(C)1991 Scott David Aniolowski
[Scott has always had a fetish for monster stats! He made his TUO debut with this article, the first of a couple he did along these lines. Lately he’s turned this fetish into a Chaosium project, a two-volume compilation of Mythos deities and creatures adapted from Mythos fiction, slated for publication sometime in 1994 I believe.]
According to Mythos references (some all too vague), it would appear that the alien gods of the Cthulhu pantheon are most capable of, and interested in, creating or spawning certain specific beings or races. Whether this is strictly for purposes of being served and worshipped, or to carry on some specific genetic traits, is unknown to the finite minds of humans. This article attempts to discuss, in game terms, a few of these “children” of the gods of the Cthulhu Mythos.
Brothers of Chaugnar-Faugn (Greater Servitor Race)
Description: The Brothers of Chaugnar-Faugn appear as lesser forms of the Great Old One – bloated elephantine horrors with skeletal heads endowed with webbed ears and a trunk that ends in a great, flaring disk. Long intertwined crystalline tusks sprout from the mouths of these creatures. The bodies of the Brothers of Chaugnar-Faugn are human-like, although mottled and stained. These creatures dwell within caves in the Pyrenees mountains of Spain.
Notes: Like their sire, the Brothers of Chaugnar-Faugn appear at first to be statues, totally motionless until driven to gorge upon blood or attacked. Once active, they are not nearly as powerful as their master, although they do possess some of Chaugnar-Faugn’s psychic attacking capabilities – these Brothers of the Great Old One can cause a victim to experience horrible nightmares about themselves and their sire, and may entice their victims to come to them, where the monstrosities brutally murder and feed upon the hapless human (see Summons of the Sleeper, below).
Characteristics Average
STR 4D6+30 44
CON 3D6x5 52-53
SIZ 4D6+10 24
INT 3D6+6 16-17
POW 5D6 17-18
DEX 3D6+6 16-17
Hit Points 38-39
Move 20
Weapon Attk% Damage
Grapple 50% holds immobile for bite
Bite auto 1D6 CON drain
Note: In combat these creatures attempt to grasp victims and then hold them tightly as the Brother’s weird trunk mauls the face of the victim, draining him of blood. This blood drain costs the victim 1D6 CON each round; these points can not be recovered. A Brother can not attack others while it is holding and draining a victim. A successful STR vs. STR confrontation by several people against the trunk could release the unfortunate captive.
Armor: None, however only magic or enchanted weapons may harm a Brother of Chaugnar-Faugn.
Spells: All Brothers of Chaugnar-Faugn know at least 1D10 spells, in addition to Summons of the Sleeper, below.
SAN: 1D4/1D10 when animated – 0/1D6 when in “statue” form.
Summons of the Sleeper
This ability is utilized by the Brothers of Chaugnar-Faugn to attract victims. To use it requires the expenditure of l5 magic points; success occurs only if the victim fails a POW vs. POW resistance roll. If the Summons works, the victim suffers terrible dreams about Chaugnar-Faugn and its brothers; each night that the dreams occur, the victim loses 1D3/1D6 SAN and will attempt to travel to wherever the Brother is. The hapless victim will not know the location or distance, but will always know the direction and will make every effort to travel towards the call of the creature. Each day of travel allows the victim an additional POW resistance roll to break free of the terrible summons.
If at any point the victim succeeds in one of the resistance rolls, the casting Brother may not try to Summon the same victim again for a number of days equal to the victim’s POW.
This dream-pull may be used only on those who have had some contact with Chaugnar-Faugn or one of his “Brothers”.
Children of Yog-Sothoth (Greater Servitor Race)
There are actually two types of this being: “Monstrous” and “Human”. Each is listed in a separate entry.
Monstrous Children
Description: “Bigger’n a barn… all made o’ squirmin’ ropes… hull thing sort o’ shaped like a hen’s egg bigger’n anything, with dozen’s o’ legs like hogsheads that half shut up when they step… nothin’ solid about it – all like jelly, an’ made o’ sep’rit wrigglin’ ropes pushed clost together… great bulgin’ eyes all over it… ten or twenty maouth or trunks a-stickin’ aout all along the sides, big as stovepipes, an’ all a-tossin’ an’ opening’ an’ shuttin’… all grey, with kinder blue or purple rings… an’ Gawd in heaven – that haff face on top!” (H.P. Lovecraft, “The Dunwich Horror”)
Notes: The Monstrous Children of Yog-Sothoth are formed when the Outer God somehow mates with a human, creating a hybrid creature. Because of the variable genetics of these creatures, no two are exactly alike. Those that resemble their “father” are of the Monstrous variety (as described above). They have the ability to become invisible at will.
