In a somewhat different than normal post, I am planning to go over the enemies within the RPG Never Going Home and rank all the enemies. Not just for the fun, but as a way for me to remember the entire bestiary more easily. Its a RPG I've been getting really into due to a lot of really cool mechanics that is a whole damn post in itself.
Officer
To set the mood, here is a pitch from Wet Ink Games themselves. And with that out of the way, I'll be diving into their slew of monstrous encounters. I'll be rating them on a few criteria, such as how evocative they are, what new things they bring to the table and what fancy encounters I could craft with them.
Average Humans
A war is of course gonna have civilians trapped within its boundaries. Mechanically they are very bland, but they serve as an excellent baseline for creating your own cultists or NPCs. 3/5
A war is of course gonna have civilians trapped within its boundaries. Mechanically they are very bland, but they serve as an excellent baseline for creating your own cultists or NPCs. 3/5
Commando
These are common soldiers with slightly beefed up stats and stealth. I can see why it would be interesting to have lone saboteurs or even a nemesis commando hounding the players, but they ultimately just are soldiers with slightly higher numbers. 2/5
Common Soldiers
Common Soldiers
Like the Average Humans this is an extremely useful baseline to have for making your own specific regiments or enemy squads, and they are still frail and human enough to show as a counterpoint to whatever else horrors lurk out there. 3/5
Hallow Sister
Hallow Sister
This is the first real piece of world building in a profile. Wandering nuns or nurses acting as Samaritans and healers towards any injured or lost souls. They're a really cool non-combatant and their ability to read whose souls are worth saving and whose aren't is phenomenal! 4/5
Officer
These serve as a squad leader to accompany groups of common soldiers. They do not have a lot mechanically going for them, but they're a profile you'd expect to be present. 3/5
Shell Shocked Soldier
Shell Shocked Soldier
An interesting social encounter: unnerved combatants babbling nonsense, fighting fighting for their life to get away from whatever is going on. While not one I'd use as a regular combatant or prisoner, they'd be especially interesting to use as allies or survivors. 4/5
War Dogs
War Dogs
While mechanically simple, having stats for canine companions is great. They will be giving players animals to bond with, plus nothing says the alarm has been raised like barking hounds. 3/5
Cackling Horror
Their take on the traditional lanky horned devil. Summoners promised lies pierce the veil to bring them through, only for them turn and take joy in the chaos and misery it can create. Its a pretty standard trope, but a nice variety of both attacks, powers and the option to regain your humanity by slaying it elevates it to a 4/5
Their take on the traditional lanky horned devil. Summoners promised lies pierce the veil to bring them through, only for them turn and take joy in the chaos and misery it can create. Its a pretty standard trope, but a nice variety of both attacks, powers and the option to regain your humanity by slaying it elevates it to a 4/5
Corpse Feeder
Slinking cowardly creatures snatching up corpses or wounded people only to steal them away. Looking at their stats they're about the same as a dog, but they will provide a very nice ambiance to the dark nights. 3/5
Slinking cowardly creatures snatching up corpses or wounded people only to steal them away. Looking at their stats they're about the same as a dog, but they will provide a very nice ambiance to the dark nights. 3/5
Cultists
Another of those profiles that you would miss if it weren't there, and like some of the others its a very nice building block. It even encourages changing their disciplines to match the context they're in. 3/5
The Disfigured
They are the best kind of cautionary tale. This is what happens to the soldiers who succumb to corruption and whispers, barely human shells caked in mud, shit and self-inflicted ritual scars. But they're just human enough to still prowl the trenches outside of discerning eyes. While this is already really cool the very best part is that this is a way to bring back a PC who fell to the corruption. If I can help it I am gonna have every single Disfigured be a named and known character brought back to haunt its former party members. 5/5!
The Nightfiend
Described as a large humanoid reptile, they are essentially The Grue. They hang around at night, and chase whoever is dumb enough to turn on the lights or break the ceasefire. Its a good idea, but I feel like its competing with a lot of other weird monsters who too likely are gonna snatch you up. And this one just doesn't have much going in regards to the competition. 2/5
Rot Breeders
These are plainly put the Officer variant of Disfigured, they've outgrown their human form and are now vaguely shambling hives of tentacles, decay and nefarious plots. They're big bad villains who organize raids and cults, and your dead player characters can become one of them. 4/5
These are plainly put the Officer variant of Disfigured, they've outgrown their human form and are now vaguely shambling hives of tentacles, decay and nefarious plots. They're big bad villains who organize raids and cults, and your dead player characters can become one of them. 4/5
Skin Thief
A demonic boogieman. Its flays people alive before eating them, then sews skins and faces into assorted clothes and decorations for itself. The best part is how it takes pride in its work and persuaded to bugger off if it gets to keep its grisly trinkets. 4/5
A demonic boogieman. Its flays people alive before eating them, then sews skins and faces into assorted clothes and decorations for itself. The best part is how it takes pride in its work and persuaded to bugger off if it gets to keep its grisly trinkets. 4/5
Slugmule
The supposed cattle from the other side of the veil, large stubborn stinky creatures that serve as potential mounts for players. They're even featured on the cover of the Tome of Corrupted Beasts. They're dumb and I love them. 5/5
The supposed cattle from the other side of the veil, large stubborn stinky creatures that serve as potential mounts for players. They're even featured on the cover of the Tome of Corrupted Beasts. They're dumb and I love them. 5/5
Trench Gremlins
Demonic toddlers with a constant craving for new stimulation. They examine everything, pick stuff apart and most definitely ruin vehicles and equipment they get near. A much more entertaining alternative to a saboteur like the Commando, and some potentially needed comic relief. 5/5
Trench Stalker
A great example of what I meant when I talked about potential for the Nightfiend. This is a large creature hopping along the battlefield scooping up people with its long arms and swallowing them whole. 4/5
The Unfallen
They are this settings zombies, they are by themselves not very interesting. However they tend to flock to more dangerous veil creatures and follow their lead, and again with a battlefield and PC's dying they are a way to have someone meet a former character. 3/5
Veil Priest
An Officer variant to the Cultists, dressed in fancier clothes and wielding a larger selection of incantations. While pretty straight forward I do enjoy their art, inherent cowardice and the frequency they are likely to appear. 4/5
The Book of Whispers
They are this settings zombies, they are by themselves not very interesting. However they tend to flock to more dangerous veil creatures and follow their lead, and again with a battlefield and PC's dying they are a way to have someone meet a former character. 3/5
Veil Priest
An Officer variant to the Cultists, dressed in fancier clothes and wielding a larger selection of incantations. While pretty straight forward I do enjoy their art, inherent cowardice and the frequency they are likely to appear. 4/5
The Book of Whispers
The book of whispers mainly offer new corruption mechanics, new paths of whispers to explore and other ritual goodness, but it also does offer 9 constructs - sorcerous familiars you can create depending on your path, and of course they need recognition as well.
