Cuculas

Class 84M/84C, B90%, #1/1d4, Doctrine: Chaos

D15, HTK: 8d10+2, Speed: 40cm

M1 49%, M2 48%, M3 50%, M4 35%, M5 46%

M71%, 1d10 hits(dagger, short sword, spear), or 1 hit + venom(bite) 

2x R71%, 1d10 hits(bow)

Special: Bite, spit venom, hood eyes(fear, hypnosis), enchantments, +10% to mitigate transformation, mutation, petrification

Bite

Anyone bitten by a cucula must mitigate M1 or die in 1 turn.

Spit

A cucula may blind by spitting venom by means of a successful ranged attack at -20%. On a success, their victim will be blind until they wash their eyes out thoroughly, at which point they may mitigate M1 to determine if the blindness was permanent. If said washing does not occur within 2d10 rounds, no mitigation will be possible. The cucula may spit this way 3 times a day.

The cucula can also attempt to spit a stream to hit multiple targets at once. Such an attempt counts as 3 uses, so they will not be able to spit venom again that day, nor can they attempt this if they've already spit any number of times. They may target up to 6 human-sized individuals that are adjacent to one another. No ranged attack is made; instead, the targets mitigate M1, with a +5% bonus for every target including the first(so if there are 6 targets, each will gain +30% to their mitigation chances).

Hood Eyes

The “eyes” on a cucula’s hood can be used for a couple of magical abilities possessed by the creatures. When used, the eyes glow subtly, discernible only in shadows or complete darkness. It’s possible that these could also be used as focuses or material components for spells by caster cuculas, and/or that some cuculas could randomly possess, or develop, special or unique “hood eye” abilities(all GM’s discretion). 

The eyes’ powers are as gaze attacks, and can affect anyone looking at them. A cucula gains certain bonuses if doing nothing but concentrating on the power of their “eyes” and other factors as well as which ability they’re utilizing.

Doing nothing but focusing causes a -5% penalty to mitigate any “hood eye” effects.

In general, a cucula using their powers in appropriately shadowy surroundings, so that the glowing of their hood eyes can be seen, cause a -5% chance to mitigations against them. In total darkness, with the eyes penetrating the souls of their victims through the blackness, the penalty is -10%. Other factors can modify as determined by the GM. Appropriately intimidating surroundings or situations can separately increase the penalty for the fear effect by up to -10%. Hypnosis can also be modified by up to an additional -10% if in situations or scenarios conducive to mind control and brainwashing(surrounded by cult members, correct use of stimuli etc). 

Primates(including humans) and felines suffer an additional -10% to mitigate fear effects from a cucula’s hood eyes. 

Intelligent avian, lizard, and rodent races suffer a -10% to mitigate hood-eye hypnosis.

Fear

A cucula can channel the power of fear through their hood eyes, causing anyone that looks to mitigate M5(or potentially something else, should you decide the “eyes” act as rods or wands or something, i.e. the aforementioned “focuses/material components”) or flee in terror for 1d10 turns. If the victim is bound or unable to flee(or only able to flee a short distance - they’re still trapped!) they will volunteer whatever information the cucula desires, or give them whatever they ask for. The target, in fact, is considered as if beaten in combat and under the temporary control of their cucula captor.

If the cucula uses this ability in shadows, allowing their gaze to partially illuminate the darkness, their targets take a -5% penalty to their chances. If in complete darkness, -10%. Furthermore, a cucula that sets up an appropriately intimidating or terrifying scenario or situation may cause the total to reach as much as -20%, or -25% if they’re focusing(and if they went through all that other effort, why wouldn't they be?). 

This means even "tempory captures"/situational captures can lead to individuals completely submitting to a cucula, spilling everything they know. And since primates get another -10% penalty, it’s sometimes easier for the cucula to get what they want from them out of fear rather than hypnosis.

Hypnosis

Those observing a cucula’s hood eyes is subject to hypnotic suggestion unless they mitigate M5(or whatever). Each suggestion implanted grants a +5% bonus to the chances to mitigate. The suggestions may be almost anything, but the initial ones usually revolve around the cucula being a god or the chosen one of God or the last of the line of true prophets or some such. The normal modifications for darkness are applicable, as is the one for concentration. Furthermore, being surrounded by a group of already mind-controlled cultists will grant -5%, and other factors such as proper use of incense and music, another -5%.

