A Mothman of West Virginia (Not to be confused with THE Mothman of West Virginia)

My son came up with the idea for today's unusual NPC. He is based on the character of Reno the Bounty Hunter from the Brawlhalla video game. Reno is a four-armed moth man. He goes around dressed like The Man With No Name and has never failed to bring in his quarry. Our take on the character is a bit more light-hearted. He started out as a Mothfolk from the d20 Menace Manual, we removed his Fear Aura and added another set of arms. I thought about lowering his flight speed but since the Mothman urban legend has the creature keeping pace with a car going at or just over 100 mph, I left it alone.

My son did most of the work on developing the notes on Mothman society, religion, and the timeline for the war. While searching for a Favored Enemy for the Ranger class feature, I suggested the Flatwoods Monster, another cryptid first sighted in West Virginia. This is what we came up with. Enjoy!

Reno the Bounty Hunter

Oliver Williams, A Mothman of West Virginia (Not to Be Confused with THE Mothman of West Virginia)
Align: NG     Race: Mothman (Mutant)     Class: Metahuman 1/Ranger 2
Family/Clan Name: Williams (adoptive human family) Homeland: Point Pleasant, Mason County, West Virginia
Patron Deity: Mothman Pantheon     Sex: Male     Age: 53
Birthrank: 3 of 3; hatched March 1959     # of Siblings: 2 hatchmates of unknown gender
Height: 7’10”     Weight: 249 lbs.     Hair: Red Fuzz     Eyes: Black, multifaceted

Appearance: Oliver is a towering four-armed mothman.  His coloration is highly similar to a Cecopia Moth.  He wears a gunbelt with two pistols at his hips and another set in a shoulder rig across his chest.  He is rarely seen without his brown felt campaign (sheriff) hat. He communicates via sign language or with a cell phone that has a text-to-talk feature.

Str: 13 (+1) Fortitude: +6
Dex: 16 (+3) Reflex: +10
Con: 14 (+2) Will: +6
Int: 14 (+2) Initiative: +3
Wis: 14 (+2) Speed: 30’; fly 300' (good)
Cha: 10 (+0)

Armor Class: 18 (-1 size, +3 Dex, +6 Natural) t: 12; ff: 15; 
Hit Points: 38: (2d8+4 Mothman) plus (1d8+2 Metahuman) plus (2d8+4 Ranger)
Energy Points: 21 (20: Base +1/level after 1st) 
Attacks: (BAB +4; Grap +9); +7 Colt .357 Magnum: 2d6 (20/x2, 40', semiauto) or +6 Claws: 1d6+1 (20/x2)

     * If attacking with more than a single limb/weapon, all attacks suffer a -2 attack penalty.

Racial Abilities: Mothman Large Size (-1 penalty to AC and attack rolls; -4 penalty to Hide checks; Carrying capacity is double that of a medium creature with the same Strength); Darkvision; Fly 300' (good), 4 Claws for 1d6, +2 Natural AC, 2d8 racial HD; Druid is preferred classes for multi-class purposes

Mutant: Gain three “levels” worth of powers (3 Standard or 1 Improved and 1 Standard).  Optional Charisma penalty (-3 Cha in exchange for 1 additional “level” of power); +4 bonus on their initial Energy scores, ECL +1; Metahuman is bonus preferred class for multiclass purposes

Class Abilities: Proficient with all simple and martial weapons, light armor and shields

Metahuman: Chosen Metahuman Class Skills (Knowledge – Local, Intimidate, and Survival); 1 bonus Power or Metapower feats

Ranger: Favored Enemy: gain bonuses to Bluff, Listen, Sense Motive, Spot and Survival checks and damage rolls (includes ranged attacks within 30’): +2 vs. Evil Outsiders; Wild Empathy (+2); Combat Style (Multi-Weapon Fighting*); 

* replaces standard Two-Weapon Fighting feat due to multiple arms

Languages: Read/Write and Speak American Sign Language, English and Mothman

Skills: Balance +8; Climb +2; Handle Animal +0 (+8 with moths and butterflies); Hide +6; Intimidate +2; Knowledge (Local - Mason County) +4; Listen +5; Move Silently +10; Search +5 (additional +6 if using heightened sense of smell); Spot +5 (additional +6 if using heightened sense of smell); Survival +5 (additional +6 to track if using heightened sense of smell)

Feats: Enlarge Power (+1 Energy cost for doubled range) (b) ; Flyby Attack; Multidexterity; Track (b); 

