Introduction

Horrors are the monsters, anomalies, and primary antagonists of Obscured. They come in all shapes and sizes, ranging from classic movie monsters and local cryptids to weird dimensional anomalies or even just ordinary people harboring a dark secret.

As the Overseer, your job is to design these enemies and put them in the path of your Hunters. You don't have to be a master of psychological terror; the goal is simply to build memorable encounters that lead to fun stories at the table. A great Horror gives your players an engaging puzzle to solve, a unique threat to overcome, and a reason to use their characters' abilities to the fullest.

This chapter is your practical toolkit for monster creation. It breaks down the design process from start to finish, guiding you through coming up with a strong concept, assigning the right stats and mechanics, and dropping the creature into your game so your Hunters have something awesome to investigate and fight.

Example

Overseer: "Your flashlight beam cuts through the gloom and lands on a hulking mass. Thick, slick scales glint in the beam. Slowly, it shifts, fixing you with a pair of pale, reflective eyes. It has the rough shape of a reptile, but the limbs are too long, too multi-jointed... it's a twisted amalgamation of swamp life and something else entirely."

David: "I knew it! I told you guys it was going to be a giant lizard!"

Amy: "That's no lizard, David. That's... I don't know what that is."

John: "Close enough, eat lead alligator boy!"