I intend this thread to be a place to drop whatever medieval occult or folkloric information people come across that could potentially be useful to people's games.

So in the Baopuzi I came across an external alchemy recipe for Ninefold Radiance Elixir. The recipe results in portions with a total 25 color variants(?) with various effects. Some are given:

• The blue one raises the dead, provided they have only been dead for 3 or less days
• The yellow one makes you invisible among other things
• The black one has some manner of conjuration effect

Such an item could be cool as a high level Chinese external alchemy preparation or as a magic item, depending on how you feel about limited raise dead capabilities in a Medieval Authentic game.

Also I have seen a Shaivite Immobilization Tantra which roots foes to the spot with creeping vines, roots, or other plant limbs. In this the user would put white Abrus Precatorious seeds in a human skull cup filled with soil, then pour milk over it while chanting mantras.

For European stuff, the area in the Alps around Tyrol seems to have quite a bit of interesting folklore: A nymph in a lake Karersee, Orks (local mountain daemons), forests full of giants and woodwoses, dragons, and according to High Medieval Chivalric Romances/Poems about Dietrich von Bern at least 3-4 Dwarven kingdoms under various mountains more civilized than the typical L&D dwarves of medieval folklore. These dwarf holds are usually depicted as pagan (with the exception of the one in Virginal which is apparently Christian) and allied with the giants. In an early version of one of the stories, the dwarf hold of King Laurin is more or less wiped out by Dietrich von Bern and his 3 companions (including also Witege, half-elf son of Weyland the Smith) in the days of Attila the Hun. What's become of it could be an interesting adventure location.

All very cool stuff!

One of the things that makes me sad is so much of fantasy RPG material just ignores folklore that doesn't produce monsters or provide power.  Here's a few of my favorites.  (I am not an academic in the field, it's just stuff I picked up while reading over the years.  If I get it wrong, sorry.)

Brownies:  Brownies are a type of elf creature usually described as small people between 6" and 24" tall with mischievous personalities and some magical abilities.  They come from Germanic folklore and are common throughout western Europe, including Germany, France, and the British Isles.  Depending on local variants, they can be pranksters that can be bribed with treats or wooden buttons to behave.  In other places, they can be a source of minor but continuous misfortune such as minor illness, milk cows going dry, or tools breaking. 

Takuni:  This is a real creature from Japan that looks a bit like a raccoon and is known for getting into trash and chicken coops.  They are generally seen as petty thieves and mess makers.  According to some folklore, they are capable of some minor magical feats such as shape shifting, illusions, and mild mental manipulation.  One of my favorite stories was a takuni that turned into a person and bought some treats with rocks he used an illusion on to make them look like coins.

Water:  Many cultures have looked at water as having magical or spiritual properties.  Frequently, bodies of water are seen as being gateways between our world and other planes or worlds.  Celtic, Germanic, and Norse folklore had very strong beliefs and taboos associated with water and magic, believing that it could be very powerful but also extremely dangerous as it could connect to malevolent creatures beyond our world. 

Quote from: BadApple on December 17, 2023, 11:25:10 AM
One of the things that makes me sad is so much of fantasy RPG material just ignores folklore that doesn't produce monsters or provide power.  Here's a few of my favorites.  (I am not an academic in the field, it's just stuff I picked up while reading over the years.  If I get it wrong, sorry.)

My last three adventures have prominently been about huaca or sacred places in Incan belief. These are usually marked by an unusual landmark, and that spot is a very minor deity. So, for example, these were the three huacas in the capital city.

QuoteThe Puma's Head - site of the Upper Temple of Inti and the fortress citadel

• This sacred site is known for rare displays of great power. Pachakuti built a magical fortress around it, including a flying citadel that rises above it.
• In the temple and citadel, all spell ranges and durations are doubled, and arcana or other magical research rolls have advantage.

The Puma's Heart - site of the Lower Temple of Inti

• This sacred site is known for enlightenment and healing for people of the empire who come to pray here. The Heart gives strength and aids in divination.
• On temple grounds, any spells for healing or divination can be cast at 1 level higher than the slot used. Further, all strength rolls are at advantage (including saves and attacks).

