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**Raistlin** · 04-30-2016, 08:36 PM

Was the Pig based on the monsters of "Amnesia: a Machine for Pigs"?

**Reighnhell** · 04-30-2016, 10:06 PM

Pig was inspired by "The Island of Doctor Moreau". I liked the idea of an animal man that was the product of bizarre science and had a few good story hooks to investigate. I haven't played any of the Amnesia games, but I hear they are quite good.

**Leliel** · 07-14-2016, 10:09 PM

May as well add one myself. Because I like Animorphs:

Yeerk

We are not alone, though we may wish we were. For there are indeed cold and alien intelligences out there that look upon our world with envious eyes. In the case of a certain slug-like species, though, we're not particularly special in their envy-as a race of body snatchers, the Yeerks are very familiar with the emotion of jealousy, and its cousin, greed. Products of a humanitarian (for lack of a better term) mission gone horribly awry, the Yeerk Empire is an increasingly vast polity of planets taking advantage of the relatively common existence of sapient species with distinct brains-which happen to be exactly what the Yeerks, in one of evolution's cruel pranks on the world, are perfectly evolved to infiltrate and take over; the Yeerk crawls into the aural cavity or equivalent of their prospective host, using a specialized "toxin" that renders bone briefly malleable and soft, then flattens themself to cover every nook and cranny of the unfortunate's neural tissue, in effect becoming a second arachnoid layer specially adapted to seizing complete motor control over the host's body. Horrifyingly, this does not seize control of the host's mind-the hapless sapient becomes a prisoner in their own flesh, the only creature they are capable of speaking to being their very personal warden and puppeteer, an unwilling accomplice to an expansionist state that would put Rome at its greatest and worst to shame. Perhaps worst of all, though, is that the warden is quite capable of talking back-and despite their truly alien biology and form, the Yeerks are incredibly human in their thoughts and motives. It's nothing personal, to them-it's just that as a species, Yeerks by themselves are actually rather pitiful, blind, weak, and all too aware of it. Even the race of hosts on their homeworld, the Gedd, are almost malformed, with limbs that are so uneven they have to walk on a perfectly good hand with opposable thumbs to get anywhere. They even have gender identities, despite the fact that Yeerks are asexual hermaphrodites for whom parenting is the last act they will ever do (the process involves fatal fission of three Yeerks, trading their lives for hundreds of quick-growing offspring)-something they pick up from their hosts, and a way of asserting what little individuality their authoritarian, militaristic government allows them. Unfortunately, Yeerks are human in another respect-when something is good to them, they will twist their boneless bodies into fourth-dimensional loops to justify it, and having the sight, strength, and endurance of a human body, to say nothing of other species such as the sauroid, blade-bodied Hork-Bajir or the graceful, dextrous Garatrons, is the grandest good they can think of. For the sake of what social conscience they have, the dominant feeling Yeerks have towards their hosts is spite; they are infamous for acting in ways that they know will hurt their current hosts, purely to break their will and to convince themselves that their hosts are fundamentally worthless without their gastropod masters.

Basic Yeerk Trooper/Spy

This Yeerk is one of the grey ranks, even beyond his natural coloring-he's the Yeerk equivalent of an enlisted soldier such as a private or corporal, so low-rank he is still referred to by his name (which is more of a serial number-it's the name of the breeding trio he was born from followed by the place in the order he detached from his parents in, so Riznek-332 is the 332nd Yeerk born from the Riznek breeding body) rather than his formal place in the hierarchy. He is all too aware of this, and more importantly of how the Yeerk Empire severely limits the number of higher officers it has regardless of its size, a way of keeping things strictly within the purview of the ruling Council of Thirteen to easily supervise. As a result, he is a ruthless combination of ambitious and desperate, eager both to prove his worth compared to the billions of other brain slugs with his same exact talents and to avoid the dozen or so horrible fates that await Yeerks who are regarded as a drain on resources-used as cannon fodder for the Leeran or Andalite wars, being shipped off to some god-forsaken hellhole of a mining colony, being a subject in live target practice...small wonder he and all his compatriots can be such petty bastards-it's what little power they have, and they will exploit it beyond all reason.

Best At: Accessing Host Memories, Infiltration, Alien Technology (7 dice)

Worst At: Ignoring Challenges to Ego, Disobeying Superiors, Reacting to Unforeseen Situations (1 die)

Aspiration: Keep hidden, be promoted, serve the Empire to the best of his ability.

