MotW Tabletop Ideas

Welcome to the blog!

This is a resource blog for Monster of the Week.

Mystery, monsters, custom playbooks, and much more can be found here!

All of this is for use with with Monster of the Week by Michael Sands.

Monster of the Week is copyrighted by Evil Hat Productions, LLC and Generic Games.

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ASK BOX:

The ask box is for asking questions pertaining to certain mechanics, how to deal with certain players, asking for help on certain monsters, minions, phenomenons; asking to develop certain mystery ideas posted here even further, telling us about your games, etc. It is NOT for us to develop a mystery idea you had further. Doing so will have us ignore it and eventually delete it. 

SUBMISSION BOX:

The submission box is for those who have a monster stat block, mystery concept, or full blown mystery they'd like to share to the blog! The basic guide is as follows:

Mystery concept: (only for mysteries, not for monster stats)

Hook: (only for mysteries, not for monster stats)

Monster/Minion/Phenomenon:

[Any details of the monster/minion/phenomenon goes here]

Type:

Powers:

Attacks: [only monsters and minions get this one]

Harm: [only monsters and minions get this one]

Weakness:

Custom Moves: 

An ornate mirror meant to be hung up on a wall. Once placed, it lures people to look into it to view something that makes them envious. It could be beauty, it could be wealth, it could be a crush they never got together with, etc. It also causes the viewer to mumble "Mirror mirror on the wall." Once they view the mirror's illusions, the person will then become obsessed with attaining, or being the only one, what they saw by any means necessary.

Type: Panic (to make people act irrationally)

Power:

Show the viewer someone having what they desire

instilling an overly obsessive mindset on getting that desire no matter what, through any means such as theft, kidnapping, murdering, etc. until the mirror shows only themselves with it

Weakness: Breaking it will only bring about actual 7 years of bad luck- more info in Custom Moves. The actual ritual is to banish it to a different plane or reality, standing in front of it and performing this chant while using Use Magic (banish):

"Mirror mirror on the wall, No longer shall we be at your thrall. Cast aside your influence, forever in contiguous. Mirror mirror leave this place, return now to subspace."

Custom Moves:

Obsession: Hunters making eye contact with the Mirror will be pulled to see their desires. They have to roll +Sharp to resist its affects. On a 10+ they become resistant to its pull. On a mix, they have the option to fall into the desires and mark experience.

The physical embodiment of bad luck, looking to collect their dues. When they're in town, bad luck happens all around them and they bask in the chaos it sprouts. They also really love cats and will, in a way, keep them all safe, happy, and well fed. Cats will know this as well, as they will turn a friendly tail to them when they appear and will come up to them for pets and cuddles.

Type: Trickster (to create chaos)

Powers:

invoke bad luck

appear when bad luck is about to happen

superhuman speed

teleportation before being struck

influence the area to harm others.

Weakness: Wearing anything that is a symbol of good luck won't do much unless it's actually enchanted to give good luck. It won't kill them outright, but it will negate their bad luck to make them not deal damage to you. Enchanted horseshoes, however, do harm them. (3 harm close far)

To summon them in front of you, you have to do most of the things that cause bad luck, such as spilling salt, walking under a ladder, and breaking a mirror, and must end with crossing paths with a black cat. You'll know it'll work when the black cat yowls at you, then runs away to run up to Jack.

Threatening to harm the cats will enrage them, negating their teleportation. If you don't kill them before they flee, they will curse you with bad luck (see Tough Break, Kid.)

If hunters have Dark Negotiator or similar moves, they can convince them to leave town thus making the bad luck go away in the area.

Attacks: They don't have specific attacks, however them manipulating the environment can deal 2 - 5 harm (close/far messy).

Harm: 10

Custom Moves:

Tough Break, Kid: During this mystery, using a luck point makes the luck special be worse than anticipated. The enchanted good luck charms will prevent this.

Phenomenon: The Janus Statue

A statue of the god Janus. The costume shop owner had used it to curse all the costumes, activating on Halloween night.

