When the monster is a hoax

The progression system is still in the works, but in the meanwhile I got thinking about hoaxes.

When we are presented with a rampaging werewolf or a bloodthirsty vampire in most games, we simply accept them at face value and proceed to kill the fiend to end their reign of terror. But if we are perfectly honest, even in your most stereotypical fantasy setting there would be people who try to benefit from the fact that monsters actually exist. One could argue that hoaxes would be even more commonplace in a setting where its common knowledge that you have a chance of turning into a ghost when you die.

From this I made up a Scooby-Doo-esque 3d8 table for rolling your own hoaxers for your fantasy RPGs. The monsters here are drawn from the classical movie monster list, his ensures that everyone in your game has at least heard about the monsters. It also means that since their powers can vary wildly, your players cannot disprove that the monster couldn't be real until the final reveal. If your world already features said monster, but they are friendly and generally not harmful, consider making your hoax monster come out as a dangerous and more powerful variant.

Hoaxers are usually linked to a place and have a motivation within said place. In this case you should determine if the hoaxer uses the rolled location as a base of operations or if that place is where the hoax takes place. These tables are after all meant to be inspiration for the hoaxer, and can be adapted in whatever ways you see fit.

The Location (1d8):

1. Abandoned basement

2. Haunted house/mansion

3. Important city building that has fallen to disrepair

4. Dark alleyways of the city

5. Local forest/cave

6. Local ruins/abandoned keep

7. Old lighthouse

8. Crashed ship on the shore

The Monster (1d8)

1. Ghost, poltergeist or any other spiritual entity

2. Vampire, there are too many varieties to even count

3. Werewolf, or any other were-creature

4. Risen dead (ghoul/mummy/skeleton/zombie)

5. Constructed monster (Frankenstein's Monster)

6. Supernatural murderer (Spring-heeled Jack)

7. Beast-person (Like the horrible chinchilla man!)

8. The monster is real! Or the hoax is just very elaborate. Roll again either way to determine the monster. If you roll this multiple times, the hoax can be almost perfect, or the monster is a more powerful variant of the real thing. This is mostly to make sure your players can get caught off-guard. Combined with certain motives the real monster might not even be villainous.

The Hoaxers Goal (1d8)

1. Get their loved one (Try to seduce them as a vampire or just kidnap them)

2. Murder someone under the disguise

3. Rob someone under the disguise

4. Extract some precious material from the site

5. Keep people away form their property with drastic measures

6. Teach a lesson to someone (Show that the local sherif is not as fearless as they claim to be, for example)

7. Make people believe they are a monster. They are simply wannabes with no criminal intent.

8. Nothing, the hoaxer is just not right in the head. They really believe that they are the monster. If the monster is real, the monster thinks that they are just a regular person and try to work their way to normal life.

The hoaxer may also have allies, but the GM should decide how and when to implement them. These are mostly needed when the hoax is too time consuming for the hoaxer to actually commit the crime themselves (they need workers to extract the ore from the haunted plotonium mine while they scare away the intruders). Sometimes the hoax might be a part of a huge operation run by a criminal mastermind. Other times the actual monsters are behind the hoax and want the hoaxer to be found out, so they can lure the heroes/city into a false sense of security. If you wish to have some allies or organisation behind the hoax, roll from the following table as well, or make up a group of your own.

Who's Behind the Hoax (1d8)

1. Family business. The hoaxer was either sent by a powerful family or belongs to one.

2. Thieve's guild. Or any other equivalent in the setting, using the hoax to further their criminal goals.

3. Ancient conspiracy. Either the hoax is a cover up or they are using it to conduct shady business.

4. Actual monsters. They are using the hoax as a cover up and are trying to get him caught. Decide yourself is the hoaxer is a paid minion or an unwitting pawn.

5. Monster wannabes. Group of people who are just obsessed with a certain monster and do things while dressed as one. The group itself is not necessarily criminal, but this person could be.

6. Fantasy supervillains. Monster themed group of fantasy supervillains. Their powers and abilities are either based around a particular monster theme or they are that monster for real.

7. Occult cult. They have magical abilities they use to make the hoax more believable and are using the hoax to further their own goals. Ritualistic sacrifice or gaining unobtainium are common ones.

8. Group of friends. Sometimes the monster hoax does not have an evil conspiracy or cult backing it up. They are simply a group of friends who are using the hoax to make a quick buck or make a fool of someone.

For further reading on how these things are used in various media, I'd suggest you give a read to the TV tropes wiki page on it: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ScoobyDooHoax