Monsters

Any creature found in the Monster Manual is fair game for Magus Europa, but there are a number of threats that are far more common than others. Unless specifically noted here, all monsters are as stated in whichever book you find them. Additionally, because this is the Age of Enlightenment, and printing is widespread, numerous manuals are being printed to inform the masses about the dangers of these monsters, as well as tactics to use against them. Because of this, all characters get a +5 bonus on any check to identify a common monster.

Vampires: Vampires are unable to cross running water, are destroyed by exposure to the sunlight, and need to feed on blood in order to survive. They are also warded off by the power of the cross, though simply putting two sticks together in the shape of a cross isn’t enough to affect them. Because vampires are able to create more of their own quite easily, vampires are endemic across Europe.

Demons: Demons and devils are interchangeable in Magus Europa, and all Western religions believe that they come from Hell. When demons come to our world they usually try to tempt mortals into committing sins. This is sometimes accompanied by polymorphing into human form, though this happens less often than is usually claimed, and many innocent men and women have been put to death with the belief that they were demons. The more powerful a demon, the more difficult it is for it to come through to our world. Demons can be summoned fairly easily, though they have a tendency to turn on their summoners. In most areas, clerics are relied on to kill demons. The use of demonic energies is outlawed, and hence warlocks are rare.

Undead: Skeletons, zombies, and other similar forms of undead are created through the same aetheric manipulation that powers all other magics. Because the brain creates thought by causing changes in the aether, it is possible to use the residual patterns in the brain to create a zombie. However, this zombie will not have a soul. In a similar way it is possible to create a skeleton, though those will stay animated for much less time, and will be much less powerful. Necromancy is outlawed.

Humanoids: All of the uncivilized humanoids live as far from humanity as possible. In the Medieval era, goblins, trolls, gnolls, orcs, hobgoblins, and other humanoids were slowly and methodically pushed far outside of the population centers. What remains of those races live in harsh conditions on the outskirts of society, avoiding humanity at all cost. Compared to the default D&D setting, there are far fewer magic casters.

Dragons: There are thought to be perhaps three dozen dragons in Europe; they are yet another race which has been pushed back and reduced by the infectious spread of humanity. They tend to make their home in places where no human could bother them – underwater, in volcanoes, in deep caverns, and high in the mountains. Dragons need little in the way of sustenance, so they stay within their lairs except on those rare occasions when they venture out to gather information about the world or search for treasure. A hundred years ago there were more than a thousand dragons – the advent of gunpowder surprised many of them in a quite fatal way.

Lycanthropes: Werewolves and werebears are the only lycanthropes left in Europe; the wererats were thought to be a major cause of the Black Plague, and were hunted to extinction with great vengeance. Lycanthropy is illegal in all of Europe, and any lycanthrope will be killed as soon as they are found out. Most lycanthropes see it as a curse – lycanthropy does not cause someone to be evil.

Other Monsters: Because wizardry was developed in the last hundred years, most ancient monsters were created by sorcerers, or more rarely druids. When adapting a creature to Magus Europa, it is better to explain their origin as the work of a sorcerer, rather than their having been created by a god (though legends might vary greatly, God should always remain an issue of faith).

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