Z is for Zombie

For the Blogging from A-Z April Challenge this year I’m going to be looking at slashers and other horror character and statting them out for my free rpg, Slashers & Survivors.

While I didn't create Slashers & Survivors to be a zombie rpg, it definitely can fill that role if you want it to. 

Zombies

HP: 10

Evade: 9

Armor Points: 10

Bonus: +2 to Attack, +0 to Damage

Attack: Bite (1d4 Damage)

Special Traits: Always act last in combat, bitten foes must makes (CM+CON vs DC 15) or become infected (dying and re-animating in 1d10 minutes, unless offending wound is cut away and cauterized), a natural attack roll of 20 against a zombie automatically reduces it to 0 HP.
M/O: Consume!
Weakness: Characters can make called shots against a zombie's head. The zombies Evade becomes 16, but if successful the attack ignores its Armor Points. 

Y is for Yellow King

For the Blogging from A-Z April Challenge this year I’m going to be looking at slashers and other horror character and statting them out for my free rpg, Slashers & Survivors.

The stats for today's post are not for the Lovecraftian fiend, but rather the serial killer that seemed to be devoted to him (whether he exists or not) in the first season of True Detective. If you haven't seen that season, please do yourself a favor and watch it. I don't like detective shows, but it was phenomenal.

Carcosa Killer

HP: 15

Evade: 14

Armor Points: 0

Bonus: +1 to Attack, +2 to Damage

Attack: By weapon 

Special Trait: Disadvantage on social rolls, if attacking from surprise the Killer deals an additional 1d6 damage on a successful attack.
MO: Serve the the King in Yellow
Weakness: A deranged and mortal man, the killer can be dispatched like anyone else. 

Ash Wednesday - Within The Woods Trailer

This is a really cool trailer for an Evil Dead fan film. Check it out. It feels like the original flick.

X is for Xenomorph

For the Blogging from A-Z April Challenge this year I’m going to be looking at slashers and other horror character and statting them out for my free rpg, Slashers & Survivors.

This seemed like a fitting X entry considering Alien day was a few days ago. Xenomorphs can fill the role of a slasher in a one shot. You can also throw these into your The Blackest Space games. I could include several stat blocks, but I decided to just go with a classic drone/alien. While you could stat out headhuggers for your game, if you want to include them in a simple way, just assume that its a CM +DEX vs DC 10 to avoid them. I'd give them an evade of 15 and just one HP.

Xenomorph 

HP: 20

Evade: 14

Armor Points: 3

Bonus: +3 to Attack, +3 to Damage

Attack: Claw/Bite/Tail Spear (1d6 Damage) 

Special Trait: Climb walls, Acid Blood - Anyone in close range when a Xenomorph takes damage must make a CM + DEX vs DC 10 or take 1d4 acid damage (1d6 if they are the attacker)
MO: Serve the hive
Weakness: None

W is for Willard

For the Blogging from A-Z April Challenge this year I’m going to be looking at slashers and other horror character and statting them out for my free rpg, Slashers & Survivors.

Going to be honest with this one. I couldn't think of a W slasher and this movie came to mind. I've not seen the original Willard or it's sequel Ben. It's also been a few decades since I've seen the Crispin Glover version. That being said, the gif below is horrifying and the stats could be use for a fun foe for your Slashers & Survivors game.

Willard

HP: 15

Evade: 12

Armor Points: 0

Bonus: +1 to Attack, +0 to Damage

Attack: By weapon 

Special Trait: Control rodents
Special Attack: Rat Swarm (CM + DEX vs DC 15) - target takes 3d4 damage as swarms of rats gnaw at their flesh
MO: Revenge
Weakness: Willard is a normal man and bleeds like anyone else. 

V is for Victor Crowley

For the Blogging from A-Z April Challenge this year I’m going to be looking at slashers and other horror character and statting them out for my free rpg, Slashers & Survivors.

Victor Crowley a Adam Greene's throwback slasher and star of Hatchet I-III and Victor Crowley. The franchise features roles and cameos by several horror icons, including Kane Hodder, Robert Englund, and Tony Todd. The series features amazing practical effects, ridiculous kills, and a love of its source material. If you like slasher flicks, watch them.

