Okay folks, we've done this before, but now it's time for the horror-themed bonus round!
What folkloric/mythological/public domain monsters to do YOU want to see in the Bestiary sections of the Carrion Crown Adventure Path?
We're really playing up the gothic horror angle with this one and a thousand eyes are always better than two when it comes to this sort of research, so whatcha got!?
When possible, links would be very helpful!
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Vampires, mummies, werewolves, ghosts, and golems are all a standard part of the core rules already, and we now have a way to make Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde from the APG, so I suppose the only thing I would really like to see would be either revenants (vengeance-driven undead, not necessarily the old D&D monster) or a deformed near-human henchman or villain template/race/whatever (like the caliban from Ravenloft).
Jeremy Puckett
Igors. Maybe a race, maybe a character archetype (of what, though, I'm not certain).
More ghostly variants.
Monsters inspired by M. R. James' weird ghosts, like mats of animated hair. You've already done "Casting the Runes" in an adventure, so...
More curses and haunts. Not, strictly speaking, monsters, but similarly hazardous.
Vampire variants inspired by the more feral Slavic vampires (ala the vrykolak you've already done) and the gonzo vampires of Indonesia.
Yokai.
...or a deformed near-human henchman or villain template/race/whatever (like the caliban from Ravenloft).
OMG!
IGORS AS A RACE!!!! Awesome.
Yeah, I had totally forgotten about the caliban and was actually just looking into this further. Could be something here.
Keep 'em coming!
Igors. Maybe a race, maybe a character archetype (of what, though, I'm not certain).
More ghostly variants.
Monsters inspired by M. R. James' weird ghosts, like mats of animated hair. You've already done "Casting the Runes" in an adventure, so...
More curses and haunts. Not, strictly speaking, monsters, but similarly hazardous.
Vampire variants inspired by the more feral Slavic vampires (ala the vrykolak you've already done) and the gonzo vampires of Indonesia.
Yokai.
Ha! On several of these already. I just got in an AWESOME article on haunts by Brandon Hodge to go along with Kortez's "The Haunting of Harrowstone," and the word "yokai" has come up a lot in our recent Jade Regent (etc) discussions. I think you'll be particularly pleased on both of these fronts.
A vampire variant or two is also sure thing. I just picked up the Encyclopedia of Vampire Mythology from the McFarland booth at Gen Con for this very reason.
Monsters inspired by M. R. James' weird ghosts, like mats of animated hair. You've already done "Casting the Runes" in an adventure, so...
Ha! Funny aside: after reading it a few years back, I just started listening to M. R. James's Ghost Stories from an Antiquary during my commute today to refresh my memory for this AP and other projects. Just funny he's the first author mentioned here.
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Moreaus - deformed human animal hybrids
On the subject of a thousand eyes I have yet to see a really good multi-eyed B-movie humanoid horror.
Melting men - too much exposure to radia...er fell magic has turned these subterranean dwellers in melting masses of cannibalistic terror. That or they could be the eternal and undying remnants of people who survived a Tunguska-like magical explosion.
Bog Mummy, mentioned in Classic Horrors but not stated up- basically peat bog mummies, maybe killed deliberately/sacrificed or condition exists by accidental drowning - boneless monsters.
Anchanchu (Peru) - looks like a human commoner or simple person, afflicts people with disease, drinks blood at night - associated with whirlwinds, can control them or become one. Could be some form of evil elemental or air spirit which can take on human form for a short time.
OMG!
IGORS AS A RACE!!!!
Awesome.
"I'm a 12th level igor! I have improved hunch!"
If you go there, read Pratchett for inspiration first. His Igors are fun.
Contemporary horror creatures would be cool. Mothman was neat to read, and the Jersey... er, Sandpoint Devil was neat as well. More creatures like that, from modern internet mythology and whatever else.
I also think we need more mummies. There's only one kind of mummy but there's like a million kinds of lycanthropes and golems. I just want a mummy that can grapple people at range with his wrappings, is that too much to ask?
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Wolfman (that´s not a werewolf)
Nurses from Silent Hill
Blood Mary, Woman in White (and other monsters from Supernatural)
Lochness Monster (That´s not a normal Dinossaur)
Haunted Weapons and Armors (not just animated objects)
Awakened Evil Spellbooks
Variant Gargoyles
Something Emo (so we can kill it)
More Evil Trees from Snow White
Evil Giant Venus Flytrap that sings (Yes, as the movie)
Living Heresies (Evil mockeries of good gods that are strong aganiinst the divine)
Monsters based in each Harrow Card
Possessed cows and chickens
Vomit oozes that tries to go inside your mounth
Broken mirror golens with illusions powers
Biomancers
I'd like to see new haunts mainly, although some kind of goat-demon would lend a nice flavor to the AP.
Wolfman (that´s not a werewolf)
Nurses from Silent Hill
Blood Mary, Woman in White (and other monsters from Supernatural)
Lochness Monster (That´s not a normal Dinossaur)
Haunted Weapons and Armors (not just animated objects)
Awakened Evil Spellbooks...
