Tweet
The Horror Rules presented in the Chronicles of Darkness rule book open the door to create many new monsters and mysteries to populate your chronicles. Since I enjoy playing with the new rules, I am going to post my creations here.
As always, feel free to post your own ideas and feedback is always welcome.
On to the Horrors
The Collector
The Collector appears when an object of paranormal significance falls comes into a person’s possession. He will ask for it politely. Once. If the possessor tries to negotiate, fight, or run, he will relieve that person of the object by any means necessary. This usually results in the death of the Relics possessor. What the Collector does with the Relics is unknown; he simply places the object in his briefcase, gets into his car, and drives away.
The Collector is a handsome man who appears to be in his early twenties. He dresses in a “rockabilly” style; leather jacket, black t-shirt, blue jeans, sturdy boots and sunglasses, with a flamboyant belt buckle and his black hair slicked back. He drives a midnight black 1966 Pontiac GTO and carries a battered leather briefcase.
Its true form appears as a twisted amalgam of flesh and iron, with the head of a raven’s skull. Jets of fire erupt from his mouth, eyes and nostrils.
Doppelgänger
According to the folklore, a Doppelganger is a malevolent shade that mimics an individuals appearance down to the most minute details. To see one is considered the direst of ill omens. This part of the legend is true, as the Doppelgänger is often the last thing a person sees before they are replaced. The origins of these shapeshifters are unknown, and why they seek out and replace certain people is an even greater mystery. Those replaced by Doppelgangers demonstrate shifts of personality, as doppelgangers are cruel, selfish and reckless, and many move on after a few years of maintaining their masquerade, leaving behind disrupted lives and many unanswerable questions. A revealed Doppelganger will try to flee its pursuers, but will lash out violently if cornered.
The Hag of Wicker Street
The children in the neighborhood tell tales about the Hag of Wicker Street. They say she lives in the dilapidated house at the end of the block, with the high iron fence and overgrown lawn. She is a tall, elderly woman who resembles a stereotypical Halloween Witch; with deep wrinkles, sunken eyes, a hooked nose, and grey hair as stiff as straw. Parents warn that children who stay out past curfew should beware the Hag, lest they be captured and taken into her ramshackle house, never to be seen again. Some tales are true.
Modern Molly
Modern Molly was a toy line produced in 1986 by the short-lived UK based Regal Toys. The doll was the size of a small child itself, standing 22 inches tall. It had green eyes, brown hair and a light spray of freckles on its cute plastic face. She sported braids and tomboyish red overalls. When her string was pulled, she would repeat phrases such as “I believe in you” and “You are my best friend”. A warehouse fire in late 1986 destroyed nearly the entire run of the doll and bankrupted Regal Toys, making the remaining dolls something of a collector’s item. This particular doll remains in pristine condition, despite passing through the hands of many different owners over the years. Researching the dolls history will show a disturbing trend of accidents, tragedies and misfortunes that have befallen all who have possessed her.
The Monstrous Spider
This creature has the appearance of a common house spider, expanded to nightmarish proportions. Whether the product of supernatural influence or science run amok, this beast is the size of a horse and has all the vicious, primeval cunning of its tiny brethren.
Periplaneta Americana Carnivora
This mutant strain of the common American Cockroach is identified by its appearance and its behavior. They are physically identical to its parent species, but exhibit albinism and are pale in coloration. Behaviorally, they are carnivorous and aggressive. They prefer to attack sleeping prey, but are more than capable of swarming active prey, wearing them down with innumerable bites. Once the prey has been subdued by pain they continue to feed on any soft tissues until little is left besides bone, nails and hair. Thankfully this strain is largely sterile, and will typically die out after two or three generations.
The Rapacious One
The Rapacious One is an entity that preys upon the greed and ambitions of the upper middle class. With her powers, she can grant a person’s most selfish desires and she asks for nothing in return. The nature of her powers allows her to consume that person’s virtue and character, until nothing remains but a contemptible, self-absorbed echo of what they once were. The Rapacious One always appears as a handsome, fashionably dressed woman in her late-forties. She carries herself with an air of confidence, courtesy and professionalism, typically posing as a lawyer, real estate agent, or other successful member of the community.
Its true form appears as a massive roving serpent’s eye; it is supported by 12 arachnid legs and has a lamprey’s maw on its underbelly.
The Thing in the Closet
Childhood can be horrifying. When you are tucked into bed and the lights go out, you can hear its talons scraping the walls and clicking across the floor. You can catch a flicker of light reflected from its pale silver eyes. You can even hear its chuckle as it waits in the dark. It’s far too clever to be caught when the lights turn on or when the closet is checked. And no matter how often you tell the grownups about the creature, they never believe you.
The Witchhunter
The Witchhunter is a grim entity spoken of in whispers, for to speak of him aloud is to invite his wrath. Every few years, for nearly 300 years, an occultist turns up dead. Always decapitated, always with a hand-written note that reads “Suffer Not” stuffed into the mouth of the severed head lying a few feet away from the torso. The list of victims have included Fortune Tellers, Shaman, Psychics, Witches, Satanists, Hougans and many others who deal in the mystic and paranormal. These who claim to have seen the Witchhunter describes a stern, older man, of medium height with a compact, broad shouldered build. He is dressed in dark woolen clothing that is somewhat out of date, but not enough to be conspicuous.
His preferred weapon is a horseman’s saber with both edges sharpened to increases its combat utility. When encountered he will offer his target the chance to renounce the dark arts, sparing those who do (off course, lying to the Witchhunter is a bad idea). If the target does not repent, the Witchhunter will attempt to slay them.
