New Creatures
Horse | Horse, Kias Draft | Horse, Sual Thoroughbred | Horse, Rothian Warstepper
Forest Dwellers | Spider, Silt | Condor, Frezaran | MERMEN
Hebis
Level | 11 |
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Size Type | III |
Climate/Terrain | Temperate Tropic / Plains, Subterain |
Social Structure | Mated |
Commonality | Exceptional |
Encountered | 4-8 |
Movement | 120 MPM |
Awareness Bonus | +22 Enemy: 0 |
Health | 181 Avg. / 231 Max. |
Defense | Base 64 Touch 75 Total 80 |
Special Defenses | None |
Attack Bonus | +124 |
Attack Sequence | 3/2 |
Additional Attacks | None |
Start Series | Bite (4+11) |
Alternate Series | Bite, Bite |
Physical Attributes | 32 |
Mental Attributes | 3 |
Pious Attributes | 11 |
Treasure Class | 0 |
Defeated | 6,000 |
Encountered | 0 |
They are not quiet hunters. Hebis use barks and yelps to communicate. Moving along the outskirts of a herd, they patiently choose their dinner before moving in. They rarely waste time on small prey, such as cattle. Instead, they will target elephants or other even larger animals. Usually they will spend hours isolating the desired prey from its companions. Bringing down such large animals often leads to injuries. Normally this would lead to certain death from starvation by not being able to keep up with the pack; however, the hebis are extremely tight. Wounded pack members are given time to heal. They are brought food and otherwise cared for. The saliva of the canine has been found to possess mild healing properties, tripling their natural healing rate.
Hebis attack with a series of strong bites. When hunting they will hold the victim with their powerful jaws to keep them from escaping. However, this rarely occurs when the beasts find themselves faced with a group of adventurers. Though they have little fear of humanoids, attacks are rare. After all, few humanoids are big enough to fit into the pack hunter's normal prey. In times of scarce food they have been known to attack people, sometimes boldly marching right into small towns.
Though no success has yet been found in truly domesticating these creatures, a few interesting relationships have been documented. In one case a pup became lost and wandered into town on the south coast of Rothius. As the years past the hebis grew to maturity, but apparently also grew to consider the town it's pack. On several occasions the canine has helped drive off various threats to the town. It rarely responds to individuals. As a pup it never played with the locals and it does not like to be pet. South of the Santaren undead field, a priest of the Lord of Nature was adopted by an entire pack of the powerful dogs. Though the hebis do not like to travel with others, they obviously are loyal to the priest and, occasionally, even follow his commands.
Frear
Level | 12 |
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Size Type | V |
Climate/Terrain | Arctic, Temperate / Any |
Social Structure | Family |
Commonality | Scarce |
Encountered | 1-5 |
Movement | 120 MPM |
Awareness Bonus | +22 Enemy: 0 |
Health | 233 Avg. / 288 Max. |
Defense | Base 68 Touch 82 Total 92 |
Special Defenses | None |
Attack Bonus | +134 |
Attack Sequence | 3/2 or 1 |
Additional Attacks | Leap and Incidental (2) |
Start Series | Bite (22+14) or Leap (15+14) |
Alternate Series | Bite, Rake (12+14) or leap |
Physical Attributes | 34 |
Mental Attributes | 1 |
Pious Attributes | 12 |
Treasure Class | 0 |
Defeated | 10,000 |
Encountered | 0 |
The frear is not particularly interested in stealth. It will move slowly and steadily toward its prey. It cares little if it is spotted. It simply tries to avoid panicking the target of its hunt. When it reaches a distance of around 90 meters, it releases the powerful muscles in its lengthy legs. Straightened, the legs double the creature's total length. The frear are fully capable of leaping a hundred meters accurately. This form of attack inflicts 39 points of damage. When attacking normally with bites and raking claws, the frear gains three attacks every two series. Leaping will reset this sequence. Though it is capable of leaping every other series, it will often leap every third series to take better advantage of its attacks. This only applies when the creature finds itself fighting multiple creatures with ranged attacks (in other words, adventurers). Its goal is always to find a meal and is generally not interested in defeating every opponent in sight. It will, however, attack creatures who are consistently doing it harm.
Against airborne targets, the creature is just as deadly. It can leap straight up or in an arc to a height of 50 meters. Damage inflicted is 39 points plus falling damage, as the creature drives its victim into the ground. The good news is that if the target happens to survive it will not be pinned underneath the frear because, to avoid taking damage itself, the great beast must roll a few meters to absorb the otherwise painful impact.