More, more, more
Whoa. Some neat ideas in there. Interesting, interesting.
I'd like to see new haunts mainly, although some kind of goat-demon would lend a nice flavor to the AP.
Both of those are on the way in the next few months here. Keep a heads up!
I'm seconding Draco Bahamut's Supernatural suggestions. Particularly creatures/ myths from the first couple of seasons. I'd love to see a re-working of the Lady in White or Bloody Mary.
Ghosts or spirits caught in mirrors and paintings would be pretty nifty too.
There's a lot of urban myths/ legends that would be entertaining and far more unique than yet another vampire/ werewolf/ zombie/ mummy. These days, vampires and werewolves in particular are so overdone that it's hard to evoke any fear or interest in players with them. And another twist on the zombie would just be cause for goofing around.
Edit to add: Oh, and let's not forget clowns. Clowns or jesters done the right way could be seriously creepy. :)
Moreaus - deformed human animal hybrids
I absolutely insist that we do NOT call them moreaus, because someone's already used that name for several novels: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moreau_series
(I like the idea of it, but the name would be sure to invite trouble.)
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Moreaus - deformed human animal hybridsI absolutely insist that we do NOT call them moreaus, because someone's already used that name for several novels: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moreau_series
Well I used that phrase since it was the easiest to convey as an idea from the Wells novel, not from something contemporary or from another game.
PF could go further instead of just using normal animal/human hybrids - instead some could be fused with some more fantastical creatures - otyughs, behirs (human head and arms), rust monsters...etc.Actually a humanoid otyugh would be pretty f*^%ing disgusting, so scratch that one.
Another creature from folklore which has not be made for PF (to my knowledge) would be Bloody Bones - not a fey but an actual skeletal bleeding intelligent undead that likes to hide under stairways, cellars while waiting for prey.
Nightmare creature - no not Freddy, but a faceless, black shadowperson from the nightmare lands. Tied to an area, attacks every night via dreams until it can physically can manifests to attack others while person is sleeping.
Gibbet creature - would be tied to the (evil animated?) gibbet where the person expired - So maybe a construct creature plus its progeny, which it sends out to find people to toss inside.
Cannot stress more Halloween themed creatures - undead treants, pumpkin creatures, creatures tied to black magic - goat headed demons, and yes evil animated objects - books, suits of armor, - full building hauntings/creatures, a NE equivalent of the Quasit/Imp
I wasn't criticizing the idea at all, let's just say I am aware of past litigation regarding that specific name. :)
Actually a humanoid otyugh would be pretty f*^%ing disgusting, so scratch that one.
"Oh, I beg to differ..." ;-]
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Moreaus - deformed human animal hybridsI absolutely insist that we do NOT call them moreaus, because someone's already used that name for several novels: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moreau_series
(I like the idea of it, but the name would be sure to invite trouble.)
Besides, it would be "moreaux", not "moreaus"... :)
Wouldn't mongrelmen work pretty well for this?
Yup.
OMG!
IGORS AS A RACE!!!!
Awesome.
"I'm a 12th level igor! I have improved hunch!"
It's pronounced 'Igor'!
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The "crawlers" from "The Descent" (2005 Movie)
Church Gargoyles.
The Braniac - Aberration born of man who has sworn a curse using a passing comet.
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Yup.
Wouldn't mongrelmen work pretty well for this?
They do fit the role of the creature and with the details as expanded in the ToH they are great, but I was thinking less human + monstrous humanoid and more human + monster hybrid.
I mean a lizard man is already anthropomorphic lizard anyway, and while adding a crab claw to the mix is great I was thinking something more severe.Maybe a re-write from the ToH with some "extra" features/monsters added in?
Director of Game Development
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You know, I'm wrong. Mongrelmen are a hodgepodge of humanoid races. I was thinking about the utterly foul broken ones, who are a hodgepodge of mutant anthropomorphs.
Plus! You can really play around with the descriptions of these guys a lot. The whole fact that they're random makes it super easy to fill each and everyone of the ones you describe to players with creepy-juicy flavor.
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About the "Mongrelfolk", Human-Animal hybrids for terror/horror work better IMO if used as body horror. You should want to kill them for pity, because they are things that aren´t meant to be.
If they are just perfect functional race, just as others races in Pathfinder RPG, they don´t evoke any terror. They are a product of pain and craziness, and yet they strive to live.
For Gargoyles, an interesting concept is the weeping angels from Doctor Who episode Blink. They are only stone if you are looking at them, if stop looking, even to blink, they move at astounding speed to kill you.
Humans that bend in strange ways, a la the movie the Exorcist or the more recent Legion.
Example: a human that walks on all fours, with the belly facing upward (sometimes called a "crab walk") but the head turned completely around, and the mouth able to open over a foot long. And climbing up the walls like a spider.
