Not much to say about this one - it was made as a request on the MM Discord and it was fun to work on a character from my favorite superhero series. As always, this build is conceptualized entirely in a vacuum, with choices made in my best attempt to fit the character. These choice may not hold up in a campaign with different themes and should be adjusted accordingly.
If you prefer watching over reading, check out the YouTube video on the character.
Let's get into the build for Black Cat from Marvel comics!
BLACK CAT
CHARACTER Felicia Hardy
SOURCE Marvel Comics
BUILD GOALS
o Felicia Hardy is the daughter of an infamous cat burglar who inherited his skill and penchant for thievery
o During her college years, a traumatic assault by an ex-boyfriend drove her to hone her combat skills and acrobatics
o She decided to embrace her father’s legacy as the Black Cat, becoming an enemy then ally then sometimes more to Spider-Man
o She is an expert thief skilled in stealth, picking locks, escaping binds, and evading alarms
o Her reflexes, agility, and stamina are on the level of an Olympic athlete
o Following the aforementioned attack, she studied marital arts and specialized in Goju-ryu Karate and Judo
o She acquired bad luck powers through scientists, allowing her to subliminally affect probably fields that would afflict enemies within her line of sight with ‘bad luck’
o She obtained cybernetic enhancements that allow her to extend her nails into sharp claws
LEVEL 1
Ancestry & Heritage: Versatile Human
o Ability Boosts & Flaws: +Dexterity, +Charisma
o General Feat: Adopted Ancestry – Catfolk
o Ancestry Feat: Catfolk Dance
Background: Criminal
o Ability Boosts: +Dexterity, +Strength
o Skill Increase: Stealth (trained), Underworld Lore (trained)
o Background Feat: Experienced Smuggler
Class & Subclass: Thief Rogue
o Class Ability Boost: +Dexterity
o Skill Increase: Acrobatics (trained), Athletics (trained), Crafting (trained), Deception (trained), Diplomacy (trained), Intimidation (trained), Occultism (trained), Performance (trained), Society (trained), Thievery (trained)
o Class Feat: Nimble Dodge
o Skill Feat: Cat Fall
Details
o Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Dexterity, +Intelligence, +Charisma (Str +2, Dex +4, Con +0, Int +1, Wis +0, Cha +2)
I’m usually fine with exploring alternative ancestries for characters, but it felt weird doing so for Black Cat for some reason. Regardless, there’s too many feats to pass up on, which leads to a slightly convoluted process – as a human, she uses the versatile heritage to gain the Adopted Ancestry for the catfolk ancestry, which will allow her to poach feats from it. Which she immediately does with Catfolk Dance, playing with into her acrobatic capabilities and starting to touch on the ‘bad luck’ that she can afflict upon others. Following in her father’s footsteps, she has the criminal background and then without a second of doubt, she uses the rogue class with the thief racket. For the time being, she’ll be using a claw blade to represent the claws that her suit provides as her primary weapon, which will allow her to apply her Dexterity to damage. The intent behind this build is to capture the feel of creating misfortune for her enemies through her feats and reactions and that starts with Nimble Dodge – the opponent just missed, their attack was just barely off. She also gets a skill feat, which will be spent on Cat Fall for obvious reasons.
LEVEL 2
o Class Feat: Martial Artist Dedication
o Skill Feat: Combat Climber
o Skill Increase: Stealth (expert)
o Gear: ring of discretion
LEVEL 3
o General Feat: Incredible Initiative
o Skill Feat: Charming Liar
o Skill Increase: Thievery (expert)
o Gear: +1 claw blade, cloak of feline rest, ring of discretion
LEVEL 4
o Class Feat: Tiger Stance
o Skill Feat: Pickpocket
o Skill Increase: Acrobatics (expert)
o Gear: charlatan’s gloves, handwraps of mighty blows (+1), Jack’s tattered cape, ring of discretion
LEVEL 5
o Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Dexterity, +Wisdom, +Charisma (Str +3, Dex +4.5, Con +0, Int +1, Wis +1, Cha +3)
o Ancestry Feat: Cat’s Luck
o Skill Feat: Subtle Theft
o Skill Increase: Deception (expert)
o Gear: handwraps of mighty blows (+1 striking), charlatan’s gloves, bracelet of dashing, Jack’s tattered cape, cloak of feline rest, ring of discretion
By exploring the Martial Artist Dedication, Felicia is able to take up Tiger Stance, giving her a much higher damage agile attack that she can apply her Dex damage to through her racket. Furthermore, this allows her to spend an action to gain these Strikes – akin to how she is able to extend her nails into claws that she can fight with. She has also used these claws to scale the sides of buildings, keeping up with Spider-Man, which is referenced with her Combat Climber. She also delves into classic Thievery feats such as Pickpocket and Subtle Theft and slips in a Charming Liar, letting her take advantage of her Deception investment while cozying up to her marks. Incredible Initiative will help her get more use out of her surprise attack class feature, and Cat’s Luck plays into her luck powers – though it may not be as necessary as she gains Evasive Reflexes. On the other hands, on the few instances that she fails a save, it could be useful.
