Cryptid Threats

AX.GHW.13.03 - Cryptid Threats

Cryptids occupy a distinct niche in the hidden world's ecology: they are real, they have been seen, and they are already partially public. Bigfoot has a Wikipedia page. The Mothman has a museum. The Jersey Devil has merchandise. This is precisely what makes cryptids the most complicated Veil management challenge in the compendium.

The word "cryptid" is a human category, not a taxonomic one. It covers entities that have leaked, partially and persistently, into mainstream awareness, generating folklore, hoaxes, amateur investigation culture, and occasional genuine documentation that the Veil's normal mechanisms cannot fully suppress. A cryptid's most dangerous quality is not its physical power; it is the investigative attention it draws.

Cryptids are not fae. They are not demons. Most are not supernatural in origin, they are simply animals or entities that biology and ecology have not cataloged, or that occupy the same reality layer as the mundane world but are rarely seen. Some have anomalous properties (the Mothman's apparent precognitive behavior, the Thunderbird's electromagnetic field interference). These properties are not magical tradition abilities, they are biological or ecological characteristics that happen to interact strangely with the world.

What this means mechanically: Cryptids have no tradition weaknesses. Cold iron, blessed weapons, salt, and silver have no special effect on them. They are not banished by rituals or compelled by true names. They are dealt with by understanding their biology, their territory, and their behavior, and by conventional force when necessary.

Common Traits

Witness Density: Any cryptid encounter in a populated area immediately creates a Veil management problem. Cryptids have existing civilian documentation frameworks, the moment a credible witness reports something, it enters a network of enthusiast investigators, amateur paranormal researchers, and social media. The BUA maintains active monitoring for high-profile cryptid activity and will move quickly to contain and discredit.

Territorial Behavior: Most cryptids are territorial and follow ecological patterns even when those patterns are unusual. Understanding territory is the primary investigative tool, where does it hunt, what does it avoid, what are its transit corridors? This information comes from Lore research and field tracking (Notice + Lore or Survival) rather than tradition-based senses.

Non-Supernatural Weaknesses: Cryptids are vulnerable to the same things large animals are vulnerable to: injury, habitat disruption, removal from their territory, killing of their prey base. Most can be killed by conventional firearms with sufficient sustained fire, though some require specific approaches (see individual entries). High-caliber weapons are standard, 5.56mm does less work against a cryptid than .30-06 or 12-gauge slug.

Veil Risk Rating: Each entry includes a Veil Risk note. High Veil Risk cryptids require containment and cover story planning as a mission constraint; encountering them in populated areas is a secondary crisis regardless of the physical confrontation's outcome.

The Network and Cryptids

The Network (AX.GM.07.04) has the most comprehensive cryptid lore of any organization, accumulated through independent field researchers over decades. Network Lore Keepers are the first call for cryptid ID from field pattern analysis. The BUA's cryptid files exist but are oriented toward suppression rather than understanding, Network sources often have better behavioral data.

Grimoire Compact researchers view cryptids as legitimate field study subjects. Several Compact publications (classified to membership) contain the best available biological surveys of cryptid entities, including territorial mapping and behavioral pattern documentation.

Tradition Interactions

Cryptids are not susceptible to tradition-based attacks. However: - Mediumship (Liminal Sight ability): Some cryptids emit faint Liminal signatures, indicating partial contact with that layer of reality. This does not make them supernatural; it is a property of their biology. Mediumship practitioners can detect this signature but cannot compel or communicate with the cryptid using tradition abilities. - Glamourist (Glamour ability): A sufficiently skilled Glamourist can create a sensory illusion that confuses or redirects a cryptid; they are animals and respond to apparent stimuli. This is not compelling; it is misdirection. Works on Threshold 2–3. - Pact-Shifting practitioners: Skinchanger-aligned characters in shifted form share some basic biological communication channels with cryptids. This does not grant control, but a shifted Skinchanger attempting to signal submission or territorial deference may reduce a cryptid's aggression (GM discretion; no roll required, fiction-appropriate).

