Fate's Domain/Bestiary

Player's Guide

Bestiary

DM's Guide

The world of Fate's Domain has many wild and weird dangers to contest, many of them documented here.

Basilisk

STR: +0 DEX: +2 CON: +2 INT: +0 WIS: +2 CHA: +1

Hit Points: 26 each, +2 per additional level. Skills: Basilisks have training in Stealth and Survival. Attacks: Sharp Claws (+3), Sharp Teeth (+2) Defence: 5 Initiative: 8 (3 slots)

Crystal Feathers: A basilisk's crystal feathers are a Great (+4) treasure. Large Size: Basilisks are large in size, meaning they can reach places that others might not be able to reach, intimidate more easily, lift heavier objects, and carry others on their back with ease. When their size would be a benefit to their action, they gain a +1 bonus to that action. Petrifying Gaze: A basilisk's gaze will turn anything living that it lays its eye on into solid stone over the course of a few seconds. This counts as a curse equal to the basilisk's level +1 for the purposes of curing it. If the basilisk looks into a mirror or a reflective surface, it will turn itself to stone. However, just looking at its own body is not enough, it must look itself in the eye. Rockformed: Reduce all incoming damage by 1. Uncanny Senses: In order to compensate for its eye being so dangerous to open, a basilisk's senses of smell and taste are much more powerful. Whenever a basilisk is hunting, tracking, or locating its prey with its senses, it gains a +2 bonus to that action.

Basilisks are mostly subterranean by nature, since they hatch from long-fossilised eggs, but occasionally can be seen above ground due to landslides, volcanic activity, or mining. They are extremely dangerous to everything around them thanks to their ability to petrify living things into stone with their gaze. Not just animals, but plants too. The lair of a basilisk that lives above ground can sometimes be easily discovered by the presence of nearby stone trees.

A basilisk has a single, solitary eye that is disproportionately large for its head, which it keeps shut most of the time, relying on its senses of smell and taste to get around instead. It has a very long tongue that it uses to probe the air, like a snake does, and discern its environment that way. Basilisks are as large as a horse, and have elements of both lizards and birds about them, walking around on two legs, but capable of running on all fours when sprinting after prey. They have rough, angular feathers that are made of fragile crystal, which are much prized as trophies. Their eye shines like an emerald, glittering and multifaceted, and seem to radiate with a malevolent energy.

If a basilisk is hit with its own gaze, through a mirror or other very reflective surface, they will themselves turn to stone, starting with their eye and radiating out through their body. It is commonly accepted as the easiest way to deal with a basilisk, but should they be dispatched some other way, they will slowly crumble to pieces as if already made of stone, their eye turning to a heap of pale green sand. Exactly what basilisks are, it seems, will forever remain a mystery.

Behemoth

Behemoths are strange, primeval beasts of great size that share similarities with both lizards and birds. They are mostly found in either warm climates, especially the tropics and deserts, or within subterranean areas isolated from the rest of the world. They are an ancient lineage that has existed for thousands of years, unchanged for all that time, and are often tamed and ridden by troglodytes (see entry).

Clubtail

STR: +2 DEX: +0 CON: +2 INT: -2 WIS: -1 CHA: -1

Hit Points: 22 each, +2 per additional level. Skills: Clubtail behemoths have training in Athletics and Survival. Attacks: Clubtail (+4) Defence: 4 Initiative: 2 (1 slot)

Armour Plated: Reduce all incoming physical damage by 2. Large Size: Clubtail behemoths are large in size, meaning they can reach places that others might not be able to reach, intimidate more easily, lift heavier objects, and carry others on their back with ease. When their size would be a benefit to their action, they gain a +1 bonus to that action. Slow: Clubtail behemoths are slow to act, and cannot move fast. When speed would be a benefit to their action, they take a -1 penalty to that action. Tameable: Clubtail behemoths are often tamed by more intelligent creatures, who may outfit them with saddles for riding. When a clubtail behemoth is tamed, it will recognise its tamer and their allies as being kin, and it will act as directed by them. A Survival check that beats 4 + Wis will convert a tamed clubtail behemoth to recognise the one who made the check and their allies as being kin instead. This check takes a -2 penalty if any of the original tamers are still in the vicinity.

Clubtail behemoths (also called ankylosaurs) are large, stocky behemoths that are covered in thick armour plates from head to tail. As well as having blunt defensive horns that protect their head, they also have thick bone clubs at the end of their tails, giving them their name. These clubs are durable enough to smash through rock and bend metal, making them much prized as living siege engines.

Leatherwing

STR: -1 DEX: +2 CON: +0 INT: -2 WIS: -1 CHA: -1

Hit Points: 10 each, +2 per additional level. Skills: Leatherwing behemoths have training in Athletics and Survival. Attacks: Sharp Teeth (+2) Defence: 4 Initiative: 4 (1 slot)

Large Size: Leatherwing behemoths are large in size, meaning they can reach places that others might not be able to reach, intimidate more easily, lift heavier objects, and carry others on their back with ease. When their size would be a benefit to their action, they gain a +1 bonus to that action. Tameable: Leatherwing behemoths are often tamed by more intelligent creatures, who may outfit them with saddles for riding. When a leatherwing behemoth is tamed, it will recognise its tamer and their allies as being kin, and it will act as directed by them. A Survival check that beats 4 + Wis will convert a tamed leatherwing behemoth to recognise the one who made the check and their allies as being kin instead. This check takes a -2 penalty if any of the original tamers are still in the vicinity. Wings: A leatherwing behemoth has powerful wings, and can fly when not in a confined space as long as those wings are unharmed.

Leatherwing behemoths (also called pterosaurs) are the only flying behemoth, and also the only behemoth that is not a herbivore. They eat fish primarily, but will also extend their diet to large insects and amphibians. For this reason they roost by water sources, especially coastal regions and swamps. They are better gliders than they are fliers, but can still take to the air under their own power when needed.

Longneck

STR: +3 DEX: -1 CON: +3 INT: -2 WIS: -1 CHA: -1

Hit Points: 30 each, +2 per additional level. Skills: Longneck behemoths have training in Athletics and Survival. Attacks: Whiptail (+3) Defence: 5 Initiative: 1 (2 slots)

Giant: A longneck behemoth can target any number of opponents with its attacks as long as they are within the same zone, with no penalty. They also deal additional damage on every attack equal to their Strength. Huge Size: Longneck behemoths are large in size, meaning they can reach places that others might not be able to reach, intimidate more easily, lift heavier objects, and carry others on their back with ease. When their size would be a benefit to their action, they gain a +2 bonus to that action. Slow: Longneck behemoths are slow to act, and cannot move fast. When speed would be a benefit to their action, they take a -1 penalty to that action. Tameable: Longneck behemoths are often tamed by more intelligent creatures, who may outfit them with saddles for riding. When a longneck behemoth is tamed, it will recognise its tamer and their allies as being kin, and it will act as directed by them. A Survival check that beats 4 + Wis will convert a tamed longneck behemoth to recognise the one who made the check and their allies as being kin instead. This check takes a -2 penalty if any of the original tamers are still in the vicinity. Tough Skin: Reduce all incoming physical damage by 1.

Longneck behemoths (also called brontosaurs) are the largest behemoth by far, at least twice the size of any other, if not bigger. They like to browse on treetops by using the long necks that give them their name, but will also stoop down to graze on grass and bushes if there is no alternative. They have voracious appetites and are rather ponderous, moving and reacting slowly. Their primary defence is their long, whip-like tail.

Shieldback

STR: +2 DEX: +0 CON: +1 INT: -2 WIS: -1 CHA: -1

Hit Points: 18 each, +2 per additional level. Skills: Shieldback behemoths have training in Athletics and Survival. Attacks: Spiketail (+4) Defence: 4 Initiative: 2 (1 slot)

Large Size: Shieldback behemoths are large in size, meaning they can reach places that others might not be able to reach, intimidate more easily, lift heavier objects, and carry others on their back with ease. When their size would be a benefit to their action, they gain a +1 bonus to that action. Slow: Shieldback behemoths are slow to act, and cannot move fast. When speed would be a benefit to their action, they take a -1 penalty to that action. Tameable: Shieldback behemoths are often tamed by more intelligent creatures, who may outfit them with saddles for riding. When a shieldback behemoth is tamed, it will recognise its tamer and their allies as being kin, and it will act as directed by them. A Survival check that beats 4 + Wis will convert a tamed shieldback behemoth to recognise the one who made the check and their allies as being kin instead. This check takes a -2 penalty if any of the original tamers are still in the vicinity. Tough Skin: Reduce all incoming physical damage by 1.

Shieldback behemoths (also called stegosaurs) have a row of large, shield-like bony plates that run in two parallel lines down their back all the way to their tail, which itself is tipped with four curved spikes. Their rear legs are longer than their forelegs, letting them pivot around to keep their tail weapon pointed at any threat they come across. Due to the plates on their back, riders need to position themselves on the behemoth's side instead, usually using cargo on the opposing side to act as a counterweight.

Threehorn

STR: +2 DEX: +0 CON: +1 INT: -2 WIS: -1 CHA: -1

Hit Points: 16 each, +2 per additional level. Skills: Threehorn behemoths have training in Athletics and Survival. Attacks: Horns (+3) Defence: 4 Initiative: 2 (1 slot)

Charge: When a threehorn behemoth makes an attack, it can choose move up to 2 zones before doing so. If it does, it deals an additional 3 damage. Large Size: Threehorn behemoths are large in size, meaning they can reach places that others might not be able to reach, intimidate more easily, lift heavier objects, and carry others on their back with ease. When their size would be a benefit to their action, they gain a +1 bonus to that action. Slow: Threehorn behemoths are slow to act, and cannot move fast. When speed would be a benefit to their action, they take a -1 penalty to that action. Tameable: Threehorn behemoths are often tamed by more intelligent creatures, who may outfit them with saddles for riding. When a threehorn behemoth is tamed, it will recognise its tamer and their allies as being kin, and it will act as directed by them. A Survival check that beats 4 + Wis will convert a tamed threehorn behemoth to recognise the one who made the check and their allies as being kin instead. This check takes a -2 penalty if any of the original tamers are still in the vicinity. Tough Skin: Reduce all incoming physical damage by 1.

Threehorn behemoths (also called triceratops) are bulky, with a shield-like crest around their head, along with the three large horns that give them their name: one at the end of the snout, and one above each eye. They use these for jousting with each other as much as they do for defence. The older they get, the larger and more fragile the crest becomes, so energetic youths are more prized as mounts, for being more durable and more willing to charge against the enemy.

Construct

Constructs are animated objects that have spirit within them, and only operate by means of complex semi-arcane gears and mechanisms that give them the semblance of life. Each one, no matter how big or how small, is driven by a brass engine that works as both heart and mind. Most often they are used as guardians, as they require no food or water to sustain them, and they also never sleep.

Clockroach

STR: +0 DEX: +1 CON: +0 INT: -1 WIS: +0 CHA: -1

Hit Points: 20 per fifty, +1 per additional level. Skills: Clockroaches have training in Athletics and Stealth. Attacks: Static Shock (+3) Defence: 4 Initiative: 5 (2 slots per fifty)

Bottled Lightning: A clockroach's attacks deal lightning damage. Additionally, clockroaches are immune to lightning damage. Construct: Clockroaches are constructs, objects that mimic life. They do not need to eat, drink, breathe, or sleep. They do not have to worry about starvation, thirst, suffocation, ageing, disease, or poison. Other conditions and effects will effect them as normal. Swarm: Clockroaches move and act in swarms of great number. They count as their own zone in combat, and any damage done against them also damages anything within that zone. When making an attack, they will automatically pull any target into their zone on a hit. Anyone within their zone must make an Athletics check to escape. They gain a +1 bonus to all actions for each additional fifty members of the swarm. Tiny Size: Clockroaches are tiny in size, meaning they can get through places that others might not be able to fit through, hide themselves more easily, and dodge large and clumsy foes. When their size would be a benefit to their action, they gain a +2 bonus to that action. Wall-Walking: A clockroach can walk on any surface, including walls and ceilings, without needing to make a check or suffering any penalty.

Clockroaches are tiny, insect-like constructs that are used for custodial duties. Using strength of numbers, they clean very efficiently, capable of moving debris and scouring stubborn stains with a powerful electrical current. However, what they deem as "debris" and "stains" is subject to the whims of their creators, some of whom are unpleasant individuals.

A clockroach measures four inches from end to end, with six jointed legs ending in sharp points that they use to cling to walls and, occasionally, people. They have beetle-like shells and three long, spring-like antennae that they use to communicate, allowing them to effectively work together as a group. If you put one close to your ear, you will be able to hear the high-pitched whirring of their internal systems before they electrocute you.

Though mostly found working for living creators, there are clockroach swarms in uninhabited regions, their creators long dead or lost. They may attempt to keep ancient ruins clean and tidy, or they could be completely lost, working tirelessly to try and maintain order in a patch of jungle or some subterranean cave.

