Ghost Brute Cat* (CR 2)

Tiny Undead (Incorporeal)
Alignment: Always neutral
Initiative: +2 (Dex); Senses: Listen +5 and Spot +5


AC: 16 (+2 size, +2 Dex, +2 deflection) touch 16, flat-footed 14; or 14 (+2 size, +2 Dex), touch 12, flat-footed 12
Hit Dice: 1/2d12 (3 hp)
Fort +2, Ref +4, Will +1
Speed: Fly 30 ft. (perfect)
Space: 2 1/2 ft./0 ft.
Base Attack +0; Grapple -
Attack: 2 incorporeal claws +4 melee, incorporeal bite -1 melee; or 2 claws +4 melee, bite -1 melee
Full Attack: 2 incorporeal claws +4 melee, incorporeal bite -1 melee; or 2 claws +4 melee, bite -1 melee
Damage: Claw 1d4, bite 1d4 or claw 1d4-2, bite 1d3-4
Special Attacks/Actions: Bloodcurdling howl, corrupting touch, manifestation
Abilities: Str 3, Dex 15, Con -, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 15
Special Qualities: Loom, rejuvenation, +2 turn resistance
Feats: -
Skills: Balance +10, Climb +5, Hide +17*, Listen +5, Move Silently +9, and Spot +5
Advancement: -
Climate/Terrain: Any
Organization: Solitary
Treasure/Possessions: None

Source: Dragon #300

Bloodcurdling Howl (Su): The mournful yowling of a ghost brute cat chills the living to the core. It can howl as a standard action, All living creatures within a 300-foot radius spread must succeed at a Will save or become shaken for 2d4 rounds. This is a sonic, necromantic, mind-affecting fear effect. A creature that successfully saves against the bloodcurdling howl cannot be affected by the ghost brute cat's howl for one day.

Corrupting Touch (Su): A ghost brute cat that hits a living target with its incorporeal touch attack deals 1d4 points of damage.

Incorporeal: When the ghost brute cat manifests, it is incorporeal.

Loom (Su): A ghost brute cat can increase its size up to Medium-size. It can use this ability for 12 rounds each day, which need not be consecutive.

Use the Size Increases chart on page 290 in the Monster Manual to calculate changes to natural armor, Armor Class, attack rolls, Strength, and Dexterity. This also changes the damage the ghost brute cat can deal with its corrupting touch, In addition, any living creature within 30 feet of a looming ghost brute cat when it makes a bloodcurdling howl must save against the bloodcurdling howls effects with a -2 morale penalty, becoming frightened tor 2d4 rounds and shaken for 2d4 rounds after that.

Manifestation (Su): As an ethereal creature, the ghost brute cat cannot affect or be affected by anything in the material world. When it manifests, the ghost brute cat becomes visible but remains incorporeal. However, a manifested ghost brute cat can strike with incorporeal touch attacks. A manifested ghost brute cat remains on the Ethereal Plane but can be attacked by opponents on both the Material and Ethereal Planes.

Rejuvenation (Su): It is difficult to destroy a ghost brute through simple combat. The "destroyed" spirit often restores itself in 2d4 days. A ghost brute cat that would otherwise be destroyed returns to its old haunts with a successful level check (1d20 + ghost brute's HD) against a DC of 16. The only way to get rid of a ghost brute cat for sure is to determine the reason for its existence and set right whatever prevents it from resting in peace. The exact means varies with each spirit and might require a good deal of research.

A ghost brute cat is tied more closely to other beings than more intelligent spirits. Often it is the companion of a ghostly being, but it may also become fascinated with or enraged by a living creature that intrudes on its domain. It always returns to the object of its attachment rather than to a set location.

Turn Resistance (Ex): A ghost brute cat has +2 turn resistance.

Skills: Ghost brute cats receive a +4 racial bonus to Hide and Move Silently checks and a +8 racial bonus to Balance checks. They use their Dexterity modifiers for Climb checks. *In areas of tall grass or heavy undergrowth, the ghost brute cat's Hide bonus increases to +8.

Like other ghost brutes, the ghost brute cat follows the lead of its companion.

Incorporeal Subtype

Some creatures are incorporeal by nature, while others (such as those that become ghosts) can acquire the incorporeal subtype. An incorporeal creature has no physical body. It can be harmed only by other incorporeal creatures, magic weapons or creatures that strike as magic weapons, and spells, spell-like abilities, or supernatural abilities. It has immunity to all nonmagical attack forms. Even when hit by spells, including touch spells or magic weapons, it has a 50% chance to ignore any damage from a corporeal source (except for positive energy, negative energy, force effects such as magic missile, or attacks made with ghost touch weapons). Non-damaging spell attacks affect incorporeal creatures normally unless they require corporeal targets to function (such as the spell implosion) or they create a corporeal effect that incorporeal creatures would normally ignore (such as a web or wall of stone spell). Although it is not a magical attack, a hit with holy water has a 50% chance of affecting an incorporeal undead creature.

An incorporeal creature's natural weapons affect both in incorporeal and corporeal targets, and pass through (ignore) corporeal natural armor, armor, and shields, although deflection bonuses and force effects (such as mage armor) work normally against it. Attacks made by an incorporeal creature with a nonmagical melee weapon have no effect on corporeal targets, and any melee attack an incorporeal creature makes with a magic weapon against a corporeal target has a 50% miss chance except for attacks it makes with a ghost touch weapon, which are made normally (no miss chance).

Any equipment worn or carried by an incorporeal creature is also incorporeal as long as it remains in the creature's possession. An object that the creature relinquishes loses its incorporeal quality (and the creature loses the ability to manipulate the object). If an incorporeal creature uses a thrown weapon or a ranged weapon, the projectile becomes corporeal as soon as it is fired and can affect a corporeal target normally (no miss chance). Magic items possessed by an incorporeal creature work normally with respect to their effects on the creature or another target. Similarly, spells cast by an incorporeal creature affect corporeal creatures normally.

An incorporeal creature has no natural armor bonus but has a deflection bonus equal to its Charisma bonus (always at least +1, even if the creature's Charisma score does not normally provide a bonus).

An incorporeal creature can enter or pass through solid object but must remain adjacent to the object's exterior, and so cannot pass entirely through an object whose space is larger than its own. It can sense the presence of creatures or objects a square adjacent to its current location, but enemies have total concealment from an incorporeal creature that is inside an object. In order to see clearly and attack normally, a incorporeal creature must emerge. An incorporeal creature inside an object has total cover, but when it attacks a creature outside the object it only has cover, so a creature outside with a readied action could strike at it as it attacks. An incorporeal creature cannot pass through a force effect.

Incorporeal creatures pass through and operate in water as easily as they do in air. Incorporeal creatures cannot fall or take falling damage. Incorporeal creature cannot make trip or grapple attacks against corporeal creatures, nor can they be tripped or grappled by such creatures. In fact, they cannot take any physical action that would move or manipulate a corporeal being or its equipment, nor are they subject to such actions. Incorporeal creatures have no weight and do not set off traps that are triggered by weight.

An incorporeal creature moves silently and cannot be heard with Listen checks if it doesn't wish to be. It has no Strength score, so its Dexterity modifier applies to both its melee attacks and its ranged attacks. Non-visual senses, such as scent and blindsight, are either ineffective or only partly effective with regard to incorporeal creatures. Incorporeal creatures have an innate sense of direction and can move at full speed even when they cannot see.