The Strange Bestiary
When a child comes crying about a monster lurking under the bed, hiding in the closet, or scratching its claws against the window, parents in recursions that host such horrors still assume the culprit is a pile of clothes or the wind pushing branches against the glass. That's what the narrative that created the recursion demands, which is too bad, the lights are on. While powerless, they remain aware of their surroundings and can still move, but they are undetectable and cannot harm anyone. Only in dim light or darker conditions does a bogeyman take shape.
In its normal form, a bogeyman is nothing more than a pair of disembodied red eyes that float inside a shapeless smear of shadow. As its action, a bogeyman reaches out to feed on courage. Any creature that can see the thing must succeed on an Intellect defense roll or take 2 points of Intellect damage as its courage drains away and blood seeps from its eyes, nose, and ears. In addition, the difficulty to resist the bogeyman's attack increases by one step. This is a cumulative increase up to a maximum of five steps.
If a bogeyman feeds on multiple targets simultaneously, it takes the form of whatever scares the target that has suffered the most Intellect damage. This could mean the bogeyman is less frightening to other targets whose greatest fear isn't manifesting before them.
Motive: Terrorize humans, specifically children
Environment (Magic): Under beds, in closets, outside windows, or in toy boxes
Health: 9
Damage Inflicted: Minor wound (3 points)
Movement: Immediate
Modifications: All tasks related to intimidation as level 6.
Combat: As creatures of the night, bogeymen have no power in the light. Even when fully manifested, they disappear as soon as the lights are on. While powerless, they remain aware of their surroundings and can still move, but they are undetectable and cannot harm anyone. Only in dim light or darker conditions does a bogeyman take shape..
In its normal form, a bogeyman is nothing more than a pair of disembodied red eyes that float inside a shapeless smear of shadow. As its action, a bogeyman reaches out to feed on courage. Any creature that can see the thing must succeed on an Intellect defense roll or take 2 points of Intellect damage as its courage drains away and blood seeps from its eyes, nose, and ears. In addition, the difficulty to resist he bogeyman's attack increases by one step. This is a cumulative increase up to a maximum of five steps..
Each time a bogeyman inflicts Intellect damage, it becomes more solid, more real, taking the shape of whatever its beholder fears most. Its appearance is subjective to the viewer..
Any character killed by a bogeyman dies of fright, his hair stark white and face twisted into a horrified grimace.
Interaction: Bogeymen are sneaky and wicked creatures. They love eavesdropping on people to steal their secrets. If a bogeyman fails to frighten a creature, its demeanor changes and it becomes whining and cringing, offering tantalizing secrets to ingratiate itself with such a clearly powerful opponent.
Use: A bogeyman attaches itself to an item taken from a place reputed to be haunted and emerges under the cover of night to terrorize the person who took the object. If a bogeyman feeds on multiple targets simultaneously, it takes the form of whatever scares the target that has suffered the most Intellect damage. This could mean the bogeyman is less frightening to other targets whose greatest fear isn't manifesting before them.
GM Intrusion: A character who sees the bogeyman and fails an Intellect defense roll reacts viscerally, screaming long and loud. .