Silent Legions: Bogeymen

Usually, the monsters of Silent Legions are creatures of otherness: alien forces beyond our mortal realm or from long-forgotten dying worlds. However not everything which lurks in the shadows is so alien. The bogeymen are monsters of our world, if not our psyche.

Monster Under The Bed. Artist unknown.

Physically, bogeymen are humanoid in shape and only in shape. Their form is human-like enough to pass for human in darkness or at a distance, possibly hidden behind thick clothes. Seen up close most bogeymen are the stuff of nightmare, with large unblinking eyes, dislocated jaws filled with needle teeth, skin like melting wax or with worms crawling in their still-living flesh. Even the most human-like bogeymen look fundamentally wrong: hags with discolored skin that is almost a sickly yellow-ish green or hulking brutes far too wide with long arms ending in oversized hands with thick black nails. Others have pulsating scars on their faces which might have been (but never were) human or they have unusually smooth skin and features so thin and subdued they look more like a cross between a mannequin and a skeleton.

Bogeymen are fundamentally very similar to Slashers and the two have similar stats. However the thing with Bogeymen is that they are inexplicable monsters; they were never human but they aren't some creature from 'outside' our reality. They are like fear of darkness and monsters given flesh. Bogeymen have superlative stealth abilities and while the mechanics of it vary from bogeyman to bogeyman they are hard to catch.  Many of them are gifted with odd and unique powers born of their twisted, impossible physiology; wandering limbs, impossibly long reach, a glowing gaze which paralyze or the ability to smell children and hone in on them from miles away. Others grow stronger with fear, becoming intoxicated and empowered by the fear their prey feel.

Sample unique Bogeyman powers to spice up this monster:

• The Bogeyman eyes glow with baleful light. Anyone who encounter the creature must Save Luck or catch a glimpse of its paralyzing glare, like some modern day Gorgon. While it doesn't turn people to stone it paralyzes them in place for 1d4 round. Children have a -4 penalty to resist this effect.
• The Bogeyman can extend it's fingers and arms to unnatural length. While this has no in-combat applications, being too slow, this ability is used when the creature is sneaking up on a target. While hidden it will extend its arms and fingers and when the time come will snatch the target and break its bones as it snap back the arms and fingers instantly.
• The Bogeyman can instantly cause all lights and electronics in its immediate vicinity to fail. This ability can be turned on and off at will.
• Anyone who see the Bogeyman must pass a Luck save or become cursed, at which point at any time it fall asleep alone in a dark room the Bogeyman instantly knows and teleport to the target no matter the distance.

In addition to this all Bogeymen have some sort of passive ability which make them difficult to spot with electronics such as cameras. Their shape is blurred or, when in the wilderness, they do not appear on cameras until they attack. Others leave no traces of their presence: no footprints and no noises. Other stills can phase through walls while others are invisible to everyone but children or their chosen victim.

Bogeymen In Fiction:

• Boogeyman, obviously! (Movies)
• Jeepers Creepers (Movies)
• Pumpkinhead (Movies)
• The Rake (Creepypasta)
• I'm A Contract Killer, My Last Target Wasn't Human (Creepypasta)