Dead Cat

Graveyard random encounter — one of several graveyard specials competing to trigger on any given graveyard visit, not a guaranteed one. See something running toward you in graveyard, instinctively step aside and toss entire tombstone upon it. Lift tombstone to reveal outcome: 40% chance it was a cat (Bellatrix very pleased = +1 gravefight +3-8 random deathpower), 20% chance nothing there (hallucinating maybe), 40% chance big hairy bug (silly you). Quick event with cat-murder reward from Bellatrix, if the graveyard decides to deal you this card at all. Where you're wandering through the graveyard minding your business when you see something running toward you and your immediate reaction as a logical person is to quickly step to the side and hurl a massive tombstone on top of the approaching creature and then lift the tombstone back up to investigate your victim discovering either a dead cat which makes the dark witch Bellatrix incredibly pleased with your cat-murdering prowess or absolutely nothing meaning you were probably seeing things and threw a tombstone at hallucinations or a big hairy bug which is anticlimactic after all that tombstone-throwing effort.

The Encounter

Opening Scene:

  • "As you wander the graveyard, you see something running toward you"
  • "You quickly step off to the side and toss a tombstone upon it"
  • Automatic action (no choice given)
  • Tombstone tossing is your default response

The Reveal:

  • "Upon lifting the tombstone, you find."
  • Random outcome (1 of 3 possibilities)
  • Immediate resolution

Outcomes

Outcome 1-2 (40%): Dead Cat:

  • "Upon lifting the tombstone, you find out it was only a cat!"
  • "You know that Bellatrix is very pleased with you!"
  • Rewards:
    • +1 gravefight (extra graveyard exploration)
    • +3 to +8 deathpower (random roll)
  • Bellatrix approves of cat murder
  • Best outcome

Outcome 3 (20%): Nothing:

  • "Upon lifting the tombstone, you find nothing"
  • "Maybe you were seeing things?"
  • No rewards
  • No penalties
  • You hallucinated the running creature
  • Wasted tombstone throw

Outcome 4-5 (40%): Big Hairy Bug:

  • "Upon lifting the tombstone, you find it was only a big hairy bug, silly you!"
  • No rewards
  • No penalties
  • Anticlimactic
  • Called "silly" by narrator

Rewards Breakdown

Gravefight:

  • +1 graveyard exploration turn
  • Allows one more graveyard special encounter
  • Equivalent to ~gem value of extra exploration

Deathpower:

  • +3 to +8 (random amount)
  • Average: +5.5 deathpower
  • Used for graveyard/death-related modules
  • Favor with dark forces

Bellatrix's Pleasure:

  • Dark witch approves of your actions
  • Cat-murdering gains favor
  • "Very pleased" with you
  • Alignment indicator (dark/evil path)

Expected Value

Probability Analysis:

  • 40% good outcome (cat = rewards)
  • 60% neutral outcome (nothing or bug = no effect)
  • 0% bad outcome (no penalties ever)

Average Rewards Per Encounter:

  • Gravefights: 0.4 × 1 = 0.4 average
  • Deathpower: 0.4 × 5.5 = 2.2 average
  • Completely harmless event (no downside)

Strategy

Recommendations:

  • No choice involved (automatic event)
  • Always beneficial or neutral
  • Never skip graveyard exploration
  • Free chance at extra resources

Graveyard Path:

  • Good for dark/death-focused builds
  • Deathpower accumulation
  • Bellatrix favor matters if using related modules
  • Extra gravefights = more opportunities

Absurd Logic

Tombstone as Weapon:

  • See running creature → immediately throw tombstone
  • No hesitation or investigation
  • Tombstones apparently easy to lift and throw
  • Standard graveyard self-defense tactic

Outcome Descriptions:

  • "only a cat" - casual cat murder
  • "Maybe you were seeing things?" - gaslighting yourself
  • "silly you!" - mocked for bug-squashing
  • No remorse for potential cat death

Bellatrix's Standards:

  • VERY pleased when you kill cats
  • Dark witch has specific cat-murder appreciation
  • Rewards violence against felines
  • Consistent with evil character portrayal

Technical Details

Module Info:

  • Category: Graveyard Specials
  • Registers a weight of 100 on the graveyard event hook — the same weight most of the other graveyard specials (Grave of Dragons, Rune Scavenging, Soul Gems) register with, so Dead Cat is competing head-to-head with several equally-weighted events for the chance to fire, not guaranteed to appear
  • Before any graveyard special is even rolled, the graveyard itself only has a base chance (admin-configurable, default 20%) of producing a special at all on a given visit — so most graveyard visits produce no special whatsoever, and even when one does fire, Dead Cat is only one of the competing options

Random Roll:

  • Once Dead Cat is the special selected, e_rand(1,5) determines its outcome
  • 1-2 = cat (40%)
  • 3 = nothing (20%)
  • 4-5 = bug (40%)

No Settings:

  • No admin configuration options specific to Dead Cat itself
  • No user preferences
  • Simple hardcoded event once it's chosen
  • No explicit daily cap on Dead Cat, but it's throttled the same way every graveyard special is: by the base graveyard-trigger chance and by competing against the other equal-weight events for the roll

Lore Implications

Graveyard Creatures:

  • Cats roam graveyards
  • Big hairy bugs exist
  • Possibly spectral/undead creatures
  • Or you're hallucinating (20% nothing)

Bellatrix Connection:

  • Dark witch monitors graveyard activities
  • Rewards chaos/death/destruction
  • Cat death specifically pleases her
  • Deathpower as currency with dark forces

Dead Cat: where you're wandering through the graveyard probably looking for treasure or deathpower or whatever people do in graveyards and you see something running toward you and instead of rationally assessing the situation or maybe stepping aside to let it pass your immediate instinctive reaction as a trained warrior is to quickly step off to the side and pick up an entire massive stone tombstone and toss it upon the approaching creature with apparently superhuman strength because tombstones are definitely light enough to casually throw around as projectile weapons. Then you lift the tombstone back up to see what you've murdered and there's a forty percent chance you discover it was only a cat and you know that Bellatrix the dark witch is very pleased with you for your cat-killing prowess and she rewards you with one extra graveyard exploration turn plus three to eight random deathpower points which is apparently the currency of favor with evil forces, or there's a twenty percent chance you lift the tombstone and find absolutely nothing underneath it meaning you were probably seeing things and just threw a tombstone at a hallucination which is concerning for your mental health, or there's a forty percent chance you find it was only a big hairy bug and the narrator calls you silly for wasting a perfectly good tombstone throw on insect-squashing. The whole event has zero downsides because even the nothing and bug outcomes don't penalize you in any way so it's purely beneficial or neutral meaning you should definitely always explore the graveyard whenever possible for free chances at extra resources and Bellatrix approval, and the absurd casual violence of immediately hurling tombstones at approaching creatures combined with the dark witch being VERY pleased when you accidentally murder cats really captures the chaotic energy of this Harry Potter fan game where cat death is rewarded and tombstone-throwing is standard self-defense protocol.