#humanoid monsters in disguise

[curiousmons]

Re: my pinned post mentioning anything human resembling. I feel the need to elaborate. Buckle in freaks.

It's meeting someone who looks "normal," like an everyday person, and slowly noticing oddities about them. Maybe it's how little they sleep, or they accidentally let part of themselves show before covering up. Just things to make me wondering, and start questioning their humanity and my own sanity.

It's trusting them even when silent alarms are sounding off in my head, warning me that they aren't as human as they appear.

It's the crescendo of their reveal to me once they know I'm devoted. Maybe they are scared of losing me, or don't care how I react because they have sunk their (proverbial and literal) claws into me. Becoming theirs, regardless of their true nature.

It's then, the absolute freaky, horny sex. Letting them do whatever they want to me, being their property, toy, or whatever it is they want me to be for them.

[aka-indulgence]

Do you have any thoughts/headcanons for buckshot roulette themed au for skeletons or just in general just headcanon for the dealer?

OH MAN DO I

(these are gonna be about og dealer because i gotta fixation rn sjhf)

Strong, stable hands. Calloused hands. Dextrous hands. But can crush a can of beer. Good for hand holding… they’re warm

Teeth fall out and regrow like a shark’s would (might give them to you because he’s not all caught up on romance customs kdjfg)

Outside of his face and hands, he has a nebulous, vague body, but he can choose to have a humanoid body (He’d like using his humanoid body around you,,,)

Big chest. Big broad chest you can sleep on. He wants you to sleep on him like he’s your personal bed,

Mobster-themed outfits, naturally… (personally I love suspenders the most)

He really ‘dies’ when he loses the third round, but he always comes back. Just takes a while after he’s been shot 9+ times…

Smells like a casino

Has 0 tolerance for cheaters (because who doesn’t love a fair dealer who can turn into an angry monster?)

Pretty good at disguising his anger whenever he gets shot. But you can tell from the way his finger and mouth twitches, how eager he is when grabbing the shotgun. Especially on the third round, he seems all too happy to point that muzzle on the player with gleeful hatred on his face

I assume in canon the two red dots in the end are some sort of mechanic… robo… thing…(???) but I really like the idea of a red glow when he loses/feels a strong emotion, in short bursts. Sometimes, looking at you…

(I like imagining that you either work for him or work at the club he’s lingers in)

He doesn’t need anyone to nurse him to life after he dies. But he likes having you do it, wiping his blood and patching him up… likes seeing a pretty face while he recovers. Holds onto you while you fix him up. Stares… a lot.

He likes smelling you. Nose is used for sniffing cute humans

Gentle with his ‘kissing’. Because of his teeth it’s more like a very careful nuzzle… don’t want to nick you with his knife-teeth.

He wouldn’t want you to play the game. He’d actively dissuade you, but won’t stop you if you’re persistent.

When he’s pointing at you and it’s a live, it always misses, somehow. He acts like it’s a mistake- but everyone knows the Dealer doesn’t miss.

He likes it when you squeak every time a live misses you. He also likes that you look hesitant every time you point it at him… but always reminds you its the game.

Usually the more he’s shot the angrier and moodier he gets, the more he wants to make sure the player stays dead.

But when he’s playing with you, it’s more like… he’s shows off that even though he’s bleeding. Smiles at you after he gets back up

If you saw him play against anyone else… it’s obvious he wasn’t playing normally with you. You’re not his usual player…

Picks you up like a potato sack

100000% purrs because I’m indulgent that way. Sounds more like a truck engine

Also in terms of Sans AUs? HMF!Sans fits the role the most, and if it was an au, everything I wrote above applies to him heheheh

[yoga-onion]

Legends of the humanoids

Reptilian humanoids (12)

Toyotama-hime – Wani (Dragon) Goddess disguised as a human

Wani was a dragon or sea monster in Japanese mythology. Wani is discribed as "crocodile", or sometimes "shark".

Toyotamahime (See) is a goddess in Japanese mythology. Daughter of the sea god Watatsumi, she was said to reside in a dragon palace. Their palace was as if made from fish scales and supposedly lies undersea. Her true form was “Yahiro no Owani (meaning giant crocodile, approx. 24 m long)”, and she was the wife of Hoori (See2), is known as the epitome of human–animal marriage tales. She was the mother of Ugayafukiaezu-no-Mikoto (See3), father of Emperor Jinmu (the first Emperor: See4), and sister of Tamayori-hime (See5), the Emperor's mother.

Toyotamahime makes a fateful meeting with the demigod prince, Yamasachi, also known as Hoori ("Fire-Subside"). They married and lived happily in the dragon palace. 3 years later, she and her husband Hoori, who missed home, went ashore to give birth.

She then warned her husband, "All people from other parts of the world give birth in the form of their native country when giving birth. So I will give birth to a child in my true form”, and requested Hoori not watch how she gives birth. Hoori, however, was pazzled and peered in on his wife as she was giving birth, and saw her crawling around as a giant crocodile of about 24 metres (79 ft) long. He then startled in shock and retreated. Toyatama-hime learnt that being witnessed her true form by her husband, "I have always intended to pass through the path of the sea," she said, "but I am ashamed that you should have observed my true form.” She blocked the sea path, leaving the child behind and left.

