Weekly Wonders - Eldritch Archetypes Volume II - Archetypes of the Shoggoth

Harness the Power of Shoggoths!

The eldritch, the strange, and the weird are often relegated to the domains of villains and NPCs in fantasy, with the good guys being the ones who stand in the way of the dark things that remain just beyond our perception, which we can never truly understand. But sometimes, it can be fun to take on the mantle of the otherworldly, and to embrace the alien terrors of the cosmos. Each installment of Weekly Wonders: Eldritch Archetypes contains five archetypes for eldritch characters—those that are weird, alien, and otherworldly, who don’t fit in with normal society—as well as a cleric domain devoted to a specific mythos entity or race.

This particular installment focuses on shoggoths, the ancient and primordial servitor race described at length in H. P. Lovecraft’s At the Mountains of Madness. These roiling horrors of pulsing flesh, which can take any shape and can spawn new organs and limbs as easily as most creatures breathe, have long been a source of fascination for readers of strange fiction. This book contains the following archetypes:

The transmografist, an alchemist archetype that specializes in transforming into weird and terrible shapes, and can spray horrible mucus to harm and blind his foes.

The protoplasmic rager, a barbarian archetype whose body alters in combat, giving her extendable arms, shielding her organs, and causing her to grow to immense size.

The writhing thrasher, a brawler archetype, which also has variable anatomy, and can gain monstrous features as easily as most brawlers gain feats.

The seeker of the strange, an investigator archetype that gains inspiration in strange ways, is a master of occult lore, and can harden his skin and warp his flesh.

The shoggoth bloodline, for sorcerers, which can create balls of protoplasm, grow various limbs, and attack foes with masses of tentacles.

A bonus cleric domain devoted to those who worship shoggoths as gods.

Whether you're about to embark on a campaign of eldritch horror (such as the official Paizo adventure path dealing with strange and alien entities), or you just want an excuse to play a servant of the unknowable and uncaring cosmic entities of the Cthulhu mythos, this book has lots of tantalizing options to offer. Even GMs can get in on the fun, as several of the archetypes here are perfect for insane cultist NPCs as well, and can make for exciting and memorable encounters.