Critters of the October Country

[michaelcurtis]

I've been bogged down with the holidays and other projects, but I should have some more obscure beasties coming down the pike soon. Stay tuned.

[michaelcurtis]

Here’s a new one that came to mind recently. As both an archivist and bibliophibian, the idea of something lurking in my stacks and eating my books is pretty horrific—so naturally I had to stat up just such a creature. As with all my efforts to gain complete fluency with GORE and BRP, please feel free to comment if I’ve gone astray here with the mechanics. The following is designated Open Game Content.

Bibliophage

STR: 3d6 (10-11)
CON: 3d6 (10-11)
SIZ: 2d6 (7)
INT: 2d6 (7)
POW: 3d6 (10-11)
DEX: 2d6+6 (13)

Average hit points: 9
Move: 6

Other skills: Climb-50%, Detect Paper-75%, Dodge-45%, Hide-55%, Jump-50%, Move Silently-35%, Notice-40%
Damage Modifier: -1d2

Attacks
Claw: 65% --1d6 damage
Bite: 40%--1d4 damage

Consume Book- Bibliophages survive by ingesting both the physical contents of books (ink, paper, and glue) and the less tangible knowledge contained within. To do so, the bibliophage must physically touch the book to be consumed. Each round, an Opposition Test is made using the bibliophage’s POW against the book’s POW. The POW of a book is determined by what type of text it is. A cheap paperback novel has a POW of 6; a hardcover, nonfiction book has a POW of 11. A scientific text, encyclopedia, or technical manual has a POW of 13 and a mystic tome such as a spellbook or forbidden grimoire has a POW of no less than 16, with works such as the Necronomicon averaging a POW of 21. The GM can assign his own POW ratings to other books using the above as a guideline.

Each round the bibliophage is in physical contact with the book, the GM should make an Opposition Test. If the bibliophage is successful, the book crumbles to pieces, scattering flakes of paper that quickly turns to ashes and dust. If unsuccessful, the bibliophage can attempt to consume the book the following round. If the bibliophage has no chance of consuming a book due to a low POW score, it will discard the text and seek less resistant fare. But, if there is even the slightest chance of success, the bibliophage will continue to attempt to devour the tome unless an attempt is made to stop it.

It is unknown if bibliophages were born from Nightmare or are the result of mystical experimentation gone awry. These creatures are the bane of librarians, archivists, scholars, and sorcerers on both sides of the barrier. Bibliophages are generally short, standing about 4’ 10” tall. Their skin is the deep orange-brown of aged paper and has a parchment-like texture. Foxing splotches are common blemishes. Their sharp claws are permanently stained black, as if dipped in India ink, and their eyes are deep, black pits. The face of a bibliophage is a maze of wrinkles and their long, pointed ears are bent at the tips, like pages that have been dog-eared. They have no hair and, when not attempting to be stealthy, make a rustling noise as they move about the gloomy stacks where they make their homes. They are always accompanied by a musty odor.

Bibliophages are most often encountered in groups called “signatures” that number between 2 and 8, although large infestations numbering up to 20 or more have been reported in giant book depositories. There is a standing bounty on bibliophages in most learning centers and universities; heroes and defenders of the written word should consult their local librarian for more information.

[The Venomous Pao]

I absolutely adore this nasty, MC. I love the horror of things that attack books and the written word!

To my eye the writeup is dead on, rules-wise. You might want to note the damage modifier in the actual attack section (i.e., Claw: 65% --1d6 -1d2) just for ease of reference, but it's not necessary.

A slight tweak I'd make to these guys is to up the climbing percentage, since I imagine they're nasty little monkeys who regularly climb to the top of the stacks. Then again, it might be known to some very clever librarians that these things are not good climbers and that explains why all the really good books are on to top shelves, regardless of any specific filing system.

[michaelcurtis]

I didn't picture them as exceptionally agile, monkey-like critters. They're competent climbers, but must use the shelves as rungs when they ascend to get at the more tasty tomes, so I left Climb at 50%. Your suggestion was not far off of my intent.

[The Venomous Pao]

I didn't picture them as exceptionally agile, monkey-like critters. They're competent climbers, but must use the shelves as rungs when they ascend to get at the more tasty tomes, so I left Climb at 50%. Your suggestion was not far off of my intent.

Well that makes sense then!

