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Using Horror in Shoggoths Is Directing Their Efforts

Using Horror in Shoggoths Is Directing Their Efforts

Sample file We would like to dedicate this tome to our spouses and families who tirelessly supported us during its writing and development. And to who must not be named. Sample file Credits

Authors Additional Art Sandy Petersen, James Jacobs, Arthur Richard Luong Petersen, Ian Starcher, David N. Ross Graphic Design and Layout Development and Conversion Tony Mastrangeli David N. Ross Sales Manager Project Director Christopher Helton Arthur Petersen Shipping Business Manager Christy Crace Christine Graham Customer Support Editing and Proofreading George Botelho Eytan Bernstein, Erik Scott de Bie, Community and VF Support Thomas Weber Pierre “Pit” Lanrezac Cover and Interior Art Playtest Support Kent Hamilton Lincoln Petersen, Andrew Lucio, Monster and Great Old One Art Jonathan Cohen, Ryan Brown Helge Balzer

Sandy Petersen’s Mythos, © 2018, Petersen Games. Printed in China. ISBN-13: 978-0-9995390-4-0

Product Identity: The following items are hereby identified as Product Identity, as defined in the Open Game License version 1.0a, Section 1(e), and are not Open Content: All trademarks, registered trademarks, dialogue, plots, storylines, locations, characters, artwork, and trade dress. (Elements that have previously been designated as Open Game Content or are in the public domain are not included in this declaration.)

Open Content: Except for material designated as Product Identity (see above), the game mechanics of this Petersen Games game product are Open Game Content, as defined in the Open Gaming License version 1.0a Section 1(d). No portion of this work other than the material designated as Open SampleGame Content may be reproduced in any form without written permission. file No part of this book or contents were plagiarized from the of Abdul Alhazred, and no foul entities from the spheres beyond will be summoned during the use of this book. However, if such an untoward event were to happen upon reading the contents of this book, Petersen Games advises that the proper ritual precautions be taken, including but not limited to the inscription of an Elder Sign upon your door or gate. ii Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Using This Book...... 1 Chapter 5: Spellcasting in What is the ?...... 1 the Mythos ...... 85 Bringing Horror to Heroic Fantasy. . . . 2 Formulas...... 85 Spells...... 88 Chapter 2: Mythos Player Spell List Not Required...... 88 Class Lists...... 89 Character Races ...... 7 Spell Descriptions ...... 92 Dreamlands Cat...... 8 Ghoul ...... 14 Chapter 6: Mythos Gnorri...... 21 Items and Texts ...... 119 Zoog ...... 28 Adventuring Gear ...... 119 Otherworldly Humans...... 34 Alien Technology and Magic Items. . . . 122 Texts of the Cthulhu Mythos...... 132 hapter layer haracter C 3: P C Text Descriptions...... 133 Options ...... 37 Class Options for Mythos Races. . . . . 37 Chapter 7: Cults of Dreamlands Cat...... 37 Ghoul...... 39 the Mythos ...... 139 Gnorri ...... 41 Cult of the Black Goat...... 140 Zoog...... 42 Cult of ...... 141 Other Class Options...... 43 Coven of the Black Man ...... 141 Barbarian Primal Path ...... 43 Cult of the Haunter...... 142 Bardic College...... 44 Cult of the Howler...... 142 Cleric Divine Domains...... 45 Cult of the Shadow Pharaoh ...... 143 Druid Circles ...... 49 Retinue of the Bloated Woman ...... 143 Fighter Martial Archetype...... 51 Seekers of the Dark Demon...... 143 Paladin Oath...... 52 Cult of Great Cthulhu...... 144 Roguish Archetypes ...... 53 Cultic Madness of the Nuclear Chaos . . 145 Trapsetter Traps...... 54 Cult of the Opener of the Way. . . . . 146 Sorcerous Origins ...... 55 Warlock Options ...... 57 Cult of the Sleeper...... 147 Wizard Arcane Tradition...... 61 Cult of the Windwalker...... 149 Backgrounds ...... 62 Cult of the Yellow Sign ...... 150 Alienist...... 62 Lesser Cults ...... 152 Mythos Cultist...... 63 Cult of Abhoth...... 152 Mythos Survivor...... 64 Cult of Atlach-Nacha ...... 152 Visionary...... 65 Cult of the Water Lizard...... 152 New Feats...... 67 Cult of Byatis...... 152 Cult of Chaugnar Faugn...... 153 Cult of Cthugha...... 153 hapter nsanity C 4: I Cult of Father and Mother Hydra . . . . .153 and Dread ...... 70 Cult of Ghatanothoa...... 154 Dread and Insanity ...... 71 Cult of Nyogtha...... 154 Dread...... 72 Cult of the Green Flame...... 154 Insanity...... 74 Cult of Yig...... 154 Ia! Ia! Cthulhu Fhtagn: Tcho-tcho Culture...... 155 An Primer...... 81 Culture...... 156 The Dreamlands ...... 81 Mythos Entities and Religion...... 157 Normal Dreaming ...... 81 Deep Ones...... 158 Dreamlands Travel...... 82 Ghouls ...... 158 SampleFungi from . . . . . file...... 158 Elder Things and the Great Race of Yith...... 158 Moon-beasts ...... 158

