Spes Magna Games

I started watching season one of Cleverman on Netflix. I’m two episodes in, and it’s pretty good. Australian history and mythology blend with science-fiction, dystopia, and a bit of horror. Central to the story are the Hairypeople (or Hairies), a non-human humanoid people who entered the “real world” from the Dreaming on what is called Emergence Day.

The Hairies are drawn from Australian mythology, such as from the Gamilaraay and Bundjalung peoples. Stronger and faster than humans, heavy facial and body hair cover Hairies, who also have thick, almost talon-like fingernails as well as brightly colored eyes. A Hairy is sufficiently human in appearance to pass as human with shaving, nail-trimming, and the wearing of tinted contact lenses.

Of course, watching the first two episodes this week reminded me of Chaosium’s Terror Australis for Call of Cthulhu. So, with that in mind, here are the Hairyfolk. (N.B. Those previous two links are affiliate links.)

Hairypeople (Lesser Independent Race)

STR 3d6+6 (16-17)
CON 3d6+3 (13-14)
SIZ 2d6+6 (13)
INT 2d6+6 (13)
POW 3d6+3 (13-14)
DEX 3d6+6 (16-17)
APP 3d6 (10-11)
Hit Points 15-16
Move 10

Weapon (Attack %, Damage)
Fist/Punch (50%, 1d3+1d4)
Kick (25%, 1d6+1d4)
Nails (35%, 1d4+1d4)

Armor 1 point of skin and hair
Spells Hairyfolk with a POW of 14 or more will know spells at the discretion of the Keeper. At least 1d4 spells will be known by such exceptional Hairyfolk.
Skills Climb 55%, Hide 25%, Jump 40%, Listen 35%, Sing 25%, Sneak 25%, Spot Hidden 35%, Swim 55%, Throw 30%, Track 35%
SAN None

Tags: Call of Cthulhu, horror, monsters

The provenance of They Who Want In, a cursed painting depicting a slightly grotesque doll and an expressionless boy standing in front of a door composed largely of glass panes, has long been a mystery. Unconfirmed reports say an obscure artist named Gaspar Laurence painted the image. Laurence can neither confirm nor deny these reports as he died after a massive stroke while an inmate at the Binkley Asylum for the Criminally Insane in the late summer of 1963. The painting hung for a time in the swank apartments of actor Bradford Hughes. Hollywood legend has long claimed the painting inspired Rod Serling to create Night Gallery, which aired for four years on NBC. (“The Cemetary”, part of Night Gallery‘s pilot, featured a frightening painting that possesses characteristics attributed to They Who Want In.)

When Hughes committed suicide in 1976, the painting appears to have vanished. It was next reported in the possession of Mr. and Mrs. Harold Feldman, who claim to have found the painting in an antique shop while on vacation. They purchased the painting as a gift for Alice Feldman, their ten-year-old daughter. Little needs to be said about the horrific murder-suicide at the hands of Mr. Feldman followed by the arson that destroyed most of the Feldman home but somehow left the painting intact. The case is quite famous, and it has been thoroughly documented by no fewer than three authors.

Resourceful investigators may discover that Gaspar Laurence was born Gaspar Peruggio. He emigrated to the United States from Florence, Italy, shortly after World War II, changing his name in order to break from his past as a Nazi collaborator and dealer in stolen art and artifacts. He was also an avid occultist who had extensively studied several tomes related to the Mythos. In one of these tomes, Laurence learned dark secrets that enabled him to paint portals leading to and from realms of madness and despair. They Who Want In is one such painting.

At night, the painting draws on the psychic energies of those in its proximity. It stores some of this energy, and uses the remainder to create potentially terrifying effects. Anyone who spends more than an hour near the painting must make a POW versus POW struggle. The painting has 18 POW. If the victim fails this struggle, he loses 1 point of POW, which the painting converts to a Magic Point, and the victim must then make a SAN roll. SAN loss from this effect equals 0/1d4.

When the painting has accumulated 3 Magic Points, its deadlier effects begin to manifest. Those in proximity to the risk POW loss every 2d6 hours. The painting also spends Magic Points, always at night. The painting’s powers and their Magic Point cost are summarized below.

1 Magic Point: Cause a figure in the painting to move. Anyone viewing this risks 1/1d4 points of SAN.

2 Magic Points: Cause several figures in the painting to move and make noise. Anyone experience this risks 1/1d6 SAN.

3 Magic Points: Cause either the doll or the boy to leave the painting and assume corporeal form. Anyone encountering either creature risks 0/1d4 SAN, unless they know the creature’s origin, in which case they risk 1/1d6 SAN. Treat either creature as a ghoul. If killed, the figure reappears in the painting.

3 Magic Points: Become immune to fire and slashing damage until the sun rises.

5 Magic Points: Teleport itself to a different location. Stories say that at least once the painting has used this power to return to torment its owner after the owner had tossed the painting in a river.

Tags: Call of Cthulhu, Gifts Dark and Dangerous

querulous: (adj.) complaining in a petulant or whining manner

Nota Bene: Again a move away from Swords & Wizardry and Stars Without Number to focus briefly on a genuine Old School game. I’m back with Chaosium today for that esteemed company’s greatest game, Call of Cthulhu, using my 3rd edition hardback from 1986 for the first time in too long. The day after tomorrow I’m going to go way back again to TSR’s Top Secret.

Black-eyed children appear as preadolescents, but their eyes are solid black with no differentiation between sclera, pupil, or iris. Often, Black-eyed children can be seen playing games and singing the nursery songs in or near abandoned areas. Other reports claim these entities show up alone or in a pairs at people’s doors, usually at night. They avoid eye contact, looking down to hide their eyes. Black-eyed children tend to whine and sulk, and they have bad tempers.

Black-eyed children often attempt to talk a victim into allowing them entry into the home to use a telephone or to be safe from some unspecified danger. Other times, they approach strangers, asking for a place to stay or for an escort home. Victims cannot always refuse these requests, for black-eyed children seem to possess the power to compel obedience. When a black-eyed child attacks, it does so with savage ferocity and a strength that belies its size. At this time, the entity’s skin changes, becoming pallid and corpse-like.

Black-Eyed Child (Lesser Independent Race)

“Let us in,” came the whisper through mail slot, and despite the fearful chill down my back, I reached for the door’s lock.

Black-eyed children may attempt to compel nonviolent behavior through the semi-hypnotic power of their voices. A successful POW vs. POW roll resists the child’s words. It costs a child 1d4 magic points to use this ability.

Characteristics (Average)
STR 3d6+10 (20-21)
CON 2d6+6 (13)
SIZ 1d6+6 (9-10)
INT 3d6 (10-11)
POW 3d6+3 (13-14)
DEX 3d6+3 (13-14)
APP 3d6 (10-11)
Hit Pts 11-12
Move 8

Weapon (Attk%, Damage)
Fist/Punch (55%, 1d3+1d4)
Kick (45%, 1d6+1d4)
Weapon (30%, by weapon+1d4)

Armor: None
Spells: To determine spells known by a black-eyed child, roll 1d100. If the roll is higher than the child’s INT, it knows no spells. If the roll is equal to or lower than the child’s INT, it knows that many spells.
Skills: Climb 45%, Dodge DEX+10%, Hide 65%, Jump 45%, Listen 80%, Sneak 65%, Spot Hidden 50%
SAN: Meeting a black-eyed child’s gaze costs 1 SAN, but a successful SAN roll indicates no loss. Seeing a black-eyed child’s skin change costs 1d6 points of SAN, or no loss with a successful SAN roll.

Tags: A to Z 2014, Call of Cthulhu, horror, monsters