New "Things" sighted!

[sniderman]

CREEPING HAND
STR: 3 (45) --- WPR: 4 (60)
DEX: 7 (105) --- PER: 2 (30)
AGL: 4 (60) --- PCN: 3 (45)
STA: 3 (45) --- PWR: NA
ATT: 1/53% --- WND: 12
MV: L 60

Experience: 500

When someone (or something) that was irredeemably evil in life loses a hand, there is a chance the severed limb may animate into a Creeping Hand. The Creeping Hand is an intelligent creature, retaining all of the memories and emotions of its original host. However, it now acts independently, working to finish any evil machinations that had been started by the original owner -- even if the original owner is long-dead.

A Creeping Hand scurries about like a spider, using its fingers for locomotion. Although the Creeping Hand does not have eyes or ears, it can, in fact, "see and hear" its surrounding as if it did. Due to its size, it can hide fairly well, ducking into small darkened areas before it is discovered. It can use tools and weapons fairly well, though it prefers to strangle a sleeping or unconscious victim rather than engaging in hand-to-hand.

One ability a Creeping Hand possesses is that it can crawl up and down walls and ceilings, clinging to them as if it were a spider. This ability comes in handy (pardon the pun) to allow the creature access places it would otherwise be unable to reach. Many a victim has been surprised to find a severed hand perched on a high shelf holding a gun, until the shot rings out.

NOTE: I had no idea how many "evil, killer, severed hand" movies there were. So I thought it was time to have one of these little nightmares scuttling through Cryptworld!

[Keps]

Good stuff! I remember the Michael Caine movie, I didn't know Oliver Stone directed it. Good severed hand site. It is pretty traumatic in story telling when an appendage is severed. I almost shat when the Game of Thrones character, 'The KingSlayer', lost his hand.

[seneschal]

Speaking of living, crawling hands, somebody's got to write up the titular Saucer Men from Invasion of the Saucer Men, the ultimate cheesy Fifties teen sci-fi flick. You know them even if you've never seen the 1957 movie. They're the classic child-sized, big-headed aliens with cranial veins, cat eyes, pointed ears, and catlike teeth shown on so many posters and illustrations.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050545/?ref_=nv_sr_1

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=htt ... JkBEP4dMA8

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=htt ... IwBEPwdMAo

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=htt ... JIBEP4dMAw

In addition to ray guns and hands that crawl, they have hypodermic fingernails with which to inject victims with poison (in this case, alcohol).

[jaerdaph]

Nice! Creeping Hand is a great addition to the things collection.

[sniderman]

KRAMPUS
STR: 6 (90) --- WPR: 4 (60)
DEX: 5 (75) --- PER: 4 (60)
AGL: 5 (75) --- PCN: 6 (90)
STA: 5 (75) --- PWR: NA
ATT: 1/83% --- WND: 15
MV: L 100†

Experience: 600

The Krampus is a goat-like humanoid creature who punishes children who misbehave during the Christmas holiday season. Just as Santa Claus rewards children for good behavior throughout the year, the Krampus terrorizes, punishes, and eventually consumes those found to be irredeemably "naughty." However, because the Krampus particularly enjoys eating "good" children, what is judged as "naughty" in its eyes can be as innocuous as forgetting to say "please" or "thank you."

The Krampus has the horns and hooves of a goat, a long mule's tail, and is covered in black coarse hair. A long pointed tongue lolls out of its mouth, and it signals its presence through the rattling of chains it always wears. The Krampus lurks in the shadows, always out of site, stalking a child it feels may be potentially "naughty." Initially, the Krampus may spirit away truly bad children (the defiant, the rude, bullies, thieves, etc.), but it will eventually turn its attention to those children who could be classified as "good." It will watch the child until it witnesses some momentary lapse of manners or good judgement, at which point it will judge the child as irredeemably "bad." Once the child is alone, the Krampus will kidnap the child, taking him back to its lair where it will torture and terrorize the child over the course of several days. When the child is out of his mind with fear and regret, the Krampus will then consume the child. In some perverse way, the Krampus feels he is doing a kindness for the parents, removing the ungracious youngster from his put-upon family.

If a series of child disappearances occurs during the holiday season, there is most likely a Krampus on the loose. The quickest way to draw it out is to use a misbehaving child as bait -- an irresistible target for any hungry Krampus.

[sniderman]

BOO HAG
STR: 5 (75) --- WPR: 5 (75)
DEX: 4 (60) --- PER: 4 (60)
AGL: 4 (60) --- PCN: 4 (60)
STA: 5 (75) --- PWR: 70
ATT: 1/68% --- WND: 15
MV: L 75†

Experience: 600

A Boo Hag is a vampiric female creature who gains sustenance from the "lifebreath" of its victims. A Boo Hag normally appears as a skinless, hairless crone that is blood-red in color due to their exposed muscular system. A Boo Hag hides her true appearance by wearing the skin of one of her victims much like a costume. When in this guise, the Boo Hag looks like any other human being, although her skin appears pale and waxy.