iii Other Aliens ...... 158 Quachil Uttaus ...... 244 Other Races and the Mythos ...... 158 Rhan-Tegoth...... 249 Dragonborn...... 158 Rhan-Tegoth...... 252 Dwarves...... 158 Shub-Niggurath...... 253 Elves...... 159 sathoggua ather of ormless pawn Gnomes...... 159 T , F F S . . 259 Avatar of ...... 261 Goblinoids ...... 159 Halflings...... 159 Tulzscha ...... 262 Humans ...... 159 Ubbo-Sathla, the Tome Keeper...... 264 Kobolds ...... 159 Yig, Father of Snakes ...... 269 Lizardfolk...... 159 Avatar of Yig ...... 271 Merfolk...... 159 Yog-sothoth...... 272 Orcs...... 159 Tieflings ...... 159 Chapter 9: Mythos Monsters . . . .277 Abyssal Custodian ...... 278 Chapter 8: Great Old Ones, Bhole...... 281 uter ods and thers O G , O . . . . . 161 Bhole Hatchling...... 281 Reading an Elder Influence Adult Bhole...... 282 Stat Block...... 162 Brain Cylinder ...... 283 Abhoth ...... 165 Scholar Brain Cylinder...... 284 The Filth...... 167 Sorcerer Brain Cylinder...... 284 Atlach-Nacha ...... 168 Control Drone...... 286 Avatar of Atlach-Nacha...... 170 Byakhee...... 287 , the Daemon Sultan...... 171 Cat, Dreamlands ...... 288 Bokrug, the Water Lizard...... 174 Dreamlands Cat, Saturnian...... 288 The Ghosts of Ib ...... 176 Dreamlands Cat, Uranian...... 289 Avatar of Bokrug ...... 177 Ulthar Champion...... 290 Byatis, the Serpent-Bearded...... 178 Colour Out of Space...... 291 Avatar of Byatis ...... 180 Dark Young of Shub-Niggurath . . . . . 293 Chaugnar Faugn ...... 181 Adolescent Dark Young...... 293 Avatar of Chaugnar Faugn...... 182 Adult Dark Young...... 294 Scion of Chaugnar Faugn...... 183 Mature Dark Young ...... 295 Cthugha ...... 184 Deep One...... 296 Father Dagon ...... 188 Deep One Bishop...... 297 Father Dagon...... 190 Deep One Hybrid Cultist ...... 298 Deep One Scion Priest of Cthulhu...... 299 Ghatanothoa...... 191 Rootling ...... 195 Dhole ...... 300 Dhole Hatchling...... 301 Ghroth, the Harbinger...... 196 Dhole Adult...... 302 Worm of Ghroth ...... 199 Dimensional Shambler...... 304 Gobogeg, the Moon Ladder ...... 200 ...... 306 Great Cthulhu ...... 204 Eremite (Mythos Wizard) ...... 309 the Unspeakable ...... 209 Eremite Symbiont ...... 310 Ithaqua ...... 214 Dracoform Eremite Symbiont...... 310 ...... 221 Dracoform-Bound Eremite...... 311 The King in Yellow...... 224 Eye of the Watcher...... 312 Mother Hydra...... 225 Favored One of Mother Hydra ...... 227 (Million Favored Ones)...... 314 Nyarlathotep, the Crawling Chaos. . . . 228 Fire Vampire...... 315 The Bloated Woman...... 230 The Dark Demon...... 232 Flying Polyp...... 317 ...... 