These half-breed children of the All in One grow rapidly, and require great quantities of fresh, raw flesh to feed on. These creatures have an insatiable hunger for knowledge of the Cthulhu Mythos and are often educated by both the humans who care for them and their sire, Yog-Sothoth, eagerly learning spells and researching ways in which It may be brought into the world of men.
Because of their brute strength, high intellect, and their ability to become invisible, the Monstrous Children of Yog-Sothoth are a powerful and deadly race.
Characteristics Average
STR 2D6x10 70
CON 2D6x5 35
SIZ 4D6+30 44
INT 6D6 21
POW 6D6 21
DEX 3D6+6 16-17
APP N/A
Hit Points 39-40
Move 8
Weapon Attk% Damage
Claw 80% 1D6+6D6
Human Children
Description: “He was, however, exceedingly ugly despite his appearance of brilliancy; there being something almost goatish or animalistic about his thick lips, large-pored, yellowish skin, coarse crinkly hair, and oddly elongated ears…gossips were mildly interested in the fact that [he] had commenced to talk, and at the age of only eleven months.” (H.P. Lovecraft, “The Dunwich Horror”)
Notes: The Human Children of Yog-Sothoth are formed in the same way as the Monstrous ones are, but they appear human to an observer; they are most definitely not, however. Human Children of Yog-Sothoth grow much faster than normal humans; by age eight they may appear to be fifteen or sixteen years old. The Human Children tend to be exceptionally strong and sturdy from an early age. With more freedom than their Monstrous siblings, the Human Children are free to improve their knowledge through travel and research of their own, although they work towards the same end.
Human Children do not remain human, however; as they grow older, they begin to mutate in strange ways. Their legs grow furry and their feet become goat hooves; their torso begins to bulge and exude slime as appendages emerge from the flesh. This maturing process, once begun in earnest, runs its course over a matter of weeks, and soon the Human Children are unable to pass for human any more.
These creatures eat as humans do, drawing sustenance from ordinary food, but they develop cravings for raw flesh, and quickly learn to catch and eat small animals or even humans.
Human Children may also become invisible at will, but this requires an expenditure of one magic point for every two rounds of invisibility. While they are as rare as the Monstrous Children, the Human Children may present a greater threat; the longer they spend in the world of men, the more cunning they grow.
Characteristics Average
STR 3D6+12 22-23
CON 2D6x5 35
SIZ 2D6+6 13
INT 6D6 21
POW 6D6 21
DEX 3D6 10-11
APP 3D6 10-11
Hit Points 24
Move 8
Weapon Attk% Damage
any varies as per
Armor: None. However, an investigator’s chance of hitting either type of the Children of Yog-Sothoth while one is invisible is equal to his Listen skill divided in half.
Spells: All Children of Yog-Sothoth will eventually know a number of spells equal to the creature’s INT.
SAN: There is no SAN loss for seeing a human-looking Child of Yog-Sothoth until it begins to mutate. SAN losses then will vary by how far the mutation has spread (perhaps 1D3-1D8). The SAN loss for one of the Monstrous Children is 1D6/1D20.
Spawn of Hastur (Greater Servitor Race)
Description: Like their sire, the Spawn of Hastur are never clearly described, except that they appear octopoidal and have unspeakably hideous faces. Some references wrongly suggest that the Spawn of Hastur are identical to those of Cthulhu; while perhaps similar in their octopoidal nature, they are most likely not identical races.
Notes: The Spawn of Hastur appear to be aquatic, or at least amphibious, as they are only ever mentioned as appearing with the Unspeakable one in the foul and murky Lake of Hali, although it may be assumed that they are capable of flight, like their progenitor, as well as short excursions over land.
The Spawn attack with fluid tentacles which they use to crush victims, or grasp and draw them into their rubbery sack-like bodies where they are swallowed whole.
Like their Master, these creatures may be summoned to Earth only when Aldebaran is above the horizon.
Characteristics Average
STR 6D6+20 41
CON 3D6+10 20-21
SIZ 6D6+10 31
INT 3D6+3 13-14
POW 5D6 17-18
DEX 3D6 10-11
Hit Points 51-52
Move 6 on land/8 in water/20 flying
Weapon Attk% Damage
Tentacle 75% 1D6+3D6 or hold to Engulf
Engulf auto death (must be held first by Tentacle attack)
Armor: Thick rubbery flesh and scales worth 10 points.
Spells: All Spawn of Hastur know at least 2D6 spells.
SAN: 1D3/1D20.