Threat Entries

Black Dog

Type: Cryptid, Standard Power Package: Standard (5D) Veil Risk: Moderate, sightings are reported as "large dog" or "wolf," which suppression services can manage if kept to 1–2 witnesses

Size: Large (mastiff-sized, larger in dim conditions, appears to grow in darkness)
Attributes: Body 3D · Speed 2D · Wit 1D
Talents: Athletics 1D · Brawl 1D · Notice 2D · Stealth 2D
Health: 33 (20 + 3 + 10)
Defense: 2 (1 + (2+0)÷3)
Saves: Body 4D · Speed 3D · Wit 3D

Attacks - Bite (Primary Action): Body + Brawl vs Defense, 4 damage on hit; target is grappled (Body Save Threshold 3 to escape on subsequent turns) - Knockdown Charge (Primary Action, Close or Far to Close movement): Body + Athletics vs Defense, 3 damage; target is knocked prone

Special Abilities - Shadow Merge: In dim light or darkness, the Black Dog blends with shadow. All Notice and targeting rolls against it take -1D in low-light conditions, -2D in near-darkness. Artificial light (flashlight, floodlight) negates this ability entirely, the dog is visible normally. - Deathwatch Presence: Black Dogs have a documented association with death omens in regional folklore. When a Black Dog is encountered near a location, there is frequently a death in the area within 72 hours. This is ecological, not causal, Black Dogs appear to be drawn to locations where death-resonance is already elevated, similar to how vultures circle. Mediumship practitioners can detect the elevated resonance the Dog is responding to. - Pack Alert: Black Dogs encountered alone are scouts. If a character takes damage from a Black Dog and does not resolve the encounter within 3 rounds, a second Black Dog arrives from a different direction.

Tactics Black Dogs operate at the edge of human perception; they are rarely seen clearly, more often heard or half-glimpsed. When they do attack, they are direct: charge, knock down, bite. They do not fight to the death; if significantly damaged they disengage and return to shadow. Their territorial range is large (several square miles) and they follow transit corridors (roads, fence lines, waterways).

Lore & Ecology Black Dogs appear in British, American, and Northern European tradition as enormous black canids with glowing eyes (typically red or green). They are documented across centuries of folklore as omens, guardians, and predators depending on regional tradition. In the modern setting, they occupy rural and semi-rural areas, highway corridors, old rail lines, cemetery grounds, moors and fields. Urban Black Dogs are rare but not unknown near older neighborhoods with high death concentrations (old hospitals, execution sites).

Destruction/Banishment Conventional firearms are effective with sustained fire. Black Dogs are tough (high Body) but not supernaturally resilient. High-caliber rounds are recommended. Black Dogs cannot be banished by ritual; they are animals. Removing their territory's death-resonance concentration (resolving whatever draws them) causes them to relocate, but this is a Mediumship undertaking, not a field solution.

Scene Materials Investigation: track prints (impossibly large for a dog, with unusual stride pattern), livestock or small animal deaths, reports of a large dark animal near a site of recent violent death. Terrain: rural, low-light, near road corridors or cemetery grounds. Evidence management: Black Dog corpses are enormous, a dead Black Dog is extremely difficult to move and will attract attention if found.

