Mythic Monsters-Ziz

This is part of the A-Z Blog Challenge. Herein I am presenting a new monster that hopefully has not been seen before in any RPG game. This is drawn from stories and mythologies found in a variety of real-world cultures.


Ziz

The first sign was a faint breeze touching his cheek. It was there in force and then gone. Back again and gone; a rhythmic cycle of breeze and no breeze. Then a sudden whoosh and the sun was gone. Looking up to where the sun had been, he saw the biggest bird in the world. And then it dove.

The Ziz is a giant bird of Jewish mythology. It is 100’ tall and its wingspan is large enough to block out the sun when unfurled. In appearance it is similar to a griffin or roc. It is part of a triumvirate of beasts that also includes the Behemoth and Leviathan. It is a powerful beast and should be considered to be something akin to a Tarrasque; a penultimate creature.

The Ziz is relatively harmless, other than incidental damage caused by its sheer size, but it is also a protector of birds. If it is aware of any harm coming to birds it will bring its full force against that person or group. It does, however, need to eat and will take its food where it can, usually horse, oxen and cows; unfortunately it does not have a sense of ownership so will often take such food from people’s herds.

Abilities
-Claw Grab: The Ziz can grab its target in its claw and then squeeze for considerable amounts of damage.
-Wing Buffet: By flapping its wings it is able to create severe gusts of wind knocking groups down and pushing them away.

Adventures
-A Ziz took an ox from the herd of a man and the man grabbed onto the ox trying to get it back. Of course the Ziz did not notice and flew off with the pair. The wife of the man now approaches the party and asks them to return her husband. They will need to figure out a way to find the nest of the Ziz and climb up to it (an arduous task as it nests on one of the highest mountains of the world). How they deal with the Ziz (if its home) can also prove difficult.

-The characters are approached by a group and asked to kill the Ziz. They bring various reasons for doing so; property damage, inadvertent loss of life, etc. In reality they are part of a nihilistic cult and a prophecy declares that with the death of the Behemoth, Leviathan and Ziz it will bring on the end of days.

-Rumors begin to spread of a local hunter who is rampantly killing birds. Rumors also spread that the Ziz is nearby. The local villagers fear what the Ziz may do and ask the characters to stop the hunter, however they must. The hunter is belligerent by nature (he lives alone for a reason) and simple conversation will be difficult. In reality, another person has determined there is buried treasure on the hunter’s land and is looking for a way to remove the hunter from said land so he can conduct a thorough search. He has been killing the birds and spreading the rumors.

Mythic Monsters-Yamabiko

This is part of the A-Z Blog Challenge. Herein I am presenting a new monster that hopefully has not been seen before in any RPG game. This is drawn from stories and mythologies found in a variety of real-world cultures.


Yamabiko

At first he had thought it was a fault on his part. Occasionally he would hear something on the edge of his hearing. It was always soft and just out of reach. He would catch himself turning and looking, or peering off into nothing, looking for something that was not there. He looked as his companions and saw they were doing much the same. It was said the hills here were haunted by ghosts and spirits. Likely this was true; it certainly felt that way to him. It was four days before they passed out of the hills but those four days were the most nerve-racking he had ever experienced. He vowed to never pass that way again.

The Yamabiko is a spirit from Japan. At first glance it looks like a small man, but upon closer inspection it can be seen he is “not all there”. If a person tries to touch a Yamabiko it will feel like their hand is moving through molasses.

The Yamabiko prefer mountainous areas, as this usually facilitates their echo abilities. Therefore they like valleys, tops of ranges, and if forced underground, they like large cavernous areas. They usually are not malicious, but similar to other beings, can run the gamut of alignment. More often than not, a Yamabiko will be heard but never seen. If a conversation is struck up with one of these spirits they will often repeat what the previous person said before answering. For example, “What is your name?” is answered with “What is my name? I am known as Yamabiko.”

Abilities
-Echo: The Yamabiko is able to use an ability one of the player characters used in the previous round. The attack only has to be made in the vicinity of the Yamabiko, and does not have to target the Yamabiko.
-Thrown Voice: A Yamabiko has the ability to make it seem as if they are somewhere else. During each round, the first successful hit against a Yamabiko has a 50% chance of hitting the wrong spot and thus missing the Yamabiko. Subsequent hits in a round are rolled normally.
-Silence/Spirit Form: If the Yamabiko does nothing on its turn, it turns invisible to all forms of detection until it next attacks.

