Vargouilles for DCC

These hideous creatures appear to be foul-featured heads, which fly on bat-like wings protruding from where a human would have ears.  A mass of short, writhing green-grey tentacles depends from the area where the neck of a humanoid would meet the head’s base.  Their skin has a reddish cast and a puckered texture, as though scarred by the fires of Hell.  Their eyes glow with a lambent greenish-yellow light.

Vargouilles have the power to mesmerize humanoids with their gaze.  Any given vargouille can mesmerize a single humanoid within 100 feet (Will save DC 10 negates), and the target remains mesmerized until the vargouille breaks eye contact.  If the vargouille is injured, it must make a Will save equal to 10 + the damage done in order to maintain eye contact.

Once a victim is mesmerized, the creature will approach, wrapping its tentacles around the victim’s neck, and attempting to kiss the victim.  A mesmerized creature is unable to resist these attacks, and is kissed automatically; otherwise the vargouille must make an attack roll with a +4 bonus because of its grappling tentacles.  A Strength (DC 10) or Agility (DC 15) check can free the victim.  

The kiss of a vargouille causes 1 point of temporary Stamina damage.  If pressed, a vargouille can also bite for 1d3 damage.

Any victim slain by a vargouille’s Stamina damage undergoes a terrible transformation.  1d4 rounds after death, its face begins to redden and pucker, and its features distort into an evil visage.  Its ears stretch and transform over the next 1d6 minutes as the head becomes a new vargouille, which struggles to free itself from its old body, pulling ropes of its viscera after it as its new tentacles.  

The vargouille is vulnerable at this time, although not helpless, and it can attempt to mesmerize a victim if need be (although the target gains a +4 bonus to its save).

Vargouille: Init +0; Atk bite +0 melee (1d3); AC 12; HD 2d4; MV fly 30’; Act 1d20; SP mesmerize, grapple, kiss, create spawn; SV Fort +2, Ref +4, Will +6; AL C.