Eldritch Horror

EXTRATERRESTRIAL STAFF
EldritchHorrorMoving.gif
Eldritch Horror
Access: Ventilation systems and can squeeze through doors
Additional Access: The heads of crewmembers
Difficulty: Hard
Supervisors: Traitor Curator if summoned, if not no one
Duties: Sneaking around, wiggling into unsuspecting crewmember brains, consuming souls, causing paranoia among the crew, forcing people to do things they don't want to do.
Guides: This is the guide
Quote: "Not much inside this brain for me to control....."

The Eldritch Horror is an antagonist that either spawns as a midround event or as a summon by a traitor Curator. The Horror's skill set is primarily geared towards evasion and stealth with some combat capabilities. Most of a Horror's time is going to be spent stalking and entering hosts to complete their objectives, either by consuming souls or following the commands of their master. Once a midround horror completes their objectives, they can continue to consume souls or hide out until the end of the round.

Becoming the Horror

There are only two ways to become an Eldritch Horror. Either through a traitor Curator summoning you with an uplink or the Spawn Eldritch Horror random event. You must have the Eldritch Horror preference toggled on (use the verb for special candidacy in the Preferences tab) to be selected.

The Starting Tools

As an Eldritch Horror, you start off with these basic abilities and tools:

  • Infestation: Slip into a host by alt-clicking them.
  • Knockdown: Trip anyone near you.
  • Mutate: Menu for unlocking more abilities and getting minor upgrades.
  • Seek Soul: Pick a target's soul to take (out of four options).
  • Vent Crawl: Allows you to go inside vents by alt-clicking them.
  • Hide: Allows you to hide under certain objects.

Time to Hitchhike

 
An Eldritch Horror entering a host.

You're a freshly spawned Eldritch Horror. The first thing is to quickly reach a ventilation system or use the hiding ability that allows you to go under certain objects and get out of sight. These abilities can also be used later on to sneak up to your targets stealthily.

To steal a soul, first you activate the "Seek Soul" ability on your HUD, which opens a radial menu offering up to four targets. Choose one of them, and they'll become your selected target. You can only eat the soul of your current target which means you have to track them down. To help with that, you immediately acquire a pinpointer on your HUD that will point itself to your target. You start with increased mobility and, while not as fast as a running human, you are small enough to fit in vents and even through airlocks!

To squeeze yourself through an airlock, simply attack it. Once you get to your target, it's time to strike and enter their head! You start with an ability that knocks everyone around you onto the floor, giving you enough time to enter their head (alt-click on them).

Why Is It So Hollow Inside Here?

After alt-clicking on a crewmember and entering their mind, you can begin absorbing their soul by clicking on the Consume Soul ability.

While inside a host, you can also temporarily take over their mind, making you the one in control. You can chat with them and even inject chemicals directly into their bloodstream. You can also leave your host at any time. Your host will be your main form of safe transportation and will go in conjunction with a lot of the later abilities you will gain through successfully consuming souls.

I Consumed Someone's Soul. Now What?

Congratulations so far, but don't rest easy just yet, as the more alert the crew becomes, the more they will do to stop you.

To help you achieve your objectives, you can spend consumed soul points on abilities and permanent upgrades that will surely make you survive a lot longer.

Click the "Mutate" action on your HUD, and a window with all mutations will appear.

Keep in mind that you can only mutate while outside of a host. Most abilities cost chemicals to use. You can see the number of chemicals you possess on your HUD. You generate chemicals at a slow rate whilst inside an alive host. As a small note, you also regenerate your health while inside a host.

Abilities

Below is a list of all the abilities an Eldritch Horror can use:

HUD Button Name Soul Point Cost Chemical Cost Description
Mutate N/A 0 Opens up a menu that allows you to spend your consumed souls for upgrades and abilities.
Consume Soul N/A 0 After using the Soul Seek ability you can consume the soul of the target you selected while inside them. This will alert the host that their soul has been taken and it will make a loud sound. This is the only way to gain soul points that can be used to further upgrade other abilities.
Locate Soul N/A 0 Gives you a pinpointer to the target you have selected with Soul Seek.
Assume Control N/A 0 While inside a host, can be used to dismantle their brain nerves and take control over the user for a limited amount of time. This time can be shorter if the host fights back your control.
Soul Seek N/A 0 When used, presents four different crewmembers to be targeted for soul consumption. You can reselect your targets after a few minutes or if the targeted soul has been consumed.
Hide N/A 0 Allows you to hide under certain objects.
Knockdown N/A 0 A starting ability that knocks anyone near you over, giving enough time to go inside a crewmember's head.
Secrete Chemicals N/A 30 Inject beneficial chemicals in your host's bloodstream.
List of available chemicals:

List of chemicals available with Advanced Reagent Synthesis:

Grow Tentacle 2 50 This ability lets you grow a tentacle arm on your host. Tentacle is a weapon that can be used at a short (2 tile) range that deals 17 damage on hit.