Adventures
-In order to complete an ancient prophecy/quest the party must “capture an echo”. This phrase could apply to a Yamabiko. Of course, the hard part will be finding and capturing a Yamabiko.

-A peasant approaches the characters and asks for their aid. His daughter had her voice taken by a Yamabiko (for being rude to the creature). Can they get her voice back? After finding this particular Yamabiko the party can take various approaches to their goal (intimidation, attacking, trickery, etc), but the Yamabiko is willing to return the voice if they can beat it in a game. This game consists of each person saying one word and then the next person repeating the word and adding a new word. People continue to repeat and add words until they mess up. The Yamabiko will only play against the “Champion” so the party will first have to play amongst themselves to see who is the best at the game; then they can challenge the Yamabiko. If the “Champion” fails to beat the Yamabiko it will play against the second place party member, etc. If it beats them all it still gives back the voice because they all played with it. [It is recommended you actually play this game out.]

Mythic Monsters-Xiuhcoatl

This is part of the A-Z Blog Challenge. Herein I am presenting a new monster that hopefully has not been seen before in any RPG game. This is drawn from stories and mythologies found in a variety of real-world cultures.


Xiuhcoatl

The ground was bereft of the living. Here and there were a few dried pieces of grass, brown and wilting, clinging to what little the grass could find for nourishment, but not much else. The ground itself felt warm to the touch, a warmth beyond that brought by the sun. And then something moved in the distance. At first it was small and low to the ground, but as it moved closer it was plainly to be seen as a large snake-like creature. Its scales shimmered in the heat. This is what they came here to find, that which had caused all this blight on the land. This is what they came here to kill.

A monster originating with the Aztecs, the Xiuhcoatl is a serpent. The name in Nahuatl (Aztec) means “turquoise serpent”, with a further meaning of “fire serpent”. It was the spirit form of the Aztec god, Xiuhtecuhtli, a fire deity. However, now when there are great conflagrations a Xiuhcoatl can be created spontaneously from the flames. Thus there are several of these in existence.

A Xiuhcoatl runs between 3-4 feet long and as expected is blue-green in color. Its eyes always are a bright red. Its body is segmented and its tail is pointed, though the tail is not used as a weapon. The haze of heat surrounding a Xiuhcoatl gives the creature a shimmering quality; this is an optical illusion only.

The creature is one of fire. Where it goes it brings drought and the scorching sun. It will despoil the land near a settlement, seeking either to weaken the community or drive the people from it. Thereafter it will hunt any stragglers. It is less a beast and more a force of nature. It seems to kill whenever it can; it will not face large groups of people. One theory is that the people it kills are automatically considered to be sacrifices to its parent god with no need of a more formal sacrificial ritual. This would help explain why it kills but does not feed.

As a side note: Similar to some other mythical monsters, the Xiuhcoatl name has been appropriated for military equipment. In this case, the FX-05 "Xiuhcoatl" is a rifle used by the Mexican army, first shown to the public in 2006.

Abilities
-Fire: The Xiuhcoatl has an aura of flame around it. Every time it attacks it does extra fire damage and every time a melee attack hits it the attacker also takes fire damage. The Xiuhcoatl can turn this aura on or off, though if is anticipating a fight it will leave it on.
-Heat: All those anywhere near the Xiuhcoatl will feel the moisture and life being drained out of them. Anyone near the Xiuhcoatl (and near means within range of interacting with the Xiuhcoatl) will suffer a “to hit” penalty.
-Bite: The bite of a Xiuhcoatl is exceptionally strong. It is able to bypass armor.

Adventures
-A cult that worships the fire deity from your world design have started setting fires in the hope a new Xiuhcoatl will be spawned. They have been setting smaller fires but the party stumbles upon plans for a huge inferno that will cover several blocks, destroying many buildings and killing many people. Can they stop the cultists in time?

