The creation of H.P. Lovecraft, the ever-sleeping Cthulhu represented a new type of horror threat: Immeasurably ancient aliens from space, worshiped as gods and whose presence mankind was reduced to a mote of dust. While many stories, games, and other fiction places Cthulhu as antagonist and threat not just to mankind but to the elders of the universe. In many ways, Cthulhu is like Dracula: A creation made famous through one work and/or series of works where the original creation is lost within the mythos surrounding it.

I have resisted attempting to stat Cthulhu for several reasons. First, it is difficult to envision Cthulhu as anything but what its become and the plethora of other game materials around the mythos that do affect interpretation. To this end, I'm narrowing my write-up to the original appearance of Cthulhu as described by Lovecraft in Call of Cthulhu and not what other writers, artists, and/or media have portrayed Cthulhu. In addition, while debate will certainly be had regarding the nature of Cthulhu, again, I'm only focusing on his sole real appearance within the Lovecraft work and not what was said and/or later work. I think it is difficult to map out the creator's idea versus what has become popular culture appearances. While both Shadow over Innsmouth and Whisper in the Darkness address the worship of Cthulhu, I'm sticking with the only real appearance and what Lovecraft said.



So, Cthulu.


Cthulhu



F: Sh-X (150)
A: Pr (4)
S: Sh-X (150)
E: CL 1000 (1000)
R: Un (100)
I: Un (100)
P: CL 1000 (1000)

Health: 1340
Karma: 1200
Resources: N/A
Popularity: - 30/ -100

Talents:

Theoretically, Cthulhu possesses every talent mankind has access to, specifically professional and knowledge talents, although in Call of Cthulhu no significant talents are displayed.

Powers:

Elder Alien Being: While often mistaken for a 'God', the manifestation of Cthulhu is actually an alien being, originally born in deep space and on Earth. Cthulhu is not a creature that one could completely catalog, displaying unusual physical characteristics and capable of many abilities when awakened, which occurs during certain planetary alignments and prompted by human cultists. Cthulhu is an age-old threat, whose full powers and extent of abilities are not fully marked in any of his Lovecraftian appearances. Cthulhu has displayed the following attributes:

• Invulnerability: Cthulhu is invulnerable (CL1000) to standard forms of common damage, such as toxins, radiation, disease, deep space, great depths, environmental, aging, or any of the other normal means of damage. Cthulhu's body can be damaged, as seen when its head was destroyed by a ship ramming it, but it does not actually take damage unless done under certain undefined conditions.
• Alien Mind: Cthulhu's mind is alien, granting it the ability of Telepathy, Mind Probe, Mind Drain, Psychic Shield, Mind Blast, and Dream Travel all at Mn (75). Cthuhu's alien mind prevents telepathic contact, granting it CL1000 Psi-Screen, while at the same time, anyone attempting to read Cthulhu's thoughts will suffer a Psyche FEAT against Un (100) intensity or suffer madness/be incapacitated for a length of time determined by the judge (While this part is not in the novel, it is probably as many of those who allowed Cthulhu to enter their thoughts in the short story were mad due to it).
• Regeneration: Cthulhu can regenerate its body with Sh-Z (500) ability, as its head began to reform moments after it was struck by the small yacht and destroyed
• Permanent growth: Cthulhu is well over 200' feet tall, having permanent growth
• Self-Sustanence: Cthulhu does not need to eat, breath, or even sleep (Although it can be put to sleep) to survive.
• Cosmic Awareness: As it stated within the story, Cthulhu is aware of everything within the universe, possessing Cosmic Awareness at Cl1000
• Flight: While Cthulhu did not fly in the short story, it was clearly stated it possessed wings and had arrived on Earth from outer space. It would be safe to assume Cthulhu could fly with CL1000 ability, capable of warping to other worlds.
• Natural Weaponry: Claws: Cthulhu possesses large claws, capable of rending most materials with Un (100) ability.
• Multiple Attacks: As described as a kraken, Cthulhu is probably capable of multi-attacks, at least at Am (50)

Contacts:

Various human cults around the world
Other elder beings.
RPG companies.


Limitations:

Forced Slumber: Cthulhu is only active for a short time due to a special alignment of stars, which do not come into alignment often. As such, Cthulhu is forced into sleep amid the ruined submerged city of R'yleth. Cthulhu is completely in a state of suspended animation, and cannot interact with the world.