234 Formless Spawn ...... 320 The HowlerSample in Darkness...... 237 Ghast, Mythos...... file . . . . 323 The Shadow Pharaoh...... 238 Ghoul, Mythos ...... 324 Nyogtha...... 240 Crypt Lurker...... 325 Nyogtha Body...... 242 Charnel Whisperer...... 326 iv Grave Sage...... 327 Voonith...... 391 Gnoph-Keh ...... 328 Wamp ...... 393 Gnorri...... 330 Wendigo...... 394 Gug ...... 332 Ravenous Wendigo...... 394 Hound of Tindalos ...... 334 Windwalker...... 396 Hunting Horror...... 336 Yith, Great Race of...... 397 Past Yithian...... 398 Leng Folk ...... 338 Future Yithian...... 399 Leng Folk Thief...... 339 Leng Necromancer...... 339 Yothans...... 400 Yothan Warrior ...... 401 Leng Spider ...... 341 Yothan Designer...... 401 Web Traps...... 341 Yothan Commander...... 402 Old Leng Spider ...... 343 Draconic Amalgam...... 402 i go the ungi from uggoth M - , F Y . . . . . 344 Zoog ...... 403 Mi-go Scout...... 345 Grove Keeper ...... 403 Mi-go Warrior...... 345 Zoog Trapper...... 403 Mi-go Dimension Walker ...... 346 Appendix 1: Nonplayer Characters. . . . .404 Moon-beast...... 347 Blessed Berserker...... 404 Moon-priest of Nyarlathotep...... 348 Cult Killer...... 404 Moon-vassal of Nyarlathotep...... 349 Cult Mastermind...... 405 Nightgaunt ...... 350 Obsessed Artist ...... 406 Outer Mutant, Abomination, and Spawn. . . 351 Urbane Magician ...... 406 Outer Mutant Scout...... 352 Witch of the Woods...... 407 Outer Mutant Priest of Yog-sothoth...... 353 Appendix 2: Encounter Tables...... 408 Thrall of Yog-Sothoth ...... 353 Aliens...... 408 Outer Abomination...... 354 Ancient Past...... 409 Outer Spawn...... 356 Dreamlands and Plateau...... 410 Re-animated...... 359 Hill Country...... 411 Re-animated Laborer...... 359 Poles...... 412 Re-animated Guard...... 360 Sea and Coast ...... 414 Re-animated Raider...... 360 Underground...... 415 Satyr, Mythos ...... 361 Urban Areas...... 416 High Priest of Shub-Niggurath ...... 362 General Index...... 419 Serpentfolk...... 364 Monsters by Challenge Rating . . 422 Serpentfolk...... 365 Serpentfolk Alchemist ...... 365 Items/Artifacts ...... 424 Servitor of the Outer Gods ...... 366 Shantak...... 368 ...... 370 Shoggoth, Proto-...... 372 Shub-Niggurath, Daughter of ...... 375 Slime Mold ...... 377 Slime Mold...... 378 Immature Slime Mold...... 378 Star Vampire ...... 379 Starspawn...... 380 Larval Starspawn ...... 381 Tcho-tcho...... 384 Okkator Assassin ...... 384 Masked Okkator...... 385 Un-man ...... 387 Undead, Mythos ...... 388 SampleYellow Sign Attendant...... 389 file Deathless Wizard ...... 389 Risen Warlock ...... 390