Blisters (Blood Rites)
Familiars of gathered flesh and congealed blood, they serve as a source of fuel for Blood Rites. They can also detonate themselves in a boiling mess. They're a practical addition for players who are cast blood rites, but Veil Priests or Rot Breeders likely have other minions to siphon vitae from. 3/5
Blow Fly (Dirty Tricks)
A weird collection of lint, scabs and assorted filth. Blow flies are melon sized buzzing familars the can scout for their masters. Most importantly they can serve as a point for their master to cast their whispers through, spreading poisonous gas, diseases and rotten winds. It would be a very nasty being to have sneak into your base. 4/5
Lock Box (Machine Bonds)
Sort of like a sentient bag of holding. You can create compartments and store things within this being that will only open given the correct command. Its a cool and handy thing (especially for its caster who relies on material components). But it isn't much use as an enemy since their contents are likely to be destroyed when they are, so they cant be used as an interesting trap. 3/5
Sort of like a sentient bag of holding. You can create compartments and store things within this being that will only open given the correct command. Its a cool and handy thing (especially for its caster who relies on material components). But it isn't much use as an enemy since their contents are likely to be destroyed when they are, so they cant be used as an interesting trap. 3/5
Conglomerate (Old Ways)
This is a dormant guardian you can summon. When trespassers are detected it will reassemble itself from nearby items and fight them off, but it cant leave its post. Its a cool concept that crafty players can utilize to guard areas, and I love the detail of how it only uses archaic weaponry because its supposedly an ancestral spirit - it doesn't understand fire arms. 4/5
Raggedy Doll (Elemental Rituals)
This is an assembled marionette powered by your magic. Its not very smart or sturdy, but it does resemble a soldier if dressed correctly. Its a jack of all trades familiar wise, its likely useful but it isn't helpful in any way directly connected to the whisper path its from, and if I wanted an enemy lurking around among the players a Skin Collector or Disfigured would be higher on my list. 2/5
Raggedy Doll (Elemental Rituals)
This is an assembled marionette powered by your magic. Its not very smart or sturdy, but it does resemble a soldier if dressed correctly. Its a jack of all trades familiar wise, its likely useful but it isn't helpful in any way directly connected to the whisper path its from, and if I wanted an enemy lurking around among the players a Skin Collector or Disfigured would be higher on my list. 2/5
Vardoger (Fate Twists)
I really love this one and how it ties into the fate manipulation. A doll of mud bearing a striking resemblance to its creator, its purpose is to suffer on their behalf. So whenever the creator would get injured, poisoned, stabbed or whatever the doll would suffer the effects instead. This is super cool and reminds me of that portrait someone had in a movie that aged instead of them. It would be a super sneaky tool for villains too, as they would be just be unaffected by shots and stabs - meanwhile chunks of mud would get cut and blown out of this thing in the next room over. 5/5
Homunculus (Healing Words)
A medicinal model of a humanoid. It can be tied to a subject and used as a medium for surgery. The doll doesn't feel any pain, squirm, resist medication or the like. So as the doctor cuts it open and pushes aside flesh to dig out bullets the patient is unaffected, until the surgery is over and the patient simply awakens with the slug gone - pulled from the dolls body. Yes please! 5/5
Primeveal Servant (Chaos Songs)
A medicinal model of a humanoid. It can be tied to a subject and used as a medium for surgery. The doll doesn't feel any pain, squirm, resist medication or the like. So as the doctor cuts it open and pushes aside flesh to dig out bullets the patient is unaffected, until the surgery is over and the patient simply awakens with the slug gone - pulled from the dolls body. Yes please! 5/5
Primeveal Servant (Chaos Songs)
A pulsating quivering black slime that wiggles in tune to the rhythm of your chants. Like the Blister it can aid your whispers, or it can be taught some itself. And thats always fun and alarming, having the option to throw several spells at once or have multiple chants going. 4/5
Judas Goat (Veil Caller)
An interesting take on a familiar too, this one isn't as disposable as others. Rather its meant to serve as a reliable partner for the caster. Because of the danger of Veil Calls, they need someone at their back. Its an interesting one, meant as a meaty bodyguard and caretaker. Its a cool take on a right hand man, but likely one only used by players who are being suspicious of their allies. 3/5
The Tome of Corrupted Beasts
The Tome of Corrupted Beasts
Will very likely be in a part 2 of this post because phew, we've got some ground to cover there!
Hopefully I'll feel up to it by then, if not. Oh well. Have a good one!
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