The

CaT
haCk

Written by Kirt Dankmyer

Made using The Black Hack

The Black Hack created by David Black

Cover art by “Lorc” ([email protected])

under CC BY 3.0 license
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
WHAT IS THIS? CAN CATS TALK?
The Cat Hack is a traditional role playing game, played In the default “setting,” a Player Cat can understand,
with paper, pencils and dice, where the player but not speak, a single human language of the player’s
characters are all cats. The Cat Hack is based on The Black choice. Cats can communicate with each other and other
Hack by David Black, which in turn uses that Original mammals, excepting humans, humanoids, and other
1970s Fantasy Roleplaying Game. This base was added “civilized” creatures, so long as the animal being
to and subtracted from to get something a bit different, “spoken” to is Close or Nearby (as per the Movement
a bit streamlined. Some familiarity with the original is & Distance section). This is because cat “language” is a
assumed. matter of body language more than sounds. If further
way, a cat can only communicate by sound, and this is
SETTING? much more primitive, limited to concepts like “I’m
The basic premise of this game is that cats have a hurt,” “I’m hungry,” “It’s dangerous here,” etc.
unique relationship with the supernatural, and protect
humans and other animals from things that others Cats can also understand the “language” of animals that
cannot even see. Whether the cats are dealing with they can speak to, which might be more vocal than the
Lovecraftian entities, ghosts, faeries, spiritual parasites cat “tongue.” All mammals are secretly as intelligent as
that encourage mental illness, or something else, is up humans in their own way, and the GM may choose to
the GM. extend this to other animals as well, such as birds. If
other animals are considered to be “secretly smart,”
The game assumes a world somewhat like modern they can talk to cats and vice-versa just like a mammal
Earth, but that is not writ in stone. While there is more would.
setting detail here than in most games based on The
Black Hack, it’s left deliberately sketchy as possible. THE CORE MECHANIC
Everything a Player Cat might possibly attempt that
PLAYER CATS could result in failure is resolved by testing attribute
Any character controlled by a player is a Player Cat Stats. In order to successfully test a stat, a player must
(PC). Any living being or supernatural entity controlled roll below it on a d20.
by the Game Master (GM) is called a Non-Player
Creature (NPC). An NPC’s relative power is determined Non-Player Creatures don’t make tests; a PC must avoid
by their Hit Dice, or HD. their attacks by making a test.

CATS ARE SPECIAL STATS

In The Cat Hack, cats have important abilities that others Stats are generated with 3d6 in the following order:
lack. Nothing can be invisible to a cat, especially if it is a Dexterity (DEX), Strength (STR), Constitution (CON),
supernatural creature. Cats can interact with the spirit Intelligence (INT), Charisma (CHA), Wisdom (WIS).
realm, and their teeth and claws do more damage to the If a stat of 15+ is rolled, the next must be rolled with 2d6
supernatural than one might expect, including harming + 2, then continue with 3d6 until the end or another 15+
insubstantial beings. Most notably, all cats can cast is rolled. Once all Stats are generated 2 may be swapped
spells. around.

1
CLASS CONVERTING SAVES
There are four (4) class choices for PCs: Battle Cat, Lithe If you’re used to a system that uses saving throws, you
One, Shaman Cat, and Pretty Kitty. Your class should know that The Cat Hack ignores saves and
determines how much damage you do with your claws instead asks the player to roll Stat tests when any spell,
or bite, your Hit Points and your unique abilities. trap, situation or effect would impact them, using the
table below as a guide.
SCALE
Note also the advice in the Powerful Opponents section
When converting from other OSR games and similar
on the next page.
systems, it is important to note that everything in this
game is scaled to a cat. What would be a human with 1
HD in another system would be at least 8 HD in The Cat STR DEX CON
Hack. Physical Harm Physical Harm
Poison, Disease
On the other hand, part of the premise of this game is that cannot be that can be
or Death.
that cats are uniquely powerful when it comes to dodged. dodged.
supernatural beings. In that case, the GM might want to
keep the HD for a supernatural creature from another INT WIS CHA
game as-is, or even make it weaker than it would be in
Resisting Spells Deception and Charming
another game. At the very least, the claws of cats should
and Magic. Illusions. effects.
be considered to be magical weapons.

