The Fight Fantasy Cover Monster Bestiary (III)

An occasional series which stats-out and re-imagines the creatures found on Fighting Fantasy book covers.

Gehurt the Green

In a rickety old mansion deep in the woods outside Tannenberg lives Gehurt the Green, so named for his unusual sea green skin. Nobody knows where he gained this strange affliction, though the most common rumour is that he was cursed by the Gods for his foul congress with the many beasts of the forest. Most of the stories surrounding him regard alleged sexual deviancies, but they vary from village to village and it is impossible to know if they have any credence. That Gehurt has the role of a bogey man in the folklore of the Tannenberg villages - "Eat your oats, or Gehurt the Green will come and eat them for you!" - has served to shroud the reality in even greater mystery.

Gehurt is almost never seen. He is an expert at camouflage, and when he is out wandering in the forests he blends almost perfectly with his surroundings. He can move as silently as a halfling and as smoothly as an elf, and he uses these abilities to steal up on his victims from out of the shadows. His favourite targets are small children out wandering or playing in the woods, but he will attack anybody or anything to assuage his bloodthirst.

He is often accompanied by two allies - malignant and nameless spirits from the darkest and most ancient parts of the forest. These spirits have the ability to possess trees and other plant life, which they can then manipulate to attack their enemies.

Gehurt the Green

Gehurt has all the standard abilities and statistics of a Vampire. In addition, when in woodland areas he has a 95% chance of being undetectable by sight or sound. He loses this advantage once he makes an attack.

Nameless Spirits

The Nameless Spirits have the standard abilities and statistics of a Spectre. In addition, they have the ability to possess a tree. This process takes one round, and occurs automatically without the need for a dice roll. Once it has been achieved, the Nameless Spirit can animate its host, controlling it from within. This gives it the combat statistics of the least powerful form of Treant. The spirit can only be driven out of its host by a dispel magic spell, or by combat - reducing the host to 10% of its hit points. Either of these events causes the Nameless Spirit 50% damage, and it cannot possess another tree for 1 turn.