伝説のヒューマノイドたち

ヒト型爬虫類 (12)

トヨタマヒメ 〜人間に変身する和邇 (龍) の女神

和邇は、日本神話に登場する龍または海の怪物のことである。和邇は「ワニ」、ときには「サメ」と表現されることもある。 

トヨタマヒメ（参照）は、日本神話の女神である。海神ワタツミの娘で、竜宮城に住んでいると言われている。その宮殿は魚の鱗でできたようなもので、海中にあるとされる。その正体は「八尋の大和邇（やひろのおおわに: 体長約24mの巨大な鰐の意）」で、ホオリ（参照2）の妻であったことから、異類婚姻譚の典型として知られる。神武天皇（初代天皇: 参照4）の父である鵜葺草葺不合尊（うがやふきあえずのみこと: 参照3）の母であり、天皇の母である玉依姫（たまよりひめ: 参照5）の姉である。

トヨタマヒメは、半神の王子ヤマサチ、通称ホオリと運命的な出会いを果たす。二人は結婚し、竜宮城で幸せに暮らしたが、3年後、故郷が恋しくなった夫のホオリとともに出産のために陸に上がった。

その時、トヨタマヒメは夫に「すべて他国の者は子を産む時になれば、その本国の形になつて産むのです。それでわたくしももとの身になつて産もうと思いますが、わたくしを御覽遊ばしますな」と忠告した。ところが夫のホオリはその言葉を不思議に思い、妻が今盛んに出産している最中に覗いてみると、八丈 (約24m) もある長い鰐になって這いずり回っていた。そしてホオリは畏れ驚き退いた。しかるにトヨタマヒメは夫が窺見した事を知り、御子を産み置いて去った。「わたくしは常に海の道を通つて通おうと思っておりましたが、わたくしの形を覗いて御覽になつたのは恥かしいことです」と言い、海の道をふさいで帰ってしまった。

[redlilith5]

PJO X DC

Bruce: "Tim this is Duke Thomas. He's gonna be living with us from now on and is th-" *keeps talking*

Tim and Duke: *staring at each other and remembering how last summer they bombed a whole group of monsters, killed a humanoid monster in front of mortals which forced them into stealing a mortals vehicle while getting chased by mortal police and monsters in disguise*

Tim: "Nice to meet you Duke" :)

Duke: "Nice to meet you too" :D

[thecreaturecodex]

Skelm, Street

Image © Paizo Publishing. Accessed at Archives of Nethys here

[I love the skelms. They might be my favorite Pathfinder monster new to 2e. I've seen the idea of a male equivalent to hags discussed before. Someone on rpg.net, maybe it was @crinosg or @prokopetz, gave their take the name "coots" and used the Old Man of the Mountain from a Betty Boop cartoon as their model. Paizo's brilliant idea was tying their male hag analogue to ideas of toxic masculinity and entitlement. Since I'm someone who loves to use monsters as tools of social commentary, I was basically their target audience here.]

Skelm, Street CR 3 LE Monstrous Humanoid If not for his unnaturally red face and the rack of antlers growing from his brow, this could be an ordinary human. He wears leather armor and carries a cane.

Skelms are creatures of rage and spite, created spontaneously from evil humanoids overwhelmed by anger. All skelms are male, and some sages posit that they are some sort of metaphysical counterpart to hags. Unlike the prolonged ritual to make a hag, a skelm can arise from a totally normal person in a matter of hours—skelms often hold court over potential recruits and transform them through brutal, humiliating hazing. After transformation, a skelm will often return to their previous life, hiding their inhuman features through magical disguises and changing their pursuits to cruelty and exploitation full time.

All skelms have antlers, which are a source of combined pride and shame. Skelms with smaller racks will belittle those with larger ones, although they will claim other reasons for this scorn if pressed. Even more distinctively, skelms deny that they have antlers when dealing with non-skelms, regardless of evidence or argument.

Street skelms are the weakest of the skelms. In their mortal guise, street skelms exploit the respect most people give to the elderly and the wealthy, and they usually appear as one or both of these in order to recruit a mob. Street skelms have little in the way of magical talents, but they are skilled at finding scapegoats to blame for community ills and sic their followers after. Street skelms have even more of a chip on their shoulder than other skelms do, and their egos are especially delicate. Their combat tactics, whether they are in their monstrous forms or not, tend to revolve around doing an immense amount of damage to a single target at a time, preferably a weak or vulnerable one, and then crowing about it for a few rounds before resuming their assault.

Street Skelm CR 3 XP 800 LE Medium monstrous humanoid Init +2; Senses Perception +7, scent

Defense AC 17, touch 13, flat-footed 14(+2 Dex, +1 dodge, +2 armor, +2 natural) hp 25 (3d10+9) Fort +5, Ref +6, Will +5; -2 vs. emotion effects DR 3/cold iron

Offense Speed 30 ft. Melee gore +7 (1d6+6 plus trip) or improvised club +7 (1d6+4), gore +2 (1d6+2 plus trip) Ranged rock +5 (1d4+4) Special Attacks belittling rant,improvisational brawler, punishing strike

Statistics Str 18, Dex 15, Con 17, Int 16, Wis 13, Cha 18 Base Atk +3; CMB +7; CMD 19 Feats Catch Off Guard (B), Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Throw Anything (B) Skills Bluff +7,Disguise +7, Intimidate +13, Knowledge (local) +6, Perception +7, Sense Motive +4, Stealth +8; Racial Modifiers +4 Intimidate Languages Aklo, Common SQ change shape (Small or Medium male humanoid, alter self),skelm traits

Ecology Environment urban Organization solitary or gang (1 plus 2-24 humanoids) Treasure standard