Victor Crowley

HP: 50

Evade: 13

Armor Points: 2

Bonus: +3 to Attack, +5 to Damage

Attack: By weapon 

Special Trait: Victor can move through his swamp unimpeded swamp and rolls made to track him are made at Disadvantage, Victor regenerates 1 HP on his turn.
MO: Slaughter all who enter his swamp.
Weakness: Victor's regeneration and Armor Points are ignored if the damage dealt to him comes from someone that shares blood with the children that caused his death. 

U is for Uber Jason

For the Blogging from A-Z April Challenge this year I’m going to be looking at slashers and other horror character and statting them out for my free rpg, Slashers & Survivors.

Uber Jason is the cyborg version of the classic slasher revived in the future with nanobots. Jason X is a silly movie, but a lot of fun and has one of the greatest slasher kills (seen below).

Uber Jason

HP: 80

Evade: 10

Armor Points: 5

Bonus: +3 to Attack, +5 to Damage

Attack: By weapon 

Special Trait: During  his turn Uber Jason regenerates 1 HP, even if reduced to 0 HP
M/O: Kill for Mommy, in the future!
Weakness: Being a undead monstrosity with healing nonobots, Uber Jason doesn't have any known weaknesses. 

Succubus Sunday

Source 

T is for Tiffany Valentine

For the Blogging from A-Z April Challenge this year I’m going to be looking at slashers and other horror character and statting them out for my free rpg, Slashers & Survivors.

Tiffany is Chucky’s violent lover and partner in crime. She’s not quite as skilled at the occult as her beau, but is just as murderous and can actually be a bit persuasive. The original Tiffany now inhabits the body of Jennifer Tilly (now that’s meta), but it is show in the end of the The Cult of Chucky that she possesses dolls too.

Tiffany Valentine
HP: 15

Evade: 15

Armor Points: 0

Bonus: +2 to Attack, +1 to Damage

Attack: by weapon

Special Traits: All social and stealth based rolls are made with Advantage, all stealth based rolls, heals 1 HP on his turn
M/O: Keep her relationship with Chucky fresh
Weakness: Tiffany can only be killed by destroying her heart. However, it is possible for her to be revived if any bits survives.

Dragula and the Van-Pires

Van-Pires was short lived hybrid live-action/cgi series in the late 90’s. I vaguely remember it and think I watched a few episodes. I don’t want to steal the plot (which is stupid as hell), but I love bad puns and the idea of a vampiric Transformer, so I’m going to steal some of these ideas for use with Valor Knights.  

Van-Pires

Contrary to common lore, Ultrabomber and his forces aren’t the first first Chaos Lords to come to Earth. Hunted by his fellow Chaos Lords because of his unique ability to directly drain Electrocube energy from his fellow robotics, the lone warrior fled. He found the radiation from the sun affected his abilities and he could only fully use his abilities at night. Calling himself a Van-Pire, a play on the one the locals legends and vehicles, and renaming himself Dragula, the warrior went into hiding. He took local resources when he needed to and his feeding frenzies were the cause of few fuel shortages. 

Having captured a few Valour Knight and Chaos Lord scouts, he has found the ability to transform others into Van-Pires and is very slowly amassing an army of his own. So far all Van-Pires have aligned with Dragula and his Chaos Lord faction, but it is possible for a Valor Knight with a strong sense of justice to rebel.

Van-Pire

Class Hit Point Bonus: 

+4 at 1st Level

Hit Die:

1d8 per Level

Armor Points:

4 AP (No Shield)

Attack Damage:

1d6

Attribute Bonus:

+1 to CHA or WIS, -1 to CON or STR

Size in Robot Form:

12’-16’

Suggest Vehicle Form:

Drag Racer, Hearse, Windowless Van (anything particular creepy looking)

Special:

Charm, Daylight Lock, Electrocube Drain

Charm

Like the vampires of Earth’s fiction, Van-Pires can charm other mechanical beings that look them in their eyes (or headlights). The target must make an CM + INT vs DC 10 (+ Character Level) or be under control of the Van-Pire for 1d4 rounds. During this time the target does the will of the Van-Pire (though the Van-Pire can’t force it to physically hurt itself). A target under the control of a Van-Pire makes saves to this ability at Disadvantage. A target that resists this ability is immune to it for the next 24 hours.

