Reanimating Lovecraft # 3 - 4th Dimensional Horrors

So far, I have shown how adding moral complexity and reality warping damage can make gaming in Lovecraft's world fresh again. Now, I'll give some insights on adding 4th dimensional horrors, body horror, and surrealism into the mix.

4TH DIMENSIONAL HORROR

In the novel Flatland, 2D creatures can only see one crossection of 3D entities at a time. A sphere would thus be seen by a Flatlander as an increasingly large, then decreasingly small circle.

(XKCD had fun with the concept HERE)

In the same way, we 3 dimensional beings should only see higher dimensional beings in partial and disturbing forms. These abhorrent appearances also affect gameplay in the following ways:

EFFECTS OF 4D MONSTER APPEARANCE

1 Timeshifted Embryo - The entity looks like a grotesque embryonic form of itself inside of a sloshing embryonic sac. Roll 1D8 armor for cutting through it every time it is attacked.

2 Living Shadow - The entity looks like a silhouette form of itself. Its Dodge changes from DEX x 2% to DEX x4 %.

3 Undead Yet Alive - The entity looks like a grotesquely rotted corpse form of itself. SAN loss is doubled.

4 Pestilent Smell - The entity is invisible, but its horrendous stench presages an attack. Defenses and attacks against the monster are limited to the Smell % of the character.

5 Deafening Rush - The entity is invisible, but its unearthly susurrus presages an attack. Defenses and attacks against the monster are limited to the Listen % of the character.

6 Fleshly Touch - The entity can only be touched by living beings, all weapons pass right through it. Fisticuffs are the only way to damage it, but touching its scabrous skin incurs another SAN roll.

7 Must Be Atomized  - The entity shrugs off damage. It regains 2D6 HP per round until returned to full health, even after death, unless burned or otherwise atomized.

8 Reflector - The entity looks like the Investigator it attacks, and other characters must make a one time INT x 3% roll to tell the difference.

BODY HORROR

One thing hinted at in Reanimator and Event Horizon is the body horror implicit in many of Lovecraft's works, as humans devolve into monstrous forms. Strangely enough, the original Tomb Raider game also had an Antarctic facility that could change bodies into monsters, a very Lovecraftian horror in a suitable Antarctic cyclopean locale.

Keepers can introduce an ancient machine, a potion, a curse, or some other means to cause Investigators to undergo a horrific metamorphosis. Overt ime, the afflicted slowly morphs into one of the creatures below (feel free to substitute your own entries). NB: Keep the result of this roll secret for maximum dread.

1 Formless spawn

2 Ghoul

3 Deep One

4 Wendigo

5 Mi Go

6 Star Vampire

7 Serpent People

8 Hunting Horror

Every week of game time, the Keeper chooses an attribute of the monster to appear on the afflicted Investigator. These could include any of the following:

- Add or subtract 1D6 to an attribute. This process can continue until the number of dice rolled matches that for the creature.

- Add a physical feature, starting with minor features like sallow skin or dark eyes, and progressing to major ones like wings or new body form.

- Add a game mechanic power, such as armor, POW drain, etc.

- Add a characteristic such as unnatural speech or need to be in cold environs

For every change, the player must make a SAN roll equal to that of the creature the Investigator is morphing into. At the end of the transformation, if the Investigator still has any Sanity left, they are a monster haunted by the soul of an Investigator. If their SAN reaches 0, they have mercifully forgotten who they are and are completely subsumed by their new, monstrous identity. Time for a new character!

SURREALISM

Lovecraft's Dreamlands were a setting that brought his mythos out of cosmic horror and into surreal territory. I suggest leaning heavily into this for any scenarios that wander into the Dreamlands or other mythic territory.

In my last CoC game, the players were enthralled by the Dreamlands, where they had taken refuge after Nazi occultists had taken over the Earth. While there, they had access to the following arcane knowledge:

SUMMON CATS (spell, MP 4, SAN 1D4)

Only usable in the Dreamlands. In cities such as Ulthar, causes 2d100 cats to appear out of shadows and alleyways to stare in silence at the caster. If the caster is a cat lover or has done a good service to cats, he or she may receive a boon, such as being presented to The Mother of Cats, introduced to a teacher of the Cat Dance, or be told a secret. Note that there is no Control Cats spell, as cats only do what they want to do. Cats can also chase away Ghouls, Ghasts, and any other Dreamlands creature the Keeper sees fit.

CAT DANCE (skill)

A skill that can only be learned from the Priests of Bast. The skill can be used in two ways:

1) As an alternate Dodge skill. On the plus side, the character can Dodge and do any unarmed attack they know as they do so. On the minus, they can't use any weapons while Cat Dancing, and unarmed attack skill can never exceed Cat Dance skill.

2) As a show to make friends with any cat-based monster or deity. For example, meeting Bast.

Extended Dreamlands - The Keeper can borrow dreamlands from other media or their own inspirations, such as the Cat Dream from Neil Gaiman's Sandman, or from the works of Michel Moorcock.