Chupacabra

Type: Cryptid, Standard Power Package: Standard (5D) Veil Risk: High, livestock deaths in patterns attract agricultural media, law enforcement, and amateur investigators quickly

Size: Medium (roughly coyote-sized, bipedal or quadrupedal depending on substrate)
Attributes: Body 2D · Speed 3D · Wit 1D
Talents: Athletics 2D · Notice 1D · Stealth 2D
Health: 32 (20 + 2 + 10)
Defense: 2 (1 + (3+0)÷3)
Saves: Body 3D · Speed 4D · Wit 2D

Attacks - Spine Discharge (Primary Action): Speed + Athletics vs Speed Save, 2 damage; target is Slowed (movement halved, -1D to Speed Saves) until end of their next turn. Range: Close. - Drain Bite (Primary Action): Body + Athletics vs Defense, 3 damage; the Chupacabra heals 1 health on a successful bite (metabolic feed) - Skitter (Free Action): The Chupacabra moves up to Close range without triggering opportunity attacks or reactions

Special Abilities - Thermal Sensing: The Chupacabra detects warm-blooded creatures within Near range regardless of light conditions. It cannot be ambushed by characters who are not actively using cold suppression (GM discretion for extreme cold environments). - Spine Row: The dorsal spines are a territorial and threat-display mechanism. When the Chupacabra enters combat or is startled, it raises its spines, all characters in Close range make Wit Saves (Threshold 2) or take -1D to their first attack or action against it (instinctive recoil). Subsequent rounds are not affected. - Blood-Feed Requirement: The Chupacabra feeds by draining blood rather than consuming flesh. It requires a successful Drain Bite each combat encounter to maintain behavioral stability. A Chupacabra that has not fed successfully becomes increasingly aggressive, after 2 rounds without a Drain Bite, it gains +1D to all Body and Speed rolls from desperation.

Tactics Chupacabras are ambush predators that prefer livestock and small animals but will attack humans if their normal prey is unavailable or if cornered. They are fast rather than strong, using Spine Discharge to slow targets before closing for Drain Bite. They do not fight extended combats, hit, feed, disengage. In groups, they take turns on the same target to ensure feeding.

Lore & Ecology The Chupacabra (Puerto Rico, 1990s; spreading through Central and North America since) is a relatively recent documented cryptid, one of the few with a traceable emergence point rather than centuries of recorded folklore. Its actual biological origin is unknown. Some Network researchers believe it is a displaced cryptid from a different region whose normal territory was disrupted; others believe it is a novel species produced by Liminal boundary instability during a specific event in the 1990s. The BUA has a classified file.

Destruction/Banishment Conventional firearms are effective, Chupacabras are fast but not especially durable. The primary challenge is catching one: Thermal Sensing makes stealth approaches difficult, and Skitter means they can disengage before a fight finishes. High-speed threats (Speed + Precision at Near range) are more effective than trying to corner one.

Scene Materials Investigation: livestock found drained of blood with small puncture wounds, no flesh consumed, no tracks initially visible (Chupacabras' toe structure leaves unusual marks, Notice + Survival vs Threshold 3 to identify). Evidence management: multiple drained livestock attract attention immediately, clock is ticking on media coverage.

Bigfoot / Sasquatch

Type: Cryptid, Standard/Elite (see note) Power Package: Standard (7D), treat as Elite for Veil management purposes Veil Risk: Extreme, one of the most documented cryptids in North America; any physical evidence (hair, prints, video) triggers national-level investigative response

Size: Large (7–9 feet, bipedal, massive build)
Attributes: Body 4D · Speed 2D · Wit 2D
Talents: Athletics 2D · Notice 2D · Stealth 1D · Survival 1D
Health: 39 (20 + 4 + 10, Standard modifier; see note)
Defense: 2 (1 + (2+0)÷3)
Saves: Body 6D · Speed 3D · Wit 3D

Note: Bigfoot/Sasquatch has Standard power package dice but is treated as Elite for Veil risk and for any encounter resolution that involves evidence management. Its physical presence generates immediate high-profile documentation problems.