Willpower/Scene: 5

Speed: Same as host while in host. Otherwise 2 (on land) or 12 (in water)

Health: 2 (out of host)

Ban: Yeerks have skin that act like gills, and will suffocate if left out in the air too long. More importantly, they don't actually derive any nutrition from anything in the host, but a special type of solar radiation (Kandrona, in their language) only naturally emitted by stars similar to the Yeerks' own sun-which the Earth's sun is not. They must report to a specialized "Yeerk pool" filled with xenoformed compounds that soak up artificial Kandrona rays generated by hidden machines in high (terrestrial-the technology needed for orbital Kandrona generators is not nearly subtle enough for the invasion at this early stage) places every three days, else they will starve to death in a process that is just as traumatic to the host-but the host survives and likely is not happy. They have to exit the host in order to soak up the radiation (a process that takes about three hours), but Yeerks are very experienced at controlling the unruly bodies while their masters are having their dinner. Of course, it's also possible to acquire the nutrients produced by Kandrona photosynthesis by making a host eat Kandrona-dependent lifeforms, but given how the only Kandrona-dependent lifeforms on Earth are other Yeerks, this is a good way to mark the cannibal Yeerk in question as a psychopath to...everyone sapient (the main source of said food would be cutting open the skulls of hosts-not something that generally leaves them alive to enjoy their former keeper now making friends with stomach acid).

**Reighnhell** · 07-15-2016, 07:05 PM

Originally posted by Leliel View Post

May as well add one myself. Because I like Animorphs:

Yeerk

Awesome stuff! I especially like how being petty and neurotic accentuates how dangerous the Yeerk are.

And since its been a while.

The Leech
The creature known as “The Leech, was once a common fresh water leech dwelling in the waters of a remote lake that hikers often used for recreation. As it absorbed blood, it also absorbed experience and intelligence. It has gained size, and has developed limbs, becoming more humanoid over time. It is currently the size of a small human, its dark flesh is segmented and covered in mucus, and its vaguely humanoid head has developed rudimentary eyes and a wide mouth filled with needle sharp teeth. It is not known what triggered this metamorphosis, and the Leech does not particularly care. All it cares about is obtaining fresh blood and the knowledge contained within it. Soon, it will venture into the wider world to continue its evolution.

**wyrdhamster** · 07-16-2016, 01:14 AM

The Leech looks like this?

**Reighnhell** · 08-13-2016, 11:18 AM

Mythological Beasts
Originally posted here, I created a set of mythological monsters. For these, I used the Horror Creation rules, with a few adjustments.

1) Animalistic creatures only have about 5 skills (Athletics, Brawl, Intimidate, Stealth, Survival). When a level of Potency recommends more skill points than is truly needed for the beast, I trade 5 points worth of those skills for a Dread Power.

2) I add mundane natural weapons (claws,bites, horns,etc) without tying it to a specific dread power. If the creature would have natural armor , I use the Iron Skin (Advanced) Merit from Beast: the Primordial.

3) Animalistic creatures use the higher of Dexterity or Wits for Defense.

Colossal Ape
The Colossal Ape is rare, perhaps even unique, primate resembling an African gorilla of staggering size. Its behavior is much like its smaller relatives, and the creature is capable of aggression and dominance behavior, as well as surprising gentleness.

Dire Wolf
The Dire Wolf is a massive wolf, an evolutionary throwback that is considered extinct by most scientific minds. The beast is powerfully built and stands over 4 feet tall at the shoulder, with sharp claws and teeth like knives.

Gargoyle
The Gargoyle is a strange creature the size of a large man, with the wings of a bat, the horns of a ram, the claws of a lion, a serpent’s tail and skin like stone. It favors environments with man-made structures where it can disguise itself as statuary. While not quite human-level intelligence, the creature displays a remarkable amount of cunning.

The Gryphon
The Gryphon is a creature with the forelimbs of an eagle and the hind limbs of a lion. It is revered for its ferocity and boldness and its likeness has been depicted in heraldry for centuries.

Hydra
The Hydra is a creature of legend. It resembles an ungodly large serpent with six heads. The creature’s bite is infamously venomous and even its blood is a deadly poison. It heals quickly from its wounds and can even regrow heads that have been severed.

Kraken
The Kraken is a titanic cephalopod that is reputed to hunt the waters between Norway and Greenland, but has been sighted as far south as the Caribbean. The beast is ravenous, capsizing sailing vessels and consuming its crew. The creature has even been attributed with powers over the sea, stirring storms, tidal waves, and whirlpools in its wake.

