various more-obscure mythical creatures

[Papa Gruff]

I do know that a giant leach has to be pretty gigantic, so this question is a bit foolish and I know that... But: What exactly is the pray for that HUGE leach?! What does he primarily leach on so to speak?! Isn't house sized a bit over the top?!

Don't take me seriously please ... As I was reading it I just couldn't stop thinking: "What would be the primary pray for a creature like a giant leach?" *shudder*

Also: Leach is a funny sounding word 

[vultur]

I do know that a giant leach has to be pretty gigantic, so this question is a bit foolish and I know that... But: What exactly is the pray for that HUGE leach?! What does he primarily leach on so to speak?!

Who knows? The only thing it is described as eating in the story is people.

(My main source, as for all the critters I have posted in this thread so far, is James Mooney's Myths of the Cherokee; being published in the late 1800s, it's now public domain and available online - here is the section on "The Great Leech of Tlanusi'yi".)

Isn't house sized a bit over the top?!

Hey, I didn't write the myth!  But, yes, it is.

(If it's any consolation, 'as large as a house' in that time and place was probably smaller than we imagine by it...)

Also: Leach is a funny sounding word 

<nitpick> 'Leech' is the bloodsucking critter, 'leach' means 'dissolve out, percolate out', like leaching minerals out of the soil.</nitpick>

[Papa Gruff]

<nitpick> 'Leech' is the bloodsucking critter, 'leach' means 'dissolve out, percolate out', like leaching minerals out of the soil.</nitpick>

Oh ... the embarrassment. "Damn you correspondence course & spell checking software!" ... Kidding. I learned English in school but ain't a native speaker. So ... mea culpa on the occasional mistake on spelling and punctuation

I should have gotten it right anyways... It's right there in your posting. "Damn you stupidity!"

Definitely going to check out that myth now ...

[vultur]

U'tlun'ta

This ogrelike monster disguises itself in human form to fool its human prey, which it then cuts open with its awl-like claws, devouring their livers. Its natural form is a bulky brute, with hideous claws and armored skin like stone. A horror of the Winter Court, u'tlun'ta are (thankfully) rarely encountered by humans; still, many remote villages of the Appalachians once were suspicious of strangers for fear of these beings. This fear has been forgotten now, but that does not mean the creatures are gone...

High Concept: Liver-Eating Horror
Other Aspects: Tough As The Mountains
Could Be Anyone

Skills:
Superb: Fists, Endurance
Great: Might, Deceit
Good: Survival, Stealth
Fair:  Alertness, Athletics, Presence
Average: Intimidation, Conviction, Discipline
Other skills default to Mediocre.

Claws [-1]
Flesh Mask [-1]
Glamours [-2]
Inhuman Recovery [-2]
Inhuman Toughness [-2]
 The Catch [+1]: cold iron and other traditional faerie weaknesses

Total Refresh Cost: -7

Stress:
Physical 0000(00)
Mental 000
Social 000

Notes: This is a minimal set of stats. More magically powerful U'tlun'ta will likely possess Unseelie Magic and/or Greater Glamours; more physically oriented types probably have Inhuman Strength and Supernatural Toughness.

I have made this creature a being of Winter; it seemed to fit.

Super U'tlun'ta
Claws [-1]
Flesh Mask [-1]
Greater Glamours [-4]
Inhuman Strength [-2]
Inhuman Recovery [-2]
Supernatural Toughness [-4]
 The Catch [+1]: cold iron and other traditional faerie weaknesses
Unseelie Magic [-4]

Total Refresh Cost: -17

Physical Stress 0000(0000)

[vultur]

Tlanu'wa

Enormous hawks of the highest mountains, they are predators of practically everything, even the largest monsters. They hate giant snakes and often clash with them; tlanu'wa have been known to kill even the terrifying uktena.


High Concept: It's a Bird... It's a Plane ... Holy Crap It's A Hawk As Big As A Plane
Other Aspects: Death From The Sky
Defends The Nest
Hates Giant Snakes

Skills:
Superb: Fists, Might
Great:  Alertness, Endurance
Good: Athletics, Intimidation, Survival
Fair: Discipline, Conviction, Presence
All other physical skills default to Average, others to Mediocre.

Powers:
Claws [-1]
Hulking Size [-2]
Inhuman Recovery [-2]
Mythic Strength [-6]
Supernatural Speed [-4]
Supernatural Toughness [-4]
 The Catch [+0]: unknown
Wings [-1]

Stress:
Mental 000
Physical 000000(0000), Armor:2
Social 000

Total Refresh Cost: -20

Notes: Weapon:8 claws and a massive physical stress track. Yes, it's scarily powerful, but the thing is described in the myths as killing uktenas. My original writeup was actually more powerful (with Mythic Speed and Supernatural Recovery); this is the toned-down version.