Attacks - Mighty Strike (Primary Action): Body + Athletics vs Defense, 6 damage on hit; target is knocked back to Far range on a critical (3+ successes) - Grab (Primary Action): Body + Athletics vs Body Save, target is grappled; grappled targets take 3 damage per round automatically - Intimidating Display (Free Action, 1×/round): Body + Survival vs Wit Save, all targets in Near range; success = Shaken condition until end of their next turn (howling, branch-throwing, threat display)

Special Abilities - Infrasound Emission: Sasquatch produces infrasound in the 18–19 Hz range during threat displays. Characters in Near range during an Intimidating Display who succeed on the Wit Save still feel the infrasound physically, nausea, unease, elevated heart rate. This creates Disadvantage on Wit + Lore rolls during the encounter (too viscerally distracted to apply knowledge). - Exceptional Senses: Bigfoot's Notice talent is used for smell, hearing, and spatial awareness, not just sight. It detects characters who are hiding (Notice vs Stealth) with +1D bonus over standard. Characters using scentless approaches (downwind, scent-masking) negate the smell component but not the hearing or vibration components. - Avoid Technology: Sasquatch actively avoids cameras, drones, and active electronic devices. It has learned over decades that these draw danger. If characters have active cameras or phones recording, the Sasquatch disengages for that round rather than attacking (uses terrain, distances from tech). This does not apply to passive devices or night-vision equipment that does not emit light or RF.

Tactics Sasquatch is not a predator of humans; it avoids confrontation by default. Encounters typically occur because the Sasquatch was surprised, cornered, or is defending territory where its young are present. Combat with Sasquatch is usually because characters created the confrontation. If given any opening to disengage, it takes it. An aggressive, non-retreating Sasquatch is a warning sign that something unusual is happening (territorial incursion, young nearby, stress behavior from habitat disruption).

Lore & Ecology Sasquatch populations are small, widely distributed, and deeply territorial. They occupy old-growth forest corridors and avoid human settlement where possible. They are omnivores with complex social structures, solitary individuals are usually young males ranging for territory; family groups are rarer and more dangerous. Network researchers have documented at least 4 distinct regional populations in North America with genetic variation suggesting long-term isolation.

The Veil problem: Sasquatch is the highest-profile cryptid in North America. Any confirmed physical encounter (body, tissue sample, clear video) would break the Veil at national scale. The BUA's protocol for Sasquatch incidents is: contain, suppress, confiscate evidence, discredit witnesses. Killing a Sasquatch creates a body disposal problem of catastrophic proportions.

Destruction/Banishment High-caliber conventional firearms are required, Sasquatch has exceptional Body and will not stop from small-arms fire alone. .308 or larger, multiple hits to center mass. The recommended approach in most situations is deterrence (drive off) rather than destruction: Sasquatch will retreat from sustained pressure. If destruction is necessary, the body disposal plan must be prepared before engagement begins.

Scene Materials Investigation: 16-inch prints in forest or soft soil, bark stripped from trees at 8-foot height, infrasound reports from nearby residents (unexplained unease), game camera footage that shows only partial images before the camera is displaced. Evidence management priority: this is a full BUA incident if it goes wrong.

Jersey Devil

Type: Cryptid, Standard Power Package: Standard (6D) Veil Risk: High, regional folklore infrastructure means any sighting in New Jersey or surrounding states generates immediate enthusiast response; evidence spreads faster than suppression can contain

Size: Medium (roughly horse-sized, winged, with leonine body and distinctive head)
Attributes: Body 2D · Speed 3D · Wit 2D
Talents: Athletics 2D · Notice 2D · Stealth 1D
Health: 32 (20 + 2 + 10)
Defense: 3 (1 + (3+0)÷3)
Saves: Body 3D · Speed 5D · Wit 3D

Attacks - Diving Strike (Primary Action, from aerial position): Speed + Athletics vs Defense, 4 damage; target is knocked prone - Shriek (Primary Action): Speed + Notice vs Wit Save, all targets in Near range; failed save = Deafened for 1 round + Disadvantage on all rolls that round from disorientation - Raking Pass (Primary Action, aerial movement): Speed + Athletics vs Defense, 3 damage; Jersey Devil moves from Close to Far range as part of the attack (hit or miss)