Powers:

• Ultra Animal Affinity: Close range (100’ + 10’ per level), Energy Cost: 1 per animal controlled per round, no cost otherwise; can sense the presence of any normal animal within range and is capable of speaking with the animal and sensing its emotions. Gain Animal Empathy as a class skill, regardless of class, and gain a +8 insight bonus with it. By concentrating, can cause a single animal to feel any emotion he wishes (Will DC14 negates), can control more than one animal* at a time 

(Reducer): Power only works on moths and butterflies

* For purposes of this power, a swarm of moths or butterflies can be treated as a single creature

• Standard Meta-Sense (Scent): Gains a +6 bonus to all Search, Spot and Survival checks when using his sense of smell

• Standard Natural Armor: gains an additional +4 bonus to his natural armor

Possessions: 

Clothing:  Sheriff's Uniform (modified to fit his extra arms and wings); Weapon Belt and Shoulder Rig with holsters for revolvers

Weapons: Colt .357 Magnum Revolver (each w/ six rounds and two additional speed loaders)

Gear: 1 pair of steel handcuffs; Professional-grade Walkie-Talkie; Cell Phone

Wealth: Modest two-story home, Minivan (paid off), enough money in savings to last up to two months

Notes: Married to high-school sweetheart, Alice; has three (fully human) sons

Xp Total: 18,000

Xp required for next level: 21,000

Oliver's coloration pattern is based on the Cecopia Moth.

Mothmen

Regions: West Virginia, Ohio River Valley, Great Lakes (Italics indicate new regions)

Racial Feats: Multidexterity, Flyby Attack, Hover, Improved Flight, Wingover

Level Adjustment: +2

The Mothmen are a race of winged humanoids who traditionally lived in the remote valleys of the Appalachian Mountains. Adults stand about 8 feet tall and weigh around 250 pounds.  Females tend to be slightly taller and heavier.  The female lays 1d4 eggs every two years.  Larvae hatch from these eggs in about 4 months.  The larvae resemble 2' long meal worms and are voracious eaters, devouring leaves, snails, eggs, and decaying organic matter for roughly one year before entering a pupal state.  This stage of life lasts from 12 to 14 years while the larvae metamorphosizes into its humanoid form.  When they emerge from their cocoon, they are 2 to 3 feet tall versions of their adult forms.  They age and grow at roughly half the rate of humans and can live to be almost 200 years old.

History: Mothmen have lived in wooded valleys of the Appalachian Mountains since the last Ice Age.  The eldest of the race remember the United States first stumbling steps in becoming a nation following the war for independence from England.  After their losses in the war against the Flatwoods Monsters, they have resettled along the shores of the Great Lakes and in the Ohio River Valley.

Outlook: Mothmen are shy and reclusive.  They strive to avoid conflict and will tend to wait for an unpleasant situation to go away on its own rather than take action directly.  This led to the near total loss of their homeland to the Flatwoods Monsters.

Mothmen Characters: Mothmen are peaceful gatherers who seek to live in harmony with each other and nature, never taking more than the land has to give.  For this reason, many become druids or shamans.  During the war with the Flatwoods Monsters, a significant number of Mothmen became Rangers.

Mothman Society: Mothmen live in small family groups, usually the mother, father, and immediate children.  Once every three months (on the equinoxes and solstices), all of the Mothmen in a region come together to exchange news, trade, and perform religious observances.  Mothmen harvest sap from trees with their long claws, which they either drink in its natural state or brew into alcoholic beverages.  They seek shelter in deep caves or the trees of remote valleys during the day.  Mothmen had been living in the wooded valleys of what is now West Virginia for centuries.  Native Americans were aware of the elusive creatures and believed them to be forest spirits to be avoided.

Language and Literacy: Mothmen speak their own language although their voices are too high pitched for most other humanoids to hear.  They can easily learn to understand the commonly spoken languages of the regions they live in.