Special Abilities Belittling Rant (Su) As a standard action, a street skelm can give a rant that affects all creatures that can hear and understand it within 30 feet. A DC 15 Will save negates the effect. A creature affected by a street skelm is shaken for 1 minute. Anyone shaken in this way takes an additional -2 to damage rolls against the skelm, but gains a +2 morale bonus to damage rolls against other targets. The save DC is Charisma based. Improvisational Brawler (Ex) A street skelm gains Catch Off Guard and Throw Anything as bonus feats. A street skelm treats all improvised ranged weapons as having a 20 foot range increment. Punishing Blow (Ex) As a standard action, a street skelm can exert himself to make a single powerful attack. When he does, he adds an additional damage die of the same type to the attack, and can make a CMB check as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity to push the creature hit 5 feet. After making this attack, the street skelm is treated as being flat footed until the beginning of its next turn. Skelm Traits (Ex) All skelms gain a +4 racial bonus to Intimidate checks, but a -2 penalty to all saving throws against emotion effects.

[monstersdownthepath]

Monster Spotlight: Vilderavn

CR 16

Neutral Evil Medium Fey

Bestiary 5, pg. 268

Unlike our last few articles, these horrors are decidedly not just little guys, and are in fact one of the most vicious Fey we've ever seen. Unlike many malevolent Fey which are merely born from mortal misery and anguish, Vilderavn were directly created by an unnamed fey lord for the express purpose of destroying mortal armies and kingdoms, something they excel at to such a degree that they make excellent overarching villains in a campaign featuring a looming war and political intrigue. A Vilderavn, more than any other monster we've seen in several weeks, is not a monster to simply be dropped on the party! These bloody birds thrive at being shadowy puppetmasters behind a conflict, advisors to (what the party believes is) the Big Bad, or even potential backstabbing allies and resources to the party themselves, turning on them at the climax of the adventure!

And the best part is that it's extremely unlikely the party will see it coming. Don't think it's just as easy as spotting an ominous black knight with a raven motif; Vilderavn are accomplished shapeshifters with an extremely wide repertoire of possible forms, able to take on the form of any Small or Medium Humanoid, a black-feathered Peryton, a wolf, or a Dire Wolf. You may find it strange that a raven-themed knight doesn't turn into a raven, and that's because it already is one! The above picture? That's after it's shapeshifted. A Vilderavn in its NATURAL form is a gigantic raven, and this is the form it uses to swoop over battlefields and kingdoms it plans to destroy... and to appear before prospective allies as an omen of fate, offering nobles, soldiers, and mages its skill as an advisor, an oracle, and spellcaster to give them the edge they need in the coming war.

If you can't believe some ostensibly smart people could be so easily tricked into believing a dog-sized bird is here to help them, don't be so judgmental! That might seem suspicious to someone from Earth, but on Golarion the culture surrounding such events is quite different; after all, not only do stories of heroes cursed into the forms of animals and deities appearing to people in the shapes of animals abound, but the Psychopomps as a whole are often associated with carrion birds and possess powers over fate and fortune, both of which Vilderavn can manipulate with their powerful spells and Raven Hexes. Those Hexes have numerous uses both in and out of combat, one of which includes the ability to send Dream spells to up to 6 people a day, letting them sculpt a first impression LONG before they appear physically before their target.

This isn't even getting into their skills, such as +30 to Bluff and +21 to Diplomacy (and further heightened by their Charm Hex), or their spells, such as at-will Suggestion or a 1/day Mass Suggestion to steer opinions, send anyone who could call their bluffs out on errands, and create trust where there was none before, or even a 1/day Modify Memory to completely rewrite a victim's knowledge of events until the fey appears to be some sort of saint or savior. They can also offer a Limited Wish once per month to a mortal being to sweeten any deal they make, making them seem trustworthy even as manipulative malevolence swells within their hearts.

Even if appearing as an animal doesn't work, they can freely change into generic wise sages, charismatic nobles, intelligent generals, or imperfect copies of just about anyone... unless they pull a kill-and-replace. Any creature killed by a critical hit from their bite (including a coup de grace if they're unconscious or helpless) has their soul devoured by the fey, and from there on out, the Vilderavn not only has the ability to perfectly assume their form, but has access to all of their memories, making their imitation literally flawless unless someone can see through their disguise with magic (and it will likely HAVE to be magic, because their Bluff and Disguise shoot up to +40 when imitating a devoured victim). Even then, good luck convincing anyone of what you see, as everyone else is likely under the raven's dewclaw as it steadily kills its way into more and more important positions until, eventually, it can take command of events entirely.

Wow, all this and we haven't even gotten to what it can do in combat! We're going to have to put the rest of this under a cut!

Vilderavn tend to avoid combat right up until the point they can destroy an entire army with a single blow to its leadership, right after it's spend weeks or even months carefully sculpting their confidence by leading them to numerous smaller victories. Until then, they serve as excellent advisors and powerful spellcasters, able to use Dispel Magic at-will to shield themselves and their allies from enemy magic, Detect Thoughts at-will to sniff out dissent and betrayers among the ranks (along with anyone who could view them with suspicion), and Scrying at-will to spy on anyone who lacks protection from such invasive magic. They also have a handful of constant spells which make it almost impossible to sneak anything past them: Deathwatch, True Seeing, and Tongues. No vampires, illusionists, or hidden conversations in foreign languages will corrupt and mislead the leader the raven is trying to corrupt and mislead!

