MONSTER/HAZARD SUGGESTIONS

[phantasmods]

Got a suggestion for a critter or other hazard to run into in a future dungeon? Leave them here and we might be able to find a place for them.

All comments are screened, to maintain the surprise for the viewers at home.

CRITTER

Whether it be things that go bump in the night, or a boss fight, or things that bump, gently, into your ankles looking for love, no dungeon is complete without beasties. While most suit their environments, sometimes Fissures pull in things that are not at all happily at home - and of course, each Fissure also creates its own monsters from shifting magical energies. If it's something that can move around and potentially fought (or bargained with, or adopted...), it's a critter.

<b>Creature name</b>:<br /><b>Creature type</b>: [Is it a regular monster? A Fissure creature? A boss? Something befriendable, or even domesticated?]<br /><b>Environment</b>: [What kind of places does this creature appear in? Does it favor a certain time of day or a particular kind of magical energy?]<br /><b>Description</b>:[What does the creature look like? How does it move? Does it give off a certain kind of aura?]<br /><b>Abilities</b>: [What can the creature do? This is both magical-type abilities and mundane things.]<br /><b>Behaviour</b>: [Is it docile? Aggressive? Friendly?]<br /><b>Drops</b>: [What do you get for beating it?]

HAZARD

But a dungeon that only contains monsters isn't very interesting, is it? Fissures also contain hazards, environmental and other effects that can stop characters in their progress just as surely as a monster. Some are large enough to cover entire areas of the dungeon, or even the whole Fissure itself; others are much more localized. Generally, if it's a problem you can't get past by fighting, it's a hazard.

<b>Type of hazard</b>: [Is it a magical effect? An obstacle? A trap?]<br /><b>Environment</b>: [Where does this hazard appear? When? Does it only trigger under certain circumstances?]<br /><b>Description</b>: [What does the hazard look like, smell like, etc? Are there any particular clues to how to solve it?]<br /><b>Effects</b>: [What actually happens when you run into the hazard? Is it a continuous effect, or one that weakens when you move away?]<br /><b>Solutions</b>: [If there's a way to bypass, eliminate, or nullify the hazard, explain it here.]<br /><b>Anything else</b>: [Is there some reward for getting past the hazard? Does it drop something? Does it regrow once defeated? Anything else you can think of goes here!]

Comments

Hush Shepherds and Shhhhhhhheep

[photoshooter]

Creature name: Hush Shepherd
Creature type: Easily-befriended monster
Environment: Meadows and valleys at dawn or dusk, occasionally during night proper (or, if you wanna take it one pun further: Fields of Dreams)
Description: There's something indistinct about a hush shepherd's form, enough that they're hardly visible at all in full daylight; the best time of day to make one out is twilight, when shadows are long. Hush shepherds are quadrupedal mammals, with short legs and tails, long fur, and stout builds. One might compare them to dogs, but their ears are longer than other canids' and their faces rounder, giving them a puppyish look even though they're medium-sized, as dogs go. Hush shepherds' coats are soft, thick plush with a texture like rabbits' fur. They tend to come in merled or brindled shades of grey from silver-fawn to charcoal.

Yes, a hush shepherd's young are called hush puppies.
Abilities: The first sign of a hush shepherd's presence is the dwindling of all manner of sound, like some god has turned the volume knob down on the world. The sudden onset of apparent deafness might cause some to panic, but then that, too, will dissipate and then vanish like a dream. This is because hush shepherds are psychic/magical creatures that feed on high-key emotions like stress and fear, leaving calm in their wake. Magical properties in their fur makes them difficult to see in direct light, like a mirage, though never truly invisible.

They have strong hearing and senses of smell, and, since feelings are their food, they can sense living creatures' emotions. They're not particularly fleet of foot on those stubby legs, but they've got as much stamina as wolves. Once befriended, they're as intelligent and easy to train as any mundane dog.
Behaviour: As their name implies, hush shepherds are herding animals; their packs evolved to share a symbiosis with shhhhhhhheep, who provide them a steady source of anxiety to feed on in exchange for protection and calm. This makes them ideal companions for humans or other sentient, social beings who would serve both as food sources and packmates/fellow protectors. While shyer and more sedate than dogs, hush shepherds' behavior is otherwise similar.

If threatened, they try to confuse their attacker by surrounding them in silence, lull the threat into tranquility by consuming their fear, and then flee from the calmed foe. If that doesn't work, they have teeth and usually travel in small packs of three to four, but they're not powerful fighters.
Drops: Fur, earmuffs

Creature name: Shhhhhhhheep
Creature type: Domesticable, non-predatory monster
Environment: Meadows and valleys from dusk until dawn
Description:It looks and moves like a sheep, but its wool is a much purer, softer white. Individuals don't have much of a discernible magic aura on their own, but as a flock, they radiate a faint, dreamy kind of power. They also smell like fresh laundry.
Abilities: Those who approach a flock of shhhhhhhheep may find themselves getting very, very sleepy, particularly if they get their hands in their wool. The natural oil that gives shhhhhhhheep their clean, comforting scent has soporific properties, so touching them and then bringing one's hands near one's face could induce anything from a mild yawn to full drop-to-the-ground slumber.

Legend has it that seeing a shhhhhhhheep jump a fence ensures a restful night's sleep, but that's probably a myth.
Behaviour: Like sheep, shhhhhhhheep are docile, skittish herbivores and herd animals. They're easy to herd and run away from anything that moves or makes a sound. Interestingly, shhhhhhhheep don't seem to make any sound themselves, but that may not be an innate quality but rather a sign of hush shepherds among the flock.

Flocks tend to move at dusk and dawn and graze in one place through the night.
Drops: Meat, fleece, soporific oil