Daylight Lock

At dawn a Van-Pire transforms into its vehicle form and cannot transform into it’s natural form until dusk. It also suffers Disadvantage on physical rolls during the daytime.

Electrocube Drain

Unlike other Techtrillion natives, Van-Pires don’t have any type of ranged weaponry. However, they have sharp claws and fangs that can shred any Valour Knight that gets in their way. Any damage dealt by their cyberfangs heals them the same amount of Hit Points. Bite attacks are made at Disadvantage to any target that isn’t restrained/unconscious/charmed. Against those targets an attack roll isn’t needed. Damage deal by cyberfangs cannot be healed during combat.

Dragula 

HD: 7
HP: 40
Level: 7, Van-Pire
Vehicle: Custom Drag Racer

STR: 1 INT: 2 WIS: 2
DEX: 2 CON: 1 CHA: 3
Luck: 7
Charm, Daylight Lock, Electrocube Drain

Dragula is the undisputed leader of the Van-Pires. He is eccentric and a showman. He is also a master schemer and researcher of the forbidden technology of Necrotronics. Unlike many Chaos Lords, Dragula understands that humans can be useful and he always has a small following of cultists and hangers-on.

Ash Wednesday - Ed the Bit-Part Demon (S&S)

It’s still technically Wednesday here in Ohio, so enjoy this goofy Slashers & Survivors Ash Wednesday.

Ed the Bit-Part Demon
HP: 15
Evade: 13
Armor Point: 3
Bonus: +2 to Attack, +1 Damage
Attack: Claw/Bite (1d6 damage)
Special Traits: Advantage on all rolls related to Performance.
Special Attack: Possession (CM + CHA vs DC 10)- target is possessed by an evil spirit unless they cut away/sever the offending wounded area (taking 1d10 damage).
Special Traits: Beguiling (appear normal, have host's memories), Hover, Regenerate 1 HP a turn
Weakness: Direct sunlight will (at least temporarily) drive the possessing demon from the possessed's body. Immolation, total dismemberment, and live burial can also remove the possessing spirit. Kandarian Dagger ignores Armor Points. In addition, there are spells found within the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis that can bind, control, or even destroy Deadites.

S is for Slop

For the Blogging from A-Z April Challenge this year I’m going to be looking at slashers and other horror character and statting them out for my free rpg, Slashers & Survivors.

I’ve posted about the short slasher film, Slop, before. It stars my friend Jacob as the titular pig masked slasher. I’ve already shared Slasher & Survivor stats for him, but as I create more content I want to refine things. These are revised stats for the slasher.

Slop

HP: 25

Evade: 13

Armor Points: 3

Bonus: +4 to Attack, +3 to Damage

Attack: By Weapon
Special Traits: Advantage on Stealth and Strength rolls  

M/O: Protect his farm
Weakness: Slop is a large brute and isn’t the fastest.

R is for Roy Burns

For the Blogging from A-Z April Challenge this year I’m going to be looking at slashers and other horror character and statting them out for my free rpg, Slashers & Survivors.

Roy Burns is the copy-cat Jason from Friday the 13th: A New Beginning. He is essentially another Pamela Voorhees, donning the mask and killing because he wants revenge for his son’s death. 

Roy Burns

HP: 20

Evade: 14

Armor Points: 0

Bonus: +3 to Attack, +2 to Damage

Attack: By Weapon
Special Traits: Roy has advantage on Medical and Disguise rolls.  

M/O: Revenge
Weakness: Though he looks like a famous slasher, Roy is new to the game.

Q is for Quetzalcoatl

For the Blogging from A-Z April Challenge this year I’m going to be looking at slashers and other horror character and statting them out for my free rpg, Slashers & Survivors.

This post isn’t about a slasher, but it was rather hard finding one that started with Q. However, it shows that Slashers & Survivors can do creature features. I hadn’t watched Q before today, but it was a fun little throwback to 50’s and 60’s monster flicks. 

