MONSTER TYPES

[canyonmods]

BESTIAL

This type takes on the characteristics of members of the animal kingdom (insects and arachnids included). Their powers stem mostly from raw physicality, and they often see a huge boost in things like strength and agility. They're more likely to fall into traditional predator/prey mindsets, and often adopt mental traits of the animals that they resemble. Because so many creatures of lore tend to be human/animal hybrids, this type can often end up mistaken for things like satyrs, merfolk, or weres.

COMMON PHYSICAL CHANGES	COMMON MENTAL CHANGES
⇁ Growing claws, scales, feathers, gills, fur, etc. ⇁ Muscle structure more suited to fighting/running ⇁ Sharper teeth ⇁ Growth of new body parts (i.e. wings, fins, tails, horns) ⇁ Changes in bone structure (longer arms for running on all fours, development of exoskeleton, digitigrade legs, etc.)	⇁ Increase in aggression ⇁ Possessiveness toward perceived belongings ⇁ Pack/hive mentality ⇁ Preference to communicate with sounds instead of with human words ⇁ Distrust of humans

COMMON DIETARY CHANGES	COMMON SEXUAL CHANGES
⇁ Bestial types have a wide variety of dietary changes. Whether they're carnivores, herbivores, or omnivores depends entirely on the creature the bestial type is based on. Someone with more lion features might enjoy raw meat, while someone with insectoid features might enjoy nectar, for example. Some bestial types turn to cannibalism to satisfy themselves.	⇁ Sexual habits mimicking the animal(s) they're based on ⇁ Genitalia changes (knots, barbs, etc.) ⇁ Mating seasons, marked by increased aggression and arousal ⇁ Desire to choose a mate or mates, particularly other bestial types ⇁ Strong drive to reproduce, whether or not that actually happens

DEATH

⇁ A Bestial type will die the way any other organic thing does: with blood, guts, and rot. Their body will eventually heal itself and become functional again. In the event that the body is seriously damaged (explosions, dismemberment, immolation, etc.), the largest remaining piece of their body will become the hub for their regeneration, even if that piece is just a particularly large clump of ash.

ELEMENTAL

This type draws its powers from the earth's most ancient resources: fire, water, earth, and air. Usually, one element in particular will bind to a person, though there is occasional overlap (magma, for example, is ruled over by both earth and fire Elementals). These types will find themselves giving their flesh over more and more to their element: bark for skin, voices that carry for miles on the wind, blood that literally boils, lips that taste of brine. Though one element will always remain dominant, it's not uncommon to see an Elemental with secondary traits from another. However, they will always feel most comfortable manipulating their primary element, and it's from that element where they draw their powers.

COMMON PHYSICAL CHANGES	COMMON MENTAL CHANGES
⇁ Changes in skin/hair/eye color corresponding with primary element ⇁ Immunity to taking damage from primary element (fire primaries can't be burned, water primaries can't be drowned, etc.) ⇁ Body parts made up of primary element ⇁ Changes in body temperature ⇁ Dissipation of human features; may end up more a mass of their element than a humanoid being	⇁ Disdain for technology; preference for nature ⇁ Temperament changes based on primary element (hotheaded fire primaries, "cool" water primaries) ⇁ Travel-minded, like seeing sights ⇁ Instinctive distrust of "opposite" primaries (fire vs. water and earth vs. air) ⇁ Friendly toward Bestial types

COMMON DIETARY CHANGES

COMMON SEXUAL CHANGES

⇁ Dietary changes for Elemental types vary based on primary element. Fire primaries can "eat" anything flammable, by burning or otherwise disintegrating it. Earth primaries prefer meat products or sunlight, and dislike things that can be grown, such as grains. Water primaries enjoy seafood, or, if they find themselves too attached to marine life, can sustain themselves entirely by drinking water. Air types develop less of a need to eat, and prefer fasting.

⇁ Increased/decreased body temperature during arousal ⇁ Cum made up of their primary element (watch that magma!) ⇁ Ability to keep sexual partner safe from harm from the primary element during the encounter ⇁ Tendency to secrete or change into their primary element during sex ⇁ Disdain for toys or "unnatural" additions to sex

DEATH

⇁ When an Elemental dies, they will collapse into the element they represent. An air Elemental's body might turn intangible and disperse with the wind, for example, while a fire Elemental will immolate and set fire to anything flammable in the area. When they revive, they will emerge from the element: a water Elemental rising up out of the river, or a mudslide re-creating an earth Elemental's body, etc. Don't feel the need to stick to these options, though. You can get as creative as you like with this!

MECHANICAL

This type is, compared to all the rest, fairly modern. They find their home with electricity, metal, and radio waves. They're so at home with them, in fact, that they'll find their bodies adapting to match, their bodies operating through gears and oil instead of flesh and blood. This change can manifest like a cyborg's, with parts of them remaining human, or it can turn them entirely robotic. They draw their powers from electricity and use humanity's love for gadgets to their advantage, able to "link in" to most tech and take control of it.

