CREATURES of HORROR (A.A.V.)


    The Ancient Art of Demonology is the most dangerous It should not  be
used by a person with little power. "Take heed, foolish Dabbler, you  have
been Warned, Demons will never forget you, their  Tormentor  and  Captor."
The hazards are  great,  but  the  rewards  are  greater.  The  method  of
preparation of a Demonic Circle of Binding is both complex and  difficult.
Each and every stage must be performed exactly as stated or disaster  will
strike you and your suffering will be endless. First, a perfect circle  of
Human Blood must be drawn, by a priest of pure good or the magic will fail
and all Chaos will be set free. Within this circle the priest must  scribe
a perfect magical Star to focus the power. Next, ten black Candles must be
placed at the junctions of the paths, and these candles must be lit  as  a
beacon for Evil Beings to see from their foul plane. This  powerful  magic
splits The Universe in  two  pieces,  that  within  the  circle  and  that
without. The area within the circle is a direct Conduit to  the  Plane  of
Demons. You must then summon the Demon you wish to conjure by  use  of  an
enchanted message. Ancient tribesman have been known to use  an  enchanted
magic bag for this purpose. The following step is the most important.  You
must not make even the slightest error or the magic will fail and  demonic
hordes will be free to roam the Land. When, the Spawn of Chaos  has  fully
materialised then you must, with all speed, bind Him to  your  will.  This
step envolves a mental Battle for control between  you  and  the  monster.
Once you have control then the demon is at  your  command  for  one  solar
cycle. The method of Banishment is similar to  that  of  summoning  except
that by simple methods the Portal must  be  reversed.  Perform  the  first
steps in order. Then cause the demon to enter the circle  and  intone  the
Spell of Binding. The creature is no longer  at  your  command.  Be  quick
then, and dispel the creature to whence it  came  and  destroy  the  magic
circle lest it returns to seek revenge.
    The ANGEL of DEATH is one  of  evil's  most  powerful  minions.  This
unholy creature is sent straight from hell to deal with those  who  meddle
in the affairs of evil. They are usually sent only when  all  else  fails.
Although emaciated and of very  sallow  complexion.  These  creatures  are
extremely dangerous and can usually kill  with  just  one  blow  of  their
scythe. It is said to be impossible to run from an  angel  of  death.  Few
survive after having attracted evil's attention to this degree.
    ANIMATES are things created by human scientists or magic users with a
specific  series  of  actions  in  mind.  They  generally  perform  simple
movement, like robots. They are renowned for  endlessly  following  a  set
pattern until commanded otherwise. They can only understand basic commands
unless some sort of artificial intelligence has been installed.  They  are
usually extremely tough and often cannot be  killed  while  the  magic  is
still working. This is because the magic heals any injuries they may  have
and they are restored to their  original  state.  They  do  not  have  any
special powers and must be pulverised to stop them.
    BANSHEES are the unfortunate slaves of demons whose purpose is  often
to foretell a death in the house. However, they are often  used  as  early
warning systems. Their ear-splitting  screams  will  alert  people  to  an
intruders presence. They attack by scratching with  their  nails  but  are
basically defenseless against a determined attacker. They have no  magical
powers and the presence of a banshee usually indicates  a  greater  danger
ahead. Be warned for their screams are said to cause intense head pain and
alert their masters.
    DEMONS are creatures that originate on another  plane  of  existence.
There are seven planes apart from the Material plane on  which  we  dwell.
Indeed, if we could travel to one of these other planes then we too  would
be classed as demons. Chaos is a basic demon trait and it  is  simply  for
amusement that they come to our plain to wreak havoc.  They  can  also  be
summoned with magic and forced to carry out tasks for  the  summoner.  All
demons are at least moderately powerful. Some are extremely  powerful  and
if they attacked en masse they could conquer  the  world.  Luckily  demons
generally don't get along.
    MAJOR DEMONS are, fortunately for humanity, a rare breed.  There  are
actually only eight in existence, to rule each of  the  planes.  The  most
volatile demon is Cerberus. This demon takes the form of  a  huge,  triple
headed dog. This creature breathes fire and casts very powerful spells. If
you meet Cerberus it is a very good idea to run away,  extremely  quickly.
