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Here's a critter that I'm planning on using in an upcoming adventure - any
suggestions? THE BABY TAKER
Born of the frustrated dreams of the
childless, of women who can never bear offspring, the Baby Taker is a peculiar
entity that has some similarities with Night Haunts. A Baby Taker
seeks out children of less than a year, to care for, nurture, and treat as its
own. Its soft, fleshy body belies its great strength and agility; at the
same time, the great accretion of flesh helps to comfort and calm its
prizes.
Description
A Baby Taker has four fleshy limbs,
which can move with serpentine fluidity. Each limb ends in a claw, bone close to
the surface, but with leathery pads which are capable of holding with great
gentleness. Two over-fat dugs hang from its chest, seeping milk and blood from
the cracked, dry nipples .In contrast to the rest of its body, the face is thin,
gaunt, with a haunted expression, with needle-sharp teeth, matted, straggly
hair; its visage is that of its creator. Otherwise, the body is hairless,
and lacks any orifices. It is capable of communicating only in "baby talk", a
strange, hypnotic babble, which has a soporific effect on those who hear it. Its
instinct is to protect its "child" - it will only fight if it feels its prize is
threatened, preferring to run, but, like any mother, will fight with no sense of
self preservation.
Profile - The Baby
Taker
Corp: Deft 3d12 Nimb 3d12 Quick 3d12 Str 4d10 Vig
3d8
Climbin' 5d12
Dodge 3d12 Fightin' - Brawlin' 4d12 Sneak 4d12
Ment: Cogn 3d8 Know 1d4 Mien 1d12 Smarts 5d4 Spirit
* (equal to that of "creator") Persuasion 4d12 [See Baby Talk, below]
Search 4d8 Trackin' 5d8
Special Abilities
-
Terror:
5
Claws: Str+2d6 Damage
Teeth: Str+1d8
Damage.
Fearless.
Anti-Coagulant: Wounds caused by a Baby Taker may not be
healed with Fate Chips.
Baby Talk: The billing and cooing of the Baby Taker is
enough to calm the rowdiest cowpoke, and is its first line of defence. Anyone
who can hear the "Baby Talk" must make an opposed Spirit Test versus the Baby
Taker's Persuasion. Characters with the Bad Ears hindrances gain an automatic
+4/+8 to their tests respectively.
Immunity: All - Whilst holding a child. Note that it
doesn't necessarily realise this. This immunity includes supernatural attacks,
Miracles - even Protection (it’s not evil per se, more of a misguided spiritual
entity.)
Progeny: A child suckled by the Baby Taker for a week
becomes one also; its first act will be to attempt to consume its "natural"
mother. A Progeny looks like a miniature Baby Taker, but with an oversized
baby's head and lacks a full-grown Baby Taker's breasts (in other words, it
doesn't actually look that different from a regular, albeit slightly
large baby, until seen up close). If it successfully consumes its natural
mother, it becomes a full grown Baby Taker. The Progeny Profile is listed at the
end.
Siren Spawn: A woman who takes damage
from a Baby Taker has trouble on her hands - or rather, in her belly. Any time a
Progeny successfully deals a wound to a woman, draw a card - if it’s a Heart,
then she’s been “infected”. Her first-born child acts a magnet for any Baby
Taker in the area.
Vulnerability: Convincing the woman who spawned the
Baby Taker to come to terms with her condition instantly dispels it, and reverts
the child to normal if it is not yet Progeny. Note that Baby Takers that evolve from
Progeny do not suffer from this.
Profile - Progeny
Corp: Deft 2d12 Nimb 5d12 Quick 5d12 Str 5d6 Vig
2d8
Climbin' 4d12
Dodge 4d12 Fightin' - Brawlin' 2d12 Sneak
6d12
Ment: Cogn 2d8 Know 1d4 Mien 4d6 (cute factor)
Smarts 3d4 Spirit 2d4
Special Abilities
Terror: 7
Claws: Str+1d6
Damage
Teeth: Str+2d4 Damage
Fearless.
Anti-Coagulant: Wounds caused by a Progeny may not be
healed with Fate Chips.
Vulnerability: Tears cause Progeny great pain: each tear
that touches its skin does 1d20 damage to that location. Progeny that
successfully evolve carry this weakness with them into "adulthood". If the
damage is sufficient to destroy the Progeny/evolved Baby Taker, it reverts to
being a baby of the age when it was first
taken.
Notes
The Baby Taker is not you run-of-the-mill nasty; sure it’s big
and strong, but remember, the Baby Taker is a defensive, rather than aggressive,
creature. It’s also not particularly scary, at least in the Terror sense - it’s
designed to be more of a weird, disturbing and ultimately pathetic creature.
It’s suitable for either isolated rural communities or big, slum city districts,
Weird West or Hell on
Earth.
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