Type: Mutagen (to transform creatures and people)

Power:

Turns anyone who is wearing the costumes into the being they were representing (such as someone becoming a werewolf while wearing a werewolf costume, a vampire while wearing a vampire costume, etc.).

Weakness:

Finding and destroying the statue will stop the curse, turning everyone back to normal. The shop owner is hiding the statue well, and will take some time to find it to destroy it.

Custom Moves:

Costume Makeover- Individuals wearing costumes will be turned into what they are wearing, losing memories of who they were unless the costume is mostly them or if they represent an undead (such as being a commando outfit turns them into a military man mentally, while being a sexy catgirl or a ghost has the person retain their memories). They will also act as if they are who they are impersonating, either acting on feral instinct or whatever role they are dressed as.

If a hunter is wearing a costume that turns them into a monster, they will temporarily gain curses pertaining to that monster via The Monsterous' traits. Look over the Monsterous playbook & Hunter's Journal for specific curses. They will also lose their memories temporarily depending on how detailed their costume is, having to rely on hunters who either didn't dress up or wore something super simplistic. Depending on the Keeper, the monster-turned hunters may also gain the natural attack traits as well for the time being. They keep their previous moves as well and do not gain any newer moves aside from those listed. Certain costume accessories that was originally just a plasic weapon will become actual weapons as well.

A demon who was sealed inside a book several centuries ago. The book had since been recovered and scanned into a digital database. His soul freed, he now wields technology for his own use.

Type: Trickster (Motivation: to create chaos)

Powers:

Mind Manipulation

Technopathy

Digital Omniscience

Mechanical Possession

Superhuman Strength (Mechanical body form)

Weakness: binding his spirit to a singular mechanical device- it will make him lose his powers and be susceptible to destruction.

Attacks:

(In mechanical body) Wall-breaking Punch (4 harm hand)

Harm: 15 harm

Custom Moves:

another from my random Plague Inc. speedrun binge watching lol

Arc Countdown:

Day: The first meteor crashed nearby a town, beginning to rapidly spread.

Shadow: More meteors crashed down in a different locations, beginning their spread.

Sunset: A cult has developed around the Xenolith, actively going to spread the crystal's growth.

Dusk: The planet is halfway covered in the Xenolith. Mass hysteria and fear envelopes the people.

Nightfall: The majority of the planet is covered in the Xenolith. Even if its stopped, will humanity survive?

Midnight: The entire planet is turned into crystal

An ancient alien element of unknown origin that crashed down one day and began crystalizing everything. To make this a scary arc-based phenomenon, the crystal crashed down in multiple places, having the hunters deal with a world-scale threat.

Type: Biohazard (Infect, harm, and spread)

Power:

Converts all matter into the strange crystal

Spread to humans will cause them to slow down due to crystaline growths, taking over full limbs/body parts. They may eventually be enveloped in it.

Alien frequencies that can drive those attune to it mad.

Mind Control (will bring crystalized individuals to unmarked spots to explode and spread)

Once a certain amount of humans and animals are converted into crystal, it will begin shattering them

Weakness: Harmonic Resonance- Finding the right frequency that the Xenolith spreads will help freeze its activity. There is a chance for the Xenolith to change its frequency, thus slowing or changing how the hunters deal with it.

Custom Moves:

Phenomenon: Glory of Combat

A demon of revelry and pride has cursed a town/city into fighting one another, but in an interesting way- it will pick two random individuals who will then stop at nothing to kill each other. The one standing is declared the "winner" of the fight. The demon tempts the two with granting their most desired want, but only if they come on top of the "tournament." Any human is affected by it, including infants and children. They will push away anyone who is in the way and they will be desperate to reach each other to fight should they be separated and locked up.

Local law enforcement will stand aside from anyone fighting, and stop anyone trying to break them up.

Type: Panic (make people act irrationally)

Power: Two people will be picked as "tournament challengers," who must then use whatever is around them as weapons in order to kill the other person.

Weakness: Killing the demon will stop the curse entirely. Banishing the demon will only put the curse on "pause," that will have it resume should it ever return.

