I had an idea to set of NPC only critter characters with mythology based abilities. For starters I wanted a cat that could see and interact with the astral plane. I got the idea after watching my cat one day. She was staring at the corner for the better part of the day (the same way she stares at any stranger that visits our condo). That corner use to have a chair that was used by my wife's grandmother when she owned the place (she has since passed on). To get back on track I thought giving common critters abilities such as psy-ad or sorcery that would be along the lines of traditional mythological abilities that have been attributed to those animals (such as cats having the ability to see the dead). Here are some of the ideas I had:

Cat with Astral Perception and maybe even an Assessing and Astral Combat skills
Wolverine/Weasel/Badger Psy-ad (Attribute Boost)

Just take the stats of something close to what you want and add/subtract things until you get to what you want.

Aren't blackberry cats Dual Natured?

Don't worry, that happens to every cat-owning SR player at one point.


To answer your question, the easiest way would be to use SURGE.
It doesn't only affect metahumans, there's SURGEd critters as well.
The Astral sight quality from Street Magic can be acquired through SURGE.
There, a RAW-legal way to get your astral cat.



No. They have a whole bunch of powers, but astral perception isn't among them.

I have a cat who isn't a cat. He's simply wearing a cat suit.

I didn't want to use a magical critter (because then I would be stuck with the predefined powers). I think I will use the SURGE idea instead.

Are the rules for SURGE in the Runner's Companion (I don't have that book yet)?

Yes, Surge is in Runners Companion.

Awesome thanks.