Special Abilities - Flight: The Jersey Devil is aerial, operating from 30–50 feet up when not actively attacking. Ground-based attacks against it take -1D while it maintains altitude. It descends to attack and immediately re-ascends. - Territorial Warning System: The Jersey Devil's Shriek carries 2–3 miles in open terrain. Every Shriek issued in a scene triggers a Veil check, if the characters are within 1 mile of any civilian, someone has heard it and will be reporting it within minutes. - Electromagnetic Interference: Electronic devices (phones, cameras, GPS, vehicle electronics) within Close range of the Jersey Devil experience intermittent failure. This is not reliable enough to weaponize but creates tactical complications: characters cannot call for backup or document the encounter while it is present.

Tactics The Jersey Devil is territorial and reactive; it does not hunt humans deliberately but responds aggressively to intrusion. Its aerial mobility makes it extremely difficult to engage at range; it dictates the engagement range, diving to attack and withdrawing. Characters without ranged weapons or aerial countermeasures are largely reactive. It will disengage if injured significantly, retreating to its core territory.

Lore & Ecology The Jersey Devil is native to the New Jersey Pine Barrens, with documented range extending through coastal mid-Atlantic states. Unlike Bigfoot, it has a defined geographic core. Sightings cluster during periods of social stress (pre-war 20th century, economic collapses), Network researchers have proposed that the Jersey Devil responds to elevated human stress hormones at a regional level, becoming more active when its territory contains higher fear/anxiety output. This is unconfirmed but consistent with documented sighting clusters.

Destruction/Banishment The Jersey Devil cannot be banished; it is an animal with a territory. Killing it is technically feasible with anti-air capable weapons (12-gauge shot while it's diving, coordinated ranged fire), but creates a body of unprecedented size in an already high-profile cryptid zone. Most effective containment: eliminate the reason for its territory incursion (usually food competition or habitat disruption) and it returns to the Pine Barrens naturally.

Scene Materials Investigation: distinctive tri-toed prints in soft ground, livestock deaths with aerial attack pattern (strike from above), electromagnetic device failures in a corridor pattern, loud screaming reported from the woods at night. Evidence management: Shriek suppression is the primary concern, witnesses are inevitable.

Mothman

Type: Cryptid, Elite Power Package: Elite (8D) Veil Risk: Extreme, Mothman sightings are indexed to impending disasters; media monitoring is automatic in affected regions; the BUA has a dedicated Mothman response protocol

Size: Large (6–7 feet standing, wingspan 10–12 feet)
Attributes: Body 3D · Speed 4D · Wit 2D
Talents: Athletics 2D · Notice 3D · Stealth 2D
Health: 38 (20 + 3 + 15)
Defense: 3 (1 + (4+0)÷3)
Saves: Body 5D · Speed 6D · Wit 5D

Attacks - Talons (Primary Action): Speed + Athletics vs Defense, 5 damage; target must succeed on a Speed Save (Threshold 3) or be lifted (if Large or smaller) and dropped from Far range height (additional 4 damage, prone) - Eye Glare (Primary Action): Wit + Notice vs Wit Save, target is Blinded for 1 round; on a critical (3+ successes) the blindness lasts until end of scene and includes visual hallucinations. Range: Close. - Wing Buffet (Free Action, 1×/round): Speed + Athletics vs Speed Save, target is staggered, losing their Free Action next round

