Monday, January 23, 2023

Dholes

Dholes are basically giant worms. And I do mean giant. They are the largest creature in the Malleus Monstrorum, including deities. It's said that there are none on Earth, which can only be a good thing, because they burrow through the ground, infesting the entire planet until it is destroyed.




In the RPG...

Despite being absent from Earth, they can obviously be summoned here by those who know how. Encountering such a creature would be seriously bad news. An average Dhole has 34 Armor, which means that it would take an average of 8 hits from a tank to even kill it. If the investigators don't have a tank handy, a LAW (light anti-tank weapon) would only need 36 rockets to take a Dhole out. No big deal, right? On top of their insane durability, they are faster than every vehicle save a sports car or train, so the chance of outrunning one are slim to none. If that wasn't enough, an average Dhole can also spit a 27-foot blob of goo a distance of 2 to 3 miles, which stuns, burns, and drowns those engulfed by it, requiring a Hard STR roll to escape. All the Malleus Monstrorum Dhole entry really needs to say is, "You're screwed!"
    As for 7e changes, the only one I can see is SIZ. Where before it was 55-5500, it is now 550-5500. This change makes total sense, because before it was technically possible (though unlikely) to roll a human-sized Dhole, which would be...weird. I know it's a moot point when its this O.P., but I would feel remiss if I didn't point out that the wrong DB/Build is listed. It should be +68D6/69. The wrong hit-points are also listed. They should be 378, not 353. I don't think either was adjusted for the change in SIZ. POW is also incorrect. It should be 35, not 34.

In a video game...

The only way I can see a Dhole working in a video game is as a scripted set-piece—most likely a boss fight. Perhaps you're in a car, using yourself as bait to lure the creature through the town or city to the point where several tanks are in waiting, and all you have to do is survive the trip. Or maybe the Dhole is moving through the town, and you know an airstrike has been called in so you have to use stealth to avoid the Dhole's detection, all the while watching the clock so you're not still in town when the strike hits. Another scenario, would be having an already dead Dhole serve as the "setting", and the players must traverse its innards, possibly also providing a tunnel between the waking and Dreamlands.

In a film...

There have been several Dhole-like creatures appear in films already—the most notable being the sandworms in Dune—but I would still love to see an actual Dhole. I think the trick would be to show it near known objects—whether that's a city or just various vehicles—so as to truly convey its size.


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