Attributes: Intelligence 2, Wits 3, Resolve 6, Strength 13*, Dexterity 3, Stamina 8, Presence 4, Manipulation 1, Composure 6
Skills: Athletics 3(Swim), Brawl 7, Intimidation 5, Stealth 6, Survival 4
Merits: Demolisher 3, Direction Sense, Double Jointed, Indomitable, Iron Stamina 3
Potency: 5
Willpower: 17
Initiative: 9
Armor: 8
Defense: 6
Speed: 16/25 (Species factor 3 land/12 Swim)
Size: 35
Health: 43
Dread Powers: Arms of the Kraken, Colossus, Elemental Fury, Elusive, Hideous Strength

Arms of the Kraken: The Kraken, much like the squid that it resembles, has 10 arms and two longer feeding tentacles. Opponents’ Defense against the Kraken’s attacks is reduced by 3. Also, the Kraken can sacrifice its Defense for the turn, and inflicts the Stunned or Knocked Down Tilts on enemies. By spending one point of Willpower, the Kraken can attack everyone within 10 yards equal with one Brawl attack. The Kraken can use this power to grapple its targets, but if it wishes to maintain this grapple over multiple turns, it must spend a point of Willpower every turn to do so.

Colossus: The Kraken is immense of form, a towering monstrosity that can simply shrug off lesser attacks. The Kraken gains general Armor equal to its Stamina. Against creatures and objects of smaller Size than the Kraken, its attacks benefit from the 8-Again rule.

Elemental Fury: The Kraken has Influence (Storms) 5. When using this Influence, it can affect an area as large as its Potency in diameter in miles.

Elusive: The Kraken only ever appears on camera as a blurred silhouette or seemingly blends into the background. Humans have a hard time remembering exact detail about the Kraken. Rolls to accurately describe or recall such events are made at a –3 modifier.

Hideous Strength: The Kraken’s might is truly formidable; by spending a point of Willpower, the Kraken can increase its Strength by its Potency until the end of the scene. Furthermore, it adds its Potency as automatic successes on Strength + Stamina rolls made to perform a feat of strength, such as lifting a massive object or breaking free of restraints.

Weapons/Attacks:
Type Damage Dice Pool
Bite +1 16
Arms +2 16

*The Krakens immense size grants it an additional 4 points of Strength

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.

The Nemean Lion
According to myth, the Nemean Lion was a beast of malevolent temperament gifted with an impervious hide and razor sharp claws. While the original was slain by the legendary Heracles, other Lions are born that share the reputed invulnerability of its ancestor. No more than one such lion ever exists at a time and generations can pass before another appears. The animals are always large, handsome and clever specimens, with a bright, almost metallic sheen to its fur.

Unicorn
The Unicorn is a creature known for its elusive nature and associated with chastity and purity. Resembling slender horses, unicorns have cloven hooves and a single, spiraling horn set in the center of it forehead. Their coloration is typically red, white, or black. The creatures are intelligent on a level similar to apes or dolphins, and are reputed to be kind and good-natured.

**Geckopirateship** · 10-22-2016, 04:34 PM

How would one use the horror rules to create a were-roller coaster, as in Miranda's Leek masterpiece of modern horror fiction, Twisted? (http://forums.somethingawful.com/sho...readid=3535471)

**Reighnhell** · 10-23-2016, 06:31 PM

Re: Were-Roller Coaster?

Seriously? Were - Roller Coasters. Anthropomorphic Furry Were Roller Coasters. ok.....

But to address the question; sure, I could go for a point by point adaption of "twisted", but that would involve reading it. But I don't hate myself quite enough to do that yet.
Instead,let's boil that basic idea down to something that we can work with. Out of all the weirdness and self indulgence from the original concept, the most salvageable element is "animate thrill ride that dwells in a shadow-reality". Used the Brief Nightmare format and came up with the following.

Hellbent
From the first day of construction, the roller coaster named “HelIbent” seemed cursed. The construction crew was plagued by accidents and mishaps, and financial woes delayed the project by over a year. It was finally introduced at Halley Brother’s amusement park in 1990; a vision of twisted, looping red and black steel with an infernal motif. The ride was a hit and ran in the park for several years, until a series of accidents (including a few maiming’s and death’s) forced the park to decommission the ride in 2002.
However, the night watchmen at the park share tales of hearing the familiar roar of the ride, or catching glimpses of a colossal rad-and-black thing lurking in the dark corners of the park.
The entity called “Hellbent” was once just an inanimate structure, but certain arcane principles were built into its design, overtime granting it a life of its own. Since it was decommissioned and torn down, it has re-assembled itself into a twisted animalistic shape comprised of concrete and steel. The entity resides in twilight, only appearing to lurk the park grounds in the dead of night.

**Geckopirateship** · 10-23-2016, 06:42 PM

YES

YES

YES

**Reighnhell** · 10-25-2016, 01:15 AM

New Critter!