Colossus

STR: +4 DEX: -2 CON: +2 INT: -1 WIS: +0 CHA: -1

Hit Points: 40 each, +4 per additional level. Skills: Colossi have no trained skills. Attacks: Hammer (+4), Foot Stomp (+2) Defence: 3 Initiative: 2 (3 slots)

Brass Engine: A colossus's brass engine is a Great (+4) treasure. Construct: Colossi are constructs, objects that mimic life. They do not need to eat, drink, breathe, or sleep. They do not have to worry about starvation, thirst, suffocation, ageing, disease, or poison. Other conditions and effects will effect them as normal. Forged: Reduce all incoming non-physical damage by 2. Additionally, colossi are immune to fire damage. Giant: A colossus can target any number of opponents with its attacks as long as they are within the same zone, with no penalty. They also deal additional damage on every attack equal to their Strength. Huge Size: Colossi are huge in size, meaning they can reach places that others might not be able to reach, intimidate more easily, lift heavier objects, and carry others on their back with ease. When their size would be a benefit to their action, they gain a +2 bonus to that action. Additionally, a colossus can occupy multiple zones at once. Ponderous: A colossi cannot use the same attack twice in succession. Once it has swung its hammer, it must either use its foot stomp, or forgo making an attack at all. Slow: Colossi are slow to act, and cannot move fast. When speed would be a benefit to their action, they take a -1 penalty to that action.

Colossi are rare, because there is little point in making more than one of them for any task. They resemble gigantic bronze statues, blackened and worn by the fierce forging techniques required to make them, and spend much of their time standing motionless by that which they were created to guard. But when activated, they become tireless warriors that will seek to crush anything beneath them.

Though incredibly slow, and by no means agile, colossi make up for that by being incredibly durable and unerringly persistent. Though there are differences across various regions for tradition's sake, many are armed with hammers or other large, two-handed weapons suitable for their size. The impacts of these weapons can shake the ground with ease.

Colossi are most often created to battle against large groups of armed intruders, wearing them down through its solid construction and devastating hammer swings. Individual interlopers who can sneak past its notice are more of a concern, which is why most positions fortified by a colossus will also have several sentinels (see entry) as backup.

Sentinel

STR: +2 DEX: -1 CON: +2 INT: -1 WIS: +0 CHA: -1

Hit Points: 20 each, +3 per additional level. Skills: Sentinels have no trained skills. Attacks: Sword (+3) Defence: 3 Initiative: 4 (1 slot)

Brass Engine: A sentinel's brass engine is a Good (+3) treasure. Construct: Sentinels are constructs, objects that mimic life. They do not need to eat, drink, breathe, or sleep. They do not have to worry about starvation, thirst, suffocation, ageing, disease, or poison. Other conditions and effects will effect them as normal. Forged: Reduce all incoming non-physical damage by 2. Additionally, sentinels are immune to fire damage. Large Size: Sentinels are large in size, meaning they can reach places that others might not be able to reach, intimidate more easily, lift heavier objects, and carry others on their back with ease. When their size would be a benefit to their action, they gain a +1 bonus to that action. Slow: Sentinels are slow to act, and cannot move fast. When speed would be a benefit to their action, they take a -1 penalty to that action.

Sentinels are large, humanoid constructs that resemble heavily armoured individuals wielding sword and shield. At rest they are little more than statues, but when roused into action, they become ruthlessly efficient guards. They work together in small groups to surround interlopers, working patiently and mechanically, waiting for the opportunity to strike.

Designers of vaults and other restricted areas will sometimes set sentinels into alcoves where they can hide from sight, ready to activate when a thief appears. They can be disguised as part of the wall itself, set to hold positions and then painted over to appear as merely ornamental. Other times they are simply sealed away behind secret doors, to allow them to surround their quarry from all sides.

Sentinels from different eras and cultures have wildly different looks, though remain similar within. Some may be brutish and mechanical, others resembling the finest of sculptures. Weaponry can change, too, though the sword and shield combination remains a firm favourite. All these varieties can make it quite difficult to spot sentinels that are hidden in plain sight.

Darrow

STR: +0 DEX: +2 CON: +2 INT: +0 WIS: +2 CHA: +1

Hit Points: 5 each, +2 per additional level. Skills: Darrows have training in Survival and Thievery. Attacks: Sharp Teeth (+3), Harpoon (+2) Defence: 3 Initiative: 3 (1 slot per five)

Aquatic: Darrows are amphibious, able to survive in water or on land equally. They can breathe, move, and fight underwater with no penalties. They gain a +2 bonus to movement actions while underwater. Pack Hunter: Darrows work best in groups. When darrows are in a group of at least five, they gain a +1 bonus to their attacks. This bonus increases to +2 if the group is at least fifty. Servile: Craven and cowardly, darrows will pledge their fealty to anything they view as strong. They will serve their patron faithfully, or at least until they find something that impresses or terrifies them even more. They are weak towards fear effects, taking a -2 penalty against them. Small Size: Darrows are small in size, meaning they can get through places that others might not be able to fit through, hide themselves more easily, and dodge large and clumsy foes. When their size would be a benefit to their action, they gain a +1 bonus to that action.

Darrows are deep-sea dwelling creatures that frequently rise to shallower depths in search of food, often menacing fishing communities or seagoing vessels. They are fishlike in appearance, with bulging faces like an anglerfish, but thin and sinewy limbs like an ape. Though ungainly on land, they are elegant and deadly in the water, surrounding their enemies like piranha and tearing them to shreds. Out of the water, they usually rely on harpoons crafted from driftwood and razor-sharp coral.

They are intelligent enough to communicate, although most of what they do is bargaining with greater powers to serve them. These relationship are temporary at best, because darrows will inevitably desert when the going gets rough. But as long as a darrow feels stronger than their chosen victim, they will press the attack.

Darrows hatch from eggs laid in vast clutches of several hundred, each around the size of a fist, and grow to maturity in approximately six weeks. During that time, they will fight with their siblings constantly, often consuming them even when other food is plentiful. This helps to keep their population in check, which is difficult when all darrows are capable of laying eggs, which they do by ejecting them from the mouth after gorging themselves sufficiently.

Demon

Demons are the prime inhabitants of the demon realms, not so much creatures as they are engines of pure chaos. They have no needs to be sated, save for their thirst for destruction, ageless and only driven by their urge to rend creation into dust. They do not know anything of kindness, love, or gentleness. The only thing that unites them in any way, besides the need to destroy, is their hatred of the hellions (see player guide), who forsook the demon realms and sacrificed their immortality to become people. True demons refer to hellions as "traitors" and "betrayers" if they bother with language at all. Mostly it is just screeching and roaring in agonising rage, furious at a world that still exists despite their best attempts to grind it into nothingness.

Constrictor

STR: +0 DEX: +1 CON: +0 INT: +2 WIS: +1 CHA: +1

Hit Points: 26 each, +3 per additional level. Skills: Constrictor demons have training in Arcana, Intimidate, and Perception. Attacks: Forbidden Magic (+4), Crushing Tendrils (+3) Defence: 4 Initiative: 6 (2 slots)

Demonic Immortality: Constrictor demons are demons, and as demons they are immune to the effects of death. Though able to be corporeally destroyed, they cannot be risen as undead, nor access the realms of the afterlife. Destructive Urges: Constrictor demons will always seek to destroy, even if it means their own destruction. Forbidden Magic: When a constrictor demon uses Forbidden Magic, it can deal a different damage type or impart a different effect (ablaze, frozen) at the demon's whim. Additionally, it may take a -1 penalty to the attack to target everything in a zone. One Hundred Eyes: A constrictor demon has a multitude of eyes, which are covered in protective slime. It cannot be blinded or distracted. Darkness will effect it as normal. Plantlife: Constrictor demons are plants, and so are vulnerable to fire. Any fire damage will do +3 bonus damage, and instantly set it ablaze. Wall-Walking: A constrictor demon can walk on any surface, including walls and ceilings, without needing to make a check or suffering any penalty.

Constrictor demons are among the most intelligent of demons, though still possessed with the unrelenting urge to destroy. Their bodies are formed out of tangled coils that are a hybrid of serpent and plant, fraying into multiple writhing masses of tendrils. They have no discernible features besides clusters of large eyes placed seemingly at random throughout their body.

Something about their form makes them into natural conduits for forbidden arcane power, allowing them to destroy everything they encounter with demonic spells unique to their kind. However, their intelligence often allows them to savour a more personal touch at times. When possible, they will envelop their target with their body and crush it into nothingness, absorbing its essence to fuel their arcane power.

It is conjecture that each constrictor demon is actually just one part of a greater whole, a gargantuan primeval demon formed of uncountable tendrils whose first act of destruction was to tear itself apart. Regardless, they are hard to dispatch. Each of their numerous eyes, slimy and milky in appearance, can act as a seed to regrow their bodies. Even when seemingly completely obliterated, they can still return centuries later.

Locust

STR: +0 DEX: +2 CON: +1 INT: -2 WIS: +1 CHA: +0

Hit Points: 6 each, +2 per additional level. Skills: Locust demons have training in Athletics and Survival. Attacks: Razor Mandibles (+3) Defence: 3 Initiative: 6 (1 slot per ten)

Demonic Immortality: Locust demons are demons, and as demons they are immune to the effects of death. Though able to be corporeally destroyed, they cannot be risen as undead, nor access the realms of the afterlife. Destructive Urges: Locust demons will always seek to destroy, even if it means their own destruction. Grubs: A locust demon's body is literally bursting with grubs. When its body is destroyed, it leaves behind a number of grubs equal to its level + 2. Each grub has one hit point and 2 defence, and can make an attack with its Gnashing Maw (+2). Horde: Locust demons work best in large groups. When locust demons are in a group of at least twelve, they gain a +1 bonus to their attacks. This bonus increases to +2 if the group is at least sixty. Small Size: Locust demons are small in size, meaning they can get through places that others might not be able to fit through, hide themselves more easily, and dodge large and clumsy foes. When their size would be a benefit to their action, they gain a +1 bonus to that action. Wall-Walking: A locust demon can walk on any surface, including walls and ceilings, without needing to make a check or suffering any penalty. Wings: A locust demon has small but effective wings, and can fly as long as those wings are unharmed.

Locust demons share much in common with their namesakes, appearing as humanoid insects with oversized heads and long, spindly legs. They move in a hopping gait, when not flying, and can consume literally anything with their razor-sharp, indestructible mandibles. Where there is one, there are a thousand more, always eating until there is nothing left to eat, at which point they will turn on their own kind while also attempting to move on.

As with all demons, they are immortal, stuck in an endless cycle of rebirth as they are subjected to their own crazed appetite for destruction. As a locust demon consumes, they bud writhing larval forms from their body, which will devour their host-parent upon hatching. But these "offspring" are just the same demons, renewing themselves into fresher corporeal forms.

The exterior carapace of a locust demon is a muddy, mottled green that shines like glass and is slightly translucent. The flesh and liquid beneath is a pale and sickly white. A fully-mature locust demon is around half the size of a typical human, and starting from a grub the size of a hen's egg.

Vandal

STR: +4 DEX: +0 CON: +4 INT: -2 WIS: -2 CHA: +0

Hit Points: 20 each, +3 per additional level. Skills: Vandal demons have training in Athletics and Survival. Attacks: Brute Force (+4) Defence: 3 Initiative: 6 (1 slot per ten)

Demonic Immortality: Vandal demons are demons, and as demons they are immune to the effects of death. Though able to be corporeally destroyed, they cannot be risen as undead, nor access the realms of the afterlife. Destructive Urges: Vandal demons will always seek to destroy, even if it means their own destruction. Extreme Durability: Vandal demons are immune to all effects on their physical forms, such as blindness, poison, disease, and so forth. Large Size: Vandal demons are large in size, meaning they can reach places that others might not be able to reach, intimidate more easily, lift heavier objects, and carry others on their back with ease. When their size would be a benefit to their action, they gain a +1 bonus to that action. Senseless: Reduce all incoming non-physical damage by 2. Weapon Grafts: A slain vandal demon will have at least one weapon of Fair (+2) value as part of its body.

Vandal demons are obsessed with becoming the ultimate engines of destruction through modification of the self, and as such no two look alike. They gleefully tear apart their own flesh and bone to graft on improvements, their immortal nature allowing them to survive even the most grotesque and extreme of these unnecessary surgeries.

As well as stealing body parts from other demons and whatever else they may destroy, vandal demons will use inanimate objects as well. Not just replacing hands with blades, though many do this, but often exchanges bordering on the ridiculous. Exchanging a head for a boulder may seem like suicide, but they do not require any of their natural body to live and thrive, and can quite happily exist with a rock for a head without impeding their ability to think or act.

Part of their eternal lifespan is the cycle of death and rebirth. Eventually a vandal demon's accoutrements become too effective and too grand for the rest of their kind to endure, perhaps out of some kind of jealousy, or simply their desire to destroy. Elder vandal demons are torn to pieces, and these pieces redistributed amongst the rest of their kind. Whatever shreds of their original body reform into a new vandal demon, small and weak, but willing to do whatever it takes to become a true destroyer.