v Sample file Chapter 1: Using This Book

Searchers after horror haunt strange, What is the Cthulhu far places. Mythos? —H. P. Lovecraft, “The Picture in the House” In the 1920s and 1930s, an obscure American writer named H. P. Lovecraft penned some of the most inventive and evocative horror tales ever written. He broached top- This book provides rules for both players and game ics never before conceived, devised a multitude of terrify- masters (GMs) to incorporate elements of the venerable ing entities, and invented a whole new approach to horror, Cthulhu Mythos into the fifth edition of the world’s most changing the face of fantastic fiction forever. famous classic fantasy roleplaying game. Inside, you will Yet he did even more. He was active in the Amateur find tips on how to run fantasy horror games, rules for Press Association of his time and corresponded heavily new playable races, options to customize player charac- with other authors, giving them advice and mentoring ters’ class features for cosmic horror games, new rules them. One of his innovations was to create a sort of com- for dread and insanity in the cosmic horror tradition, new mon mythology, which multiple authors would draw upon spells, including a new subtype of spells called formulas when writing horror tales. Most infamously, he created the that even non-spellcasters can cast with some risk, new fearful book the Necronomicon, which was mentioned by items and artifacts, and more. dozens of other writers, giving it an aura of realism that Players will find the most use in the races, class options, is rare in fiction. The same is true for many of his other dread and insanity rules, spells, and items (with the creations. exception of some spells, rituals, and items linked directly The framework he invented is usually called the Cthulhu to Great Old Ones and Outer Gods). Chapter 3 includes Mythos, named after one of his most famous frights. And new feats and a new skill, Yog-Sothothery, which can be here we are today, steeping ourselves again in its awesome used for most matters covered in this book but strains the and terrible secrets. sanity of those who delve into matters beyond normal mor- The Cthulhu Mythos is based on the principle that tal comprehension. Chapter 4 contains rules for dread, humanity is not the center of the universe. The cosmos is insanity, and the extradimensional Dreamlands that work vast and filled with unthinkable forces, many not subject to with the standard game rules and evoke the feel of cosmic our own natural laws. Some of these forces are unthink- horror. ably powerful—best considered to be like unto gods. These In the second part of , GMs will find new tools include Great Old Ones and Outer Gods such as Yog-So- for challenging player characters, including descriptions thoth, Azathoth, Hastur, and Cthulhu. Others are lesser of many dangerous cults and their tactics, rules for facing beings, though still fearsome and dangerously intelligent, the overwhelming power of Great Old Ones and Outer such as the , , or the elder Gods directly, and dozens of horrific monsters. All these things. These forces can manifest in the physical world as rules are generally useful for building antagonists in any well, giving supernatural potency to inanimate objects or campaign, but they are especially appropriate for a game even concepts, such as geometry and mathematics. that involves the Mythos to some degree. All the rules in The Mythos is nothing if not scientific, though humanity this book can be used with just the core books. does not and indeed cannot know everything. The magic of the Mythos is all founded upon scientific principles, discovered or undiscovered. Sandy’s Notes Come, let us explore Lovecraft’s dire imagination Here and there, Sandy’s Notes present direct advice together. from Sandy Petersen to GMs regarding how to use these rules elements in a game or how to describe them to players. Sample file —Sandy Petersen