And speaking of corruption, Vilderavn are masters of the corrupt art of curses. Immune to curses themselves, they can freely cast Bestow Curse to personally torment anyone they desire and Geas 1/day to force annoyances on petty quest, and their aforementioned Raven Hexes also have a menagerie of debilitating curses and debuffs among them as well, including the crushing Misfortune, the action-economy-ruining Agony, the absolutely Fighter-punishing Retribution, and the ever-reliable Evil Eye... and capped off by the damning Dire Prophecy, a permanent -4 penalty to not only their AC, but most d20 rolls as well, including saving throws. The Prophecy can also be cashed in at any time by either the Vilderavn (if it's nearby) or the DM (if it's not), imposing a -18 penalty on the victim's AC or on an attack roll, combat maneuver check, skill check, or saving throw.

Where's the -18 come from? Well, they use their Hexes as if they were an 18th level Witch, and all of their Hex effects (as well as the DC, which is 25) are modified by the fey's Charisma rather than its Intelligence. Powerful enough on their own, anyone who's played alongside a high-level Witch knows that Hexes are extremely potent force multipliers when the rest of the party can take advantage of them, and this means if a Vilderavn has allies, it can safely sit back and use its 110ft fly speed to keep it out of trouble as it debilitates the party with its powerful Hexes... and caw-haw-haws at them with Cackle, keeping the punishment of Misfortune, Agony, or Evil Eye rolling round after round as its allies tear into the debuffed party.

UNLIKE a Witch, forcing a Vilderavn into melee doesn't mean you're home free, oh no. They're dangerous enough in their raven form, where Bloodbird tacks a stacking 1d6 bleed damage onto its Claw-Claw-Caw-Caw attacks, the former doing 1d6+11 and the latter 1d8+11. If you think that's a mistake on my part, no, the Vilderavn can indeed make TWO bite attacks with its beak whenever it Full-Attacks thanks to a constant Haste effect on itself. If that beak damage looks low, it really isn't, because it's got a critical range of 15-20, threatening a critical hit 25% of the time instead of 5%. With a single Full-Attack, the unkind knight can deal an average of about 70 damage AND stack up to 4d6 bleed onto a single victim, then fly backwards the next round and strike them with a Hex or two before flying back in to do it all over again.

But of course, it's rare for a Vilderavn to have allies it doesn't plan to slay itself. When it has already used (or cannot use) its spells or Hexes to weaken its foes, or when it simply wishes to display its martial skill and fight on even terms with a human, it takes the shape of the Raven Knight, shedding its natural armor and its terrible beak and claws but gaining +5 Full Plate and a +5 Cruel Keen Falchion. Its AC goes from 34 to 38 in its knight form, and its melee goes from four weak natural attacks to four powerful sword swings (despite its low BAB; remember a permanent Haste gives it an extra attack!) dealing 2d4+21 damage... while also keeping the same 15-20 critical hit range AND the stacking bleed, potentially dealing around 50 damage with one swing instead of needing four attacks to achieve the same result.

So, let's see, that's the offense, how about the defense... High AC, check. High saves? +17/+21/+18, check. DR 15/Cold Iron and Good, check. SR 27, also check. Permanent Freedom of Movement? Of course, we can't have a battle end with a single Hold Monster now, can we? No elemental immunities, but it IS immune to energy drain, death effects, and all forms of fear. I'm also receiving a note about its saves, hold on. Ah, no, my mistake, its saves are actually +22/+26/+23, because the Vilderavn DO have power over fate, which includes the ability to add +5 to any one saving throw of their choice each round as an immediate action, something they're likely to save when they're targeted by a powerful Save-or-Suck that they're not immune to, such as petrification, sleep effects, or nausea. There's no per-day limit on this ability, only per-round, so maybe ask your allies to pile on all their most powerful abilities at once?

Hah. 'Allies.' There's no one here that's your friend. At least, that's what you're going to think while in combat with the Vilderavn; anyone within 30ft of it is not only vulnerable to its Frightful Presence, but its FP is also attached to Shatter Loyalties, an ability that causes anyone affected by it to treat all other creatures as an enemy, thwarting not only teamwork, but teamwork feats, as well as flanking bonuses, movement in tight spaces, and of course: willingly accepting beneficial effects. Any creature whose loyalty has been shattered has to be forcibly administered any positive effect (and is allowed to make a save to resist such effects), and doesn't count as a valid target for any effect or ability that counts 'allies.' This shattering effect lasts until the victim is no longer within 30ft of the fey and bypasses fear immunity entirely, so the party Paladin may not be shaken up by the Frightful Presence, but if they fail the DC 26 Will save anyway, suddenly all their beneficial auras shut off for everyone else, leaving them more vulnerable to the raven knight's fierce spells and Hexes.

If the Vilderavn pauses its assault momentarily when it has someone at death's door, do not mistake it for a show of mercy. Remember that they can tear the souls from their mortal victims, but they can only do so while in raven form, as Soul Eater very specifically triggers from its bite attack. A party held at bay by its magic or laid low by its damage may only be able to watch in horror as it assumes raven form, climbs atop their fallen friend, and drives its beak deep into their chest, shearing their heart from their body and their soul with it (frightening everyone who sees it, or shaking them up if they succeed a DC 27 Will save). From there on out, it has full access to their memories, their personality, their very face, ready to destroy their lives and everything they had ever hoped to create... and if the DM is especially cruel, it may use Modify Memory on the only conscious witness to the act to make them think their ally is fine, that they managed to get away from that fiend! A fiend slithering its way into the party as it wears the fallen allies' face. Waiting for the chance to tear hope away from you all one final time.

