What are, and where are, the Horrors?, ...maybe a spoiler...I don't know... Options

[CrystalBlue]

Reading how Shadowrun may have links to the Earthdawn series (I think that's right) and how there are great dragons and immortal elves and such...I'm trying to see if there's any mention anywhere of the Horrors. Naturally, it wouldn't be a widely known thing. But for plot purposes, if they're in the world, there should be some information on them.

So, are there any novels, campaign books, or other material that talks about the Horrors in the context of Shadowrun? Yay! ^.^;;

[Grinder]

The two books of the Harlequin campaign and the Atzlan sourcebook, also the Dragonheart trilogy (three novels).

[Irian]

Novels... "Worlds without End" (last part of a trilogy started with the Earthdawn Novels Scars and Little Treasures), "House of Sun" and perhaps the Dragonheart-Trilogy a little bit...

Adventures: Harlekin (introducing Harlequin (suprise), Ehran and Frosty) and of course Harlequin's Back (probably THE campaign if you want to play with the Horrors).

[Ancient History]

I was always partial to Bottled Demon, m'self.

[Kronk2]

How much would I hose continuity if I unleashed a group of horrors on Leipzig?

and what would their stats look like?

[NightRain]

[Zhan Shi]

Horrors (the "Enemy") would most likely come from a Deep Metaplane. They would best be built as Shadow Spirits. See Street Magic for deatils on these concepts.

For inspiration, check out FASA's "Horrors" sourcebook and Living Room Game's "Scourge Unending". If you're thinking about throwing Lighbearers in to the mix, Fisty did an SR "update" on their powers; it's in the archives somewhere.

[raggedhalo]

I always thought the Imps from Threats 2 were a kinda weak horror, too...

[Cabral]

I think wraiths are supposed to be "pre-horrors" maybe bug spirits too. So take a cue from them (and Shedim?) and ramp them up a bit for Horrors?

Also, the horror-warped great dragon might be fun to play with. :D

[kigmatzomat]

My recollection is that the bug spirits (invae) are a precursor to horrors. They aren't horrors per se but their arrival indicates that the magic levels are reaching the point that horrors can be supported.

Wraiths are apparently some of the least horrors, something on the order of a "Horror guppy." The real horrors are, well, horrors. A main battle tank might disrupt a horror's physical form but it's no more dead than any other free spirit.

IIRC, there was some discussion in Paranormal Creatures of Europe that indicated the mana levels have spiked up faster and higher than in previous eras. There was some debate if that could be because mechanization and industrialization has plundered so much of the world's natural resources (e.g. magically active assets) that the entire planet's Essence is low, making it more vulnerable.

[Cheops]

In Barsaive (the ED setting) before the Scourge there were Bug Spirits, Wraiths, and all the children dying off in some cities as signs of the coming Scourge.

SR has had the bugs, Dunk was able to avoid the children dying with that innoculation that he gave out in his will, and the wraiths are probably Shadow spirits.

For physical, brute Horrors you can make their power be pretty much whatever your want. For the more sophisticated Horrors they should be Free Shadow Spirits. Note that some Horrors would Manifest and some would Possess. Depends on the story needs of your campaign (some can do both!).

[Demonseed Elite]

No one knows for sure what exactly can be classified as a "Horror." It has always been a pretty loose term applied to a vast collection of spirit-creatures. One thing that is certain, though, is that the Horrors come from the Deep Metaplanes and not from the familiar Near Metaplanes that magicians usually summon spirits from. The Deep Metaplanes are not easily accessible from the Gaiasphere at the early stages of a mana cycle, but become "closer" (a metaphorical term) as the mana cycle moves towards its peak.

Beings like the Invae (bug spirits) also come from a Deep Metaplane, one that becomes easier to reach earlier in the cycle, which is why they are often seen as a precursor to the true Horrors. Imps and Shedim also come from the Deep Metaplanes, but whether they fall under the category of lesser Horrors or are independent beings that would be considered precursors is probably a matter of opinion. It is also unknown whether the beings typically considered Horrors originate from a single Deep Metaplane or many, or even if where they currently come from is their original home. There have been theories that during Earth's downcycle, they may feed on other Deep Metaplanes.

[raggedhalo]

[CrystalBlue]

I guess I just like throwing something at my PC's that can be looked at as the universal evil. Sure, you have corps trying to run the show, gangers, toxic shamans, eco terrorists, AI's with an agenda...but seriously...there is always the Greater Evil. And I like my players having to deal with that...or at least figure out where the real hits are coming from during a campaign. Many people don't like the idea of Shadowrun becoming big-picture.

[Fortune]

[CrystalBlue]

Mrow...I thought all the Great Dragon's were semi on the same team...

And wasn't it Dunk's first order as President to start releasing info of the Horrors and the impending doom they signified?

[Fortune]

[hyzmarca]

While there are a wide variety of mindless Horrors, the true measure of a Horror is the Horror Mark power, which creates a magical link between the Horror and the victim, allowing the Horror to torment the victim over great distances as if they were in physical contact for the purpose of spellcasting as powers.

As for adapting the spirit rules for Horrors. Don't. Throw them out. Horrors don't follow the rules. Materializing? Possessing? Inhabiting? Screw that. Horrors are too baddass for such solutions. You've got Horrors tht are naturally physical. You've got horrors that are naturally Astral. You've got horrors that are so dual natured that their physical and astral bodies can be in different places at once and have separate damage tracks. And you've a got horror that doesn't have a body on any plane and instead exists wherever there is corruption.

[CircuitBoyBlue]

Not to mention the horror that exists in the hearts and minds of men everywhere, and needs to be guarded against constantly.

[Zhan Shi]

I'm somewhat surprised that SR has not given more detailed Horror rules. AFAIK, there are at least two canon sources which state they are present in the SR world. In Harlequin's Back, it says a "score" (which I think is "20") have been summoned or slipped through somehow. And at the end of Worlds Without End, it is revealed that Aina unwittingly helped release an unknown number of them. I agree with hyzmarca that at present the "spirit build info" is lacking for these creatures, but there's nothing else to go on if a GM wants to include them in the campaign. The Horrors are not quite spirits.

page 21, HB: "The Enemy aren't true spirits like the bugs. They're much more physical."

page 23, HB: "The Enemy comprises primarily physical creatures, not spirits in the sense that 21st-century people use the term."


However, both HB and the first Threats book do give stats for what in Earthdawn would be called "Horror Constructs". I guess people will just have to play it by ear until something official is released.

[eidolon]

[Caine Hazen]

[Lindt]

Introducing the horrors is what Halloween runs are for. Speaking of which...