Using this Book 1 mind-swap to continue their existence! (Humanity has Bringing Horror to only escaped this fate because it is too puny for Yithian Heroic Fantasy ambition. Thus far.) The Third Rule: Use a Mundane Setting With Sandy Petersen James points out if you set a ghost story in an esoteric and inaccessible locale, readers can’t easily imagine them- Three Basic Rules of Horror selves in that situation. As a result, he set all of his stories in the places and locales he knew well: seaside hotels, old M. R. James was a writer in the early 20th century who country churches, public libraries, and so forth. specialized in creepy ghost stories. One of Lovecraft’s You have a major advantage here, since you are running favorite authors, James wrote an essay in which he laid out a roleplaying game. Your players normally throw them- three rules to construct an effective ghost story. His rules selves into the roles of their characters, empathizing with apply to any type of horror, however, and I consciously them and cross-exchanging personality traits. As a result, apply them to scenario-building and when running hor- they know and feel their characters, and it’s easy for them ror-themed games. to buy into the setting you choose. You can make the story even more dangerous by putting he irst ule on t se argon T F R : D ’ U J it right in the heart of the players’ stomping grounds. You Nothing spoils the sense of fear more than bringing the could set up an adventure with a shoggoth as a dangerous player out of the game and back into real life. Every time enemy under a distant glacier, but the players will be more you refer specifically to game rules or introduce concepts invested if you have that same shoggoth patrolling the by means of technical terminology, you lose a bit of poten- sewers under your campaign’s capital city, sneaking up tial creepiness. The game is filled with tactical options, all through openings and pulling victims down to feed. Know- of which use precise terms, which means you, the game ing that exist in some distant place in the world master, need to find ways to avoid saying things like, “Let’s is one thing. Knowing that there is a shoggoth in your see… the shoggoth acts on initiative count 21. It rolls and home city eating folks every night is another thing entirely. hits with an… er… pseudopod attack, inflicting 3d10+9 bludgeoning damage, plus 2d6 acid. What’s your Constitu- Adding Horror to Adventures tion save bonus?” Don’t articulate monsters’ actions, but instead do the Horror is a delicate topic. When horror is combined with rolls, avoiding overmuch commentary. You still need another genre, the usual result is that the other genre to inform the players of damage inflicted and special wins out. For example, most horror-comedies are really restrictions, but you can accomplish this without parroting just comedies with a horror element. Many attempts have specific game rules. Use evocative descriptions, like “the been made to mix horror and superheroes, and, again, creature moves with sickening speed, lashing out a tendril the end result is generally a superhero story with a horror dripping with hissing acid.” Experienced game masters element. Most players of fantasy roleplaying games under- may already be doing this—it is one of the basics of draw- standably are focused on high adventure, derring-do, and ing players into an adventure. sword and sorcery. And of course, when horror is added to the adventure theme, just as with other genres, the adven- The Second Rule: Make the Enemy Malign ture is what remains, though now horror-tinged. This is not necessarily a bad thing. Consider the dif- Friendly ghosts aren’t scary—it’s a fact of life. This applies ference between the filmsAlien and Aliens. The first is to monstrous forces too. If the players find out that the a horror movie. The second is an adventure movie with fungi from Yuggoth are trying to establish a quiet mining horror elements. Both are great films. base, all terror of them vanishes. The Mythos is full of If you just want new enemies for your players to battle entities that players can interact with, but all of them are and investigate, this book has everything you need, with malign and creepy, even the sometimes-peaceful ones. You a variety of interesting creatures you can pull out of your can learn the language of ghouls, but even when they are back pocket to surprise and intrigue your players. Almost friendly, they are always eyeing your physique with an eye all of these entities have their own little tricks and traps to to how tasty you look. Even the small and seemingly harm- spring on the players. They range in power from the easi- less zoogs gleefully trap and eat visitors to their forest. ly-defeated (zoogs, ghouls, etc.) to the almost unstoppable Fortunately, the Mythos is filled with terrifying purpose. (flying polyps, starspawn, etc.) to truly awful impossibili- Sure, the fungi from Yuggoth might only say they want a ties that will drive the hardiest adventurer mad (Hastur, quiet mining base, but there must be more to it than that. Azathoth, etc.). What are they mining? What is their underlying purpose? The fact is that Lovecraft’s monsters aren’t just mon- Are they using the ore to construct some sort of gigantic sters. They have personalities. And as such, you can use bio-techno-magicalSample device? If so, what will it do? file them for much more than just bags of hit points. Most At first glance, the great race of Yith appears respectably obviously, they need not always be treated as enemies. Yes, neutral—even benign. That is, until you realize that they these monsters can be malign, cannibalistic horrors, but periodically exterminate entire sentient species by mass

