Page 154 - Chronicles of Darkness
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Aspirations: To collect souls, to have raging par- light. Despite the name, its wings, which stretch 30 feet from
ties, to find the one soul that truly captivates him. tip to tip, are more birdlike than mothlike, but they do have
Initiative: 8 patterns resembling a grey moth’s.
The Mothman is rarely described as aggressive, but it has
Defense: 6 been reported to attack people, especially couples, in cars.
Speed: 16 Its spindly fingers end in sharp claws, and the edges of its
Health: 11 wings are capable of lacerating anything softer than granite.
Weapons/Attacks: Its voice is a harsh, staccato buzz, almost like a swarm of
crickets vibrating in unison.
Type Damage Range Dice Pool Storytelling Hints: The Mothman is like a weird-fiction
Nasty knife 2L Melee 8 version of the Apple of Discord: drop it into a situation and
watch everything fall to chaos. The Mothman never seems
Big, meaty 0L Melee 10 to take pleasure in the chaos it causes, but inevitably, what-
fists ever it says to those who encounter it leads to conflict and
Bans: The Jersey Devil can never renege on a confrontation. It works best as a catalyst in a story already
contract. fraught with secrets: a conspiracy theory narrative, perhaps,
Banes: Pure seawater no human has swum in. or one that involves lots of politics and scheming. Avoid the
Dread Powers: Immortal, Know Soul, Miracle, impulse to make the Mothman a “clue dispenser,” though.
Soul-Thief It’s unpredictable and never shows up when you go looking
for it. Moreover, the more often someone receives its wisdom,
Mothman the more severe the chaos the creature’s answers bring.
Seven... three... six. Magnesium. Carbon. Coefficient of friction. Mental Attributes: Intelligence 6, Wits 3,
Background: In 1959, the United States Army responded Resolve 4
to reports of an explosion at a munitions factory in Tennessee. Physical Attributes: Strength 4, Dexterity 7,
Russian sabotage was suspected, but upon investigation the Stamina 4
soldiers found no trace of accelerants and no evidence of an Social Attributes: Presence 3, Manipulation 1,
explosive device. What they did find was a strange creature, Composure 4
roughly humanoid but nearly 10 feet tall, with a wingspan nearly
triple that. The creature was injured and apparently intelligent, Mental Skills: Academics 3, Politics 3, Science 3
though it responded to attempts at communication with nothing Physical Skills: Athletics 3, Brawl 3, Survival 3
more than a string of numbers. It wasn’t until days later, when Social Skills: Expression 2
the creature had been safely transported to Nevada for study and Merits: Encyclopedic Knowledge, Eidetic
eventual dissection, that some bright young radio operator realized Memory, Hardy •••
that the numbers the creature had recited were a frequency — a
frequency that led the FBI directly to a cell of Soviet sleeper agents. Potency: 3
Plans for dissection were put on hold, naturally. While no Willpower: 11
real communication with the creature was ever established, Virtue: Precise
over the next seven years its mutterings uncovered spy rings, Vice: Skittish
revealed traitors, and even solved an engineering problem
in the development of the SR-71 reconnaissance aircraft. It Aspirations: To answer questions.
also revealed four infidelities, three drinking problems, and Initiative: 11
a brigadier general’s habit of accepting bribes from arms Defense: 6
manufacturers. In 1966, during the commotion following
one of the Mothman’s revelations, the creature escaped. It’s Speed: 10, 25 (flying)
been sighted here and there in the decades since, mostly in Health: 9
the West Virginia/Kentucky/Tennessee area. Its most famous Weapons/Attacks:
appearance was in Point Pleasant, West Virginia from 1966
to 1967, when it “predicted” the collapse of the Silver Bridge, Dice
but digging into local newspaper accounts and folklore reveals Type Damage Range Pool Special
dozens of other sightings. In all cases, the Mothman’s cryptic Claws 1L Melee 7
communications answer a question weighing heavily on the wit- Razor 0L Melee 7 Inflicts
ness, but in a manner that seems calculated to create discord. Wings Bleeding (as
Description: The Mothman is roughly man shaped (al- Poisoned
beit androgynous) and covered with fine, grayish-white fur Tilt)
or feathers. Its head is disproportionately small, atop a long, Dread Powers: Chameleon Horror, Hypnotic
sinuous neck, and its eyes flash red in even the dimmest Gaze, Natural Weapons •
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Horrors