It is extremely unfriendly and has  made  several,  so  far  unsuccessful,
attempts to  conquer  this  dimension  in  the  past.  Cerberus  is  often
surrounded by it's minions, these provide protection from magic users  who
have the power to banish it back to its own plane.
    MINOR DEMONS come in many shapes and sizes and from many planes.  The
most common ones are Elemental Demons and Succubi. Elemental  demons  come
from one of the elemental planes and  have  powers  associated  with  that
element. For example Fire demons can  throw  fire  at  will.  Succubi  use
seduction to get their victims in a vulnerable position whereupon they use
their claws to rip him limb from limb. They  appear  as  beautiful  humans
having first induced a deep sleep in their victim. Elemental demons appear
as a solid mass of their element and  the  key  to  their  destruction  is
usually the opposite element.
    GHOSTS are non-material entities that usually  work  for  a  powerful
magic user with the promise that they will be restored to life  for  their
service. Ghosts are the spirits  of  people  that  died  in  an  extremely
violent way, with great pain. They attack with a touch of ice  which  saps
strength and health and is known to be extremely disconcerting. Because of
their non-material state they can only be damaged with magic. Fortunately,
they are extremely weak when attacked in this way.
    GHOULS are undead creatures who have the unique ability  to  paralyze
living creatures with a touch. They are more intelligent than animates and
zombies and are capable of some independent  thought,  although  they  are
usually controlled by a magic user of some sort. They are quite tough  and
fairly hard to kill, but they have no magical powers. When  they  are  not
attempting to paralyze, they tend to attack very quickly with a dagger.
    GIANT RATS have evolved deep beneath the  ground,  out  of  sight  of
humans. They are many times the size of normal  rats  and  their  powerful
jaws can cause serious damage. They are not very tough but can withstand a
lot of damage and do not present much of a  problem.  Beware,  some  carry
contagious diseases.
    HAGS are evil women who have devoted their lives to malice. They have
been rewarded with powerful magic and cursed with physical deformity. Once
past their magical defenses it is fairly easy to defeat them as they  have
weak bodies. They usually use lightning bolts to kill their enemies.
    IMPs are best described  as  small,  green  humanoids  with  a  nasty
disposition. They are actually humans cursed  with  green  skin  who  were
condemned many years ago and left the surface to live underground. Do  not
underestimate them the underground life is not easy and a  normal  imp  is
much stronger and tougher than a human. Imps are master  smiths  and  have
crafted high quality weapons and armour with which to  defend  themselves.
They usually live in clans of about 150 individuals which rule  a  certain
section of the underworld.
    INSECTS, or more particularly giant insects, are created  from  their
smaller cousins by magic. They can quickly  populate  a  large  area  with
offspring which provide an excellent defense. Their qualities vary greatly
from weak to strong. They will usually win through by  weight  of  numbers
alone. Below are a number of insects that have been  discovered  in  their
larger form. Beware as they tend to have special powers not  seen  in  the
smaller versions.
    ANTS tend to be found in the greatest numbers.  They  are  the  least
dangerous and the  easiest  to  dispatch  as  the  transformation  process
weakens their exoskeleton. Their method of attack is to fire globs of acid
from their tails. This acid is highly corrosive to non-organic matter.
    GIANT  SPIDERS  are  extremely  uncommon  as  the  spider  is  highly
resistant to growth magic. The spell rarely  works  but  the  results  are
astonishing and have an extreme effect. By far the biggest  of  the  giant
insects is the spider. They are very powerful and tough and are  extremely
poisonous and highly resistant to magic.
    GRUBS are very  big  and  nasty  creatures  which  have  razor  sharp
mandibles and bone-crushing strength. They can survive a lot of damage but
have a very low magical resistance.  They  look  and  move  like  a  giant
caterpillar.
    MOSQUITOS, while being mere pests  in  normal  size,  are  incredibly
dangerous in larger form. They attack by extending their probosci into the
victim and draining his  blood.  They  must  be  destroyed  quickly  after
penetration as their poison soon leads to unconsciousness.
    NYMPHS  are  huge,  aquatic  insects  which  jealously  guard   their
underwater domain. They will viciously attack intruders  with  their  jaws
which are very powerful. Fortunately, their exoskeleton has been  weakened
by underwater life, making them easy targets.