Ablities and Racial Features:

Mothmen have the following traits:

• + 2 Strength, +2 Wisdom.  Mothmen are strong and introspective.
• Large size: As Large creatures, Mothmen suffer a -1 size penalty on attack rolls and AC.  They also suffer a -4 size penalty on Hide checks.  However, they can use larger weapons than humans can, and their lifting and carrying limits are twice those of Medium-sized creatures.
• Mothman facing is 5' and their reach is 10'.
• Mothman land speed is 30'.  Their fly speed is 300', with good maneuverability.
• +2 Natural Armor
• Monstrous Huamnoid Hit Dice: A Mothman has 2d8 racial Hit Dice.  They receive the maximum hit points for their first monstrous humanoid hit die, all rolls for all their other Hit Dice normally.  They roll all Hit Dice from class levels and do not automatically get maximum hit points on their first class level.  A Mothman's monstrous humanoid hit dice also provide a +2 attack bonus and saving throws of Fort +0, Ref +3, and Will +3.  Mothmen with class levels add their class attack bonus and save bonuses to their racial attack bonus and saves.
• Monstrous Humanoid Skills:  A Mothman’s monstrous humanoid Hit Dice grant them skill points equal to (2 + Int modifier, minimum 1) ×5. Class skills for these skill points are Balance, Climb, Hide, and Move Silently. A Mothman does not get the ×4 multiplier for skill points acquired from their first class level. 
• Monstrous Humanoid Feats:  A Mothman’s monstrous humanoid Hit Dice grant them 1 feat. A typical Mothman chooses Multidexterity. A Mothman with class levels gains feats based on his total Hit Dice
• Natural Attacks: A Mothman can attack with the claws on each of its four hands, dealing 1d6 damage with each.
• Automatic Language: Mothman; bonus languages: Any available in home region, note that a Mothman's voice is too high-pitched for most humanoids to hear.
• Level Adjustment: +2. The Mothman’s ability to fly is the greatest reason for this. A player may play a Mothman as a character with total levels equal to his class levels +2. 

Mothman Magic and Lore: Mothmen have no spells particular to their people.  Mothmen may wear gloves and similar items on their arms like any other humanoid. They are still limited to one pair gloves, bracers, and so on, despite having an extra pair of arms. Most clothing designed for humanoids will fit them although some modifications have to be made to accommodate the extra limbs and wings.

Mothman Deities: Mothmen pay homage to a number of spirits.  These include Azeban, a trickster who outwits enemies and plays pranks on those who do not pay him the proper respect; Abenaki, a warrior who seeks to defend the woodlands from humanity's encroachment, he also taught the Mothmen how to ferment collect sap and nectar into alcohol; Malsumis, a petty and vengeful spirit who seeks to disrupt harmony and brings illness and death; Pamola, a bird who controls the weather; and Tabaldak, who is regarded as a creator deity.  These spirits are also worshipped, in slightly different forms, by the Abenaki tribe of Native Americans.

Relations with Other Races: Mothmen avoid contact with other sentient races whenever possible.  They are feared by most humans due to their appearance.  They are at war with Flatwoods Monsters.

Mothman Equipment: Mothmen are fond of brewing a potent alcohol similar to vodka from the sap of maple trees.

Animals and Pets: Mothmen do not raise domestic animals for food or as beasts of burden. Very rarely, there is a Mothman who is able to communicate with and control the actions of moths and butterflies who then serve as scouts or even as allies in battle.  Mothmen will avoid caves inhabited by bats as the stench of guano is overpowering to their sense of smell.

Timeline of the West Virginia Cryptid War: 

Starting Positions for the Cryptid War (Mothmen are in red, Flatwoods Monsters in blue)

