James Bell
10+ projects backed in 2023
CREATOR
6 days ago
Project Update: Sneak Peek: Bodak, Canoptic, Geocatcher
Hello Tail-blazers,
On Friday, we'll get our complete enemies chapter. Until then, a small preview of some nasties...
On Friday, we'll get our complete enemies chapter. Until then, a small preview of some nasties...
Bodok
(OL 3; Enemy)
When at rest, bodoks are indistinguishable from the large, ancient microchips found in the ruins left behind by Man. Flat, covered in a faded, green, chitin-like material, and decorated with delicate golden traceries, the tines of the “chip” extend into tiny, scuttling legs when the bodok awakens and hunts its prey. It feeds by latching onto its prey’s neck and inserting a metallic proboscis into the unfortunate creature’s brain.
Due to their strange anatomy and incomprehensible nature, rodents who have studied them are unable to say for certain what they truly feed on — mental energy, brain matter, or blood — but as they are most commonly found within those places Man carved out for experiments of a highly technical nature, bodoks are believed to be able to subsist on the lightning Man trapped within copper wires.
Left to their own devices, it’s hypothesized that bodoks will hibernate indefinitely — awakening only to defend the territory they’ve claimed — and few willingly travel from the Underneath. Even when possessing their prey, bodoks instinctively remain below ground, venturing out only when necessary, or when threatened, to secure more food.
Due to their size, a single adult can sustain a bodok for months, during which time the bodok will remain attached to the back of its prey’s neck, using its mental connection to control the creature’s actions.
Tactics: Bodoks are ambush predators. Their low Speed and small pool of stamina points make them easy to kill, so they typically ambush their prey in large numbers, prioritizing any characters dealing electric or mental damage.
Once a bodok has possessed a character, they will use that character’s abilities to protect the other bodok’s nearby, ensuring their fellows can also use the Possession trick.
Defense: 15 (bug-like armor)
Stamina Points: 21
Speed: 10 ft.
Experience Bonus: +2
Attributes: Agility +3, Might -2, Vitality +3, Cunning +0, Intellect +0, Presence +0
Skills: Sneak
Attack: Pincers (+0 melee, 1d4 - 2 stabbing)
Morale: +0; at 5 or fewer stamina points
Tricks: Resistance to all damage except electric, weak to mental damage
- Hostile Takeover: A bodok within 5 feet of a living target can attempt to take over the target against their will. It latches onto the target, crawls up to the back of their head, and inflicts 4d6 mental damage as an action. Making a successful Cunning test (difficulty 15) halves this damage. If the target is reduced to 0 stamina points, they are automatically subject to the Possession trick, or, if they have any remaining stamina points, they may attempt a Might test (difficulty 15) to remove the bodok.
- Possession: The bodok may take over any character at 0 stamina points. When the bodok takes over, the character regains half their maximum stamina points, is Possessed by the bodok, has access to all their skills and abilities, and can’t remember anything. The target makes a Cunning test (difficulty 15) every 24 hours and returns to normal — removing the bodok — when it succeeds.
Canoptic
(OL 4; Enemy)
Covered in black, leathery skin, this bat-like creature hangs from the ceilings of the caverns it calls home, almost indistinguishable from the shadows around it. The only warning its prey has of the canoptic’s approach is the sound of air rushing over wings as it dives, or the slight hum that the barbed horns adorning its head make as it falls upon its target.
These horns are both a sensory organ — amplifying its ability to navigate the Underneath through echolocation — and a gruesome weapon. Not only can they draw blood with the slightest touch, the canoptic also uses them to grapple its prey and carry it to great heights, before releasing it to fatally fall onto the rocky floor of the Underneath. The canoptic will then eat the internal organs, leaving only a broken, hollowed-out corpse.
Those who have fought these canoptics shudder whenever they’re mentioned, calling them “barbed shrouds”, “shrieking darkness”, or “biting shadows”, and many stories told by rodent parents use them as figures of punishment for misbehaving youngsters.
While all canoptics are highly territorial, some, most often those who live near ruins left behind by Man, have learned to hunt packs, coordinating through a complex system of wing gestures, horn movements, and echolocation clicks. Such swarms will work together to bring down large prey and feast upon the corpse together. Lone hunters will target single individuals, attacking groups only when no other option presents itself or when driven to desperation by hunger.