2 Using this Book they are most often intelligent horrors who are able to understand and sometimes collaborate with humans. They have purposes. For example, on a lonely road, the player characters arrive at an inn run by zoogs. This simple premise is alight with possibilities. What would the zoogs want as payment? What do they offer in exchange, beyond sleeping quar- ters and a fine meal of moonberry wine and rat-on-a-stick? The zoogs could have a gift shop, consisting of goods taken from people foolish enough to sleep alone and unguarded in the zoogs’ rooms. (After all, they are still zoogs.) Even more horrendous mon- sters may be able to interact with an adventuring party outside of mere combat. The fungi from Yuggoth maintain a secret soci- ety of people who do the fungi’s will in return for technological and biological wonders. The fungi actively evangelize for this society, and the most useful people for their purposes are, clearly, adventurers: itinerant and well-traveled, generally individually powerful, and highly experienced. For all these reasons, they make excellent agents. While your own group of adventurers are, no doubt, un- willing to serve the terrible goals of the fungi, a rival party might not be so high-minded, presenting an excellent threat for the players to encounter. That they serve the fungi would not be immediately obvious, but perceptive adventurers will invariably notice signs of Yuggoth’s control… As you look through the monsters and other elements of this book, consider many such possible uses, both obvious and subtle. You can certainly use any adventure or situa- tion you like, merely plugging in the Lovecraf- tian entities as appropriate. But for a memorable and compelling game, spend some planning time considering how the involvement of the Mythos changes the situation. Most players are familiar with the classic dun- geon crawl, commonly constructed by an insanely powerful lich or a mad wizard, making it a good starting structure for a game. Perhaps the dun- geon is instead being run by a Lovecraftian entity of enormous power. I’ll randomly Sampleselect a possibility (rolls dice); okay, I file came up with Nyarlathotep. Arbitrarily I’ve named this dungeon “The Twisted Pyramid.” (Seems Egyptian-ish.)