LUCK PLAYERS TURN

Even more so than in other games, in The Cat Hack, Hit During a player’s turn a character may move and
Points represent luck and stamina more than physical perform an action. They could attack, look for a clue,
beefiness, at least for PCs. Until a cat is nearly out of HP, talk with an NPC, cast a spell, clean their tail, and so on.
a “hit” on a cat should be described as a near miss, as Interacting with the world is an action. Often they will
the cat uses up their preternatural luck. For NPCs, the test their Stats to determine the outcome.
GM may want to describe things differently.

And, of course, all cats have nine lives. More on that in

TIME & TURNS
the Healing section. There are 2 important types of tracked time: Moments
(rounds) and Minutes (turns). Moments are used
ARMOR during combat and fast paced scenes of danger and
Armor is not factored into the system in The Cat Hack. Minutes are used when exploring and adventuring. A
Cats have a talent for finding the most vulnerable spots GM may advance the clock as they need, substituting
on the most armored foe, and even a scratch is Hours, Days or even Months for Minutes should the
surprisingly painful, especially as cat claws are often a adventure require it.
vector for certain kinds of bacteria.

If you absolutely want to represent, for example, that a

particular human is wearing a flak jacket, give them
anywhere from 1 to 10 extra Hit Points, depending on
how strong you feel the armor is. (I’d say a flak jacket
counts for about 6.)

2
MOVEMENT & DISTANCE ATTACK, DEFENSE & DAMAGE
Rather than track precise numbers, The Cat Hack uses 4 When a character attacks an NPC in melee, they must
abstract ranges for measuring distances: Close, Nearby, roll below their STR Stat. Cats cannot engage in ranged
Far-Away and Distant. On their turn every PC can combat, except with spells. When an NPC attacks, the
move somewhere Nearby as part of an action, character must roll below their STR against a Melee
performing that action at any stage of the move. They Attack and DEX against a Ranged Attack to avoid
can forgo their action and move somewhere Far-Away taking damage. If a Player Cat’s opponent is at least
instead. Anything beyond Far-Away can be classified as twice the size of the cat, the player can choose to test
Distant and would take 3 moves to get to. DEX instead of STR when avoiding a Melee Attack. A
Note that Lithe Ones move a little faster than normal; GM will often give the Stat required for the test.
see their class description for more detail. The damage an attack deals is based on the character’s
For converting existing movement rates or measures class or the number of HD an NPC has. To make a
from other games (for spells or areas of effect) use the Melee Attack an opponent must be Close. Ranged
following guide: Attacks against Close opponents are possible, but the
defending PC gains Advantage, as per the Advantage &
Disadvantage section.
CLOSE NEARBY FAR-AWAY
NPCs deal damage based on their HD. Refer to the table
0 – 3 ft 3 – 20 ft 20 – 60 ft on the next page. Note that the damage is a static amount,
rather than a die roll. If you’d prefer to use the damage
listed in a module or other compatible source that you
INITIATIVE are using, you can certainly do that instead. In that case,
When combat breaks out, everyone must be sorted into either roll damage or use the average damage amount
an order so they each get to act and react in turn. Every for the dice given.
character tests their DEX, those that succeed, take their
turn before their opponents. They must then act as a CRITICAL DAMAGE
group, deciding their own order for actions. Those that If a player making an attack rolls a 1, they double the
fail their DEX tests, go after their opponents. result of the damage dice they roll. If they roll a 20 when
avoiding an attack, they take double damage.
NPC HIT DICE
Hit Dice (HD) represents an NPC's level and the
number of d8 rolled to determine their Hit Points (HP).
All the sample NPCs have an average number of HP
listed, in case you don’t want to roll.

See also the note on Scale on the previous page.

