I have been given the pleasure of an advance copy of the newest book in the Dark Places & Demogorgons catalog, the Cryptid Manual.
It is not out yet, the Kickstarter begins on January 16, but it might be the best looking DP&D ever.
The book is digest sized, 90 pages and full of great illustrations. The crew at Bloat Games really outdid themselves with this one. The book reminds of a Chill or Conspiracy X monster book and that is a really good thing.
Expect a full review from me later this week. In fact expect a lot more DP&D goodness this week as I spend some more time with it and my Sunny Valley, OH setting.
Since today is Monster Monday. Let's find a Cryptid worthy of this book and something my Sunny Valley cast could encounter.
One of the features of the original series was the Monster of the Week episode. This notion came from spirtual ancestor of both the show and this game, the X-Files. So going back to Mulder and Scully is never a bad plan. For this episode, though I wanted something new, something we have not seen a lot of in the past AND something from Ohio.
Please allow me to introduce you to the Melonheads.
These creatures have been terrorizing people (reportedly) in Ohio, Michigan, and Connecticut since at least the 1960s. Really they are kind of perfect for this.
Found in the woods in and around Ohio these creatures appear as small emaciated children with giant bulbous heads.
One legend has it that a deranged doctor (Dr. Crowe) and his wife near Kirtland, OH took in some hydrocephalic children to care for. In truth, they did strange experiments on them. Eventually, the children fought back killing the doctor and his wife and burning down the home. They escaped into the woods where they still live to this day, terrorizing anyone that comes into their territory.
Armor Class: 10
Hit Dice: 2
Move: 12
Actions: 1
Morale: 4/8
Terror: 13
HDE: 2
Attack Damage: Claw (d4)
Special: Dark Vision, Hunt in Packs
Bonuses: +5 to Spot, +5 to Stealth, +2 to Listen
Pack Tactics: Melonheads are rarely encountered alone. When they are their Morale is 4. In a pack of 6 or more their moral jumps to 8. They will attack en masse with three being able to attack a single victim at once. Their attacks are not very effective, but with multiple creatures, they are sure to land a few.
Melonheads are not particularly strong or very bright. They attack anything and everything that enters their territory. Melonheads are only active at night.
Using typical 80s monster logic they mostly attack teenagers making out in the woods.
Sunny Valley, OH Episode: It's a Shame About Ray
(*Someone will appreciate that title)
The episode begins with a missing teenager, Ray. He had been out in the woods walking with his girlfriend Shanon last night. Before they got out of the woods though he was attacked by a group of Melonheads. His girlfriend describes "creepy, dirty children with giant heads". It is now up to our cast to find them.
The only way to stop them is to close up the mine they have been using as a home and hiding place.
Read more about these weirdos here:
I wasn't familiar with this urban legend until doing research on cryptids from Ohio, but they are damn creepy. Great job with the stats.
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