The Puma's Belly - site of the national square and temple of Viracocha

• This sacred site is known for omens and visions, seen as rising from the damp and now sandy ground. The square is the economic and diplomatic center of the empire, through which massive trade and diplomatic delegations pass.
• In the square and temple, any spells of earth or water can be cast at 2 levels higher than the slot used. All wisdom rolls are at advantage (including saves and spells).

Encountering the huacas was a major point in each of the adventures.

Still in a Chinese mood, so have some selected creatures for a Chinese bestiary:

The Bashe (巴蛇) is a giant constrictor snake which preys upon elephants. It will disgorge the bones after 3 years time and its flesh can be eaten to prevent heart and stomach diseases. It presumably originates in a land to the southwest of China.

The Egui (餓鬼) is the Chinese Hungry Ghost equivalent to the Preta or Gaki.

The Yecha (夜叉) is a Yakshasa, but in China (Yasha in Japan).  The males are often portrayed as more stout and ugly, while the females are of more human height and beautiful.

The Pixiu (貔貅), called Tao Ba in the Han Dynasty, is a fierce auspicious creature which lives off a diet of precious metals and stones and is therefore associated with wealth and warding off evil. The male has one horn and is called Tianlu; the female has two horns and is called Bixie. They have draconic heads, lion-like bodies and wings. Often depicted in guardian statues.

The Xiezhi (獬豸) is an intelligent and righteous one-horned beast like a mix of a lion and some sort of ungulate. It is a symbol of Chinese law and was said to ram wrongful parties in disputes or fights. Some say it devours the corrupt and understands human speech.  There is also a Han dynasty source mentioning the emperor and his court hunting them bizarrely enough.

The Paoxiao (狍鴞) is a man-eating monster in the northern mountains (Mount Gouwu?). It has a goat-like body, feet like clawed human hands and a human-like face with sharp teeth but without eyes. It's eyes are on its flanks and its cry sounds like that of a human child presumably to lure prey.


The Taotie (饕餮) is one of the four evil creatures in Chinese mythology associated with gluttony. It is associated with the designs found on Shang and Zhou bronzeware, particularly cauldrons. According to Lu Buwei in the Warring States period Taotie is only a head which eats people, without a body it cannot swallow, but it harms them nonetheless.

The Taowu (檮杌) is one of the four evil creatures in Chinese mythology associated with ignorance. It appears as a beast with tiger-like claws, a human-like face with the tusks of a boar, and a long tail. It is said to live in the western wilds of China (a strange encounter off the Silk Road?). It is vicious, stubborn and utterly untamable. One account says it can divine the future, it may use this ability to lead men astray.

The Qiongqi (窮奇) is one of the four evil creatures in Chinese mythology associated with underhandedness. It appears like a fusion of an ox and a tiger with wings, another account makes it's fur akin to sharp quills. Its cry sounds like the howl of a dog. It is a man-eating beast which especially devours the righteous and those who wear long untied hair. If it encounters a wicked man it will share the prey it has caught with him. It is intelligent and understands the human tongue. It dwells in the mountains of the north and west, for example the Shaanxi region. In the Han dynasty it was invoked in theurgy against Gu sorcery.

The Hundun (渾敦/渾沌) is one of the four evil creatures in Chinese mythology associated with chaos. Its appearance is quite peculiar, having no eyes or ears, nor an apparent mouth or nose though there are accounts of it eating. Its body is red like cinnabar.  It doesn't know right from wrong and may well attack the righteous and serve the wicked. In the Shanhaijing it is said to be the god Dijiang and dwell in the west on Mt. Tianshan (those mountains extend to not too far from Samarkand) where it sings and dances.


The Aoyin (傲因) is a man-eating beast said to dwell in the Three Dangers Mountains to the west, these are often identified with the mountains near Dunhuang where the Mogao caves are. It resembles an ox but with long white fur, four horns, and sharp teeth. This name is also used in the Shenyijing to describe a creature  in the desolate west which seems to be synonymous with a ghul.