Appearance

Reptile people with hooded heads and flat faces like cobras. Their colorations can be nearly anything from white to black, various yellows and browns, greens, sometimes even blue. Red is rare except in cuculas with stripe or band patterns, which are sometimes red. Cuculas never have zigzag type patterns.

They rarely wear armor since they can only cast spells while wearing enchanted armor, and very few of them possess any. Thus, among their many adornments will be at least a single protective item, such as D15 enchanted bracers or a protective +D10 ring. 

Since they at least attempt to enjoy a lavish life with fineries and servants, they tend to dress as elegantly as they can, with as many rings and armlets and necklaces and brooches and gems studded to their outfits or their scales as possible, with a circlet or a crown and a fine scepter if they can manage. Clothing is as well-made and as expensive as possible, including valuable or forbidden colors such as purples and rich, dark reds. Since they’re colorblind, they take no notice of how any of these colors compliment or clash with their own, and must rely on lackeys to praise how fine the shades are and how well the clothes suit them.

Despite their affinity for magic, they are resistant to transformation, and they lack the mutative nature of other chaotic and inherently magical creatures such as trolls. 

Combat

They can spit venom to blind, or bite and inject it. Most often they will spit, attempting to escape, since they tend to avoid physical confrontations. Many carry spears, so that they can launch them at a distance or use them in melee if forced into it, but when willingly engaging in hand-to-hand, they relish being up close and personal, using a dagger or short sword, if not their fangs. If they have enough distance they will defer to their bows or their fear power.

Their chaotic natures make them very able casters, especially enchantments of the illusory(or mirror magic, specumancy) types. They advance as both martials and casters, and can use enchantments even when wearing armor, so long as the armor itself is enchanted. 

Possessions

Their possessions, aside from the items given previously, include 4d10 gold nomismas, up to several thousand in silver kermas, 4d10 gems and precious adornments, 2d10 valuable works of art, 1-3 random, but generally low-powered enchanted items(weapon with moderate bonus or ability, wand or staff, whatever), 1-5 enchantment scrolls, 1-3 potions, and a vial or two of venom, to be traded or used as necessary. Naturally, any useful enchanted items they own will be used to their advantage, so if you determine that one has an enchanted weapon or armor you should adjust their statistics accordingly. They will also have their grimoires, though these will be hidden and protected. Like other casters, they might have “traveling spellbooks.” Cuculas can be customized by their enchantment lists.

General Details

Cuculas exist on the outskirts of the world, among the desolate desert sands and other ruinous areas. Their preferred environment is hot and dry, and so they’ve spread from the deserts beyond Ta-I’wy to the wastes outside Mayorr and Ke’ih’nun and the rocky, dusty hills and mountains of Rasenna, and other places(wherever you want them).

They are masters of magic and advance as both martials and casters. They specialize in the magic of the Netherworld, of the land of faerie, specumancy, and can wear enchanted armor and cast enchantments at the same time.

Relationships

Their closest allies are the fire giants, who respect their dedication to worldwide destruction, and the scorpion people, an equally chaotic, not to mention venomous, species that also aims to desertify the circle of Kiae. 

Cuculas will sometimes ally with goblin tribes too strong or inconvenient to dominate, trading venoms and poisons for slaves, especially ikhnuemen, whom the cuculas sacrifice along with many mongooses to their gods. They may make similar alliances with groups of lizard people that are too powerful to be conquered, but could be manipulated to their advantage.

Cuculas and vampires both work through cults and secret societies, and both largely take advantage of their charm/mind control abilities to amass followers. This can often bring them into conflict, and the chaotic and destructive nature of both can lead to spectacular confrontations. On rare occasions, a cucula will act as a retainer or other servant of a vampire for as long as it’s convenient.

These serpentine creatures will aim to dominate any avian, lizard(when possible), or rodent based species in the area, both because they enjoy their taste and because they’re easy for them to control. 