Using this Book 3 Now obviously the Crawling Chaos has the ability to together in a style I call “layers of the onion.” The idea is create a vast maze full of treasure, traps, and monsters, that as the players uncover one layer of dark secrets, they but why would he? Let’s think about Nyarlathotep’s person- expose another. This goes on and on: just as when you ality: he is the mind and voice of the Outer Gods, and what peel an onion, successive strata appear. he primarily cares about is serving them. What if his goal For instance, say the players are investigating an evil in creating this dungeon is to keep up to date on how dan- cult-worshiping nobleman or a haunted castle. But as they gerous the most powerful adventurers in the world are? probe more deeply, you, the game master, can gradually He doesn’t necessarily want to kill them—he just wants to show them the significance of this particular nobleman know how powerful a threat they represent and to figure or the dark history of the site of the castle. As the players out how to challenge them. And if these top adventurers gather more information and penetrate deeper into the are weak enough, he can bring back the Old Ones to de- mysteries, this leads to other adventures. stroy the world with the flick of a metaphorical wrist. In Lovecraft’s epic “At ,” the Of course, the best way to ensure that he gets a good characters uncover some odd fossils, excellently preserved analysis of these adventurers is to tell them the unvar- and reminiscent of the ancient tales of the Old Ones. The nished truth. Let everyone know that there is wealth—as hero and his companion go scouting and find what seems well as great danger—in the Twisted Pyramid to draw to be a huge and complex rock formation inside a glacier. the finest adventurers available. Once the current crop When they return to the camp, everyone has been killed, of adventurers proves too craven and feckless to brave and the “fossils” are missing. The heroes are horrified the pyramid, Nyarlathotep will know the world is ready and decide to follow the trail which leaves camp, headed for the end times. Thus, the players have two reasons to toward the icebound rocks. This all occurs in the first layer brave the pyramid: one obvious, one subtle. First, they can of the onion. seek the wealth, which is genuinely there as a lure. And They probe deep into the rocks and find tunnels under second, they might wish to save the world from the Old the ice which lead lower and lower. As they chase after the Ones’ return. (They may not know about this aspect of the tracks of whoever (or whatever) killed their companions, adventure until they get to the pyramid, or perhaps only in they gradually come to realize that it is a true city, not retrospect.) just an unusual formation. Furthermore, non-humanoid But how else could Nyarlathotep affect the dungeon entities, whose history is found in carvings on the walls, crawl? Well, since he has a thousand forms, perhaps each built the city millions of years ago. This is the second layer separate dungeon level features its own avatar of Nyarla- of the onion. thotep, starting out with comparatively weak forms, and As the heroes penetrate deeper, and come upon more working up to the most powerful. I would also suggest and more horrors, they realize that the “fossils” are actual that each time the adventurers encounter Nyarlathotep, living (albeit cryogenically-preserved) elder things. The he speaks with them, mocking their efforts and making heroes follow the path anyway, and the story culminates in suggestions, foul offers, and promises. an awful conclusion, where the heroes meet not the elder This is a standard dungeon experience with a kick to things preserved in the ice, but the dread things (shog- it: the Mythos has added that little extra touch to bring it goths) that wiped out their species. This is the end of the beyond the mundane. With this twist, you can turn Nyar- story, but clearly it would be possible to extend it further. lathotep into an ongoing foil for the players and for your For instance, a game master could have the heroes campaign, using a mere dungeon crawl as their introduc- investigate the shoggoth “civilization” and find out that tion to him. these amoeboid horrors are up to something (the fourth layer of the onion). Since shoggoths are not really mov- ers and shakers, no doubt something even worse than Using Horror in shoggoths is directing their efforts. And for what purpose? an RPG Environment The destruction of all surface life? The return of the star spawn? The formation of a gigantic device designed to Many of the creatures in the Mythos are so horrendously break the continent free from the world’s surface and form powerful that even a high-level group cannot kill them. a new moon? Who knows? The wheels within wheels keep Some of the entities described in this book are literally turning, and the players can continue following the tale impossible to defeat. Don’t force such a confrontation forever. upon your players without giving them warning. You don’t Alternatively, they could progress a certain way down need much of a premonition—perhaps a shadow suddenly the stories, and then you, the game master, can switch to darkens the moon, or the city’s dogs suddenly cease their another storyline: a new civilization of nightmare crea- howling. tures; an ancient tome with unspeakable secrets; some- The entities of the Mythos almost always corrupt those thing else altogether. String together Mythos concepts and who learn of them. Adventurers who investigate the an- bury the heroes deep in the darkness. cient lore of Yog-Sothoth or other Great Old Ones should The reason for this system of episodic revelation is do so throughSample a sea of terrors and ethical or religious because horror, by its nature, is difficultfile to maintain for a quandaries. Learning more about these entities should prolonged period of time. This is why horror movies typi- never become humdrum. cally have only short moments of terror, interspersed with An adventure centered on the Mythos should be put possibly ominous or tense sections in which non-horror-