Dragon

STR: +4 DEX: +2 CON: +4 INT: +2 WIS: +2 CHA: +1

Hit Points: 45 each, +5 per additional level. Skills: Dragons have training in Athletics, Intimidate, Perception, and Survival. Attacks: Flame Breath (+5), Claws (+3), Tail (+2) Defence: 7 Initiative: 7 (4 slots)

Fireborn: A dragon's Flame Breath deals fire damage to everything within the same zone. Dragons are immune to fire damage, and gain a +1 bonus to defence while surrounded by fire. Giant: A dragon can target any number of opponents with its Claws and Tail attacks as long as they are within the same zone, with no penalty. They also deal additional damage on every attack with Claws or Tail equal to their Strength. Goldcunning: Dragons are instinctively drawn to precious metals, gemstones, and other items of wealth. The more valuable the item, or the larger the amount, the further away they can detect it. Though walls and other barriers may shorten their sense, nothing can stop it completely except for magical means. Hoarding: A dragon's lair is always full of treasures, with at least one equal to their level + 2. The older a dragon, the larger their hoard. Huge Size: Dragons are huge in size, meaning they can reach places that others might not be able to reach, intimidate more easily, lift heavier objects, and carry others on their back with ease. When their size would be a benefit to their action, they gain a +2 bonus to that action. Additionally, a dragon can occupy multiple zones at once. At level six and higher, their size becomes gargantuan and the bonus increases to +3. Wings: A dragon has powerful wings, and can fly when not in a confined space as long as those wings are unharmed. Wyrmscales: Reduce all incoming physical damage by 2. If the weapon is of Average (+1) rank or below, increase that reduction to 3.

Dragons are huge, winged, fire-breathing behemoths that have cunning to match their destructive potential. They have a reptilian appearance, with thick scales of a metallic sheen, and are always female. They seek to surround themselves with wealth, and will do near anything to ensure a sizeable hoard of their own. Sometimes this drives them to evil and malevolent acts, but no dragon is by nature evil - just greedy.

A dragon's lifespan is approximately six centuries, and in that time they will reproduce six times, usually spaced one century apart. In their lair, they will lay a clutch of eggs, with only one being the real offspring, and the rest containing kobolds instead (see entry). The hatchling will be raised for a few years until maturity, and then will either move out of the lair or be driven out.

The sixth and final offspring of the dragon is referred to as the "ouroboros egg" and is laid when that dragon is dying, but only of natural causes. A slain dragon cannot lay an ouroboros egg. This final hatchling will not leave the lair when she matures, but instead take over, ensuring a direct continuation of the dynasty.

Dragons will often fight with each other over their hoards and territory, since they are solitary in nature, having no need for family or kin beyond their kobolds. There are very few instances of dragons having been known to work together, but it is not impossible, for under their avaricious nature, they are still intelligent enough for rational thought.

A dragon can speak and sing quite beautifully, though they usually keep to roars and snarls when incensed. Above all other forms of word-play and poetry, dragons have a fondness for insults, and can spend months putting together the perfect riposte.

Elemental

Elementals are creatures formed of magic out of the elements of nature. They do the bidding of those who command them, before their time runs out and they return to being inanimate once again. There are ancient battlefields that are littered with the remains of former legions of elementals, now just a wild and deformed landscape that defies the very nature that was harnessed to create it.

Caryatid (Stone Elemental)

STR: +3 DEX: -1 CON: +3 INT: -1 WIS: -1 CHA: +0

Hit Points: 16 each, +2 per additional level. Skills: Caryatids have no trained skills. Attacks: Slam (+4) Defence: 5 Initiative: 4

Elemental: Caryatids are elementals and have no will of their own. They must be summoned and will obey only the commands of their summoner. Giant: At level six and higher, a caryatid can target any number of opponents with its attacks as long as they are within the same zone, with no penalty. They also deal additional damage on every attack equal to their Strength. Large Size: Caryatids are large in size, meaning they can reach places that others might not be able to reach, intimidate more easily, lift heavier objects, and carry others on their back with ease. When their size would be a benefit to their action, they gain a +1 bonus to that action. At level 6 and higher, their size becomes huge and the bonus increases to +2. Slow: Caryatids are slow to act, and cannot move fast. When speed would be a benefit to their action, they take a -1 penalty to that action. Stoneform: Reduce all incoming damage by 2.

Caryatids take the form of giant women who are half sculpture, and half pillar. When summoned, they rise up out of the stone they are called from, shifting anything that was in their way, taking on a form tied to that stone and the will of their summoner. A particularly fierce summoner, for example, may bring about a caryatid sculpted as a warrior in armour. Whatever their form, caryatids are always equally powerful in nature, strong as rock and just as enduring.

Dryad (Wood Elemental)

STR: +2 DEX: +2 CON: +2 INT: -1 WIS: +0 CHA: +0

Hit Points: 16 each, +2 per additional level. Skills: Dryads have no trained skills. Attacks: Spear (+4) or Longbow (+4) Defence: 5 Initiative: 6

Barkskin: Reduce all incoming physical damage by 1. Elemental: Dryads are elementals and have no will of their own. They must be summoned and will obey only the commands of their summoner. Giant: At level six and higher, a dryad can target any number of opponents with its attacks as long as they are within the same zone, with no penalty. They also deal additional damage on every attack equal to their Strength. Large Size: Dryads are large in size, meaning they can reach places that others might not be able to reach, intimidate more easily, lift heavier objects, and carry others on their back with ease. When their size would be a benefit to their action, they gain a +1 bonus to that action. At level 6 and higher, their size becomes huge and the bonus increases to +2. Plantlife: Dryads are plants, and so are vulnerable to fire. Any fire damage will do +3 bonus damage, and instantly set them ablaze.

Dryads appear as women with the ears and the legs of deer, a mane of vines and wildflowers instead of hair, their wooden bodies clad in intricately carved armour made from rugged bark. Often they will carry a spear or a bow, made from the same wood they were summoned from. Though beautiful in form, they are ruthless in nature, and leave behind their own battle-scarred husks as lasting monuments to their ferocity.

Ifrit (Flame Elemental)

STR: +1 DEX: +3 CON: +3 INT: -1 WIS: +0 CHA: +1

Hit Points: 10 each, +2 per additional level. Skills: Ifrits have no trained skills. Attacks: Flame Breath (+4) Defence: 4 Initiative: 6

Elemental: Ifrits are elementals and have no will of their own. They must be summoned and will obey only the commands of their summoner. Fireform: An ifrit is made of fire, and so deals only fire damage with its attacks. It is also immune to fire damage. Additionally, they are vulnerable to cold. Any cold damage will do +3 bonus damage. Giant: At level six and higher, an ifrit can target any number of opponents with its attacks as long as they are within the same zone, with no penalty. They also deal additional damage on every attack equal to their Strength. Large Size: Ifrits are large in size, meaning they can reach places that others might not be able to reach, intimidate more easily, lift heavier objects, and carry others on their back with ease. When their size would be a benefit to their action, they gain a +1 bonus to that action. At level 6 and higher, their size becomes huge and the bonus increases to +2. Insubstantial: Ifrits are made of fire, and are hard to effectively damage. Reduce all incoming physical damage by 2.

Ifrits are creatures of pure fire, resembling something that is half man and half lion. Their mane is a wreath of dancing smoke, half-shrouding the endless inferno that is their existence. They radiate out from their heart, a core of bright, white conflagration that dulls out to a deep red at their extremities, except for their eyes, which are a brilliant blue. While intimidating in appearance, they are physically weak, and must make up for their incorporeal form with cunning and their scorching heat.

Kang Mi (Ice Elemental)

STR: +3 DEX: +0 CON: +2 INT: -1 WIS: +0 CHA: +0

Hit Points: 16 each, +2 per additional level. Skills: Kang Mi have no trained skills. Attacks: Slam (+4) Defence: 5 Initiative: 3

Elemental: Kang Mi are elementals and have no will of their own. They must be summoned and will obey only the commands of their summoner. Freezing Aura: Kang Mi spread an aura of chilling cold around them, which will freeze over nearby ground and water, and also makes them harder to approach. Any close combat attempts against them will take a -1 penalty unless the attacker has cold resistance. Giant: At level six and higher, a kang mi can target any number of opponents with its attacks as long as they are within the same zone, with no penalty. They also deal additional damage on every attack equal to their Strength. Large Size: Kang Mi are large in size, meaning they can reach places that others might not be able to reach, intimidate more easily, lift heavier objects, and carry others on their back with ease. When their size would be a benefit to their action, they gain a +1 bonus to that action. At level 6 and higher, their size becomes huge and the bonus increases to +2. Iceform: A kang mi is made of ice, and so deals only cold damage with its attacks. It is also immune to cold damage. Additionally, they are vulnerable to fire. Any fire damage will do +3 bonus damage.

Kang Mi are ape-like, broad of shoulder with barrel chests and long forearms upon which they knuckle-walk. But their head and hind legs are like those of goats, complete with jagged icicle horns that they use for headbutting their enemies into submission. Snow and frost form a fur-like coating on their back and chest, and also on their hooves, where it spills onto the ground, leaving a trail of frozen prints behind it as it moves.

Mistral (Wind Elemental)

STR: +1 DEX: +3 CON: +1 INT: -1 WIS: +1 CHA: +1

Hit Points: 10 each, +2 per additional level. Skills: Mistrals have no trained skills. Attacks: Gale (+3) Defence: 4 Initiative: 5

Elemental: Mistrals are elementals and have no will of their own. They must be summoned and will obey only the commands of their summoner. Giant: At level six and higher, a mistral can target any number of opponents with its attacks as long as they are within the same zone, with no penalty. They also deal additional damage on every attack equal to their Strength. Large Size: Mistrals are large in size, meaning they can reach places that others might not be able to reach, intimidate more easily, lift heavier objects, and carry others on their back with ease. When their size would be a benefit to their action, they gain a +1 bonus to that action. At level 6 and higher, their size becomes huge and the bonus increases to +2. Insubstantial: Mistrals are made of air, and are hard to effectively damage. Reduce all incoming physical damage by 2. Windwalker: Mistrals can affect the flow of air around them and reshape it as commanded.

Mistrals are hard to see, being formed of pure air, but in cloudy skies their shape becomes apparent. They resemble feathered whales, with broad wings instead of shorter flippers, and despite their size they are fast and agile. As well as being able to slam their incorporeal bodies into their enemies, hitting with the force of a hurricane, they can also shape wind currents by swimming through them, forming tornadoes and storms, or working towards calming them. On occasion, they will sing like thunder, in a deep and rumbling tone that shakes the ground.

Undine (Water Elemental)

STR: +2 DEX: +2 CON: +3 INT: -1 WIS: +0 CHA: -1

Hit Points: 10 each, +2 per additional level. Skills: Undines have no trained skills. Attacks: Waterspout (+4) Defence: 4 Initiative: 3

Elemental: Undines are elementals and have no will of their own. They must be summoned and will obey only the commands of their summoner. Giant: At level six and higher, an undine can target any number of opponents with its attacks as long as they are within the same zone, with no penalty. They also deal additional damage on every attack equal to their Strength. Large Size: Undines are large in size, meaning they can reach places that others might not be able to reach, intimidate more easily, lift heavier objects, and carry others on their back with ease. When their size would be a benefit to their action, they gain a +1 bonus to that action. At level 6 and higher, their size becomes huge and the bonus increases to +2. Insubstantial: Undines are made of water, and are hard to effectively damage. Reduce all incoming physical damage by 2.

Undines appear as jellyfish-like entities formed entirely out of swirling water, frilled with choppy foam, and each of its many tentacles a powerful waterspout. When summoned, they rise up out of the body of water they are called from, at first appearing like a vast bubble, before floating effortlessly above the surface. Their elegance and deceptively gentle appearance bely their capacity for intense fury, just like their element's nature.

Formorian

Formorians are giants who delved too deep and too greedily in the earth of the Faewilds. They despoiled the landscape and enslaved their fellow fey in their quest for material wealth and power. In response, the goddess Lilibet, protector of the Faewilds, struck down their empire and cursed them.

If they wished to dig so much, they would burrow forever. If they craved that which shone, they would shine themselves. If they would make others work for their gain, then they themselves would work without reward. So the formorians became twisted into insectoid forms, becoming ant-like in appearance, and now spend their days digging deep below the surface, toiling endlessly and pointlessly in grand subterranean empires.

Since their cursing ages ago, they have spread from the Faewilds, digging through natural rifts between the realms, ending up in the mortal plane and the Gloom, as well as other, less known corners of the grand cosmos.

Worker

STR: +3 DEX: -1 CON: +1 INT: -1 WIS: +0 CHA: -1

Hit Points: 16 each, +2 per additional level. Skills: Formorian workers have training in Athletics and Survival. Attacks: Acid Spit (+2), Pick-Axe (+3) or Hammer (+3) Defence: 4 Initiative: 3 (1 slot per three)

Carapace: Reduce all incoming physical damage by 2. Large Size: Formorian workers are large in size, meaning they can reach places that others might not be able to reach, intimidate more easily, lift heavier objects, and carry others on their back with ease. When their size would be a benefit to their action, they gain a +1 bonus to that action. Hive-Mind: Being insects, formorian workers are vulnerable to mental attacks. Any psychic damage will do +3 bonus damage, and instantly make them confused. Insect Senses: A formorian worker's senses of smell and taste are very potent. Whenever a formorian worker is hunting, tracking, or locating something with their senses, they gain a +1 bonus to that action. Tunneller: Formorian workers are adept at moving through earth and rock. They can tunnel through loose soil or sand at a comfortable walking pace without having to use tools, but will require tools for anything more solid, like rock. While underground, they are considered to be hidden. Wall-Walking: A formorian worker can walk on any surface, including walls and ceilings, without needing to make a check or suffering any penalty.