Custom Moves: If the hunter isn't a Monsterous, Summoned, Host, Construct, Forged, or Visitor, they will be tempted by Mannoth and put into the "tournament" if they don't resist. They must roll +weird in order to resist. On a 10+ they successfully resist the temptation. On a mix, they have a choice to give in to temptation; if they do, they mark an experience. On a miss, they are taken into the "tournament" mindset and will seek out their opponent (can be another hunter that failed!) They will then have to fight them to the death or if someone breaks the hold (other players can Use Magic to break them from it.)

Monster: Mannoth, Demon of Revelry and Pride

"Fighting is wrathful, with no desire and joy inside it. Combat, however? It brings a sense of pride to an individual. A thirst for living and adrenaline. And its intoxicating."

A 9 ft tall muscular demon with 4 arms with sharp clawed hands, and a crown of horns. Its lower half is that of a lion (centaur-style) and its tail is that of an ankylosaurus. It has a belt of different intoxicants and swords, and its hide is covered in scars. It also wears a skinned lion pelt as a cat, with its head acting as a hood for a demon.

When disguised, they take the form of a doberman, a hairless cat, a white crow, and a frail-looking old person.

Type: Tempter (Tempt people into evil deeds)

Powers:

Immense strength

Influence into fighting

Illusions of desires

Adrenaline inducement

Fearful Presence

Weakness: The hunters can challenge Mannoth to a fight, however it has to be one-on-one. Even if its a demon, it still plays fair. It itself is tempted by the spectacle of a fight, and is very willing to do so if it thinks the hunter is a worthy opponent, if it thinks the fight would be fun. If the hunter reduces its harm by a significant amount (down to 10 harm), it will call off the fight calling said hunter a "worthy adversary." It will then grant them a hellish blade (that is very cursed). It will then leave on its own accord.

In order to kill its mortal form, the hunters must obtain one of its claws and use it as a weapon. It'll deal 5 harm (hand ignore armor) at him.

Attacks:

Hammer tail (3 harm close)

Soulcutter Blade (2 harm hand ignore armor)

Rending Claws (2 harm hand)

Natural Defenses (+2 armor)

Harm: 30 harm

Custom Moves:

Same as Phenomenon's effects

Gifted cursed weapon

A weapon gifted by Mannoth as a show of appreciation for a good fight. It is extremely cursed but doesn't activate immediately. Type: Artifact (to grant someone more power than they can handle)

Power:

Slowly corrupts the user (turning them into a demonic minion of Mannoth)

Makes the user hunger for combat and fighting… and raw meat

Increased hostility and anger

Increased muscle mass

Weakness: Sending the blade back to Mannoth will reverse the effects and will make it very, very upset- it will attempt to return to the realm to claim the life of those who denies its gift.

Custom Moves:

Weapon- it's weapon tags are 4 harm (ignore-armor, life-drain, messy, balanced, close)

Increased hostility- the afflicted hunter will have to resist losing themselves into the boiling rage. They must roll act under pressure as if they have the Pure Drive Curse the Monstrous has.

Delicious Iron- The hunter with the blade will constantly crave the bloodiest cuts of raw meat, even if its human. They must roll act under pressure as if they have the Feed Curse the Monstrous has.

Corruption- The hunter will slowly turn into a demonic minion of Mannoth, having them be in their own countdown as such:

Day: The blade is helpful and good

Shadows: Slight paranoia swirls in their heads. They want to take your blade? They might just be jealous… The hunter takes -1 on one roll per encounter.

Sunset: The paranoia has settled in. I think they really want that blade. There is some demands mixed in

Dusk: The demands are annoying and somewhat overwhelming but you can somewhat pull through. But, the paranoia has fully taken hold and you won't let go of the blade. They take -2 ongoing while in proximity of this blade. The blade is the greatest treasure they have

Nightfall: The demands are loud and overwhelming. They take -3 ongoing while in proximity of this blade. They refuse to let go of the blade

Phenomenon: Ruby Lobster

A ruby carved into the shape of a lobster recently trudged up from the depths of an underwater ruins. Brought to a nautical museum to be showed off, its odd effects begin to plague the sleepy town.

