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Also Known As: Faun, Lake Worth Monster (Texas), Pope Lick Monster (Kentucky), Satyr
Description: The goatman is a bipedal humanoid resembling the faun or satyr of ancient mythology. He has the lower body of a goat and the upper body of a man with ram’s horns growing out of his head. The creature’s size varies from one report to the next, ranging from 4’ tall up to as large as 12’, but all goatmen encountered by M-Forcers have been between 6 and 8 feet tall. Most are reported to make high-pitched squealing noises when agitated.
BMA Classification: Although there is considerable debate as to the goatman’s origin, it is hostile to humans and therefore classified as a monster by the Bureau of Monster Affairs.
Powers: The goatman’s most potent power is its ability to cause irrational fear in humans. It can also leap great distances. They normally attack with large axes, but have been known to use other weapons. They have also been known to throw objects, including rocks, tires, and dogs at their targets.
Vulnerabilities: Goatmen can be killed with standard weapons. If theories that the creature is extra-dimensional in origin are true, goatmen may also be vulnerable to the typical defenses against fairies or demons. Since M-Force has not had a chance to test these theories, heavy firepower is the recommended method of dealing with goatmen.
Biology and Habitat: Most goatmen live in rural areas on the outskirts of cities and towns, often in caves, and seem to have an affinity for hunting on lovers lanes and near railroad bridges. While they do regularly kill humans, it is unclear whether they eat their victims. They often mutilate pets and livestocks, but rarely eat them. Very little else is known about goatmen.
There many different theories on the origin of goatmen: that they are fairy creatures, that they are demonic in origin and are brought to earth through dark magic, and even that they are the offspring of unnatural relations between humans and goats. Perhaps the most ludicrous tale claims that the Maryland goatman was created by government scientists at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center. Most researchers believe that they are extra-dimensional in origin (though whether they are fairies or demons is disputed), citing the lack of sightings of females or young and the fact that they are always encountered alone. Their ability to cause fear and the fact that they tend to haunt “make-out” spots lead many to believe that they are the same or similar creatures as the satyrs of Greek mythology.
Sightings:
- The first well-known American goatman was the creature known as the “Pope Lick Monster,” who was regularly seen near the Pope Lick Creek railroad bridge in Louisville, Kentucky during the 1940s and 1950s. Sightings of the creature tapered off in the late 1950s, but still occur from time to time. A documented sighting by members of M-Force took place in 1987, but agents were unable to kill the creature. Subsequent investigations have failed to turn up evidence of the monster.
- In 1957, several people in Prince George’s County, Maryland reported encounters with a goatman. In 1962, a goatman in the same area killed 14 hikers, and was destroyed by M-Force agents shortly thereafter. Goatman sightings persist in the area, but the lack of reliable evidence leads most people to believe that these are false sightings fueled by urban legends about the actual events.
- In 1969, a creature resembling the goatman, but described as having scales and gills, was reported around Lake Worth, Texas. Sightings continue to the present day, but so far M-Force has had no luck in locating the creature, so whether this is some kind of aquatic variation on the goatman or some other creature entirely is unknown. Goatmen have also been reported near Waco and Dallas.
- In the winter of 1983, M-Forcers killed a goatman in Washington state’s Clearwater National Forest.
- In 1997, a group of hunters reportedly killed a goatman in Amherstburg, Ontario, Canada.
Goatmen have also been reported in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, and Michigan, but all of these sightings remain unconfirmed and their reliability varies wildly.
Additional Information: Goatmen seem to especially dislike dogs, which they frequently decapitate and, as noted above, have been reported to use as missile weapons.
Body: 15
Brain: 10
Nerve: 12
Job: Wildman (13)
Gimmick: Jumping (10); Cause Fear (16)–This ability affects all creatures within 500 feet of the goatman. The goatman makes a Gimmick roll and everyone within range resists with a Nerve roll. If the goatman wins, the target runs away at top speed for a number of rounds equal to the difference in the rolls. If the target cannot run away, he is paralyzed with fear instead. This ability may only be used once per scene.
Weakness: None
Skills: Axe +3, Pan Pipes +2, Dancing +1
Armor Rating: 2
Damage Bonus: +1 (Kick); +2 (Headbutt/Gore)
HP: 20
Yum Yums: 2
Note: It’s up to the GM whether the goatman is a fairy or demon. If so, the monster will have the appropriate vulnerabilities (such as the fairy’s vulnerability to iron) and perhaps additional abilities. The stats above represent an average-sized goatman. For smaller or larger creatures, the GM should adjust physical statistic accordingly.
