#18 Skin Demon: 31 Horrors for Ruination Pilgrimage

 Skin Demon

Type: Demon

Group: 1

Unlike almost all other demons, a Skin Demon wears the skin of a person, rather than possessing a body. They are not bound by typical laws such as proximity to a Hellmouth. They delight in wearing the skin of an innocent often a grandmotherly type or a wide eyed child. A Skin Demon has already devoured the body including brain so they will further the deception by doing what that person liked to do such as baking, knitting, or playing children's games. 

C:85 1d10 + 1d10 Claw DMG + Unearthly Laughter AP:4 I:70 W:3(18) ES:4

Unearthly Laughter: They will claw while laughing like a wholesome old woman or child never could. Fear Save or (D) on Combat Tests for 1d5 Rounds. 

Shed Skin: When only one Wound remains a Skin Demon will rip off their stolen skin revealing their true nature and appearance of a flayed bipedal demon with a skull face and bloodied webbed wings (forcing a Sanity Save). They will beat their wings forcing anyone within Throwing Range to fall prone unless they pass an Agility Test. They will then fly off. 

Invulnerability: Normal weapons will cause no DMG to this demon. (They have to have a relic attached or some other means such as a Sacred or Power written prayer scroll or Demon's Bane Oil)

#17 Beetle, Large: 31 Horrors for Ruination Pilgrimage

 Beetle, Large Acidic

Type: Monstrous Animal

Group: 1d5+2

Large, copper colored beetles, approaching 4 ft long. They are generally fairly passive, but if they're attacked or feeling threatened large acidic beetles will defend themselves with jaws and acid spray. 

C:65 1d5 Biting DMG or Acidic Spray AP:7 I:50 W:2(14)

Acidic Spray: Those within Throwing Range receive a full blast of acidic spray if failing an Agility Test. 3d5 DMG and 1d5 AP DMG. Those passing an Agility Test are only splashed causing 1d5 DMG and 1 AP DMG. Each beetle only has enough acid for one spray. 

#16 Bird, Terror: 31 Horrors for Ruination Pilgrimage

 Bird, Terror

Type: Monstrous Animal

Group: 1d5+1

A vicious hunter, standing up to 8 ft tall, flightless, with a massive skull and razor sharp beak. Intelligent hunters who run in small packs, terror birds are very fast and will hit hard and then run off only to return and attack again. 

C:70 1d10 + 2 Slashing DMG AP:3 I:75 W:2(13)

Cautious: Terror birds who pass an Instinct Test after losing a Wound will not return to fight.

Fast: When rolling for Initiative, those who pass their Agility Test are able to attack as normal, then terror birds attack and run off. All those who failed their Agility Test are too slow to attack. Terror birds will circle back to attack again in 1d5 Rounds.   

#15 Rat, Giant: 31 Horrors for Ruination Pilgrimage

 Rat, Giant

Type: Monstrous Animal

Group: 2d5+2

Rats of great size, hunger, and ferocity. Their chisel-like incisors are capable of inflicting great damage. Giant rats use those teeth to chew through brick and stone, building complicated warrens underground in both wilderness and city. 

C:55 Bite 1d5+3 DMG AP:2 I:55 W:2(5)

#14 Rodent, Gliding: 31 Horrors for Ruination Pilgrimage

 Rodent, Gliding

Type: Animal

Group: 1d5+2

A large rodent with short, pitch black fur, and baggy flaps of red leathery skin between front and back legs. Gliding rodents grow to about 6 ft long, a 4 ft long prehensile tail, a with a "wingspan" of 8 ft wide.  They're short muzzled with sharply pointed incisors and tiny eyes. Gliding rodents are nocturnal carnivores who drop out of the tree canopy often gliding from as far as Bowshot Range. 