[michaelcurtis]

Inspired by “Elvis Presley” in the movie, True Romance, and “John Wayne” in the comic series, Preacher, I give you the fantom. The following is designated Open Game Content.

Fantom
STR: --
CON: --
DEX: --
SIZ: --
INT: 2d6+6 (13)
POW: 3d6 (10-11)
CHA: 3d6+6 (16-17)

Move: 8
Armor: None, but fantoms are invulnerable to attack. Rendering their viewer unconscious will cause them to vanish.

Skills: Influence—75%, Psychology —70%, Act Like Person They Appear As—90%

When you get enough people focused on a single person, place or thing, miracles can happen—just not in the way you’d imagine. The phenomenon known as “fantoms” is but one example of how collective culture—even popular culture—can have far-reaching effects.

Fantoms are apparitions that typically appear to a single individual, normally one who had developed a fixation on the person embodied by the fantom. This apparition takes on the appearance of an actual, famous person, most commonly one who is regularly in the public eye. The person whose guise the fantom assumes can be either living or dead, and multiple fantoms may appear as the same individual.

Those persons subject to seeing fantoms have usually assimilated this public person into their lives in some manner, either by being rabid fans of the celebrity or by using them as a stand-in for a missing role-model in their own lives. People who witness a fantom typically have low POW scores (9 or less) and have experienced some form of psychological trauma in their lives. Although fantoms of both sexes have been reported, the percentage of them is heavily biased towards male public figures, with celebrities perceived as especially macho or having a father-figure quality being the most common. Elvis Presley, John Wayne, and Steve McQueen are reportedly the most common guise that fantoms assume.

Fantoms cannot interact with the physical world, lacking the powers of even the weakest poltergeist. They can (and do) speak to the person they materialize to, often dispensing advice and/or “tough love” to the subject. This speech is only heard by the fantom’s subject. Fantoms do sometimes seem to physically influence their witness (patting the person on the shoulder, delivering a well-deserved smack, or lighting the person’s cigarette), but these events are actually performed unconsciously by the person themselves and only perceived as coming from the fantom.

Fantoms are not spirits and are thus not affected by items, effects, or phenomenon designed to injure or repel ghosts and the like. The only known way of “exorcising” a fantom is for its viewer to reach a point in his life where the fantom’s advice and presence is no longer needed. This typically occurs after the subject reaches a state of profound realization about his lifestyle or achieves a goal that results in a new sense of self-confidence (resulting in an increase in POW). It is also possible for a fantom to be permanently dismissed by means of extended psychotherapy sessions and a number of successful Psychology rolls equal to (25 minus the subject’s POW). The therapist makes a roll after each therapy session.

Those familiar with the fantom phenomenon speculate that they may be a modern incarnation of “spirit guides” long connected with mediums and channelers. Those same mediums consider this theory to be disparaging to both their practice and the ancient spirits who speak through them.

[The Venomous Pao]

Love it! It made me think of Bogart in the Woody Allen film "Play It Again, Sam" too

[michaelcurtis]

I'm pleased to say that I'm working on more GORE related material and expect to continue to develop some of my October Country ideas in both actual play and submissions to Fight On! As a break from fantasy megadungeons, I'm writing my first adventure that introduces elements of the October Country. Below is the latest creature that hails from those distant shores.

Resembling terrier-sized tree frogs, lantern frogs are multi-colored amphibians that naturally produce a soft, luminescent green glow. This illumination attracts the large insects that the lantern frog preys upon. Lantern frogs can dim their light, but do so poorly and must make a successful Hide roll in order to dampen their glow enough to avoid notice. Otherwise, observers gain a +25% bonus to any Notice roll to detect the frog's presence. In recent decades, lantern frogs have been domesticated and are a favorite pet of the children of nobility, poets, and those that eat taveesh resin.

Lantern Frogs
STR: 2d6 (7)
CON: 3d6 (10-11)
SIZ: 1d4 (2-3)
POW: 3d6 (10-11)
DEX: 3d6 (10-11)

Average hit points: 6
Move: 6 (jump 9)

Skills: Climb 90%, Hide 20%, Dodge 45%, Jump 85%, Notice 65%

Armor: 1
Attack: None, but when panicked, Lantern Frogs produce a burst of light that can temporarily blind predators. A successful POW vs. POW Opposition roll indicates the observer is blinded for 2d6 rounds.