Shepard looked bad, I could tell his spirit was failing, but I couldn’t find anything about this phenomenon in my library. I had to experiment.
Passing the dagger through the cloud harmed it, a little at a time. Two other methods, which I will not disclose, were much more effective, though all three methods were harmful to us as well.
Finally, on day four, the black smoke dispersed. Shepard barely survived, and healed, though we both were lessened by the experience.
Lawrence Garrity, Professor of Experimental Sciences, Miskatonic University.
The Whispers will befall an Investigator who has offended some great magical force–perhaps they are cursed by a wizard, have unsealed the tomb of the wrong mummy, etc. It is a very lethal affliction.
SPECIAL POWERS
Nightmares: Any time the afflicted goes to sleep, onlookers see them surrounded by a roiling, black, smoke-like cloud. They also will hear disturbing whispers, though will be unable to make out any words. The first time they experience this, they must make a Sanity check for 0/1.
While the victim is sleeping, they experience terrible nightmares, though they will not remember details–only they were in darkness, and haunted by whispering voices.. Each time they awaken from this, they must make a Sanity check for 1/1D3.
While in this nightmare state, they make a contested POW roll against the Whispers. This will work somewhat differently than in the Call of Cthulhu 7th edition rule book. Both sides make a POW roll and compare their levels of success, with the higher one being the victor. In the case of a tie, the higher POW wins.
If the afflicted Investigator wins this contest, they still must make the Sanity check for that sleep cycle, again for 1/1D3, and will immediately awaken. Onlookers will see the cloud dissipate. It will haunt the Investigator no more.
If the Whispers win, the Investigator loses one POW.
This will continue until the Whispers are defeated or the Investigator dies.
The Whispers may also be damaged by onlookers, but only by three, magical means. Each subsequent time the Whispers appear, all previous damage remains.
Passing an Enchanted Weapon Through the Cloud: This causes the Whispers 1 hit point of damage, which also is applied to the victim, and the wielder of the weapon. The attacker will heal normally, though the victim of the Whispers will not, until they awaken.
The other two methods are the use of the spells Shrivelling, and Spectral Razor. These are slight variations from how they operate in the Call of Cthulhu 7th edition rule book.
Shrivelling: This costs a variable number of magic and Sanity points. Casting time: instantaneous.
The caster invests as many magic points as desired and that number halved in Sanity points. If the caster succeeds in an opposed POW roll with the Whispers, it loses 1 hit point per magic point invested in the spell.
However, the caster and the afflicted Investigator take half the damage as the Whispers, and their flesh blackens and withers. The caster will heal the hit point damage normally, though the victim of the Whispers will not, until they awaken.
Spectral Razor: This costs variable magic points, and 2 Sanity points. Casting time: 1 round.
This creates an invisible blade, and costs 2 magic points per round to maintain. The caster uses their Fighting (Brawl) skill to attack. It inflicts 1D6 damage and can impale (but receives no damage bonus).
However, the caster and the afflicted Investigator take half the damage as the Whispers. The caster will heal the hit point damage normally, though the victim of the Whispers will not, until they awaken.
WHISPERS, soul eating black cloud
char.
POW: 18
HP: 20
Sanity Loss: See Special Powers, above.
My name is CthulhuBob Lovely, I live in my childhood hometown of Columbus, Ohio, and have a son and two daughters. I volunteer at MisCon, which occurs each year on Memorial Day Weekend in Missoula, Montana and help out at other shows.
In my younger years I had seen H.P. Lovecraft’s books in the collection of my older brother, Brian, who is also responsible for introducing me to Monty Python, Star Wars and many other things geek.
I began running and playing Dungeons and Dragons in 1977 at the age of 15, and Call of Cthulhu since its original publication in 1981.
I believe geekery and gaming can have positive effects on math, reading and writing, and social interaction skills, as well as family togetherness. I have three published stories online at
http://www.bewilderingstories.com/bios/lovely_bob_bio.html