The Grue
This rare creature is a voracious man-eater that lurks in darkness and is repulsed by light. Eyewitness reports are rare, but it has been described as a slavering beast that resembles a mix of a man and a bat. The creature possesses a cunning mind and is capable of plotting sophisticated traps and ambushes, but rarely communicates directly with its prey.

**Reighnhell** · 11-10-2016, 12:51 AM

New Horror

The Clutch
“The Clutch” are an organism of unknown (but suspected extra-terrestrial origin). The creatures are a colony of communal invertebrates, resembling a mass of lavender-veined mealworms with serrated dorsal ridges. They are parasitic, burrowing into the hosts body and nesting around the spine and in the brain. Using a mechanism that remains poorly understood, the parasites seize control over the host’s body, but somehow also gain access the hosts memories and skills. The creatures can then successfully masquerade as the host until its body can no longer contains the rapidly reproducing parasites. At which point the body begins to break down and the colony seeks to spread itself by infecting as many new hosts as possible. The creatures are highly intelligent and patient, but completely amoral, seeing their hosts are a means to an end and a resource to be exploited and then discarded. The example is of a typical individual infected by the Clutch.

**Axelgear** · 11-10-2016, 11:04 AM

You are a delight, as ever, Reign.

Originally posted by Reighnhell View Post

Pig was inspired by "The Island of Doctor Moreau". I liked the idea of an animal man that was the product of bizarre science and had a few good story hooks to investigate. I haven't played any of the Amnesia games, but I hear they are quite good.

I recommend the second, myself.

**Reighnhell** · 11-12-2016, 01:14 AM

New Horror

Nemesis
The creature known only as “Nemesis”, has been described as an agent of balance and justice, appearing to deliver retribution for those that have been wronged. The form of this retribution can vary, sometimes delivered as a curse or affliction, other times in the form of swift, violent destruction. True to her name, Nemesis is relentless – pursuing her quarry until its judgement has been delivered. She occasionally strikes against those that have experienced great fortune, effectively balancing the scales. Nemesis always appears as a woman – handsome but stern, with a broad shouldered muscular build. She carries a whip and a bronze dagger, but is perfecting capable of twisting steel in her hands or immolating a target with a glance.

**Leliel** · 01-03-2017, 04:50 PM

I feel like we need a revival. So, in honor of Mutant Chronicles, here's my first conversion:

Chained Howler

One of the most sadistic and mind-shattering creations of a sadistic and mind-shattering army, Chained Howlers are the assassination specialists of Muawijhe, the Dark Apostle of Madness, and as befitting his title, they don't kill until their victim welcomes death. As with many creations of the Dark Legion, part of the Chained Howler was once human, but also like the Legion, it's something of a farce; each one was once an innocent who grew so tormented by insanity they became a catatonic husk-and with it, an ideal host for an energy-based monster Muawijhe's cultist drug up from the Lower Depths, a personification of soul-ending despair and fear. The result is a horrifying, flayed form covered in living, barbed chains that only clink if the creature permits it. In a direct battle, they use these chains as sadistic whips, but a Howler's true purpose is to link its inner demon to a victim, intuitively understanding everything their prey feels and fears, and from there create a very personal Hell with the express intention of driving them insane; it's what they biologically need to do, as without one successful torment every three months, the Chained Howler can't maintain its connection to its stolen body and it starts falling apart. They're good at it, too-what remains of the host is useless, but the demon within is every bit the master manipulator as the Lord of Visions demands, combining a remorseless mind with several potent abilities beyond the mind link, from their preternatural stealth to their ability to perfectly imitate the voices of people their victim feels any amount of pain over. When the victim comes to crave the end, the Howler abducts him and cracks open his fragile mind with the most potent terrors Muawijhe's mad art can come up with, until finally the target dies of a heart attack or aneurysm-and the Howler is sated,

The one mercy is that Chained Howlers, by themselves, are not that threatening to society-their demonic component is ultimately an instinct-driven animal, and while it normally has multiple victims at once in order to maximize backup plans in case a couple turn out to be made of stronger stuff or have psychologist and/or monster hunter friends, they aim for the easy targets rather than the useful targets unless Muawijhe's cultists force them, and Howlers are notoriously cowardly and stubborn-not the least because most of their bullying tactics themselves are mundane by necessity. Occasionally, though, enemies of the Dark Legion will find themselves menaced by a Howler whose chains do not cover its face, revealing a pair of disturbingly human eyes. These are not Howlers born of sacrifices, but Lords of Chains-true cultists of the Lord of Visions who began to suffer from the sting of Degeneration before being considered for Transfiguration into an elite Zenethian Soulslayer or Nepharite, and not important enough for the difficult task of Degeneration treatment, but considered too competent to forswear mercy; instead, they were thrown into the Howler dimension to see if they came out with both demon and human within the same body. The Lords are those who proved the theory true, and the world trembles at their passing; while they still need the diet of fear, Lords of Chains combine their lesser brethren's abilities with the retained dark magic of their Dark Apostle, multiplying their capacity for mental torture a thousandfold-and the human that is still in control of their body is generally of an ambitious breed.

