[Cryptworld] New Thing: Diabolic Structure

A possessed property for Cryptworld

DIABOLIC STRUCTURE

STR: NA --- WPR: 5 (75)
DEX: NA --- PER: NA
AGL: NA --- PCN: 6 (90)
STA: NA --- PWR: 140
ATT: 1/* --- WND: Special
MV:  NA

Experience: 1,000

Once of the largest -- and deadliest -- supernatural threats ever encountered, a Diabolic Structure is often mistaken for a typical abandoned haunted house. But the truth is that the structure isn't haunted; rather it is a living, breathing, shape-shifting creature that preys and feeds upon those unlucky enough to find themselves within its walls.

A Diabolic Structure does not spontaneously "appear". Rather, a pre-existing structure is possessed by demonic forces and animated as the demon's new host body (see Demon, CRYPTWORLD rulebook, pg. 57). For a demon to create a Diabolical Structure, some great evil act must occur on the premises (typically several murders). Once the property has the demon's attention, the process of possessing of the house takes several decades to accomplish. Any residents are driven away via unexplained noises, unsettling visions, and weird "accidents" that befall those who live there. Once the house is abandoned, the demon can truly take over the building, creating the Diabolic Structure. The Diabolic Structure has near-complete mastery over its entire "body" as it can see and hear nearly anything that happens within its walls.  Once transformed, the demon has a new purpose -- to feed on the willpower of unsuspecting victims.

The Diabolic Structure feeds on the willpower of its victims by creating horrific visions that saps the very lifeforce of those trapped within. The demon uses its reconstruction power to manifest situations that will trigger Fear Checks in the victims. Any Willpower lost via failed fear checks are absorbed by the Diabolic Structure where it is converted into the thing's Power. (EX: If 13 WIL points are lost, 13 points are added to the creature's PWR score up to its maximum of 200 points.) As long as the Structure remains demonically possessed, this Willpower loss is PERMANENT. If the demon inhabiting the Diabolic Structure is driven away, any lost WIL will be restored to the victim at their usual recovery rate. The Diabolic Structure will toy with the victims as long as possible before outright killing them as its the fear that feeds it -- not their death. It's been said that some victims have been kept alive for years by a Diabolic Structure, letting them rest and heal within their "prison" before starting the horrific process again.

The only way known to defeat a Diabolic Structure is to banish the demon within the house by speaking its "true" name. As part of the demonic ritual of creating a Diabolic Structure, the demon must place its true name someplace visible within the house. It can be as subtle as an artist's signature in a painting or a title on a book's spine in the library. If a victim recognizes the name for what it is and identifies the demon by saying that name aloud, the demon will be driven from the home permanently.

Diabolic Structure Powers
Reconstruction: The demon possessing the Diabolic Structure can reform any surface (wall, floor, or ceiling) to suit its demonic purposes. It will use this ability to scare and frighten its victims. (The CM should determine the Fear Check level for each new fright -- typically on column 3 or 4 for mild frights and column 5 or 6 for horrific visions.) And WIL lost will be absorbed into the thing's PWR score, replenishing any spent PWR. Each use of its reconstruction power costs 10 points of PWR

The Diabolic Structure can form new doorways or remove existing ones. New pieces of furniture or objects can be formed. Foul nightmare creatures can be created and animated. Stairs can become a slide. Floors may open up, dropping victims into the basement. Mouths may appear on the walls, taunting the victim, or a large eye leers at them from the ceiling. However, because any new constructs must be formed from part of the Diabolic Structure's "body," the creature cannot create any "free-standing" illusions; in other words, there must be contact made with a surface of the Diabolic Structure. So a giant spider crawling along the walls is possible, but a bat flying through the halls is not. If anyone tries to pick up or lift an object within the Diabolic Structure, they will find the item "struck" in pace. (In actuality, the item is part of the Structure itself.) The Diabolic Structure will endeavor to hide its nature, as its the uncertainty that causes fear in its victims.