According to southern U.S. Gullah folklore, Boo Hags steal the lifebreath of their prey by "riding" them while they sleep. The Boo Hag will first remove and hide any skin it is wearing, transform into a dank mist, then enter the bedroom of a sleeping victim through a small crack or hole. The Boo Hag will then any perch upon their victim's chest, sucking the lifebreath from them as they rest. During the feeding, the victim will drop into a deep, nightmare-filled sleep brought on by the Boo Hag. Shortly before sun-up, the Boo Hag will transform into a mist again and exit. The victim will awake exhausted and short of breath with no explanation as to why they remain tired. (A victim of a Boo Hag will not regain any lost Stamina during the fitful night's sleep.) A Boo Hag must be back in her stolen skin before dawn, as sunlight on her exposed, skinless flesh will burn a Boo Hag for three wound boxes of damage each round until she has covered herself again or she is destroyed.

A Boo Hag is loath to kill its source of nourishment, continuing to feed off of the same person for months or perhaps even years if undiscovered. In a devious twist, it's easier for the Boo Hag to maintain this closeness with her source of food over the years by befriending them as a new neighbor or coworker. The victim may be unaware that his/her closest friend has actually been feeding on their lifebreath for many years! However, if a victim becomes overly suspicious during their waking hours, or if they awaken during the Boo Hag's feeding and realizes the dire situation they find themselves in, the Boo Hag will kill the victim, take their skin as a fresh disguise, then leave to find a new victim to "ride."

Boo Hag Powers
Mist Form: A Boo Hag can transform into a dank, gray mist approximately 10 cubic feet in volume. In this form, the Boo Hag can slip under doors, and through cracks and keyholes. Transforming into a mist costs the Boo Hag 20 WPR and requires a general PWR check to succeed.

Induce Catatonia: A Boo Hag can cause a sleeping victim to drop into a deep catatonia, allowing her to feed without risk of waking the victim. It costs 20 WPR an hour to maintain the catatonia. Nothing will wake the victim once they enter this state, though they will wake normally once the hour is up and the effect has ended.

[sniderman]

MOSS MAN
STR: 6 (90) --- WPR: 5 (75)
DEX: 6 (90) --- PER: 4 (60)
AGL: 5 (75) --- PCN: 4 (60)
STA: 7 (105) --- PWR: NA
ATT: 1/83% --- WND: 15
MV: L 75 W 100

Experience: 500

A Moss Man is a half-humanoid/half-plant cryptid that lurks within the swamps and bayous of the southern U.S. A Moss Man usually stands well over 6 feet tall and is covered in rotting weeds, plants, vines, and vegetation. It walks on two webbed, clawed feet and has two webbed claws at the ends of its arms. Although a Moss Man cannot breathe underwater, it can hold its breath for up to 30 minutes while lurking in the dark waters. There is a warm, damp odor of rot and decay that hangs upon the creature, so much so that this odor will often signal a Moss Man's approach. The Moss Man is actually more plant than animal, as much of its muscular and skeletal systems are made up of vegetation and flora.

A Moss Man lives in isolation deep within a swamp, rarely venturing into inhabited areas. It is only when man begins to encroach on the Moss Man's domain will it begin to terrorize and assault the interlopers. Land developers and road construction crews have been devastated and driven off by an enraged Moss Man who felt his home was in danger. A Moss Man attacks by lurking just under the surface of the swamp's waters, leaping out to grab a victim and pull them underwater. There, it holds them tightly immobile until they drown. The victim's companions may not ever know what happened to their friend "who was standing right here a moment ago." A Moss Man will continue its guerrilla-like reign of terror, destroying equipment, ruining supplies, and killing trespassers until the interlopers leave the area.

It is believed by some that the Moss Man is a distant cousin to the Gillman (Cryptworld rulebook, page 61) as they share many similar characteristics, but this has not been verified. There are several cryptids in the bogs and bayous of the U.S. that may, in fact, be Moss Men including the Honey Island Swamp Monster, the Fouke Monster of Boggy Creek, and the Lizard Man of Scape Ore Swamp.

[sniderman]

WENDIGO
STR: 7 (120) --- WPR: 4 (60)
DEX: 6 (90) --- PER: 4 (60)
AGL: 6 (90) --- PCN: 6 (90)
STA: 4 (60) --- PWR: NA
ATT: 1/105% --- WND: 14
MV: L 75†

Experience: 800

The Wendigo is evil creature that is the embodiment of cannibalism brought on by famine and starvation. It is found in the northern U.S./Canadian wilderness and appears as a tall stag-like creature that walks upright. It is emaciated with taut, rotting skin pulled over exposed bones; eyes and cheeks that are sunken and hollow; and what lips it once had are tattered and bloody, as if the creature chewed them off itself.

