Bukavac

Hurt/Subdue-4, Banish-3, Drive Off-3
Slavic folklore

A six-legged, horned amphibian demon that bellows with terrifying noise, then strangles, gores, and drags its prey beneath the water.

The bukavac dwells in lakes and rivers, surfacing at night. Slimy-skinned and terrible to behold, it terrifies with its noise before attacking. It strangles with its limbs, gores with its horns, and drags the living into the depths.

• Amphibious demon of rivers and lakes
• Six-legged and horned, covered in slime
• Terrifying bellow that precedes attack
• Strangles, gores, and drowns its victims
• Dominates its watery terrain

• Soft Moves:
  • Echo eerie bellows, applying shaken-2.
  • Ripple the water’s surface, creating the ominous disturbance story tag.
  • Stalk prey from beneath, applying uneasy-1.
  • Frighten animals nearby, creating the panicked livestock story tag.

• Hard Moves:
  • Gore with horns, inflicting wounded-3.
  • Seize with many legs, applying restrained-3.
  • Drag a victim underwater, inflicting drowning-4.
  • Collapse a boat or pier, creating the sinking wreckage story tag.

• Custom Moves:
  • Bellow of Terror: Those who hear its cry up close suffer terrified-2 unless they resist.
  • Aquatic Predator: In water, it gains advantage-2 on physical actions.
  • Six-Limbed Strangler: Each leg severed or bound reduces its ability, applying weakened-1.

• Escalation: Strange ripples and eerie bellows → livestock panic → humans vanish into the depths → whole villages haunted by the lakeshore. Goal is to spread terror and claim victims.
• Tactics: Uses fear first, then ambush. Prefers to strike from water, avoiding prolonged combat on land.
• Counters: Lure onto shore to negate its advantage. Sever or bind legs to weaken its strangling power. Ritual banishment may drive it back.

• Look: A hulking, slime-slick beast with six legs, twisted horns, and gaping maw.
• Tell: Thunderous bellow across the water, ripples with no cause, and sudden panic in animals.