3
 NPC HD DAMAGE HEALING
Player Cats can gain Hit Points several different
1 2 points
ways. They can never gain more than their maximum
2 3 points
and can never go below zero.
3 4 points
When healing a character who is OofA, just start at
4 5 points
zero and count up. That character is now back on
5 6 points
their feet and no longer OofA.
6 8 points
Every cat has nine (9) Lives to start with. After a
7 9 points
combat, you can spend a Life to no longer be OofA
8 10 points
without rolling on the Out of Action table below,
9 11 points
gaining 1d4 HP as usual. In addition, if you are not
10 12 points OofA, you can spend a Life to heal all damage,
returning your HP to maximum.
DEATH & DYING
When a character is reduced to zero Hit Points (HP) OUT OF ACTION
they are taken Out of Action (OofA); they are
unconscious and cannot make any actions. When the 1 KO’d – Just knocked out.
fight is over and/or they are out of danger, an PC that
Owie – Disadvantage on all tests for the
was OofA can roll 1d6 on the table in the Healing 2 next hour.
section (facing) to see what happens to them. If they
survive they gain 1d4 HP. Cracked Bones – STR, DEX and CON are
3 temp. –2 for the next day.
If the characters lose the fight or are unable to recover
the body of a character, all PCs that are OofA can spend Crippled – DEX is permanently reduced by 2
4
a Life to re-appear somewhere else with an unlikely tale
of how they escaped death. If a Life is not used, they are 5 Scarred– CHA permanently reduced by 4.
lost forever!
Dead – Use one of your nine Lives to re-roll,
See the Healing section on this page for more on the 6 or else you are no longer alive.
nine Lives that cats have.

POWERFUL OPPONENTS NAPTIME

When the PCs take a group nap that lasts for at least
For every HD above the character’s level, add +1 to
half an hour, they may roll the Hit Die associated
every roll the player makes for any Stat test that
with their class and regain that many HP.
would determine the outcome of a conflict between
them and an NPC.

Frex, a level 2 character defending against a HD 5 NPC

attack would add +2 to their roll.

4
ADVANTAGE & DISADVANTAGE CURSE OF DISTRACTION
A GM may decide that a particular roll has a higher When confronted with a laser pointer, a fluttery piece of
or lower chance of success than usual. The GM will paper, a jangly thing, or anything else that might
ask a player to roll an additional d20 when making distract a cat, a PC must make a WIS check or else
the test. With Advantage the lower result is used and spend at least 1d6 Minutes playing with the thing in
with Disadvantage, the higher. These modifiers do question, no matter how important other matters are.
not stack and Advantage and Disadvantage cancel This trance is broken if the PC is attacked or harmed, of
each other out. course.

CARRYING & CLAIMING EXPERIENCE

A cat can only carry a single small item, in their The “standard” experience system used by most OSR
mouth. A cat with something in their mouth cannot games and related systems is not used in The Cat
make loud noises, but they can still silently Hack.
communicate with other cats in range. Instead, for every session / quest/ mission / major
A Player Cat can, however, Claim an item, creature, event the character survives they gain a level.
or location by spending several minutes rubbing The GM will decide which. It’s recommended that
against the thing in question. Only other cats cannot this decision remains more or less a constant
be Claimed this way. The player should keep a list of throughout the campaign, and a GM should be clear
the things that have been Claimed in this way. and upfront with the players so they know where the
When dealing with one of their Claimed things, a PC “goalposts” are.
gains Advantage.
GAINING LEVELS
A cat can Claim a number of things equal to the PC’s When a character levels up, their maximum Hit
level. If a PC rubs against one more item that they can Points increase by rolling the Hit Die for the class.
currently Claim, the player must remove one of the Also a player should roll a d20 for each Stat. If the
other items on their list. result is higher than the Stat, that Stat increases by
A cat, and other animals at the GM’s discretion, can one (1).
always tell if another cat has Claimed a given thing. Since all cats can cast spells, when leveling up, a cat
A cat can “overwrite” another cat’s Claim by rubbing gains 1d4 spells of a level that they can cast. See
against the item in the normal way. In that case, the Spellcasting for more details.
item is removed from one list and added to the other.
All cats have a maximum level of 5!
NPC cats can also Claim things, and dogs can Claim
something by urinating on it. Such NPCs can Claim a RANDOM ENCOUNTERS
number of things equal to their HD. The GM may The GM should roll a d8 every 30 minutes of real
also rule that other animals can Claim things as well. world play. A result of 1–2 means the players will
encounter a randomly generated NPC or distraction
in the following Minute (turn).

5
NPC REACTIONS ADVENTURES
Some NPCs will have predetermined personalities Since playing cats is a little more unusual compared to
and goals that will guide a GM when choosing their the theme of other OSR games, it’s worth going over the
actions and feelings towards the characters. For those sort of adventures that cats can have.
that do not, such as randomly encountered NPCs,
Combat can get even more deadly than in typical OSR
make a reaction roll on the following table:
games; even the average human can kill a cat. Despite
the amount of space in the rules given over to combat,
d8 REACTION adventures with cats are going to focus more on stealth,
1 Flee then roll again. exploration, and mystery solving. This is sort of thing is
handled almost entirely with the Core Mechanic.
2 Avoid the PCs entirely. Gathering clues is usually covered with a WIS check.
Keep in mind that cats can see in the dark much better
3 Trade with PCs. than humans, have a better sense of smell, and so on.