As fearsome as the frear is, it is still a simple predator. It does not have the intellect to be creative in its attacks. Goal number one is to eat. Goal number two is to prevent taking damage, usually by attempting to eat whatever is causing it pain. Goal number three is to live. The frear will begin looking for avenues of escape when it reaches about half health. However, it will never blindly run. If escape looks impossible it will fight to the death.
Monitor, Giant
Level | 12 |
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Size Type | VI |
Climate/Terrain | Tropic / Forest, Plains |
Social Structure | Special |
Commonality | Scarce |
Encountered | See Below (in description) |
Movement | 150 MPM |
Awareness Bonus | +22 Enemy: +15 |
Health | 233 Avg. / 288 Max. |
Defense | Base 60 Touch 72 Total 89 |
Special Defenses | None |
Attack Bonus | +130 |
Attack Sequence | 3/2 |
Additional Attacks | Incidental (2) |
Start Series | Bite (20+10) |
Alternate Series | Bite, Bite |
Physical Attributes | 30 |
Mental Attributes | 0 (Senses: 30) |
Pious Attributes | 12 |
Treasure Class | 0 |
Defeated | 10,000 |
Encountered | 0 |
The giant lizard hunts alone. Their style is simple: cover a lot of territory until they find suitable prey, then chase it until they can make the kill. Three things make this possible. First, the giant monitor is just tough. No equivalent level non-predator can face it in a fight. Second, the lizard, assisted by its high stamina, can outpace most of its favorite prey. Third, if it comes down to a chase of attrition, the lizard's excellent sense of smell allows it to track prey into exhaustion. When large prey are not available, the lizard will reduce itself to eating a couple smaller herd animals.
Though solitary hunters, they are not always found alone. They tend to congregate on seacoasts in numbers of twenty or more. This only occurs in regions where there are enough prey to support such large groups of super predators. The largest such gatherings can be found on the southern coast of the Embrian Sea. Groups of over 50 have been sighted at times. Breeding rituals and nesting occurs on these sites, as well as the nurturing of the young. Though immature lizards must be wary of infringing on other's personal space, their mood is generally peaceful. In fact, very little hunting occurs within a kilometer or two of the gathering places.
As with most animals, attempts have been made to domesticate the large beasts. A market eagerly awaits the first success. Any wealthy adventurer would surely be quick to purchase such a capable mount. Unfortunately, the lizards are just plain dumb. They tend to ignore such things as walls and other restraints. Most are easily knocked away or broken. Restraints strong enough to bind the beast usually lead to the reptile's quick demise, as the giant monitor relentlessly tests the bonds, seemingly unaware it is hurting itself.
Tarantula, Giant
Level | 15 |
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Size Type | VII |
Climate/Terrain | Temperate Tropic / Forest |
Social Structure | Mated |
Commonality | Exceptional |
Encountered | 1-2 |
Movement | 130 MPM, Day: 15 km / 25 km |
Awareness Bonus | +25 Enemy: +25 (0) |
Health | 232 Avg. / 300 Max. |
Defense | Base 50 Touch 75 Total 80 |
Special Defenses | None |
Attack Bonus | +170 |
Attack Sequence | 2 |
Additional Attacks | Incidental (8) |
Start Series | Trample (50+16), Bite (25+16) |
Alternate Series | Trample, Bite |
Physical Attributes | 25 (Strength: 35) |
Mental Attributes | 3 |
Pious Attributes | 15 |
Treasure Class | 0 |
Defeated | 23,000 |
Encountered | 200 |
They attack by biting and trampling opponents. They gain one of each attack style each series. These massive beasts can kill even a fifth level conqueror in a series. Rarely do their prey last much longer. Generally, they stick to their forest realms but have been known to attack ranch towns and even small cities. Often, as many are killed by incidental damage, flying debris and collapsing buildings, as by the spider directly. This is something an arbiter must keep in mind when running an encounter with this behemoth. Even in the forest, the threat of falling trees is very real. Such damage could easily exceed 15 points and may even pin the character down. Generally, a special awareness check would be made and a reflex check given to avoid being crushed. Damage and frequency of debris beyond the minimum amount of incidental damage per series is completely up to the arbiter, depending upon the landscape of the fight.