The Xieju or Geju/Heju (猲狙) a wolf-like man-eating monster from the eastern mountains. It has a reddish head and rat-like beady eyes. Its cry sounds like a boar.

The Bai Ze (白泽) a wise beast of Chinese mythology which allegedly gave a book to the Yellow Emperor containing knowledge of all supernatural beings and the spells to counter them. It is capable of speech. It resembles an ox-lion hybrid with a dragon-like face. It has nine eyes, 3 on it's face and three on each flank. It also has six horns.


The Yanlu* (炎顱?) is a monster which dwells in the western mountains. It is only active one day every six months when it comes down from the mountain to hunt (usually people and livestock); the rest of the year it hibernates. When it is awake its fur hardens making it invulnerable to normal weapons.

The Shanxiao (山魈) is a mountain sprite which resembles a wild man or ape man. In most depictions it has only one, often backwards-facing, leg and in some only one eye and/or two small horns. They are said to catch and live off of freshwater crustaceans and frogs. It is said that they may attack a person at night, drown people in mountain streams, steal from humans or throw stones. Some people worship them as mountain gods and may be rewarded with wealth. In Fujian, Zhejiang and She it is said the Shanxiao may possess red caps of Invisibility (not unlike western faeries). Many accounts say they can be driven off with the sound of popping bamboo in a fire or firecrackers.

The Xingxing (猩猩), Jueyuan (玃猿), or Feifei (狒狒) are a race of wild ape men which live in the mountains. Their blood may be used as a purple dye or drank to imbue the ability to see invisible spirits. They were often said to attack people, steal things (especially alcohol of which they are fond), and carry off human women as mates; the females sometimes would similarly capture human men. They are able to use human speech to a limited extent. They have been associated with the mountains of Shaanxi, ancient Shu's southwestern mountains, Shennongjia in Hebei, Fengxi, and likely other regions.

There are countless others like the 火鼠 fire rat, tiangou, xiao bird, Chimei, Wang Liang, various animal spirits/xian (like foxes and snakes of course), various ghost types, feng/ tai sui, the well-known Qilin, langgui 狼鬼, Guhuo Bird 姑獲鳥, etc.
There are also strange human variants like dog heads or the southern Luotou people whose heads detach at night like the Japanese Nukekubi. These are said to live from Lingnan to parts of Vietnam and Laos.

Many creatures in Chinese folklore tend to have medicinal or magical uses I've found. The fire rats' hide may be used to make fire resistant garb for example. The fire rat is apparently recorded in Persian sources as well

The Shanhaijing and other books overflow with good stuff.

*The yanlu is something in my notes for which I can no longer find a source. Though I swore I found an excerpt of a Chinese classic mentioning it now I find only Taiwanese CRPG and medical articles. I don't remember what form it took in my reading, but in the CRPG's it resembles a three headed wolf-like monster.

Oops. Accidental post please remove

Quote from: WERDNA on December 18, 2023, 03:05:40 AM
Still in a Chinese mood, so have some selected creatures for a Chinese bestiary:

The Bashe (巴蛇) is a giant constrictor snake which preys upon elephants. It will disgorge the bones after 3 years time and its flesh can be eaten to prevent heart and stomach diseases. It presumably originates in a land to the southwest of China.

The Egui (餓鬼) is the Chinese Hungry Ghost equivalent to the Preta or Gaki.

The Yecha (夜叉) is a Yakshasa, but in China (Yasha in Japan).  The males are often portrayed as more stout and ugly, while the females are of more human height and beautiful.

The Pixiu (貔貅), called Tao Ba in the Han Dynasty, is a fierce auspicious creature which lives off a diet of precious metals and stones and is therefore associated with wealth and warding off evil. The male has one horn and is called Tianlu; the female has two horns and is called Bixie. They have draconic heads, lion-like bodies and wings. Often depicted in guardian statues.

The Xiezhi (獬豸) is an intelligent and righteous one-horned beast like a mix of a lion and some sort of ungulate. It is a symbol of Chinese law and was said to ram wrongful parties in disputes or fights. Some say it devours the corrupt and understands human speech.  There is also a Han dynasty source mentioning the emperor and his court hunting them bizarrely enough.