4 Give the PCs aid. Given this, while any mystery shouldn’t be easy to solve,
it’s important to make sure the game doesn’t grind to a
5 Mistake the PCs for friends.
halt because a character blows a roll. The GM may want
6 Trick the PCs (roll again). to take a page from the GUMSHOE series of games, and
have certain clues always be available if a character
7 Call for Reinforcements. looks, with no roll required. A roll would simply garner
additional clues or more detail.
8 Capture/Kill/Eat the PCs.
In the spirit of sandbox play, there should probably be
Alternately, when a human is involved, the GM may multiple supernatural threats in a given area that the
allow one PC to check CHA to make a favorable PCs can find out about and follow up on. Taking a page
impression by looking cute. “Aw, it’s a kitty!” from the Monster of the Week RPG, the GM should have a
sense of what will happen over a given time with a
BACKGROUNDS situation if the players do not otherwise intervene, or, in a
The GM should allow each player to describe their cat’s more old school manner, have some tables to roll on to
background in more detail, including the cat’s breed, allow the situation to progress if the players do not
whether they are a housecat, a farm cat, or a feral cat, follow up.
and so on. “Dungeon crawls” are not out of the question. The PCs
Once per game hour, a cat may make a roll with may have to investigate a haunted house, for example.
Advantage if this fits with their background. A fluffy One may even use these rules, with a bit more
Maine Coon is better than most cats in the snow, a feral conversion effort than usual (see the Scale section), for a
cat is likely better at hunting, and a house cat might traditional crawl in a fantasy world with a party of cats!
Where the rules mention humans, this should include fantasy
have some clue how a remote control works.
humanoids, like elves!

6
 BATTLE CAT
aka Scrapper, Warrior, Mouser, Pouncer, etc.

Starting HP : d10 + 4

HP Per Level/Nap : 1d10

Attack Damage : 1d8

SPECIAL FEATURES
Once per hour, whilst in combat, a Battle Cat can regain d10 lost HP.

As part of their action a Battle Cat can make 1 attack per level.

Gain Advantage for any roll involving insects, birds, rodents, or any
other category of thing that can be considered “natural prey” for a cat.
Note that this includes birds or whatnot that are larger than cats and
might even eat them, such as owls; in that case, the Advantage might
be used more to escape than to attack…

LEVELING UP
Roll to see if attributes increase, roll twice for STR and DEX. Gain
spells as usual.

7
 LITHE ONE
aka Sneak, CATrobat, Escape Artist, Climber, Tracker, etc.

Starting HP : d8 + 4

HP Per Level/Nap : 1d8

Attack Damage : 1d6

SPECIAL FEATURES
Rolls with Advantage when testing DEX to dodge, whether during
combat or when avoiding something like a trap. They also roll with
Advantage if they are using DEX to escape confinement or bindings.

Lithe Ones are fast. When in doubt, a Lithe One can always move
further than any other cat class. Initiative is rolled with Advantage,
and they need one less move to get to a given range in combat.

For example, a Lithe One can move Far-Away without forgoing an action.

Rolls with Advantage when sneaking, jumping, climbing, running,

scouting, or using the five senses (hearing, smelling, etc.)

LEVELING UP
Roll to see if attributes increase, roll twice for DEX or WIS. Gain spells
as usual.

8
 SHAMAN CAT
aka Magic Cat, Healer, Spooky Cat, Witch’s Familiar, etc.

Starting HP : d6 + 4

HP Per Level/Nap : 1d6

Attack Damage : 1d4

SPECIAL FEATURES
A Shaman Cat takes half damage (round up) from any supernatural
creature.

When casting spells, a Shaman Cat may use WIS instead of INT to
determine whether they “use” a spell slot when casting. See the
Spellcasting section.

LEVELING UP
Roll to see if attributes increase, roll twice for STR or WIS. Gain spells
as usual.

DIVINE SPELLCASTING
In addition to the usual spell list that all cats share, Shaman Cats may
learn and cast spells from a special spell list of their own. Also, they
have more spell slots than usual. See the Spellcasting section for more
details.

