New "Things" sighted!

[seneschal]

Killer Tomatoes

Sources: Attack of the Killer Tomatoes (1978), Return of the Killer Tomatoes (1988), Attack of the Killer Tomatoes (1990 TV show)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYt0dpeyAU8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36NgK-vJc1M

These genetically modified fruit turned on their human consumers, spreading from southern California to the world over the course of two decades. How do tomatoes manage to be effective predators without visible sensory organs, limbs, means of locomotion, or mouths? Never mind, just run! In the early stages of their life cycle, killer tomatoes are indistinguishable in size and coloration from ordinary grocery store produce – um, except for the fact that they growl, climb sheer surfaces like snails, leap like squirrels, and are voracious pack hunters. After numerous successful hunts, they reach the size of sports balls or large pumpkins, less effective at climbing but much faster on level terrain. Once they reach 60-80 pounds or more, killer tomatoes become solitary, swift ground hunters and begin acquiring sentience. Rare specimens, veterans of many kills, ultimately gain human-level intelligence and a frightening resistance to physical damage. These monsters can range from 500-800 pounds.

Small

STR: 1 (15) WPR: 1 (15)
DEX: NA PER: NA
AGL: 2 (30) PCN: 1 (15)
STA: 1 (15) PWR: NA
ATT: 1/23% WND: 1
MV: L 20, W 15

Experience: 50

Small tomatoes hunt in packs of 3d10

Medium

STR: 3 (45) WPR: 2 (30)
DEX: NA PER: NA
AGL: 3 (45) PCN: 2 (30)
STA: 2 (30) PWR: NA
ATT: 1/45% WND: 5
MV: L 75, W 30

Experience: 100

Medium tomatoes hunt in packs of 1d10

Large

STR: 4 (60) WPR: 4 (60)
DEX: NA PER: NA
AGL: 4 (60) PCN: 5 (75)
STA: 4 (60) PWR: NA
ATT: 1/60% WND: 10
MV: L 200, W 90

Experience: 300

[seneschal]

Saucer Men

Source: Invasion of the Saucer Men, 1957

STR: 3 (45) WPR: 6 (90)
DEX: 4 (60) PER: 1 (15)
AGL: 4 (60) PCN: 7 (105)
STA: 2 (30) PWR: NA
ATT: 2/53% WND: 11
MV: L 75

Skills: Stealth 60%, Pilot (Starship) 75%, Laser Pistol 53%

Powers:

Poison Claws: Needle-like nails inject a potency 3-4 poison (alcohol), which usually makes victims groggy. However, the injection can kill someone with a sufficient amount of alcohol already in his or her bloodstream.

Crawling Hand: Should a Saucer Man’s hand be severed, it can operate is an independent creature per Tim Snider’s Creeping Hand write-up elsewhere on this thread (viewtopic.php?f=75&t=2521&start=40).

Experience: 500

These are child-sized, big-headed aliens with cranial veins, huge cat eyes, pointed ears, and catlike teeth, usually garbed in gray coveralls. They are as stealthy and inscrutable as cats, landing in out of the way locations and spying upon nearby humans. Their motives aren’t clear, but they hate to be discovered and will go to elaborate lengths to conceal their presence and to discredit witnesses. They dislike and are vulnerable to bright light, fleeing back to their spaceship at dawn. Whatever their flaws, Saucer Men have a definite sense of style; their spacecraft are sleek, finned dream machines, heavy on the chrome. Could humans succeed in gaining entry, one could anticipate fuzzy dice hanging in the cockpit.

[segeorge]

Source: Invasion of the Saucer Men, 1957

I rember really enjoying this movie as a kid. I lliked the look of the creatures, especially the drops of alcohol rolling down the lengths of the needles; and thought the alcohol was an interesting idea.

Could humans succeed in gaining entry, one could anticipate fuzzy dice hanging in the cockpit.

-- my favorite part of the write up!

