Supernatural Creatures

In the core Blackwater Gulch game, every member of every gang is a human being. They may freely join up with other humans who may be affiliated with other gangs, even of those gangs might sometimes be enemies. They all belong to the Human race, and your gang may include any number of humans you wish.

Now, with Wrath of the Skinwalker, we introduce a whole new race to the game, and in most cases they cannot be mixed together. This new race is known simply as Supernatural.

Supernatural creatures are often found in remote areas of the world, far away from the prying eyes (and pitchforks) of human beings. These creatures band together into packs, often lead by the biggest and strongest of them all, known as an Alpha. An Alpha creature works the same way as a human Gang Leader, it has 100 XP along with attributes and skills to match. Supernatural packs also consist of Fiends, which have 75 XP and a special ability similar to a human Professional. Next are the beasts, who have 50 XP and function much the same way as human Henchmen. Lastly, Supernatural packs will often have many Varmints scurrying about, which are weaker creatures that have 25 XP.

You will create a pack of supernaturals much the same way as you would create a human gang, with the only difference being they do not have guns and other weapons the way a human would. Instead, many posess special attacks like a venomous bite, tail swipe or the ability to hurl large boulders.

When you create your pack, the first think you should do is select an Alpha as your leader and raise his attributes accordingly, give him his skills and special attacks. Next, select a few Fiends to provide some specialized creatures, followed by beasts and varmints. Like human gangs, half of your pack must be made up of Beasts and Varmints, not including the leader. Furthermore, for the purposes of gang creation, 2 varmints will count as 1 beast. Like human gangs, each pack must contain at least 5 models. For example, if your pack begins with an Alpha and 2 Fiends, you will need add 2 beats, or 4 varmints, or 1 beast and 2 varmints.


Skinwalkers

Skin-walkers are people that have been cursed to live part of their lives as animals. In the old world, this condition was known as Lycanthropy, with werewolves being the most common. In the new world, they are known to most Native American tribes Skinwalkers.

The Skinwalker curse is passed on to other humans by bite. Like a virus, anyone bitten by a Skinwalker and lives, becomes a Skinwalker himself. There are many native and religious rituals and talismans said to hold back the curse, for a time a least. If left untreated, the victim will often become a cannibalistic within a month's time, consumed by a hunger that only warm, living flesh can satisfy. The more he feeds on raw flesh and blood, the stronger he becomes, and the stronger the curse takes hold. Soon, he leaves all traces of his former human life behind as the beast takes hold, transforming him into a hybrid mockery of a man and his animal aspect. Once turned, there is no going back.

Every Skin-walker has an aspect - the type of animal they become. Bears, bats and wolves are the most common, but there is as much variety among skinwalkers as there are among any animal of the wild. Skin-walkers are humanoid and walk upright on two legs, though they resemble their aspect animal, along with hands and feet often turning into claws or talons.

In games, a Skin-walker gains an attribute bonus and a special ability that counts as a mandatory skill based upon their animal aspect. If their Intellect is high enough, they may learn additional skills as normal. Skin-walker's clawed hands are treated like two 1-handed melee weapons, and in addition many of them posess special attacks which work the same as a human would use a weapon.

Skin-walker Aspects:

Bear: +1 Strength
Crushing Blow - In melee combat, every roll of 6 to hit lowers the target's DP by 1.
An Alpha Bear gains the Knock Back attack for free, as he charges his enemies and sends them flying backward.

Crocodile: +1 Stamina
Thick Skinned - Thick lizard scales repel all but the strongest attacks. The Skin-walker gains +1 DP against any attacks of Str 4 or lower.
An Alpha Croc gains the Grapple attack for free, as he holds onto his prey and spins them around.

Wolf: +1 Intellect
Pack Hunter - When attacking in melee combat, a wolf gains +1 D6 to hit for each friendly within 2".
An Alpha Wolf gains the Jugular Bite attack for free, as he tries to rip the throat from his victims.

Hawk: +1 Strength, Flying
Bird of Prey - Hawks swoop down on their prey, if they enter melee combat after flying, they gain +1 MC for their first attack.
An Alpha Hawk gains the Blinding attack for free, as he pecks and claws at his opponent's eyes.

Bat: +1 Stamina, Flying
Radar Sense - A can always sense what's going on around him, and enemies never receive a bonus when attacking him from behind.
An Apha Bat gains the Deafening Screech attack for free, to disorients his oppoenents.

Moth: +1 Quickness, Flying
Cocoon - A moth can spin a cocoon around their enemies. A cocooned model is trapped in place and cannot move unless it breaks free on their activation, making a strength roll with a target # of 4.
An Alpha Moth gains the Dark Omen attack for free, spreading doom and despair to the enemies around him.

Beasts earn special skills as their Attributes increase, the same way humans do. These are listed in brief on a model's Character Card and also detailed below. Like humans, a beast may have an amount of skills equal to or under its Intellect Attribute.

Strength Skills:
4: Bestial Strength - Your opponent must reroll one successful D6 from his saving throw in melee combat.
6: Trample - The beast may trample opponents if he runs or sprints, using the trampling rules as horses.