Enemies: Cthulhu's activities are often opposed by other beings.

Monstrous looks: Cthulhu is hideous.



Note:

The popularity score is as it is in regards to normal people who might have read the account, and to mystics. I did not include powers and abilities that later writers have given Cthulhu (Such as reality alteration). I encourage debate and thoughts on the write-up. I'm also asking one thing: If you're going to debate this write-up, please do so only with the written work of H.P. Lovecraft, as while there are other great stories and other elements which have become part of the Cthulhu Mythos, This write-up is only concerned with what Lovecraft wrote. I'm not going to revise it based on other work as I feel it would not be the same as the original. I am also shying away from doing any other Cthulhu Mythos creatures, mainly due to the fact that others have done good write-ups and I'm covering territory already done.

You have balls my friend. Hell of a write-up to post.

I like the write up on face. But it makes Cthulhu's abilities seem utterly psychic and somewhat physical in nature. I know you didn't want to go with outright reality alteration guys like Derleth and Ashton Smith attributed to Cthulhu, but H.P. lovecraft himself described Cthulhu as an affront to our reality. Maybe instead of outright reality manipulation, he just has a personal field that distorts reality in random ways?


Also, just curious to Sh-X fighting, but only Amazing multiple attacks. W/ sh X, if you extrapolate the multiple attacks matrix would get him to 4 attacks on a green feat.

Also, does Cthulhu get bonuses to being on R'lyeh when it surfaces? i can't remember... And any plans to do a write up on the Necronomicon or how it works in conjunction w/ Cthulhu?

[rubbersuitstudios.com]

hehehe

A well written post for one of my favorite villains of all time. A few suggestions though, Cthulhu should possibly have the power of malleability. Cthulhu should have more recovery powers, no matter how badly beaten or destroyed, he would immediately begin to reform. To the best of my knowledge, the only way he could be stopped at all was imprisonment in sunken Ry'leh where he was forced into a state of dreaming slumber. Just a few ideals, great write-up though.

Cthulhu was killed or at least damaged by being hit by the boat at the end I thought. Class100 Invulnerability doesn't fit with the way the story went.

The story also had it regenerating, that the ship merely split it, and per the account of the sole survivor, it was beginning to reform.

Okay so a regeneration makes sense but Class 1000 Invulnerability?

Soul Assassin may have a point. If Cthulhu has a Class 1000 Invulnerability to physical damage (just to simplify the type of damage the ship ramming inflicted) - Then the ramming should have simply bounced off, no signs of damage inflicted.

However, if say you give Cthulhu 1) Immortality, and 2) Cl 1000 regeneration, then it follows that the ramming could have inflicted some sort of scorable damage on the beast (thus splitting part of him, and facilitating their escape), to which Cthulhu began regenerating right away (at that rank, like 100 points per round). That seems consistent with the story.

Also - wasn't magic used to some degree of effectiveness against Cthulhu?

Do you mind if I steal this? I've been trying to create variations of the Old Ones and the Elder Gods to face my Justice League. Cthulhu would be perfect as my Dweller in the Depths who corrupted Kordax, provided Ocean Master with his staff,transformed the Scavenger into the Scavenger of Souls, and who is the being served by the Fisherman. I can get years of Aquaman solo adventures and an epic Justice League battle out of this. Now, who to base my version of Starro on?

No problem! These write-ups are just my take and are for anyone to use

"But Johansen had not given out yet. Knowing that the Thing could surely overtake the Alert until steam was fully up, he resolved on a desperate chance; and, setting the engine for full speed, ran lightning-like on deck and reversed the wheel. There was a mighty eddying and foaming in the noisome brine, and as the steam mounted higher and higher the brave Norwegian drove his vessel head on against the pursuing jelly which rose above the unclean froth like the stern of a daemon galleon. The awful squid-head with writhing feelers came nearly up to the bowsprit of the sturdy yacht, but Johansen drove on relentlessly. There was a bursting as of an exploding bladder, a slushy nastiness as of a cloven sunfish, a stench as of a thousand opened graves, and a sound that the chronicler would not put on paper. For an instant the ship was befouled by an acrid and blinding green cloud, and then there was only a venomous seething astern; where—God in heaven!—the scattered plasticity of that nameless sky-spawn was nebulously recombining in its hateful original form, whilst its distance widened every second as the Alert gained impetus from its mounting steam."