Formorian workers are the backbone of the underground empires, working day and night to dig endless tunnels and forage for supplies. They are unmoved by discoveries of precious metals or glittering gems, usually leaving them in waste heaps to be ignored. Instead they prize plain food and water, as that is the fuel which keeps them and the rest of their kind going. The only times they will bring back any sort of inedible material is the basic ores needed to construct their tools: mainly iron, but sometimes copper or tin.

Queen

STR: +0 DEX: -1 CON: +1 INT: +2 WIS: +1 CHA: +2

Hit Points: 18 each, +2 per additional level. Skills: Formorian queens have training in Bluff, Intimidate, and Survival. Attacks: Acid Spit (+3), Slam (+2) Defence: 3 Initiative: 5 (3 slots)

Carapace: Reduce all incoming physical damage by 2. Hive-Mind Controller: Formorian queens have near-absolute control over their formorian subjects. When in the presence of a formorian queen, all other formorians are immune to mental effects (such as confusion or fear) but will take on any mental effect that the queen has. Huge Size: Formorian queens are huge in size, meaning they can reach places that others might not be able to reach, intimidate more easily, lift heavier objects, and carry others on their back with ease. When their size would be a benefit to their action, they gain a +2 bonus to that action. Additionally, a formorian queen can occupy multiple zones at once. Insect Senses: A formorian queen's senses of smell and taste are very potent. Whenever a formorian queen is hunting, tracking, or locating something with their senses, they gain a +1 bonus to that action. Royalty: A formorian queen can summon formorian workers or soldiers to assist her if threatened. Slow: Formorian queens are slow to act, and cannot move fast. When speed would be a benefit to their action, they take a -1 penalty to that action.

Formorian queens are much larger than their servant classes, easily twice the size of their soldiers. They are disinclined to do much of anything besides produce the eggs required to replenish their kind. However, they are quite intelligent and capable of speeech, but are still as selfish and greedy as their ancestors, so conversations with them are never going to be pleasant. They despise material wealth, useless as it is to them, and a reminder of the origins of their curse. They do delight in knowledge and secrets, and enjoy using it as leverage, or often just dangling it like a carrot on a stick for those who would stand against them.

Soldier

STR: +4 DEX: -1 CON: +1 INT: -1 WIS: +0 CHA: -1

Hit Points: 22 each, +2 per additional level. Skills: Formorian soldiers have training in Athletics, Intimidate, and Survival. Attacks: Acid Spit (+2), Halberd (+3) or Whip (+2) Defence: 4 Initiative: 5 (1 slot)

Carapace: Reduce all incoming physical damage by 2. Large Size: Formorian soldiers are large in size, meaning they can reach places that others might not be able to reach, intimidate more easily, lift heavier objects, and carry others on their back with ease. When their size would be a benefit to their action, they gain a +1 bonus to that action. Hive-Mind: Being insects, formorian soldiers are vulnerable to mental attacks. Any psychic damage will do +3 bonus damage, and instantly make them confused. Horde: Formorian soldiers work best in large groups. When formorian soldiers are in a group of at least twelve, they gain a +1 bonus to their attacks. This bonus increases to +2 if the group is at least sixty. Insect Senses: A formorian soldier's senses of smell and taste are very potent. Whenever a formorian soldier is hunting, tracking, or locating something with their senses, they gain a +1 bonus to that action. Wall-Walking: A formorian soldier can walk on any surface, including walls and ceilings, without needing to make a check or suffering any penalty.

Formorian soldiers are the warrior class of the formorian empires, strong and aggressive. They are single-minded brutes who will bring down their full force against anyone or anything that they deem a threat, and sadly their mental facilities are often not precise enough to figure out the difference between one biped and another. Caution, if not avoiding them outright, is recommended.

Gallows Tree

STR: +4 DEX: +0 CON: +2 INT: +2 WIS: +2 CHA: +2

Hit Points: 28 each, +2 per additional level. Skills: Gallows trees have training in Intimidate and Stealth. Attacks: Noosevine (+4) Defence: 4 Initiative: 7 (3 slots)

Barkskin: Reduce all incoming physical damage by 1. Corpsefeeder: A gallows tree regenerates 1 hit point at the start of its turn for every dead body entangled in its roots. Each dead body is fully consumed within 48 hours of being entangled. Giant: A gallows tree can target any number of opponents with its attacks as long as they are within the same zone, with no penalty. They also deal additional damage on every attack equal to their Strength. Huge Size: Gallows trees are huge in size, meaning they can reach places that others might not be able to reach, intimidate more easily, lift heavier objects, and carry others on their back with ease. When their size would be a benefit to their action, they gain a +2 bonus to that action. Additionally, a gallows tree can occupy multiple zones at once. Plantlife: Gallows trees are plants, and so are vulnerable to fire. Any fire damage will do +3 bonus damage, and instantly set them ablaze. Sessile: A gallows tree cannot move from where it is planted, but it can still work to defend against attacks by twisting and bending its trunk. Additionally, it can send out branches and roots into zones it does not occupy, as long as they are adjacent. Slow: Gallows trees are slow to act, and cannot move fast. When speed would be a benefit to their action, they take a -1 penalty to that action. Vines: A gallows tree's vines can be cut off to provide Good (+3) Verdue ❦ source. At level six and higher, this becomes a Great (+4) source instead.

Gallows trees are gigantic, intelligent, carnivorous plants that take the form of large trees with thousands of long, rope-like vines hanging from their branches. They use those vines to ensnare their prey, usually by grabbing them around the neck and choking the life out of them, although often the tree finds amusement in toying with its victims if it has the luxury to do so. The tree will then use its roots to drag the corpse beneath the ground, where it digests it, bones and all.

These malicious entities are often worshipped like gods by mandrakes (see entry), who willingly drag victims back to the tree as tribute, sometimes while still alive. This is mutually beneficial to both mandrakes and gallows trees, as it corrupts the soil to allow more mandrakes to grow, and provides the gallows tree with more food.

A gallows tree is capable of not just speech, but mimicry, and will use this ability to lure in unsuspecting victims, sometimes even mimicking the voices of past victims out of a dark sense of humour. One of the first signs that a gallows tree is nearby is to hear gentle whispers, like the rustling of leaves, that seem to call out for help.

Gargoyle

STR: +2 DEX: -1 CON: +2 INT: +0 WIS: +0 CHA: +0

Hit Points: 12 each, +2 per additional level. Skills: Gargoyles have training in Athletics, Intimidate, and Stealth. Attacks: Stone Claws (+4) Defence: 4 Initiative: 2 (1 slot)

Cursed Object: Gargoyles are objects cursed to mimic life. They do not need to eat, drink, breathe, or sleep. They do not have to worry about starvation, thirst, suffocation, ageing, disease, or poison. Other conditions and effects will effect them as normal. Stoneform: Reduce all incoming damage by 2. Slow: Gargoyles are slow to act, and cannot move fast. When speed would be a benefit to their action, they take a -1 penalty to that action. Wall-Walking: A gargoyle can walk on any surface, including walls and ceilings, without needing to make a check or suffering any penalty. Wings: A gargoyle has powerful wings, and can fly when not in a confined space as long as those wings are unharmed.

Gargoyles are not constructs, although at first the similarities make it hard to discern. However, they have not been made specifically, like a construct. Instead they are ordinary statues that have been cursed into taking a half-life. Though bound to obey their creator, they are quite capable of outlasting them for several centuries, for as long as the curse lasts.

Typical gargoyles are hunched, winged creatures with grotesque faces and sharp claws. These are often favoured by their creators for being vicious and capable of flight, the weight of the stone balanced out by the potency of the curse. However, gargoyles can be any statue cursed to life, including those more beautiful and graceful in appearance.

Because they are not bound to a duty, like constructs, gargoyles can show ingenuity and cunning when necessary, and can even speak when required to, although their stone bodies make it difficult to do so. Reasoning with them can be possible, though often difficult, as the curse that animates them also gives them an inclination towards cruelty and violence.

Hydra

STR: +3 DEX: +1 CON: +5 INT: +0 WIS: +0 CHA: +0

Hit Points: 30 each, +3 per additional level. Skills: Hydras have training in Athletics, Intimidate, Perception, and Survival. Attacks: Bite (+2), Claws (+3) Defence: 5 Initiative: 4 (3 slots)

Aquatic: Hydras are amphibious, able to survive in water or on land equally. They can breathe, move, and fight underwater with no penalties. They gain a +1 bonus to movement actions while underwater. Giant: A hydra can target any number of opponents with its attacks as long as they are within the same zone, with no penalty. They also deal additional damage on every attack equal to their Strength. Huge Size: Hydras are huge in size, meaning they can reach places that others might not be able to reach, intimidate more easily, lift heavier objects, and carry others on their back with ease. When their size would be a benefit to their action, they gain a +2 bonus to that action. Additionally, a hydra can occupy multiple zones at once. Immortal: A hydra does not age and cannot die of natural means. It is immune to ageing, disease and poison. Additionally, its blood is a powerful poison. Multiple Heads: A hydra gains a +1 bonus to its Bite for every additional head it possesses. It can gain new heads from its Regeneration ability, but can already have multiple heads from previous encounters. The stats given are for a single-headed hydra. A hydra cannot be encountered for the first time with more heads than its level + 2. Poison Blood: A hydra's blood can be collected to provide Good (+3) Ichor ❢ source. At level six and higher, this becomes a Great (+3) source instead. Regeneration: At any point during a fight, a hydra can make a Con check. If successful, it regains hit points equal to its level + 5, and gains an extra head. The difficulty of the Con check starts at 0 and increases by +1 for each success.

Hydras are relics of a earlier era, monsters spawned by great and ancient powers now gone from this world. They are unlike dragons, not intelligent but driven by instinct alone, and cannot be reasoned with. They prefer to reside in watery areas, typically swamps or marshes, but have been known to occupy coastal areas and islands.

Reptilian in appearance, scaled like a crocodile or alligator with fin-ridges along its squat body, a hydra's defining attribute comes from its long and serpent-like neck. Thick and muscular, ending in an eel-like head something like a moray that sports powerful jaws that can break bone with ease. When threatened, which is somewhat rare for a beast like a hydra, it will defend its body with its neck, often sacrificing its own head to protect its body.

This is because a hydra has the capacity to regrow its head with ease. In fact, when a hydra's head is cut off, two more will grow to take its place, quickly increasing its attacking power against any threat. Though most hydras have never encountered anything powerful enough to challenge it, there are those out there which have many heads already, and an appetite that has grown to match.

Kobold

STR: +1 DEX: +3 CON: +1 INT: +0 WIS: +0 CHA: +0

Hit Points: 6 each, +2 per additional level. Skills: Kobolds have training in Intimidate, Stealth, and Survival. Attacks: Dagger (+3), Javelin (+3), Sharp Teeth (+1) Defence: 4 Initiative: 5 (1 slot per five)

Dragonkin: Kobolds are immune to fire damage, and gain a +1 bonus to defence while surrounded by fire. Pack Hunter: Kobolds work best in groups. When kobolds are in a group of at least five, they gain a +1 bonus to their attacks. This bonus increases to +2 if the group is at least fifty. Small Size: Kobolds are small in size, meaning they can get through places that others might not be able to fit through, hide themselves more easily, and dodge large and clumsy foes. When their size would be a benefit to their action, they gain a +1 bonus to that action. Trapmaker: Kobolds compensate for their size and lack of strength with an affinity for making traps. Any area with kobolds present for more than a couple of days will become progressively more and more trapped. A kobold gains a +3 bonus for making, spotting, and disarming traps.

Kobolds are small, reptilian humanoids that live a life in servitude to dragons (see entry). While a dragon only produces one offspring at a time, they will lay a clutch of eggs, all but one of which are decoys containing around half a dozen kobolds. While inside the egg, the kobolds remain in a dormant sleep, but if the main egg hatches or their own egg is broken, they will rapidly awake and spring into action. Depending on the age of the dragon and the size of their clutches, some dragons can have a hundred, sometimes over two hundred, kobolds in their service.

Despite technically also being the dragon's offspring, kobolds are not regarded as such. They are more like worker drones, only there to cater to the needs of their progenitor. Their main instincts are to defend their dragon and her offspring (while they still reside within the nest), and to gather more wealth for the hoard. They will feed off whatever is available, although often the dragon will leave a portion of her kills for the kobolds.

Kobolds are thinner and skinnier relative to dragons, resembling geckos or snakes, especially in the face. Though they are not that intelligent, they are bright enough to understand speech, and can communicate with a language of clicks and whistles that dragons and dragonborn instinctively understand. Much like dragons, they are entirely female, though they are sterile and cannot reproduce themselves.