You can read more about them here.

[umbraldame]

Makeup test as Eureka's own Thing From Beyond! The TFB is a playable shapeshifting monster investigator who folds herself into a humanoid disguise to hide her true alien nature! Oh also she's a very picky eater with a taste for sapience. Despite her monstrous nature she just wants to be a real girl n.n

You can learn more about the TFB and other playable monster on my friends' indie ttrpg kickstarter!

[nalooksthrough]

Pe-Az Canon Analysis

I think before I start making headcanons about the Pe-Az. I should do an analysis on what the show has already told and/or shown us. I'm writing it out because writing helps me form more structured thoughts.

Be warned this is a rather long post.

General

Going to start off with their ship. It's in the shape of a pod because 'peas in a pod' and all that, very goofy. It also glows a bright green leaving behind a small green trail when they travel. Speaking of travel, they don't move in a straight line, they pilot in a zig zag pattern.

They also fly their ship backwards which is a weird choice but okay you do you.

They refer to themselves as an intergalactic peace negotiating team called the Pe-Az. So yeah, Pe-Az isn't the name of their race, it's their team name. Their team consists of a Statistical Leader (top), an Optimism Captain (middle) and a member simply known as The Closer (bottom). Who remains mute until they exhausted all other options. Basically he's their trump card. They are also call each other brother so that's sweet. Siblings working in a intergalactic peace team together.

They say that they have been setting human disputes for centuries (with pictures to prove it) and they personally have helped with 293 negotiations before the events of "Peace of Pizza". And yet somehow out of 293 disrupts they never once came across a person whose lactose intolerant or has an allergy to dairy. In fact they don't even seem to know that it's a thing.

Now I'm not sure if they mean they as in the team or they as in they themselves have been helping settle human disputes over the centuries. The three of them could possibly be centuries old.

Also want to point out that fairies are only present in the 1950 burger fry treaty which makes me think that they have only just recently started to work with them.

They also seem to be overly confident in their belief that pizza is like the key to all negotiations, that it's the universal incentive and that everyone loves Pizza. Which okay sure, good luck trying that with the Yugopotamians.

They are so confident in this fact that they even made an on/off switch for it. Their technology must to insane if they create a device to turn the concept of pizza off (and remove Italy from existence) like that's scary man.

Also they just carry around different types of pizza with them in briefcases, which might just be disguised pizza boxes. Even for non-existing pizzas like ice-cream pizza. Wonder how many other types of pizza they have hidden away?

And I guess if they are being this non descript and vague about what a pizza is than it very well could be the universal incentive.

Their written language has a lot of arrows, lines and dots. Also that's a lot of repeating characters for such a short text. They must not have a big alphabet.

They have rules when it comes to their negotiations! The only one we know of so far is that if someone manages to out negotiate them, they have to go on their side. Even is they don't want to and it ends with the removal of all pizza in the world. They have no choice.

This isn't totally related to my analysis but think it's sweet that even though they are clearly uncomfortable. They were still willing to play video games with Dev or maybe it was just out fear. Dev was the first person to ever out negotiate them. The lactose intolerant child scares them.

Apparently they are monsters and eat their pizza crust first.

They also not only managed to sneak into the Galax institute completely undetected but also none of these parasciencist are even questioning their green colouring at all? What are they even doing there anyway? Are they trying to keep tabs on what the humans know about alien life?

Abilities

Going to start with the one they use the most. Their ability to Assimilate. They can seemly sprout humanoid forms from their sphere bodies and are relatively good at mimicking the human form with only minimal hiccups. And given they are intergalactic peace keepers this most likely extends to other non-human forms as well.

But they can't seem to change their colouration which you think would be a problem but no. No one seems to question them about it, no one even seems to even question where they came from or how they got here. Which makes me think they also have a way to mentally assimilate, not just physically.

I like how even in these forms, they will naturally assume their normal stack positions. They even do it in their proper order (Stat top, Opt middle, Close bottom). They can't help it!

The next ability I'm gonna talk about is their screen projection. Which they can not only use to display written text but also screenshots of what may be their memories but I'm not sure.

At first I thought it was just Opt who could do this. But Stat also does it, so it must be something they can all do.

Another ability which might not even be an ability is their ability to teleport objects. This might just be done with tech since they don't really do this often. But it also has a similar effect to when they display another ability that I will soon mention so I can't fully rule it out.

They can also seemly float/float objects but they can seemly only do this when they are in their true form. Their assimilated forms must take energy for them to keep up or something.

And finally their weirdest and most disturbing ability. The ability to turn living beings into pizza. Which brings to mind the horrifying question of "is this where they get all their pizza from?"

This also shows that while they promote peace, they are willing to use more forceful methods if pushed. So they're not fully pacifistic.