LEVEL 6
o Class Feat: Sabotage
o Skill Feat: Slippery Prey
o Skill Increase: Athletics (expert)
o Gear: +1 leather, handwraps of mighty blows (+1 striking), smuggler’s sack (type I), charlatan’s gloves, Jack’s tattered cape, masquerade scarf
LEVEL 7
o General Feat: Fleet
o Skill Feat: Swift Sneak
o Skill Increase: Stealth (master)
o Gear: vaultbreaker’s harness, +1 leather, lesser boots of free running, handwraps of mighty blows (+1 striking), charlatan’s gloves, bracelet of dashing
LEVEL 8
o Class Feat: Sidestep
o Skill Feat: Tumbling Theft
o Skill Increase: Thievery (master)
o Gear: boots of bounding, insistent door knocker, vaultbreaker’s harness, +1 leather, handwraps of mighty blows (+1 striking), smuggler’s sack (type I)
LEVEL 9
o Ancestry Feat: Expanded Luck
o Skill Feat: Quick Unlock
o Skill Increase: Acrobatics (master)
o Gear: +1 resilient leather, boots of bounding, smuggler’s sack (type II), vaultbreaker’s harness, lesser boots of free running, handwraps of mighty blows (+1 striking)
LEVEL 10
o Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Dexterity, +Wisdom, +Charisma (Str +4, Dex +5, Con +0, Int +1, Wis +2, Cha +4)
o Class Feat: Tiger Slash
o Skill Feat: Kip Up
o Skill Increase: Athletics (master)
o Gear: greater shadow armor rune, +1 resilient leather, shock weapon rune, boots of bounding, insistent door knocker, handwraps of mighty blows (+1 striking)
It isn’t an option that I often choose, but I like Sabotage to represent her causing misfortune for her foes, causing their gear and equipment to fail at critical moments. Similarly, Sidestep is another reaction that can be used to simulate another instance of bad luck as enemies collide – these are circumstantial, but this is how I would flavor their function. Tiger Slash lets her make a single powerful attack and create some space against enemies, which could be useful when she has Large enemies cornering her. She has a wide range of skill feats. As a woman able to evade even Spider-Man’s grasp, Slippery Prey feels like a natural fit while Swift Sneak, Quick Unlock, and Tumbling Theft are all more feats befitting thief with the last one particularly fun and fitting her general sneakiness. Kip Up is also great for saving on action economy and avoiding Reactive Strikes. Fleet helps her Sneak even further so that she can move between wider expanses of cover. She’s gonna be slightly more susceptible to failing Fortitude and Will saves, which makes Expanded Luck particularly useful for her.
LEVEL 11
o General Feat: Feather Step
o Skill Feat: Fleeing Diversion
o Skill Increase: Deception (master)
o Gear: handwraps of mighty blows (+2 striking), greater shadow armor rune, greater charlatan’s gloves, +1 resilient leather, boots of bounding, smuggler’s sack (type II)
LEVEL 12
o Class Feat: Sly Disarm
o Skill Feat: Quick Climb
o Skill Increase: Underworld Lore (expert)
o Gear: +2 resilient leather, handwraps of mighty blows (+2 striking), daredevil boots, greater shadow armor rune, lover’s gloves, shock weapon rune
LEVEL 13
o Ancestry Feat: Black Cat Curse
o Skill Feat: Foil Senses
o Skill Increase: Underworld Lore (master)
o Gear: handwraps of mighty blows (+2 greater striking), +2 resilient leather, smuggler’s slack (type III), daredevil boots, greater charlatan’s gloves, greater shadow armor rune
LEVEL 14
o Class Feat: Preparation
o Skill Feat: Wall Jump
o Skill Increase: Society (expert)
o Gear: smuggler’s sack (type IV), handwraps of mighty blows (+2 greater striking), greater cloak of illusions, +2 resilient leather, daredevil boots, charlatan’s cape
LEVEL 15
o Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Dexterity, +Constitution, +Charisma (Str +4.5, Dex +5.5, Con +1, Int +1, Wis +2, Cha +4.5)
o General Feat: A Home in Every Port
o Skill Feat: Legendary Sneak
o Skill Increase: Stealth (legendary)
o Gear: +2 greater resilient leather, keen weapon rune, smuggler’s sack (type IV), handwraps of mighty blows (+2 greater striking), ring of maniacal devices, smuggler’s slack (type III)
As a burglar, Black Cat often runs afoul of other criminals who wield firearms and other weaponry, which she can remove with Sly Disarm while also setting them up for her follow-up Strikes, which will benefit from the agile trait. With the likes of Sidestep and Nimble Dodge, she can use the Preparation class feat. This also is a fantastic third action for her when she doesn’t want to take the chance on a third attack in a round. Her collection of skill feats are a little eclectic – Fleeing Diversion and Legendary Sneak are more typical Thievery skills and Foil Senses fits the theme while also letting her try to overcome Spider-Man’s spider sense. She also uses Quick Climb and Wall Jump to ascend quickly. Superhero battles tend to create rubble but Feather Step as her general feat will let her Step into such areas with ease whereas A Home in Every Port can give her a number of safehouses and other sites. She also finally gains Black Cat Curse. She obviously had to take this, letting her afflict a creature with misfortune as a reaction. This is unfortunately only once per day, but with Preparation, she can activate this reaction as well as one of her other rogue options.