Lummox

STR: +5 DEX: -1 CON: +4 INT: -2 WIS: +0 CHA: +2

Hit Points: 28 each, +4 per additional level. Skills: Lummoxes have training in Athletics, Intimidate, and Survival. Attacks: Horns (+4), Trample (+3), Swipe (+2) Defence: 3 Initiative: 1 (2 slots)

Beast Senses: A lummox's senses of smell and taste are very potent. Whenever a lummox is hunting, tracking, or locating something with their senses, they gain a +1 bonus to that action. Charge: When a lummox makes an attack with its Horns, it can choose move up to 2 zones before doing so. If it does, it deals an additional 3 damage. Furry Hide: Reduce all incoming physical damage by 2. Additionally, lummoxes are immune to cold damage. Huge Size: Lummoxes are huge in size, meaning they can reach places that others might not be able to reach, intimidate more easily, lift heavier objects, and carry others on their back with ease. When their size would be a benefit to their action, they gain a +2 bonus to that action. Additionally, a lummox can occupy multiple zones at once. Ponderous: A lummox cannot use the same attack twice in succession. Once it has used one type of attack, it must use another or forgo making any attack at all. Slow: Lummoxes are slow to act, and cannot move fast. When speed would be a benefit to their action, they take a -1 penalty to that action. Thrall: Lummoxes are impossible to actually tame and only respond to violence. A lummox cannot distinguish between "friend" and "foe". To control a lummox, a rider must be situated on their head with a spear or at least a sharp stick, to goad it into attacking the right targets. Should this controller be slain or dislodged, the lummox will rampage and attack everything in sight until it is satisfied that nothing will be poking it again any time soon.

Lummoxes are large, forest-dwelling herbivores that are often used by other, less savoury forest-dwellers as war beasts. They are neither peaceful nor docile, so while it takes a lot of work to successfully capture one for use, they are very effective once pointed in the right direction.

Easily twice the size of the largest elephant, a lummox has a head like a bison and a body like a gorilla, covered in a dense layer of shaggy fur that helps protect it from harm. They have large hooves on their back legs, but thick fingers on their forelegs, letting them knucklewalk, as well as reach up to the top of the canopy for the best leaves. They have a set of four incredibly large horns on their head that they use both offensively and defensively.

Though used by many different creatures, the lummox is often captured by mandrakes (see entry) who have a natural enmity with the apex herbivore, fearing and respecting, as much as they are capable of feeling anything at all, the lummox's capacity to eat mandrakes by the dozen.

Mandrake

STR: +1 DEX: +2 CON: +1 INT: -1 WIS: +0 CHA: +0

Hit Points: 5 each, +2 per additional level. Skills: Mandrakes have training in Intimidate, Stealth, and Survival. Attacks: Shortbow (+3), Crude Spear (+3), Rootclaws (+2) Defence: 3 Initiative: 3 (1 slot per five)

Dirt-Delver: Mandrakes are adept at moving through the earth. They can tunnel through loose soil or sand at a comfortable walking pace without having to use tools, but not through anything more solid, like rock. While underground, they are considered to be hidden. Mandrake's Shriek: The wail of the mandrake is an otherworldly, maddening cacophony. While a mandrake shrieks, they can do nothing else, but all non-mandrakes in the area take a -1 penalty to all actions. This penalty is not cumulative from multiple shrieking mandrakes. The penalty increases to -2 at level 6 and higher. Pack Hunter: Mandrakes work best in groups. When mandrakes are in a group of at least five, they gain a +1 bonus to their attacks. This bonus increases to +2 if the group is at least fifty. Plantlife: Mandrakes are plants, and so are vulnerable to fire. Any fire damage will do +3 bonus damage, and instantly set them ablaze. Roots: A mandrake's roots can be cut off to provide Fair (+2) Verdue ❦ source. At level six and higher, this becomes a Good (+3) source instead. Small Size: Mandrakes are small in size, meaning they can get through places that others might not be able to fit through, hide themselves more easily, and dodge large and clumsy foes. When their size would be a benefit to their action, they gain a +1 bonus to that action. Wall-Walking: A mandrake can walk on any surface, including walls and ceilings, without needing to make a check or suffering any penalty.

Mandrakes are small, but highly vicious, plants that grow in places of great evil or corruption. Since they thrive off that evil in the soil, they seek to spread it, and thus cultivate themselves more elsewhere. A single mandrake can grow from seedling to fully-formed in less than a week, and quite often groups can swell to great numbers if left unchecked.

A mandrake is humanoid, and stands around three feet in height. It resembles a turnip or other root vegetable, with a tough and leathery exterior that can range in shades from chalk white to clay red to midnight purple. Besides a large crop of wilted brown leaves on the top of their head, they have little to no distinguishing features. However, they take great delight in carving their own faces, using their claws, gouging out fearsome expressions that are meant to intimidate and repulse any enemies. This means their faces are usually dripping with foul-smelling, glowing, bright orange sap.

Of limited intelligence, mandrakes are scavengers and opportunists. They do not create much beyond rudimentary weapons and traps. They have no need for lairs of any kind, preferring to nestle in the soil when dormant. Their only desire is to spread more of their kind, no matter what it takes, and to do so they endeavour to corrupt and befoul the land around them.

Mandrakes have the ability to emit a shrill, piercing sound referred to as a "shriek" although they lack lungs and working mouths. To do so, they must root themselves firmly to the ground, making them unable to move, but the sheer assault of noise they produce is like a weapon itself. Typically a group of mandrakes will have one or two shrieking at any given time, while the rest take advantage of the chaos to bring down their prey.

Manticore

STR: +1 DEX: +2 CON: +1 INT: +1 WIS: +1 CHA: +1

Hit Points: 28 each, +4 per additional level. Skills: Manticores have training in Athletics, Intimidate, and Stealth. Attacks: Poison Sting (+4), Bite (+3), Claws (+3) Defence: 4 Initiative: 7 (3 slots)

Ambush Hunter: When a manticore attacks from a hidden position, they gain a +2 bonus to that attack. Bite: When a manticore uses its Bite, it automatically grabs its target. To escape, the target must make an Athletics check against the manticore's level + Strength. Camouflaged: A manticore suffers no penalties when making Stealth checks to hide itself. Large Size: Manticores are large in size, meaning they can reach places that others might not be able to reach, intimidate more easily, lift heavier objects, and carry others on their back with ease. When their size would be a benefit to their action, they gain a +1 bonus to that action. Poison Sting: When a manticore uses its Poison Sting, it deals poison damage and the target becomes poisoned. This poison can only be removed with a successful Heal check made against the manticore's level. Additionally, manticores are immune to poison, with all poison damage being reduced to 0. Stinger: A manticore's stinger can be cut off to provide Great (+4) Ichor ❢ source. At level six and higher, this becomes a Superb (+5) source instead. Swift: Manticores are quick to move, able to run fast in short bursts of speed. When their speed would be a benefit to their action, they gain a +1 bonus to that action. If they are chasing something, that bonus increases to +2.

Manticores are large predatory cats that resemble black tigers with a scorpion-like tail. Their odd colouration changes in subtle ways at their whim, allowing them to more effectively blend in with their environment, giving them an edge when it comes to stalking their prey. Most curiously, they have multiple rows of teeth like a shark, giving them a bite that few can escape from.

Sweltering jungles and tropical climates are where the manticore usually thrives, but there are known to be ghostly white variations in the snow-capped mountains, with thicker coats to keep them warm. They prefer larger prey, stalking it from a distance before closing the gap with a burst of incredible speed, using its poison to wear down its stamina before locking onto it with its terrible bite. Caravans and expeditions that require large pack animals are at risk from manticore attacks when in their territory, but hungry manticores will stalk anything that looks like a meal.

Tamed manticores are rare but not unknown, usually raised from cubs. The females are much larger than the males and are more aggressive, especially if defending their young, so acquiring a cub is no easy feat. Care must be taken afterwards, for since manticores are immune to all poisons, they will sting their kin on occasion, even if that "kin" is their master and not another manticore.

Minotaur

STR: +3 DEX: +1 CON: +2 INT: +0 WIS: +1 CHA: +2

Hit Points: 20 each, +4 per additional level. Skills: Minotaurs have training in Athletics, Intimidate, Perception, and Survival. Attacks: Greataxe (+4), Horns (+3), Roar (+3) Defence: 4 Initiative: 7 (2 slots)

Beast Senses: A minotaur's senses of smell and taste are very potent. Whenever a minotaur is hunting, tracking, or locating something with their senses, they gain a +1 bonus to that action. Charge: When a minotaur makes an attack, it can choose move up to 2 zones before doing so. If it does, it deals an additional 3 damage. Commanding Presence: Minotaurs are able to intimidate and bully weaker creatures into serving them. They cannot command creatures of level higher than their own, unless that creature's intelligence is lower than the minotaur's. Fey: Minotaurs count as fey creatures. Minotaur's Curse: A minotaur may pass on its cursed form to a willing party, who craves the raw power it provides. They must spend one full hour transforming before they become a minotaur, but once the process has begun, it is irreversible. Roar: When the minotaur uses its Roar, it deals no damage but inflicts fear instead. The minotaur gains a +1 bonus to its other attacks against any target affected by fear. Tough Skin: Reduce all incoming physical damage by 1.

Minotaurs were once residents of the Faewilds, former members of the Order of Avalon, the immortal knights who directly serve Lilibet, the Faerie Queen. However, their lust for battle interfered with their duties to protect and serve, to the point where they rebelled against the peace they had created. So they were banished for their crimes, exiled to the Gloom, where they became twisted, half-bull creatures. Their new bodies were the reflection of their hunger, powerful but woefully single-minded.

It took them centuries, but eventually they escaped from their imprisonment, seeking the glory of battle and the delight of bloodshed once more. Over many years of waging pointless campaigns, often times against each other, their legend grew until others of a similar mind began to seek them out, wanting to become minotaurs themselves. So the curse was passed on, until it became clear which of their number were the original minotaurs.

Though natural generals, with a supernatural capacity to command troops in battle, minotaurs thirst for combat. They lead from the front, seeking out the toughest opponents for the greatest glory, thrilling in their own wounds as much as those of their enemies. The true danger of minotaurs is that they are not always shunned for their reckless and bloodthirsty behaviour.

Ogre

STR: +6 DEX: -2 CON: +4 INT: -2 WIS: -2 CHA: -2

Hit Points: 40 each, +5 per additional level. Skills: Ogres have no trained skills. Attacks: Club (+5), Foot Stomp (+3) Defence: 4 Initiative: 0 (4 slots)

Giant: An ogre can target any number of opponents with its attacks as long as they are within the same zone, with no penalty. They also deal additional damage on every attack equal to their Strength. Huge Size: Ogres are huge in size, meaning they can reach places that others might not be able to reach, intimidate more easily, lift heavier objects, and carry others on their back with ease. When their size would be a benefit to their action, they gain a +2 bonus to that action. Additionally, an ogre can occupy multiple zones at once. Ponderous: An ogre cannot use the same attack twice in succession. Once it has used one type of attack, it must use another or forgo making any attack at all. Stupid: Ogres are vulnerable to mental attacks. Any psychic damage will do +3 bonus damage, and instantly make them confused.

Ogres are cruel giants that have grossly oversized heads for their bodies, even considering their great size. It is their defining feature, along with their sickly, pallid skin. Though there is little going on inside their heads, they still put them to good use, devouring any living thing they can get their hands on. They are rampant appetite that moves, only pausing in their feasting to toy and play with their food like oversized children.

All of an ogre's body is disproportionate in noticeable ways. They have hands that are too large, forearms that are too long, and so forth. They resemble a crude approximation of what a giant should look like, and this is because their origins are in the Gloom, the realm of nightmares.

The appearance of an ogre near a settlement is a disaster, as they are dangerous in their limited capacities. A dragon may be reasoned with, but an ogre can barely understand the speech coming out of its own mouth. They do, however, understand that the gurgling in their bellies can be silenced by eating.

Ooze

Oozes are living slimes and mucks that operate solely on instinct, seeking out warmth and living material to consume. They are as voracious as they are omnivorous, never stopping in their constant consumption of the world around them, even when attacked.

Gelatinous Cube

STR: +2 DEX: -1 CON: +4 INT: -3 WIS: +0 CHA: -1

Hit Points: 22 each, +4 per additional level. Skills: Gelatinous cubes have training in Stealth. Attacks: Engulf (+4) Defence: 4 Initiative: 0 (2 slots)

Digestion: A gelatinous cube always deals acid damage. When a gelatinous cube attacks a target that is already within its zone, it deals additional acid damage equal to its Strength. Large Size: Gelatinous cubes are large in size, meaning they can reach places that others might not be able to reach, intimidate more easily, lift heavier objects, and carry others on their back with ease. When their size would be a benefit to their action, they gain a +1 bonus to that action. Jellyform: Reduce all incoming physical damage by 3. Additionally, it is vulnerable to cold. Any cold damage will do +3 bonus damage. Ooze: A gelatinous cube is an ooze, with a body comprised of a thick, viscous fluid. It is capable of compacting or splitting itself to flow through gaps, and will always reform to its original shape if it can. They count as their own zone in combat, and any damage done against them also damages anything within that zone. When making an attack, they will automatically pull any target into their zone on a hit. Anyone within their zone must make an Athletics check to escape. Simple Creature: Gelatinous cubes are immune to all effects on physiology, such as blindness, poison, disease, and so forth. Slow: Gelatinous cubes are slow to act, and cannot move fast. When speed would be a benefit to their action, they take a -1 penalty to that action.

