Monday, October 1, 2012

Monstrous Monday: The Faceless


I had to decided to pitch in for Tim's Monstrous Monday event for the month of October.  October really is one of the best months, isn't it?  I need to start getting out some monsters that will work well in the Spirit Island campaign.  Plus, I need to carry through on my threat to make some monsters that would use Dreamblade figures!

First up is a creature based on a monster from folklore, the Mujina (or more properly, Noppera-bō).  I'm not a fan of the previous incarnations of the Mujina, so I'll refer to them as The Faceless, an alternate type of doppleganger.  Commoners often refer to them as 'Faceless Ghosts', but this is a misunderstanding of their true nature.

The Faceless delight in terrifying a victim unto death; they are skilled shape changers and often work as a pack, replacing people close to the intended target for building up to a final, horrible reveal.  A common scenario involves a victim encountering a stranger on the road, frequently a woman combing her hair, discovering in horror that she has no face, fleeing to a well-known person (like a wife), and then experiencing the ultimate horror as the wife too, wipes away her visage to reveal that she is also one of The Faceless.

The Faceless
AC as chain, HD 5, Attacks 1 weapon or monstrous claw, Damage by weapon or 1d12, Mv 9, Morale 8, AL Chaotic.

The Faceless can assume the identity of any human, drawing forth memories and thoughts in order to perfect the duplication.  They are unaffected by Sleep or Charm.  They save as 8th level fighters.  When The Faceless reveals its blank visage, anyone viewing it must Save vs Death or flee in fear.  If one of The Faceless has taken the role of a key loved one, or other person well known to the victim, the victim must Save vs Death or die.



3 comments:

  1. Oooh. I like these. And the mechanics are simple and elegant.

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  2. very cool! I'll have to use these sometime.

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  3. Funny, I was re -reading my D&D Companion set this very aftenoon, and the Mujina was one of the creaturs of the Monster section

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