    SCORPIONS are one of the  more  deadly  insectivores,  especially  in
giant form. They are very big and their tails are wickedly barbed.  Whilst
quite weak physically, they do incredible  amounts  of  poisonous  damage.
Fortunately, due to their huge bulk, they move very slowly  and  sometimes
not at all.
    WASPS are very fast flying insects  which  attack  quickly  and  then
withdraw. Their sting is quite painful and sometimes poisonous. It is  not
unknown for giant wasps to have been imbued with some minor spells.
    WORMS are very large indeed but fortunately quite  weak.  Their  soft
bodies make good targets and their innate blindness means that  combat  is
difficult for them. Beware, for a good blow from one  of  these  creatures
will will fell the mightiest warrior.
    MIMICS are mindless clones often used by spellcasters to  impersonate
another. However, under the magically created  flesh  is  only  a  rotting
corpse. Their strenght and  constitution  depends  on  the  power  of  the
magic-user that created them. It has been known  for  some  mimics  to  be
completely invincible to normal damage. Mimics cannot cast spells  of  any
sort and consequently have a high magical resistance. The most  successful
way to deal with them is to use magic to  boost  your  physical  self  and
attack normally.
    NECROMANCERS are humans who are psychically connected to the plane of
spirits. If this power is developed from an early age by a  powerful  mage
then the child will become a necromancer,  gifted  in  the  magic  of  the
undead. A fully trained necromancer can cast many spells as well as summon
vast hordes  of  undead  from  beyond  the  grave.  These  are  formidable
opponents indeed, as they have weapons brought from the plane of  spirits.
Beware especially their Dust of Death, which they  can  release  at  will.
These deadly spores eat away a person from the inside if inhaled and  they
become a servant of evil forever.
    POLTERGEISTS are free spirits who have been trapped in our  plane  by
magic. They actually do what they  want  and  cannot  be  controlled,  but
simply perform the same task  as  when  they  were  alive.  They  have  no
attacking ability but they too cannot be attacked in any way.
    SHAPESHIFTERS are some of the more powerful,  non-demonoid  creatures
that one is likely to face. A  shapeshifter  can  re-arrange  its  genetic
structure at will and take on the form of another of roughly  equal  size.
Its true form, however, is that of  a  huge  serpent,  its  jaws  dripping
deadly poison. It attacks by spitting poison at its victim.  Shapeshifters
are also powerful magic users and can often be found at the head of a band
of monsters. They are totally evil and stop at nothing in order  to  cause
pain and death. It takes minutes for the poison to kill  so  prepare  many
potions before fighting these.
    SKELETONS are the bones of humans that have  been  re-animated.  They
are usually used only as guards and are quite easy to dispatch, being slow
and fairly weak. Some have been known  to  have  been  imbued  with  minor
magic. Beware, however, for they can regenerate themselves with time after
being disabled.
    VAMPIRES are split into two types,  purestrain  and  hybrid.  A  pure
vampire is the child of two vampires while a hybrid is a vampire  who  has
been infected by a purestrain. They appear as old  fashioned  humans  with
pronounced canines and pale skin.  Purestrains  are  extremely  dangerous,
having few weaknesses and a powerful  offensive  capability.  Hybrids  are
lesser vampires to their purestrain parents, having many more  weaknesses.
These often turn up in large groups or families to protect their  creator.
Most vampires hate holy items, sunlight and garlic. All can cast at  least
some magic.
    VAMPIRE BATS are not really  vampiric  in  nature  but  are  actually
oversized bats with a taste for blood. They have no  magic  and  are  very
weak. However, their quick suprise attacks in large numbers have meant the
end for many.
    WIGHTS are powerful guardians that live in the  bodies  they  had  in
life. They have a freezing touch which can  cause  paralisis  and  extreme
damage. They must stay in contact with their physical bodies at all  times
and spend most of the time 'sleeping' there. They are usually activated by
the presence of life.
    ZOMBIES are merely animated bodies.  They  are  totally  stupid,  and
unable to make decisions, and  must  follow  simple  instructions  like  a
puppet on a string. They are usually quite tough and  strong  and  can  be
magically protected by their controller.