DnDChick
Demon Queen of Templates
The Stalking Terror -- a template to make guys like Leatherface, Jason Voorhees, Michael Meyers, and the Fisherman (from I Know What You Did Last Summer) for Call of Cthulhu d20.
Stalking Terror
A Stalking Terror is a virtually unstoppable killing machine. Something in the mind of the killer has snapped—his brain is fed a steady stream of unchecked endorphins fueled by some unknowable rage. These homicidal maniacs stalk their prey unceasingly. They kill without mercy or compassion, usually singling out one victim and hunting them down to the exclusion of all others. Once that victim is slain, the Stalking Terror turns his lethal attention to some other unfortunate innocent. Stalking Terrors are almost always silent, never speaking or uttering any sound as they plod along behind their terrified victims.
The amount of injury a Stalking Terror can withstand is inhuman; they can be mutilated, stabbed, punched, electrocuted, shot, crushed, battered, run over, and drowned, and they always seem to come back. Many Stalking Terrors rise from their graves after death to continue their unspeakable and unfathomable killing sprees.
Immediately before his rapid and gruesome demise impaled on a fire poker in northern California, a psychologist with the Manchester Society speculated that there may be some connection between Stalking Terrors and Nyarlathotep.
Creating a Stalking Terror
“Stalking Terror” is a template that can be applied to any character or NPC (hereafter referred to as the “base character”). A character with the Stalking Terror template applied becomes an Offense Option character with Fortitude as their high save value. It uses the base character’s ability scores and special abilities except as noted below.
Hit Dice: Same as base character, increase to d8.
Speed: Same as base character.
AC: The base character gains a natural armor bonus of +2.
Attacks: A Stalking Terror tends to avoid using ranged weapons, preferring instead to kill at close range with melee weapons.
Face/Reach: Same as base character.
Special Attacks: The Stalking Terror retains all the Special Attacks of the base character, and gains the following.
Superior Weapon Mastery (Ex): A Stalking Terror is proficient with all melee weapons, simple, martial, and exotic.
Favored Weapon (Ex): Upon receiving this template, a Stalking Terror must choose a favored melee weapon. When using his favored weapon, a Stalking Terror has a +2 to damage and gains the benefit of Improved Critical even if he doesn’t meet the prerequisites.
Special Qualities: The Stalking Terror retains all the Special Qualities of the base character, and gains the following.
Stalker (Ex): A Stalking Terror gains a +4 racial bonus to Hide, Listen, Move Silently, Search, and Spot checks.
Detect Living (Su): A Stalking Terror can sense living creatures within 30 feet as if with the Blindsight ability. This range is doubled if the targets are experiencing strong emotions (lust, terror, etc.).
Increased Massive Damage Threshold (Ex): The massive amounts of endorphins raging unchecked through the Stalking Terror's body increases his Massive Damage Threshold to 20.
Undying Rage (Su): Such is a Stalking Terror's inhuman rage and desire to kill that there is a 75% chance that he will rise from the grave as an undead being 1d3 months after death. In this instance, his type changes to Undead, his hit die type increases to d12, he loses his Con score, and he gains the special qualities of the Undead type.
Saves: Recalculate as an Offense Option character using Fortitude as the high save.
Abilities: Str +6, Con +6, Int -2
Skills: The desire to kill consumes all other drives the character might once have had. The base character loses all but the following skills, which become his class skills: Balance, Climb, Escape Artist, Hide, Intimidate, Jump, Listen, Move Silently, Search, Sense Motive, Spot, Swim.
Feats: A Stalking Terror gains Improved Initiative and Weapon Focus (favored weapon) if the base character didn’t already have them. As with skills, the desire to kill eliminates the following Feats: Animal Affinity, Cautious, Gearhead, Persuasive, Skill Emphasis (non-physical skills only), and Trustworthy.
Challenge Rating: As base creature +1.
Alignment: Always chaotic evil.
Advancement: By character class.
Sanity: The base character’s Sanity drops to -10.
San Loss: 0/1d4
This sample Stalking Terror uses a 7th level archaeologist as the base character.
Dr. Max VonSchraeder
7th level Offense Option Archaeologist
Hit Dice: 7d8+35 (66 hp)
Initiative: +5 (Dex, Improved Initiative)
Speed: 30 ft.
AC: 13 (+1 Dex, +2 natural)
Attacks: Shovel +11/+6 melee [critical on 18-20]
Damage: Shovel 1d6+6
Special Attacks: Superior Weapon Mastery (proficient with all melee weapons), Favored Weapon (Shovel)
Special Qualities: Stalker (+4 Hide, Listen, Move Silently, Search, Spot), Detect Living, Increased Massive Damage Threshold (20), Undying Rage
Saves: Fort +10, Ref +4, Will +4
Abilities: Str 18, Dex 13, Con 20, Int 14, Wis 15, Cha 12
Skills: Balance +1, Climb +4, Escape Artist +1, Hide +6, Intimidate +1, Jump +4, Listen +8, Move Silently +5, Search +16, Sense Motive +2, Spot +17, Swim +4. VonSchraeder has lost his academic skills.
Feats: Alertness, Improved Initiative, Run, Weapon Focus (Shovel). VonSchraeder has lost his academic feats.