Gelatinous cubes are found in large ecosystems where there is plenty of detritus for them to consume, although the definition of "detritus" is as widely encompassing as the cube itself. They ease themselves along ponderously, expanding to fill all available space so they can suck in as much food as possible. The shape that fits most corridors and hallways of underground complexes, where these things were first encountered, led to their name, but they do not remain a cube at all times.

Translucent and slow-moving, it can be hard to spot a gelatinous cube, especially if the lighting conditions are poor and it has not engulfed anything recently. Once it senses warm, living prey, it will attempt to engulf it and digest it, even if that prey attempts to fight back.

Iron Snail

STR: +2 DEX: -1 CON: +1 INT: -3 WIS: +0 CHA: -1

Hit Points: 14 each, +2 per additional level. Skills: Iron snails have training in Athletics. Attacks: Flail (+3) Defence: 5 Initiative: 3 (1 slot)

Armoured Ooze: An iron snail is an ooze, with a body comprised of a thick, viscous fluid. It surrounds this body with a thick layer of metallic plating for protection. It cannot flow through small gaps the same way that other oozes can. Metal Plating: Reduce all incoming physical damage by 2. Simple Creature: Iron snails are immune to all effects on physiology, such as blindness, poison, disease, and so forth. Slow: Gelatinous cubes are slow to act, and cannot move fast. When speed would be a benefit to their action, they take a -1 penalty to that action. Wall-Walking: An iron snail can walk on any surface, including walls and ceilings, without needing to make a check or suffering any penalty.

Iron snails are so named because they are attracted to metallic objects, especially pieces of discarded armour or shields, which they attach to their soft and squishy bodies with a powerful natural adhesive. The end result is the construction of a strong, durable "shell" inside which the ooze resides, reaching out with flail-like pseudopods to strike down both predator and prey alike.

Like other oozes, the iron snail will consume any organic matter, and will not discern between digesting a corpse and something still alive, regardless of how hard it might be kicking. The tough shell allows it to safely feed in dangerous areas, meaning it will only retreat from battle if its shell is significantly damaged.

Waterwyrd

STR: +2 DEX: -1 CON: +1 INT: -3 WIS: +0 CHA: -1

Hit Points: 10 each, +2 per additional level. Skills: Waterwyrds have training in Stealth. Attacks: Drown (+3) Defence: 3 Initiative: 3 (1 slot)

Aquatic: Waterwyrds are amphibious, able to survive in water or on land equally. They can breathe, move, and fight underwater with no penalties. They gain a +2 bonus to movement actions while underwater. Liquidform: Reduce all incoming physical damage by 3. Additionally, it is vulnerable to fire. Any fire damage will do +3 bonus damage. Ooze: A waterwyrd is an ooze, with a body comprised of a thick, viscous fluid. It is capable of compacting or splitting itself to flow through gaps, and will always reform to its original shape if it can. They count as their own zone in combat, and any damage done against them also damages anything within that zone. When making an attack, they will automatically pull any target into their zone on a hit. Anyone within their zone must make an Athletics check to escape. Simple Creature: Waterwyrds are immune to all effects on physiology, such as blindness, poison, disease, and so forth. Small Size: Waterwyrds are small in size, meaning they can get through places that others might not be able to fit through, hide themselves more easily, and dodge large and clumsy foes. When their size would be a benefit to their action, they gain a +1 bonus to that action.

Waterwyrds are so translucent that they are next to impossible to see in water, which is their preferred habitat. They take down their prey by surrounding its head and drowning it with their liquid body, which works best against air-breathing animals trying to drink, rather than fish. They are usually found in deep caves, picking off small rodents and reptiles, though sometimes they can be found on the surface.

Sometimes waterwyrds are captured and placed into artificial bodies of water, such as fountains and ponds, to act as a trap. This works out as long as the trapper remembers to feed them, as they will die if starved. Or, worse, they will leave the water and go in search of somewhere else to hunt. More than a few hapless individuals have been killed after not doing their due diligence.

Sea Monster

Sea monsters are rife in the unknown depths and uncharted waters of the world. They prey upon passing ships as easily as they do upon other ocean creatures. They are aberrations that should not exist, and yet are so difficult to find that vanquishing them is next to impossible.

Coralite

STR: +2 DEX: -1 CON: +2 INT: +0 WIS: +0 CHA: +0

Hit Points: 18 each, +3 per additional level. Skills: Coralites have no trained skills. Attacks: Coral Fist (+4) Defence: 4 Initiative: 2 (1 slot)

Aquatic: Coralites are amphibious, able to survive in water or on land equally. They can breathe, move, and fight underwater with no penalties. They gain a +2 bonus to movement actions while underwater. Cursed Object: Coralites are objects cursed to mimic life. They do not need to eat, drink, breathe, or sleep. They do not have to worry about starvation, thirst, suffocation, ageing, disease, or poison. Other conditions and effects will effect them as normal. Eyeless: Coralites cannot be blinded. Large Size: Coralites are large in size, meaning they can reach places that others might not be able to reach, intimidate more easily, lift heavier objects, and carry others on their back with ease. When their size would be a benefit to their action, they gain a +1 bonus to that action. Rockformed: Reduce all incoming damage by 1. Slow: Coralites are slow to act, and cannot move fast. When speed would be a benefit to their action, they take a -1 penalty to that action.

Coralites are made from beds of coral, ones cursed into becoming a malicious entity, much like gargoyles (see entry). They are forced to do the bidding of their creators, but can outlast them and roam the sea bed for years afterwards, seeking a solitary existence where they are not faced with natural creatures. However, to achieve this solitude, they often do a lot of killing.

The coral that makes up a coralite is tough and razor-sharp, making their blows especially dangerous. Pieces that are broken off, if large enough, remain under the control of the coralite, allowing it to manipulate severed limbs from a distance, although they can never be re-attached.

Kraken

STR: +2 DEX: +3 CON: +2 INT: +2 WIS: +1 CHA: +0

Hit Points: 35 each, +5 per additional level. Skills: Krakens have training in Athletics, Survival, and Stealth. Attacks: Tentacle Grasp (+4) Defence: 4 Initiative: 4 (4 slots)

Ambush Hunter: When a kraken attacks from a hidden position, they gain a +2 bonus to that attack. Aquatic: Krakens are amphibious, able to survive in water or on land equally. They can breathe, move, and fight underwater with no penalties. They gain a +2 bonus to movement actions while underwater. Camouflaged: A kraken suffers no penalties when making Stealth checks to hide itself. Giant: A kraken can target any number of opponents with its attacks as long as they are within the same zone, with no penalty. They also deal additional damage on every attack equal to their Strength. Huge Size: Krakens are huge in size, meaning they can reach places that others might not be able to reach, intimidate more easily, lift heavier objects, and carry others on their back with ease. When their size would be a benefit to their action, they gain a +2 bonus to that action. Additionally, a kraken can occupy multiple zones at once. At level six and higher, their size becomes gargantuan and the bonus increases to +3. Protective Mucus: Reduce all incoming non-physical damage by 2. Shipbreaker: A kraken can cling onto a ship or building with its tentacles, slowly crushing it with its powerful grip. The longer a kraken is attached to something, the more likely it is to be destroyed.

Krakens are mutant cephalopods that have grown in size, cunning, and malevolence over long centuries. Their exact origin is unknown, though some point to the idea of undersea rifts to the demon realms, or ancient sunken empires full of forbidden magic. Whatever the reason for their creation, they rise up from the depths to prey upon passing ships.

Neither octopus nor squid, but something in between and still different, a kraken has upwards of fifty powerful tentacles, each with serrated edges that allow it to effortlessly crush anything it encounters. It saves the use of its multi-faceted beak for eating only, when its prey is incapable of fighting back.

Siege Crab

STR: +4 DEX: -1 CON: +3 INT: -1 WIS: +2 CHA: +1

Hit Points: 30 each, +4 per additional level. Skills: Siege crabs have no trained skills. Attacks: Harpoon Cannons (+4), Big Claw (+4), Little Claw (+2) Defence: 4 Initiative: 2 (3 slots)

Aquatic: Siege crabs are amphibious, able to survive in water or on land equally. They can breathe, move, and fight underwater with no penalties. They gain a +2 bonus to movement actions while underwater. Giant: A siege crab can target any number of opponents with its attacks as long as they are within the same zone, with no penalty. They also deal additional damage on every attack equal to their Strength. Harpoon Cannons: A siege crab cannot use its Harpoon Cannons unless they are manned by crew. Huge Size: Siege crabs are huge in size, meaning they can reach places that others might not be able to reach, intimidate more easily, lift heavier objects, and carry others on their back with ease. When their size would be a benefit to their action, they gain a +2 bonus to that action. Additionally, a kraken can occupy multiple zones at once. Impenetrable Shell: Reduce all incoming physical damage by 1. If the weapon is of Average (+1) rank or below, increase that reduction to 2. Reduce all incoming non-physical damage by 3. Ponderous: A siege crab cannot use the same attack twice in succession. Once it has used one type of attack, it must use another or forgo making any attack at all. Siege Engine: A siege crab gains a +4 bonus against static structures such as walls and buildings. Slow: Siege crabs are slow to act, and cannot move fast. When speed would be a benefit to their action, they take a -1 penalty to that action.

Siege crabs start off as regular crustaceans, bolstered to ridiculous size through arcane tampering, and are outfitted with the best mechanical accoutrements possible. The result is a giant crab capable of clawing through walls with ease, and scuttling sideways through the toughest of defences.

When the armies of the depths invade the surface world, they bring along siege crabs for assistance. Other times they are remnants of past wars being used by opportunists like darrows (see entry). Regardless, even a single siege crab is a towering foe that requires strength, skill, and luck to take down.

Spider

Spiders are more than just the usual arachnids that prey on flies and other small insects. As with all things from the natural world, there are unnatural versions, some grossly oversized, others even more aberrant.

Ettercap

STR: +1 DEX: +0 CON: +3 INT: +0 WIS: +1 CHA: +0

Hit Points: 18 each, +2 per additional level. Skills: Ettercaps have training in Stealth and Survival. Attacks: Websilk Garotte (+3), Claws (+2) Defence: 4 Initiative: 2 (1 slot per three)

Ambush Hunter: When an ettercap attacks from a hidden position, they gain a +2 bonus to that attack. If they are using their websilk garotte, the target becomes silenced as well. Tunnels & Trapdoors: Ettercaps are adept at digging tunnels through the earth, shored up with webbing to make them secure. When in a tunnel of their creation, an ettercap can move unimpeded at speed. The entrances to these tunnels are hidden trapdoors that they can lunge out of to ensnare their enemies. When above an ettercap nest, any ettercap can quickly disappear from sight through one of these hidden trapdoors, and reappear elsewhere. They do not get this benefit if there are opponents already within the nest. Wall-Walking: An ettercap can walk on any surface, including walls and ceilings, without needing to make a check or suffering any penalty. Webweaver: Ettercaps can make ropes, lassos, nets, sacks, and garottes using their websilk. They use these to capture and contain their prey. The weaving process takes at least an hour, and ettercaps rarely make spares, so once disarmed in combat they will need at least that amount of time to rearm themselves.

Ettercaps, also known as spider trolls, are humanoid monstrosities that are native to the Gloom. Though they have two arms and legs, they share many other features with spiders, having eight large eyes, hooked appendages, and mandibles. Rather than shiny carapace, they are covered in bristly hairs that help them blend into the shadows they hunt from.

Being creatures of nightmare, ettercaps are formed whole beneath the ground where many spiders make their nests. This usually happens in the Gloom, but can also happen in the mortal plane where the walls between the two realms are weak, especially if a giant spider (see entry) is present. They can spin their own webbing, and will do so to construct things, including rudimentary tools for hunting and capturing their prey.

Though they will move above ground to hunt, they rest below ground, hollowing out the area where they spawned into a sort of nest shared amongst all the ettercaps in the area. Central to the nest will be a larder, where they store prey in web cocoons, keeping them alive until it is time to feed. Finding an ettercap nest is difficult, as all the entryways will be disguised trapdoors made out of binding the earth with webbing.

