Has anyone ever used the skin thief?

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Voorhees Carnivean
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Has anyone ever used the skin thief?

Post by Voorhees Carnivean »

The skin thief is one of those monsters I never really gave a second glance to in all the years I've been doing Ravenloft, but I was looking through the book the other day and actually got a story idea.
What I'm trying to figure out now is how to present him. How to explain this eight fingered man bear with huge claws fitting inside and manipulating a human skin. I was thinking of tying them into the fey maybe, or maybe have originally come from the nightmare lands, as either of those two can get away with that kind of really bizarre stuff.
My other thought was that they just kind of drape themselves in some of the skin and garments like a more gruesome big bad wolf and can pass for a bit in dim lighting.
The idea I have would work fine with either the "my what bloody skin you have" scenario or the "walking around in an Edgar suit" scenario, but I wanted to see if other people have used this monster and how they did it (or how they would do it if they were going to use them) as maybe there's an angle I haven't thought of yet
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Re: Has anyone ever used the skin thief?

Post by Ender »

Make it a singular skin thief. A man, possibly a hunter, that never felt comfortable in his own skin and began to fantasize about wearing someone else's. He envied someone close to him that actually cared for him and had been trying to help him with his emotional troubles; maybe a family member or another loved one. On one fateful night, he gave into his urges and murdered this close individual, cutting away their skin with a hunting knife. He tried wearing the skin and, for a moment, felt better. But the feeling didn't last and the urge to find the right skin kept re-emerging. His small town realized he was a murderer and drove him into the wilderness, where he began to live a more primal life, trying on animal skins in addition to the wayward travelers he would encounter from time to time. Slowly, the Mists began to change him. Like the beasts he lived with, he grew claws, but like the hunter he was, he continued to stalk his victims. He'd wanted to feel right, but now his physical changes are even more awkward and he doesn't know how to make it right. He lopes through the Mists, watching from the edge of the tree lines always searching for his next victim, hoping that he'll find the skin that fits... but we know he never will.
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Re: Has anyone ever used the skin thief?

Post by Gonzoron of the FoS »

I've always been somewhat irrationally fond of them, for some reason. I've only used them once, though. It was in Nidala. I latched onto a bit from Islands of Terror that said monsters sometimes use Nidala as a "proving grounds." They come in, wreak some havoc, and try to get back out without being caught by Elena and her followers. So I had some skin thieves doing this. One had killed and replaced a butcher in one of the towns, then when he was found out, made a break for it, pursued by some of Elena's knights. Enter the PCs who first tried to save this "helpless butcher" from the knights, and then realized he was actually a monster and switched sides to help the knights kill the skin thief and the rest of his pack, who crept out of the nearby wilderness to assist.

I dunno, there's something really creepy to me about a wound that has fur inside instead of blood. I also like the "uncanny valley" feeling of something looking almost human, but something is a little off.

Pathfinder has their own version which is a fey that looks like a flayed human, instead of a weird bear-thing, if that makes more sense to you. But I kind of like the bizarre nonsense of the bear-thing version.
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Re: Has anyone ever used the skin thief?

Post by Joël of the FoS »

Gonzoron of the FoS wrote:Pathfinder has their own version which is a fey that looks like a flayed human, instead of a weird bear-thing, if that makes more sense to you. But I kind of like the bizarre nonsense of the bear-thing version.
I used this version in my campaign. It was a 100 % cruel evil fey creature, that the heroes enjoyed destroying, after they found out how cruel, dangerous, emotionless and wicked the thing was.

They fey partnered with an evil gnome over a child slave factory. Whne the PCs raided the place, it moved out after killing the children so they would not talk, and to put this heroic failure in the face of the PCs.

They lost its trace and found it 5-6 sessions later.

Joël
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