The stats below represent a recently summoned Chained Howler. More experienced ones generally have more Potency, while Lords of Chains have much higher Mental and Social Attributes as well as more Dread Powers (usually Numina or Influence over concepts like Doubt, Self-Loathing, or Nightmares) to represent the Dark Gifts of Muawijhe along with high Potency. Keep in mind Lords of Chains are characters in their own right, and so usually have a full spread of Aspirations and usually Social Merits that symbolize their importance to the Temple of Madness as well.

Chained Howler

Aspiration: Serve the Lord of Visions by terrorizing humanity.

Virtue: Ingenious

Vice: Gourmand

Mental Attributes: Intelligence 2, Wits 5, Resolve 4

Physical Attributes: Strength 1, Dexterity 7, Stamina 1

Social Attributes: Presence 7, Manipulation 7, Composure 1

Skills: Athletics 2, Brawl 2, Medicine 3 (Psychology), Intimidation 4. Occult 3 (Dark Legion), Stealth 4 (Monster In Your Bedroom), Subterfuge 2 (Ventriloquism)

Merits:

Common Sense 3, Patient 1, Parkour 3, Trained Observer 1

Size: 5

Willpower: 8

Potency: 3

Dread Powers: Greater Know Soul*, Natural Weaponry 2 (Chains), Wall Cling

* Greater Know Soul: Horrors with Know Soul were already skilled enough at reading their victims, but a Horror with Greater Know Soul knows its victim better than she does herself. After performing the initial reading, a Horror with Greater Know Soul may choose to plumb the depths even further and develop an intuitive sense of its victim; it automatically succeeds at all Investigation rolls at sussing out a victim's fears, hopes, and desires, and what would endanger their Integrity. It may have up to its Resolve + Composure subjects of Greater Know Soul at the same time. Please note this does not actually represent any intuitive grasp of humanity; Chained Howlers in particular are notorious for missing what would be incredibly obvious to a cultist with the bare minimum of intuition, like supernatural allies capable of detecting malign influence.

Ban: As mentioned, Chained Howlers have a biological need to drive a victim to suicidal insanity and then induce a heart attack every three months, at minimum, else they starve to death at a rate of one aggravated damage per day as their supernatural biology falls apart. What's more, they don't actually have enough control over their own Dark Symmetry to use it in true combat; they must have already inflicted a Persistent Broken Condition on their victim before they can begin feeding, and to do that requires an extended grapple for at least two hours, something that leaves the Chained Howler frequently helpless while it eats.

**Reighnhell** · 01-04-2017, 10:40 PM

Re: Mutant Chronicles

I have heard of the Mutant Chronicles, but never read up on it. I will have to change that!

Re: New Horrors

Here is a pair that I have converted from the classic World of Darkness and given a Chronicles of Darkness spin.

Thunderwyrm
The creature was first seen during a torrential rainstorm outside of Los Alamos, New Mexico in 1964. It has been described as a massive earthworm, over thirty feet long and bulky, with a maw bristling with ebony teeth and pallid, sore pocked flesh. Those who study such things suspect it is a common earthworm, radically mutated by radiation. Others theorize that it is a deliberate experiment run amok. Either way, it appears during rainstorms (which are thankfully rare in the desert), emerging to go on a hunger-fueled rampage, devouring anything organic (and many things that are not) and excreting the remains as radioactive waste.

Vozhd
The exact origin of the creature called the “Vozhd” is unknown. It was recovered from an abandoned laboratory by a team of agents working for the Cheiron Group (the second such team, the Vozhd destroyed the first). The creature is a mind numbingly awful, multi-limbed hulk of flesh – seemingly comprised of multiple human and animal bodies fused together and weighing nearly 2 tons. The word “Vozhd” was taken from a nameplate outside of the shattered cell where the creature made its lair. While not mindless, it lashes at violently at the least provocation (unless heavily sedated, at which point it exhibits a degree of human intelligence). The creature currently resides under heavy sedation at an undisclosed location. All other information recovered from the laboratory has been classified.

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