Vine-Corrupted Once-Men

Beast-Men, Shapeshifters

“He who makes a beast of himself removes the pain of being a man.”

– Samuel Johnson

When someone enters into a bargain with the Corrupting Vines, they are gifted a supply of the
Vines’ sap with the promise that the syrupy fluid is the key to whatever it is they desire. If the
deal is for immortality, the recipient is directed to consume the sap themselves; if the deal is for
vengeance, the direction is to discreetly feed the sap to the target. Either way, the result is the
same: a Vine-Corrupted is created.
The sap is highly mutagenic, rewriting the DNA of the target and introducing elements of both
the Vines as well as other animals the Vines have consumed during their long existence. If
consumed directly, the sap causes the consumer to begin transforming almost immediately.
They become a chimera of various species while retaining a humanoid shape, their mental
abilities reduced to an animal state, driven by hunger and an urge to destroy.
If the sap is mixed into food or drink and fed to an unsuspecting target, the transformation is
slower; the target changes back and forth between fully human and a monstrous form, with
transformations triggered by exposure to the substance the sap was mixed into. For example, a
person eating a steak contaminated with sap will transform after consuming red meat in the
future, and transform back after metabolizing the triggering substance. This continues for 1D4
weeks before the transformation becomes permanent.
Vine-Corrupted are functionally immortal; once completing their transformation, they are
immune to the effects of aging, disease and starvation. They can only die by violence; given
their overwhelming compulsion to kill and defile, it’s rare for Vine-Corrupted to last long;
however, in isolated regions one of these creatures could avoid destruction for years or
decades.

Vine-Corrupted, Beasts that were Men
Immature/Mature
STR: 15/16
CON: 18/20
DEX: 11/11
INT: 8/8
POW: 9/9
HP: 17/18

Damage Bonus: +1
Willpower Points: 9
ATTACKS
Attacks per round: 2 (Gore, claw, trample, per the individual creature’s form)
Unarmed 40%, dmg 1D6+DB
Dodge: 30%
Armor: 2 points of thick, calloused skin and scales. In its immature state, it automatically
regenerates 1 Hit Point per round; once it enters its mature state, this increases to 1D3 Hit
Points per round. Fire negates the creature’s regeneration, and it cannot regenerate burned
tissue.
Skills: Athletics 50%, Alertness 40%, Stealth 40%
Rituals: None
Sanity Loss: 1/1D8