On Shoggoths

[gauntman]

I thought I'd add a periodic Cthulhu monster profile every so often.  Excerpts are taken from the Malleus Monstrorum.

On Shoggoths


Created an unbelievably long time ago as tools by the Elder Things,  They may not have been even truly intelligent, simply cunning and able to learn.  However to the horror of the Elder Things, it seems they were able to learn and evolve.

A shapeless mass of black protoplasmic bubbles, faintly self-luminous forming and unforming all manner of eyes, mouths, and limbs.  The sight alone of such a massive terror can tear the sanity from a stable mind. It covered an area of over 5 meters, absorbing all life it chose.  The few remains found of its prey, were mere rag dolls of flesh and crushed bone the result of indesribable rupturing, crushing, and being sucked to pieces.

Shoggoths are able to live and adapt to nearly any enviroment from the deep pressures of the ocean floor to the intense cold of the Artic.  Some have been found in service of the Deep Ones but they are surly servants at best becoming more and more intelligent through the ages, more and more rebellious, and more and more imitative.

The great Justin Barnes a remarkable scholar of ancient lore discovered fragments which suggest Shoggoths of emmense age could and may have become unusually intelligent and purposeful to the point of controlling his shape and passing for other sentient humanoid life.

[Uncle Mike]

That is a great picture! Is this book full of art? Where did you get it...ect. Thanx!

[marrony]

Great idea Gauntman.

[gauntman]

I love the book.  I don't RPG but it is full of hundreds of creatures and entities and I will not part with this one. 

Most of the art is real pictures, statues, excerts from real books photos and illustrations.  The book has very little illustration compared to information.  When I say it's full of every monstrous entity you can imagine, I mean it.  I won't count how many listing it has, there're too many.  The aphebetical index in the back has 32 entires just for the letter A.  They are all well detailed and even include decriptions of their victims bodies too.

From Triffids, Abominable Snowman and various other killer plants to classic monsters like mummies and vampires to all the Cthulhu mythos big, small.  It even has in it compiled hundred of movie and fiction monsters from not only every Cthulhu RPG but from movies like "The Thing". 

It has 37 entires for the individual faces of Nyarlathotep each with their own paragraphs of description and text.

The image displayed here is from the web though.  HEHHE

[twrchtrwyth]

That is a great picture! Is this book full of art? Where did you get it...ect. Thanx!

From Chaosium
http://catalog.chaosium.com/product_info.php?cPath=41&products_id=925

From Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Malleus+Monstrorum&x=16&y=20

[Uncle Mike]

Nice one. Thanx.

[gauntman]

I have a massive painted RAFM Shoggoth model.  I was considering selling it and replacing it with a smaller Black Cat model for size and ease of play and movement but after doing this post I've changed my mind. 

Their nothing more frightning during a game to drop one of those massive horrors on the game area.

[tssfulk]

Just how big are the RAFM shoggoths?

[gauntman]

Maybe 2 1/2 " x 3" at the base.  It looks like it could easily absorb 1 or 2 figures.

[gauntman]

By the way.   I'm selling one of my painted and assembled Shoggoths on ebay with some other stuff.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&item=130256404346

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&item=130256392429

[Bako]

Thank you, I'm so getting this book.