Hello? Sir? What are going to do with that pizza slice? 😥

[rs-hawk]

Just gonna say it: Guild Wars 2 has so many good monster bf/gf options

- race of plant people who are all born from a tree (sylvari)

- race of muscular cat people with horns and four ears that are essentially a mix of big cats and bulls/minotaurs (charr)

- race of tall humanoids that via communing with nature spirits become werecreatures (norn)

- race of 10-20 ft tall four armed desert dwelling elemental spirits known for disguising as humans and other creatures occasionally. their voices have an almost serpentine quality and are confirmed to live multiple centuries at least (djinn)

- race of 10+ ft tall interdimensional muscular humanoids known for their circular black wings and only ever seen with helmets covering their heads. both males and females look identical in body shape (mursaat)

- race of 10ish ft tall genderless four armed beings known for advanced magic abilities and likewise live exceptionally long lives (seers)

- race of four armed (seeing a trend yet?) serpentine interdimensional beings that are kinda like nagas but with snake heads (the forgotten)

- demons exist and come in a variety of body shapes but they all look like hodgepodges of flesh and teeth. also they can smell emotions and mentally communicate with others (some of them are friendly)

- there's multiple instances where you fight giant tentacles the size of trees. it's implied the tentacles are attached to a larger creature. whether any of those creatures are sentient is up for debate, but considering an entire map-wide event chain is focused on fighting tentacles, they deserve a mention

- the elder dragons that are the size of islands can corrupt people in different ways. sometimes the corruption is consensual (it depends on the dragon)

- a romance novelist (it's stated he writes smut) in game who's main gimmick is writing interspecies relationship romances. also he kinda looks like the Beast from Beauty and the Beast (Snargle Goldclaw)

- basically the entire repertoire of enemies if you really want to go through it

Also it's canon that queer relationships & people AND interspecies relationships are accepted in said universe! There's only a handful of blatantly obvious examples from the main story but a lot of side quests and ambient dialogue reveals a lot of other examples. Yes there's even agender characters with they/them pronouns and at least one trans person.

So what you’re saying is me and every other monster fucker needs to play this game

[mightymizora]

So fun wording about Doppelgangers from the monster manual:

Doppelgangers are devious shapeshifters that take on the appearance of other humanoids, throwing off pursuit or luring victims to their doom with misdirection and disguise. Few creatures spread fear, suspicion, and deceit better than doppelgangers. Found in every land and culture, they can take on the guise of any individual of any race.

Stealing Secrets. A doppelganger’s adopted form allows it to blend into almost any group or community, but its transformation doesn’t impart languages, mannerisms, memory, or personality. Doppelgangers often follow or capture creatures they intend to impersonate, studying them and probing their minds for secrets. A doppelganger can read a creature’s surface thoughts, allowing it to glean that creature’s name, desires, and fears, along with a few scattered memories. A doppelganger impersonating a specific creature as part of a long-term plot might keep its double alive and close at hand for weeks, probing the victim’s mind daily to learn how to behave and speak authentically.

Hedonistic Swindlers. Doppelgangers work alone or in small groups, with group roles shifting from con to con. While one doppelganger takes the place of a murdered merchant or noble, the others take on a number of identities as circumstances warrant, playing the parts of family or servants while they live off the victim’s riches.

Changelings. Doppelgangers are too lazy or self-interested to raise their young. They assume attractive male forms and seduce women, leaving them to raise their progeny. A doppelganger child appears to be a normal member of its mother’s species until it reaches adolescence, at which point it discovers its true nature and is driven to seek out its kind to join them.

That last point is particularly interesting if you have your Dark Urge meeting Orin when they are children (despite using the world changeling she is a doppelganger, as changelings exist in Eberron not Faerun.) I'm assuming that it's not a mothers-only thing, but you take on the dominant genetic material. What happened when she started to shed her resemblance to Sarevok? Did that impact their relationship? When she killed her mother, did she look exactly like her at that age, as they would have looked only like their father?

Imagine going through puberty and literally shedding your old skin and becoming a changeable mass. Phew.

[sp0re-speaks]

OMG HI TADEEEE <3

Oh and all these guys are here too or whatever. I figured they were gonna catch up to them at some point. I'm guessing we won't have a chance to talk this back to the point of "No, those guys just fucking lied to you actually"

Funny talk about monsters disguising themselves as humanoids coming from a girl with wings for arms. You wouldn't have experience with that, would you?

[pumpkinprincess22]

I promised Fair Folk lore in the discord so here is the fair folk lore.

So basically I visited the Alnwick Gardens on holiday and they had this really cool play area world for kids called Lilidorei based around nine clans who worship Christmas. Inspired by this here is some MCD Fair Folk lore.

'Fair Folk' is the umbrella term to encompass all the races native to the realm of Yggdrasil. These races are:

Elves

Of all the Yggdrasilian races Elves are one of the most common to be spotted outside of Yggdrasil due to their ability to blend in with humans. They are very attuned with nature. Elves are some of the least magickally gifted of the Fair Folk and while it is not uncommon for Elves to be born with magicks it is much rarer for them to cultivate it, even being forbidden for some tribes.

Fairies

Fairies are similar to their elven cousins, they are also humanoid and can fit in among humans although don't venture to the mortal realms as much as the Elves. There primary physical difference to Elves is their wings and ability to fly. Fairies are very magickally attuned and they practice their magicks freely.

Pixies

Occasionally found in the mortal realm, mostly offering help to humans (or trying to but coming off as a nuisance anyway). Pixies are more or less balls of concentrated magickal energy in a tiny body. When observed by mortals they appear as the Allay mob in minecraft. They can appear differently but the less abundant magickally energy in the mortal realm forces them into a smaller more solid physical shape.

Gnomes

Gnomes are not often found in the mortal realm but have been known to appear. Gnomes can either be very wise and helpful or mischievous tricksters. Standing at 4 feet tall on average with long white beards regardless of age or gender, when seen in the mortal realm Gnomes are often mistaken for particularly short old men. Gnomes magicks is often as absurd as they are and it is thought that Shaman magicks is derived from a combination of Gnomish practices and Witchcraft.