Special Abilities - Prophetic Proximity: Characters who survive direct contact with the Mothman (touched, grappled, or struck) experience disjointed prophetic impressions, flashes of a future event involving death or disaster. These impressions are accurate but difficult to interpret (GM provides a cryptic image: a bridge, a number, a weather event). Mediumship practitioners receive clearer impressions (Wit + Mediumship vs Threshold 2 to interpret into actionable intelligence). - Disaster Resonance: The Mothman is drawn to locations within 2 weeks of a major disaster. It does not cause the disaster; it appears because it detects the resonance of the event propagating backward in time (or sideways through the Liminal; the mechanism is contested). Characters who track Mothman sightings with Notice + Lore (Threshold 3) can identify a coming disaster's general character (structural failure, weather event, fire) but not its exact location or time. - Electromagnetic Aura (Active): When the Mothman is agitated or actively hunting, all electronic devices within Near range fail completely. Cameras, phones, vehicle computers, firearms with electronic components, all nonfunctional. This clears 1 round after the Mothman departs the area. - Immune to Artificial Light: The Mothman's eye glare response is not triggered by artificial light. It is not blinded or impaired by flashlights, floodlights, or vehicle headlights. Low-light and darkness conditions affect attacking characters normally.

Tactics The Mothman does not attack humans unless provoked or protecting something (GMs should determine what it is protecting or investigating in the encounter, it has a reason to be there). When it does fight, it uses aerial mobility like the Jersey Devil but with more intelligence, it targets the character who poses the most threat (ranged weapons, electronic equipment), uses Eye Glare to blind before closing, and uses Talon + lift/drop for incapacitation rather than killing. It appears to understand tactical situations in a way most cryptids do not.

Lore & Ecology The Mothman's 1966–1967 Point Pleasant appearances and their relationship to the Silver Bridge collapse established the disaster-resonance behavior as documented (within the hidden world). Since then, credible Mothman sightings have correlated with over thirty significant disasters. The entity appears regionally (a given Mothman may be one of several, population size unknown), lingers for the approach to a disaster event, and departs after it occurs.

Network researchers are divided: some believe Mothman is warning humans (its appearances near people are purposeful communication); others believe it is simply an apex predator drawn to areas of high prey stress preceding catastrophic events. The Prophetic Proximity ability is documented regardless of intent.

Destruction/Banishment The Mothman can be killed by sustained conventional fire if grounded or forced into close engagement, its Health and Body are high but not Champion-level. Practically, killing a Mothman before a predicted disaster creates a coverage problem and potentially removes the only advance warning of the event. Most hidden-world protocols recommend observation over destruction unless the Mothman is actively attacking.

Scene Materials Investigation: sightings of large winged humanoid at night near critical infrastructure, device failures in a corridor, anyone who has encountered it reporting disturbing dreams. Context: a disaster is coming to this location; the Mothman's presence is the clue. Evidence management: Mothman is one of the most photographed cryptids in the world, any new documentation goes viral.

Thunderbird

Type: Cryptid, Elite Power Package: Elite (9D) Veil Risk: High in open terrain, Moderate in wilderness, Thunderbird range is remote enough that encounters outside wilderness areas are unusual; when they occur in accessible terrain the lightning and storm effects generate significant attention

Size: Huge (wingspan 20–30 feet, body comparable to a large bear)
Attributes: Body 4D · Speed 3D · Wit 2D
Talents: Athletics 3D · Notice 2D · Stealth 1D · Survival 1D
Health: 54 (20 + 4 + 15, Elite modifier; Legendary Health for Huge size variant, GM discretion)
Defense: 2 (1 + (3+0)÷3)
Saves: Body 7D · Speed 4D · Wit 3D

Attacks - Strike (Primary Action): Body + Athletics vs Defense, 7 damage; target is grabbed and moved up to Near range on a critical (3+ successes) - Lightning Discharge (Primary Action, 1×/scene): Speed + Athletics vs Speed Save, 6 damage; all targets in Close range. Metallic objects on targets count as +1 to damage (conducting surface). Triggers Storm Aura (see below). - Carry and Drop (Primary Action, requires grappled target): Body + Athletics, no roll to carry; drop from height deals 1 damage per 10 feet of altitude (minimum 4, maximum 10)