The Paoxiao (狍鴞) is a man-eating monster in the northern mountains (Mount Gouwu?). It has a goat-like body, feet like clawed human hands and a human-like face with sharp teeth but without eyes. It's eyes are on its flanks and its cry sounds like that of a human child presumably to lure prey.


The Taotie (饕餮) is one of the four evil creatures in Chinese mythology associated with gluttony. It is associated with the designs found on Shang and Zhou bronzeware, particularly cauldrons. According to Lu Buwei in the Warring States period Taotie is only a head which eats people, without a body it cannot swallow, but it harms them nonetheless.

The Taowu (檮杌) is one of the four evil creatures in Chinese mythology associated with ignorance. It appears as a beast with tiger-like claws, a human-like face with the tusks of a boar, and a long tail. It is said to live in the western wilds of China (a strange encounter off the Silk Road?). It is vicious, stubborn and utterly untamable. One account says it can divine the future, it may use this ability to lead men astray.

The Qiongqi (窮奇) is one of the four evil creatures in Chinese mythology associated with underhandedness. It appears like a fusion of an ox and a tiger with wings, another account makes it's fur akin to sharp quills. Its cry sounds like the howl of a dog. It is a man-eating beast which especially devours the righteous and those who wear long untied hair. If it encounters a wicked man it will share the prey it has caught with him. It is intelligent and understands the human tongue. It dwells in the mountains of the north and west, for example the Shaanxi region. In the Han dynasty it was invoked in theurgy against Gu sorcery.

The Hundun (渾敦/渾沌) is one of the four evil creatures in Chinese mythology associated with chaos. Its appearance is quite peculiar, having no eyes or ears, nor an apparent mouth or nose though there are accounts of it eating. Its body is red like cinnabar.  It doesn't know right from wrong and may well attack the righteous and serve the wicked. In the Shanhaijing it is said to be the god Dijiang and dwell in the west on Mt. Tianshan (those mountains extend to not too far from Samarkand) where it sings and dances.


The Aoyin (傲因) is a man-eating beast said to dwell in the Three Dangers Mountains to the west, these are often identified with the mountains near Dunhuang where the Mogao caves are. It resembles an ox but with long white fur, four horns, and sharp teeth. This name is also used in the Shenyijing to describe a creature  in the desolate west which seems to be synonymous with a ghul.

The Xieju or Geju/Heju (猲狙) a wolf-like man-eating monster from the eastern mountains. It has a reddish head and rat-like beady eyes. Its cry sounds like a boar.

The Bai Ze (白泽) a wise beast of Chinese mythology which allegedly gave a book to the Yellow Emperor containing knowledge of all supernatural beings and the spells to counter them. It is capable of speech. It resembles an ox-lion hybrid with a dragon-like face. It has nine eyes, 3 on it's face and three on each flank. It also has six horns.


The Yanlu* (炎顱?) is a monster which dwells in the western mountains. It is only active one day every six months when it comes down from the mountain to hunt (usually people and livestock); the rest of the year it hibernates. When it is awake its fur hardens making it invulnerable to normal weapons.

The Shanxiao (山魈) is a mountain sprite which resembles a wild man or ape man. In most depictions it has only one, often backwards-facing, leg and in some only one eye and/or two small horns. They are said to catch and live off of freshwater crustaceans and frogs. It is said that they may attack a person at night, drown people in mountain streams, steal from humans or throw stones. Some people worship them as mountain gods and may be rewarded with wealth. In Fujian, Zhejiang and She it is said the Shanxiao may possess red caps of Invisibility (not unlike western faeries). Many accounts say they can be driven off with the sound of popping bamboo in a fire or firecrackers.

The Xingxing (猩猩), Jueyuan (玃猿), or Feifei (狒狒) are a race of wild ape men which live in the mountains. Their blood may be used as a purple dye or drank to imbue the ability to see invisible spirits. They were often said to attack people, steal things (especially alcohol of which they are fond), and carry off human women as mates; the females sometimes would similarly capture human men. They are able to use human speech to a limited extent. They have been associated with the mountains of Shaanxi, ancient Shu's southwestern mountains, Shennongjia in Hebei, Fengxi, and likely other regions.