As always, feel free to post your own ideas and feedback is always welcome.
On to the Horrors
The Collector
The Collector appears when an object of paranormal significance falls comes into a person’s possession. He will ask for it politely. Once. If the possessor tries to negotiate, fight, or run, he will relieve that person of the object by any means necessary. This usually results in the death of the Relics possessor. What the Collector does with the Relics is unknown; he simply places the object in his briefcase, gets into his car, and drives away.
The Collector is a handsome man who appears to be in his early twenties. He dresses in a “rockabilly” style; leather jacket, black t-shirt, blue jeans, sturdy boots and sunglasses, with a flamboyant belt buckle and his black hair slicked back. He drives a midnight black 1966 Pontiac GTO and carries a battered leather briefcase.
Its true form appears as a twisted amalgam of flesh and iron, with the head of a raven’s skull. Jets of fire erupt from his mouth, eyes and nostrils.
Doppelgänger
According to the folklore, a Doppelganger is a malevolent shade that mimics an individuals appearance down to the most minute details. To see one is considered the direst of ill omens. This part of the legend is true, as the Doppelgänger is often the last thing a person sees before they are replaced. The origins of these shapeshifters are unknown, and why they seek out and replace certain people is an even greater mystery. Those replaced by Doppelgangers demonstrate shifts of personality, as doppelgangers are cruel, selfish and reckless, and many move on after a few years of maintaining their masquerade, leaving behind disrupted lives and many unanswerable questions. A revealed Doppelganger will try to flee its pursuers, but will lash out violently if cornered.
The Hag of Wicker Street
The children in the neighborhood tell tales about the Hag of Wicker Street. They say she lives in the dilapidated house at the end of the block, with the high iron fence and overgrown lawn. She is a tall, elderly woman who resembles a stereotypical Halloween Witch; with deep wrinkles, sunken eyes, a hooked nose, and grey hair as stiff as straw. Parents warn that children who stay out past curfew should beware the Hag, lest they be captured and taken into her ramshackle house, never to be seen again. Some tales are true.
Modern Molly
Modern Molly was a toy line produced in 1986 by the short-lived UK based Regal Toys. The doll was the size of a small child itself, standing 22 inches tall. It had green eyes, brown hair and a light spray of freckles on its cute plastic face. She sported braids and tomboyish red overalls. When her string was pulled, she would repeat phrases such as “I believe in you” and “You are my best friend”. A warehouse fire in late 1986 destroyed nearly the entire run of the doll and bankrupted Regal Toys, making the remaining dolls something of a collector’s item. This particular doll remains in pristine condition, despite passing through the hands of many different owners over the years. Researching the dolls history will show a disturbing trend of accidents, tragedies and misfortunes that have befallen all who have possessed her.
The Monstrous Spider
This creature has the appearance of a common house spider, expanded to nightmarish proportions. Whether the product of supernatural influence or science run amok, this beast is the size of a horse and has all the vicious, primeval cunning of its tiny brethren.
Periplaneta Americana Carnivora
This mutant strain of the common American Cockroach is identified by its appearance and its behavior. They are physically identical to its parent species, but exhibit albinism and are pale in coloration. Behaviorally, they are carnivorous and aggressive. They prefer to attack sleeping prey, but are more than capable of swarming active prey, wearing them down with innumerable bites. Once the prey has been subdued by pain they continue to feed on any soft tissues until little is left besides bone, nails and hair. Thankfully this strain is largely sterile, and will typically die out after two or three generations.
The Rapacious One
The Rapacious One is an entity that preys upon the greed and ambitions of the upper middle class. With her powers, she can grant a person’s most selfish desires and she asks for nothing in return. The nature of her powers allows her to consume that person’s virtue and character, until nothing remains but a contemptible, self-absorbed echo of what they once were. The Rapacious One always appears as a handsome, fashionably dressed woman in her late-forties. She carries herself with an air of confidence, courtesy and professionalism, typically posing as a lawyer, real estate agent, or other successful member of the community.
Its true form appears as a massive roving serpent’s eye; it is supported by 12 arachnid legs and has a lamprey’s maw on its underbelly.
The Thing in the Closet
Childhood can be horrifying. When you are tucked into bed and the lights go out, you can hear its talons scraping the walls and clicking across the floor. You can catch a flicker of light reflected from its pale silver eyes. You can even hear its chuckle as it waits in the dark. It’s far too clever to be caught when the lights turn on or when the closet is checked. And no matter how often you tell the grownups about the creature, they never believe you.
The Witchhunter
The Witchhunter is a grim entity spoken of in whispers, for to speak of him aloud is to invite his wrath. Every few years, for nearly 300 years, an occultist turns up dead. Always decapitated, always with a hand-written note that reads “Suffer Not” stuffed into the mouth of the severed head lying a few feet away from the torso. The list of victims have included Fortune Tellers, Shaman, Psychics, Witches, Satanists, Hougans and many others who deal in the mystic and paranormal. These who claim to have seen the Witchhunter describes a stern, older man, of medium height with a compact, broad shouldered build. He is dressed in dark woolen clothing that is somewhat out of date, but not enough to be conspicuous.
His preferred weapon is a horseman’s saber with both edges sharpened to increases its combat utility. When encountered he will offer his target the chance to renounce the dark arts, sparing those who do (off course, lying to the Witchhunter is a bad idea). If the target does not repent, the Witchhunter will attempt to slay them.
Comment