Cat Lord
Encyclopedia
The Cat Lord, or Master Cat, is the mysterious ruler of cats and a lord of Balance, in the Dungeons & Dragons
roleplaying game. The Epic Level Handbook included, as an optional rule, the possibility that he is a quasi-deity. In Gary Gygax
's Gord the Rogue
series, he is called Rexfelis.
There are many other animal lords representing other species. The Wolf Lord is another example.
The male Cat Lord appeared in the Monstrous Compendium Outer Planes Appendix under the "Animal Lords" entry. A female Cat Lord appeared for the Planescape
setting in the Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix (1994) under the "Animal Lords" entry. The female Cat Lord played an important role in the Planescape adventure Something Wild
(1995).
The male Cat Lord appered in third edition in the Epic Level Handbook
(2002).
Apart from cats, the Cat Lord's only known friend is the goddess Xan Yae
. He is the great-great-grandfather of Gord, to whom he abdicates his position at the end of Gary Gygax's series of novels.
. Ferrix
, goddess of weretigers, also dwells here.
The Cat Lord is also said to have a bower in the Fading Land known as the Court of Rings.
in order to watch over his charges, leading them out of danger and sometimes assuming the leadership of feline prides (killing their previous leaders out of cold necessity).
In the adventure Something Wild, the Deliverers, a group of hunters from the plane of Carceri
led by a wizard called Garond the Claw, captured the Cat Lord and brought him back to their home plane. There, he was hunted and killed, making excellent game. A new cat lord, a female, rose to take his place. She immediately fell under great suspicion among the other animal rulers, who believed incorrectly that she had killed her predecessor herself. This was part of Garond's plan, who sought to divert suspicion toward her and away from his own patron, a foul god of beasts.
The novel Blood Hostages by J. Robert King features an earlier cat lord called Malkin, who gives up his divinity for the sake of a mortal woman.
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
roleplaying game. The Epic Level Handbook included, as an optional rule, the possibility that he is a quasi-deity. In Gary Gygax
Gary Gygax
Ernest Gary Gygax was an American writer and game designer best known for co-creating the pioneering role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons with Dave Arneson. Gygax is generally acknowledged as the father of role-playing games....
's Gord the Rogue
Gord the Rogue
Gord the Rogue is the protagonist in a series of fantasy novels and short stories written by Gary Gygax. Gygax originally wrote the novels and short stories to promote his World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. After he left TSR, Gygax continued to write...
series, he is called Rexfelis.
There are many other animal lords representing other species. The Wolf Lord is another example.
Publication history
The original male Cat Lord first appeared in the original first edition Monster Manual II (1983).The male Cat Lord appeared in the Monstrous Compendium Outer Planes Appendix under the "Animal Lords" entry. A female Cat Lord appeared for the Planescape
Planescape
Planescape is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, originally designed by Zeb Cook. The Planescape setting was published in 1994...
setting in the Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix (1994) under the "Animal Lords" entry. The female Cat Lord played an important role in the Planescape adventure Something Wild
Something Wild (module)
Something Wild is an adventure module for the 2nd edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, published in 1996....
(1995).
The male Cat Lord appered in third edition in the Epic Level Handbook
Epic Level Handbook
The Epic Level Handbook is a rulebook by Wizards of the Coast for the 3rd edition of Dungeons & Dragons.-Contents:This books contained rules for Dungeons & Dragons 3rd edition characters to attain levels above 20, the limit in the core rulebooks...
(2002).
Description
The Cat Lord manifests as a dark-skinned human, a pale-skinned human with black hair, a black cat, a panther, or as a hybrid of panther and human. In human form he always wears black clothing decorated with gold and gems of feline colors. He has a muscular, compact form, and his eyes are feline in whatever shape he takes.Relationships
As ruler of all cats since that position has existed, the Cat Lord bears the respect and fealty of felines from house cats to smilodons. Even hybrid beings like weretigers and wereleopards are loyal to him.Apart from cats, the Cat Lord's only known friend is the goddess Xan Yae
Xan Yae
Xan Yae is a fictional goddess from the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. In the World of Greyhawk campaign setting, Xan Yae is the goddess of Twilight, Shadows, Stealth, and Mental Power worshiped by some of the Baklunish people who inhabit the fictional lands of Flanaess and Oerik....
. He is the great-great-grandfather of Gord, to whom he abdicates his position at the end of Gary Gygax's series of novels.
Realm
The Cat Lord's realm, known as the Cat Lord's Prowl, is in Brux, the second layer of the BeastlandsBeastlands
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, the Beastlands is a neutral good-aligned plane of existence...
. Ferrix
Ferrix
In many campaign settings for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Ferrix is the weretiger deity of play, curiosity, and hunting.Ferrix can be found wandering the plane of the Beastlands, but has no permanent realm there.-Publication history:...
, goddess of weretigers, also dwells here.
The Cat Lord is also said to have a bower in the Fading Land known as the Court of Rings.
Dogma
The Cat Lord is neither good nor evil, but is concerned solely with the welfare of cats. He travels between the Outer, Inner Planes, and Prime Material PlanePrime Material Plane
The Prime Material Plane is the central plane of existence in the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game...
in order to watch over his charges, leading them out of danger and sometimes assuming the leadership of feline prides (killing their previous leaders out of cold necessity).
History
Said to be the first of all the kings of cats, the Cat Lord retires at the end of the novel Dance of Demons, giving his title to his great-great-grandson, Gord, who promptly loses it after a palace revolution (as revealed in the short story "Evening Odds").In the adventure Something Wild, the Deliverers, a group of hunters from the plane of Carceri
Carceri
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, Carceri is a neutral evil-aligned plane of existence...
led by a wizard called Garond the Claw, captured the Cat Lord and brought him back to their home plane. There, he was hunted and killed, making excellent game. A new cat lord, a female, rose to take his place. She immediately fell under great suspicion among the other animal rulers, who believed incorrectly that she had killed her predecessor herself. This was part of Garond's plan, who sought to divert suspicion toward her and away from his own patron, a foul god of beasts.
The novel Blood Hostages by J. Robert King features an earlier cat lord called Malkin, who gives up his divinity for the sake of a mortal woman.
Artifacts
The Ring of the Cat Lord grants a total of nine true resurrection spells, which take effect the round after the Cat Lord's demise.Additional reading
- Gygax, Gary. "At Moonset Blackcat Comes: A Tale of Gord of Greyhawk." DragonDragon (magazine)Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
#100. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1985. - -----. Come Endless Darkness. Delavan, WI: New Infinities, 1988.
- McComb, Colin, Dale Donovan, and Monte CookMonte CookMonte Cook is a professional table-top role-playing game designer and writer. He is married to Sue Weinlein Cook.-Roleplaying:Cook has been a professional game designer since 1988, working primarily on role-playing games. Much of his early work was for Iron Crown Enterprises as an editor and writer...
. Planes of Conflict. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1995.
- Sargent, CarlCarl SargentCarl L. Sargent is a British author of several roleplaying game-based products and novels.-Early career:...
. From the Ashes. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1992.