There are countless others like the 火鼠 fire rat, tiangou, xiao bird, Chimei, Wang Liang, various animal spirits/xian (like foxes and snakes of course), various ghost types, feng/ tai sui, the well-known Qilin, langgui 狼鬼, Guhuo Bird 姑獲鳥, etc.
There are also strange human variants like dog heads or the southern Luotou people whose heads detach at night like the Japanese Nukekubi. These are said to live from Lingnan to parts of Vietnam and Laos.

Many creatures in Chinese folklore tend to have medicinal or magical uses I've found. The fire rats' hide may be used to make fire resistant garb for example. The fire rat is apparently recorded in Persian sources as well

The Shanhaijing and other books overflow with good stuff.

*The yanlu is something in my notes for which I can no longer find a source. Though I swore I found an excerpt of a Chinese classic mentioning it now I find only Taiwanese CRPG and medical articles. I don't remember what form it took in my reading, but in the CRPG's it resembles a three headed wolf-like monster.

Some of my Pundit Files issues were going to feature these monsters.

Quote from: RPGPundit on December 19, 2023, 01:10:56 AM
Some of my Pundit Files issues were going to feature these monsters.

Exciting to hear. I'm sure you'll do better than Oriental Adventures did with them (not that I blame them, research would've been harder back then). ...Wait, why past tense?

Quote from: BadApple on December 17, 2023, 11:25:10 AM
Takuni:  This is a real creature from Japan that looks a bit like a raccoon and is known for getting into trash and chicken coops.  They are generally seen as petty thieves and mess makers.  According to some folklore, they are capable of some minor magical feats such as shape shifting, illusions, and mild mental manipulation.  One of my favorite stories was a takuni that turned into a person and bought some treats with rocks he used an illusion on to make them look like coins.

They are viewed as being lucky, too. Used like maneki neko to get customers.

Yes, the statues have huge nuts. I have seen a number of tanuki and fortunately the real ones don't have the same problem.

Quote from: Lynn on December 19, 2023, 01:31:25 AM

Quote from: BadApple on December 17, 2023, 11:25:10 AM
Takuni:  This is a real creature from Japan that looks a bit like a raccoon and is known for getting into trash and chicken coops.  They are generally seen as petty thieves and mess makers.  According to some folklore, they are capable of some minor magical feats such as shape shifting, illusions, and mild mental manipulation.  One of my favorite stories was a takuni that turned into a person and bought some treats with rocks he used an illusion on to make them look like coins.

They are viewed as being lucky, too. Used like maneki neko to get customers.

Yes, the statues have huge nuts. I have seen a number of tanuki and fortunately the real ones don't have the same problem.

I did a poor job in relaying the takuni I think.  They have a rep of being lovable rascals that get into mild trouble but generally have good hearts.  There's folk tales of them looking after lost children and helping people find things like lost keys.  I remember a story about a kid that got caught picking a lock and he stated during a confession that the takuni in the area taught him how.

A solid half of Japanese folklore is about real animals and the connection to the supernatural they have.  Foxes, snakes, and monkeys all have tales and beliefs about them.

Quote from: BadApple on December 19, 2023, 07:35:52 AM

Quote from: Lynn on December 19, 2023, 01:31:25 AM

Quote from: BadApple on December 17, 2023, 11:25:10 AM
Takuni:  This is a real creature from Japan that looks a bit like a raccoon and is known for getting into trash and chicken coops.  They are generally seen as petty thieves and mess makers.  According to some folklore, they are capable of some minor magical feats such as shape shifting, illusions, and mild mental manipulation.  One of my favorite stories was a takuni that turned into a person and bought some treats with rocks he used an illusion on to make them look like coins.

They are viewed as being lucky, too. Used like maneki neko to get customers.

Yes, the statues have huge nuts. I have seen a number of tanuki and fortunately the real ones don't have the same problem.

I did a poor job in relaying the takuni I think.  They have a rep of being lovable rascals that get into mild trouble but generally have good hearts.  There's folk tales of them looking after lost children and helping people find things like lost keys.  I remember a story about a kid that got caught picking a lock and he stated during a confession that the takuni in the area taught him how.