Giant Spider

STR: +2 DEX: +3 CON: +1 INT: -1 WIS: +2 CHA: -1

Hit Points: 28 each, +2 per additional level. Skills: Giant Spiders have training in Athletics, Perception, Stealth, and Survival. Attacks: Venomous Bite (+4), Webbing (+5) Defence: 5 Initiative: 8 (2 slots)

Large Size: Giant spiders are large in size, meaning they can reach places that others might not be able to reach, intimidate more easily, lift heavier objects, and carry others on their back with ease. When their size would be a benefit to their action, they gain a +1 bonus to that action. At level 6 and higher, their size becomes huge and the bonus increases to +2. Parlour: Any area where a giant spider has resided for more than a week will be covered in webbing and may contain numerous other smaller spiders. While the webbing still exists, all spiders gain a +1 bonus to defence. The webbing can be burned away, or torn apart through sufficient application of brute force. Wall-Walking: A giant spider can walk on any surface, including walls and ceilings, without needing to make a check or suffering any penalty. Webbing: Anyone hit by the giant spider's Webbing becomes entangled and must make a successful Str check to escape their bonds, or otherwise wait to be rescued. The difficulty of the Str check is equal to the giant spider's level, to a maximum of 6.

Giant spiders are much, much larger than their common kin, the biggest of their number reaching sizes to rival an elephant. They are unnatural creations from the Gloom, a realm that seethes with the terrors and nightmares of the mortal plane. From time to time, they scuttle into the mortal realm through cracks, to set up lairs in dark and forgotten places, and await their prey.

A giant spider looks like no common spider, and rarely do any two look alike. They are an amalgam of different traits and body parts, since they are creatures of terror. Some may have the thick legs of a tarantula, others more spindly. Regardless of their physical makeup, they all have one thing in common: a desire for intelligent prey. While wild animals can sate their physical hunger, their appetite for causing fear and terror will eventually drive them into contact with people.

The lair of a giant spider will usually have at least several husks (see entry) within it, moreso if it has been abandoned for a long time. Other, smaller varieties of spider will also occupy the lair, making use of the webs, and scrounging food from the giant spider while avoiding its wrath.

Titan

Titans are gargantuan creatures of legend, only one of each in existence. They slumber for countless centuries, rising at times to wreak havoc upon the world, before returning to their dreamless sleep. They are beyond immortality, unable to die and unable to live, existing only as forces of unnatural power. Though attempts have been made to slay them, tame them, or even exploit them in the past, none have ever succeeded.

Leviathan

STR: +5 DEX: +5 CON: +5 INT: -2 WIS: +2 CHA: +0

Hit Points: n/a Skills: The Leviathan has no trained skills. Attacks: Rampage (+6) Defence: n/a Initiative: 0 (5 slots)

Annihilation: The Leviathan leaves destruction in its wake. Any sea the Leviathan is in will become dangerously stormy. Belly of the Beast: The Leviathan is large enough to swallow entire ships whole without even noticing. If anyone survives the trip inside, getting out presents itself as a whole new problem. Colossal Size: The Leviathan is as large as a city. It is comprised of multiple zones and cannot be moved about or attacked in any way. Raw Power: The Leviathan's attacks ignore all damage reduction, always doing their full damage. Each attack targets everything in the same zone. Terrifying: Anyone within a zone the Leviathan occupies suffers from fear. Titan: The Leviathan sleeps in the furthest depths of the deepest ocean, where light is a myth. When it rises, the seas become wild and the sky fills with storms, and it drowns entire continents. It cannot be slain, but it can be put back to sleep again. Unstoppable: The Leviathan is immune to all effects.

The Leviathan is an ocean titan, a whale that makes other whales look like the smallest minnow. A vast bulk of solid flesh that slumbers far below the waves, in the sunless, frozen depths where nothing else can survive. It is said that it sleeps on but a single breath, that contains primeval air from the time when the world was covered in storms, and that it will wake when that breath runs out.

There are those who say that even though the Leviathan sleeps, it still makes its effect on the world. Every thunderous beat of its heart, years between them, causes strange tides and odd behaviour in the fish. But if these tales have any truth to them, there is no way to tell, much as the only proof that Leviathan exists is old legends from the dawn of time.

Should the Leviathan rise, and bring with it the storms of old, its coming would drown the world. The seas would rise with it, bringing never-ending rain and howling winds that would not abate even after the highest mountain peak disappeared below the waves.

Ormur

STR: +5 DEX: +2 CON: +5 INT: +0 WIS: +3 CHA: +1

Hit Points: n/a Skills: Ormur has no trained skills. Attacks: Rampage (+6) Defence: n/a Initiative: 0 (5 slots)

Annihilation: Ormur leaves destruction in its wake. While Ormur moves, the world will be beset by constant earthquakes. Belly of the Beast: Ormur is large enough to swallow entire buildings whole without even noticing. If anyone survives the trip inside, getting out presents itself as a whole new problem. Colossal Size: Ormur is as large as a city. It is comprised of multiple zones and cannot be moved about or attacked in any way. Raw Power: Ormur's attacks ignore all damage reduction, always doing their full damage. Each attack targets everything in the same zone. Terrifying: Anyone within a zone Ormur occupies suffers from fear. Titan: Ormur sleeps in the lightless fires of the magma far below the surface of the world. When it rises it digs through the earth, creating vast subterranean tunnels, sometimes dragging cities down into the darkness below. It cannot be slain, but it can be put back to sleep again. Unstoppable: Ormur is immune to all effects.

Ormur is an earth titan, known also as the Crawling Emperor, or the Purple Worm. But while it may be called a worm, it is certainly not one in size. The tunnels it is said to have created measure over a mile across. When it rouses from its dreamless sleep, it will burrow through the earth again, tearing down everything the surface world has created.

Myth says that Ormur's resting place lies deep below the ground, in the oceans of magma that feed the volcanoes and vents across the world. Its handiwork from ages past can still be seen, great scars in the lowest areas of the subterranean world. If it was ever to be called forth again, it would continue breaking the world once more.

Because it supposedly sleeps beyond the reach of mortal hands, it has been suggested that waking it requires an act of faith. Cults dedicated to worshipping Ormur as some sort of god, or greater than a god, have existed for countless millennia. So far none of them have been successful in bringing their master back, but it would only take one success to doom the world.

Tarrasque

STR: +6 DEX: +0 CON: +6 INT: -2 WIS: +2 CHA: +1

Hit Points: n/a Skills: The Tarrasque has no trained skills. Attacks: Rampage (+6) Defence: n/a Initiative: 0 (5 slots)

Annihilation: The Tarrasque leaves destruction in its wake. Any zone the Tarrasque occupies, or any zone adjacent to it, becomes ruins. Belly of the Beast: The Tarrasque is large enough to swallow entire buildings whole without even noticing. If anyone survives the trip inside, getting out presents itself as a whole new problem. Colossal Size: The Tarrasque is as large as a city. It is comprised of multiple zones and cannot be moved about or attacked in any way. Raw Power: The Tarrasque's attacks ignore all damage reduction, always doing their full damage. Each attack targets everything in the same zone. Terrifying: Anyone within a zone the Tarrasque occupies suffers from fear. Titan: The Tarrasque sleeps beneath the surface of the earth, and when it rises up it will destroy anything that has grown over it while it slumbered, be it forest, city, or mountain. It cannot be slain, but it can be put back to sleep again. Unstoppable: The Tarrasque is immune to all effects.

The Tarrasque is an earth titan, and it slumbers as part of the surface of the world, forgotten about. Over long centuries its presence has been masked by the passage of time. Rivers flow over it, forests grow, perhaps even towns and cities have been built. But all of that will be destroyed when it rises up.

According to legend, the Tarrasque is larger than the largest dragon, bigger than the biggest giant, a primeval entity from the time of the creation of the world itself. Some have said it is an ancient demon from the demon realms, but it does not destroy out of need, only through nature. It is so vast and powerful that it cannot do anything but rend the ground with every step.

What wakes the Tarrasque, and what may put it to sleep again, are subject to many myths. Some say that the scent of a rare flower is the only thing potent enough to return it to slumber. Others say that a particular ritual, passed down from the divine themselves, is the key. Scholars have gone half mad trying to study this beast, unsure if it even exists at all.

Troglodyte

STR: +2 DEX: +0 CON: +3 INT: -1 WIS: +1 CHA: +1

Hit Points: 13 each, +2 per additional level. Skills: Troglodytes have training in Athletics, Intimidate, Perception, Stealth and Survival. Attacks: Stone Axe (+2) or Throwing Spear (+2) Defence: 4 Initiative: 2 (1 slot)

Beast Senses: A troglodyte's senses of smell and taste are very potent. Whenever a troglodyte is hunting, tracking, or locating something with their senses, they gain a +1 bonus to that action. Cold-Blooded: Being reptiles, troglodytes are vulnerable to the cold. Any cold damage will do +3 bonus damage, and instantly make them drowsy. Pack Hunter: Troglodytes work best in groups. When troglodytes are in a group of at least five, they gain a +1 bonus to their attacks. This bonus increases to +2 if the group is at least fifty. Time-Displaced: A troglodyte is unfixed from time and will disappear to another moment rather than die and cause a paradox. For this reason, troglodytes may "remember" enemies they have not met yet from encounters that have yet to happen, but which are in the troglodyte's personal past.

Troglodytes are outcasts from time, brought to the here and now from another age in the distant past. However, they are convinced that they come from the future, and that their duty in this world is to found their empire that, from their perspective, has yet to exist. So they seek to tear down all that has been built and recreate it as it was hundreds of thousands of years ago. This not only includes settlements, but even natural things like forests and rivers, should they exist where they are not "supposed to be".

A troglodyte resembles a snub-snouted crocodile in a semi-humanoid posture, with a large, sail-like fin that juts out of their hunched back all the way to the top of their head. They practice ritual scarification, etching designs into their scales that denote their position in the group. They are physically very strong and powerful, stout of build, and possess a thick yet dexterous tail that functions as a fifth, rudimentary limb.

Due to their peculiar nature as entities lost in time, troglodytes are incapable of dying as that would result in a paradox. Instead, when they enter a dying state they experience a total chronological collapse, disappearing and then reappearing alive and healthy at some other point in time. It is not unknown for several versions of the same troglodyte to be in the same group, at different stages of their existence. What keeps them returning to the present day, rather than their home of the distant past, is currently unknown.

Undead

Undead creatures are outside of the natural order, defying the cycle of life and death. They are often the result of forbidden magic and the meddling of the arrogant who do not realise what they are unleashing on the world. Or those who do realise, and revel in it.

Abomination

STR: +4 DEX: -1 CON: +3 INT: -1 WIS: -1 CHA: +1

Hit Points: 20 each, +3 per additional level. Skills: Abominations have training in Intimidate. Attacks: Slam (+4) Defence: 4 Initiative: 3 (3 slots)

Giant: At level six and higher, an abomination can target any number of opponents with its attacks as long as they are within the same zone, with no penalty. They also deal additional damage on every attack equal to their Strength. Large Size: Abominations are large in size, meaning they can reach places that others might not be able to reach, intimidate more easily, lift heavier objects, and carry others on their back with ease. When their size would be a benefit to their action, they gain a +1 bonus to that action. At level 6 and higher, their size becomes huge and the bonus increases to +2. Slow: Abominations are slow to act, and cannot move fast. When speed would be a benefit to their action, they take a -1 penalty to that action. Tough Skin: Reduce all incoming physical damage by 1. Undead: Abominations are undead, and as undead they do not need to eat, drink, breathe, or sleep. They do not have to worry about starvation, thirst, suffocation, ageing, disease, or poison. Other conditions and effects will effect them as normal. An abomination is considered greater undead.

Abominations are the failed attempts of spellcasters to create corpse elementals. They are formed from dead flesh and bone, gathered together into a large, grotesque humanoid shape. The sight and smell of such a monstrosity is enough to cause repulsion in most, but its cruelty and capacity for destruction make it much, much worse.

Unlike elementals, abominations have wills of their own and rarely, if ever, obey the commands of their summoners. The sole exception to this seems to be liches (see entry) whose dabbling in deep, forbidden magic has given them control over other undead. Once summoned, an abomination cannot be unsummoned, another difference from true elementals. They will seek to crush and consume all life, not for sustenance but out of some primitive hatred. Many an unwise summoner has met their demise at the hands of their own creation.

Many abominations are centuries old, roaming around in forgotten places, always looking for life to end. These wandering abominations are highly dangerous, and can often be enslaved by liches looking to create their own army of the damned.

Cryptcrawlers

STR: +1 DEX: +2 CON: +0 INT: -3 WIS: -3 CHA: -1

Hit Points: 10 per twenty, +1 per additional level. Skills: Cryptcrawlers have training in Stealth. Attacks: Grip (+2) Defence: 2 Initiative: 4 (1 slot per twenty)

Innate Senses: Cryptcrawlers have no eyes to blind and no ears to deafen, but they can still sense the world around them. Whenever cryptcrawlers are hunting, tracking, or locating their prey with their senses, they gain a +1 bonus to that action. Swarm: Cryptcrawlers move and act in swarms of great number. They count as their own zone in combat, and any damage done against them also damages anything within that zone. When making an attack, they will automatically pull any target into their zone on a hit. Anyone within their zone must make an Athletics check to escape. They gain a +1 bonus to all actions for each additional twenty members of the swarm. Tiny Size: Cryptcrawlers are tiny in size, meaning they can get through places that others might not be able to fit through, hide themselves more easily, and dodge large and clumsy foes. When their size would be a benefit to their action, they gain a +2 bonus to that action. Undead: Cryptcrawlers are undead, and as undead they do not need to eat, drink, breathe, or sleep. They do not have to worry about starvation, thirst, suffocation, ageing, disease, or poison. Other conditions and effects will effect them as normal. Cryptcrawlers are considered lesser undead. Wall-Walking: Cryptcrawlers can walk on any surface, including walls and ceilings, without needing to make a check or suffering any penalty.

