Garb of the Hunting Cat

Although made of mere steel and skin, the garb of the hunting cat presents a powerful combination of abilities that makes any wearer a deadly predator. This garb gives you the rending claws, incredible stealth, and hunting ability of a tiger. While anyone can wear the garb and become like the beast, only the most skilled combatants can use the abilities of the garb of the hunting cat to their fullest.

Characters of any melee-oriented class can find the garb of the hunting cat useful, but the set provides benefits most suited to rangers, rogues, ninjas, and scouts. Feats that help you capitalize on the set’s abilities include Spring Attack and Two-Weapon Fighting.

Lore

Characters who have ranks in Knowledge (arcana), or who have the bardic knowledge ability, can research the garb of the hunting cat to learn more about these items. When a character succeeds on a check, the following lore is revealed, including the information from lower DCs.

DC 15: The garb of the hunting cat first came to light due to a number of shocking attacks upon human and elf settlements. The countryside was terrorized by strange, tigerlike people who would slaughter whole villages. The creatures were difficult to track and, when overmatched, vanished into thin air. When at last one was killed, the victors discovered not a monster but a man wearing the garb of the hunting cat.

DC 20: Those who attacked the elves and humans were members of a cult of rakshasa worshipers. Each of the cultists was outfitted with a set of the garb of the hunting cat, and participating in a “hunt” against other humanoids was a necessary part of the rite of passage to receive a set. Most of the sets ended up in the hands of those who survived cultist assaults and were later sold.Many who now wear parts of the garb of the hunting cat are ignorant of the set’s bloody history.

DC 25: The rakshasa at the center of the cult was confronted, but it escaped and might still be alive. It’s said that the evil creature can be recognized in any form it adopts because its natural form has pure white fur without stripes, and it seems incapable of creating hair with any pigment when it adopts another shape.

Many of those who have collected the entire garb of the hunting cat set have died by the claws of some kind of an animal. Stories abound of hunting trips gone wrong, supposedly domesticated beasts going wild, and even of terrible bloody deaths behind locked doors that no animals should be able to penetrate. The common thread through all these stories is that the death occurred when the owner of the garb was not wearing it. If the rakshasa is at fault, as many suspect, its motives remain a mystery because the pieces are always left behind with the body of their owner.

DC 30: A check result of 30 or higher reveals the location of another piece of the set. Use this to drive further adventure and direct the PCs toward some location or story you would like them to explore.

Collection Benefits

The garb of the hunting cat provides you with a deadly rending attack and the power to disappear from sight. When wearing the entire garb of the hunting cat, you take on the appearance of a humanoid tiger during combat. When this occurs, the fur on the various items appears to be that of a living creature, making you appear something like a bestial rakshasa or weretiger.

2 Pieces: If, during your turn, you hit a single foe with both a primary claw glove attack and an off-hand claw glove attack, the second attack rends, dealing an extra 3d6 points of damage. You can rend only once per round.

3 Pieces: Once per day, you can use invisibility on yourself (CL 3rd) as a standard (mental) action.

Claw Gloves

These gloves are made from tiger skin and fitted with sharp steel claws on the end of each finger.

Claw gloves are treated as a pair of +1 punching daggers for the purpose of fighting with them when both are worn. However, wearing claw gloves does not inhibit your ability to wield other weapons or otherwise use your hands.

In addition, if you charge or use Spring Attack while you are wearing claw gloves and both your hands are empty, you can make an off-hand claw glove attack in addition to the normal claw glove attack granted (though both attacks take normal penalties for fighting with two weapons). You can’t combine this extra attack with an attack with any other weapon, nor is it cumulative with any other effect that grants you extra attacks when charging or using Spring Attack.

Prerequisites: Craft Magic Arms and Armor, Craft Wondrous Item, magic fang, possession of a piece of the set.

Cost to Create: 2,500 gp (plus 604 gp for two masterwork punching daggers), 200 XP, 5 days.

Mantle of the Predator

This short, flexible cape is made from tiger skin and feels warm to the touch.

A mantle of the predator grants you a +5 competence bonus on Hide and Move Silently checks. In addition, you deal an extra 1d6 points of damage with melee attacks against foes denied their Dexterity bonus to AC. Creatures with concealment, creatures without discernible anatomies, and creatures immune to extra damage from critical hits are all immune to this extra damage.

Prerequisites: Craft Wondrous Item, cat’s grace, possession of a piece of the set.

Cost to Create: 4,000 gp, 320 XP, 8 days.

Mask of the Tiger

This steel mask is covered with tiger skin and fitted with actual tiger teeth.

A mask of the tiger provides you with the benefit of the Track feat (or, if you already have that feat, a +5 competence bonus on Survival checks). In addition, you gain low-light vision.

Prerequisites: Craft Wondrous Item, low-light vision, possession of a piece of the set.

Cost to Create: 2,000 gp, 160 XP, 4 days.

Source: Magic Item Compendium, page 198.