Darrell J. Pursiful

Professor Dungeon Master of the Dungeon Craft YouTube channel has suggested that July be Independent TTRPG Month. “Independent” is loosely defined as “not the extremely popular game currently published by Hasbro.”

To celebrate, I thought I’d share a few monsters that get screen time (or at least a mention) in Shadow of the King and its sequel, Dead of Night (both in production), statted out for Fate Accelerated Edition. Feel free to steal, adapt, etc. for your gaming needs.

Note: “Threat Level” is a rough quantification of how challenging a creature is. Use it as a modifier for to-hit or defend rolls, etc., as you see fit.

BLEMMYE [Threat Level: Superb (+5)]

Aspects: Headless Giant; Limited Peripheral Vision; It Just Looks Wrong; Fiercely Territorial

Armor-2 (tough hide) Weapon-2 (fists) or 3 (club)
Stress ☐☐☐☐☐ + mild consequence

Stunts:

• Crushing Blow. If you fail on your combat roll, the blemmye inflicts WR+1 stress and places a situational aspect such as Staggered, Knocked Silly, etc. on your character.

• Terrifying. When it first appears in a scene, a threatening blemmye places the aspect Terrified on everyone in its zone. PCs and named NPCs defend with Clever.

In the Ho-Chunk language, these creatures are called Chearppeshaux but most refer to them by their classical name. Blemmyes mainly inhabit the prairie plains west of the Mother of Rivers, though they can be found as well in the desert Southwest. They stand eight feet tall, with broad shoulders and coarse fur. They have long, powerful arms and move with a stooped, knuckle-walking gait.

The blemmye’s most distinctive feature, however, is a flattened head set deep in the thorax so that its shoulders come up to the ears. This gives the appearance of a “headless” monster with wide-set eyes and a mouth where the collarbone ought to be. Though brutish in appearance, blemmyes have near-human intelligence.

Blemmyes are also a kind of game piece in king’s table, associated with the “southern” side of the board.

SHUCK HOUND [Threat Level: Great (+4)]

Aspects: Massive Bone-Crushing Dog; Hypercarnivorous Diet; Tough and Scrappy

Armor-1 (tough hide) Weapon-3 (bite)
Stress ☐☐☐☐ + mild consequence

Stunt:

• Latch On. If a shuck hound gets a boost in combat, it places the aspect Latched On to its target. It clamps down on its target and inflicts another 2 stress every exchange until removed.

Shuck hounds are large borophagine dogs with powerful jaws anchored to powerful neck and shoulder muscles, a short face, and a domed forehead. Among the Ioway people, they are called shunka warakin, literally “carries off dogs.” They usually have black or red fur. They can be domesticated, however, and are sometimes used as guard dogs, pack animals, and even mounts for small folk.

If there’s interest, I’ve got plenty more monsters to share. Enjoy!