Larva Mage
Solitary, Magical, Planar, Terrifying, Amorphous
12 HP
1 armor
Visions that should not be (damage dice = attacked PC damage, ignores armor, near, close)
Larva Mages are spawns and servitors of Elder Gods. They are formed of thousands of small purple worm-like creatures and possess immense power imbued to them by their masters. The worms that gets separated from their collective conscious body usually burrow into the skin of their victim and slowly eat it from the inside. After some time, the head detaches from the body to become a Brain Horror while the rest of the body transforms into a giant Burrow Worm. Larva Mage manifest realities that are outside of mortals’ comprehension, which mortals name “Star Magic” for lack of better term. They can open tiny momentary black holes, change gravity, alter space-time, and other such weird effects.
Instinct: To summon forth an Elder God
■ Made of thousands of worms
■ Implant worms
■ Invoke incomprehensible “Star Magic”
What could make them more terrifying and alien? I feel they are too “mundane” for what they should be.
Have a maggot burrow into their skin and start to breed
Sing with a thousand-thousand dissonant voices, the words different to each listener
Something like this?
goblinpunch.blogspot.com – Beyonders (+ Some Astral Sailing Stuff)
Or this?
goblinpunch.blogspot.com – Nobodies
I’ll read this looks nice! Thx!
It’s in my game now. It fits almost too snugly into my current campaign. Thank you so much!
Victor Segell I like when stars align… but then it might not be due to fortunate randomness… but from a creature of Beyond manipulating our Fate! :O lol
Jeremy Strandberg Nobodies are friggin awesome. Some much that I can’t make them justice otherwise than making them another monster. I just can’t borrow some of their concept and imbed them in the Larva Mage.
updated
they now implant into body and create 2 different creatures
Addramyr Palinor Sure, yeah. Arnold’s whole series on Outsiders-as-conceptual-prions is freaking amazing.
The amount of damage they conflict could mirror the damage of the affected PC. You know, turn their own minds/bodies/strenghts against them.
I like that. Sold
I feel that something should happen when this things brings a PC to their last breath … maybe they won’t have to deal with the Reaper, but one of the Elder Gods instead? Or become secret hosts to the maggots?
Yeah, I’ve modify it so that it implants the worms into a host to make them become two creatures.
Added to DW monster codex
codex.dungeon-world.com – Larva Mage
Now that I think of it, reminds me of The Strain TV series 😛
The updated concept is otherworldly and terrifying. I could build a whole adventure around one of these things. I think you’ve completed your quest Addramyr Palinor
I’d give them amorphous (and the 1 armor and 4 extra HP that comes with it).
But otherwise: yeah, these are awful.
Well in my mind they don’t need it because of the move made out of a swarm. To me it means you can’t harm it with normal weapons at all. I’d say probably only area effect affects them because killing few of them doesn’t matter.
Guess I’ll make it more obvious in the description .
Jeremy Strandberg You know what, I’ll still give it amorphous because it makes just too much sense.