The fact that it looked perfectly human a moment ago is what makes it extra creepy.
I'd say go for something along the lines of the Navajo Skinwalkers. I'm of Native American heritage myself, and my dad taught on a Navajo reservation, so I know that the stories of them are...frightening. Seriously, even thinking about them make me jumpy. A link to the wikipedia article can be found Here, and I'll add something my dad told me about.
In some of the legends he told me about, differing from Wikipedia, skinwalkers could take the form of someone still alive, but the only way to tell the difference is that their body is...mirrored. Left and right are exchanged, so if you know them well, you might notice it.
Edit: Fixed the Link.
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Director of Game Development
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I'd say go for something along the lines of the Navajo Skinwalkers. I'm of Native American heritage myself, and my dad taught on a Navajo reservation, so I know that the stories of them are...frightening. Seriously, even thinking about them make me jumpy. A link to the wikipedia article can be found [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skin-walker#Navajo_skinwalker:_the_yee_naaldlooshii]Here[/i], and I'll add something my dad told me about.
In some of the legends he told me about, differing from Wikipedia, skinwalkers could take the form of someone still alive, but the only way to tell the difference is that their body is...mirrored. Left and right are exchanged, so if you know them well, you might notice it.
Good call. I love skinwalkers.
*Creature from the Black Lagoon
*I've never seen The Ruins, but the idea of plants that seed themselves upon living hosts is rather creepy.
* The Thing
* The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
* Aliens (I'm not sure if that counts as Gothic)
The "crawlers" from "The Descent" (2005 Movie)
I think the morlocks in the Pathfinder Bestiary were explicitly written with the crawlers in mind. They're not that much like real morlocks, which were intelligent.
A black dog. There's plenty of evil canine monsters in D&D already, but none of them touch on the curse aspect of English black dog stories. Those creeped me right out when I was a kid.
A new hag or two. James Jacobs hinted early in the PF era that hag was more a monstrous state of mind (explaining the night hags being outsiders and the others being monstrous humanoids), saying that there might be a fey hag down the road. So one of those, please!
Living mist creatures, like the classic vampiric mist and crimson death.
More daemons (although I know that Bestiary II will fill my need)
More crazy Castlevania-inspired OTT gothic horror creatures like the Danse Macabre and Chained Spirit from "Shadows of Scarwall".
I vote for something similar to "The Damned Thing" from Ambrose Bierce's short story of the same name.
The idea that there may be something predatory lurking just beyond the capacity of Human sense to comprehend gave me paranoia for a bit.
"And, God help me! the Damned Thing is of such a colour!"
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Creative Director
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I vote for something similar to "The Damned Thing" from Ambrose Bierce's story of the same name.
The idea that there may be something predatory lurking just beyond the capacity of Human sense to comprehend gave me paranoia for a bit.
** spoiler omitted **
Ah, Ambrose. The chapter titles for this story are great. "One Does Not Always Eat What Is Laid Upon the Table" or something like that, when that table is used for an autopsy.
Anything drawn by Zak Smith
Vily (sing. Vila)- fey vampires/mountain spirits from south Slavic legend.
Rusalkas - beautiful Russian undead water spirits
Vodyanoi - hideous (male) Russian water spirits that change shape
Vampires that turn into butterflies, or walk from noon to midnight, with a special tooth under the tongue (i.e., Charnas' Vampire Tapestry, or Polish legend).
Vampire Pumpkins (really, look it up)
Living Vampires (Strigoi Viy)-- Witches who feed off the breath of infants and animals.
The Alu demon of the Middle East
A Blood-bathing Prestige Class
Wild folk/Woodwoses - maniacal hairy, naked people with long claws. The women carry off unsuspecting humans as mates.
Veles/Velinas, the god/demon of darkness and cattle
Polevoi, the bloodthirsty field spirits
Ruskaly, the will o-wisp-like spirits of dead children
Grey Wolf, the talking wolf spirit who protects the good
Ganas, evil fey witches from Romania (etymologically from the goddess Diana)
That's all that I can think of off the top of my head.
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Some really good ideas in this thread so far!
Some of my thoughts, which are really just expansions on other excellent ideas that people have already pitched;
Possessed / spooky children
Clones (maybe insane clones)
Human Centipede or other stitched together people / surgery gone wrong type horrors
Haunted bed sheets
Evil insects (tiny parasitic individuals or swarms)
Body invading worms that crawl into a handy orifice and then possess you
Insane young women who live in lonely houses on lonely moors
Evil / possessed houses
Spring Heeled Jack
Rusulkas
Wolfweres
A new type of goblin (or the old type with special abilities or help) that steal children and turn them into goblins
Something like Meerloks (? I think – those things that turn people into them through horrific surgery)
Some type of monster or undead that looks like a human but just has a black, gaping hole where its face should be.
Other spooky stuff from Sauna (Filth) (if you haven’t seen this movie, do. Thanks to Chubbs McGee on the forums for recommending this one).