Category: The Dungeon World Tavern: New Monsters

Monsters of madness! This time brought to you by http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Haeckel_Cystoidea.jpg

CUCKOO SHELL (Solitary, Large, planar)

tentacles(1d8+1 damage) close, reach

16 HP 3 ARMOR

The Cuckoo Shell would be just another mindless ravaging beast, no more (or less) dangerous than, say, a rabid owlbear, but much as undead are powered by the energies of the Black Gates of Death’s Kingdom, so too is it a creature powered by the White Gates of Madness’s Kingdom, and such creaturess are never simple or straightforward foes.

Anyone who identifies as a member of a specific group or organization will perceive the Cuckoo Shell as a fellow member of that organization. It is not that it will appear human (or elven or whatever) to them, rather, the mind will gloss over the geometric carapace, long segmented tail, and squirming mass of tentacles unless something causes them to specifically focus on the details, instead seeing only “a fellow member of my thieves’ guild” or “a tribesman from my homeland”. This can quickly complicate a Cuckoo Shell’s attack. especially in populated areas, as a paladin who sees a “fellow” member of her order attacking townsfolk may assume those townsfolk are cultists or monsters in disguise (even as said townsfolk wonder why one of their neighbors has gone mad as is murdering them), and guardsmen witnessing adventurers attacking one of their “colleagues” will almost invariably leap in to their defense.

Instinct: To rampage mindlessly

Moves

– Entangle someone with tentacles

– Confuse someone into fighting alongside it

– Twist magic used against it with the touch of madness

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Haeckel_Cystoidea.jpg

For the Thrice-Damned Manual of Madness:

FLUTERS OF THE UNNAMABLE (group, small, planar)

Fluters of the Unnamable are often called forth in response to a botched summoning spell or teleportation ritual, and can also be found clustered in small swarms around “naturally” occurring holes in reality. Sages believe they hail from the Dimensional Vortex, where they act as symbiotes to far more powerful and terrible beings, but, as much related to that unfathomable place, this is largely a matter of conjecture.

What is known is that their presence upsets the natural order of reality: within the sound of their shrill piping blood flows from walls, clocks run backwards, animals behave unusually, glass ripples, writing rearranges itself into strange symbols, etc, etc.  This ‘softening’ of reality is occasionally used by wizards in their mystical rituals, or by certain more unhinged arcanists purely for atmospheric ambiance.

Mad piping (d6 (see below)) close, near, far

9 hp, 4 armor

Qualities: Floating, Vortexspawn

Instinct: to herald a greater threat

Moves:

 – entrance someone with alien harmonies

 – give rise to unnatural phenomena

 – widen the cracks in reality

The mad piping of Fluters Of The Unnamable deals sanity damage, if that rules option is being used. If not, consider it to be armor-ignoring (psychic) damage.

(For visual reference see image 9 of http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0a/Haeckel_Polycyttaria.jpg)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0a/Haeckel_Polycyttaria.jpg