Tactics and MO

While they’re dedicated to the destruction of the world, they’re also egotistical hedonists, too chaotic to carry out any extensive or detailed plots, as they lack the organizational skills and discipline required for such things. Rarely would one attempt to foment one, and if they did, they would surely ruin it due to their own whims, ego, or impatience.

Corruption & Disruption of Society

The cobra-people act through secret agents of one kind or another, whether it’s some resistance-style organization, a secret society or mystery school, or, most often, a simple cult. They enjoy setting up rebellions and revolutions, even creating enemies for their revolutionaries to fight, for both fun and profit. Destroying social order is as important as expanding the deserts, particularly when they can replace that order with their own. Leaders often have wealth, so that’s a nice bonus for them, too. They will also use their various channels to disrupt agreements and deliberately botch peaceful resolutions, pinning something violent or heinous on one or more sides to not only ruin the growing understanding, or peace agreement, or whatever, but to inflame and exacerbate the problem, making the chances of coming to such a position again in the future much more difficult. If a leader is good, and noble, and seems to be leading the people into some sort of golden age, the cuculas will fall all over themselves to ruin it somehow, causing some disaster that can be blamed, through their agents, on the leader, or even framing them for a crime that is horrendous enough that not even their position will exonerate them, at least in the eyes of the public. 

“Rule” by Secrecy

Cuculas are masters of brainwashing and manipulation, and can break anyone, even without use of any special powers, in 1d10 days. The individual may mitigate M5 to resist, and attempt the same mitigation each day that passes until the attempts end or they fall to them. This requires the cucula to have a fully-stocked base with a special area specifically for indoctrination, with ready-brainwashed agents, or actors, as necessary. 

Cuculas are generally solitary, as their hedonism makes it difficult for them to play nice and share. However, they will sometimes partner with a mate and raise young, for a time; and some cuculas will take in “disciples,” mostly to feed their own ego, but sometimes to bolster the power of their cult.

Plotters and schemers, their plans are haphazard, short term, simplistic, and quickly altered or abandoned. They will attempt to hide in the shadows, but sometimes botch their own plans because their ego will not allow themselves to keep their role secret, and they reveal themselves too soon. Sometimes some influential traitor from another species will act on behalf of a cucula, one chosen as a stooge, whose role will then be compromised because the cucula cannot stand to see the individual taking credit for their own scheme - even though that was the entire purpose of the stooge.

These creatures model themselves as powerful prophets, sheiks, and emperors, but in a terrible irony for them, they are merely king rats. Even the most accomplished pale in comparison to a true ruler, being pitiful and wretched snakes revelling in a handful of silver, squalor in comparison to their ambitions, desperately latching onto what little power they have the wit and the competence to maintain, themselves only pawns in a greater game that they are too caught up in to recognize.

Most cuculas enact small plans with subtle or minor results over a long time, such as slowly amassing followers in different fields and positions, setting up factions, influencing through those channels in ways that cause conflict and occasional upheaval; or they manage one major plan that causes enormous disaster, such as destroying a city, summoning a powerful demon, or coming together to create some cursed relic or artifact. See the rites section below for another possibility for incredible danger caused by these serpents of Chaos.

Xiolufes

Another sentient species of serpents, called xiolufes, look very similar to cuculas, having hoods, but their colorations are limited to mostly yellows, browns, and blacks, and they have a banded “zigzag” pattern unknown of in cuculas. (This, in fact, references their origins as vipers and not as cobras.)

The aquatic man-serpents are mildly venomous, of the balance doctrine, possess no inherent magical abilities, and prefer hot, humid wetlands and rainforests to the cuculas’ hot, dry environments. 

At times, members of both species end up within proximity, especially as the cuculas have spread to expand their evil or find easier hunting grounds. In these instances, the cuculas enjoy using the xiolufes, especially as patsies upon which to pin their crimes. When the xiolufes have outlived their usefulness, the cuculas will sometimes destroy them. This may be out of spite due to their whimsical, chaotic nature, or to silence them on the off chance someone actually attempts to communicate with them. The cuculas do not specifically harbor any more ill will towards the xiolufes than they do to anyone else. On the other hand, should some group of xiolufes be reaching any kind of understanding with another species, the cuculas will attempt to sabotage it. This is, again, not out of any special malice or resentment for the xiolufes, it is merely the nature of cuculas. 

