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Iain
01-04-2009, 10:30 PM
This is my very first monster that I've burned, I humbly submit it to the forum for constructive criticism.

Concept:
Tall, grey skinned bipeds that rise from the earth at nightfall, and lurk in the dark of night, waiting to devour sinners.

The Hook:
These are not your mindless undead flesh eaters. Nightstalkers are intelligent monsters. They live in the wilds, entering villages at night, hoping to catch unsuspecting sinners. What type of sin attracts a stalker is unclear. They are utterly unconcerned with those apart from their prey, and will ignore them unless they pose a threat.

Nightstalkers can target an important NPC, or be the force behind hideous murders. Occasionally the nightstalker might choose
a deserving PC as a victim.

Stats
Will 5 Per 4 Agi 4 Speed 4 Power 6 Forte 6

Attributes
Health 6 Ref 4 MW 12 Steel B7

Physical Tolerances
Su: 4 Li: 6 Mi: 8 Se: 10 Tr: 11 Mw: 12

Weapons:
Claws:
I: 5 M: 8 S: 11
Power 2 Add 2 VA 1 Fast, Short

Crushing Jaws:
I: 4 M: 7 S: 10
Power 1, Slow, add 2, Shortest Length

Speed Multiplier: 3.5x

Beliefs:
1. The blood and flesh of sinners will sustain me
2. I have no mercy for those who sin
3. It's too late for redemption

Instincts
1. Hide from the light
2. Always Stealth
3. Eat a corpse where it falls

Traits

Character:
Massive Stature: Darkstalkers are 7 to 8 feet tall
Cold, Grey skin: The Darkstalker's hairless skin is a dull grey, and is pulled tight across their bone and muscle. It is as cold as ice to the touch
Eyeless: Darkstalkers have normal eyesight, but their skin is pulled tight across their empty eye sockets.
Taste for Flesh: Darkstalkers live to feast upon the flesh of sinners.
Walker: A stalker will rarely, if ever, run. They prefer to sneak up on their victims.

Die:
Numb
Aura of Fear
Creature of the night, Born of the earth: Darkstalkers are near powerless in sunlight. If it falls upon their skin, they must make a steel test. If failed, a Darkstalker immediately stops what they're doing, and sinks into the earth, howling in pain. Each minute that the Darkstalker spends in sunlight after the initial check causes the steel test's difficulty to increase by +1ob, and a new test is performed. Any attempt to physically stop the Darkstalker from returning to the earth will fail, it will simply pass through bars, cages and floors. The Darkstalker will reappear the next night in the general area.
Unholy sense: Through some unholy method, Stalkers know that a person has committed, and failed to atone for a sin.
Crushing Jaws: A nightstalker's jaw is abnormally large, lined with crushing teeth. Power 1, Slow, add 2, Shortest length
Flesh shredding claws: Power 2, Add 2, VA 1 Fast, Short

Skills
Brawling 6 Intimidation 5 Stealth 6 Oratory 3 Ugly Truth 4 Sinner-wise 3 Quiet village at night-wise 3

Manicrack
01-05-2009, 07:29 AM
Sweet, for some reason all I can think of is summoning that thing to solve a criminal investigation^^

-K

stormsweeper
01-05-2009, 10:23 AM
I don't care for the Creature of the night, Born of the earth trait. I'd split it into a couple different traits, one for the sunlight thing (and it would probably just be a penalty in sunlight, and forcing a single steel test in sunlight). The other I'd suggest making into something along the lines of Corpse Bound (adding Shadow and Dust). For your theme here, I'd make it Sin Bound, and have it tied to a great and forgotten sin in the area - a terrible murder or similar. The sin would need to be exposed, and a minor miracle performed.

Hirram
01-08-2009, 01:21 PM
Very flavorful creature. I can see this being used in a horror or mystery scenario ... particularly to have the Nightstalker passing by unseen, though the Aura of Fear still washes over the characters ...

I like both of Stormsweeper's ideas. I assume all of those stats and skills are black-shade?

Iain
01-09-2009, 04:44 AM
I just couldn't give it grey shades, It's tough, but not overly so.

I like the idea of steel test for sunlight, as well as the Sin bound trait.

Hirram
01-09-2009, 05:57 AM
No, I don't think it needs to be a combat machine. How do you envision it using Oratory and Ugly Truth?

John Anderson
01-09-2009, 08:26 AM
I suppose the Nightstalker looks something like this?...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/buffy/gallery/season4/images/340/17hush.jpg

John