Tactics: Canoptics ambush their prey, observing from the safety of their hidden perch before striking without warning, often when their target is deep within the canoptic’s territory.
Canoptics use their ability to fly to great effect, staying beyond the range of most attacks and dropping their prey from as great a heigh as possible. Their ability to hide in almost any shadow allows them to swoop upon their foe, drop them from a height, and then reposition without being seen, striking from another quarter with their next action.
They target spellcasters and characters with ranged weapons first, dealing with the most immediate threats before harrying those who can’t attack back.
Defense: 16 (leathery skin)
Stamina Points: 45
Speed: 20 ft. / 40 ft. flying
Experience Bonus: +3
Attributes: Agility +2, Might +3, Vitality -1, Cunning +2, Intellect -1, Presence -1
Skills: Notice, Sneak
Attack: Horns (+6 melee, 4d6 + 3 stabbing)
Morale: -1; when Deafened
Tricks: Darkvision
- Echolocation: The canoptic has a boon on Notice checks to detect hidden creatures.
- It’s the Stop at the End: After a successful horns attack, the target of the attack is grappled by the canoptic’s horns and the canoptic immediately uses its remaining movement to fly straight up and drop the target, which takes 1d8 damage per 10 feet fallen, modified by spells and special abilities. Making a successful Might test (difficulty 16) prevents this.
- Nimble Escape: The canoptic can take the Disengage or Hide action as a supplemental action on each of its turns.
Geocatcher
(OL 6; Enemy)
The Underneath is full of strange creatures, and geocatchers aren’t an exception. It’s believed that Man created these chameleonic animals as a lesson in greed, a warning to those who would exploit the natural world, or just as a joke.
They are indistinguishable from massive geodes when resting. Their craggy grey “skin” is enveloped by veins of mineral and crystal, and they’re found clinging to the walls and ceilings of caverns, or clustering together in large craters, where they seem content to rest indefinitely. When disturbed, either accidentally or through the actions of a foolhardy miner, the crystalline veins that adorn their exterior become a writhing mass of razor-sharp tendrils.
They use these tendrils as harpoons, impaling their prey and using their strange biology to drain their opponents of their very life force, reducing them to nothing more than statues. Many rodents know stories of caves full of stone figures contorted by agony and, whenever one such place is found, it’s quickly shunned by all right-thinking folk.
For the greedy or desperate, however, it’s said that the heart of a geocatcher is a geode of incredible purity that has been infused with the life essence of all its victims and can be used as a masterwork of great power.
Tactics: Geocatchers are largely unthinking creatures. They lash out when disturbed, deal with the threat, and then return to their rest. Some have developed the habit of dragging their opponents up walls and dropping them from a height, but others remain immobile, refusing to leave the ground they have chosen to rest on.
Defense: 19 (rock-like skin)
Stamina Points: 35
Speed: 30 ft.
Experience Bonus: +4
Attributes: Agility +2, Might +4, Vitality +2, Cunning -1, Intellect -2, Presence +0
Attack: Tendril slam (+8 melee, 1d6 + 4 stabbing)
Morale: +0; at 15 or fewer stamina points.
Tricks: Darkvision; multiple attacks (4 tendril slams, Drains, or Leashes in any combination)
- Spider Climb: The geocatcher can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.
- Drain: The geocatcher makes a character that they are grappling Sickly and deals 3d10 deathly damage. Making a successful Vitality test (difficulty 15) prevents the condition and halves the damage taken. The geocatcher regains stamina points equal to half the damage dealt and characters who die because of this damage petrify instantly.
- Grasp: After a successful tendril slam attack, as part of the same action, the target is grappled by the geocatcher. Making a successful Might test (difficulty 18) prevents this. Until the grapple ends, the target is Restrained and has a hindrance on Might checks and tests. The test can be attempted as an action on the character’s subsequent turns. The geocatcher can grapple up to four characters and can’t target grappled characters with their tendril slam attack.
- Leash: The geocatcher can use an action to move every character it’s grappling up to 20 feet in any direction. Making a successful Agility test (difficulty 15) prevents this.
I've got some recovery to do tomorrow, but I'll be back on Thursday with another sneak peek and then our full enemies chapter on Friday!
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