-A Xiuhcoatl has been plaguing a town, with many burnt corpses of travelers found. In reality, this is the work of a cult dedicated to the fire god of your world; it may even be the same cult as above. This time, however, the cult is not an outside force, but rather made up of key townsfolk.

-A magician believes the eyes of a Xiuhcoatl can be used to see into the future, at least as far as potential fires; it can see the fires of the future. This would be a major boon for any large settlement. He is willing to equip the party with a lotion that will protect the characters from a Xiuhcoatl’s fire aura, allowing them readily kill one and take its eyes. However, the magician is really a cultist, similar to those in the other adventure ideas. The lotion, in fact, will cause the wearer to take more damage from fire. This is the magician’s way of sending sacrifices to the Xiuhcoatl.

Mythic Monsters-Water Leaper

This is part of the A-Z Blog Challenge. Herein I am presenting a new monster that hopefully has not been seen before in any RPG game. This is drawn from stories and mythologies found in a variety of real-world cultures.


Water Leaper

He couldn’t understand why more people didn’t fish at this pond. He had already caught four large fish in under 30 minutes. And again his line went taut with another fish on the line. He worked the line, but this must be a larger than nromal fish since he was having a hard time bringing it in. In fact…it was…pulling him out into the water. He pulled to the right and then the left trying to gain the upperhand. Then there was a yank and he pitched forward into the water. He finally let go of the pole. Coughing, he regained his legs, standing in the water on the edge of the pond. Then he saw it, or rather, them. A half dozen frog eyes floated barely above the surface of the water. Then they launched themselves into the air and along the top of the pond’s surface. They flapped their leathery wings once and were upon him in seconds.

The Water Leaper is the common name of the Llamhigyn Y Dwr, part of the Welsh mythos. It looks much like a giant frog, with bat-like wings replacing its front legs and a long tail, with a spike, replacing the hind legs. It is amphibious, much like a regular frog, and its common name is readily apparent as it wings over its chosen habitat of ponds, swamps and lakes. In the water it swims like a tadpole, using its tail to move.

The Water Leaper is carnivorous and has been known to attack animals and people. One method it uses to eat fishermen is to snap onto the fishing line and then if the fisherman does not let go they drag the fisherman to them. Also, its tail spike has a mild poison; this poison rarely kills healthy adults, but does slow down a person affected by the poison.

Abilities
-Grip: Once a Water Leaper latches onto something with its mouth it is very hard to dislodge it. They gain a supernatural strength that belies their size and weight.
-Tongue: Their tongue has a good reach and can be used as a ranged attack.
-Tail Spike: This utilizes a poison that does a little bit of damage, but also reduces the “to hit” chance of its target.

Adventures
-The priest of a local village has received a blessing from his god and the crops are both plentiful and productive. The livestock that partakes of this grain also grow quicker and larger than normal. Unfortunately, some Water Leaper have gotten into the grain and have grown to larger, and more dangerous, sizes. The party is asked to deal with the Water Leapers, but as long as the grain continues to exist it can happen again (and will). The real question (and struggle) becomes one of whether or not the grain should be allowed to continue to exist.

-A nearby pond has long been known as the home of a nest of Water Leapers. Everyone knows of them so they are easily avoided. However, someone has come into town and is looking to have the Water Leapers killed. He is willing to pay good money for the party to clear out the nest. What the party does not know is that there was an old temple dedicated to an evil god that was destroyed ages ago. The temple was torn down, but the lower sections were inaccessible so they created a pond over the ruins to hide it. The man is a member of a cult that worships this evil god and is looking to retrieve an evil artifact from the lower sections, but the Water Leapers proved too much for him. Will the characters discover his true intent before he gets away with it? Will they explore the ancient lower sections?

-A child in the village was attacked by a Water Leaper. She managed to escape, but was struck by the tail spike and is now suffering from the poison. The local priest says she will die unless the poison can be cured and for that to happen they will need the tail of the Water Leaper that attacked her. Can the heroes do this and in time?

Mythic Monsters-Vodnik

This is part of the A-Z Blog Challenge. Herein I am presenting a new monster that hopefully has not been seen before in any RPG game. This is drawn from stories and mythologies found in a variety of real-world cultures.


