The Aswang Chronicle

“When the Bakunawa swallows the last moon, the Aswang no longer need to hide. Bang your pots. Light your torches. And pray your babaylan remembers the old words.”

• Elder’s warning, Barrio Dumalag, Panay Island

1. Setting Overview & Tone

High-Concept Pitch: Before the galleons arrived, the Philippine archipelago thrummed with a living spiritual ecosystem. The Diwata—radiant nature spirits dwelling in ancient balete trees, coral reefs, and mountain springs—maintained the harmony of the natural world. The Aswang—a collective term for shape-shifting predators including the self-segmenting Manananggal, the viscera-sucking Tik-Tik, the corpse-replacing Sigbin, and the were-beast Bal-Bal—hunted in the spaces between villages after dark. In the Visayan Islands (Panay, Cebu, Negros, Leyte), communities relied on babaylan spirit-mediums to negotiate between these forces. Now, the great sky-serpent Bakunawa has begun swallowing the moons one by one, and each moonless night stretches the Aswang’s hunting ground wider.

Sensory Pillars:

1. Sight: Bioluminescent plankton painting the shoreline electric blue beneath a moonless sky; the grotesque silhouette of a Manananggal’s upper torso separating from its legs at the waist, bat-like wings unfurling against starlight; the warm amber glow of coconut oil lamps (lampara) flickering inside bamboo and nipa hut windows; an ancient balete tree’s aerial roots cascading like a cathedral of living wood, faintly pulsing with Diwata light.
2. Sound: The distinctive tik-tik-tik clicking sound growing softer as the Aswang draws closer (the sound is an auditory trick: loud means distant, quiet means it is right above you); the rhythmic chanting of a babaylan entering trance over a bamboo drum; the communal banging of pots and pans during a lunar eclipse as villagers try to frighten the Bakunawa into releasing the moon; rooster crows at false dawn followed by an unnatural silence.
3. Touch & Smell: The sharp sting of crushed garlic and salt rubbed along window frames as Aswang wards; the humid, flower-heavy perfume of ylang-ylang groves at dusk; the cold, wet sensation of stepping on a trail of black, tar-like Aswang residue on a forest path; volcanic hot spring water against rain-chilled skin.

The Core Tension: Community vs. Isolation. The Aswang preys on those separated from their kin. Every choice that pulls a character away from community—ambition, secrecy, shame, wanderlust—makes them more vulnerable. The Diwata protect those who honor reciprocal bonds (utang na loob), but their bargains always carry a price.

2. Historical & Mythological Context

The pre-colonial Philippines (roughly before 1521) comprised a vast archipelago of barangay polities—kinship-based communities led by datu chiefs and guided spiritually by babaylan priestesses (and sometimes male asog/bayog spirit-mediums). Trade networks connected the islands to China, Borneo, Java, and the Malay world. The Visayan Islands were particularly renowned for their warrior culture (pintados/tattooed warriors) and rich oral traditions.

Filipino mythology features one of the most elaborate supernatural ecologies in world folklore. The Aswang is not a single creature but an entire taxonomy of shape-shifting predators, each with distinct behaviors, weaknesses, and hunting methods. Diwata (from the Sanskrit devata) are nature spirits of enormous variety—some benevolent, some territorial, all demanding respect. Bathala (the supreme deity), the Bakunawa (moon-eating sea serpent), and the Santelmo (St. Elmo’s fire spirits) populate a cosmology where the spirit world and human world overlap constantly.

Note on Respectful Portrayal: Filipino mythology is a living tradition maintained by Indigenous communities across the archipelago, including the Mangyan, Lumad, Igorot, and many others. The babaylan tradition, in particular, holds deep cultural significance as a model of spiritual leadership that historically included gender-diverse practitioners. This setting draws from widely shared folklore with reverence for Filipino cultural heritage and the ongoing work of Filipino scholars and storytellers who preserve these narratives.

3. Core Factions & Traditions

The Babaylan Circle (Spirit-Mediums of the Diwata)

Healers, seers, and negotiators between the human and spirit worlds. The babaylan occupies the most respected spiritual role in pre-colonial Visayan society.

• Cultural Association: Masters of herbal medicine (hilot), spirit invocation, funerary rites, and community counsel. They communicate with ancestral spirits (anito) and Diwata through trance, dance, and ritual offering. Historically, babaylan included women and gender-diverse individuals (asog/bayog).
• Descriptor Examples:
  • “The Diwata of the old balete tree on the hill speaks to me in my grandmother’s voice”
  • “I can read a person’s spiritual sickness by the way their shadow falls at noon”
  • “My hilot healing hands have delivered every child in three barrios for twenty harvest seasons”

The Pintados (Tattooed Warriors)

Elite warriors of the Visayan datu courts, their bodies covered in elaborate tattoo patterns (batok) that serve as both war record and spiritual armor.