Making matters worse, giant tarantulas mate for life and 90% of the time will be encountered in pairs. Young are left to fend for themselves and take 20 years to mature. As they grow they are usually mistaken for lesser giant spiders. Tracking the giant tarantula is not difficult, though not many are interested. Those that are, however, are quickly putting them on the endangered species list. Unfortunately for the spider, there are plenty of capable adventurers eager to add such a large critter to their list of kills. Remarkably, in some parts of the world, those who have reason to fear the spiders the most are doing the most to protect them. Many primitive forest tribes worship the great tarantulas as gods. Even if these tribes convert to established religions they often integrate the beasts into their new beliefs.
HORSE
Level | 2 |
Size Type | IV |
Climate/Terrain | Any / Any |
Social Structure | Herd |
Commonality | Prevalent |
Encountered | 1-20 |
Movement | 175 MPM |
Awareness Bonus | +12 Enemy: 0 |
Health | 22 Avg. / 32 Max. |
Defense | Base 40 Touch 40 Total 40 |
Special Defenses | None |
Attack Bonus | +10 |
Attack Sequence | 1 |
Additional Attacks | None |
Start Series | Gore (4+1) |
Alternate Series | Gore (4+1) |
Physical Attributes | 20 |
Mental Attributes | 2 |
Pious Attributes | 7 |
Treasure Class | 1 |
Defeated | 40 |
Encountered | 0 |
This description applies to about 90% of Pelicar's wild horse population and most of its domesticated as well. However, the simple wild horse does not make much of an adventurer's steed. In the 630's several investors became interested in correcting the problem. By 634 new breeds were becoming available.
Cost and Accessories for your steed!
Horse, Kias Draft
Level | 2 |
Size Type | IV |
Climate/Terrain | Any / Any |
Social Structure | Herd |
Commonality | Prevalent |
Encountered | 1-20 |
Movement | 175 MPM |
Awareness Bonus | +12 Enemy: 0 |
Health | 22 Avg. / 32 Max. |
Defense | Base 40 Touch 40 Total 40 |
Special Defenses | None |
Attack Bonus | +10 |
Attack Sequence | 1 |
Additional Attacks | None |
Start Series | Gore (4+1) |
Alternate Series | Gore (4+1) |
Physical Attributes | 20 (Strength: 32) |
Mental Attributes | 2 |
Pious Attributes | 7 |
Treasure Class | 1 |
Defeated | 40 |
Encountered | 0 |
Because of their scattered origins, there are dozens of sub-species all with nearly identical attributes.
Cost and Accessories for your steed!
Horse, Sual Thoroughbred
Level | 2 |
Size Type | IV |
Climate/Terrain | Any / Any |
Social Structure | Herd |
Commonality | Prevalent |
Encountered | 1-20 |
Movement | 225 MPM |
Awareness Bonus | +12 Enemy: 0 |
Health | 28 Avg. / 38 Max. |
Defense | Base 40 Touch 40 Total 40 |
Special Defenses | None |
Attack Bonus | +10 |
Attack Sequence | 1 |
Additional Attacks | None |
Start Series | Gore (4+1) |
Alternate Series | Gore (4+1) |
Physical Attributes | 22 (Stamina: 29) |
Mental Attributes | 2 |
Pious Attributes | 15 |
Treasure Class | 1 |
Defeated | 40 |
Encountered | 0 |
Few racing breeds are worth a pinch of salt in combat. Though with a little conditioning they will stand against most minor foes (under 6th level), They lose their attacks and will flee if not under direct supervision of a trained rider or handler.
Cost and Accessories for your steed!
Horse, Rothian Warstepper
Level | 3 |
Size Type | IV |
Climate/Terrain | Any / Any |
Social Structure | Herd |
Commonality | Prevalent |
Encountered | 1-20 |
Movement | 160 MPM |
Awareness Bonus | +12 Enemy: 0 |
Health | 42 Avg. / 57 Max. |
Defense | Base 50 Touch 50 Total 50 |
Special Defenses | None |
Attack Bonus | +30 |
Attack Sequence | 1 |
Additional Attacks | None |
Start Series | Trample (8+1) or bite (8+1) |
Alternate Series | Trample or bite |
Physical Attributes | 25 |
Mental Attributes | 3 |
Pious Attributes | 20 |
Treasure Class | 1 |
Defeated | 120 |
Encountered | 0 |
Cost and Accessories for your steed!
Cost and Accessories for your steed!