Quetzalcoatl

HP: 30

Evade: 15

Armor Points: 5

Bonus: +6 to Attack, +5 to Damage

Attack: Claw (2d6) or Bite (1d8)
Special Attack: Snatch (CM + STR vs DC 20,  target is grappled. It can escape unless the creature drops it or it uses it’s turn to make another CM + STR vs DC 20)

M/O: Feed
Weakness: Quetzalcoatl has no weaknesses

Succubus Sunday

Source

Succubus Sunday - NSFW

Artist

Thank you Tim Brannan of The Other Side Blog for directing me to this wonderful sinful Succubus.

P is for Pamela Voorhees

For the Blogging from A-Z April Challenge this year I’m going to be looking at slashers and other horror character and statting them out for my free rpg, Slashers & Survivors.

Though she only appeared alive in two films (the original Friday the 13th and the 2009 remake), Pamela Voorhees is responsible for one fo the largest slasher body counts in any franchise. Her killing spree and beheading inspired her son Jason’s rampage. 

Pamela Voorhees

HP: 20

Evade: 13

Armor Points: 0

Bonus: +2 to Attack, +1 to Damage

Attack: By weapon
Special Trait: Reckless (Pamela can gain advantage on all attack rolls on her turn, but all attacks made against her have advantage until her next turn)

M/O: Punish those that let her son die!
Weakness: Pamela is mortal and and delusional.

The Horror Out of Hagsjaw and WotC

Yesterday I posted my review of The Horror Out of Hagsjaw. Today I’m going to talk about how to use it in my favorite WotC settings (like I did with Jungle Tomb of the Mummy Bride).

The first (minor but interesting) thing I would do to modify the adventure is to have Wotts be a name mentioned in the town (or at least in the graveyard). While this doesn’t connect the adventure to any particular campaign, it does make a nice (minor) tie to An Occurrence At Howling Crater.

Eberron 
Honestly this adventure makes sense in nearly any nation in Khorvaire. That being said, I really like the idea of setting it in the Theocracy of Thrane. If you do so, putting Hagsjaw in the Burnt Wood near the Mournland makes a lot of sense. Instead of replacing Sefagreth with a specific deity use the pantheon of the Sovereign Host or Silver Flame (if you decide to set the adventure in Thrane. You can replace the Cult of Shub-Niggurath with the Devourer or even better, make Shub-Niggurath his otherworldly bride. If you make those little changes, the adventure will mesh seamlessly into an Eberron campaign.

Forgotten Realms

Since most of the Forgotten Realms adventures in 5e take place along the Sword Coast, I’m going to stick to that here. While Hagsjaw could be anywhere, I’d place it in the High Forest or the Lurkwood. This puts it less than a week from Phandalan (the hub of the Starter Set and Essentials Kit). Torm or Tyr (or the Triad as a whole) make a great substitute for Sefagreth. Use Shub-Niggurath or replace her with the Malar.

Faction Hooks

Harpers - An elder Harper calls in a favor to have the party check on an old friend in Hagsjaw (maybe Ol Jeb or one of the random chart residents).
Order of the Gauntlet - Obviously something evil stirs in the wood and brave agents of the Order must defeat it,
Emerald Enclave - The Enclave seeks balance between nature and civilization and something is disrupting that near Hagsjaw. Rumors of a darker power retaking hold has reached the ears of the hierophants.
Lords’ Alliance - Rumors of commerce coming back to Hagsjaw has the Alliance interested. Is the community worth saving and bringing into the fold? It’s up to the party to find out.
Zhentarim - A contact of the Black Network in Hagsjaw has recently gone silent. They were speaking of trade returning to the fallen village and the Zhent would love to establish a true foothold in the region before the Lords’ Alliance if it would be profitable.  

