Hello there! Inspired by some discussion from a few weeks ago, I thought it would be fun to come up with a series of Horrors based around the idea of Kinship with a particular monster from the CofD. Beast is often talked about as "the crossover splat," but that's often done in a... sort-of side-by-side way. Where each splat exists in its own bubble, alongside the other splats, and the Beasts kind of bounce around between them.
But what if we took it further? Rather than creating a generalized Beast and then having them encounter other creatures of the dark, what if we started from the idea that they were intimately connected to whatever supernatural terror they were going to be involved in? Horrors spring from the Primordial Dream, and the Dream is shaped by the fears of the people living in a particular area. So one type of monster is prominent in the region, it stands to reason that the local Horrors, and local Beasts, would be a reflection of that fear.
So the idea here is to come up with some Horrors that might spring forth from that situation. I'll start off with vampire-themed ones, since I'm most familiar with VtR. These deliberately won't talk much about the human half of the Beast; the idea is that you could "slot" them in to a character as needed. And please, if you feel inspired, let us know about your ideas for Kinship Horrors!
(I have to go to work soon, so I'll just start off with this one, but I wanted to finally get things rolling)
Anakim
Anakim is an interesting challenge for a vampire-themed Beast, since the Kindred tend to be far more subtle than your typical Giant. But I think there's a real opportunity to highlight something that tends to get glossed over when it comes to vampires: they're walking corpses. Oh, sure, we talk about things like having no pulse or being cold to the touch, but what it really means is that their bodies can be pushed far beyond that which would irreparably damage a living being. How many horror movies feature scenes of the villain being repeatedly shot, only to shrug it off and keep going? Or get buried underground for 10 years, only to emerge ready to continue their reign of terror? That's the horror of an undead being. That's the Revenant.
The Revenant
But what if we took it further? Rather than creating a generalized Beast and then having them encounter other creatures of the dark, what if we started from the idea that they were intimately connected to whatever supernatural terror they were going to be involved in? Horrors spring from the Primordial Dream, and the Dream is shaped by the fears of the people living in a particular area. So one type of monster is prominent in the region, it stands to reason that the local Horrors, and local Beasts, would be a reflection of that fear.
So the idea here is to come up with some Horrors that might spring forth from that situation. I'll start off with vampire-themed ones, since I'm most familiar with VtR. These deliberately won't talk much about the human half of the Beast; the idea is that you could "slot" them in to a character as needed. And please, if you feel inspired, let us know about your ideas for Kinship Horrors!
(I have to go to work soon, so I'll just start off with this one, but I wanted to finally get things rolling)
Anakim
Anakim is an interesting challenge for a vampire-themed Beast, since the Kindred tend to be far more subtle than your typical Giant. But I think there's a real opportunity to highlight something that tends to get glossed over when it comes to vampires: they're walking corpses. Oh, sure, we talk about things like having no pulse or being cold to the touch, but what it really means is that their bodies can be pushed far beyond that which would irreparably damage a living being. How many horror movies feature scenes of the villain being repeatedly shot, only to shrug it off and keep going? Or get buried underground for 10 years, only to emerge ready to continue their reign of terror? That's the horror of an undead being. That's the Revenant.
The Revenant
- Family: Anakim
- Horror: Undead Hulk - The Revenant is a massive mountain of cold, dead flesh. Tattered clothes hang from its grey and half-rotted form, and it is covered in scars and mementos from the many attempts (and failures) to put it in the ground for good. (think: bullet holes, arrows still sticking from its flesh, maybe chains wrapped around its arms that were snapped when it broke free)
- Hunger: Transgression - The Revenant seeks to push others beyond their limits, and then delights in the damage they cause to themselves. Think of the personal trainer who encourages his clients to lift a little more, run a little further, and then watches them stumble. Or the daredevil stunt junkie who feigns concern when people are hurt trying to replicate her accomplishments, but secretly is smiling. The feeding has two requirements: The victim attempts something they know is physically beyond them, and they fail.
- Atavisms: Cyclopean Strength, Looming Presence, Unbreakable, Terror's Friend
- Nightmares: Run Away, Everything You Do Is Worthless
- Lair: The Revenant's Lair is, fittingly, a graveyard full of the remains of those it has trampled in the dust. Shattered tombs and disturbed graves litter the fog-shrouded landscape, and there's plenty of rubble and gnarled trees for the Revenant to hurl at intruders. Traits: Fog, Jagged, Disruption
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