Three Characteristic Behaviors Per Monster

[Bonedagger]

Devils: Usually judging everything from a "Devils Lawers" point of view. With motives of control through domination, threats and fear. They gain their pleasure from turning people against each other. Twisting truth. They need people to submit of their own free will or it is meaningless.

Demons: They enjoy terror and panic. Where Devil enjoy to mess with the heads of their victims Demons enjoy creating the environment where people will mess with their own heads. Where the devils will enjoy seeing you suffer under the treath of being maimed Demons will enjoy seeing your reaction as it is maiming you. They do like a good mind manipulation now and then but unlike Devils Demons mostly make up lies instead of manipulating the truth.

Yogoloth: These alien creature don't considder their surroundings more that resources avalible to them. A human would in this case be an aktive lifeforce flesh-container. And considdering flesh being easy to shape and lifeforce being a popular energy source a human would probably get harvested.

 

[LostSoul]

Did we ever get anything from the "3 adventure hooks per monster" thread?

 

[mmadsen]

Three Plot Hooks Per Monster

Did we ever get anything from the "3 adventure hooks per monster" thread?

Voila: Three Plot Hooks Per Monster

 

[Rhialto]

Bugbear--Snicker to each other in a deep throaty way. Smack each other around a lot. Collect skulls, as a hobby, for laughs.

Athaylatch--Scratch its belly with the extra arm. Mutter stupidly to itself. Demand impossiblely large ransoms, and then be satisfied when it's shown a pearl necklace.

 

[Lurks-no-More]

Erinyes:
Prudish dominatrixes who absolutely *hate* love, kindness and anything even remotely chaotic. They corrupt people by inflaming their desires on one hand while forcing them to keep their emotions bottled up on the other. Think of the nastier side-effects of Victorian mores.

Worgs:
Prone to infighting; very territorial and edgy. Submit to being ridden by goblins, but tend to nip at their riders if they aren't wary. They kill more than they can eat, just for the sheer fun of it.

Nagas, all varieties:
Very passive if not disturbed. Cool but vain. Frequently coil in groups, slithering over each other. Think post-Polgara Salmissra from Belgariad.

 

[mmadsen]

Erinyes: Prudish dominatrixes who absolutely *hate* love, kindness and anything even remotely chaotic. They corrupt people by inflaming their desires on one hand while forcing them to keep their emotions bottled up on the other. Think of the nastier side-effects of Victorian mores.

Worgs: Prone to infighting; very territorial and edgy. Submit to being ridden by goblins, but tend to nip at their riders if they aren't wary. They kill more than they can eat, just for the sheer fun of it.

Nagas, all varieties: Very passive if not disturbed. Cool but vain. Frequently coil in groups, slithering over each other. Think post-Polgara Salmissra from Belgariad.

Lurks-no-More, could you reshape those (especially the Erinyes example) into specific, visible behaviors? Your Worg examples are much more concrete. Here's my take on them, by the way:

Worgs: Nip at their Goblin riders. Kill more than they can eat, but guard it jealously. Howl from one direction to drive their prey into the maws of their packmates on the other side.

 

[mmadsen]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Three Characteristic Behaviors Per Monster

One jumped into my mind. A dead, bloated baby floating face-up in a swamp.

First, I'm glad these things don't jump into my mind. Second, just how do you work a dead, bloated baby floating face-up in a swamp into a cable-knit sweater?

 

[Lurks-no-More]

Lurks-no-More, could you reshape those (especially the Erinyes example) into specific, visible behaviors? Your Worg examples are much more concrete. Here's my take on them, by the way:

Worgs: Nip at their Goblin riders. Kill more than they can eat, but guard it jealously. Howl from one direction to drive their prey into the maws of their packmates on the other side.

Your word is my command! Let's try again, in a more concrete fashion...

Erinyes: Dress in an alluring way, yet show as little of skin as possible; treat their charmed followers with undisguised contempt; are visibly disgusted by open displays of affection.

Nagas: Speak in low, hissing voices, often repeating their sentences with minor but significant variations; spend time coiled together and admiring themselves in mirrors or reflecting pools; sway in an almost hypnotic fashion when angry or afraid.

And some more...

Night hags: Dress in tattered clothes made from human skins; frequently speak in riddles or in rhyme; when excited or angered, claw themselves and pull their hair.

Winter wolves: Drive their prey onto slippery ice or into deep snow; eat their kills only after they have thoroughly cooled; sing eerie prayers to the full moon.

Manticores: Follow their prey from afar, circling above, watching them before attacking; play with their food; store their kills by impaling them on broken tree branches or by wedging them in cracks in cliffsides.

Devourers: Never speak or make a sound, even in combat; the victim being devoured will weep and moan, urging the characters to flee lest they suffer the same fate.

 

[s/LaSH]

Some more ideas:

Retrievers: (Demonic constructs)
Make scary robot sounds. Half the time, they intone words in Abyssal, Celestial and Draconic simultaneously, along the lines of 'Target acquired'. 'Tracking... compensating... locked.' 'Moving to engage.' The other half of the time, they speak in the same dull tone/languages, saying demonic things like 'Your soul is oursss!' 'I'll t-tear out your sp-spine.' 'Mwa ha ha ha ha ha.' And as far as their actions go, they belong to the same school of thought as the Terminator: Walk dumbly towards their target, pausing only to engage anyone who gets in their way.

Vampires:
Having shifted from prey to predator, vamps are naturally aloof and refer to their opponents as 'mere mortals'. Because they're so tough and generally damage resistant, they favour a combat style called 'dreadnaught', in which they basically ignore incoming blows (as they do little or no damage, they just let them bounce off with no visible effort) and concentrate on hurting their opponents. One favourite techique is to sieze an opponent by the throat and swing them around a while (as a grapple, but looking cool). They tend to talk incessantly about little things, either their own angst or their own superiority, depending on the 'style' of vamp.

Zombies:
Besides moaning and crying out for various body organs, zombies are unintelligent opponents. Every so often, part of their body falls off and they pause to pick it up, such as jamming a jaw back onto their skull or reeling in a string of stinking guts behind them. Generally, there's no mistaking these things for living beings. (This is included in their partial-actions-only feature.)

Werewolves:
As a human, the werewolf may have an animalistic presence that electrifies nearby people, much like a charismatic leader. He/she will care for their family and friends, much like a wolf would. In general, they're a social animal and are greatly concerned with their own position. However, as a wolf, they embody the other aspect of their animal self: violence and stalking their prey, often those that they otherwise love. (As a variant, try a human who's psychopathic and a wolf who's a valiant guardian of the community.)

 

[psychognome]

Devils: Generally good natured, unless you rile 'em off. Avoid fighting, instead trying to bargain with their enemy. Like to trade in souls.

The last idea came to my head in business studies class, when we were talking about sole traders. I quickly sketched a picture of an imp with jars filled with souls, and with a sign saying "Souls fer sale!" and "Get 'em whyle thei're fresh!"