If a character is Unbalanced, in Shock, Dying, or otherwise actively suffering: their player may ask the GM if they may give in to Monstrousness.
In turn, the GM as well as every other player present will write up a list of everything that that character has to hold onto in life.
- goals they hope to achieve
- responsibilities they bear
- every being they love and care for
- beliefs they hold
- simple things they enjoy
At this point, the player may choose to abandon this and file the list away. Or they may choose to continue.
If they choose to continue, they may select one item off of that list and then flip a coin.
On heads: nothing happens. That character stays as they are, and they may never ask to give in to Monstrousness ever again. They simply live, with the knowledge of what they were willing to sacrifice.
On tails: the character becomes a Monster.
- The character becomes an NPC, under the GM's control.
- They gain a new monstrous visage, powers, etc.
- The one item from the list which the player selected becomes a sole Obsession for the newborn Monster.
- If the target of this Obsession were to be resolved / destroyed, the Monster instead slips further from lucidity. Perhaps they project their Obsession onto something else, or sink into madness.
- The remaining items on their list become unobtainable, abhorrent, or doomed as appropriate. The newborn Monster will never know them.
Other Monstrous Laws:
- People shape the world around them. Settle in one place long enough and it becomes your home, your Domain. Monsters also shape the world around them. If they settle in one place long enough it becomes their home, their Dungeon.
- Every Monster is unique, as every person is unique. The only constant is that Monsters suffer, and in some way inflict suffering on others.
- Monsters are, most often, sentient people. Monsters born from beasts are not unheard of though, and there are even tales of objects somehow becoming Monstrous under certain conditions.
- To most Gudgerfolk or Mound-dwellers, what exactly is or is not a Monster is not clear. In general: if its freaky and hurting people, it will be labelled Monster. If it's not, it won't. This means there are plenty of innocent weirdos cast out, and many more subtle Monsters allowed in our midst.
- No matter what abilities or weaknesses a Monster may possess, they are always susceptible to pieces or products of their own bodies (e.g. Super Dracula may be immune to traditional vampire weaknesses, but his heart could still be pierced by one of his own fangs or he could still hang to death in a noose made from his hair).
- Monsters are not created reliably. It's a chaotic, random, fluke of fate. Some of the most tragic figures in history didn't turn Monstrous, while a seemingly happy cook a settlement over might burst into Monstrousness on a quiet morning.
- (I was debating this mechanically. I want Monstrousness to be very sporadic and surprising when it happens, more of a one-in-a-million/random fluke type thing. But: I also wanted players to probabilistically be able to engage with that part of the setting, which is why the above mechanics use a coin flip.
For random NPCs, I'd be more liable to do a coin flip per mass event or maybe a 1-in-X dice roll? Something to feel out.) - Monsters may be assisted, adjusted, integrated, placated, manipulated, worked with, etc. BUT: they may never be healed or reformed.
- (This is more a personal taste thing. A lot of the tragedy of a Monster gets undercut if they can easily be redeemed or there's an undo button or a two session cozy redemption arc.)
- (Besides being a dramatic way to end a character, Monstrousness also acts as a natural way to create nemeses as a consequence of player's actions. Ruin an artist's career? Maybe they turn Monstrous and seek revenge. Burn down a whole town to deal with an existential threat? What are the odds a Monster emerges from the ashes? etc etc)
Monstrous is as universal a truth as the gravity that Splashes worlds. If everyone knows that tragedy not only births Monsters, but Monsters that often seek revenge against those that created them, why does it continue?
Perhaps because tragedy and suffering are an innate part of living?
Perhaps it's due to our own failings, as individuals or as a culture?
Perhaps because slayers of Monsters are cheap & plentiful?
Perhaps because those that cause suffering are often insulated from the Monstrous consequences of their actions?
Perhaps simply because its so sporadic, so easy to overlook?
Everyone you ask has their own answer.
This post © 2025 by Ro Pham is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
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