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Special Gear
Embrian Star Plate
Hiaken Sawlegs
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FOREST DWELLERS
Level | 0 |
Size Type | II |
Climate/Terrain | Tropic, Temperate / Forest |
Social Structure | Hierarchy |
Commonality | Infrequent |
Encountered | 4-40 |
Movement | 80 MPM Day 10 km / 40 km |
Awareness Bonus | +10 Enemy -5 |
Health | 5 Avg. / 5 Max. |
Defense | Base 40 Touch 40 Total 45 |
Special Defenses | None |
Attack Bonus | +0 |
Attack Sequence | 3/2 (9/2 under fugue) |
Additional Attacks | Fugue |
Start Series | Weapon (+0) |
Alternate Series | Weapon (+0), again if dagger or fist |
Physical Attributes | 20 |
Mental Attributes | 18 |
Pious Attributes | 15 |
Treasure Class | 4 |
Defeated | 10 |
Encountered | 0 |
Forest dwellers are nocturnal and tend to avoid the full light of day. Their acute eyesight makes bright light quite uncomfortable, and inflicts a -10 to their awareness checks. It also makes nighttime very accessible to them. Most hunting and foraging is accomplished under cover of darkness. Many forest dwellers also keep and train nocturnal creatures, such as raccoons and fruit bats, to assist in gathering food. Forest dwellers prefer not to kill most animals, except for natural predators that stray too close to their homes. They will also attack supernatural creatures which disrupt the balance of the forest.
They specialize in making goods from the resources at hand, choosing not to cut down trees for houses or mine for metals. Any metal items they might possess were either found or traded for. In most areas only the ruling individual or group will carry any metal weapon other than a dagger. Swords, armor, shields, etc. are used much more for show than for combat, mainly because it is either much too large or too heavy for forest dwellers to use effectively. Daggers serve not only as combat weapons (on the rare occasions the forest dwellers actually engage in combat) but as utility knives as well. Warriors and hunters usually wear leather armor to make up for their obscure defense. As usual this is accounted for in the above table.
Special Action: Every so often (twice a day) a forest dweller can enter a type of fugue state. During this time, the creature increases their metabolism to an astounding rate. Their face turns bright pink, they start to sweat, and their fingers tremble. In combat, this builds for two series and can last for five more. When they reach their peak, they can unleash all of their energy in a flurry of activity, which is often accompanied by a skull-splitting yell. This action can be used in a 'fight or flight' manner. The forest dweller can either gain up to 3x as many attacks per series as usual, or they can move at 10x their normal movement. These actions can be switched at the beginning of each series. The main drawback to using this ability is that it tends to become uncontrollable. Attempting to use any weapon other than fists or feet while in an accelerated attack mode will overbalance the creature and knock him to the ground. Also, while in dense woods, close combat, or other areas with many obstructions, they have a 15% chance per series of plowing headlong into something (someone) solid and knocking themselves unconscious.
"What the h..OOOF!!"
Kaned Dirsel, on the occasion of his first encounter with a forest dweller.
SPIDER, SILT
Level | 4 |
Size Type | III |
Climate/Terrain | Silt/Swamp |
Social Structure | Group |
Commonality | Prevalent |
Encountered | 5-10 |
Movement | 50 MPM Day 10 km / 15 km |
Awareness Bonus | +10 Enemy -5 (or -30) |
Health | 46 Avg / 64 Max |
Defense | Base 50 Touch 58 Total 58 |
Special Defenses | Camouflage |
Attack Bonus | +40 |
Attack Sequence | 1 |
Additional Attacks | None |
Start Series | bite 1 + special |
Alternate Series | bite 1 + special |
Physical Attributes | 10 (Reflexes: 25) |
Mental Attributes | 1 |
Pious Attributes | 1 |
Treasure Class | 3 |
Defeated | 120 |
Encountered | 0 |
Silt spiders attempt to lie in wait until their prey comes near. They have two tactics at their disposal. In the first they hide a few meters away from the silt. When a prey comes near they charge and attempt to panic or drive an opponent into the muck. Driving falls under the pushing rules covered on page 52 of the Official Game Book. Once in the silt the spider has the advantage. It can attempt to bite with no penalty. While its prey will be at up to -25 on it's attack rolls depending on the nature of the silt. The arbiter will rule on conditions and circumstances to assign penalties. The second attack form is odd indeed. The spider will invert itself so it is upside down, "standing" on the surface of the silt. The awareness penalty here is -30, and is considered shrouding. Often it will use this tactic against creatures on the shore, though it is best used against creatures moving across the silt.