Vodnik

It rose out of the water, sending a ripple of waves outward. At first it looked like a part of the bog had lifted itself out of the depths until it revealed itself fully in a vaguely humanoid form. The thing let out a hissing gurgle and reeked of rotten mulch. The fisherman gagged and took a step back. He stumbled backwards onto the shore of the lake. He turned to flee but then felt the tug. It was like a steel beast had grabbed his arm but there was nothing there. He turned frantically and saw the creature concentrating and gesturing; obviously it was the cause. Then the invisible grip began to pull him toward the water and the creature. The fisherman scrambled away but was still slowly pulled against his will. He jammed his pole into the muddy shore to stop the movement. It held and the fisherman pulled himself away from the water. Then the fishing pole snapped and the fisherman was pulled into the water, never to be seen again.

A Slavic and Russian monster, this is the undead form of a man or boy who drowned in a body of fresh water. No matter what age the person died at, the Vodnik always appears as a naked old man with green hair, green skin and algae covering his body. There is some variation in their forms as some take on blackish scales instead of undead flesh. Some also gain webbing between their fingers and/or gills.

A Vodnik is always tied to the body of water wherein he drowned. As a warning to the unwary, they can leave their water source for short periods of time so simply leaving the water is not enough to escape them. However, they have greater strength when they are actually in their water; in fact, their added strength is proportional to how much of their body is actually beneath the surface of the water. Thus they try to drag their victims beneath the surface as quickly as possible.

The Vodnik can control the fish in their water. This can range from simply having an extra set of eyes everywhere, to having minions to attack with. This gets even worse if there is a monstrous fish in the water as well. Also, when a Vodnik kills a victim within its water source, the soul of the victim does not pass on or even turn into another Vodnik. Instead the soul is transferred into one of the fish in the body of water, trapped there until the fish is killed.

Vodnik are naturally hostile to those not of their kind. However, it is possible to placate them enough so they will leave a person alone. This starts with overtures of kindness to the Vodnik from the edge of the water (woe to the person who tries to enter the water uninvited). First it begins with doffing your hat to the Vodnik as you pass by. Thereafter giving it tobacco or fish will help. Never will a Vodnik become friendly with a person, but at most, they will refrain from automatically attacking the person.

As a side note, the Russians built the GAZ-3937 "Vodnik", an amphibious vehicle.

Abilities
-Drag: The Vodnik is able to drag its victim toward it. The Vodnik must be in water to use this ability, but this drag does not require physical contact and can be done at range.
-Drowning: The Vodnik can fill the lungs of its victim as a special attack, basically causing the victim to immediately start drowning. This attack requires the victim to have some part of itself in the water.
-Water Strength: While within the water the Vodnik gains bonuses to hit and damage. How much this bonus is depends on how much of the Vodnik is in the water. To keep things simple, apply a bonus when the Vodnik is half or fully in the water.

Adventures
-A magician has a theory that since there has never been any Vodnik found in salt water, there is something about salt water that can harm them. The party is tasked with gathering some salt water and “attacking” a Vodnik with it. According to the real-world myths this should actually work, but of course you can decide to change that.

-Tragedy has struck. For a long time there has been a monstrous squid-like creature in the lake the village was built next to. The creature would disrupt fishing and trade and the village decided to do something about it. They hired a party of adventurers to kill the beast. Unfortunately the beast was too much for the group and it destroyed their boat and they drowned. Now the village has to content with a pack of Vodnik and the monster they now control. Hopefully, the player characters can do better than the last group of adventurers.

-A woman has lost her son to a Vodnik. She knows her son’s soul is trapped in the lake inside a fish. She beseeches the party to kill the fish housing her son’s soul so it can go on. Of course that means dealing with the Vodnik as well.

-While passing near a lake the characters are attacked by a Vodnik. As they finish dispatching the creature they are seen by a native of the nearby village and he is outraged. It seems the villagers had all been able to reach an agreement with the Vodnik, wherein they fed it tobacco and fish and it left them alone. Of course the nearby lair of orcs had not reached this agreement with the Vodnik and it killed them on sight. The lake lies between the orc lair and the village, so the Vodnik inadvertently acted as a protector for the village against the orcs. Now that it is gone the village lies vulnerable to the orcs. The village will attempt to guilt the party into destroying the orc lair.