Religion

Different cuculas worship various deities including the primordial sea-dragon Tahmtoom, the volcanic giant of destruction Sootr, the father of monsters Tyfyes, and the primordial sea-serpent of darkness, chaos, and uncreation Ahfoff, whom they adopted from the pantheons of the mountain and hill gnomes of Mayorr, the fire giants, the legends of Rasenna, and the ikhnuemen themselves. The ikhnuemen are the cuculas’ ancient archenemies, with the razing of Ta-I’wy their primary goal outside of the general ruin of the world and the acquiring of wealth and power. 

As they move through the world, they may adopt the worship of one of the enemies of the popular god or gods of the region, if such enemy is generally, or can be interpreted as, a being of ruin, destruction, chaos, and violence.  

Important (un)holy days include eclipses, solstices and equinoxes. During these days rites are carried out which climax at an appropriate moment, such as the height of a solar eclipse, when the sun is as darkened as possible. The rituals include praise and worship of their god or gods, in order to strengthen and empower them, and Chaotic rites to curse the sun and any appropriate associated deity or deities. Those that worship Ahfoff will tend to curse Ray, those that worship Tahmtoom curse Utu and so forth. 

Rites

Rites have evolved enough to be considered ceremonial but are still highly sympathetic at their core, and thus curses against the sun take the form of ritualistically defacing, defiling, and destroying symbols of the sun, or of the sun god, especially holy symbols(and in these, they too are similar to vampires). These rites, while they have become very involved with a complex spiritual logic that they follow, also vary wildly from one rite or one worshipper to the next. They can be experimental, with cuculas attempting to try new rubrics or adapt new black magic that they’ve learned into it. While they are generally solitary creatures, they do sometimes gather together on their holy days to perform their rituals. 

Sacrifices of living beings, especially sentient ones, are carried out on these holy days, ikhnuemen and mongooses being most favorable.

Most cuculas level their curses on solstices when the sun is at the peak of its power, but about to decline, and their empowering praises upon their god during solar eclipses, when the sun appears to be in combat with the powers of darkness. 

Some reverse these, empowering their god during the solstice, when it’s needed, and cursing their enemy as it struggles with the darkness. Some, given the chaotic nature of the cuculas, switch these up now and then when they feel like it, and even believe such confusion will aid them(kinda catch the sun off guard, or allow some to curse and some to empower so that their god gets empowered as the sun gets cursed).

The worshippers of Ahfoff in particular see the eclipse as a struggle between Ahfoff and Ray, whom Ahfoff is attempting to devour. They create edible balls that they swallow whole at the height of the solar eclipse, to reflect their god swallowing the sun. Other forms of destruction include lighting holy symbols or effigies of the sun or a solar deity on fire, and then tossing it in a pit, covering it with sand or soil at the height of the ritual, snuffing its warming flames - extinguishing it - and through sympathetic magic, hopefully, the sun itself. Simply smashing the object, slowly defacing and desecrating it, burning it up, using magic to freeze and shatter it and so on are all tried and true. Even making a circle in the sand and then kicking it away can work. Like the vampires, the cuculas will sometimes learn rites to some sun god or another and then produce a reversed “black mass” version for the purpose of blaspheming the deity. Also like with the vampires, it’s all the better if they can get real priestly goods to carry out the heretical rites, such as an actual image of the god from the temple, raiments used for the idol, food or drink used for ritual purposes, holy water and the like. The more “authentic,” in terms of supplies, the better.

Rasenna cuculas will often use images of Usil, the sun god, or Apulu, the god of fire with whom Usil is often conflated or even syncretized(Usil is often depicted with Apulu’s fiery bow). Worshippers of Tahmtoom will often use images of Utu or his holy symbol, worshippers of Sootr will use symbols and images of Sol or of Beldej(hero-god of the Spring whose repartre, like Apulu’s, has begun crossing over into Sol’s). General images of the sun, discs, balls, and so forth are also used. It’s not unheard of, especially given the chaotic nature of cuculas and their rites, to mix all these up, especially in rituals of multiple cuculas.