The Wendigo is ravenously carnivorous, as it is in a constant state of starvation. Any animals the creature encounters will be pursued, subdued, and eaten without pause. The hunting grounds of a Wendigo will be eerily quiet and without life as the forest's creatures know better than to enter the area. A Wendigo has a particular fondness for human flesh though. Any humans caught by a Wendigo will be incapacitated and dragged back to its cavernous lair where it will attempt to fatten them up. As the only food available in a Wendigo's cave are the scraps from previous human meals, it will force the victim to consume human flesh, going so far as to force it into their mouth. This horrific ritual lasts a week, until such time as the Wendigo is ready to eat the victim. If a victim succumbs to the consumption of the foul feast but is able to instead escape the Wendigo's clutches, they will eventually develop a craving for human flesh, becoming ravenously cannibalistic themselves, until they eventually transform into a new Wendigo.

A Wendigo takes Stamina damage as normal during combat, but does not take wound damage from ordinary weapons. When a Wendigo is reduced to zero Stamina, the creature transforms into a cold arctic wind and rushes into the air and away from the area. The Wendigo will reform in 24 hours. As a creature of colder climates, there are only two known ways to permanently destroy a Wendigo. If an icicle pierces it heart, the creature will be killed. A Wendigo is also very susceptible to fire and will take normal wound damage from any flame-based attacks.

(NOTE: There are many varieties of Wendigo in the myths and legends. This was the version that I thought was a good monstrous fit for Cryptworld!)

[sniderman]

FETCH
STR: NA --- WPR: 7 (105)
DEX: NA --- PER: 6 (90)
AGL: NA --- PCN: 6 (90)
STA: NA --- PWR: 130
ATT: 1/* --- WND: 0*
MV: F 75 (incorporeal)

Experience: 1,000

A Fetch is a malevolent spirit that, due to envy and jealousy of the living, wishes to return to life itself. It does this by visiting, appearing to, taking over, and eventually replacing a chosen victim.

When a Fetch first chooses its future "host," it begins a process of possession that takes a full month to complete. The Fetch uses this time to observe its victim, examine their mannerisms and personality, and eventually duplicate every nuance of the host.

** The first phase begins on the night of a new moon. The Fetch will begin haunting its victim, fleetingly seen out of the corner of the eye. It will be hard to determine if a haunting is happening or not, as the Fetch will take care to stay out of sight of all but the intended victim, who may catch glimpses of the lurking spirit. It is during this phase that the Fetch is observing its victim, learning all that it can.
** The second phase begins when the moon begins waxing until it reaches the first quarter. The Fetch will begin appearing to the intended victim. Only the victim will see the Fetch as a shapeless, formless spirit in the mirror, standing in a doorway, floating over the bed at night, etc. The Fetch will have a vaguely human shape at this point. However, no one else will be able to detect or see the Fetch as it begins to reenter the world of the living.
** The third phase of possession occurs on the night of the full moon. The victim will again see the Fetch, but now the spirit will appear as a ghostly duplicate of the intended victim. The Fetch may speak to the victim, taunting them in the victim's own voice. As the Fetch begins anchoring itself to the living world, others may now be able to see the Fetch, usually close friends and family of the intended victim.
** The fourth phase begins as the moon begins waning into the third quarter. The Fetch will attempt to forcibly possess and control its future host using its Usurp Physical Form power. If unsuccessful, the Fetch will try again on the next night. If successful, the Fetch will interact with the living world in the body of its victim. Since the Fetch has spent the better part of the month learning about its victim, the likeness will be uncanny. The Fetch will leave upon sun-up, and the victim may not have any recollection of anything they did while the Fetch was in control.
** The fifth and final phase occurs when the moon is once again new. The Fetch will attempt to possess the victim one last time using its Usurp Physical Form power. If unsuccessful, the Fetch will be temporarily banished to the realm of the dead for 1d10 months. If successful, the victim's soul is forced out and irrevocably destroyed, and the Fetch will take over the victim's body and life. Friends and family may notice a new quirk, habit, or manner of speaking, but there will be no other tell-tale signs that the Fetch is now permanently in control.

A Fetch can be stopped if it can be shown that it had its chance at life and it is now over. This can be achieved by showing the Fetch evidence of its life and death, ie, a headstone, its grave, a family member who recalls them in life, or a cherished possession it once possessed. This may prove difficult, as it must be determined who the Fetch once was when it was alive.

