La Diablesse by
Ian MacLean
These creatures begin as a normal human woman who are transformed and corrupted by dealings with various dark powers, most often The Black Man, avatar of the Outer God Nyarlathotep. Their creation follows a dark pact, wherein the woman uses magic to secure the romantic attentions of a particular man. Her wish is granted but with a price. When the object of her affection dies, typically by a tragic accident shortly after her wish is fulfilled, her dark contract is fulfilled. The “accident” is always caused by the malevolent that made the pact; as such beings seldom play fair. The woman is transformed into an immortal creature cursed to lead men to their doom.
La Diablesse, meaning “Female Devil” in French, is a creature of Caribbean Folklore, especially the islands of Trinidad, Tobago, and Martinique. She appears as an exotically beautiful woman, often of mixed colonial, native, and West African ethnicity. A La Diablesses always wears a colorful long dress, with a hair wrap and sometimes a wide brimmed hat. She is seen on the side of remote mountain roads between plantations and hamlets on nights of the full moon. No one knows where these creatures lair at other times. Some say they hide in deep caves or remote hovels. Others claim they only appear on nights of the full moon, existing in a parallel dimension, alternate reality, or the Dreamlands at other times.
Men seeing a La Diablesse become enchanted by the creature, consumed with lust for the mysterious woman. The creature then lured them into the forests with promises of carnal delights. However, her victims seldom experience more than their doom. Those following a La Diablesse off the roads are typically never seen alive again. Victims are lead to dangerous places, filled with cliffs, ravines, and swift running rivers where they are abandoned in the dark. The men then wander about, lost and confused, and often die in accidents caused by the hazards of their environment (falls, drowning, or hunger/thirst after a crippling injury). Some victims are murdered outright, by the La Diablesse’s magical spells, a flurry of blows and kicks, or are strangled mid-coitus by the creatures.
Beneath her skirts each La Diablesse hides a hideous deformity, one of her legs is that of a calf, ending in a hoof. The oldest and most powerful La Diablesse hides an additional, far more frightening, feature. These monsters conceal faces which are more cow-like than human beneath their wide brimmed hats.
Powers and Abilities – These creatures can enthrall any human man they encounter. Victims can resist these affects by making a POW * 3 check. Keepers can reduce this to POW *2 for men with an established weakness for a woman’s charms (ex: philanderers, adulterers), or raise it to POW*4 for men who have an established a resistance to such charms (ex: celibate clergymen, happily married, homosexual). Enthralled men lose all sense of time, resistance, and judgement until released by the La Diablesse. This typically happens when they are abandoned or attacked by the creatures. This power does not work against women, and is less effective against groups of men, so lone male travelers are those most often targeted.
Normal La Diablesse take minimal possible damage from non-magical means (ex – A machete inflicting 1D8, +1 point of damage bonus, inflicts 2 points. A shotgun that does 4D6 of damage inflicts only 4 points. An ignited bottle of gasoline normally doing 3D6 points of damage delivers 3 points. However, an enchanted dagger inflicts normal damage. Greater La Diablesse are immune to non-magical attacks altogether.
Normal La Diablesse regenerates any damage caused by non-magical means, at the rate of 1D4 HP per combat round. This ability does not function once the creature is reduced to zero HP. Greater Diablesse do not have this ability, as it has evolved to provide their total immunity to non-magical attacks. Lastly, these creatures are formidable spell caster. Normal La Diablesse know 2-5 spells (1D4+1), while the more formidable of their kind (Greater La Diablesse) can know as many as 8 (1D6+2).
La Diablesse, Devil Women of the Caribbean.
char – rolls – avg
STR 6d6 18-22
CON 6d6 18-22
SIZ 3d6 9–12
INT 4d6 14-15
POW 6d6 19-21
DEX 3d6 9-12
Move 9 HP 17
Av. Damage Bonus: +1d6
Weapons: Punch 70%, 1D3+db
Kick 50%, 1d6+db
Grapple 60%, damage varies
Armor: None, but takes minimal damage from non-magical attacks
None, Greater La Diablesse are immune to non-magical attacks
Spell: Any 1d4+2 (Greater La Diablesse – any 1d6+2) chosen by keeper
Skills: Conceal (inhuman features) 90%, Listen 50%, Hide 75%, Sneak 75%
Sanity Loss: 1/1D6 Sanity Points to see a La Diablesse
1/1D8 Sanity Points to see a Greater La Diablesse