In addition to the spells that all cats start with, a Shaman Cat starts
with 1d4 spells from the Level 1 and 2 Advanced Cat Spell lists.

9
 PRETTY KITTY
aka Snookums, Adorable Kitten, Cuddly Cat, Show Cat, etc.

Starting HP : d8 + 4

HP Per Level/Nap : 1d8

Attack Damage : 1d6

SPECIAL FEATURES
The first time a human or NPC creature otherwise susceptible to
cuteness (including an NPC cat) tries to harm a Pretty Kitty or might
suspect the Pretty Kitty of doing something wrong, the Pretty Kitty
must fail a CHA check or else the NPC can’t bring themselves to harm
the Pretty Kitty or suspect the Pretty Kitty of wrongdoing. Do not
forget the Powerful Opponents rule! However, all humans do not get
the benefit of the Powerful Opponents rule for this ability only.

The NPC may try again, again causing the Pretty Kitty to roll CHA,
either 2d6 Minutes later outside combat, or the next Moment, if a
fight is going on. Once the Pretty Kitty fails the CHA roll, they cannot
affect that NPC with this ability ever again. Being attacked by the kitty
also “breaks the spell.”

A Pretty Kitty can “sing,” which is melodious to cats only. The kitty
can sing and move and take no other action, but as long as the singing
continues all allies in earshot gain Advantage on any defensive roll.
However, during the singing and for a bit after the singing stops,
chance of a Random Encounter is doubled, though there should always
be some chance that nothing shows up. In addition, add +1 to
Reaction Rolls during and immediately after singing.

Rolls with Advantage when attempting to look pretty, cute, or

innocent, and on any roll involving a social interaction, such as
ingratiating oneself with another animal.

LEVELING UP
Roll to see if attributes increase, roll twice for INT and CHA. Gain
spells as usual.

10
SPELLCASTING SHAMAN CATS DAILY SPELLS
All cats have the ability to cast spells that are chosen
from the list on the following page. They start knowing – spell slot level –
1d4 spells from the Level 1 Basic Cat Spell lists. Upon 1 2 3
leveling, a cat learns 1d4 spells that they can currently
1 1 – –

- character level -
cast.
2 2 – –
A kitty can cast any spell that they know. They have a 3 3 1 –
number of ‘spell slots’ they can activate each day, as
4 3 2 –
shown in the two tables opposite. One table is for
Shaman Cats, and the second is for other cats. 5 4 2 1

These ‘slots’ represent a cat’s energy and the taxing

nature of casting spells over a long period. When they
OTHER CATS DAILY SPELLS
run out of spell slots, they can’t cast spells.

Once a spell is cast, the cat must test their INT, adding – spell slot level –
the spell’s level to the roll. (As noted in their class 1 2 3
description, Shaman Cats may choose to test their WIS 1 1 – –

- character level -
instead.)
2 1 – –
If the cat fails the test then they reduce the number of 3 2 1 –
'spell slots' corresponding to the spell level just used by 4 2 2 –
one (1). A used spell is not forgotten.
5 2 2 1
After roughly 8 hours rest (laying around bonelessly
and napping), the number of spell slots a character has
refreshes to its maximum. If a spell converted from DISBELIEF
another game calls for a creature to make a save, the Some spells won’t work or will stop working if someone
character must test their INT to see if the spell that was who isn’t aware of a cat’s supernatural nature notices
activated was powerful enough to overcome the NPC’s the effect. In most settings, this means humans. In the
defenses, taking into account the Powerful Opponents spell lists, spells that are affected by disbelief are
rule. marked with an asterisk *
If a cat gets wet, not damp but drowned rat sort of wet,
they can’t cast spells until they rest for 8 hours to regain OTHER MAGIC ANIMALS?
spell slots, even if they dry off. Of course, the GM may always chose to have other
animals have magical powers as well. Certainly ravens
Spellcasting for cats is perfectly natural, requiring only
and crows have interesting associations with death, and
that they take an action to will the magic into being.
dogs might have magics involving supporting their
This, plus their status as nature’s vanguard against the
pack leader, which could be a human. The cats might
supernatural, is the source of the arrogant and entitled
not even be aware that they’re not the only animals with
nature of cats so loathed by many.
supernatural powers!