As is the case with most arachnids, this one possesses a poisonous bite. The skeletal A poison is especially beneficial to fighting in the muck of a silt lake. When a character or creature can no longer support its encumbrance it will sink. In other words if a character carrying more than 17 kg drops to 13 strength they will sink. If the spider sees the creature begin to have problems it will attempt to grapple the prey and add its weight (45 kg). Once the victim has drowned the spider can sink down and feed at will. The hunters unusual feet make it an excellent silt swimmer.
The silt spiders store their poison in their abdomen. It is not quickly produced, and the poison sack only contains enough juice for ten bites. After this it takes two hours to produce just one dose. The poison will, however, last for 2 weeks with minimal care. Any character with a poison use skill may utilize the venom. It has a market value of 5000 bits per dose. Though extremely difficult to train, attempts to domesticate the silt spider have met with some success. To keep the arachnid alive its natural environment must be reproduced. Even then they have a tendency to become sick and die. On a positive note the spiders have shown a tendency to recognize its trainers and even become somewhat affectionate if treated properly. The cost in ranching them runs in the tens of thousands of bits. This, combined with the taboo against poison, has kept people out of the business. A few thieves' guilds are rumored to be active in the trade. A young spider could go for as much as fifty thousand bits. The wrong buyer could see the seller in a great deal of legal trouble, as the poison trade is illegal under all known law.
CONDOR, FREZARAN
Level | 3 |
Size Type | III |
Climate/Terrain | Temperate / High Mountains, Mountains |
Social Structure | Mated |
Commonality | Infrequent |
Encountered | 1-10 |
Movement | 150 MPM Day 10 km / 100 km |
Awareness Bonus | +27 Enemy +0 |
Health | 36 Avg. / 54 Max |
Defense | Base 50 Touch 56 Total 61 |
Special Defenses | None |
Attack Bonus | None |
Attack Sequence | 1 |
Additional Attacks | None |
Start Series | Rake (8+1) |
Alternate Series | Rake (8+1) |
Physical Attributes | 25 |
Mental Attributes | 1 (Senses:34) |
Pious Attributes | 4 |
Treasure Class | 1 |
Defeated | 50 |
Encountered | 0 |
The condor is an odd hunter. It can be found following other predators waiting for them to make a kill. As soon as the kill is made the condors go in to steal a meal. The condor also attracts other scavengers. These other scavengers see the condors circling above and move to their position. When the condor goes in, so do the others. Although five or so birds are no match for a full grown lion, five condors with a couple of hyenas and three dingos are definitely a problem. The condor is usually the only winner of such battles because while the reinforcements distract the lion or other predator, the condors swoop in quickly. Small prey can be carried off. Otherwise, the condor's claws rip large pieces from the fallen victim, then it flies off to devour them in the air, returning in moments to repeat the pattern. A small flock can reduce a trail lizard to a skeleton in minutes. Often, the lion and other scavengers get nothing for their efforts. This is not always the case, many times the condor must retreat but their cunning and courage have kept this species alive. They will not eat live meat. And a condor has never been known to attack any living zoola except in self-defense.
However, condors do have an unusual taste for undead flesh, and will use their swoop-and-fly technique mercilessly against undead creatures that they can threaten. Humanoids and other intelligent creatures living near undead fields keep a close eye on the activities of these birds. Though taming them has not met with success, undead hunters do what they can to promote local condor populations.
MERMEN
Level | 2 |
Size Type | III |
Climate/Terrain | Any / Fresh Water, Salt Water Depths, Salt Water Shallow |
Social Structure | Hierarchical |
Commonality | Prevalent |
Encountered | 1-50 |
Movement | 75 MPM Day 10 km / 40 km |
Awareness Bonus | +12 Enemy 0 |
Health | 31 Avg. / 40 Max. |
Defense | Base 62 Touch 68 Total 68 |
Special Defenses | None |
Attack Bonus | +24 |
Attack Sequence | 1 |
Additional Attacks | None |
Start Series | Trident (5+3) |
Alternate Series | Trident |
Physical Attributes | 28 |
Mental Attributes | Variable (10-28) |
Pious Attributes | 20 |
Treasure Class | 4 |
Defeated | 25 |
Encountered | 0 |
The typical merman looks like one would expect. They appear to be a with populations under 2000. In some parts of the ocean, these cities have grown to over 50,000 merfolk. Merculture is centered around the arts and engineering, leading the more philosophical to believe that the grandest structures ever built lie unseen by human eyes on the sea floor.
"Now guys, just tie the two lines together like this, give them a tug, and watch the fun."
Mervinile delinquents