Cryptcrawlers are swarms of disembodied hands given unnatural life. They skitter around on fingers that have been worn to the bone, attracted to life and light, and will smother their prey in weight of numbers, crushing them and choking them with a thousand tenacious grips.

There are a number of ways for cryptcrawlers to come into being. They can be the product of curses, old pieces of ghouls and skeletons left unchecked, familiars raised by liches, or naturally-occuring nightmares from the Gloom. Often a swarm will have all of these origins within it, as cryptcrawlers are not particularly discerning as to what gets to join the swarm.

Although they are somewhat fragile, their strength lies in numbers. A dozen or so cryptcrawlers can be considered a menace, especially if they take their victims unaware. A thousand cryptcrawlers is a terrifying force that can wipe out an entire town in a single night.

Ghost

STR: -1 DEX: +2 CON: +0 INT: +2 WIS: +2 CHA: +2

Hit Points: 26 each, +4 per additional level. Skills: Ghosts have training in Bluff, Intimidate, Stealth, and Thievery. Attacks: Psychokinesis (+4), Possession (+1) Defence: 3 Initiative: 12 (4 slots)

Fetter: A ghost cannot leave the area where they were originally spawned, known as a fetter, although they can make it larger by feeding on the terror of living beings. They also cannot affect anything outside of their fetter, even items thrown by their psychokinesis will immediately fall to the ground, robbed of all momentum. Haunting: A ghost can effectively become invisible at will, and can reappear suddenly whenever it wants, often as a terrifying visage. When a ghost reappears, it makes an Intimidate check with a +1 bonus. Anyone who fails the Intimidate check feels fear. Insubstantial: Ghosts are made of ectoplasm, and are hard to effectively damage. Reduce all incoming physical damage by 2. Possession: A ghost can use its Possession attack to try and control the actions of an enemy. It cannot control them permanently, but it can make them undertake one action. The ghost gains a +4 bonus to this attack against targets who are presently feeling fear. Psychokinesis: A ghost can pick up corporeal objects and move them at will, making them into improvised projectiles. At a -2 penalty, it can also pick up enemies and throw them around, even moving them into other zones. Undead: Ghosts are undead, and as undead they do not need to eat, drink, breathe, or sleep. They do not have to worry about starvation, thirst, suffocation, ageing, disease, or poison. Other conditions and effects will effect them as normal. A ghost is considered greater undead.

Ghosts are not the spirits of the departed, they are more like echoes caused by pain and strife. When someone's end is violent or unpleasant, they leave behind a seed of psychic stress that can grow into a ghost. These ghosts then feed on fear and death to grow in size and power over time.

Corporeal undead are animated physical remains, but ghosts are animated memories instead. They can appear and act like the person that spawned them, but they are not that person. The deception can aid them in escaping destruction, but if pushed too hard, it falls away to reveal them for what they truly are: violent, uncaring parasites.

A ghost's incorporeal form is like an invisible web that grows to encompass more and more of the area, allowing the ghost to roam further afield from where it was originally spawned. What seems to be its body is actually just a projection, but it serves as a focal point that can be attacked and destroyed. Like with most undead, they must expend their energy to continue existing, and exhausting that energy will cause the ghost to wither away.

Ghoul

STR: +1 DEX: +1 CON: +3 INT: +0 WIS: +1 CHA: +0

Hit Points: 14 each, +2 per additional level. Skills: Ghouls have training in Athletics and Intimidate. Attacks: Battered Crossbow (+2) or Longsword (+2) Defence: 4 Initiative: 5 (1 slot per three)

Horde: Ghouls work best in large groups. When ghouls are in a group of at least twelve, they gain a +1 bonus to their attacks. This bonus increases to +2 if the group is at least sixty. Miasma: Ghouls are surrounded by air pungent with the stench of death. Any close combat attempts against them will take a -1 penalty unless the attacker has poison resistance. Additionally, all ghoul attacks at close range deal an additional 2 poison damage. Undead: Ghouls are undead, and as undead they do not need to eat, drink, breathe, or sleep. They do not have to worry about starvation, thirst, suffocation, ageing, disease, or poison. Other conditions and effects will effect them as normal. A ghouls is considered lesser undead.

Ghouls are undead bodies that still retain flesh, preserved in an eternally rotting state by the evil magic that animates their form. For this to happen, they must be created while the source corpse is still fresh, meaning they are most often created from those who would defy a lich (see entry) or necromancer.

With flesh, even rotting flesh, they are stronger and swifter than skeletons (see entry). They also have rudimentary intelligence, not enough for speech or reason, but enough for basic animal cunning. They also reek of death, creating a foul miasma that permeates the air around them.

Though dangerous enough on their own, ghouls are often outfitted with weapons and armour to increase their threat, making them into potent footsoldiers for those who would raise an undead army. Especially since those they slaughter in battle can be made to provide reinforcements.

Husk

STR: +3 DEX: -1 CON: +1 INT: -2 WIS: +2 CHA: -1

Hit Points: 12 each, +1 per additional level. Skills: Husks have training in Intimidate. Attacks: Grasp (+3) Defence: 4 Initiative: 0 (1 slot per five)

Slow: Husks are slow to act, and cannot move fast. When speed would be a benefit to their action, they take a -1 penalty to that action. Undead: Husks are undead, and as undead they do not need to eat, drink, breathe, or sleep. They do not have to worry about starvation, thirst, suffocation, ageing, disease, or poison. Other conditions and effects will effect them as normal. A husk is considered lesser undead. Web-Wrapping: Husks are often still covered in the tattered remnants of the webbing that bound them, making them difficult to disentangle from. Anyone grabbed by a husk takes a -1 penalty to all actions, including escaping.

Husks are the undead remnants of those slain by giant spiders (see entry). Their insides have been drained out, leaving them as dessicated corpses. This makes them incredibly slow-moving, but still quite dangerous. They will blindly lurch towards anything living that is not a spider, driven by some quasi-primal instinct to try and regain their fluids.

Most of the time, husks will remain motionless within a giant spider's lair, often lying where they were deposited and seeming like ordinary corpses. But when disturbed, they will rise up and attempt to grab anyone or anything that is still alive. They have no means to restore themselves to life, but they will try anyway, animated solely by the terror they felt while they were dying.

Lich

STR: -1 DEX: -1 CON: +2 INT: +3 WIS: +3 CHA: +3

Hit Points: 22 each, +3 per additional level. Skills: Liches have training in Arcana, Bluff, History, Intimidate, and Perception. Attacks: Arcane Spells (+4) Defence: 4 Initiative: 6 (3 slots)

Arcane Spells: A lich's Arcane Spells ignore the target's armour and deal either cold, fire, or necrotic damage. In exchange for dealing 0 damage, they will cause fear instead. Command Undead: A lich can command any undead in its presence, and also summon undead to aid it when necessary. A lich may summon lesser undead. A level 6, they may also summon greater undead. A lich may not summon any undead of a higher level than it. A lich cannot summon more lesser undead than its level + 3, and cannot summon more than 1 greater undead. Innate Senses: A lich has no eyes to blind and no ears to deafen, but it can still sense the world around it. Whenever a lich is hunting, tracking, or locating its prey with its senses, it gains a +1 bonus to that action. Tethered Existence: When a lich is slain, so long as its tether exists it will reform in a number of months equal to its hit points. It will reform in close proximity to its tether, retaining all of its powers and memories. A lich will only exist as long as its tether remains intact. Should its tether be broken or destroyed, the lich will instantly be slain and be unable to reform, effectively destroying it permanently. Undead: Liches are undead, and as undead they do not need to eat, drink, breathe, or sleep. They do not have to worry about starvation, thirst, suffocation, ageing, disease, or poison. Other conditions and effects will effect them as normal. A lich is considered greater undead.

Liches are what remains of once-living spellcasters whose greed and narcissism resulted in their doom. In life, they harnessed their own spirit for raw arcane power, burning it like coal in a fire, until eventually there was nothing left. With the spark of life replaced by forbidden magic, they ceased to live but failed to die, continuing on as the undead. Some liches see it as a curse that they must undo, others as immortality that is rightfully theirs, but no lich is left untainted by their undeath.

Newly-formed liches may have some semblance of who they once were, but that quickly vanishes as their flesh and blood rot away, leaving them as a skeletal form held together by the arcane power they wield. This power twists their appearance over time, in ways both subtle and more overt. They may gain longer fingers, horns, new eye sockets, even additional appendages. This is because their skeletal form is not so much their body, but an anchor for their arcane self, which is called an umbra.

Much like other forms of undead, they are difficult to eliminate. If their skeletal form is destroyed, their umbra will reform it elsewhere over time. Depending on the age and potency of the lich, this can take days or years. In order to truly destroy a lich, their umbra must be destroyed, which means severing its tether to the mortal plane. This tether is the magical artifact they used as a focus to do the forbidden magic that made them a lich. It might be an amulet or a grimoire, but once it is destroyed, the lich will cease to be. For this reason, liches will seek to protect it, by either hiding it cunningly, far from mortal eyes, or keeping it close to them at all times.

Skeleton

STR: +1 DEX: +0 CON: +3 INT: +0 WIS: +1 CHA: +0

Hit Points: 8 each, +2 per additional level. Skills: Skeletons have training in Intimidate and Perception. Attacks: Crude Longbow (+2) or Rusted Shortsword (+2) Defence: 3 Initiative: 2 (1 slot per three)

Horde: Skeletons work best in large groups. When skeletons are in a group of at least twelve, they gain a +1 bonus to their attacks. This bonus increases to +2 if the group is at least sixty. Innate Senses: A skeleton has no eyes to blind and no ears to deafen, but it can still sense the world around it. Whenever a skeleton is hunting, tracking, or locating its prey with its senses, it gains a +1 bonus to that action. Re-Assembly: When a skeleton is reduced to 0 hit points, they can make a Con check to see if they can stand back up again, regaining hit points equal to their level + Con when they do so. The difficulty of the Con check starts at 2 and increases by +1 for each success. Undead: Skeletons are undead, and as undead they do not need to eat, drink, breathe, or sleep. They do not have to worry about starvation, thirst, suffocation, ageing, disease, or poison. Other conditions and effects will effect them as normal. A skeleton is considered lesser undead.

Skeletons are the remains of long-dead creatures, animated by forbidden magic. Though at first they may appear to be standing and moving on their own, a closer look will reveal gossamer-like threads of energy that bind them together. However, it is not wise to get too close to a skeleton, because they have an innate, violent hatred of the living.

As skeletons have no flesh or organs, they can be difficult to deal with, especially since their lack of typical senses means they cannot be easily blinded or distracted. They see the world as vague shapes of grey, with the living as bright and vibrant splashes of colour which offend them on some primitive level. A skeleton can and will destroy themselves in their pursuit of slaying the living.

The energy that binds them will eventually wear out and dissipate, especially when subjected to the stresses of trying to keep the body together. However, care should be taken to make sure that it is truly gone. Sometimes skeletons can collapse, seemingly defeated, only to rise again later when they have recovered. The best way to deal with skeletons is to shatter the skull or the ribcage, which can strain their capacity to rebuild themselves past the point of collapse.

Worgi

STR: +1 DEX: +2 CON: +1 INT: +0 WIS: +1 CHA: +3

Hit Points: 10 each, +2 per additional level. Skills: Worgis have training in Intimidate, Stealth, Survival, and Thievery. Attacks: Shortsword (+3) or Claws (+3), Bite (+2) Defence: 3 Initiative: 8 (1 slot per two)

Beast Senses: A worgi's senses of smell and taste are very potent. Whenever a worgi is hunting, tracking, or locating something with their senses, they gain a +1 bonus to that action. Fey: Worgis count as fey creatures. Furry Hide: Reduce all incoming cold or environmental damage by 2. Pack Hunter: Worgis work best in groups. When worgis are in a group of at least five, they gain a +1 bonus to their attacks. This bonus increases to +2 if the group is at least fifty. Quickling: Worgis are swift to move, able to run fast, and for long periods of time. When their speed would be a benefit to your action, they gain a +1 bonus to that action. If they are chasing something, that bonus increases to +2. Servile: Craven and cowardly, worgis will pledge their fealty to anything they view as strong. They will serve their patron faithfully, or at least until they find something that impresses or terrifies them even more. They are weak towards fear effects, taking a -2 penalty against them.

Worgis are shambling imitations of the true and noble corgis (see player guide). Though canine in appearance, the similarities stop there. They are larger, more hulking, and more bestial than corgis, driven by bloodlust and hatred. Though they originate from the Gloom, they have spread to the Faewilds and the mortal plane, working in service to despicable masters.

These foul, yapping creatures have mercenary attitudes, serving any master who will take them, especially minotaurs (see entry) who share their fey origin and hunger for battle. Worgis have none of the fine qualities of true corgis, and for that reason worgis utterly despise them above all else.