Exandria
Hagsjaw makes the most sense being a part of the Pearlbow Wilderness. It can either be a border town of the Dwendalian Empire or a small community of the tribes of Shadycreek Run. Segagareth could be replaced with Erathis the Law Bringer. The Far Realms interact with Exandria so you can keep Shub-Niggurath as is, or she could be connected to Ceratos. Another interesting idea is to have her be an aspect or powerful agent of the Wild Mother, corrupted by the Far Realm. If you want to have campaign specific plot hooks I would have spy of the Empire or ally of one of the Shady Creek tribes dwell in Hagsjaw. Either have important information or have gone missing. 

The Pun Bard

My nickname is Pun and I like wordplay, so you know I love this creation of PaterVoss. You can check out the full sized version here.

O is for Otis B. Driftwood

For the Blogging from A-Z April Challenge this year I’m going to be looking at slashers and other horror character and statting them out for my free rpg, Slashers & Survivors.

Otis B. Driftwood is one of the antagonists of House of a 1000 Corpses and one of the villain protagonists of The Devil’s Rejects and Three From Hell. While the actor that plays him (Bill Moseley) is super nice, the character is probably the most twisted of the Firefly family. This is probably because he’s a pseudo-intellectual philosophizer that has more than a passing resemblance to Charles Manson.

Otis B. Driftwood

HP: 30

Evade: 15

Armor Points: 0

Bonus: +5 to Attack, +2 to Damage

Attack: By weapon
Special Trait: Sadist (If Otis deals damage on his turn, he gains Advantage on attacks his next turn)

M/O: Do the Devil’s work
Weakness: Otis likes to play with his victims instead of going straight for the kill.

Carole Baskin (5E)

I guess this was inevitable since Joe Exotic got 5e stats. For a larger version of the image go here.

The Horror Out of Hagsjaw

The Horror Out of Hagsjaw is an adventure from the newly resurrected Necromancer Games (an imprint of Frog God Games) that funded via Indiegogo. It is written by Levi Combs of Planet X Games, author of two of my favorite adventures: Jungle Tomb of the Mummy Bride and An Occurrence At Howling Crater. I’m going to put a disclaimer here. Levi is my homie. I was a fan of his work before I got to know him and he didn’t ask me to do this review. Homie-ness aside, I think he’s a great writer and love letting other folks know that. As you can see in the pic, I have the 5e version, though it was also released for Swords & Wizardry and Pathfinder 1e.

The adventure sees the party arriving at the run down border village of Hagsjaw. The community was once thriving, but because of the curse of a trio of hags it’s been on a steep decline. The hags have returned (in a fashion) and now threaten to spread the madness of their patron, the Black Goat of the Woods with a Thousand Young... Shub-Niggurath. There are definitely mythos elements and threads throughout this adventure. Hagsjaw (formerly known as Hogsjaw Hollow) has a Dunwich-vibe to it. It has no silver mines, but it was once a thriving community. There are several colorful characters in town, which are included in a d8 resident chart. Each entry gives enough information to help the DM bring them to life. There’s not much to do in town: talk to Ol Jeb, shop at Webley’s Dry Goods, get a watered down ale at The Craven Crow, or investigate the crumbling church.

While the adventure has three major encounters that can be tackled in any order, the obvious place to start is the church. Incidentally, it is most beneficial to go here first. While the church is run down on the outside, the contents are truly horrid. The scene is gore and blood soaked. A massive dark piece of vegetation with disgusting polyps hanging from bursts through the floor. A gibberish mouther rests beneath the floor seeking to devour those that enter. The descriptions of this area are visceral and muck covered. Levi’s love of Lovecraft’s work really comes through as the scene he presents is unnerving and putrid.

The next area described is an altar of Shub-Niggurath that can be found in the cursed woods. A small band of malicious satyrs are torturing a gnome, trying to learn the location of a lost hag’s skull. This encounter gives the party a reason to fight evil fey, which is always fun. Again, Levi does an excellent job describing the unholy scene.

The final area described is a cave that pits the party against two hag possessed townsfolk Barnabas and Keziah Tatterly and their charmed minions. Lovecraft fans will recognize the names. Barnabas is named after Barnabas (Old Man) Marsh and Keziah Mason (the antagonist of The Dreams in the Witch House).

While the adventure doesn’t have a traditional happy ending, the town is too far gone and will eventually be reclaimed by the forest, if the party succeeds in destroying the hags they have saved some good folks and stopped the spread of a vile cult.

