Old Gods of Appalachia
Deer are common in Appalachia, but every now and then someone sees a creature that they think is a deer—and then quickly realize it's something else entirely. Its eyes might face forward instead of to the sides, its mouth might be an elongated canine snout with jagged teeth, or it might have extra joints in its legs, or claws or hands instead of hooves. It might even stand on two legs. It shows no fear of humans and moves strangely, like a puppet, making odd clicking noises. Whatever the specifics of its form, this wrongness marks it as a "not deer," and its presence is unnerving to any person who sees it.
Not deer are larger and faster than regular deer. They've been seen eating carrion, and although they aren't inherently aggressive, their lack of fear toward humans means that instead of fleeing, they might attack if approached or threatened.
Like deer, not deer are usually spotted at night, or in the early morning or evening when visibility is low. It may be that whatever makes not deer the unnatural things they are also makes them avoid daylight. They often travel with normal deer, which don't seem to realize there's anything amiss with their monstrous companion.
Not deer might be incidentally related to or created by The Thing Whose Name Sounds Like Horned Head But Is Not—though perhaps not a conscious act on his part. It could be that malevolent energy left behind when he passes through an area can infect a normal deer and turn it into a not deer.
Belongs To: The Inner Dark
Motive: Hunger for plants and flesh
Environment: Woods and roads, alone or in herds (of their own kind or mixed with normal deer)
Health: 9
Damage Inflicted: Minor wound (3 points)
Armor: 1
Movement: Long
Modifications: Perception and stealth as level 4
Combat: A not deer attacks once per round with a bite, antlers, or hooves, depending on what features its body has. Any creature within short range of a not deer must succeed at an Intellect defense task or be unnerved by its unnatural presence, hindering all of their actions for one minute. Deer and not deer are immune to this ability.
Interaction: Not deer are beasts, but they have no fear of humans, and perhaps no fear of other supernatural creatures. One or more not deer might calmly graze in the vicinity of a Thing such as a Hound—although there's no guarantee the not deer won't be attacked if the other creature is hungry or malicious.
Use: Travelers on a road spot a deer up ahead, but instead of running away, it acts strangely and makes disturbing clicking noises. Seeing a group of deer in the failing light is a momentary respite from the horrors of the world—until it becomes apparent hat one of the animals is a not deer.
Connection: Someone in the character's family was supposedly changed into a not deer by a witch. The character heard about not deer from a reliable witness who saw one.
GM Intrusion: Another not deer, previously out of sight, charges a long distance and attacks, easing its attack and inflicting an additional minor wound (3 points).
A not deer's strange behavior is suddenly terrifying, causing a character who fails an Intellect defense roll to lose their next turn or flee a long distance away.