4 Using this Book based scenes take place. In a similar way, horror novels deity in its chamber. Perhaps killing the gug triggers a are rarely as consistently terrifying as horror short stories. curse which follows the party around. Thus, each time a new layer of the onion is revealed to With a little effort, the gug can be used for more. For your players, there is an opportunity for a new shock, a example, gugs are an intelligent species known for crafting new understanding. The players may wish time to discuss organized plans. Perhaps the gug was in that room for the ramifications (you may or may not allow this time, a reason? It’s not hard to extrapolate that after the party depending on the adventure’s needs), and certainly their murders the gug for his loot, his fellow gugs might find the understanding of what is going on will change. corpse, and—thirsting for vengeance— track down the par- You can also use this to up the ante. Let’s use another ty. All of a sudden, perhaps when hotly engaged in another example: the town suffers from an outbreak of ghouls. fight, a group of gugs emerges silently from the darkness The ghouls are a potent, intelligent foe. There are scary and joins in the fight against the players. You’ve kept the moments, desperate ambushes in dark alleyways, and so adventure element of your game strong, but the gugs forth. have taken on personality and perhaps even become a During the course of this conflict, the players uncover permanent part of your game. After all, even if the players the second part of the storyline and learn that the ghouls manage to drive away or kill the pursuing party of gugs, are up to something–some grandiose plot. So now the this doesn’t mean they’re done with them: they might have player’s focus changes from physical danger to worrying to deal with gug hunting bands for the foreseeable future. about a larger threat–what are the ghouls up to? Instead In the end, you have turned an almost random encoun- of just defending the township, they now have to descend ter with a lone gug guarding some treasure into a recur- into the ghoul tunnels to find out the secret. Now the ring enemy that may plague the heroes’ future endeavors, ghouls lay traps and call unholy allies to their aid. The potentially for an entire campaign, and woven in a Mythos ante has been raised for the players, not just in terms of thread that you can turn into something truly terrifying. danger, but in terms of what happens if they fail. When the players finally discover what the ghouls are plotting, you the game master have the opportunity to transform the adventure once again in a third storyline, where you confront them with an existential threat! Per- haps the ghouls are replacing all the important humans in town with their evil changelings. Maybe the ghouls have accumulated enough sacrifices to summon and (they think) control a monstrous dhole to destroy the entire town. It’s even possible they plot to magically teleport the entire township to the Vale of Pnath, where they can feast at their leisure. In this way, you have three simple, separate plot- lines, each with a different type of frightening threat, and you can keep up the horror ele- ment far longer and more effectively than in a one-shot adventure!

Turning an Encounter into an Adventure It is perfectly plausible to plop down a gug guarding a treasure chest. The gug in this case would just be another monster—a bag of hit points hindering the players from gaining loot. A gug has some unique powers that you can use to your advantage in planning your encoun- ter. For example, gugs are completely silent, so players are likely unaware of the creature’s presence until it Samplechooses to show itself. Since file gugs have religious tendencies, perhaps it keeps an altar to its foul

Using this Book 5 Sample file Chapter 2: Mythos Player Character Races

The ghouls were in general respectful, even if one did attempt to pinch him while several others eyed his leanness speculatively. Through patient gibbering he made inquiries regarding his vanished friend, and found he had become a ghoul of some prominence in abysses nearer the waking world. A greenish elderly ghoul offered to conduct him to Pickman’s present habitation, so despite a natural loathing he followed the creature into a capacious burrow and crawled after him for hours in the blackness of rank mould. —H. P. Lovecraft, The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath

Particularly notable among Lovecraft’s high fantasy stories Next come the gnorri: amphibious entities with little un- is the novella The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath, from derstanding of the surface world who nevertheless wish to which stem the player races presented herein. Each has participate in it. The gnorri are “blessed” with unusual and been chosen carefully for its interesting nature, useful- incredible abilities based on their astounding anatomy. ness, and utility when set alongside the standard races of Finally, you’ll find the zoogs: well-known to readers of a fantasy campaign. Lovecraft’s Dream-Quest, the zoogs are feral but diminu- First the Dreamlands cats pad softly into view. All tive horrors with secretive and enigmatic ways. Dangerous household or alley cats could potentially be Dreamlands and unpredictable, zoogs are closely tied to the cosmic cats: all that is required is the cats’ decision to return entities beyond. from their nightly trip to the Dreamlands while retaining After the four primary new player races, this chapter human-level (though not human-centric) intelligence and ends with brief introductions and player character rules purpose. Anonymity is their ally, for few humans expect for two more traditionally villainous human subtypes: the stray cats to pose any threat. Leng folk and the Tcho-Tcho. These sorts of humans get Second in a Mythos game lurk the ghouls, which are more detail as enemies in Chapter 7 and Chapter 9. emphatically not undead but rather undead-eaters. These We have enjoyed creating these races, testing them, and entities might be degenerated humans, cursed by their seeing them interact with the standard races. I think you grotesque behavior or other circumstances, or else “true” will enjoy playing them as well. ghouls, born that way. Memories of their former lives—as —Sandy Petersen well as the lives of others—play a prominent role in their Samplesavage society. file

Mythos Player Character Races 7

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