[segeorge]

Dust Devil

STR: 7 (105)*/4 (60)# WPR: 7 (105)
DEX: 2 (30) PER: NA
AGL: 4 (60)*/ 7(105)# PCN: 5 (75)
STA: 7 (105) PWR: 200
ATT: 1/83% WND: 18
MV: L 150
* Solid form
# Granular form

Experience: 800

This evil, incorporeal entity gets its name from its method of generating a suitable form to exist in our world – by manipulating ultrasonic sound waves, the creature draws together dust, dirt, and debris, to create a malleable shell of varying density, from granular to solid. In this form, the creature is free to wreak havoc. It simply loathes all lifeforms, and will attack any that it finds.

It can attack in two ways: 1) by manipulating the granular particles that form its body, the creature can attempt to suffocate its victims (manipulate particulates); 2) by physically attacking (using its ATT score). Note that as the creature varies its mass, its’ STR and AGL scores vary inversely – as STR increases, AGL decreases, so its ATT remains constant.

Due to its integrity being formed and maintained by ultrasonics, it can be dispersed by harmonic sound waves (the Aboriginal bullroarer, for example, can be an effective, if imprecise, weapon). As long as the correct frequency can be found, a digital sound system can be even better (Column shift) – of course, dust and dirt are very effective at disabling electronic equipment). Sound waves cause STA loss and WND loss – a K result “locks” the Dust Devil entity in its current corporeal state. Should this happen, the creature can no longer manipulate particles in its “body” (but can still manipulate them from any other source) and its movement becomes limited to 50. In this state the Dust Devil is susceptible to all physical attacks – if reduced to 0 STA, it will be destroyed. These limitations remain in effect for 1D10 rounds, after which, if the creature has any remaining STA, it regains all of its abilities (and will likely be extremely angry).


Dust Devil powers

Manipulate particulates – This is the power it uses to create its earthy body (cost = 75 WPR). The process takes 1D10 minutes, during which time a high pitched whine can be heard while dust and debris swirl through the air, coalescing to create a 7 foot humanoid body. Also, using this power, the Dust Devil can increase or decrease the density of its artificial form, from individual motes of dust seemingly floating on the wind to a rock-hard solid mass, allowing it to move and attack in different forms.

[segeorge]

Rakshasa

STR: 7 (105) WPR: 6 (90)
DEX: 3 (45) PER: NA
AGL: 3 (45) PCN: 6 (90)
STA: 7 (105) PWR: 75
ATT: 2/75% WND: 16
MV: L 70

Experience: 800

Evil, flesh-eating beings, erroneously believed by some to be demons. They are tall, hairy, shambling creatures, with glowing black eyes and fierce, fanged teeth. To better stalk and attack their prey, they are able to read the minds of their victims (Read Mind) and to project an image of a friend or loved one over themselves (Deceive), disguising their true nature. When close enough to attack, they use their powerful arms and teeth to rip their victims apart. They will eat as much of the victim as possible, until they perceive intruders. They often attempt to entice the victim to their lair, so as not to be disturbed. Rakshasas are not very dexterous, but they can use weapons of any kind – although their size makes some weapons difficult to manipulate (especially fire arms), so they prefer large swords, pole arms, or (most often) clubs.

Rakshasas can manifest anywhere, but prefer to seek out areas of squalor, deprivation, and hopelessness, the easier to deceive their human prey, as these conditions lower characters’ WPR.

Though they have dispersed worldwide, the Rakshasa’s origin in India makes them particularly vulnerable to Hindu mysticism. Therefore weapons blessed by a Brahman priest are rolled against column 1. All other attacks do normal damage.

Rakshasa Powers:

Read Mind – Rakshasas are able to read the mind of up to 3 people at a time (WPR cost = 15 per use*). They use this power to find images of people that are trusted. Then, using Deceive (below), they can appear as a trusted person to get close enough to attack.

* The cost of Read Mind is greater than the PT Read Thoughts (see core book, pp. 29-30), because the knowledge gained is deeper than the surface thoughts accessible through Read Thoughts.

