In Grimdark West, the creatures of the night are real! Players will encounter a wide variety of monsters, both supernatural and mundane. Though some of the monsters that you will encounter are horrifying, so too are the humans with ill intent, and some of them can be worse!
First, let’s take a look at the Undead, also known as the Unhallowed. Unhallowed is called so due to a misunderstanding that only the dead not buried in hallowed ground would rise, which is untrue. Unhallowed comes in a wide variety and has many different unique abilities. They also share standard rules and qualities.
All Unhallowed have the Trait Inured to Pain, which makes all instances of damage to them reduced to 1 damage. Each variant of Unhallowed will have rules on how to overcome this ability. For some, empowered weapons will work as well as fire; others will require silver or some sunlight. Empowered Weapons tend to be the primary way to overcome this resistance, and only a very few Unhallowed are Resistant even to Empowered Weapons.
Another Trait that all Unhallowed have is they do not need food, air, or sleep. Meaning they don’t need to stop and rest as living things do. For the more powerful Unhallowed, this means they can track you with an unending determination!
Two variants are The Rotting Dead and The Fresh Cadaver. Both are feral, so they are essentially single-minded in their focus to attack the living. The Rotting Dead has the Grave Rot ability, which allows them to inflict a Basic Disease onto the player, slowly weakening them and potentially killing them. The Fresh Cadaver lacks this ability but compensates by being faster as it sprints after any target that draws its attention. Not needing to breathe means they can maintain this hyper-aggressive pace indefinitely. This ability is reflected in the rules by a higher-than-normal move stat.
Form Unhallowed to the aberrant creatures of the Nether, we have the Netherwrack. Netherwracks come in several varieties, all of which share some standard features. First, all are spiders! The most common type that players will encounter is the Netherwrack Nymph. This creature resembles a spider that inhabits a human skull and is approximately the size of an adult’s head. These creatures are more curious than anything unless you stumble into their nest, and then they attack with a corrosive bite. The second most common is the Netherwrack Soldier; these are larger and seem to inhabit larger skulls, such as those of cattle or bison. They not only pack a more dangerous bite, but they can make ranged attacks that burn the skin as well as bind the target with webbing. Lastly, the Netherwrack Matriarch is a Mythic Horror (More on this in a bit). This creature exists only in the Nether unless enough of its progeny come to harm, at which point it shifts to our plane, revealing its terrifying form. This enormous creature’s body resembles a mound of corpses from which its legs and head protrude, measuring approximately the size of a large barn. Matriarch should only fought by the most seasoned parties.
Lastly, we will discuss two Mythic Creatures other than the Netherwrack Matriach. Mythic Creatures are entities about which myths and legends exist. These creatures will test a Party to its limits and may include some serious injury or even death. Though very challenging, they are the things that make legends of the survivors.
First, we will discuss the Rot Wood Tree. The Rot Wood tree seems from a distance to be a twisted tree of horror. Its bark is black and stained as if by some burn and ichor. Rot Wood Trees always grow out of the source of a mass grave. Whether in a swamp or a cemetery, the Rot Wood can call upon the dead below it to fight and protect it. It is capable of pulling forth several Rotting Dead to act in its defense. Don’t be fooled into thinking the Tree is the weak spot, though. The Tree itself, though not able to move from its location, can reach out with branches and roots at quite a distance to attack those that vex it. Rot Wood Trees are a terrifying entity, and it takes a concerted effort by a party to take them down. They are usually tied to some Totem that, if the Posse can find and destroy, will weaken the Rot Wood Tree!
Second is the Wendigo, a creature that needs no subservient minions to aid it in defending itself. Wendigo are horrific abominations that look to be humanoid cervid with an open and rotted stomach and long clawed hands that can tear through metal. Its burning eyes are just slightly brighter than the glowing orange light that pulsates from within its chest like a heart that burns as a furnace on a train does. Capable of greater speeds than one would expect, the Wendigo is a Challenge that even well-prepared parties might fall to. Unfortunately for most adventurers, the Wendigo is rarely encountered outside their lairs for long, which means that to stop the terror they are inflicting in an area requires you to go into the abomination home. A prospect, even the most iron-willed, will give pause too. Unfortunately, fallen parties do fall in vain as the Wendigo will feast upon them, fully healing itself after gorging itself.
As you can see, the Horrors of Grimdark West blur the line between fantasy and horror. These are just a small sample of the things you can look forward to facing in the game. You may have seen the flaming skeleton fellow in a previous post. That is yet another creature type that, as players, you can look forward to encountering. What is it, you may ask? Well, believe it or not, it’s not an Unhallowed! That creature is known as a Whither, and they are just one of the entities that are a part of the Entropic! More on them later, though, as we have to save some for later.
Next Week, the Alpha Rules will be released, allowing players and Directors to play games in the setting. The first release will contain all the basic rules for play and the Talent Paths up to Tier 3. Additionally, one Week Later, we will release the Alpha Entity Guide. We will update both of these documents as time goes on and we receive feedback to include higher tiers, more monsters, and additional rules.
We look forward to this journey with you, and thank you for your patience!
From Dreamscape Gaming!