearing gradually until nothing is left but its grin before that too finally disappears. However, they can also make only portions of themselves disappear leaving only a head or sometimes just a smile visible for long periods of time. Cheshire cats can also become incorporeal, in whole or in part, allowing them to pass through objects or even people, as well as making themselves resistant to most forms of injury. Their powers include being resistant to most magics, especially scrying magic, allowing them to come and go undetected at will.
My go-to is to have it be a Polymorphed Gold or Silver dragon. It is powerful enough that nothing much can hurt it that bad, so it has no problem acting like the defenseless cat it is until it's in a truly life or death situation. And since it's a metallic dragon, it's not necessarily hostile. Maybe it's just observing the heroes to see if they're 'worthy' of some boon or allyship before revealing itself. But if they mistreat it and hurt it, then they'll have a powerful dragon as an enemy.
It's a strange beast which looks like a cat, but is actually a monstrosity that eats leather. It is flirting with the party for their shoes. If they keep it, it will eat their shoes. They will never see it doing so. After a while, it coughs up a hairball of hobnails and shoelaces.
Not everything that's not as it seems needs to be big or plot-relevant, after all!
There are some Curious Dragons in the lawful good category with shape change abilities(Adult Gold Dragon). The Dragon is testing the party to see how they will treat a weak and helpless being before approaching them to hire them for a task or to become their patron.
If you want to make that more interesting the dragon could have got stuck in cat form somehow, when it transformed for some other purpose, and now it is roaming the world in cat form trying to find someone, or a party of someones, who will realize the cat is more then it appears and will rescue it from its feline imprisonment. This could literally be a whole campaign.. and I'm going to steal it.
The best part is that if they kill the cat POOFF Dragon!
Witches were once said to be able to transform into a cat nine times. After they use up their nine transformations they are stuck in their cat form. There is also an old Appalachian folktale called Sop Doll about a witch who killed people by transforming into a cat and poisoning their food when she placed her paw in their meals.
Maybe the cat will transform into a swashbuckling sidekick if they provide it with a hat, sword, and fancy boots.
In the story Puss-cat-mew, there was a magical fairy cat who spoke in verse and its poetry explained how the hero had to get out of dangerous situations.
The Cu-sith is kind of cliche but still pretty cool.
I think this has been said already, but many dragons can shape-shift.
If you want something like Goose, you could say an Aboleth learned how to shape-shift.
I'd say the best results would be achieved by never revealing what the cat truly is - or what it's powers truly are. Simply set and end-state, like - at the end of the quest to restore the Golden McGuffin to it's rightful place atop Mount McGuffinton, the cat shall leave the party, never to return. At that point, maybe it turns into Fizban the Fabulous, or something. But no sooner than that.
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Blanket disclaimer: I only ever state opinion. But I can sound terribly dogmatic - so if you feel I'm trying to tell you what to think, I'm really not, I swear. I'm telling you what I think, that's all.
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So i added a stray cat to an encounter to make my players more paranoid than usual. So they didn’t kill the cute little cat and it won’t leave them now. Anything that seems out of place sends them overthinking. For once, Id like them to be right.
But, this doesn’t need to be a hostile creature. Thinking of the Flerken from Captain Marvel. Off the top of my head Im having a hard time thinking of what this could actually be without it becoming a game breaker once revealed. Party is 4th level and consists of a ranger, monk, sorcerer, druid and rogue. I expect the druid or ranger to discover what the cat is before long.
thanks
Cat-sìth
kinda super typical, but a fey cat is very traditional and you can do a lot with one.
Only a DM since 1980 (3000+ Sessions) / PhD, MS, MA / Mixed, Bi, Trans, Woman / No longer welcome in the US, apparently
Wyrlde: Adventures in the Seven Cities
.-=] Lore Book | Patreon | Wyrlde YT [=-.
An original Setting for 5e, a whole solar system of adventure. Ongoing updates, exclusies, more.
