Creatures of night and shadow
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The species listed here are primarily connected with night and shadow and the Powers of Darkness. They include Weres, Doppelgangers, Bats, and Dire Wolves.
Other species which may be nocturnal hunters or may be at their most powerful at night are not included in this heading and are not affected by magic designed to call, communicate with, or control Creatures of Night and Shadow. Only the following species are affected by these types of magic.
BAT
Natural Habitat: Caverns
Frequency: Uncommon
Number: 1-400 (100)
Description: Bats are rodents with leathery wings. They are greyish-black in colour. They are found, in dark places only as they are afraid of light and fire.
Talents, Skills and Magic: Bats can determine directions in the dark by emitting high-frequency "pips" which reflect off of the surrounding walls. They have no magical abilities or other special talents and are not tool users.
Movement Rates: Flying: 500
| PS 2-3 |
MD None |
AG 18-21 |
MA None |
| EN 1-2 |
FT 2-3 |
WP 6-8 |
PC 14-17 |
| PB 7-9 |
TMR 10 |
NA None |
Weapons: Bats can only attack in Close Combat, where their bite has a Base Chance of 40% and does [D - 7] damage. A character bitten by a bat has a 10% chance of contracting rabies or some other loathsome disease in addition to the possibility of infection.
DIRE WOLF
Natural Habitat: Woods, Rough, Plains, Field, Caverns
Frequency: Rare
Number: 1-10 (3)
Description: Dire wolves are wolves the size of ponies. Dire wolves will be in league with the powers of darkness and will have almost human intelligence. Their corpses disappear back into hell (from which they are said to have sprung originally) if they are killed.
Talents, Skills and Magic: Dire wolves have no special abilities but they are exceptional trackers. They also never forget a smell. They may possess knowledge of a limited number of spells of the College of Ensorcelments and Enchantments or the College of the Sorceries of the Mind.
Movement Rates: Running: 400
| PS 22-25 |
MD 24-26 |
AG 18-22 |
MA 8-12 |
| EN 20-23 |
FT 25-30 |
WP 8-12 |
PC 19-23 |
| PB 4-8 |
TMR 8 |
NA Fur absorbs 5 DP |
Weapons: Dire wolves can attack, either in Melee Combat or in Close Combat with their huge teeth (Base Chance of 65% [D + 6] damage).
DOPPELGANGER
Natural Habitat: Caverns, Rough, Crypts, Woods
Frequency: Very Rare
Number: 1-8 (1)
Description: In their natural form, doppelgangers appear humanoid, with thin arms, and sharp teeth and claws. They have thick, rubbery, grey skin, and glowing eyes.
Talents, Skills and Magic: Doppelgangers have the ability to form themselves to look and act like any humanoid creature that is approximately their size and body weight (100-250 lb.). Even the clothes and equipment of a person can be imitated, although magical properties will not, of course, adhere to the duplicates.
Doppelgangers read the minds of the people they will later imitate so as to learn things they will need to know to duplicate the person properly. There is a 10% chance that a doppelganger's imitation will be detectable. See the rules governing multi-sense illusions in the College of Illusions.
Movement Rates: Running: 250
| PS 12-16 |
MD 14-17 |
AG 16-18 |
MA 20-25 |
| EN 8-10 |
FT 15-20 |
WP 22-25 |
PC 15-17 |
| PB 4-8 |
TMR 5 |
NA Skin absorbs 4 DP |
Weapons: In their natural form, doppelgangers can make one attack with their bite (Base Chance of 50% [D + 3] damage). Once having imitated something, they right as it does / did, using the same weapons at a Rank two less than that achieved by the character being imitated.
Comments: Once a doppelganger has imitated someone, they will try to kill that individual, attacking by surprise. They will then replace that individual until they try the same manoeuvre with another member of the party.
WERES
Comments: Weres are humans or humanoids who are afflicted with a specific disease: Lycanthropy. They are adversely affected by the full moon and on nights when the moon is full they change shape, becoming one of 5 types of creature. The were may become a Bear, Boar, Tiger, Snake or Wolf.
The actual type of beast the character becomes will depend on the type of beast from which he contracted his illness. The only way that a character can become a lycanthrope is if he is bitten for at least I point of effective damage by a character who is already a lycanthrope while that character is in his beast form.
The victim will then during the next full moon (and all succeeding full moons until he is killed) assume the shape of the beast that bit him (wolf, snake, etc.). If a character is killed by a lycanthrope, he does not become a lycanthrope himself; instead, he usually becomes dinner. A lycanthrope in his were form is always a beast.
He has the characteristics of the strongest specimen of the species whose form he has assumed. A werewolf would have the highest possible characteristics for a Dire Wolf, for example. A were-snake assumes the form of a Python, but with the bile (and venom) of the King Cobra.
Were-bears, were-boars and were-tigers will have the highest possible characteristics for their type of beast (+2 to PS, EN and FT, usually): when in their beast form, Weres are semi-intelligent. Their human side is suppressed and the character is played by, the GM. Weres are primarily concerned with feeding and simple survival.
They will spend the entire period when the moon is full either laid up in a lair or hunting. They will attack the character's friends as readily as any other prey. Once a were returns to his normal human shape, he will be enfeebled for [D10 + 4] hours, desiring only to sleep.
Upon waking, he will remember what he did in his beast form (usually with regret). A character can be cured of Lycanthropy in exactly the same manner as he is cured of a major curse. When in beast form, a were can only be harmed or killed by magic or by silvered weapons.
Pre-pubescent and post-menopausal individuals never suffer the effects of Lycanthropy (though they may contract the disease).