In this post, I detail the stats and mechanics of the alien monsters I created last time, The Var. The stat blocks are for the Cthulhu Eternal system, a free OGL-based d100 Lovecraftian horror system compatible with Delta Green and Call of Cthulhu. I also built an online SRD for it here (work in progress)
via Unsplash
Var
Astute hypochondriac alien maggots with squirming appendages
STR 9 CON 12 DEX 15 INT 18 POW 14
HP 11 WP 14
ARMOR: 5 (see CHITINOUS BODY).
SKILLS: Alertness 30%, Science (Pathology) 95%, Unnatural 50%
ATTACKS: Grapple and dissect 45%, Lethality 10% (see DISSECT)
Disease Spray 55% (see DISEASE SPRAY)
MOVEMENT: Slow. Their limbs allow for climbing vertical surfaces. Also, see QUANTUM BURROWING.
DISSECT: In melee range, a Var can grab a target and dissect it with their sharp appendages with a successful STRx5 roll (45). This has a 10% chance to outright kill the target. If a target is killed, the Var must pass an INTx5 check or become fascinated with the cadaver’s biology for D10 turns (up to a minute).
CHITINOUS BODY: The Var’s bodies are chitinous, providing them with armor protection. Fire and acid damage disable this armor.
QUANTUM BURROWING: The Var can dig wormholes. Depending on the distance to the destination, they spend thirty to one hour burrowing through soil. This does not displace real mass. Upon completion, they can move to the destination immediately. The Var doesn’t need to be familiar with the destination.
UNKNOWN VECTORS: If a Var encounters a target with an unknown disease, they immediately squirm in panic and begin QUANTUM BURROWING to flee. To determine if a disease is known to the Var, the GM may roll an INTx5 check, adjusted by the rarity and potency of a disease (Refer to the Cthulhu Eternal SRD list of Sample Diseases here). If the Var gets wounded by the target, the check must be passed again, as the Var becomes increasingly paranoid of infection by exposure.
SWARM: The Var are highly social and usually appear in groups of 2D10.
DISEASE SPRAY: The Var have studied a vast array of diseases. They can spray a target with a random disease during combat (Refer to the Cthulhu Eternal SRD list of Sample Diseases here). There is a 30% chance that this disease is wholly alien to Earth.