Mystery Monsters is a free to download 33-page collection of encounters from Rafael Chandler.
It’s available from DriveThruRPG, black and white, easy to read on a small screen and lightweight.
The download contains puzzles, rather than monsters, as a primary mystery.
The first way to use Mystery Monsters is as a 1 to 3 player game in which you have to solve the puzzles. That should take around an hour, and the answers are printed backwards at the back of the PDF. That’s a handy trick which works well to avoid spoilers.
You can also use the book as a GM looking for riddles and encounters for your players.
One puzzle called The Adumbration, challenges;
This creature is made of guilt, fear, and uncertainty. It takes things away, wherever it might go. The Adumbration spreads vast wings of death and soars above the world; it flies without life. Over frozen plains it slices through the sky, casting its icy shadow upon towns without snow. The Adumbration’s eyes are like eldritch lanterns. Smaller creatures seek rest from a stare. Sometimes, it grows hungry. With its gigantic talons, it will remove the seal from lakes. The monster frightens all who gaze upon it, and always subtracts asides from the disease.
In total, there are 12 puzzles.
While I note the disconnect in style between the cover and contents, it’s hard to say anything negative about a free sourcebook! Having a set of RPG-appropriate challenges on your laptop is also convenient for that awkward session where you need something quickly.
