Cold Wind, Werewolves
People said he went crazy. He wasn’t crazy. He just wasn’t Jimmy anymore. Something was wearing Jimmy’s body like an old set of clothes. Something that looked out of his eyes and made sounds in his throat. But you could tell, whatever it was, it was very old and very wicked.
-Brian Taylor, “After Sunset”, Nightfall, 4-29-1983
Bestial spirits have plagued humanity since our earliest days. Encounters with the beings in our ancient past may be responsible for legends of werewolves. They hide among us by taking over human bodies. By daylight, they live the life of the possessed human, going through the person’s daily routine, having access to all of their knowledge and skills. Few people they interact with all notice anything amiss. The possessed, for all intents and purposes, is still the same person.
After sunset, the spirit hunts. They do not kill to feed. Rather, they revel in the fear and suffering of the victim. Attacks are so savage the victim looks like they were mauled by a wild animal. Bones are snapped, flesh ripped, organs torn out, often while the victim is still alive. This is done with nothing more than the possessed’s hands and teeth.
Bestial Spirits are cunning, if sometimes arrogant, predators. They will sometimes attempt to frame others for their atrocities or otherwise try to misdirect anyone that may be a threat to them. Though few people are ever a genuine threat to them. While the body they possess may be killed, the Bestial Spirit will eventually take control of someone else. Only through an obscure ritual can these beings be truly stopped.
Ritual of Imprisonment
Cost: 5 Magic Points, 1D6 Sanity
Casting Time: instant
The ritual requires four participants. A metal spike must be driven into each of the hands and feet of the possessed. Another spike is driven through the possessed’s heart. This binds the Bestial Spirit to the corpse of the possessed. It will remain trapped there until the body is reduced to dust, when it will fade into nothingness.
SPECIAL POWERS
Living Willpower: Outside of a host body, a Bestial Spirit only has one attribute, POW.
Spiritual Invulnerability: Outside of a living host, a Bestial Spirit cannot be harmed.
Possession: when a Bestial Spirit finds a target to take over, it spends all its Magic Points and makes an Opposed POW vs POW roll. If the Bestial Spirit wins, it takes over the body of the victim. The victim remains trapped inside their body, helpless as they watches the spirit sate its bloodlust. Once inside, the Bestial Spirit regenerates 1D4 Magic Points per day.
The Only Cure Is Death: the only way to remove a Bestial Spirit from its victim’s body is by killing the body. Expelled, the Spirit loses all but 1 of its Magic Points. It may take years or even decades recover enough to possess another victim.
Predatory Chill: Humans instinctively know when they are in the presence of someone possessed by a Bestial Spirit. It may be a strange, threatening look in the eyes, or the feeling of a cold force ever so slightly pushing against them. The Spirit may spend 1 Magic Point to disguise its presence for 1 hour.
Bestial Spirits, wolves among sheep
| char | roll | average |
| STR | (3D6+8) X 5 | 90 |
| CON | (3D6+6) X 5 | 80 |
| SIZ | (2D6 + 6) X 5 | 55 |
| DEX | (3D6+4) X 5 | 60 |
| INT | (3D6) X 5 | 50 |
| POW | (6D6) X 5 | 105 |
Average Hit Points: 13
Damage Bonus: +1D4
Build: 1
Magic Points: 21
Move: 8
ATTACKS
Attacks per round: 2 (rip and tear)
A person possessed by a Bestial Spirit fights by ferociously biting and clawing.
Fighting: 45% (22/8), damage 1D4 + damage bonus
Dodge: 30%
Armor: None. However, a host controlled by a Bestial Spirit is near invulnerable to harm. All weapons, normal or magic, only do 1 point of damage. Fire, electricity, and acid do minimum damage. Poison works as normal.
Skills: Whatever skills the possessed had in life
Sanity Loss: 1/1D6 to encounter a person possessed by a Bestial Spirit.
Bruce is a sociology student and co-host of The Crypt Keepers podcast