COMMON PHYSICAL CHANGES	COMMON MENTAL CHANGES
⇁ Insides replaced with gears/metalwork/hollowed out like a doll ⇁ Shinier, thicker skin ⇁ Entire body parts may be replaced with something mechanical, i.e. TVs or other objects in place of heads ⇁ Body parts easily-replaceable (doll eyes or limbs that "plug in") ⇁ Less expressive vocalizations; voice may have a "recorded" or "tinny" quality	⇁ Able to build and fix things easily, even with little to no prior instruction ⇁ Preference for man-made structures over natural ones ⇁ Tendency to shy away from religion and spirituality in favor of more scientific pursuits ⇁ Not good at decision-making; like to do what they're told ⇁ Less emotional, more logical

COMMON DIETARY CHANGES	COMMON SEXUAL CHANGES
⇁ Mechanical types don't need to "eat" as much as they need to "charge." They sustain themselves by plugging into a power source, or by otherwise draining a piece of technology of its electrical charge.	⇁ Replaceable genitals - pop 'em on and off! ⇁ Ability to vibrate parts of their body ⇁ No refractory period ⇁ An affinity for creating their own sex toys, particularly related to bondage or electricity ⇁ Fond of taking orders

DEATH

⇁ Upon death, a Mechanical type's brainwaves will be transmitted to nearby electronics. People interacting with those electronics may see or hear an "imprint" of the character, influenced heavily by the moment of their death. They might pick up the phone to hear an agonized screech, or see the character's face flickering between TV channels. The technological type retains some awareness of their surroundings during this time, but most of it will be dedicated to sapping energy from the electronics they're connected to in order to revive. Once fully-healed, they will form a new body using components from the electronics, destroying them while rebuilding themselves. Any fleshy parts the character might have will melt out of the tech and reform, as if it only needed to be squeezed out of the wires all along.

PENUMBRAL

This type is the most mysterious of the five, with mutations from a category that isn't as distinct. Physical changes to these types tend to be more unsettling in nature, affecting the body by using the body as its main tool. Extra eyes, limbs, and teeth are common, and the body's entire geography has been known to... shift. You may find yourself talking to a person whose head is detached from their body, or some poor soul whose insides are more at home on their outsides. The only commonality they seem to share is an affinity for shadows: be it by choice or by instinct, they tend to stay in places where it's darkest, finding comfort in those cold, dark places most humans dread the thought of. They draw strength from that darkness, as if fueled by some unseen force that lurks just out of sight.

COMMON PHYSICAL CHANGES	COMMON MENTAL CHANGES
⇁ Aura of darkness around the body ⇁ Hair, skin, and eye color tends to be monochromatic or desaturated ⇁ Body parts that don't line up correctly, or that remain detached and float near the body ⇁ Increase or decrease in normal body parts (more/less eyes, mouths, limbs, heads, etc.) ⇁ Body fluids replaced with tar- or oil-like substances	⇁ Tendency toward secrecy ⇁ Trickster nature; enjoys playing pranks, even cruel ones ⇁ Affinity for dangerous/low-light hobbies such as spelunking or deep sea diving ⇁ Skewed morality ⇁ Higher pain tolerance

COMMON DIETARY CHANGES

COMMON SEXUAL CHANGES

⇁ Penumbrals prefer different kinds of rocks and chemicals. Lithium, iron, and lead-based things are favorites. Substances that are toxic to humans, such as bleach, can also be ingested by penumbrals safely.

⇁ Secretions of black goo during arousal (where these secretions come from is up to you) ⇁ Frequent sexual or romantic obsessions to the point of violence ⇁ Penumbrals' sexual partners often report hearing disembodied chanting in an unidentifiable language after orgasm ⇁ Shadows tend to come alive during sex, wrapping partners in inky black hands or tentacles, in extreme cases absorbing the partner entirely ⇁ Drawn to bloodplay

DEATH

⇁ A dead Penumbral character "melts" into the shadows. They linger as a constant presence, able to whisper to living creatures while they're dead. They will be drawn to speak horrible, hurtful things to living creatures, urging them to harm themselves and others, or warning of imminent danger. When they revive, the shadows turn into a thick black sludge, collecting themselves into a pile until they can reform the character. Once alive, the character will have little to no memory of what they said when they were dead.

SPIRITUAL

This type will find themselves elevated to what seems like a "higher" plane of being. They find themselves innately interconnected with other living things on a level that's not entirely physical. They're not entirely bound by the scientific laws of the universe: they may find themselves see-through, or partially intangible. Their powers are more mental than anything. They're in tune with people's thoughts, feelings, hopes, and dreams, and may occasionally find themselves glimpsing into the past or future. They occupy a permanent space between the "now" and "later," and serve as a bridge between that gap.

COMMON PHYSICAL CHANGES	COMMON MENTAL CHANGES
⇁ Transparency, either full (entirely see-through) or partial (i.e. skin and muscles see-through, organs and bone aren't) ⇁ Aura of light around body ⇁ Increased amount of eyes ⇁ Softening of features; less muscle mass ⇁ Skin that's cold, oxygen-deprived, or otherwise corpse-like	⇁ Affinity for graveyards and places where people have died ⇁ Feeling of connection to a higher power or powers ⇁ Empathetic ⇁ Tendency to speak indirectly, i.e. with metaphors or riddles ⇁ Easily interested by astrology and astronomy

COMMON DIETARY CHANGES

COMMON SEXUAL CHANGES

⇁ Spiritual types "eat" thoughts, dreams, and feelings. The stronger an emotion a person feels around them, the more recharged they can feel. Some Spirituals have limits: positive emotions might feed them, while negative emotions just cause distress and don't fill them up. Sitting near a person having a dream (or a nightmare) will also work. This does not "steal" the emotions from the person they're feeding off of. It merely energizes the Spiritual with no cost to their "prey."

⇁ Total empathy during sex - each participant will feel what their partner feels emotionally and maybe physically ⇁ Orgasms may result in temporary mind-melding, where the spiritual and their partner can hear each other's thoughts ⇁ Partial or full invisibility may be transmitted to sexual partners for the duration of the sexual encounter ⇁ Partners experience a feeling of salvation or great religious euphoria ⇁ Tendency to gain an interest in the kinks of people they sleep with

DEATH

⇁ A Spiritual type becomes entirely connected with the spiritual plane upon their death. They will become completely intangible and invisible, able to speculate on events without partaking in them (player permission is required if the dead character intends to spy on any PCs). When they revive, they simply fade back into existence as if they never left.