The exact size of a tlanu'wa is highly unclear; it was able to carry away an uktena (which ought to weigh several tons), but on the other hand, they're described as carrying off children and not adults. Personally I imagine them as tremendously huge; think the big dragon thing in Avatar, or a puddlejumper passenger plane.

[ballplayer72]

U'tlun'ta

This ogrelike monster disguises itself in human form to fool its human prey, which it then cuts open with its awl-like claws, devouring their livers. Its natural form is a bulky brute, with hideous claws and armored skin like stone. A horror of the Winter Court, u'tlun'ta are (thankfully) rarely encountered by humans; still, many remote villages of the Appalachians once were suspicious of strangers for fear of these beings. This fear has been forgotten now, but that does not mean the creatures are gone...

High Concept: Liver-Eating Horror
Other Aspects: Tough As The Mountains
Could Be Anyone

Skills:
Superb: Fists, Endurance
Great: Might, Deceit
Good: Survival, Stealth
Fair:  Alertness, Athletics, Presence
Average: Intimidation, Conviction, Discipline
Other skills default to Mediocre.

Claws [-1]
Flesh Mask [-1]
Glamours [-2]
Inhuman Recovery [-2]
Inhuman Toughness [-2]
 The Catch [+1]: weak spot in the right hand (applies to both of the above)

Total Refresh Cost: -7

Stress:
Physical 0000(00)
Mental 000
Social 000

Notes: This is a minimal set of stats. More magically powerful U'tlun'ta will likely possess Unseelie Magic and/or Greater Glamours; more physically oriented types probably have Inhuman Strength and Supernatural Toughness.

I have made this creature a being of Winter; it seemed to fit.

Super U'tlun'ta
Claws [-1]
Flesh Mask [-1]
Greater Glamours [-4]
Inhuman Strength [-2]
Inhuman Recovery [-2]
Supernatural Toughness [-4]
 The Catch [+1]: weak spot in the right hand (applies to both of the above)
Unseelie Magic [-4]

Total Refresh Cost: -17

Physical Stress 0000(0000)

If its a faerie then you need to have cold iron as the catch

[vultur]

If its a faerie then you need to have cold iron as the catch

Right, thanks. It's a bit of a departure from the original myth, but I couldn't pass up fitting it into the DV that way rather than just having it be a bizarro one-off...

It's cold iron now.

[Papa Gruff]

The Manticore

The fabled beast out of Persian and Indian folklore. The Manticore has the body of a lion, a long tail ending in a tuft of thorny poisonous hair (Bob: "Don't believe that scorpion's tail hokum Harry!") and the head of a human. He has three rows of shark like teeth, is intelligent and can speak probably more then one language. The name Manticore derives from the early middle Persian word Martyaxwar which translates roughly to man-eater.

HC: Manticore means man-eater
Other Aspects: Child of deserts and jungles; Feared and fabled; Lying dormant leaves you hungry;

Skills:
Superb: Endurance
Great: Fists, Survival, Stealth, Alertness
Good: Might, Athletics, Weapons
Other skills default to Average

Powers:
Claws [-1]
Supernatural Recovery [-4] (Catch: His own poison [+3])
Inhuman Speed [-2]
Inhuman Strength [-2]
Breath Weapon [-2] (Thorns from the end of its tail)
   Venomous [-2] (Thorns are poisoned)
Echoes of the Beast [-1] (Lion stuff)

Total Refresh coast: -11

Stress:
Physical: 0 0 0 0
Social: 0 0 0
Mental: 0 0 0
One additional mild physical consequence.

Notes: The Manticore is a formidable adversary. What he lacks in toughness he compensates with quickness and it's hunter instincts. As it has a human level intellect the refresh coast might not represent the danger of the Manticore correctly. As they hunt out of ambush, even powerful wizards should be cautious when stalking this foe.

I thought about giving it Superhuman Speed. Perhaps it would be cool to add it, but I would link it to a feeding dependency on human flesh which I would also include the recovery in. Any thoughts on the Manticore?

[FishStampede]

Right, thanks. It's a bit of a departure from the original myth, but I couldn't pass up fitting it into the DV that way rather than just having it be a bizarro one-off...

It's cold iron now.

I'm using one as a major antagonist. Spearfinger the Witch is the leader of a freehold in the Appalachians composed of all the mountain horrors that don't belong to any other group. I'm treating her not as Fae, but as a major Something Else, creatures that have been pushed back to the Appalachian wilderness by competition with other, more organized or numerous supernaturals. The Ulagu, Raven Mockers, Stone Man, Kalu, and other creatures are part of this freehold.

So in a way, she's a bizarro one-off. But she's also organized, with a whole bunch of other bizarro one-offs.

[Slife]

If its a faerie then you need to have cold iron as the catch

Not always.  There was that junkyard one, for example.