Special Abilities - Storm Aura: When the Thunderbird uses Lightning Discharge, storm conditions form within Far range, heavy rain, 40-50mph winds, thunder. These conditions persist for 10 minutes after the Discharge. Wind imposes -1D on all ranged attacks; rain imposes -1D on Notice rolls. The storm dissipates naturally. - Magnetic Disruption: All electronic devices within Far range of the Thunderbird fail. Unlike the Mothman's aura, this is passive and constant, the Thunderbird's electromagnetic field is always active. Characters navigating to or from a Thunderbird encounter cannot use GPS, phones, or vehicle electronics. - Altitude Dominance: The Thunderbird operates at altitude (100+ feet) when not engaging. At this height it is effectively immune to most portable firearms; characters need high-powered rifles with excellent elevation angles to have any chance of hitting. The Thunderbird controls when it descends to attack. - Territorial Signaling: The Thunderbird marks its territory (often entire mountain ranges or large wilderness regions) with storm activity. Characters with Lore knowledge can read storm patterns to identify active Thunderbird territory and approximate core nesting areas.

Tactics The Thunderbird is an apex predator operating at a scale that makes most hunter encounters asymmetric. It descends to strike, carries targets into altitude, discharges lightning when pressed into close engagement, and re-ascends. It is not curious about humans; it is territorial and treats large intrusions (vehicles, helicopters, groups) as threats to be driven off. Smaller intrusions (1–2 people) may simply be ignored.

When forced into sustained engagement (cornered, nesting site threatened, young present), the Thunderbird becomes significantly more dangerous, treat as Champion power budget for defending a nesting site.

Lore & Ecology Thunderbirds appear across North American indigenous traditions from the Pacific Coast to the Great Plains, in varying forms but consistently associated with storm generation and apex predator behavior. They occupy montane wilderness regions, the Rockies, the Appalachians, the Cascades, with established territories that correspond to historical documentation. The BUA maintains no-fly zones in several identified territories under civilian cover as weather research restrictions.

Thunderbirds appear to have long breeding cycles, population estimates suggest fewer than 100 individuals continent-wide, which makes destruction a conservation concern as well as a Veil concern. Network researchers who have studied them argue that Thunderbird encounters should default to deterrence, not destruction.

Destruction/Banishment Military-grade anti-aircraft weapons or coordinated heavy rifle fire while the Thunderbird is grounded (Body Save damage). Practically impossible to destroy in flight at altitude with field equipment. Standard hidden-world protocol: territory deterrence (leave the area, don't return), deterrence signaling (specific vibrational patterns that mimic departure behavior have been documented in Network field notes). The Thunderbird cannot be banished; it is a biological entity in its native territory.

Scene Materials Investigation: feathers the size of a human arm, massive talon prints in alpine meadow, storm activity in areas with clear meteorological forecasts, no-fly zone documentation. Terrain: wilderness, mountainous, no civilian infrastructure. Evidence management: storm effects are the primary concern; they are weather-explainable but create documentation.

Variant Rules

Cryptid Coexistence

Standard: Cryptids are encountered as threats to be managed, driven off, deterred, or killed. The Veil problem is the central constraint. Coexistence Option: Some cryptids (Sasquatch, Thunderbird) represent biological populations that hidden-world organizations are actively trying to protect rather than suppress. Characters may be hired by Network or Grimoire Compact researchers to document, protect nesting sites, or investigate why a cryptid is behaving unusually. Combat is a failure state, not a goal.

Increased Veil Pressure

Optional: Digital surveillance infrastructure (social media monitoring, AI image recognition) makes cryptid Veil management significantly harder than 30 years ago. Any combat involving a cryptid in a semi-populated area (within 5 miles of a town) triggers a BUA response within 2 hours, regardless of whether characters call for help. Characters must resolve both the cryptid situation and evidence management before the BUA arrives, or be prepared to explain themselves.