A solid half of Japanese folklore is about real animals and the connection to the supernatural they have.  Foxes, snakes, and monkeys all have tales and beliefs about them.

Yes. Some of that is influenced from imported folktales but, you also have significant folklore that fits with native Shinto and the eight million gods. Plus long established localities will have their own folklore.

The werewolf

The modern concept of the werewolf seems to be a creation of Edwardian fiction.  The idea that it is a curse that the sufferer doesn't have any control over is a rather new one.  The idea of a wolf-man bipedal creature is completely a Hollywood creation and was first done by Lon Cheney Jr. for the movie "The Wolf Man" in 1941.

In the Eastern European folklore tradition, a person could use magic to turn into a wolf using an item called a wolf strap.  Usually this was done to get into mischief and not be caught out as a human.  As with many folktale stories involving magic, you could dispel the transformation by speaking the person's real name.  Local traditions vary as to the competency of the person in wolf form; some stories have it where the werewolf was fully human mentally and others where they were still self aware but had their faculties dimmed to the level of a beast until they took human form.

An interesting aspect of the lore is that the wolf strap become part of the person that uses it.  If it is kept in a warm or cold place, the owner will always feel warm or cold.  Some variants hold that damage done to a wolf strap would be imparted to it's owner as well.

It's fascinating to me that so many cultures have some form of lycanthropy in their folklore.  The Hawaiians have sea turtles that that will transform into children and play with other children on the beach.  Eskimos have as a folklore tale that some seals are actually people and that they can take their seal skin off to engage with other people.  The Japanese of course have the takuni and fox shape shifters but they also had as part of their lore that shinobi could transform into wolves.  Some tribes in Africa see baboons as people with transforming abilities.  Australian aborigines have stories about people that shape shift into snakes.

Quote from: WERDNA on December 19, 2023, 01:21:07 AM

Quote from: RPGPundit on December 19, 2023, 01:10:56 AM
Some of my Pundit Files issues were going to feature these monsters.

Exciting to hear. I'm sure you'll do better than Oriental Adventures did with them (not that I blame them, research would've been harder back then). ...Wait, why past tense?

The past tense to mean that it was already planned before you posted this.

Quote from: BadApple on December 19, 2023, 01:55:26 PM
The werewolf

The modern concept of the werewolf seems to be a creation of Edwardian fiction.  The idea that it is a curse that the sufferer doesn't have any control over is a rather new one.  The idea of a wolf-man bipedal creature is completely a Hollywood creation and was first done by Lon Cheney Jr. for the movie "The Wolf Man" in 1941.

In the Eastern European folklore tradition, a person could use magic to turn into a wolf using an item called a wolf strap. 

Well, there is more to it than just that. The Hungarian werewolf lore, the especially the vrylakos, is intertwined in vampire lore, as well as the strigoi (withcraft). The witchcraft version is more of what you are talking about. But lore of that region is full of examples of people who are cursed and turn into wolves; sometimes they hide their nature from their families and ultimately attack them. In other cases, they become corpses during the day and can be put to rest with a stake or nail through the heart. So the modern werewolf is only a little bit based on the medieval European werewolf, more on the Lon Cheney movie, with a nice blend of the Hungarian and Rumanian werewolf/vampire lore. The bipedal werewolf could be considered a version of the loup-garou (or loogaroo), a Caribbean and Mississippi delta monster much like a demon, lamia, or rakshasa, which takes its name from the French name for a werewolf.

For a fantastic take on medieval alchemy, I like the old d20 books by Penumbra. Mongoose's d20 Testament is shockingly good for folkloric Bible magic.

I've done some freelance work for Legendary Games, who have put out a Mediterranean monsters book, plus Boricubos (Caribbean and Latin America) and other global folklore stuff. You have your muki, your demon horse face women, and other cool stuff.

Y'all are quite big-brained when it comes to history and mythology, and mythological history and the like, I shall indeed admit. I guess that kind of comes with medieval TTRPG expertise territory, probably, but still... credit where it is due.