Not Talking About It / Dubbed The Oracle in the Cult of Mythology Nerds
A person who was polymorphed into a cat. And it’s the person they’ve been looking for all along. And it’s a homebrew polymorph, so a simple dispel magic won’t end it.
A test by some kind of supernatural being. If they keep the cat alive and well fed and cared for x amount of time, the party will be rewarded. If it dies or is mistreated, it vanishes without a trace, and the mystery will never be revealed.
A figurine of wonderous power that’s become sentient.
It doesn't have to be homebrew; a true polymorph spell becomes permanent if it lasts for the duration. Alternatively, hag magic is supposed to break the rules about what normal spells do, so it could be someone transformed by a coven.
It could also be a familiar.
Thanks everyone. Great ideas!
Adding in random elements which you have no plan for at the time can be the best way to come up with some over-arching plot which could end up the focus of the entire game.
The cat can be literally anything ...
- fey spirit
- celestial spirit
-fiendish spirit
- polymorphed creature
- just a cat - BUT a cat who is a familiar of a wizard who is looking for their lost kitten
- a spy
- an observer
- a trigger for some other event
The question isn't so much What the cat might be but Why the cat is there .. what is the reason behind the cat's unusual nature and what effect do you want it to have on the plot.
- is the cat a representative of a group or entity that either wants to spy on the characters or has a use in mind for them? This can be good, bad or neither .. perhaps a group is looking for some adventurers that might grow sufficiently in power to be able to help them and the cat is their method of watching and possibly guiding the characters?
- is the cat a devil in disguise looking to build trust with the characters so that they can make a deal with them at the right moment?
- is it a guardian cat, perhaps sent by the diety of one of the characters, with a mission to aid them when some "bad thing" happens to the party? Something that the diety is aware may come to pass but the party does not?
- is it an omen of a coming plague? (perhaps of rats?)
- is it a spirit from the feywild ... either a trickster spirit that wants to play tricks on the party, a representative of a fey lord or lady looking to help/use/enslave/bind to service the characters?
- is the cat a focus for an inter planar spell like Planeshift allowing travel to the cat's native realm? Where the party might have to go one day? They need to search for a focus for the spell allowing them to get there and are surprised to find it already traveling with them.
If you want more than a cat ... it can literally be anything you like :)
You could make it a mischievous Cheshire cat. I know that WotC came out with the grinning cat, but it’s Large, and IMO kinda boring. I had previously made my own Homebrew for a Cheshire cat, if you like it you can use it. Feel free to change anything that doesn’t suit you.
Keen Smell. The cat has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on smell.
Magic Resistance. The cat has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Nondetection. The cat can’t be targeted or detected by any divination magic or perceived through magical scrying sensors.
Pounce. If the cat moves at least 20 feet straight toward a creature and then hits it with its claws on the same turn, that target must succeed on a DC 11 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone if it is a creature. If the target is prone, the cat can make one bite attack against it as a bonus action.
Running Leap. With a 10-foot running start, the cat can long jump up to 15 feet.
Multiattack. The cat makes two attacks with its claws, and one with its bite.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +1 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (2d4) piercing damage.
Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d4 + 2) slashing damage.
Invisibility and Incorporealness. The cat magically turns partially or wholly invisibleand/or wholly incorporeal, gradually fading away over the course of its turn. Any equipment the cat wears or carries is invisibleand/or incorporeal along with it. It remains invisible and/or incorporeal until it attacks, until it looses concentration (as if on a spell), or chooses to end this effect (no action required), gradually fading back into view over the course of the current turn. The cat can choose to become only partially visible, or choose for only some items it is wearing or carrying to become visible.
While incorporeal, the cat is immune to all damage types except force damage; psychic damage; radiant damage; and bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from magical attacks. In addition it can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. It takes 5 (1d10) force damage if it ends its turn inside an object.
Teleport (Recharge (4—6)). The cat magically teleports, along with any equipment it is wearing or carrying, up to 60 feet to an unoccupied space it can see. Before or after teleporting, the cat can make one attack.