Quickness Skills:
4: Sprint - The beast may run incredibly fast over open ground. Instead of running normally, it may roll 2D6 and add them together for its running distance. The beast may not enter melee combat if it sprints, even if it is Supernatural.
6: Danger Sense - The model gains +1 Defense. This will already be added to the attribute on a model's Character Card.

Stamina Skills:
4: Thick Skinned - The model may reroll 1D6 from a failed saving throw.
6: Bestial Vigor - The model gains +1 Health. This will already be added to the attribute on a model's Character Card.

Intellect Skills:
4: Fearless - The beast gets -1 to its target number when making a morale roll.
6: Cunning - The beast may posess abilities 1 level higher than its RC or MC Attribute without a penalty. For example, a beast with a MC of 3 can use abilities as high as level 4.

Ranged Combat Skills:
4: Empowered - Ranged abilities may add +1D6 to range.
6: Weaponbeast - May use 2 ranged Abilities per turn, 2nd Ability at +1 to hit.

Melee Combat Skills:
4: Vicious - The beast may use 2 melee Abilities per turn, 2nd Ability at +1 to hit.
6: Frenzied - The beast may charge into melee combat, and attack after running or sprinting if it ends it's movement in an enemy's personal space. If the Beast is Supernatural, it will have no to hit penalty from running or sprinting.

Many beasts posess special Abilities and powers that set them apart from mortal men. Like human weapons & equipment, Beast's abilities are ranked by level and choosing an ability will add XP to the Beast's total. For example, a Familair with one level 3 Ability will add have an XP of 78.

There are 3 types of abilities: Ranged Abilities, Melee Abilities and General Abilities. Ranged Abilities may only be used as a Ranged Combat attack and are treated as thrown attacks, using the Beast's strenth plus 1D6 to determine range. Melee Abilities apply to Melee Combat attacks. General Abilities are something a beast is always able to do, no roll is needed.

The Strength of each attack is based on the Beast's Strength attribute, and is modified by some abilities. Abilities that add to a beast's strength may not be combined. For example, a beast may not have a Powerful Strike and Rend & Tear, but it can have a Powerful Strike along with Venom Spit.

An Alpha may have 4 abilites, consisting 1 special ability for their animal form and 3 chosen below. A Monster may have up to 3 abilities, a Feind may have 2, a Familiar may have 1 and Varmints have none. Beasts may use only 1 combat or Alpha ability per turn, unless otherwise noted.

Melee Combat Abilities

1. Leaping Strike - Attack models 2" away.
2. Vicious Bite - +1 str, melee only
3. Ferocious Swipes - Add +1D6 to hit
4. Powerful Strike - +2 str, melee only
5. Slam - target knocked back D6". Treat as falling damage if it comes in contact with terrain or another model
6. Rend & Tear - +3 Str, melee only.

Ranged Combat Abilities:

1. Musk Spray - Target that fails to save will run 1D6" away from the Beast, but is otherwise unharmed and may be activated normally.
2. Venom Spit - +1 str, ranged only
3. Spine Shooter - Double str for range
4. Corrosive Spit - treat as flaming attack
5. Rock Toss - +2 str, ranged only
6. Explosive Spit - Treat as explosive attack

General Abilities:

1. Climbing - The beast may scale vertical surfaces such as walls and move up or down them following the same rules as going up or down a flight of stairs.
2. Tail Swipe - +1 DP in Melee Combat (parry)
3. Flying - This creature has wings and when moving it may choose to fly up to 9 spaces and ignores all terrain obstacles in it's path, however it may not end its movement inside a building. It the creature decides to walk, it may only move up to 6 spaces as normal and may then enter buildings. After flying, it my attack as normal.
4. Burrowing - This beast may burrow underground in it's movement phase, and it ends it's activation. On the next game turn, it may be activated and appear anywhere on the board, but must be at least 6" away from any enemy model or piece of terrain. Reapparing counts as the beast's movement for that turn, it may run, but not sprint.
5. Camoflauge - The Beast is able to disguise itself and blend in with its surroundings, granting it +1 DP from ranged attacks.
6. Progeny - The beast has bound a recently cursed Skinwalker to its will. You may add 1 Human Henchman to your pack for each Beast with the Progeny ability.

 Necros wrote:
2. Vicious Bite - +1 str, melee only
5. Slam - target knocked back D6". Treat as falling damage if it comes in contact with terrain or another model
4. Burrowing - This beast may burrow underground in it's movement phase, and it ends it's activation. On the next game turn, it may be activated and appear anywhere on the board, but must be at least 6" away from any enemy model or piece of terrain. Reapparing counts as the beast's movement for that turn, it may run, but not sprint.

 cybogoblin wrote:

 Necros wrote:
2. Vicious Bite - +1 str, melee only
5. Slam - target knocked back D6". Treat as falling damage if it comes in contact with terrain or another model
4. Burrowing - This beast may burrow underground in it's movement phase, and it ends it's activation. On the next game turn, it may be activated and appear anywhere on the board, but must be at least 6" away from any enemy model or piece of terrain. Reapparing counts as the beast's movement for that turn, it may run, but not sprint.

Anyone interested in a Graboid faction?

 Necros wrote:
Yeah, Mothman might be a little more modern, but we'll give him a western spin. I wanted to do some kind of were-insect and figured that would be a good one.