At the conclusion of the adventure we’re given six statblocks and three magic items. All of these could easily be used in other wilderness adventures and one of the stat blocks is for a prehistoric beaver... I’ll let you make your own juvenile jokes.

The cover art is amazing. That hag is striking. The rest of the art and maps are standard Frog God Games/Necromancer game fair, really good and fitting, but not super memorable.

I think Necromancer Games did a great job with this adventure. Of the Indiegogo adventures released by them and their parent company, this is definitely my favorite. I do wish the adventure would have been more like a Planet X Games adventure though. I really love the grindhouse style and over the top nature of Levi’s other adventures. While there is still horror with this one, it seems really tame and toned down. I understand why, it was made for a wider audience, but I am a little sad to think about what could have been.

Don’t let my whining dissuade you though. I loved this adventure and if you want to add a bit of cosmic horror to a dark corner of your game, this is a great way to do so.

N is for Norman Bates

For the Blogging from A-Z April Challenge this year I’m going to be looking at slashers and other horror character and statting them out for my free rpg, Slashers & Survivors.

While Psycho isn’t a slasher movie, in many ways Norman Bates is the proto movie slasher. He is at least partially based on Ed Gein (who also served as inspiration for Leatherface). 

Norman Bates

HP: 20

Evade: 13

Armor Points: 0

Bonus: +1 to Attack, +2 to Damage

Attack: By weapon
Special Trait: Surprise Attack (If Norman’s opponent doesn’t expect his attack, it does double damage)

M/O: Be a good son
Weakness: Norman Bates is mortal and bleeds just like anyone else.

M is for Michael Meyers

For the Blogging from A-Z April Challenge this year I’m going to be looking at slashers and other horror character and statting them out for my free rpg, Slashers & Survivors.

Halloween is one of the quintessential slashers. Since his original appearance, Michael Myers has been eleven films (in various continuities). Honestly, while I respect the original, but because of all the things, I’ve seen I’m a bit desensitized. The original is kind of boring when you compare it to something as out that as The Terrifier or even the Rob Zombie remakes. That being said, it’s an interesting (if muddled) franchise overall. I finally watched the 2018 sequel to the original and it was really good. I can’t wait to watch the sequel to the sequel. 

Michael Myers/The Shape/The Boogyman

HP: 30

Evade: 14

Armor Points: 2

Bonus: +4 to Attack, +4 to Damage

Attack: By weapon
Special Trait: Advantage on all stealth rolls, One Last Scare (When reduced to 0 HP Jason will appear dead, however when least expected he will spring to life and make one last attack at the nearest person)

M/O: Kill Laurie Strode
Weakness: Michael is a monster of a man that has no discernible weaknesses.

—————————————

Enjoy another Ice Nine Kills tribute to a horror classic with this Halloween inspired video.

And here is an acoustic version of the song.

L is for Leatherface

For the Blogging from A-Z April Challenge this year I’m going to be looking at slashers and other horror character and statting them out for my free rpg, Slashers & Survivors.

Leatherface is slasher royalty. The original Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a hot and sweaty masterpiece. It does so much and is totally horrific without really showing much gore and blood. While the franchise has had some real weird flicks, they aren’t all bad. Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 is gonzo fun. The 2003 remake and it’s prequel were entertaining (though they ramped up the gore and lost part of the magic of the original). Hell, they are worth watching for R. Lee Ermey if nothing else.

Bubba/Leatherface

HP: 30

Evade: 13

Armor Points: 3

Bonus: +5 to Attack, +3 to Damage

Attack: Chainsaw (2d8)
Special Trait: Chainsaw Aficionado (Leatherface suffers normal Hindrances from the result of 1 on the D6 of a CM while using a chainsaw)

Special Attacks: Chainsaw Ballet (CM+DEX vs DC 15 or all melee targets take 1d8 Damage).
M/O: Protect his kin
Weakness: Leatherface can sometimes be calmed by kind words and a pretty face.

—————————————

Enjoy another Ice Nine Kills tribute to a horror classic with this Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 inspired video.