Skeletal Cat

This is a cat's skeleton walking under its own will, often still draped in scraps of fur and dried flesh that reek of carrion until they rot away. It has no language, but its eerie yowling often fills the night before an attack.

Death has sharpened its senses so it is never surprised, and its grace gives foes -3 on surprise rolls. Claws and bite each deal 1d2, and if both front claws hit it rakes with the rear pair for 1d2 each. Any bite carries a 10% chance of disease as the cause disease spell, curable only by cure disease.

After a successful rake the cat clings and can rake again next round. A victim can carry one cat per foot of height, six on an average man, and suffers -1 to attack or damage rolls and -2 to movement for each.

It is immune to sleep, charm, fear, and hold, and to cold, poison, and paralysis. Edged and piercing weapons do half damage, while fire and bludgeons hurt it normally. It never checks morale. Its old hatred of water lingers: water attacks drive it off if it can escape, but a cornered cat gains +2 to attack. Water never turns one from its chosen target of revenge, and holy water, while harmless to it, can still scare it away.

When a cat dies through a cruel owner's abuse, it may rise as one of these and first hunt down whoever caused its suffering. That kill ends its thirst for revenge but not its undeath; it then prowls by night and joins others in a roving pack. Some act out sad echoes of life, chasing yarn, trying to lap milk, even curling up in someone's lap as if tame.

They have no natural role and exist only for vengeance. They need no food, though habit makes them kill small birds and rodents.