Post your Cthuloid Encounters here

[Clovenhoof]

I happened to notice that quite a few GMs here like to introduce a Lovecraftian touch to their campaigns, or even focus their campaign on Cthuloid threats. I'm not very familiar with this genre, but it sounds like it could be something suitable for my group as well.

So please help me out here.
Do you devise your own monsters/demons? How do you stat them out? Are the PCs supposed to engage and vanquish them in open combat, or do they need to find a more sophisticated method? How do they know when it's time to fold rather than fight?

Again, descriptions (with stats) or Horrors that you have come up with are highly welcome. Thanks in advance.

[Aholibamah]

First of all, i would really recommend you picking up one of chaosium's books for some background for Call of Cthulhu--they're well written and worth the read alone.

Also check out this for atmosphere which in part at least explains the perspective of Call of Cthulhu. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ftld7Ohojg

In Lovecraftian mythology there are basically three kinds of strange beings. There are ancient races, some powerful some only moderately so that once had sway over the world. Some of them are simply remnants, dying out, or beasts from another era. Others such as Cthulhu and his spawn and minions are waiting for the hour of their return. (these are the Great Old Ones) Then there are alien races that have come to the world for whatever reason--some can be called or summoned--and thus have strange anatomies and strange knowledge. Then there are individual and bizarre ultimately powerful beings called the Outer Gods. These Outer Gods are rarely encountered except through their dark messenger, Nyarlathotep. They are utterly alien and terrifying. To merely encounter one can drive a person totally mad.

The way it works then is this: the alien and ancient races can ultimately be killed by some earthly means--their flesh and blood may be strange but it is still physical.

The Great Old Ones are virtually immortal--they exist in part out of our reality and thus are very hard to permanently damage. However most of them also don't belong in our era and either dwell in remote locations or are 'sleeping'. Mostly repelling/banishing/warding them is the way to go with them.

The Outer Gods on the other hand can be banished though this can take a powerful ritual. They certainly can be killed but only if they have taken a temporary fleshly form, though this will be probably very powerful. (you might want to read "The Dunwich Horror" for an example of this.htt[url]p://www.dagonbytes.com/thelibrary/lovecraft ... horror.htm[/url]

I know this is not precisely what you asked for but I hope it is helpful anyway.

[Jeffreywns]

Lovecraft and Howard shared letters and ideas about their mythos/genre and borrowed each others ideas and names. When I ran a "Lovecraft" scenario I was using the Gurps system and used the Cthulhupunk source book for a Darkyoung cult in Brythunia. Without the players knowing I crossed genres. It was a "FLEE! PICK UP THE STUNNED!" encounter. The actual creature was a background and the party never directly fought it (or would have survived if they had). There are stats in this forum for some monsters and WOTC has a D20 Cthulhu RPG book Im trying to find that should have stats. Also on this forum somewhere is a conversion formulae for converting D20 monsters to Conan. Hope that helps. Oh and the Ghouls and Serpent Men are "Cthulhu" creatures already in print for you.

[Oly]

I've run my players through a version of Carcosa as featured in the Tatters of the King CoC adventure. They meet Byakhee's which are pretty weak mythos creatures that they were able to fight and kill. Towards the climax Hastur began to put in an appearance and they just ran, as they indeed they should have done.

I'm not putting together something where they will encounter Ghouls and a Dark Young. Dark Young are dangerous but killable.

I've tried hunting around for D20 or Conan stats for the Dark Young but can't find any. I'll probably just make something up as I did for the Byakhee's I used before.

So far the flight/fight thing is pretty clear. Something bigger than the huge palace that they're in is a clear flight moment, other than that I think many Conan players would take just about anything on.

[Belkregos]

"lovecraft is rock and roll"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqx7AGcxOO0

[Aholibamah]

Oh and I forgot this:
http://hyboria.xoth.net/bestiary/creatures.htm
I don't know if you've seen it or read it but it has a number of Lovecraftian creatures and stats for them.

[Bjorn the Barbarian]

I do mixture of both, direct combat for the minions, and harder methods to vanquish the big baddies.

I have found that with just a little tweeking, I have been able to use the Mythos creatures right out of the WoC d20 Call of Cthulhu book. In the past, as well as my current campaign, I have taken ideas from quite a few of the original Chaosium Call of Cthulhu modules/books to use for Conan.

[Clovenhoof]

Ah, very good, thanks for the feedback guys! Very useful advice. ^^
I'll try and read some of that Lovecraft stuff when I have a bit more time on my hands. The carol is a terrible earwig.

I'll think of something how to implement this threat into the world.

[Axerules]

I'll try and read some of that Lovecraft stuff when I have a bit more time on my hands. The carol is a terrible earwig.

I'll think of something how to implement this threat into the world.