Phase. Whenever the cat is hit with an attack or forced to make a Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution saving throw by a source it can see, it can momentarily becomes partially insubstantial. The cat adds 2 to its AC against that attack, or to that saving throw.
Description
Cheshire cats are larger fey felines with remarkably wide grins, often growing to the size of a Halfling or a human child. They are called Cheshire cats due to a striking similarity to artwork adorning signs in the village of Cheshire, perhaps even being the inspiration for that artwork. Cheshire cats come in a variety of often garish colors, and usually sport either stripes or spots, and occasionally both. They are mischievous tricksters who are frequently known to engage folks in amusing but sometimes perplexing conversation, often raising philosophical points that annoy or baffle others. Though occasionally vexing or troublesome, Cheshire cats are also often known to aid travelers by indicating routs of safe passage, pointing out helpful items, or even tending to the injured.
Cheshire Cats can become invisible, often disappearing gradually until nothing is left but its grin before that too finally disappears. However, they can also make only portions of themselves disappear leaving only a head or sometimes just a smile visible for long periods of time. Cheshire cats can also become incorporeal, in whole or in part, allowing them to pass through objects or even people, as well as making themselves resistant to most forms of injury. Their powers include being resistant to most magics, especially scrying magic, allowing them to come and go undetected at will.
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The stray cat could a transformed NPC by an old Polymorphed Others spell where Detect Magic could reveal transmutation school and Dispel Magic undo it.
My go-to is to have it be a Polymorphed Gold or Silver dragon. It is powerful enough that nothing much can hurt it that bad, so it has no problem acting like the defenseless cat it is until it's in a truly life or death situation. And since it's a metallic dragon, it's not necessarily hostile. Maybe it's just observing the heroes to see if they're 'worthy' of some boon or allyship before revealing itself. But if they mistreat it and hurt it, then they'll have a powerful dragon as an enemy.
It's a strange beast which looks like a cat, but is actually a monstrosity that eats leather. It is flirting with the party for their shoes. If they keep it, it will eat their shoes. They will never see it doing so. After a while, it coughs up a hairball of hobnails and shoelaces.
Not everything that's not as it seems needs to be big or plot-relevant, after all!
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There are some Curious Dragons in the lawful good category with shape change abilities(Adult Gold Dragon). The Dragon is testing the party to see how they will treat a weak and helpless being before approaching them to hire them for a task or to become their patron.
If you want to make that more interesting the dragon could have got stuck in cat form somehow, when it transformed for some other purpose, and now it is roaming the world in cat form trying to find someone, or a party of someones, who will realize the cat is more then it appears and will rescue it from its feline imprisonment. This could literally be a whole campaign.. and I'm going to steal it.
The best part is that if they kill the cat POOFF Dragon!
Witches were once said to be able to transform into a cat nine times. After they use up their nine transformations they are stuck in their cat form. There is also an old Appalachian folktale called Sop Doll about a witch who killed people by transforming into a cat and poisoning their food when she placed her paw in their meals.
Maybe the cat will transform into a swashbuckling sidekick if they provide it with a hat, sword, and fancy boots.
In the story Puss-cat-mew, there was a magical fairy cat who spoke in verse and its poetry explained how the hero had to get out of dangerous situations.
The Cu-sith is kind of cliche but still pretty cool.
I think this has been said already, but many dragons can shape-shift.
If you want something like Goose, you could say an Aboleth learned how to shape-shift.
A flerken?
I'd say the best results would be achieved by never revealing what the cat truly is - or what it's powers truly are. Simply set and end-state, like - at the end of the quest to restore the Golden McGuffin to it's rightful place atop Mount McGuffinton, the cat shall leave the party, never to return. At that point, maybe it turns into Fizban the Fabulous, or something. But no sooner than that.
Blanket disclaimer: I only ever state opinion. But I can sound terribly dogmatic - so if you feel I'm trying to tell you what to think, I'm really not, I swear. I'm telling you what I think, that's all.