Success?

It’s possible, should the GM desire it, that an event will occur, or some cucula(s) will discover an effective ritual, or something else, or some combination, that causes a measurable result, as vague or as extreme as might be desired, being the subject of a single adventure or a more extended campaign as you see fit. Effects could be as mild as the sun being less warm, Summers being noticeably shorter, or nights being longer, to as extreme as the sun being literally blotted from the sky or devoured by an enormous serpent.

OSR Conversion

FREQUENCY: Very Rare

NO. APPEARING: 1

ARMOR CLASS: 7

MOVEMENT: 12”

HIT DICE: 8

% IN LAIR: 90%

TREASURE TYPE: F, T, W

NO. OF ATTACKS: 1

DAMAGE/ATTACK: By weapon, or bite for 1d3 + save vs poison or die, or spit poison(see details)

SPECIAL DEFENSES: +2 save vs petrification & polymorph

MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard

INTELLIGENCE: Average

ALIGNMENT: Chaotic Evil

SIZE: M(6’ tall)

PSIONIC ABILITY: Not inherent(some may possess)

Details are as given for StG!, with a few notes:

The stock cucula is assumed to be a 5th level Illusionist, though they don’t have to be. On Kiae, they are generally “specumancers.” Specumancy incorporates enchantments of illusion, which would include, in OSR games, spells like “phantasmal force.” It would also include anything that creates duplicates, or mentions mirrors or their function(“gaze reflection,” “mirror image”), features multiple colors(“color spray”), that could be thought to use pure magical power or create/summon magical things(“floating disc,” “shield,” “unseen servant”), anything described as fay, faerie, or pixie type magic(“fairy lights”) or generally oddball or “prankster” spells(“erase,” “grease,” “mending”). If you wish to give them more specialized spells like these, of course you can do so.

Use of hood eyes as “focuses” such as “wands” reflects the different manner in which these items work in the world of Kiae. In OSR games this should probably be ignored, unless you want to let some cuculas use their eyes as spell storage devices for whatever reason. (Using them as power point multipliers in Rolemaster would be nasty.) 

“Avian races” would include, in general OSR settings, creatures like aarakocra and dire corbys. “Lizard people” include lizardmen/lizardfolk and possibly troglodytes(DM’s discretion). “Rodent races” would not include lycanthropes such as wererats. I can’t think of any rodent-based races off the top of my head, and an internet search is producing only fan creations, but it's noted here in case your setting contains them. “Feline races” of course includes rakastas, tabaxis, and rakshasas(unless you decide that they should be excluded due to their magical nature). 

The setting for which cuculas were written, the world of Kiae, has not designed avian, rodent, or feline races and this is why such references have been kept generic. 

“Lizard people,” on the other hand, have been developed, and are more broad than in games like D&D and AD&D, but the need to mention them all by name seemed superfluous. (Incidentally, it was the creation of these reptilian races that inspired the cucula, though it was also a race that I had wanted to write since my teenage years, strange as that may seem. The working out of various reptilian races just gave me the push to finally develop these cobra-people.) 

Ikhnuemen are a mongoose race, whose main home is an Egypt-like nation called Ta-I’wy. These elements, gods referenced and so on should be modified or replaced as necessary in your world.

“Scorpion people” can be replaced with “manscorpions” if desired, or with a monster more fitting for your campaign.

Vampires in the world of Kiae are a bit different than in OSR games, but not terribly. Among other things, they’re greatly influenced by the Hammer Dracula films and their Satanic “Cult of the Vampire.” If these elements don’t fit your world, you can ignore references to the relationship between vampires and cuculas, or replace them with a more appropriate monster(illithids or whatever). 

All checks are made using percentile rolls. Thus, modifiers should be converted from a 100% scale to a 1-20 scale by dividing by 5(so that a -20% penalty becomes a -4). Saves against magical effects are almost always made as saves vs spells, magic, spells and staves, etc.