Goblins

Known to mortals as Imps, Goblins are tricksy shapeshifters. Expelled from Yggdrasil for dealings in dark magicks, in a combined effort by the Elven and Fairy tribes, the Goblin tribe leader took his people with him to the mortal realm where they allied themselves with the Demon Warlock in exchange for protection. Some Goblins since have slipped through the cracks and return to Yggdrasil unnoticed but most remain in the mortal realm disguising themselves as mortals to trick others or to assimilate into their culture.

Trolls

The final race is rarely found outside of Yggdrasil. A troll will turn up in the mortal realm maybe once in a generation. They are gentle but their size and appearance causes them to be feared. They are the stuff of stories and nightmares and monsters under the bed. The kind of beings that might be real but no one really knows.

Fae

So if you've seen my post about accidentally creating a Pantheon of Old Gods you might recall that Fae is the goddess of the Fair Folk. All of the races of Yggdrasil come from her. They are also known as the Children of Fae and she refers to them as such. No one knows if the original tribe members were really her children or if they were just her creations but at the time of MCD there are well established families within the tribes and none are directly the goddesses children.

The Fae Wilds

A realm presided over by Fae which is sort of like the afterlife except not exactly because Fair Folk are immortal beings. When they feel ready to 'retire' one of the Fair Folk may call upon Fae to be transported to the Fae Wilds to live out the rest of eternity.

[assistant-of-drama]

Imagine a world where all the contestants are magical creatures disguised as humans...

Alejandro is a powerful vampire, while Noah is a werewolf.

Vampires and werewolves are usually natural enemies, but these two are more like frenemies.

Noah honestly is more angry that Alejandro is flirty, then the fact that Alejandro is a vampire.

While Alejandro wants Noah on his side.

In this world, vampires don't die in the sunlight, instead they temporarily lose their dark powers.

Vampires have three forms: a human form with fangs and golden eyes, a giant demon-like humanoid bat form and a normal bat form.

Werewolves can still transform at will, even in sunlight, but they're at their strongest during a full moon at night.

Werewolves have three forms: a human form with fangs and icy-blue eyes, a giant humanoid wolf form and a normal wolf form.

The blood of werewolves can burn the mouth and skin of a vampire, like holy water.

Werewolves are also completely immune to a vampire's hypnosis; this is how Alejandro learned that Noah is a werewolf, when Alejandro tried to 'convince' Noah into cuddling him.

Noah gave Alejandro the cold shoulder until Alejandro apologized for trying to hypnotize him.

Alejandro makes it up to Noah, by carrying Noah and flying across the starry sky.

The duo often get into practice battles in the nearby forest.

Alejandro is protective and possessive of Noah.

Noah grows fond and becomes loyal to Alejandro in return.

The rest of the contestants are not vampires and werewolves; they're each a different magical creature and/or monster, including Chris and Chef.

[quick-attack]

fox tricks; the power of illusion and its many uses

#1) many forms - humanoid, beast, and monster alike - can be assumed with varying difficulty, but in human disguise, the fox can still be spotted by the presence of a fluffy tail..

#2) a duplicate, or 'shadow clone' is capable of striking with the same solid force of the real thing -- if said duplicate is believed to be real by the target being attacked. once revealed, the duplicate will dissipate in a cloud of smoke.

#3) a handheld object can be temporarily disguised as another (simple) object and take on its properties. a twig can assume the form of a sword, for example, and slice just as readily as the genuine article. if the fox is disarmed, the illusion will be immediately dispelled.

[rockybloo]

I read your post about freebird complimenting Sweetheart using "chocolate" and "cotton-candy" and in that post, you touched on how the creatures from Umbra (definitely didn't forget how to spell the word for them ssh) don't exactly have a background in American prejudice and racism, and how Bitterbat tries to educate them and himself to make sure they don't fuck up.

If you're comfortable with sharing, how would they react to facing some of those things in their humanoid disguises, or seeing the ones they care for go through that?

I have to wonder how baffling it would be to them, at least prejudice based on power and strength can be mitigated somewhat by getting stronger or making strong allies, but how do you lessen the societal burden of a trait you can't change?

No pressure on this ask though, ik it leads to heavier things and if you aren't in a good headspace that's or just don't want to that's okay! Thanks for reading regardless, I love BOTH your comics a lot and I've been smiling so much since discovering them my face hurts

Thank you!

And none of the Flavor Four tolerate their Beloveds facing racism for their skin colors and race. And since you can't take the monster out of a Monstrum, their first reflex is to start some shit.

None of the Flavor Four would hesitate punching a racist, since back home if there were problems, they solved them in battles.

But humans are built much weaker than a Monstrum and so the Beloveds have to remind them to reel it back a bit to avoid potentially murdering someone. While it'd feel nice to punch a bigot, the Flavor Four would hate to spend time in jail instead of with their Beloveds.

So they just make to put the fear of god in racists. Bitterbat's element may be fear but all the Flavor Four can traumatize a human quite easily.

People suddenly care a lot more for self preservation when the person they were just talking to suddenly has a mouth full of fangs and horrifying animalistic eyes that remind you just how fragile the human body is.

They can also use magic so they can make a lot of stuff look like an accident. While the Flavor Four don't like to lie to their Beloveds, they make exceptions in cases where they believe a human deserves their punishment.