Deceive – Rakshasas project an image of a trusted person (gained through Read Mind, see above) over their horrid appearance. This costs 15 WPR per person per round (Rakshasa can project the chosen image into up to 3 people (including up to 3 different guises) at one time.

[seneschal]

Your Rakshasas write-up reminds me of an episode of The Night Stalker. The monster is horrible because people are killed by what they think are their closest loved ones. Not just another ogre. (Shudder)

The Dust Devil is a real problem in both forms. Adventurers will have to get creative (and maybe a bit technical) to beat it. Where is 30 gallons of super glue when you need it?

The scene in Saucer Men with the alien's hypodermic claws dripping alcohol really freaked my kids. They hate shots anyway, and the idea of a creature that could give you five or ten shots at once was too much. Also, King Kong didn't scare them but they found the kidnapping of Ann Darrow by stealthy natives within spitting distance of the ship's watchman really disturbing. They watched Christopher Lee in Horror of Dracula with nonchalance but Count Orloff in the completely bloodless and silent Nosferateau (he never actually touches anyone) scared the pee out of them.

[segeorge]

Although I did some minor (i.e., Internet) “research,” my version of the Rakshasa does certainly echo that from “Horror in the Heights” – still one of my favorite Kolchak episodes. It was the first time I’d ever heard of a Rakshasa (and I’m sure I wasn’t alone!). I remember being disappointed in the panther-like depiction of Rakshasas in Chill’s Things supplement, but I’ve only just now gone back to read the description – I’m glad to see that none of it stuck in my mind.

I’m not sure what (if any) specific influences led to the Dust Devil, but Marvel’s Sandman and the sandstorm attack in The Mummy (1999) are possible sources. The arid setting made me think of Australian Aborigines, so the bullroarer led to the sonic part. I wonder if throwing in the low tones of the didgeridoo would have been over doing it (or, over didgerdooing it -- sorry).

Scott

[sniderman]

MIRROR DWELLER

STR: * --- WPR: *
DEX: * --- PER: *
AGL: * --- PCN: *
STA: * --- PWR: *
ATT: * --- WND: *
MV: *

* = All attributes, abilities, and skills should be identical to the original.

Experience: 750

When someone suffering from intense negative emotions makes contact with a cursed or haunted mirror, that person could accidentally summon a mirror dweller. The mirror dweller is an exact duplicate of someone from our world. However, this doppleganger is twisted and evil of purpose, and its only intention is to replace its “positive world twin.”

Once the mirror dweller is summoned, the creature will lay in wait just on the other side of the mirror’s plane, waiting until no one on the "positive side" of the mirror is present. (In fact, someone could spy the mirror dweller lurking in the reflection “behind them” only to turn and see no one in the room with them!) Once alone, the mirror dweller will pull itself through the mirror's plane, entering our world as if through a window or doorway. The mirror dweller will then seek out its positive-world twin with intent to overpower, subdue, and replace its opposite. Once caught and subdued, the mirror dweller will hide their counterpart away, locking them up and keeping them alive as the mirror dweller steps in to take over their counterpart's life in the positive world. A mirror dweller will never knowingly kill their counterpart, viewing it as similar to "suicide." (They have no such qualms about killing family and friends though!)

Once the mirror dweller has taken over their counterpart's existence, it will set about sowing seeds of disquiet and destruction. Friends and family will see their "friend" acting inappropriately with ever-growing acts of self-destruction. The mirror dweller may commit crimes, up to and including murder, knowing that -- if discovered -- it can re-enter the mirror world and leave its positive world counterpart to take the fall.

For all purposes, a mirror dweller is nearly identical to the original individual. It has the same abilities and skills as the person it seeks to replace. Although it has its own sense of "identity," the mirror dweller will also have the memories of the original it seeks to replace, so it will easily blend in with its counterpart’s family and friends. However, a keen-eyed observer may notice slight changes in their friend's behavior, i.e., they're now left-handed, they don't recognize their new pet, they now smoke or bite their nails, etc.