Cryptid Pack Behavior

Optional: The Black Dog and Chupacabra entries note some pack behavior in passing. Expanded: any of these cryptids can be encountered in numbers greater than expected. A Chupacabra pack (4–6) operates with coordinated feeding behavior, rotating Drain Bites while others Skitter to draw attention. A Sasquatch family group (adult pair + juvenile) changes the entire encounter dynamic, the juvenile triggers protective behavior that makes the adults fight-to-the-death rather than retreat.

Plot Hooks

The Livestock Circuit: A rural county is experiencing serial livestock deaths, blood-drained, no flesh consumed, small puncture wounds. The county sheriff has called it "coyote activity." Three farms in a 20-mile radius in 10 days. Investigation reveals a Chupacabra pair that has been pushed out of their normal territory by a construction project. The Veil complication: a local farmer has camera footage. The human complication: the construction project is contracted by Obsidian Solutions, who may be aware of the territorial displacement and may have reasons not to stop construction.

Before the Bridge: The Mothman has been sighted at a river crossing for three consecutive nights. Multiple witnesses, phone footage already circulating. The BUA has dispatched a suppression team. The characters are either ahead of the BUA (what disaster is coming, and can it be prevented?) or behind it (the BUA team has gone dark, what happened to them?). The disaster resonance is pointing at the bridge structure itself, and there's a city council vote on maintenance funding happening tomorrow.

Old Territory: A Sasquatch has been documented within 2 miles of a small town after 40 years of absence. Network intelligence suggests its forest corridor was severed by a highway expansion. It's not aggressive; it's lost and stressed. The BUA wants it killed and the evidence sanitized. The Network wants it relocated. A Grimoire Compact researcher wants a tissue sample. The characters are in the middle and have maybe 48 hours before the BUA's solution becomes final.

The Black Road: A stretch of rural highway has had 11 vehicle accidents in 6 months, all at night, all at the same curve, all involving drivers who report "a large animal in the road." Three are fatal. Investigation reveals a Black Dog territorial corridor that crosses the road at that curve. The death resonance of the accident site is now attracting more Black Dogs. The cycle is self-reinforcing. The question is whether disrupting the death resonance (a Mediumship undertaking) stops the problem, or whether the road itself needs to be rerouted, which requires involving civilian infrastructure agencies without exposing the actual cause.

Evidence Management Quick Reference

Cryptid encounters require evidence management planning as a mission constraint. Use this table for quick reference:

Cryptid	Primary Evidence Risk	Suppression Difficulty	BUA Response Speed
Black Dog	Corpse size (if killed), unusual prints	Low-Moderate	Slow (48+ hrs)
Chupacabra	Livestock deaths, media interest	High	Moderate (24 hrs)
Bigfoot/Sasquatch	Everything, national-level documentation risk	Extreme	Fast (12 hrs)
Jersey Devil	Shriek witnesses, EM failures	High	Moderate (24 hrs)
Mothman	Sighting documentation, disaster correlation	Extreme	Immediate
Thunderbird	Storm generation, scale of physical evidence	High (wilderness: Moderate)	Slow (remote terrain)
## Destruction Methods Summary

Threat	Tier	Primary Method	Deterrence Option	Cannot Be
Black Dog	Standard	Sustained conventional fire (.308+)	Resolve death-resonance anchor; territory removal	Banished by ritual
Chupacabra	Standard	Conventional firearms (fast target, near range preferred)	Restore prey base; eliminate food competition	Compelled by tradition
Bigfoot/Sasquatch	Standard	High-caliber sustained fire	Drive off (preferred); body disposal is catastrophic	Banished; rarely appropriate to kill
Jersey Devil	Standard	Anti-air capable ranged fire during dive	Remove territorial incursion cause	Banished
Mothman	Elite	Sustained conventional fire if grounded	Observation over destruction recommended	Compelled; disaster may not be preventable
Thunderbird	Elite	Military-grade anti-air or coordinated heavy rifle	Territory deterrence protocol (Network field notes)	Practically killed in field; population concern