• September 12th, 1951: A rift opens between the Infernal Battlefield of Archeron and the Prime Material Plane.  A platoon of creatures that will soon be known as Flatwood Monsters on the Archeron side of the rift send a scout through to assess what lies beyond.  That scout is spotted by by a small group of humans who panic and flee.  The scout reports that the area has abundant resources.
• Early 1952 through 1954: The Flatwood Monsters begin expanding into the woods of Braxton County, West Virginia, spreading west toward Mason County.  They soon come into contact with a band of Mothmen.  There are a few brief skirmishes but the Mothmen's nomadic nature make these encounters sporadic for the first two years.  As the Flatwood Monsters move into areas frequented by the insectoid creatures, clashes between the two peoples become more common.
• 1955 through 1966: Fighting between Mothmen and Flatwood Monsters become more violent.  Both races try to avoid contact with humans, not wanting the fighting to escalate into a three-sided conflict with the numerically superior humans.
• March 3rd, 1959: The egg that will eventually hatch and grow into the creature now known as Oliver Williams is laid.  It hatches four months later and feeds heartily for a year before cocooning itself.
• November 15th, 1966: A Mothman and Flatwoods Monster have a short fight north of Point Pleasant, West Virginia.  The Mothman is affected by the Flatwood Monster's gaze attack and panics.  It encounters two young human couples and panics.  It chases them for several miles.  The incident draws national attention.
• December 14th, 1967: The largest single battle between Mothmen and Flatwood Monsters takes place at the bridge spanning the Ohio River between Point Pleasant, WV and Gallipolis, OH.  A respected elder of the Mothmen is killed and an eyebar in one of the suspension chains supporting the bridge is damaged during the fighting.
• December 15th, 1967: The damaged eyebar fails, causing the Silver Bridge to collapse, resulting in the deaths of 46 humans.
• December 16th, 1967 thru 1971: The Mothmen largely abandon the area, becoming refugees.  The spread through the Ohio River Valley and the Great Lakes.  Several settle in the tunnels and sewers beneath Chicago.
• Unrecorded date in April 1971 thru present day: Oliver's cocoon opens.  The small mothman is soon found by Gordon Williams and his wife Frieda.  They mistake him for a foundling metahuman, take him in and name him Oliver.  He attends school, watches Sesame Street and Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, plays in Little League, and, despite some initial bullying, is accepted by his peers.  His voice is too high-pitched for his family and friends to hear so he learns sign language.  He is eventually elected sheriff of Mason County.  He is also recruited as a reserve member of West Virginia's Fifty-State Initiative Team – the Mountaineers, serving alongside the Blue Beetle (Dan Garrett) and a theoretically reformed jewel thief known as the Grasshopper (who had once been arrested by Plastic Man).

Flatwoods Monsters

Large Outsider (Extraplanar, Lawful)

HD: 10d8+20 (64 hp)

Initiative: +2

Spd: 30' (20' in armor)

AC: 17 (-1 size, +0 Dex, +2 Natural, +6 Spiked Splint Mail Armor); t: 9, ff: 17

BAB/Grap: +10/+22

Attacks: +13/+8 Unarmed Strike: 1d4+4 nonlethal (1d8+4 Spiked Armor) or +13/+8: Large Handaxe: 1d8+4 (20/x3) or +11 Ranged Touch: Eye Ray

Space/Reach: 10'x10'/10'

Special Attacks: Eye Ray (3/day); Nauseating Mist (3/day)

Special Qualities: Darkvision 60'; Low-Light Vision; Outsider Traits

Saves: Fort +9, Ref +9, Will +8

Abilities: Str: 18, Dex: 14, Con: 14, Int: 12, Wis: 12, Cha: 8

Skills: Climb +17, Craft (Armorsmithing) +14, Hide +7, Intimidate +12, Jump +17, Knowledge (the Planes) +15, Listen +15, Move Silently +15, Spot +15, Survival +15 (+17 on other planes)

Feats: Dodge, Mobility, Improved Grapple, Improved Unarmed Strike

Environment: Infernal Battlefield of Archeron, West Virginia

Organization: Scout (1), Pair (1d2), Platoon (1d10+10), Warband (3d10+50)

Challenge Rating: 8

Treasure: None or Incidental

Alignment: Always Lawful Evil

Advancement: 11-15 HD (Large)

Level Adjustment: - -

The creature appearing out of the trees before you is a towering humanoid with glowing red eyes.  Its metallic green armor hangs around its waist like a skirt and rises like a hood behind its head.

Flatwood Monsters are a militant race from the Infernal Battlefield of Archeron.  They are tall, humanoid creatures who enjoy terrifying their opponents.  They prefer to kill by grappling their foes and grinding them to death against their hard-ridged iron armor.

Combat: 

Flatwood Monsters can be daunting foes when encountered in numbers.  They will sow confusion amongst a group of enemies with their eye rays and nauseating mist before closing in to grapple individual opponents.

• Eye Ray (Su): 3/day, the Flatwood Monster can unleash an eyebeam as as Ranged Touch attack that inflicts fear upon its target (as the Scare spell – Will DC14), a target that successfully saves is Shaken for one round.  Those that fail are frightened for 1 round/HD of the Flatwood Monster. The save is Charisma-based.
• Nauseating Mist (Ex): (3/day), the Flatwood Monster can release a mist (as Stinking Cloud) in a 20' radius that causes creatures to become nauseated.  This condition lasts as long as the creatures are in range and for 1d4+1 rounds after leaving the cloud.  A Fortitude save (DC17) negates.  The save is Constitution-based.