Challenge Rating: 8
Sanity: -10
San Loss: 0/1d4
Stalking Terror
A Stalking Terror is a virtually unstoppable killing machine. Something in the mind of the killer has snapped—his brain is fed a steady stream of unchecked endorphins fueled by some unknowable rage. These homicidal maniacs stalk their prey unceasingly. They kill without mercy or compassion, usually singling out one victim and hunting them down to the exclusion of all others. Once that victim is slain, the Stalking Terror turns his lethal attention to some other unfortunate innocent. Stalking Terrors are almost always silent, never speaking or uttering any sound as they plod along behind their terrified victims.
The amount of injury a Stalking Terror can withstand is inhuman; they can be mutilated, stabbed, punched, electrocuted, shot, crushed, battered, run over, and drowned, and they always seem to come back. Many Stalking Terrors rise from their graves after death to continue their unspeakable and unfathomable killing sprees.
Immediately before his rapid and gruesome demise impaled on a fire poker in northern California, a psychologist with the Manchester Society speculated that there may be some connection between Stalking Terrors and Nyarlathotep.
Creating a Stalking Terror
“Stalking Terror” is a template that can be applied to any character or NPC (hereafter referred to as the “base character”). A character with the Stalking Terror template applied becomes an Offense Option character with Fortitude as their high save value. It uses the base character’s ability scores and special abilities except as noted below.
Hit Dice: Same as base character, increase to d8.
Speed: Same as base character.
AC: The base character gains a natural armor bonus of +2.
Attacks: A Stalking Terror tends to avoid using ranged weapons, preferring instead to kill at close range with melee weapons.
Face/Reach: Same as base character.
Special Attacks: The Stalking Terror retains all the Special Attacks of the base character, and gains the following.
Superior Weapon Mastery (Ex): A Stalking Terror is proficient with all melee weapons, simple, martial, and exotic.
Favored Weapon (Ex): Upon receiving this template, a Stalking Terror must choose a favored melee weapon. When using his favored weapon, a Stalking Terror has a +2 to damage and gains the benefit of Improved Critical even if he doesn’t meet the prerequisites.
Special Qualities: The Stalking Terror retains all the Special Qualities of the base character, and gains the following.
Stalker (Ex): A Stalking Terror gains a +4 racial bonus to Hide, Listen, Move Silently, Search, and Spot checks.
Detect Living (Su): A Stalking Terror can sense living creatures within 30 feet as if with the Blindsight ability. This range is doubled if the targets are experiencing strong emotions (lust, terror, etc.).
Increased Massive Damage Threshold (Ex): The massive amounts of endorphins raging unchecked through the Stalking Terror's body increases his Massive Damage Threshold to 20.
Undying Rage (Su): Such is a Stalking Terror's inhuman rage and desire to kill that there is a 75% chance that he will rise from the grave as an undead being 1d3 months after death. In this instance, his type changes to Undead, his hit die type increases to d12, he loses his Con score, and he gains the special qualities of the Undead type.
Saves: Recalculate as an Offense Option character using Fortitude as the high save.
Abilities: Str +6, Con +6, Int -2
Skills: The desire to kill consumes all other drives the character might once have had. The base character loses all but the following skills, which become his class skills: Balance, Climb, Escape Artist, Hide, Intimidate, Jump, Listen, Move Silently, Search, Sense Motive, Spot, Swim.
Feats: A Stalking Terror gains Improved Initiative and Weapon Focus (favored weapon) if the base character didn’t already have them. As with skills, the desire to kill eliminates the following Feats: Animal Affinity, Cautious, Gearhead, Persuasive, Skill Emphasis (non-physical skills only), and Trustworthy.
Challenge Rating: As base creature +1.
Alignment: Always chaotic evil.
Advancement: By character class.
Sanity: The base character’s Sanity drops to -10.
San Loss: 0/1d4
This sample Stalking Terror uses a 7th level archaeologist as the base character.
Dr. Max VonSchraeder
7th level Offense Option Archaeologist
Hit Dice: 7d8+35 (66 hp)
Initiative: +5 (Dex, Improved Initiative)
Speed: 30 ft.
AC: 13 (+1 Dex, +2 natural)
Attacks: Shovel +11/+6 melee [critical on 18-20]
Damage: Shovel 1d6+6
Special Attacks: Superior Weapon Mastery (proficient with all melee weapons), Favored Weapon (Shovel)
Special Qualities: Stalker (+4 Hide, Listen, Move Silently, Search, Spot), Detect Living, Increased Massive Damage Threshold (20), Undying Rage
Saves: Fort +10, Ref +4, Will +4
Abilities: Str 18, Dex 13, Con 20, Int 14, Wis 15, Cha 12
Skills: Balance +1, Climb +4, Escape Artist +1, Hide +6, Intimidate +1, Jump +4, Listen +8, Move Silently +5, Search +16, Sense Motive +2, Spot +17, Swim +4. VonSchraeder has lost his academic skills.
Feats: Alertness, Improved Initiative, Run, Weapon Focus (Shovel). VonSchraeder has lost his academic feats.
Challenge Rating: 8
Sanity: -10
San Loss: 0/1d4
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