Look first to the huge (more than 20 pages !) Conan and Cthulhu thread. Several members of the forum gave their opinion about Lovecraftian elements in the game, but the most interestings and ready-to-use things are all the creatures and spells converted by Raven Blackwell (page 3 and later).

[DaveNC]

I've never read any of the Lovecraft stories, but just purchased "The Best of Lovecraft : Bloodcurling Tales of Horror and the Macabre". Can't wait to dive into it!

[Clovenhoof]

I've never read any of the Lovecraft stories, but just purchased "The Best of Lovecraft : Bloodcurling Tales of Horror and the Macabre". Can't wait to dive into it!

If you want to have something really bloodcurdling, I suggest you have a look at the income tax regulations.

in deepest agony,
yours truly

[Hervé]

Oly wrote:

I've tried hunting around for D20 or Conan stats for the Dark Young but can't find any. I'll probably just make something up as I did for the Byakhee's I used before.

You can find the stats you're looking for in the D20 Call Of Cthulhu book by wizards of the coast. (WTC88644, year 2002). The book is now out of print but I believe you can still find a copy on e-bay or somewhere else on the net.

[Oly]

You can find the stats you're looking for in the D20 Call Of Cthulhu book by wizards of the coast. (WTC88644, year 2002). The book is now out of print but I believe you can still find a copy on e-bay or somewhere else on the net.

I've already got a saved eBay search keeping an eye out for a copy of it for me....

Even then though I suspect it might need a bit of beefing up to be sufficiently dangerous to a Conan PC.

[Hervé]

Oly wrote:

Even then though I suspect it might need a bit of beefing up to be sufficiently dangerous to a Conan PC.

I don't know wich level are your PCs, but don't underestimate the monsters of the the Cthulhu mythos. For instance Her's some some summarized stats for your Dark Young:

HD: 8D8+24
Init: +3
AC:12
Att:4 tentacles+14, trample +14
Dmg: tentacles 1D6+10, trample 2D6+10
Special Att: Improved Grab, Constrict, Strength Drain, spells (1 per 2 Int points)
Special Qualities: Dmg Reduction 20/+2, Blindsight, Immunities(heat, explosions,acid,electricity and poison).
Saves: Fort+5, Ref+5, Will+10
Abilities: Str30, Dex16, Con17, Int14, Wis18, Cha15
Skills:Disguise+7, Hide+10, Listen+11, Move Silently+10, Spot+11
Feats: Power Attack, Stealthy
Psychic Feats: Sensitive, Biofeedback Trance
CR:9

[Oly]

Cheers for that Daubet, a good place to start.

Not sure about the damage reduction though, in BRP they were always pretty much impervious to penetrating weapons (i.e. guns) but hand to hand did full damage.

[Hervé]

I'm a CoC player but a poor judge for D20 stuff (I run my Conan campaign using a revamped version of the BRP).

[Clovenhoof]

That's all pretty cool. Now I've decided to take a Cthulhoid approach to the campaign in the long run. Yesterday I showed the "Carol of the Old Ones" video to one of my players, and you should have seen her eyes lighten up at this. ^^ That really convinced me to go this way. But they'll need a few more levels to stand a chance.

[Aholibamah]

Cool, glad you liked the Carol.

BTW: I remember this one pc in a Call of Cthulhu game killed a Byakhee with his bare hands--the creature kept rolling incredibly badly, the pc kept rolling incredibly well. I think the pc had just decided he wanted to die fighting.

[Seeker]

2 cthuloid monsters i think would work well in hyboria would be:

1) The alien creature from the colour out of space. drifts through space to earth and transforms a village. PC s hired to slay monster.

2) The mole creatures from the lurking fear. Degenerate subhumans in cave beneath local castle attack village. PCs hired to hunt them down.

These 2 monsters seem close to Howardian (xref The Skull of Silence and The People of the Dark)

[Majestic7]

My ghouls are closer to Lovecraftian creatures than mindless killers of Hyboria, so I guess those could be called Cthulhoid monsters. Other than that, the players encountered a Formless Spawn in the temple of Tsathoggua early in the campaign. The blind storyteller Tawil At'Umr was a sort of Cthulhoid encounter as well, although the players didn't realize that, heh.

In a more general tone, I think plenty of monsters in Conan core materials could be understood as Cthulhoid creatures. For example, I think Night Weirds are pretty much 1-1 Night Gaunts from the Mythos. I guess they could be used as Byakhee too, though I think I'll just convert them from CoC. Deep Ones and other more humanoid monsters fit fine in Hyboria. I'd think that the pirates and other coast-dwellers might know a thing or two about them. In Across the Thunder River is mentioned a Pict tribe that is known for being able to swim extremely well. I smell Innsmouth right there!