LEVEL 16
o Class Feat: Instant Opening
o Skill Feat: Legendary Thief
o Skill Increase: Thievery (legendary)
o Gear: greater shock weapon rune, +2 greater resilient leather, greater boots of bounding, smuggler’s sack (type IV), handwraps of mighty blows (+2 greater striking), greater cloak of illusions
LEVEL 17
o Ancestry Feat: Reliable Luck
o Skill Feat: Shadow Mark
o Skill Increase: Acrobatics (legendary)
o Gear: handwraps of mighty blows (+3 greater striking), dragonscale amulet, greater shock weapon rune, +2 greater resilient leather, keen weapon rune, smuggler’s sack (type IV)
LEVEL 18
o Class Feat: Fantastic Leap
o Skill Feat: Cloud Jump
o Skill Increase: Athletics (legendary)
o Gear: pilferer’s gloves, handwraps of mighty blows (+3 greater striking), major alluring scarf, greater shock weapon rune, +2 greater resilient leather, greater boots of bounding
LEVEL 19
o General Feat: Toughness
o Skill Feat: Reveal Machinations
o Skill Increase: Deception (legendary)
o Gear: +3 greater resilient leather, pilferer’s gloves, greater cloak of the bat, handwraps of mighty blows (+3 greater striking), greater thunderblast slippers, greater shock weapon rune
LEVEL 20
o Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Dexterity, +Wisdom, +Charisma (Str +5, Dex +6, Con +1, Int +1, Wis +3, Cha +5)
o Class Feat: Steal Essence
o Skill Feat: Legendary Professional
o Skill Increase: Underworld Lore (legendary)
o Gear: handwraps of mighty blows (+3 major striking), +3 greater resilient leather, greater cloak of the bat, pilferer’s gloves, quicksilver weapon rune, major alluring scarf
Again playing into her bad luck theme, she has Instant Opening to cause an enemy to hit a spot of misfortune that leaves them vulnerable to her attacks. This is most useful against enemies that she can’t Feint or Sly Disarm due to high bonuses, lack of weapons, or some other form of immunity. Black Cat has made some Fantastic Leaps of her own in her fights against Spider-Man and a variety of other foes. A fun combo could be Instant Opening against a flying enemy, since they are likely out of range of her usual effects, and then making a Fantastic Leap to sneak attack that foe midair. Out of the capstone feats available to her, Steal Essence just made the most sense (this or Hidden Paragon), fitting with her position as a master thief – which is also expressed through feats such as Legendary Thief and Legendary Professional for her Underworld Lore. Shadow Mark makes it easier for her to stalk people, so that she can more easily assemble her Spider-Man shrine, and Wary Disarmament will let her avoid traps set by cops and otherwise. Reliable Luck is a massive get, letting her use her Cat’s Luck once per hour, but it unfortunately comes online a little late.
FREE ARCHETYPE SUGGESTIONS: In addition to the Martial Artist Dedication and its feats that are already featured in this build, Black Cat may actually make the most use of the Curse Maelstrom archetype. The misfortune and penalties this afflicts through her mere presence is a great way to represent her bad luck powers and expands upon them significantly.
BUILD CONCLUSION
Felicia Hardy, the infamous Black Cat, is a versatile human rogue of the thief racket and the criminal background, reflecting her following in the footsteps of her cat burglar father. The martial arts she studied following her assault comes from the Martial Artist Dedication with the claws she eventually gains emulated by Tiger Stance from this archetype. As a perennial foe and sometimes friend of the spectacular Spider-Man, she tries to work around his spider sense through Foil Senses and can keep up with his wall crawling through Combat Climber and Quick Climb. As a master thief, she is a Legendary Professional in Underworld Lore, and also has options such as Legendary Sneak, Legendary Thief, and even Steal Essence. There’s also Quick Unlock, Wary Disarmament, and Slippery Prey to help her escape her bonds – whether it be webbing or otherwise. While initially a human with Olympic level reflexes and athleticism, she eventually acquired bad luck powers, which is most directly expressed through her Black Cat’s Curse gained through her Adopted Ancestry. However, feats such as Sidestep, Sabotage, and even Instant Opening can play into this theme without stretching them too much.
This classy criminal concocts and commits capers without care, confounding competitors with cataclysmic curses but keeps a craving for a courageous, crimson-clothed combatant.
Lemme know what you think and what other builds you would like to see!
If you want to join in on the discussion of these builds and the ones I do for monsters or just hang out with a bunch of fellow TTRPG nerds, check out the Discord server. We also have a Twitter where we try to post teasers for the blog. For the upcoming weeks, I'm actually going to do a pair of builds for the new playtest classes that have been released.
Have a fantastic Friday!
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