Cujo from 'Cujo'

It would perhaps not be amiss to point out that he had always tried to be a good dog. He had tried to do all the things his MAN and his WOMAN, and most of all his BOY, had asked or expected of him. He would have died for them, if that had been required. He had never wanted to kill anybody. He had been struck by something, possibly destiny, or fate, or only a degenerative nerve disease called rabies. Free will was not a factor


The massive St. Bernard who ends up a rabid killing machine attacking its own masters, Cujo was a different sort of horror novel for Stephen King, relying on the more mundane elements of possibility rather than the supernatural to drive the suspense. Of course, having a large and rabid dog pin you in a car for some time while in the high heat of summer is pretty scary. It's still one of those scenes I can't watch comfortably for a lot of reasons from the movie version.

Cujo



Cujo the Dog

F: Gd (10)/Ex (20)*
A: Gd (10)
S: Gd (10)*
E: Gd (10)/Ex (20)*
R: Pr (04)/Fe (02)*
I: Gd (10)/Pr (04)*
P: Pr (04)/Fe (02*)

Health: 40/60
Karma: 18/ 8
Popularity: 0/-2 (That large rabid dog up in Castle Rock)
Resources: N/A

Talents:
None

Powers:
None, although Cujo's frenzied state grants him certain power-like effects:
Rabid Dog: Cujo is a rabid St. Bernard, and as such, his mental facilities are failing as the disease begins to take a toll. Ultimate, the rabies will kill Cujo, but as with anything horror-related it will cause him to have certain effects prior to his death:

• 'Iron' Will: Cujo will simply ignore damage, ranging from a simple attack to gunshot wounds with Ex (20) ability. In the novel, Cujo was still attacking after being shot several times, stabbed through the eye, beat with a baseball bat, and other similar effects up to Ex (20) intensity and still keep coming. As such, Cujo takes the damage but takes no stun effects. Cujo can still be slammed for regular intensity. Ironically, if a person has powers such as Animal Communication/Control , Cujo remains silent and may resist their control with a successful Gd (10) intensity FEAT due to his state.
• Diseased: This write-up represents Cujo at his full-blown 'rabid' state, and as such, Cujo is a carrier for rabies. Any individuals who are successfully attacked and bitten by Cujo must make an Endurance FEAT vs. Gd (10) intensity or contract rabies. Rabies treatment is available through most medical centers and hospitals, but it's not a pleasant experience. Individuals who have Gd (10) ranked Resist: Disease or are not able to contract normal disease will not contract rabies.
• Bite: As a dog, Cujo has Ex (20) bite, which inflicts against the Edged Attack Damage as per the rules for normal dogs. Unlike normal dogs, should Cujo successfully get a bite on a target, he begins to grapple them using his Endurance rather than Strength for the purposes of overbearing or taking an opponent down, similar to wrestling. In addition to grappling, Cujo's bite is considered to halve effective body armor up to Ex (20) intensity, and requires opposed strength checks in order to get free.
• Enhanced FASE/Decreased RIP: As you may have noticed, Cujo has two seperate categories of stats, representing the non-rabid/rabid states. Cujo's FASE will increase when at the height of rabies while his RIP decreases. By the time Cujo begins to attack, it is assumed he is beginning the last stages of the disease. As such, Cujo's stats will represent the secondary set of FASERIP (When applicable). In addition, the Judge must make an Endurance FEAT for every day Cujo is active, as the average rabid animal's lifespan is between three days to a week after the 'height' of the disease begins. Cujo's Agility will begin to suffer a -1cs rank every two days after the 'peak', until reaching Fe (2) at which point he will simply stop moving until death.

Contacts:
As an animal, Cujo has no real contacts.

Limitations:
Cujo's animal and rabid state has several key drawbacks:

• Obvious: Cujo is obviously diseased and with the amount of damage done, he's clearly a mess. As such, Cujo is a -2cs reaction bonuses and a +1cs to Intuition to spot something wrong.
• Terminal: Cujo is dying, and as such, has only a short time before rabies kills him.
• vicious: Cujo will seek to attack any creature he encounters, regardless of past connections or affiliations.
• Animal Intelligence: Cujo is very clever for a dog, but still just a dog. As such, Cujo is incapable of certain actions or planning.

Notes:
I used the original write-up for Dogs in the Advanced Judges book as a basis to begin planning Cujo, but with most things Stephen King you need to take things up a little notch. Cujo remains one of the more tragic and frightening antagonists created by King in my opinion.