Can I request that someone stat up vampire watermelons?

[Papa Gruff]

A bit silly but I can't resist to try:

Vampire Watermelon

HC: Gigantic Vampire Watermelon
Others: My roots will hurt forever; Abomination of Nature;

Skills:
Superb: Might
Great: Endurance, Fists
Good: Athletics, Discipline
other Physicals default to Fair
other default to Average

Powers:
Hulking Size [-2]
Breath Weapon [-2] (Seeds)
Blood Drinker [-1]
Feeding Dependency [+1]
  Supernatural Strength [-4]
  Inhuman Recovery [-2] (Catch: Appropriate herbicides, cutting of the "head" [+3?]
  Inhuman Toughness [-2] (Catch: like Inhuman Recovery)

Spend: -10

P  0 0 0 0 0 0 (0 0)
S  0 0
M 0 0
H 0 0 0

Notes: The Vampire Watermelon is a huge beast out of the nightmares of the African people. It doesn't have to drink the blood of humans. Basically the blood of all living creatures will do, and as a matter of fact the Vampire Watermelon prefers to hunt large mammals like cows or horses to stalking humans. What looks like the melon fruit forms the head of the monster. A tangled assortment of root like material forms his body. Small red pinpoint lights make up it's eyes. When closed the mouth is an almost seamless line at the center of the head. Sharp teeth enable it to rip apart it's pray to suck blood. Vine like tentacles make long reaching arms.

---

Now really silly:

At some point during the 50ties the RC tried to cultivate the Vampire Watermelon looking to make it into a cheap and easily grown soldier. But they failed horribly:

Seedless Vampire Watermelon

HC: Failed Vampire Watermelon Experiment
T: Seedless

Skills:
Fair: Fists, Might
other Physicals default to Average

Powers:
Diminutive Size [-1] (normal melon site)
Pack Instinct [-1]
Blood Drinker [-1]
Feeding Dependency [+1]:
  Inhuman Recovery [-2] (Catch: Like Vampire Watermelon [+3?] but gets not added fully)

Spend: -4

P 0 0
H 0 0 (?)

Notes: As they are seedless they can't reproduce. Tiny as they are, they are pretty embarrassing and the RC does everything to distance them selfs from their failed experiment. Sometimes the seedless type follows in the wake of a normal Vampire Watermelon in little packs trying to scavenge what it leaves of it's pray.


The Vampire Watermelon could be transfigured into some kind of summer fey too. Just kick the feeding dependency and modify the catch. Bam! Clorofind-/Scarecrowish

EDIT: Corrected a mistake on the Seedles Vapire Watermelons Catch.

[Deadmanwalking]

Feeding Dependency [+1]:
  Inhuman Recovery [-2] (Catch: Like Vampire Watermelon [+3?] but gets not added fully)

Actually, in terms of cost break it gets not applied at all. Why? Because Feeding Dependency requires 2 points of Powers to apply itself to...and also can't reduce the cost below -1.

[Papa Gruff]

Actually, in terms of cost break it gets not applied at all. Why? Because Feeding Dependency requires 2 points of Powers to apply itself to...and also can't reduce the cost below -1.

Ok... -4 then.

[Wyrdrune]

reminds me of the killer tomatoe movies from the 80s...

theme song anyone?

Attack of the killer tomatoes!
Attack of the killer tomatoes!
They'll beat you, bash you,
Squish you, mash you
Chew you up for brunch
And finish you off for dinner or lunch!

They're marching down the halls
They're crawling up the walls
They're gooey, gushy, squishy, mushy
Rotten to the core
They're standing outside your door!

Remember Herman Farbage
While taking out his garbage
He turned around and he did see
Tomatoes hiding in his tree
Now he's just a memory!

I know I'm going to miss her
A tomato ate my sister
Sacramento fell today
They're marching into San Jose
Tomatoes are on their way!

The mayor is on vacation
The governor's fled the nation
The police have gone on strike today
The National Guard has run away
Tomatoes will have their day!

Attack of the killer tomatoes!
Attack of the killer tomatoes!
They'll beat you, bash you,
Squish you, mash you
Chew you up for brunch
And finish you off for dinner or lunch
Lunch, lunch
Dinner or lunch, lunch, lunch
Dinner or luuuuuunch

[vultur]

Satyr/Faun
High Concept: Woodland Fae

Skills:
Good: Athletics, Survival, Awareness
Fair: Might, Fists, Endurance
Other physical skills default to Average, others to Mediocre.

Stunts:
No Pain, No Gain: The satyr gains one additional physical mild consequence slot.

Powers:
Echoes of the Beast [-1]
Inhuman Speed [-2]
Inhuman Recovery [-2]
  The Catch [+1] is cold iron and the like

Stress:
Physical OOO +1 mild consequence
Mental OO
Social OO

Total Refresh Cost: -5