FanBestiary:Cats
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Cats
On types of cats, Cats are broken up by biologists into Large Cats and Small Cats with side groups for the wierd ones like Fast Cats. Yes, against all rational reality Pumas are small cats. It doesn't have so much to do with size, it's a whole bunch of biological changes as well. For one thing Small Cats Purr, Big Cats Roar. (Fast Cats do neither, they make bird noises apparently.)
Big Cats
For the big cats, I was a little surprised at first to realize just how strong these animals could be. But after some (admittedly rather unscientific, and less than through) research, I have come up with the following provisional stats for them. I am a little worried the numbers are a bit low... (Big cats supposedly have a pulling strength 5x that of a human athlete.)
Stats below are for Males. Females have one lower Strength and Size, but one higher stamina
Tigers: Use Stats as shown
Lions and Siberian Tigers add +1 size to the stats listed here
Leopards add +1 to strength and +2 athletics and -1 size (can carry a full grown antelope up into a tree to finish it's meal at leisure.)
Jaguars add +2 to their Bite damage (Jaws strong enough to crack open skulls and turtle shells.)
Lions, Leopards, Jaguars, and Tigers
Attributes:
Intelligence Neg, Wits 2, Resolve 1,
Strength 6, Dexterity 4, Stamina 2,
Presence 4, Manipulation 1, Composure 2
Skills: Athletics 2 (Jumping), Brawl 2 (Pouncing), Survival 3, Stealth 4 (Camoflage), Intimidate 1
Merits: Carrying Voice (The roar of a male large cat can be heard for more than a mile.)
Willpower: 3
Initiative: 6
Defense: 4
Running Speed: 20 (Acting Speed 10 ) (acting speed of ten is based on the description of tiger hunting which involves a sneak to within 30 feet followed by a rush and hit maneuver. The above running speed would give them a top speed ~15 MPH)
Size: 6
Weapons/Attacks:
Type Damage Test pool
Bite 1 (L) 9
Claw 1 (L) 9
Large cats will often take a -3 penalty to claw to bite for the throat. (or in the case of Jaguars, to go for the skull.) Cats receive +1 to brawl attacks when pouncing)
Health: 8
Fast Cats
Cheetah (Africa)
Attributes:
Intelligence Neg, Wits 2, Resolve 1,
Strength 5, Dexterity 5, Stamina 1,
Presence 3, Manipulation 1, Composure 2
Skills: Athletics 2 (Running), Brawl 2, Survival 3 (Desert), Stealth 4 (Camoflage), Intimidate 1
Merits: Burst of Speed. (special) Cheetah bodies are designed for short, intense bursts of massive speed. Quadruple the running speed of a cheetah for the first 3 turns of any foot chase it is engaged in. However, if the Quarry can avoid the cheetah for 10 rounds, they automatically escape (whether they have acquired sufficient successes or not) as the cheetah is forced to stop pursuing, and cannot begin any other chases until it has rested for 15 minutes.
Willpower: 3
Initiative: 7
Defense: 5
Running Speed: 25 (Acting Speed 15 ) (acting speed of 15 is based on the stat in the book. This actually gives Cheetahs a top speed of ~17 mph, which is very low. Cheetahs can hit ~70 mph, in *very* short bursts. Therefore, see Burst of speed Merit above.)
Size: 5
Weapons/Attacks:
Type Damage Test pool
Bite 1 (L) 7*
Claw 1 (L) 7*
Cheetahs will attempt to sneak to within 100 feet of their prey before giving chase.
Cheetahs will usually grapple (with their teeth by preference) their prey, and will only hunt animals their size or smaller
Health: 6
Small Cats
Pumas
Pumas are the largest of the small cats, weighing in at half again more than some of the so called "Large Cats" They have been known to take down bikers and large dogs. They will chase anything that runs from them (or even moves quickly past them) and will pounce anything smaller than them that stands still. They are stronger biters than dogs, and have bigger teeth, all in all, a nasty psychotic large bundle of fur.
Attributes:
Intelligence Neg, Wits 2, Resolve 1,
Strength 5, Dexterity 4, Stamina 1,
Presence 3, Manipulation 1, Composure 2
Skills: Athletics 3, Brawl 2 (Pouncing), Survival 3, Stealth 3 (Camouflage)
Willpower: 3
Initiative: 6
Defense: 4
Running Speed: 23 (Acting Speed 12 ) (Pumas are a little faster than their large cat cousins, though not as fast as the cheetah. The above running speed would give them a top speed ~16 MPH which is actually low. Realistically, they should be able to hit 25-30 Mph.)
Size: 6
Weapons/Attacks:
Type Damage Test pool
Bite 2 (L) 9
Claw 1 (L) 8
Health: 7
Lynx, Bobcats, and other "Small" Small cats
These cats predominately hunt Rabbits and squirrels. They won't bother with anything smaller, and can't really handle anything bigger.
Lynx Add one to size and strength for Male Lynxes.
Attributes:
Intelligence Neg, Wits 2, Resolve 1,
Strength 3, Dexterity 4, Stamina 1,
Presence 2, Manipulation 1, Composure 2
Skills: Athletics 3, Brawl 2 (Pouncing), Survival 3, Stealth 3 (Camouflage)
Willpower: 3
Initiative: 6
Defense: 4
Running Speed: 15 (Acting Speed 8 ) (These cats are more of the stalk and leap, like their domestic cat cousins. They need to get within pouncing distance to have any hope of catching their prey)
Size: 3
Weapons/Attacks:
Type Damage Test pool
Bite 1 (L) 6
Claw 0 (L) 5
Small cats will usually leap and Grapple, then use the "Grapple for Damage" maneuver
Health: 7
Domestic Cats
This is really a different version of the "Small Cat" published by White Wolf. Players who have cat familiars should check with their story teller to find out which version is being used. (This version is a good bit weaker than the White Wolf one, but I think more in line with real house cats. My comments on the changes are in italics.
Attributes:
Intelligence neg, Wits 2, Resolve 1,
Strength 1, Dexterity 4, Stamina 1 ,
Presence 1, Manipulation 2, Composure 2
I've down graded wits and dexterity as well as presence. First off, Cats aren't that impressive, certainly not more impressive than the average human! And while Cats have a very good Dex, it is not Exceptional. Oh and I upped Manipulation. After all, they are manipulative little thugs. Strength really should be 0.1 or something, but white wolf doesn't allow that. (when was the last time you saw a cat lift a chair? or carry a 25 lb pack?
Skills: Athletics 4, Brawl 2, Stealth 3
Willpower: 3
Initiative: 6
Defense: 4
Running Speed: 12 (Acting Speed 7)
Size: 2
Weapons/Attacks:
Type Damage Test pool
Bite 0 (B) 3
Claw 0 (B) 3
Health: 3
This gives Cats an expected damage of 0.99 Bashing. Which in general means they are going to incap most mice they hit.
To reflect a cat's hunting style, their first attack should usually be a charging grapple, followed by bite until whatever it is stops struggling. For an even more realistic house cat, Str should be "Neg."(Negligible) Indicating that the cat can make Strength Tests, but does not get to add any dice to the pool when doing so.
Why Stamina 1?
We are talking about an animal that can hit 15 MPH but can only sprint, sleeps 16-18 hours a day, and (as far as I could tell) is about as vulnerable to a rifle bullet as your average human in spite of being slightly larger.