11
 BASIC CAT SPELLS
Charm : A Nearby target that can understand you obeys commands. Test CHA each turn to see if the effect lasts.
Door : A human in line of sight opens a door you are meowing at or staring at, if they can.

1 Dinner Dance : Walk around a human 1d4 times. They grant 1 request that fulfills a basic need (e.g. feed me).
Filch : If no one’s looking, steal any Close or Nearby small item & hide it somewhere Nearby or Far-Away, without moving.
Land on Feet : If falling Far-Away or less, take no falling damage. Yes, you land on your feet.
Naptime : Puts 3d6 HD 'worth' of beings to sleep - 8hrs. You must take a 10min nap after casting or spell is broken.

Invisible Human* : A Nearby door or lock is opened.

Invisibility : A Nearby creature that no one is looking at is made invisible to non-cats until it attacks or dispelled.
2 Levitate* : The caster floats up to 6 feet from the ground - 10mins/level.
Find My Stuff : Sense direction of a Claimed object - 1 minute/level.
Gravity Test : Push an object off a surface. By "luck," object takes the most damage possible, and/or is ruined somehow

Pain for Pain* : When you are hit in melee, attacker takes same damage. – 1d4 Moments
Darkvision : See in absolute darkness - 60min/level.
3 Dead Can Dance* : Turn one corpse into a 1d4 HD zombie or skeleton under your control.
Dispel Magic : Removes a Nearby spell. GM may require an INT check for success.
Speak with Dead : Ask a Nearby corpse 3 questions. Only cats can hear the corpse speak.

ADVANCED CAT SPELLS

Detect Magic : Everything Nearby that is magic glows, to your sight only - 5mins.
Lick Wounds : Lick Nearby target to heal 1d10 HP.

1 Protection from Evil : Advantage on all harmful tests from an Evil source - 1hr.
Spoil Food and Drink : Befouls and ruins all Nearby food and drink.
Steal Breath : A Nearby target has trouble breathing, takes 1d6 damage/level. Only works on creatures that breathe. You may
also do a normal attack this same Moment.

Alter Self: If no one’s looking at you, assume form of a similar creature, such as a small dog or another cat - 1hr.
Clean : Clean up to five targets with your tongue. Targets gain +1 to stats when making attacks and saves - 1hr.
2 Dread Gaze* : Paralyse 1d4 Nearby targets. Test WIS each turn to see if the effect lasts.
Sneaky* : Magical silence covering everything Nearby to a target. If target is an ally, can break silence voluntarily. - 1hr.
Zone of Truth : All Nearby creatures that can understand the cat cannot lie unless the cat fails a WIS roll.

Cross the Path: Cross in front of a target to curse them. Advantage to anyone who attacks target.
Curing Cuddle : Removes a curse from a Nearby target that you cuddle with.

3 Hissy Fit : Hiss at a Nearby enemy. Cures a Nearby ally of all diseases. Succeed at CON test and the enemy catches those
diseases. If no enemy, can still cure disease by cursing "all dogs," but only succeeds in curing if CON check made.
Shadow Portal* : Teleport a target that is standing in a shadow to a Distant location that is also in shadow.
Water Walk* : Walk on water without getting wet! Impress other cats! - 1d4 minutes

Only a Shaman Cat can learn and cast the spells from the Advanced list. All cats can learn and cast spells from the Basic list.

* Spells marked with an asterisk are affected by disbelief. See the Disbelief section on the previous page.