This describes that which cannot be harmed by physical assault. The boat runs through "jelly", "a stench" and a "blinding green cloud". And it goes right back together, nothing destroyed and nothing lost. That is Invulnerability.

In game terms it looks like Malleability: The PC has the natural ability to reshape, and stretch his/her body at Power rank range. The PC is so malleable, he/she ignores all kill results, and has Power rank Regeneration and Recovery equal to his/her Health. For example if the PC's Health was 110, then he would have a Regeneration of Unearthly, and a Recovery of Unearthly.

A lot of people argue about exactly this event in different forums, saying it was a mistake for Lovecraft to make the big guy look weak, as a great deal of the mythos shows man's insignificance when faced with the endless horror of dark space... I disagree. It shows the guys on the boat were lucky and using something like being hit with a boat, a tremendously damage causing event in Lovecraft's time, demonstrates Cthulhu's lack of concern regarding the people. He doesn't bother to get out of the way or to chase them.

I never imagined Cthulhu fighting an army, invading a city or resorting to physical violence at all, as his presence or mere dreams of him illicit madness. All those who oppose him face the knives and poisons of the cult or the lesser horrors, waiting in dark places. He doesn't need to burn the world down, when everyone will cast off sanity and do it for him. He can ruin everything in his sleep.

Else where on the web someone asked who would win in a Thor vs Cthulhu fight. I am thinking not Thor. He would bring lightening and a category 6 storm (because it is magick), after he burst the 200ft monster open a bunch of times with Mjolnir*, to no avail and Cthulhu would slowly destroy his mind. You are not going to punch your way out of this fight.

*Hope the magick weapon works. Bringing some Odin power, as Thor has in several stories, would also be good. Actually bring everything.

As an immortal Asgardian, a god, I think Thor would be a lot more prepared to deal with the mind-bending horrors that drive mere mortals insane.
Immune? Probably not. He's succumbed to Warrior's Madness before, something Odin takes very seriously. And while I don't think he could defeat
the elder evil without the Odinpower, I think he could drive it away for a short respite to summon allies.

Unless we're talking about Woman-Thor, who only possesses his power but not experience. She is merely a mortal woman wielding godly power.
Her mind would crumble quickly.

I agree about the "mortal minds".

Dr. Strange and Silver Surfer could last long enough to defeat but not destroy him/it, and not a lot of other folks could.

Avengers as a group, both classic line ups and recent, would have a terrible time, as minds were probed and then depleted. Less mentally powerful team members would fight each other, overcome with terror and confused with hallucinations*, while the strongest would face an opponent who can deal with several super powered antagonists at the same time, without getting hurt.



* Jack's great write up does not list Fear, Emotion control or Hallucinations, and that is fine. Telepathy with a creature so vastly powerful and so incredibly different, literally blows your mind, like a fuse or a light bulb. I imagine millions of voices in languages long dead, from the darkest corners of reality, gibbering the most foul and horridly insane blasphemies. You are shown the billions of worlds, long forgotten in decay and ruin, that spawned this near limitless evil, now residing beneath your seas. Cthulhu can destroy sanity by "thinking" to loudly into your head.

Imagine half your team has to fight a very angry and disoriented Hulk, while the rest face an almost un-killable space god and Dr Strange keeps saying "Just keep him off me long enough to read this dispersing spell, damned alien writing I found over the mountains and out of space."

Good write up, but I feel the stats are highly inaccurate to Lovecraft's Cthulhu. I have had the fortune/ misfortune of spending copious amounts of time reading the various short stories of Lovecraft. I feel I know enough to say that these stats are extremely overrating the character. As many have posted before, Cthulhu was damaged by the boat that penetrated him. This was during the time that the stars were right. Not to mention it was said that the ocean water blocked him and his kins telepathy, in which even when they were awake they could only effect the sensitive among us. If a Norwegian Sailor can withstand Cthulhu long enough to drive a yacht through his head, I'm pretty sure the Avengers could do it too. Although Thor and Hulk would really be the only ones doing the battle. The big issue here is that Cthulhu also has his Star Spawn, which would run wild in massive amounts.