It can slowly pry open unbolted airlocks at a speed about 50% longer than an arm blade.

With combat mode on, you can use it to disarm an opponent with right click.

Use ctrl + click to grab your opponents, it can be used to apply an instant aggressive grab, as well as throw opponents.

Transfer Between Hosts 1 0 This ability lets you transfer from one host to another. You can use it while controlling. Takes 20 seconds to move you into a target.

However, grabbing the target reduces this time at the cost of stealth. Good for stealth, and does exceptionally well when paired with tentacle's instant grab.

Revive Host 2 250 Can be used to revive your Host if they are dead. This ability will require your maximum chemical reserve and will leave you and your host very vulnerable after use. After being revived the Host will be zapped and take minor oxygen damage.
View Memory 1 0 Lets you fully peek into your host's memory, telling you their notes (including antag ones), their recent speech, and their true name.
Chameleon Skin 1 5 chemicals drain while active Turns your body near invisible! Great for sneaking up on a potential host.

Remember: Any kind of attack breaks invisibility instantly. This ability is a direct upgrade from the regular Hide ability that you start with.

Lube Spill 2 50 While outside of a Host, you can force your glands to spray lube all around you for a small duration.

Great for crowd control, or if people keep dragging your target away from you.

Minor Passive Upgrades

While pressing the Mutate HUD you can also find upgrades in the menu. Unlike abilities, these are passive buffs that will change how your abilities work, how you react to certain objects, and make you a lot more versatile and lethal.

  • Electrocharged Tentacle: 3 soul points. Upgrades your starting ability to knock someone over into shocking them, knocking them unconscious for a little while so they don't see you crawling into their head.
  • Efficient Chemical Glands: 2 soul points. Increases your passive chemical regeneration from 2 to 5.
  • Independent Chemical Glands: 2 soul points. Lets you regenerate chemicals without the need for a host!
  • Regenerative Skin: 1 soul point. Lets you regenerate your own health over time without the need for a host. Can mitigate the effects of unsuitable atmospheres, such as plasma floods.
  • Rhino Skin: 2 soul points. Increases your fragile health from 65 to 130, greatly increasing survivability outside of a host.
  • Reflective Fluids: 1 soul point. Hosts will not be alerted when you exit them, and you'll be covered in a reflective fluid that makes you invisible. If invisibility is unlocked, it'll activate when you exit a host.
  • Serrated Teeth: 2 soul points. Increases your biting damage from 10 to 15 on people and 20 to 25 on cyborgs.
  • Advanced Reagent Synthesis: 2 soul points. Lets you synthesize more advanced chemicals into your hosts, including adrenaline.
  • Precise Proboscis: 1 soul point. Lets you take control over the host's brain noticeably faster.
  • Insulated Proboscis: 2 soul points. Increases the time it takes for a mind-controlled host to regain control over their body. Doesn't affect the effect of body control being returned to the host in reaction to being hit.

Combating the Squid

The Horror is extremely vulnerable when outside of a host. Try baiting it out then smashing it down. One can also be surgically removed out of your head via organ manipulation surgery. Try to keep it away from vents by pulling or pushing it away. Remember to weld vents inside the surgery room while trying to remove a Horror from a victim's head or they will easily leave the body in the middle of the surgery and go into the vents. Don't forget to have a partner to watch over you, as the Eldritch Horror can easily slip into you while you're conducting the surgery.

"This is Just Like My Japanese Animes!"

The Eldritch Horror can also be created through the use of a traitor Curator with their uplink. After this is done you are mindslaved to the curator. You must follow all their commands to the dime; if they tell you to die in a ring of fire, you make sure to put up a show. As the traitor's sidekick, you can provide a very useful and versatile ally; being able to heal them, equip them with a deadly weapon, control other people and more.

The traitor Curator will get a special horn that will automatically recall you. Be warned, if the horn is used by anyone else other than your original master it will break after use.

Antagonists on Yogstation

 

Individual Antagonists Traitor, Internal Affairs, Changeling, Vampire, Wizard
Team Antagonists Blood Brothers, Nuclear Operative, Blood Cult, Clockwork Cult, Gangster, Heretic, Darkspawn
Mid-Round Antagonists Abductor, Xenomorph, Revenant, Space Ninja, Holoparasite, Swarmers, Blob, Obsessed, Eldritch Horror
Rare Antagonists Devil