Beast: Pardalis

HP: 7d8
Num: 1
Spd: 4
Dam: 2d8
Def: 6
Soak: 10
CL: 8

The pardalis is a creature of beauty and refinement, a great cat whose rusty pelt is marked with pinkish rosettes like flower petals and whose golden-green eyes reveal only a quiet patience and the gleam of an almost sphinx-like intelligence. With small fangs and delicate claws poorly suited for tearing flesh, the pardalis appears almost harmless — which is exactly what the cat wants. An ambush predator of the highest order, it waits until it has sent its prey into deep sleep before sinking its blood-siphon into their flesh. Brave souls may approach a pardalis for its advice and sage wisdom, but wiser souls know to bring a gift of fine ornaments or freshly-spilled blood — or both — or else risk being treated as any other potential meal.

Unless pressed in the extreme, a pardalis will never attack another creature without attempting to subdue its prospective victim. Twice an hour a pardalis may breathe out a cloud of opalescent, sweetly scented mist; this dreaming mist causes any caught within its 20’ radius to fall into a deep slumber for ten minutes to an hour unless a successful Willpower check is made (at a -2 penalty to the roll). Once presented with subdued prey, or if forced to defend itself, the pardalis unfurls its blood-siphon — a long, rippling and vein-like lash tipped with a hollow “claw”, normally retracted beneath the tongue — and attacks for 1d8 hit points of damage, drawing blood from the wound through the siphon. If the pardalis deals 4 or more hit points of damage the siphon attaches and damage is automatic each round until the cat drains half its hit points in damage, the siphon is severed or the victim dies. A pardalis’ blood-siphon possesses 7 hit points, and has a Defense of 5 and a Soak of 4.