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Traits

Traits are the lifeblood of your Horrors, the quirks and qualities that transform them from mere stat blocks into living, breathing entities within your game world. A well-crafted set of traits can make a Horror memorable, challenging, and deeply unnerving for your players to confront.

The Purpose of Traits​

Traits serve a multitude of purposes in defining your Horrors:

  1. Narrative Flavor: Traits are a key tool in conveying the personality, habits, and motivations of your Horrors. A Horror with the "Sadistic" trait, for example, immediately conveys a sense of cruelty and malice, while one with "Ethereal" suggests an otherworldly and intangible nature.

  2. Mechanical Effects: Traits can also have concrete mechanical implications, modifying how a Horror interacts with the game's rules. A "Regenerative" trait might allow a Horror to recover hit points each turn, while "Psychic Resonance" could grant it advantage on checks against mental abilities.

  3. Player Interaction: Traits provide hooks for your players to engage with and understand your Horrors. A "Weakness to Silver" trait, for instance, gives your Hunters a specific avenue to exploit, while "Bound to the Land" suggests a deep connection to a particular location that could be used to lure or trap the creature.

Designing Effective Traits​

When creating traits for your Horrors, consider the following tips:

  1. Be Specific: Traits should be focused and distinct, conveying a clear aspect of the Horror's nature or abilities. "Aquatic" is a good trait because it immediately defines a key characteristic, whereas "Dangerous" is too broad and could apply to almost any Horror.

  2. Balance Flavor and Function: The best traits blend evocative description with meaningful mechanical effects. "Wreathed in Shadow" is an intriguing visual, but consider pairing it with a concrete benefit like "advantage on stealth checks in dim light or darkness."

  3. Create Hooks for Interaction: Traits should invite player engagement, whether through exploitable weaknesses, environmental interactions, or roleplaying opportunities. A "Fascination with Mirrors" trait, for example, could provide a means to distract or trap the Horror.

  4. Tie Traits to Lore: Grounding your traits in the broader lore of your world can create a sense of depth and interconnectedness. If your setting has a history of a great war between Horrors and humans, a "Veteran of the Eternal War" trait instantly ties a Horror to that rich narrative tapestry.

Hunter's Handbook

I once fought a Horror that was bound by its words. It couldn't break a promise, no matter what. We managed to trick it into swearing not to harm us, and it was stuck. Of course, it found all sorts of creative ways to make our lives hell without directly hurting us, but still... knowng that trait saved our necks.

Sample Traits​

Here are a few sample traits to spark your creativity:

  • Elemental Affinity (Fire): This Horror is immune to fire damage and can ignite flammable objects with a touch. However, it takes double damage from cold-based attacks.

  • Hive Mind: This Horror is part of a linked consciousness, sharing thoughts and sensations with others of its kind. It has advantage on checks to coordinate with other hive members, but suffers disadvantage on saves against psychic effects.

  • Bound to the Threshold: This Horror cannot enter a dwelling uninvited, but once invited, it cannot be forced out by normal means. It has advantage on all checks and saves while inside a place it has been invited into.

  • Alluring Lure: This Horror can sing a mesmerizing aria. Any human that hears it must make an Intellect save against the Horror's CT or be charmed, feeling compelled to move towards the Horror's location by the safest available means.

note

Remember, traits are your friends. They're what make your Horrors unique, memorable, and challenging in ways that sheer stats and abilities cannot. Don't be afraid to get creative, to draw from real-world mythology and your own fevered imaginings. The most memorable Horrors are often the ones with the most unique and surprising traits.

Traits are the spice that flavors your Horrors, transforming them from generic adversaries into the stuff of nightmares. Wield them with flair, weave them into your narratives, and watch as your players come to both dread and anticipate the revelation of a new Horror's dark facets. In the end, it is the traits that will linger in their minds long after the last die has been rolled.