Another way to stop the Fetch is to keep it from possessing the intended victim on the final night. If successful, the Fetch will be temporarily banished back to the realm of the dead. It is theorized that, if the victim flees the area on that last night, the Fetch will appear, but have no vessel to inhabit. It will then spend 1d10 months in the Afterworld, searching for the same victim, starting the process again on the first night of a new moon. A victim may be on the run for the rest of his/her life until the Fetch is destroyed or the Fetch successfully possesses its new "home." There are folktales of Fetches that have taken over the bodies of newborns without their parents ever suspecting, but these are the stories nightmares are made from.

Fetch Powers
Supernatural Touch: Similar to a Ghost (Cryptworld rulebook, page 60), a Fetch can make contact with an opponent and deal physical damage to him. It uses the opponent's unskilled melee score as the column for resolving damage. On a C result, the opponent is chilled to the marrow and unable to move for one round.

Usurp Physical Form: A Fetch uses this power to drain the victim's WPR and wrest control of the host's body. This possession usually lasts only one night, however, on the final night of the Fetch's "process," this control is permanent if successful. It costs the Fetch 40 WPR for each attempt. The Fetch must make a specific PWR check versus the column corresponding to the victim's current WPR. (Any WPR lost by the victim is regained at 5 points for every hour of rest as the Fetch's attacks weaken the victim's resistance to future usurpation attempts.)

S = The Fetch will inhabit the body of the victim, but the victim remains in physical control. The victim will hear voices, threats, and taunts in their head as the Fetch tries to unsuccessfully wrest control. The effect lasts for an hour, at which time the Fetch leaves. The victim will be shaken, but will not suffer any WPR loss from the internal conflict with the ghostly inhabitant.
M = The Fetch will inhabit the body of the victim until sunrise, having full physical control. However, the victim will be completely aware of what's happening, but will be powerless to stop it. The victim will suffer 1d10/2 WPR loss from the ordeal.
L = The Fetch will inhabit the body of the victim until sunrise, having full physical control. The victim will have no idea that they were under the Fetch's control, but they will recall fitful dreams and visions of their time as the Fetch's puppet. The victim will suffer 1d10 WPR loss from the encounter.
H = The Fetch will inhabit the body of the victim until sunrise, having full physical control. The victim will have no idea that they were under the Fetch's control and will have no recollection of the ordeal. The victim will suffer 2d10 WPR loss from the ordeal.
C = The Fetch will inhabit the body of the victim until sunrise, having full physical control. The victim will have no idea that they were under the Fetch's control and will have no recollection of the ordeal. The victim will suffer 3d10 WPR loss from the ordeal.

[sniderman]

BLOODOAK (AKA: Vampire Vine, Devil's Snare)
STR: 4 (60) --- WPR: NA
DEX: 4 (60) --- PER: NA
AGL: 5 (75) --- PCN: 3 (45)
STA: 3 (45) --- PWR: NA
ATT: 2/68% --- WND: 12
MV: NA

Experience: 500

"Bloodoak" is a general term referring to a class of large, tree-like, carnivorous plants. A Bloodoak can range from 15 to 40 feet in height, is found in any climate, and can look like any common tree from the area. However, the Bloodoak's upper limbs are instead writhing tendrils, each well over 20 feet in length, and covered with sharp, barbed thorns. The Bloodoak uses these vine-like tentacles to lash out and grasp its prey. It then lifts the victim to the top of the boughs, while its thorns tear and rend the victim's body.

At the top of the Bloodoak's trunk is an orifice that passes for a "mouth." Once the victim has stopped moving (whether dead or unconscious), the vines shove the body into its mouth, the orifice closes and seals shut, and the tendrils hide themselves amongst the branches again, leaving no sign of the struggle. Once inside the Bloodoak, the victim is digested by powerful acids over 24 hours until nothing remains. The Bloodoak absorbs the dissolved corpse, and any undigested materials (metals, plastics, etc.) are expelled at the base of the Bloodoak's trunk -- enticing "bait" for a future victim.

A Bloodoak's tendrils grapple in the same manner as the Wrestling skill (Cryptworld rulebook, page 18). With a successful attack with an "H" result, the victim is "Held" by the Bloodoak and takes normal "H" result unarmed damage each round. The victim will be unable to perform any other action other trying to free himself. He can free himself if 1) he wins initiative and passes a general Unskilled Melee, Wrestling, or Martial Arts check, all with a -20 modifier, or 2) another party successfully attacks the Bloodoak with a called shot to the tendril(s) holding the victim. If the Bloodoak successfully grapples with a "C" result ("Constricted"), the victim has a -40 modifier to break the hold, and takes "C" result unarmed damage each round.

A Bloodoak is not an intelligent creature, only reacting and attacking out of instinct. It is "rooted" in place and is easily avoided if you stay out of reach of its tendrils. However, once it has hold of you, it is unlikely that you will escape its grasp.