Skullug

“What is a skullug? I suppose I can excuse your ignorance. A skullug is a loathsome, little, purple slug that lives in a skull. Yes, I acknowledge the impudent name, but what can you doFinding a skullug is rather rare, but where you find one, you find many. They tend to congregate where bodies lie unburied: ancient battlefields, disturbed graveyards, unsealed catacombs. There are two requisites, you understand? An intact skull, and the disembodied soul that it belonged to.” - Professor Slaid Madring

Natural Phenomenon. Skullugs themselves are nothing supernatural. These small, veiny slugs are born to others of their species and survive by both feeding on carrion and absorbing nutrients from the ground where the deceased lie. They excrete a clear mucus that is toxic to the touch, which dissuades predators from hunting them. Typically a skullug is to be avoided, but some do seek them out specifically to make poison.

Unnatural Phenomenon. One peculiar trait about the skullug is their choice of home. Skullugs will crawl into the first available skull they can find that meets one criteria; the one it belonged to is a restless soul that has not passed on. Researchers still have not determined how the skullug senses whether a skull is fit for them or not, but without fail, the skull they choose has within it the soul of the deceased. The skullug appears to use this as another form of protection, harnessing the soul’s power to discourage attackers from breaking their “shell”.

Skullug

Aspects

Veiny purple slug • Toxic to the touch • Skull for a shell

Skills

• +4 Trapped soul (Will)
• +1 Slither (Athletics)

Health

Stress

[1] • [2]

Mild consequence [2]

Stunts

Trapped soul

The skull that a skullug inhabits has trapped within it the soul of the deceased that it belonged to. The skull is broken if any physical stress is dealt to the skullug, unless the attacker is being extra careful not to hit the skull. If an attacker is being careful not to hit the skull, they get -3 to their attack roll. If the skull is broken, the soul is released. If the soul is released, the skullug can use Trapped soul (Will) in place of Fight, Shoot, and Athletics. 24 hours after a soul is released in this way, the skullug will lose the ability to harness it’s power.

Toxic to the touch

Touching a skullug with your bare hands is harmful to your health. When a character does so, they must make a +3 (Good) difficulty physique check. If they fail, they take 2 physical stress and gain the Poisoned aspect