Type: Mutagen (transform creatures and people)

Power:

Slowly transforming any mammal, avian, reptile, and fish into a crustacean. Such transformations cause:

Lowered intelligence

Calcification

Bone Shaping

Limb Splitting/Merging

Hair Loss

Weakness: Transmuting the Ruby Lobster into a Sapphire Mammal will stop & reverse the effects. Returning the Ruby Lobster to its original place of rest will stop & reverse the effects as well. While also researching and finding the Sapphire Mammal info, there seems to be hastily redacted/torn up info under it (more in the following phenomenon).

Custom Moves:

- Crustacean-ification: The hunters will be exposed to the Ruby Lobster during the course of the mystery. Because of this, they will be dealing with their own personal countdown.

Day: The curse of the Ruby Lobster is set in.

Shadows: The hunter's hair/fur begins to fall out a lot. If hairless, their skin starts shedding as if they have dermatitis. If scales they are constantly shedding. If feathered the feathers keep dropping. You get it.

Sunset: Their skin has calcified, hardening somewhat into a makeshift shell.

Dusk: The hunters limbs begin to shape and merge. They have -2 ongoing to all but +weird moves.

Nightfall: The hunter is now a crab, but still have their human intelligence. They have -2 ongoing for all rolls. However, they gain +1 armor and Crab Claws (1 harm hand).

Midnight: The hunter is still a crab and lost their intelligence. They will have to roll a new hunter.

Phenomenon: Sapphire Mammal

A sapphire carved into the shape of a monkey. It'll return anything transformed into a crab back into its original form, however it will now change up how the animals in the area act.

Type: Mutagen (to transform creatures and people)

Power: While humans & primates/apes won't be affected by the effects, all the creatures in the surrounding area will. Such things include:

Rapid increase in intelligence

Development of thumbs/limbs used to grab if they have none

Lung development to breath air (if aquatic only)

Ability to stand upright

Development of vocal chords so that they may talk

Due to their rapid development into sapience, the animals may react violently (especially those who were harmed before [or say if some cattle realize they're in a slaughter house and will revolt])

Weakness: Turning it back into the Ruby Lobster will revert the effects but then you'd have to deal with the Ruby Lobster's powers. Finding the lost page, one can transmute the Sapphire Mammal into the Emerald Serpent, which is in the shape of a snake biting its own tail. It will revert every effect that both the Sapphire Mammal and Ruby Lobster had done and cause no other effect to occur.

Custom Moves:

A being that looks as though it is made of pure light. It casts its glow unto those it deems worthy where the chosen is basking in the warm glow. In reality, they are experiencing the worst thoughts and nightmares imaginable while stuck in that blissful look, and the Radiant is feeding off their torment. They will stop once the victim's mind is broken.

When it's not glowing, it has two bulbous eyes and a skink-like physiology. It has no mouth, and theres a bulbous lump behind its bulging eyes, assumidly its stomach where it stores its abstract meals.

Type: Devourer [Consume people's fear and terror]

Powers:

Blinding glow

Warm light

Trauma activator

Nightmare Inducement

Mesmerize

Weakness: Vanta-black paint can prevent the Radient's light from affecting a person, and covering it with the paint can stop its glow for a moment. Stabbing it in the eyes will kill it. Breaking its gaze upon the victim will stop its feeding.

Attacks:

Quick Flash (1 harm ignore-armor blinding)

Warm Glow (0 harm ignore-armor mental-break)

Harm: 10 harm

Custom Moves:

Blinding- hunters will get blinded by the Quick Flash if they fail a Kick Some Ass or Act Under Pressure roll

Mental Break: if a hunter is caught under its warm glow, they must roll Act Under Pressure to escape from it. On a 10+ the hunter resists and is immune to it foe the rest of the encounter. On a mix they resist but can be affected by it again. On a miss, they fall under its gaze and experience the horrors.