12
 AVG
NPC HD ACTIONS, SPECIALS, & NOTES
HP
2 Claws (dmg 1) + 1 Bite (dmg 2), Half damage from non-magic weapons.
Demonic Minion 1 4
Full damage from cat claws. Same stats can be used for lesser fae.
Mouse / Small Bird 1 1 Only 1 HP. Birds can fly, mice cannot (duh).
HP 2, cannot do any damage unless a 20 is rolled, then damage 1. Doesn’t
Human Baby 1 2
trigger Disbelief.
Human Toddler 1 4 Doesn’t trigger Disbelief. Pulls tails!
Greeneye* 1 4 Sits on human shoulder, whispering of envy and greed
Rat/Bat/Crow/Raven 1 8 Unusually hardy and always have max HP. Rats can’t fly.
Ghoul 2 9 2 claws (dmg 2) + 1 bite (dmg 3) + CON test or Paralysed.
Preschool Child 2 9 Human. Doesn’t trigger Disbelief.
Despair Sprite* 2 9 Make WIS check or you despair of every being able to harm it
Wererat 3 13 Cannot gain Advantage when attempting to surprise a Wererat.
Damned soul in shadow form. Touch (dmg 2 and -1 STR), only hit by
Shadow* 3 13
magic weapons and cat claws.
Doppleganger 3 13 Change form in a moment, disadvantage against magic tests.
Can only be hit by cat claws, magical weapons, or silver weapons, Drain 1
Wight 3 13
Level with Hit.
Thing Under the Bed* 3 13 Make WIS check or paralyzed with fear for 1d2 rounds
Dog 3 13 Double damage to cats. -1 HD for small dog, +1 HD for large dog
Elementary Age Kid 4 18 Human. Only 1 in 4 chance to trigger Disbelief
Can only be affected by silver weapons and cat claws, double damage to
Werewolf 4 18
cats
Make WIS check or too depressed to attack it. Covers humans in invisible
Depression Spider* 4 18
webs. Can attack to cover you w/ webs, +1 to rolls while entangled
Attacks stop healing until lick wounds (or similar) cast, immune to
Mummy 5 22
normal weapons, half damage from magic weapons and cat claws.
Spirit animal that’s cousin to werewolves. Causes humans to go berserk.
Ragewolf* 5 22
Berserk humans do double damage to cats.
Poltergeist* 5 22 Can perform 1d6 attacks per Moment by throwing around objects
Supernatural fungus from another planet, steals human brains & takes
Space Fungus 5 22 over human bodies. Spells as Level 3 Shaman Cat, or spells as lvl 3
Conjurer or Cleric from The Black Hack. Sometimes chatty, always creepy.
2 Claws (1d3), Advantage on magic tests, only affected by magic
Incubus/Succubus* 6 27 weapons and cat claws, level drain (-1) with kiss. Can cast Charm (spell)
once per hour. Same stats can be used for Leanan Sidhe
Banshee* 6 27 Shriek - CON test or Paralyzed for 2d6 Moments.

13
 AVG
NPC HD ACTIONS, SPECIALS, & NOTES
HP
Spectre* 6 27 A person or cat killed by Spectre will become Spectre in 1d6 minutes
Spectral Hound* 6 27 Double damage to cats.
Tween Human 6 27 Only 50% chance to trigger Disbelief
Djinni* 7 31 Can take Gaseous Form, Create Objects, Create Illusions as action.
Teenage Human 7 31 Usually unarmed (dmg 8), but see Adult Human for options
Ghost* 7 31 Corrupting touch: Test CON or lose 1d4 CHA.
Very sharp dagger, knife, or machete (dmg 11). Knows a spell, usually
Human Cultist 7 31
Cross the Path.
Sword (dmg 8) + Whip (0) DEX test or be pulled Close to the demon and
Greater Demon 8 36
burnt for 11 fire damage. Same stats can be used for angels if you like!
Choose weapon: Unarmed (dmg 8), improvised (dmg 9), club (dmg 10),
Adult Human 8 36
gun (dmg 12)
Giant gibbering pile of protoplasm. Half damage from non-spell attacks,
Shoggath 8 36
including cat claws. Has Disadvantage when dealing with spells.
Vampire 8 36 Can take gaseous form, rat form, Charm (spell) - level drain (-1) bite
Warrior Human 9 40 Soldier or cop. Club (dmg 10), pistol (dmg 12), rifle (dmg 13)
Magic dagger (dmg 11). Spells as Level 5 Shaman Cat, adapted for human
Human Cult Leader 9 40
use. (Or spells as lvl 5 Conjurer or Cleric from The Black Hack)
On bite, CON check or lost 1d3 CON from venom. Can appear human.
Serpent Folk 9 40
Often leads cults of unsuspecting humans. Spells as Level 4 Shaman Cat.
Wraith* 9 40 On Hit, test CON or lose 1d4 CON.
Immune to magic! Prefers to lead people into dangerous terrain instead of
Will-O’-The-Wisp* 9 40
fighting.
Entity of decay and stagnation. Test WIS or lose 1d4 INT from seeing its
Qlippothic Daemon* 10 45
metaphysically twisted body.
Ogre 10 45 Gives advantage on all CHA tests made against it.
Only evil cats become ghosts. Half dmg from cats, others need silver. Stats
Ethereal Cat* 10 45
can serve for Cait Sidhe, except Cait Sidhe also immune to cat spells.
Spells as Level 5 Shaman Cat. (Or spells as lvl 5 Conjurer or Cleric from
Faerie Lord 10 45
The Black Hack) Cats need CHA check to affect with spells.
NPC NOTES
Remember that in a fantasy world, “human” should include elves, dwarves, halflings, orcs, etc.
NPCs with an asterisk* after their name are invisible to humans, visible to cats. Can appear to humans if they choose. They do not automatically appear
to humans when they attack, and their attacks may be attributed to other causes.
NPCs with their name in bold do double damage to humans.
NPCs with names that are underlined can drain one HD/level from a human every week by feeding on them. Most supernatural beings can and will
feed on humans, but the underlined ones especially so. At 0 HD/levels, human commits suicide, wither and die, are taken to an asylum, or whatever else
seems appropriate to the GM for the creature and human in question.

