Sandy petersens cthulhu mythos (1) 385

In attacking, the proto-shoggoth typically bursts through its human skin in a surprise move, spraying itself over its intended target, and trying to suffocate and otherwise kill Afterwards, it may gut the target, wearing its victim’s body as a shell to begin the masquerade anew Ecology The term “proto-shoggoth” is something of a misnomer It is indeed a creature formed from shoggoth-like protoplasm, albeit far more delicate It is less toxic and much weaker proportionally than a true shoggoth, and it also lacks the same mutational power However, because of its greater “liquidity,” a proto-shoggoth is capable of holding a shape and masquerading as a human, at least when contained within tough clothing and the husk of a living creature By contrast, with its power, heat, and consumptive enzymes, a true shoggoth would rapidly break through a borrowed skin Some wicked scholars find this characteristic of a proto-shoggoth immensely useful, and they apply arcane and biological science toward creating and domesticating these entities A proto-shoggoth is unable to maintain as large a size as a true shoggoth, and is rarely more than a few hundred kilograms in mass It does not have the brute strength of a shoggoth, and while it can strangle or burn an enemy, it does so less quickly and efficiently On the other hand, it can easily squeeze through a pipe or under a door, and it can also mimic the humanoid vocal apparatus with amazing accuracy 378