• Cultural Association: Masters of the kampilan (long single-edged sword), kris (wavy-bladed dagger), and kalasag (wooden shield). Their tattoos are earned through acts of valor and are believed to carry protective spiritual power. They serve as the martial arm of the barrio, hunting Aswang and defending trade routes.
• Descriptor Examples:
  • “Every tattoo line on my arms is a battle survived; every pattern on my chest is a creature slain”
  • “My kampilan was forged by a Diwata-blessed smith and holds its edge against Aswang hide”
  • “I can track a Manananggal back to its lower half before sunrise”

The Aswang Clans (The Hidden Hunger)

Not all Aswang are mindless predators. Some maintain a tortured humanity, forming hidden clans that survive by feeding on animals or the already-dead, struggling against the curse that drives them toward human prey.

• Cultural Association: Shape-shifters who can appear as ordinary villagers by day. Different Aswang types include the Manananggal (self-segmenting winged predator), the Tik-Tik (tongue-extending roof stalker), the Sigbin (shadow hound), and the Bal-Bal (corpse thief). Some seek cures; others embrace the hunger.
• Descriptor Examples:
  • “I have kept the hunger at bay for three years by feeding only on wild boar hearts”
  • “The separation hurts every single time, like tearing my soul in half at the waist”
  • “I know which herbs slow the transformation, but nothing stops it forever”

4. Unique Mechanic: Loob (Inner Self)

Filipino psychology traditionally centers on the concept of Loob (literally “inside”)—the inner self that encompasses one’s moral character, emotional depth, and spiritual integrity. In this setting, Loob functions as both a resource and a vulnerability.

Characters track a Loob Meter (1-6):

• 1-2 (Hollow / Walang Loob): The character’s inner light has dimmed. Aswang sense this vulnerability and are drawn to the character. Presence and Mind rolls involving spiritual matters suffer -1d6. The character cannot invoke ancestral protection. However, the character gains +1d6 to Force rolls born from desperation.
• 3-4 (Steady / Mabuting Loob): The character is spiritually balanced. They can communicate with minor Diwata and sense the presence of Aswang within a scene. Spending 1 Loob point allows a one-time ancestral invocation: reroll all dice in a single roll and keep the better result.
• 5-6 (Radiant / Magandang Loob): The character’s inner light is powerful. +1d6 to Presence and Mind. Aswang cannot approach within arm’s reach without suffering a Condition. The character can channel Diwata blessings (heal one Condition per scene). However, this radiance makes stealth impossible in the spirit world—every supernatural entity in the area knows exactly where you are.

Recovering Loob: Performing acts of genuine community service (bayanihan), honoring promises (utang na loob), participating in communal feasts, or reconciling with estranged kin restores 1 Loob per significant act. Isolation, betrayal, broken promises, and selfish ambition reduce Loob.

5. Character Archetypes

Archetype 1: The Babaylan of Barrio Dumalag

• Concept: A revered spirit-medium who has served her coastal barrio for decades, maintaining the delicate peace between the Diwata of the mangrove forest and the fishing families who depend on the sea. With the Bakunawa’s return, she faces threats her training never prepared her for.
• Quote: “The spirits are not our servants, and we are not theirs. We are neighbors. And neighbors help each other when the dark comes.”
• Suggested Descriptors: “Thirty years of communion with the mangrove Diwata”, “Hilot healer whose hands can feel sickness through skin”, “Keeper of the old songs that calm the sea during storms”, “Every fisherfolk family in the barrio owes me a life-debt for a child I delivered”.
• Drive: “Protect my barrio through the moonless nights, no matter the cost to myself.”
• Flaw: “I carry a secret: I once bargained away something precious to a Diwata, and the debt is coming due.”
• Approach Distribution: Force 1 | Finesse 1 | Mind 3 | Presence 3

Archetype 2: The Last Pintado of Cebu

• Concept: One of the few remaining tattooed warriors who still practices the old martial traditions. His body is a living history—every batok pattern earned in battle against Aswang, pirates, and rival datu forces. He hunts Manananggal the way his grandfather taught him: find the lower half before dawn and fill it with salt.
• Quote: “You want to kill a Manananggal? Stop chasing the wings. Find the legs.”
• Suggested Descriptors: “Body covered in earned batok war-tattoos that glow faintly near Aswang”, “Master of kampilan sword and kalasag shield techniques”, “Can track a Tik-Tik by the volume of its clicking—the quieter it gets, the closer it is”, “Veteran of twelve moonless night hunts”.
• Drive: “Hunt every Aswang that threatens the sleeping, and teach the young warriors before my art dies with me.”
• Flaw: “My pride in the old ways makes me dismiss new allies and unfamiliar strategies.”
• Approach Distribution: Force 3 | Finesse 3 | Mind 1 | Presence 1

Archetype 3: The Cursed Fisher of Siquijor

• Concept: A young fisher from Siquijor Island (the “Island of Sorcery”) who was bitten by an Aswang and now carries the early stages of the shape-shifting curse. She can feel the hunger growing each moonless night but refuses to surrender to it. She seeks the babaylan who might know a cure—or at least a way to use the curse against the creatures that gave it to her.
• Quote: “I can feel my ribs wanting to separate. I can feel the wings folded behind my shoulder blades. But I am still me. I am still me.”
• Suggested Descriptors: “Siquijor-born, where even the trees practice sorcery”, “Can sense other Aswang by the shared frequency of the curse”, “Expert night-fisher who navigates by bioluminescence”, “The transformation grants inhuman reflexes but costs a piece of my humanity each time”.
• Drive: “Find a cure before the next full moon, or learn to weaponize the curse against the Aswang who infected me.”
• Flaw: “Every use of the curse’s gifts brings me closer to losing myself entirely.”
• Approach Distribution: Force 2 | Finesse 3 | Mind 1 | Presence 2

