Risus of Arabia Bestiary

In the first incarnation the bestiary was divided by region, era, culture, and such, using the Cthulhu rule of thumb that the older the entity the more powerful it is. It was long and well over-thought.

In the second incarnation we used the Harryhausen rule. Any creature animated by Harryhausen could be used. This was a more Greco-Roman themed bestiary.

Types of monsters.

Hybrids: Half and halfs like centaurs or Nagas and/or chimeras – beasts of many parts.

Melds: a Moreau-esque manimals, werewolves, lizardmen etc….

BTL: Bigger than life. Large or giant creatures.

There are no undead in The Nights or Egyptian mythology. The mummy’s curse was a product Victorian England.

In the second incarnation demons were based on the Hindu and Egyptian pantheons, demons are minor aspects of the deities, mini avatars.

Nagas
Base Cliché: (3) slithering, listening to reedy music, hypnotizing birds….
Notes: bite, claw, whip with tail.
Can lunge.
Slow reptilian brain.
Tastes the air over short distances, heat sense.

Half man half snake, usually solo.

Anubins.
Base Cliché: (2) running in packs, having a ‘Day’, using curved bladed weapons.
Notes:. Jackelmen as from ‘The Mummy Returns’.

Sand Snake: Large snake (4)
Notes: Surprise attack
A really impressive hood.
Ambush hunter

General notes on Jinn. They were created from smokeless fire (humans were created from clay) and seem to be the missing link between angels/demons and men. They have a parallel society, marry, have families, hold slaves, and have jobs. They can pass for human, have sex with humans, and have the same emotional range as humans; though being created from fire, they are more passionate. The most common enchantments are shapeshifting, illusions, charm, fly, element control, talk to animals, and pass through walls. All are dependent on the jinn’s class and power.

A by no means authoritative list of jinn-kind.

Classes of Jinn
Marid: A large jinn. (10)
Notes: All jinn abilities and then some.
All knowing, all seeing.
Wise, and well disposed towards polite company.
Fewest in number, strongest, solitary. Live near the coast and are masters of the weather, may appear as a wise old man or a porpoise, or a horse, leading travelers to wise courses.



Ifrit:
Base Cliché: Well meaning hothead(6)

Notes: illusions, fly, element control, talks to animals, and pass through walls.
Highly intelligent, have a quite evil temper, make homes in abandoned or desolate places. May appear as a soldier, or a great dog, often move across land as a great tornado of dust, or on magical camels made of sand and evil magic. They may also strike as giant serpents or scorpions spitting fire.


Shaitan
Base Cliché: Joe Average jinn (3)
Notes: illusions, charm, fly, talk to animals, and pass through walls.
The longest lived of all the jinn, masters of deception, and can disappear in a cloud of smoke, traveling on clouds of hot air from place to place. They are well known for their pride, and are known to have human worshipers and slaves.


Jann
Base Cliché: Cherub of jinn-kind (2)
Notes: Illusions, charm, fly, talk to animals, and pass through walls
The most individualistic, could hide an oasis from those who had previously mistreated them or shown disrespect.

Qareen:
Base Cliché: Impish jinn (1)

Notes: illusions, charm, fly, and pass through walls.
According to Islamic literature, these are evil spirits, analogous to a personal demon, intent on tricking people into acts of sin. Binding a Qareen to someone is a form of a Hex.


Jinn are beings of flame or air that are capable of assuming human or animal form and are said to dwell in all conceivable inanimate objects—stones, trees, ruins—underneath the earth, in the air, and in fire. They possess the bodily needs of human beings and can even be killed, but they are free from all physical restraints. Jinn delight in punishing humans for any harm done them, intentionally or unintentionally, and are said to be responsible for many diseases and all kinds of accidents; however, those human beings knowing the proper magical procedure can exploit the jinn to their advantage.

Ghul
Base Cliché: Hillbilly cousin of jinn-kind (3)
Notes: shape shifting, charm.
Stalk the trackless wastes of the desert and prey upon the living and the dead. They can change into vultures, Their alternative forms always have asses' hooves The only way to kill Ghul is to strike them with a single blow, since striking them twice will invest within them new life.
There is a debate as to whether ghuls are jinns, sometimes they are referred to as ‘ogres’. For games purposes, a family tree of less magical ghuls formed the workhorse / cannon fodder for players to stomp (much like the goblinoid monsters in D&D).