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CROSSOVER CREDIT AND INSPIRATION
If all the PCs are cats, playing in a fantasy world like I’m aware of at least three different role-playing games,
that assumed by The Black Hack or a science fiction besides this one, where the player characters are all cats.
world like that of The Space Hack, uses these rules more I’ve borrowed liberally from all three, and they’re all
or less unchanged. You may need to scale the creatures excellent inspiration for games of The Cat Hack.
and the damage of weapons, but don’t sweat armor too
much. In a fantasy world, you may have to define the They are:
role of cats in a slightly different way, and you might * Call of Catthulhu by Joel Sparks
want to do away with the Disbelief section. In a science
* Cat, by John Wick
fiction world, “humans” can include a lot of aliens, and
there may be species equivalent to cats from other * The Secrets of Cats for Fate Core, by Richard Bellingham
worlds. But in a SF world, it’s best to keep the
PDFs of these games should be available from the same
assumption that mainly only the cats and their
place you got this PDF. Nano-reviews of the games
equivalents know about the supernatural, and the
follow.
effects of the Disbelief section could be stronger or
weaker depending on how much technology is like John Wick’s Cat has the best setting background and the
magic to the average person. worst system. Cats win a great spirit duel between the
different species of animals, and part of the “reward” is
If you want to use these cat classes alongside humans
they have to look out for the losers… humans. As far as
and whatnot in either The Black Hack or The Space Hack,
the system goes, there’s almost no reason to not put all
the only issue is scale. Use the scale from the other
your points in magic, and it’s a bit confusing in spots.
game, and keep in mind that cats generally don’t start
with money or property, and can’t carry more than The Secrets of Cats is a solid second place in both system
what’s defined in these rules. Generally, use these rules and setting. This isn’t faint praise: If you want to move
for cats and the other rules for non-cats. However, to outside of the realm of the OSR into something more
change the scale of the cat classes, change the hit die and cinematic, Fate is a great choice. In the case of The
damage of the different classes as follows: Secrets of Cats, the background is solid and there are
some real interesting types of magic for different cats to

CAT CLASS HD DAMAGE specialize in. And the art is pretty keen, as well.

Call of Catthulhu has the best system of the three and my

Battle Cat d6 d4
least favorite setting of the three, though it’s still good.
Lithe One d4 d4
The system is a very simple d6-based thing that favors
Shaman Cat d2 d2 the cats just enough but not too much. It is easy enough
Pretty Kitty d4 d4 to understand for children to use, but has some
Cats don’t use armor or weapons. You may want to sophisticated nuances that are great for older gamers.
scale the damage on the cat spells to some degree, (One of my friends is considering adapting the system
though they’re probably fine as-is. to do humans in a sort of “Film Noir” setting.) As far as
setting, Call of Catthulhu features cats facing against
animal-based parodies of Lovecraftian gods and
creatures. It’s cute, but it doesn’t have quite the personal
flair that John Wick’s Cat does.

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DESIGNATION OF PRODUCT IDENTITY
The names The Black Hack, The Cat Hack, Ivanhoe Unbound, and any logos and layout are product identity. The Black Hack logos and name belong to David Black. The Cat Hack name
and Ivanhoe Unbound name and logos belong to Kirt A. Dankmyer

Cover artwork is by “Lorc” ([email protected]) under CC BY 3.0 license

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

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