6. Condition Palette

Physical Conditions:

• Minor: Salt-Burned Hands (from handling Aswang wards), Exhaustion from Night Watch, Tropical Fever Onset.
• Moderate: Manananggal Claw Rakes, Tik-Tik Tongue Lash Wound, Kampilan Cut.
• Severe: Partially Separated (the Aswang curse begins splitting your body), Bakunawa Venom (spiritual poison from proximity to the moon-serpent), Drowned by Sirena (pulled under by a freshwater mermaid spirit).

Social Conditions:

• Minor: Whispered About (the barrio suspects you of being Aswang), Debt Unpaid (broken utang na loob obligation).
• Moderate: Exiled from the Barrio (cast out by the datu council), Diwata Offended (a nature spirit has withdrawn its protection from your family).
• Severe: Declared Aswang (the community has marked you for hunting), Ancestral Spirits Silenced (your anito refuse to answer).

Psychological Conditions:

• Minor: Tik-Tik Paranoia (you hear clicking sounds everywhere), Moon-Grief (melancholy from the Bakunawa’s predation).
• Moderate: Hunger Whispers (the Aswang curse tempts you with visions of feeding), Diwata Madness (overexposure to the spirit world blurs reality).
• Severe: Loob Shattered (your inner self has fragmented—you act on impulse and instinct without moral compass), The Separation Dream (you dream every night of your body splitting apart and cannot tell if you are awake or asleep).

7. Starter Scenario: The Seven Nights of the Swallowed Moon

Framing: The Bakunawa has swallowed six of the seven moons. Tonight, it comes for the last one. The barrio of Dumalag on western Panay Island prepares for a night of total darkness—the first in living memory. The babaylan has received a vision: a Diwata of the ancient balete tree at the barrio’s edge will lend its power to drive the Bakunawa back, but only if the barrio can survive until dawn without losing a single soul to the Aswang who will flood the darkness. The problem: someone in the barrio is already an Aswang, and the babaylan cannot determine who.

3-Layer Scene Design:

1. Immediate Threat: A Manananggal has separated and is circling above the barrio’s birthing hut, where a woman is in labor. The Tik-Tik clicking sound fills the air, growing quieter—it is directly overhead. The characters must protect the mother and child while the torches gutter in an unnatural wind.

2. Ticking Clock: The Bakunawa will complete its swallow of the final moon in 5 beats. Each beat, the darkness deepens and another Aswang type emerges: Beat 1 (Tik-Tik scouts), Beat 2 (Sigbin shadow-hounds), Beat 3 (Bal-Bal corpse-thieves at the burial ground), Beat 4 (a full Manananggal assault), Beat 5 (the Bakunawa itself passes overhead, and any character with Loob below 3 must resist its psychic pull).

3. Opportunity: The ancient balete tree Diwata will amplify the babaylan’s power enough to force the Bakunawa to disgorge one moon—but the ritual requires three items placed at its roots before dawn: a kampilan freely given by a warrior, a tear shed by an Aswang who remembers love, and a song that has never been sung before.

Antagonist: Inang Dilim (“Mother Darkness”) — An elder Manananggal who has lived secretly in the barrio for generations, feeding only on livestock. The Bakunawa’s arrival has driven her to desperate hunger, and she can no longer resist the pull toward human prey. She is someone’s beloved grandmother.

• Traits: Self-segmenting flight, elongated tongue, hypnotic gaze, vulnerability to salt/garlic/holy oil/stingray tail whip, cannot reunite with her lower half if it is destroyed or filled with salt/ash.
• Condition Track: ☐ Wings Clipped (grounded but lower half mobile) / ☐ Lower Half Salted (cannot reunite, weakening) / ☐ Dawn Approaches (desperate, willing to bargain) / ☐ Destroyed or Redeemed (player choice).
• Shadow Cost: If the players destroy Inang Dilim without attempting redemption, every character present loses 1 Loob. If they find a way to remind her of her humanity before dawn, the Diwata’s ritual requirement for “a tear shed by an Aswang who remembers love” is fulfilled.

8. Why This Setting Matters

Filipino mythology is one of the richest and most underrepresented supernatural traditions in tabletop gaming. The Aswang alone comprises a taxonomy of creatures more varied and psychologically complex than most entire monster manuals. But the deeper power of this setting lies in its core values: bayanihan (communal unity), utang na loob (debts of the inner self), and the conviction that the boundary between the human and spirit worlds is not a wall but a living, breathing membrane that requires constant, respectful negotiation. In a genre often dominated by European Gothic and East Asian horror, Filipino dark folklore offers something genuinely different: horror rooted not in isolation and dread, but in the terror of losing your connection to community—because in the Philippine spirit world, to be alone is to be prey.