If a mirror dweller is suspected, the thing will likely release its captive twin, then re-enter the mirror realm, leaving its counterpart to suffer the consequences. Killing a mirror dweller or breaking the portal mirror will banish the creature back to its own dimension. Mirror dwellers are always duplicates of their human counterparts – there has never been an encounter with an animal or thing.

[segeorge]

I like it.

I came up with a similar Thing, but with very different motivations -- to kill it's "image."

Looking Glass Self (aka, Mirror Man)

STR: 6 (90) WPR: 4 (60)
DEX: 3 (45) PER: NA
AGL: 3 (45) PCN: 3 (45)
STA: 6 (90) PWR: 75
ATT: 1/67% WND: 15
MV: L 60

Experience: 750

Beings that use mirrors to enter our reality; they are able to manifest by constructing crystalline forms based on the last person whose image was reflected, a process taking 2D10 hours. They appear as exact mirror images (with left and right sides reversed), and their eyes have mirrors as pupils (allowing victims to see their mirror-image bearing down on them, as well as their horified image reflected in their eyes). Looking Glass Selves (LGSs), also known as Mirror Men, have an overriding desire to kill their “image.” They have the ability to track the person whose reflection they mirrored, and will usually attack openly, as soon as they locate their target (although some have been known to employ stealth [CM discretion]). They attack with their hands, but do Armed damage, cutting their victims with a touch. When their original is killed, the LGS splinters into thousands of reflective shards, showering the corpse, making the murder appear to have been committed by someone wielding a huge mirror.

As LGSs are driven to kill their original reflector, when desperate, they may self-destruct (Shatter), exploding towards their targets. If they fail, but the mirror from which they came remains intact, another LGS will be generated in 2D10 hours, with the same determination to kill their victim. If the first victim has been killed, a new LGS will be generated within 2D10 hours after a new victim is reflected in the mirror. The cycle continues until both the current LGS is destroyed and the mirror has been broken. Covering the mirror will temporarily render it harmless, but as soon as another person’s reflection is cast, the evil will begin again.

As crystalline structures, if destroyed, they shatter (any character within 10 feet of the shattering form takes 1D6 STA damage and marks 1 Wound Box).

The actual mirrors from which Looking Glass Selves appear are almost always completely normal – although there is some evidence that those who are adept at the mystical arts are able to direct the LGS to form through specified mirrors (this may be especially useful for CMs combining Cryptworld and Majus). Equally, while only one LGS usually appears at a time, CMs may wish to up the ante, having several being mystically formed.


Looking Glass Self Powers:

Find Reflector – Looking Glass Selves have an uncanny ability to find their reflector (the person who’s reflected them), no matter how far away s/he is. If the reflector is not within the LGS’s view, the cost of finding their target is 5 WPR/mile to locate and track him/her.

Shatter — LGSs can self destruct – a last resort to attempt to at least injure their target, exploding, if desired, in a single chosen direction (e.g., they can explode forward, so that no shards are expelled behind themselves). Cost is 30 WPR, and affects characters within 20 feet of the LGS. CM’s should carefully consider the path of the shards. Use Column 4 to calculate attack results, with the following modifications: for characters within 10 feet of the blast, shift one row down (e.g., an M result would be read as MK); for characters between 10 and 20 feet, shift one row up (e.g., an M result would be read as an L).

[seneschal]

Good posts. It was getting too quiet in the crypt.

While the Look Glass Man is more specifically lethal, I think the Mirror Dweller is plenty scary. A duplicate intent on messing up your life and leaving you to face the long-term consequences is pretty evil. And there's no final "gotcha" moment. The MD can keep coming back to cause more trouble.

To really mess with the player-characters, have a scenario with both monsters, each working at cross purposes with the other as one tries to kill the target while the other tries to protect him (if only to prolong his suffering).