[Cryptworld] 7 Days of Things, Day 1: Boo Hag

An American Folklore Thing for Cryptworld

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.

Cryptworld Things Seen Skulking In The Shadows

In preparation for some Cryptworld projects I have in mind, I've been reading up a bit recently on monsters and creatures from legend and folklore -- both from the U.S. and abroad -- as well as modern urban legends and little-known myths and lore. And several of these creatures have triggered inspiration. So, in the coming days, I'll be statting up and sharing:

• A demonic carnivore that roams the Canadian wilderness...
• A vampiric crone from the American south who peels off and wears your skin...
• An undead from the Philippines that will tear itself in half just to get to you...
• A lumbering humanoid plant creature lurking in the southern U.S. swamps and bayous...
• A Central American tree with prehensile tendrils and an appetite for human flesh...
• A murderous dwarf from the UK who soaks his clothing in the blood of his victims...
• A malevolent ghost who first appears as a duplicate of his future victim...

Stay tuned to The Savage AfterWorld for "A Week of Legendary THINGS" beginning on Thursday!

[Cryptworld] Dippin' Into American Monster Folklore

One of my favorite creative pasttimes is Monster Making. The numerous Mutant Future creatures I've created for "Mutant Menagerie" entries is testament to that hobby. (And be sure to pick up my Deviant Database supplement at Drivethru RPG and Lulu! Where was I? Oh yeah...) Creating monster concepts for a post-apocalyptic RPG is fairly simple -- take an animal or plant, dose it with radioactive poisons, mutate it a bit, and voila! A twisted abomination lurching through the Blasted Lands. Monster concepts for fantasy games can also be fairly simple, if you just read up on myths and legends, find an interesting demon or creature from lore, and stat it up. Lovecraftian creatures are also straightforward as the Cthulhu Mythos is well-documented.

But when I turned my attention toward the genre of "modern monster hunting/investigation" ala Cryptworld or Monster of the Week, I began drawing blanks. The usual horror creatures have been overdone (vampires, werewolves, mummies, etc.), so I turned my attention to the myths and creatures of American Folklore. You know -- those regional monsters and cryptids that folks know all about "around these here parts," but you may not have heard of them in another part of the U.S. Three such creatures appear in Cryptworld, in fact: the Sasquatch, Chupacabra, and Jersey Devil. And when I started doing some research, it turns out that the planet is being overrun by little-known regional monsters

Wikipedia is a great source for leads on these modern monsters, as they have an entire section dedicated to Legendary Creatures sorted by culture. Just clicking through any subsection will give you amazing monster ideas all based on "true" accounts. The American folklore section alone has given me ideas for the Boo Hag, the Hidebehind, the Wendigo, and the Beast of Bray Road. And checking out the obscure regional folklore from other countries has given me ideas for the Manananggal, Ya-te-veo, and Minhocao. (No links as I want 'em to be a surprise!)

Another resource I stumbled across is AmericanMonsters.com, which seems to be a Cryptid Sighting Clearinghouse. They collect sighting reports, undocumented creature descriptions, and other unexplained events and post them for discussion and further investigation. One surprise: The very lake I grew up on -- and wheremy parents still live -- supposedly has its own cryptid lurking under the waters! Never heard the legend of The Mill Lake Monster, but I'll be checking it out, statting it up, and perhaps doing my own late night, lake side investigation!

[Mutant Future] Savage Menagerie: Death Angel

No. Enc.: 1d10 (1d10)

Alignment: Chaotic
Movement: 180' (60')
Armor Class: 5
Hit Dice: 4
Attacks: 1 (bite)
Damage: 1d6, poison
Save: L2
Morale: 8
Hoard Class: None

At first glance, the Death Angel seems to be the result of a fevered hellish nightmare. It is a bleached-white, fanged, humanoid skull that appears to have wings growing from the temple region. The flying creature is always engulfed in a blazing flaming aura, that gives it an otherworldly, demonic appearance. (It is currently unknown if the Death Angel is from another dimension, or if the creatures are a naturally-mutated creature from the Poisonous Blasted Lands.

Death Angels are diabolically intelligent creatures, able to reason and think as well as any intelligent creature. They are able to communicate through speech as well, although they will rarely communicate willingly with any other species. The only noise they seem to make is a high-pitched maniacal laughter, often used to signal an attack. Death Angels attack through biting with their powerful jaws, doing 1d6 hit points of damage when successful. They also have a Class 4 venom that they use upon a successful bite that will do an additional 4d6 HP of damage unless a successful save versus poison is made (half-damage taken is save is made).

The Death Angel's flaming aura makes it immune to fire- and heat-based attacks, and it is thought that the blazing fires somehow helps it in its ability to fly. It is theorized that putting out the Death Angels' fires may ground it, but this has not yet been proven. Contact with the aura will do 2d6 hit points of fire damage to the unfortunate soul who tries to grab one in flight. Although a Death Angel cannot project this flame like a weapon, it has been known to quickly land on a flammable item (clothing, wooden structures, etc.) to set it ablaze.

It is assumed by denizens of the Mutant Future that Death Angels were a common sight in the Bygone Days, as their imagery has been found to adorn Ancient jackets, vehicles, jewelry, and other items.

Mutations: flaming aura