When it comes to facing racism themselves, there is certainly some immediate confusion. Monstrums don't have that racial history like humans and many of the stereotypes that would be flung at them would just flop on the floor because the Flavor Four don't entirely understand. They get the general stuff with the Beloveds and them being black but the Flavor Four spend way more time viewing themselves as Monstrums and waaay less as their human roles.

They wouldn't really react immediately with violence like if their Beloveds were facing racism, since...well they ain't scared of humans. The Flavor Four know they could kill a human in the blink of an eye. It's like a gnat buzzing around in your face not knowing how easy it would be for it to get clapped.

The reason the Flavor Four are so much more willing to kill for their Beloveds compared to themselves is because of love and respect. If they see someone being disrespectful to their loves, that is a punishable offense, regardless of how petty it may seem.

All in all, it's safe to say that the Flavor Four wouldn't hesitate with a racist. There is no being the bigger person to them. If they feel irritated or annoyed by someone bothering their partners or, on those rare occasions, themselves, they will make them stop regardless of how unnecessary their method may seem.

[thecreaturecodex]

Skelm, Palace

Image © Paizo Publishing, accessed at Archives of Nethys here

[Talking with me during the development of her red hag, @soylent-crocodile referred to it as "a species of Starscreams". Which is a great description, and also an accurate assessment of the palace skelm. Although it's obvious that Grima Wormtongue is also a major influence on this PF2e monster. The fact that palace skelms and red hags are the same CR and would absolutely hate each other is the icing on the cake for me.]

Palace Skelm CR 8 LE Monstrous Humanoid This humanoid figure is almost human, except for the pair of gleaming antlers growing from his skull. He is dressed in fine noble’s clothing.

Palace skelms are creatures that delight in the corruption of power. They often are found among military officers and politicians, some of whom transformed into skelms in that position. Palace skelms spend their time either jockeying for power or abusing the power that they do have, treating their subordinates with casual cruelty. A palace skelm is an excellent liar, and they can even insert their words into the mouths of others. They encourage competition, jealousy and paranoia in any court they find themselves in, turning functioning governments into a den of vipers to exploit. They are ostentatious by nature, and frequently flaunt their wealth and status with finery.

Most palace skelms prefer to exert power from behind the throne, ingratiating himself to a ruler and warping their perceptions so that they only trust the skelm. Coups and political upheavals are dangerous for palace skelms, as they simultaneously allow for more opportunities to inflict suffering while increasing the risk of the skelm’s true nature being exposed, or of the skelm losing their grasp on what power they have. Palace skelms have a tendency to self-sabotage, as their interlocking schemes can spiral out of their control, and their answer to being caught in the act is usually murder.

Palace Skelm     CR 8 XP 4,800 LE Medium monstrous humanoid Init +4; Senses Perception +16, scent

Defense AC 22, touch 14, flat-footed 18 (+4 Dex, +8 natural) hp 102 (12d10+36) Fort +7, Ref +12, Will +11; -2 vs. emotion effects DR 10/cold iron

Offense Speed 30 ft. Melee gore +18 (1d12+6 plus trip), slam +18 (1d6+6) Special Attacks incite violence Spell-like Abilities CL 8th, concentration +13 (+17 casting defensively) Constant—tongues At will—message, paranoia (DC 17) 3/day—clairaudience/clairvoyance, enthrall (DC 17), invisibility, suggestion (DC 18) 1/day—charm monster (DC 19), curse of the outcast (DC 21), private sanctum

Statistics Str 23, Dex 18, Con 17, Int 18, Wis 17, Cha 20 Base Atk +12; CMB +18 (+20 trip); CMD 32 (34 vs. trip) Feats Combat Casting,Combat Expertise, Deceitful, Improved Trip, Improved Vital Strike, Vital Strike Skills Bluff +21, Disguise +21, Diplomacy +14, Intimidate +21, Knowledge (local, nobility) +14, Perception +16, Sense Motive +13, Sleight of Hand +13, Stealth +16; Racial Modifiers +4 Intimidate Languages Aklo, Common, tongues SQ change shape (Small or Medium humanoid, alter self), corrupt speech, skelm traits

Ecology Environment urban Organization solitary Treasure standard

Special Abilities Corrupt Speech (Su) As an immediate action, a palace skelm can corrupt the speech of a creature within 30 feet. The skelm can say up to twelve words and makes a Bluff check as opposed to the Perception of other creatures that can hear the original speech. If the skelm succeeds, the perceiving creatures hear the palace skelm’s words come out of the speaker’s mouth. If the skelm fails, they hear the original speech. If the Perception check succeeds by more than 5, the perceiving creature hears both phrases, and knows that the skelm spoke the words. If the skelm’s Bluff check against a target succeeds by 5 or more, the skelm can cast suggestion or paranoia on that target as part of the same action. A skelm cannot use a spell-like ability on multiple targets in this way at a time, even if it successfully deceives multiple creatures. Incite Violence (Su) As a standard action once per day, a palace skelm can incite violence in all creatures that can hear it within 30 feet. If a creature fails a DC 21 Will save, it makes a melee attack against an adjacent creature of the skelm’s choosing, choosing its most powerful weapon or natural attack if it has multiple. If a skelm uses this ability and an affected creature has no creatures adjacent to it, the creature is instead stunned for 1 round. This is a mind-influencing, compulsion, sonic effect, and the save DC is Charisma based.  Skelm Traits (Ex) A skelm gains a +4 racial bonus on Intimidate checks and a -2 penalty on saving throws against emotion effects.