My second submission to Cavegirl's Harry Clarke Bestiary
While writing this monster I was reminded of this scene from David Lynch's Mulholland Drive.
It's difficult to pull off a monster 'that's so scary you die' at the table. I make reference to the creature's distinct sounds, if you can bear to attempt guttural disjointed chortling you'll definitely succeed in making your players (if not yourself) uneasy.
The
Midnight Crawler
Armour
class:
As unarmoured
Hit dice: 2
Move: As human
Attacks: Terror (see special
abilities), Laughter (see below) and scratch (1d4)
No.
Appearing:
1 or gang 2d6
Morale: 8
Treasure: None
Alignment: Chaotic
Description: Midnight Crawlers were once long-forgotten lunatics and ragged
half-men. Having undergone a demonical change, becoming an entity of death-dealing
fear they now aspire to use their horrifying influence for their own ghastly
amusements. Their only delight is their simpering malice which they can inflict
on the unbeknownst innocent.
Many a household have been torn down in raving fits
of wild screaming-death by the Midnight Crawlers. When a manor’s inhabitants
have died of fright, simply from a glance through the window at soulless leer
of a Midnight Crawler, it will squirm it’s way inside. There it will cavort
lopsidedly - moaning in gibbering reverie; a wildly wheeling dance of brassy
chortling and stuttering, gurgling giggles.
When the sun sets bar your door. Ignore the
rasping breath and the sly tapping at your window pane for only the heartiest, bravest
souls may endure the wracking pain of a Crawler’s terror.
Abilities: Anything that sees the
creature will take d10 points of fear-damage directly to it’s HP. This fear-damage
decreases by a die size each subsequent round an individual is exposed to the Crawlers,
a victim becomes immune to this effect when the effect is reduced below d4 fear-damage.
So terrifying are the Midnight Crawlers that if it does more damage than it’s victim’s
HD, the victim can only inflict a maximum of 1 hp’s worth of damage to the Crawler
regardless of the type of attack. Multiple Midnight Crawlers do no inflict
multiple fear attacks, each Midnight Crawler adds +1 damage to that rounds fear-damage
dice.
When everyone has succumbed to the Midnight
Crawler it will enter the space and begin it’s ungainly, impish dance until interrupted.
It’s laughter, when heard, deals 1d4 points of fear damage.