Cath Palug

I got to use Shock Bones (of Arduin fame) about eight months ago. That was a fun experiment - Monsters that violate "the rules" of what is expected are always fun. Therefore I wanted to go ahead and create something that continued that theme in my own system, while still also remaining true to it in a rather twisted way. This was how the Cath Palug came about.

Close enough?

I love the really old Arthurian stories, where random monsters just roam the countryside, because of course they do. The whole thing is about as old-school as you can get - not just the whole knights and jousting thing that gets pointed out, but the general wildness of things, the tangibility of Law and Chaos, and the fact that sometimes people give birth to killer cats, because of course they do. In some versions it's even a king-killing cat, but let's ignore the French.

There's not a lot defined about the thing, and compared to other monsters, the Cath Palug is fairly maligned in terms of its modern adaptations. Except for the Japanese. So that, plus a few things, was what fed into the design of this monster:

CATH PALUG
Movement (hasted-Unarmored + Swim)
SHD 6 (threshold: 7+)
AC (Plate&Shield + 2)
damage: 1d8
IN 7+
DX 17
Morale 9
Chaotic

Massive, black-furred cats. Build is leonine, with an extensive man stretching down its back and terminating in a large, surprisingly fluffy horse-like tail. The rear feet are cloven hooves, while curling horns are marked upon its head. Approximately 650lb in weight.

These monsters are attracted to magical energy, and are capable of detecting it (120ft range). Preferred lairs will rest on ley-lines, and some may serve as familiars to Chaotic Wizards. Fully aquatic and terrestrial. Being man-eaters, they will prefer to lurk near waterways and rise from the depths for their attacks.

Cath Palug subtract the 'plus' from the damage-die of magical weapons used against them (exception: Monster-killing weapons will inflict normal damage). They will absorb and dispel magic on contact: +1 SHD per die of magical damage taken (or +1 SHD per Spell Level, if this value is higher). SHD may exceed the base value of 6. On the other hand, these creatures are vulnerable to Holy Swords: The presence of one within 30ft strips excess SHD at a rate of 1/round, and prevents further absorption. When SHD are presently in excess of the base, the Cath Palug will begin to glow. The degree is based on present SHD:

• 7-8: Trailing red lines of magical power. Damage: d8+1
• 9-10: Glowing red mist of magical power, with blue trails. Damage: d8+2. Absorbs spells cast within 10ft before 'release'.
• 11-12: Red silhouette of a large creature overhead; blue mist, with white trails. Damage: d10+3, gain "Fly" speed at hasted-Unarmored speed. Spell absorb extends to 30ft.
• 13+: Brilliant red and blue lights as a dominating silhouette over the creature, with long white trails of magical energy. Size increases with increasing SHD. Damage: d10+4, gain "Fly" speed (as above), gain breath weapon (as red dragon breath; damage as 'magic missile'; 4 damage per SHD; reduces SHD by 1 per use). Spell absorb extends to 60ft.

These monsters are clever enough to understand their own abilities: They will feign injury when struck with magical attacks, pretending to attempt flight, but coming back to harass when possible to bait out assault. They will rely upon their natural resistance to normal weapons to feign invulnerability, all the better to draw in attacks.

Cath Palug reduced to below 6 SHD will 'save themselves' by reducing in size and attack ability. This requires about 1 month - the smallest variant, of the 1 HD variety, is the size of a small dog. It takes 2-5 rounds to grow in size, once sufficient magical power has been gathered. It is otherwise possible to encounter a Cath Palug which has already amassed magical power.

(Note: SHD follow the rules outlined a few posts earlier.)

The Cath Palug is a magic-eater. Parties that are not attentive to details, which hammer on magical attacks, will meet a poor end. The ideal solution is actually quite simple: Fighters with regular, unenchanted steel, and a lot of perseverance. Stripped of its unique defense and stuck at 6 SHD, the Cath Palug is still decently resilient, but a lot weaker (especially in the intelligence and spell-use departments) than a comparable Demon. On the other hand, this thing will shred careless wizards, in no small part thanks to the 'spell absorb' function at higher SHD.

If I have a problem with this, it's that, much like the 'True Troll', it's the sort of monster that doesn't really do well in negotiations - encounters are going to be about fight or flight. Combine that with the water-dwelling aspect, and the latter can be quite difficult. In this regard, I'd pin it to a territory, and scatter all sorts of warnings around the periphery to telegraph. Having it as the sole hostile wandering monster in an area is another way to go about that.