C:60 1d5 Gnawing DMG + Bleed 2 AP:1 I:70 W:3(8)

Drop & Bag: Gliding Rodents drop onto their prey and attempt to wrap them up with loose skin and long, sinewy legs. Instead of a Combat Test in their first attack, they make an Instinct Test. If successful they drop on prey, wrap them up, and start biting furiously doing 2d5 DMG + Bleed (2) each round until their prey succeeds on a Strength Test. 

Silent as Death: These rodents are weirdly silent, dark as the night, and give no warning of attack. Combat starts with their attack (using Instinct as above), then Initiative rolls are made in the normal order. 

 

#13 Slime, Ruling: 31 Horrors for Ruination Pilgrimage

 Slime, Ruling

Type: Demonic Animal

Group: 1 

A bright yellow and vivid purple-veined slime mold. It's only want is to devour any organic tissue it comes across. It spreads orally, usually when an infected minion vomits into the mouth of a new victim. Ruling slime can infect any animal, but it prefers people due it's ability to link minds and create a networked hive mind. A network of squirrels, while terrifying to witness, doesn't have much ability to plan beyond "where should we bury this nut, and where did we bury that nut." That said, several people networked together with larger forest creatures such as a bear or wolf can create quite a threat. 

A Ruling Slime's domain often looks like a blighted forest. Trees are in the process of dying and dropping their leaves while the bark is dissolved by hungry patches of yellow slime and thick purple veins hang over limbs reaching for more food. Skeletons of smaller creatures covered in trails of dried slime with blossoms of bright orange cup mushrooms protrude from dead mosses and crispy ferns. 

Somewhere in this devastation hides the central "brain" of the Ruling Slime. A bulbous, yellow, furrowed mass with veins reaching in all directions and protected by a group of controlled zombies in various states of decay.  

C:0 AP:0 I:90 W:2(25)

Ruling Slime Zombies: In the infected domain there could be as many as 20-100 infected zombies spread out in the area. There will be 2d10 guarding the Ruling Slime's brain. They have the same statblock as zombies but use the Instinct of the Ruling Slime. 

C:55 2d5 Blunt DMG AP:3 I:90 W:2(12) ES:2

Vomit Attack: When an infected has taken a Wound their next attack will be vomiting infectious slime at a target in Adjacent Range. An Agility Test must be passed or vomit strikes doing 1d5 acidic DMG. Next Round a Body Save must be passed or the slime starts infecting the host. This is subtle at first causing any attacks against the brain or other infected to be made with (D). 

An exorcism (ES:1) will destroy the growing infection causing the neutralized slime to be puked up. If this is not done within 2 days, host will wonder off eventually growing into a new Ruling Slime brain.

(If other animals are wanted as hosts, use their statblock but change their Instinct to 90)

#12 Crab, Large Forest: 31 Horrors for Ruination Pilgrimage

 Crab, Large Forest

Type: Animal

Group: 1d10

Covered in mosses and lichen, these land crabs scuttle about wet, temperate forests and nearly disappear into the background when standing still thanks to their coat of living camouflage. They are 3-4 ft wide and 3 ft tall. Mushrooms and bracket fungi are the biggest part of their diet but they also have a taste for meat. Whether said meat is carrion or currently attached to a living creature, forest crabs don't seem to care. 

C:55 1d5 + 1d5 Claw DMG AP:5 I:68 W:2(8)

Cryptic Huddle: After losing a Wound, Instinct is rolled. On a success large forest crabs dig their claws into the soil, launch a cloud of debris at their attackers to distract, pull in their claws, crouch low, and blend into the forest undergrowth. While in this stance their AP becomes AP:9 and normal attempts to see them require a successful Sanity Save. This is a defensive measure performed when they've decided the fight is no longer worth it. 

Claw Bash: When in Cryptic Huddle but attacked, a success on Instinct Test triggers Claw Bash: the forest crabs punch out with both claws. Their opponent must succeed on an Agility Test or take 2d10 DMG + Bleed 2 and is knocked down. Succeed on Instinct again to see if crab resumes Cryptic Huddle.