The Elder Thing Essence For Your Old School Campaigns

"Dr. Wells: What are you going to astound the scientific world with this time?

Professor Saxton: You'll read about it in the Society's annual report. A remarkable fossil.

Dr. Wells: Fossil? But you've got something live in there, I heard it.

Professor Saxton: You're mistaken!

Dr. Wells: You won't need to feed it then.

Professor Saxton: The occupant hasn't eaten in two million years.

Dr. Wells: That's one way to economize on food bills."
Horror Express 1972 

Among the frozen wastes of old Earth the mummified  remains of a certain group of the Voormi race have been found in the furthermost reaches of that ancient world & on far flung Hyperborean colony worlds. These things are not what they appear to be. An ancient circle of one hundred black wizards of the Elder Things had transferred their essence into their Voormi servants. Some retreated to the ice and snows to preserve their legacy while others went out among the stars to continue their long wars with the Yithians & the Spawn of Cthulhu their ancient enemies. From time to time their ether ships can be found floating in the blackness of the Outer Darkness .



They expanded their spirals among a faction of Elder Things who worshiped the toad-god Tsathoggua but were considered outcasts among the others of their kind. Even as the Elder Things retreated below the ice of their undersea city in what would become Antarctic.Many long to return to one of the Elder Thing home worlds located "between Hydra and Argo Navis".

Elder Thing Essence In
Voormi Body 

  No encountered: Unique 

 Alignment:Lawful Evil (with Chaotic tendencies)

 Size: Medium
Move: 50
Dexterity: 11 

Armor: 5
Hit Dice: 3+2
No of Attacks: weapon, melee, or gaze (see below) 

Damage:1d6+2/1d6+2
Saving Throw: 15
Morale:9
Experience: 2000
Treasure:B 

• Can animate 1d30 dead victims treat as zombies 
• Capable of casting 3rd level black wizard spells after 1d8 victims 
• Very dangerous and cunning capable of using or making super science relics

 



Over millions of years time there is debasement of the intellect of these monster's minds until only the base cunning remains. They must spend a great deal of time murdering and gathering the intelligence of their victims to regain their once great minds again. This is done by gaze attack within 20 feet of the victim. The victim must save vs death or have its brain cooked as all of the memories are sucked out in one fell swoop. They will seek out the most intelligent or convenient victims to attack growing & changing their intellects as quickly as they can. Each and every time its abilities are used the eyes glow with a terrible insanity inducing red glow & those around it must save vs fear or flee from those horrid red glowing orbs. Victims will have white pupils & smooth brains from having their minds sucked out and eaten by the essence.
There is a twenty percent chance of detecting the monster through the corruption found in the eons on old eyes of the thing's evil existence.


These monsters intellects grow exponentially & are capable of operating & creating complex mechanisms from far more primitive artifacts or wasteland relics. As time goes on they will jump bodies sending forward their corrupted life essence into another vessel with a 90% chance of taking over a victim. Because of their association & worship of Tsathoggua his favored ones Voormian corruption follows such soul transfers. There will always be a random sign of such horrid alien transference of the life essence within their new vessels.
Random Voormian Corruption Table 

1. Horrid claw the monsters gains a1d6 +1 to all melee damage from the ragged clawed hand of it
2. Red eye of corruption - Something went wrong in the soul transference and one of the vessels eyes is always a glowing shade of red in the darkness 
3. Aura of Fear - The local time space continuum is shot through with micro currents at the creature's soul passage  & all creatures below two hit points will react in fear of the monster's new vessel. 
4. 'I don't remember you' - The soul transfer process has shaken recent memories loose and it might mean a misstep for the monster. 
5. Hair of the Monster - the vessel sprouts alien animal looking hair on its back and arms in odd patches. 
6.  One eye has been blinded during the transfer and its vary obvious to anyone looking at its milky white surface. 
7. Skin of the Animal - A strange mix up has caused a previous victim's essence to rise to the surface and there are alien bits of skin here & there. 
8.  Fangs of Horror - The fangs of the apes things rise up during the soul transference and now the horror gains a 1d4 +3 bite attack 
9. The Claws of the Enemy - The horror gains two claws capable of doing 1d6 per swipe from its ancestors. 
10.  Hold in Fear - The beast's gaze is horrid as it its insane experiences are transferred into its facial expression acting as a hold person spell once per day. Victims will pass out from the visions of the creature's past they see but not remember once the spell is broken. 
11. Song of the Insane - The monster may whistle or sing some snatch of an ancient alien song or tune that completely unnerves its victims  for 1d6 rounds 
12. A Bit About History - The monster reveals some awful truth about existence that momentarily shatters its victim's faith in life itself. The victim is over come with the weight of depression and horror for 1d10 rounds.  
13. Visions of Death - The creature momentarily catch's its victim's eyes foreshadowing some future death vision for a second haunting its victims for 1d6 rounds with fear and loathing 
14. 'The horror of it all'  - There is something completely not right about the new body of the monster and everyone knows it instinctively. 
15. The creature can temporarily level drain its victims for 1d4 rounds and they will become enfeebled by the experience for 1d6 rounds afterward.
16. The monster's hand's change from human to 'other' back again within a few rounds. Anything carried is dropped. 
17. 'The claws!' The creature spontaneously grows claws adding +3 to their damage. But the claws retract painfully into muscle sheaths. 
18. 'Tears of blackness' the creature leaks tar like tears that have a serious poisonous competent to them. Anyone exposed to them must save vs poison. 
19. 'The corruption within' the muscles of the creature spasm & abnormal weird muscles move beneath the skin of the monster. It is both disconcerting & painful at the same time. The monster gains +2 on all strength & constitution checks. 
20. 'The Essence Within' the creature gains +1 on all wisdom rolls as it recalls some ancient nugget of information from one of its past hosts! 
    All information, pictures, etc. are taken from Horror Express a public domain film with Peter Cushing and Sir Christopher Lee.