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| {{NightcatsHeader}}
| | == Trait Vocabulary == |
| <div class="codex-page codex-page--nightcats">
| |
| | |
| <div class="nightcats-callout">
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| “The jungle does not hate you.
| |
| | |
| It simply does not care whether you live.”
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| </div>
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| | |
| = Bestiary of Jhelum = | |
| | |
| The lands beyond the walls are not empty.
| |
| | |
| They are occupied.
| |
| | |
| What follows are not scholarly classifications, but what a survivor needs to know: how it moves, how it kills, and how to live long enough to tell the story.
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| | |
| == How to Read These Entries ==
| |
| | |
| Each creature includes its '''Threat''', '''Habitat''', '''Behavior''', and what people most fear about it.
| |
| | |
| The statistics use a simplified BoL format:
| |
| | |
| * '''Strength''' — Power, toughness, and force
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| * '''Agility''' — Speed, stealth, and quickness
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| * '''Mind''' — Instinct, cunning, awareness, or unnatural will
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| * '''Lifeblood''' — How much punishment it can take
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| * '''Protection''' — Natural hide, scales, bark, or other inherent defense
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| * '''Damage''' — The harm caused by its natural attacks
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| * '''Traits''' — Special abilities and hazards worth remembering in play
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| | |
| == Beasts of the Jungle ==
| |
| | |
| <div class="nightcats-panel nightcats-panel--beast">
| |
| [[File:NC_Tiger.png|400px|right]]
| |
| <div class="nightcats-panel-title">Striped Tiger</div>
| |
| <div class="nightcats-panel-subtitle">A death that arrives without warning</div>
| |
| | |
| <div class="nightcats-tags">
| |
| <strong>Threat:</strong> Deadly •
| |
| <strong>Habitat:</strong> Deep jungle, river edges •
| |
| <strong>Behavior:</strong> Ambush predator •
| |
| <strong>What People Fear:</strong> You never hear it coming
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| </div>
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| | |
| The striped tiger is the unquestioned lord of the green dark. It does not roar before the kill. It appears, strikes, and vanishes into leaves and shadow with flesh in its jaws.
| |
| | |
| What people fear is not merely its strength, but its patience. A tiger may watch a trail for hours before choosing the one moment when a man is careless.
| |
| | |
| {| class="nightcats-stats"
| |
| ! Strength
| |
| | 3
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Agility
| |
| | 3
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Mind
| |
| | 1
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Lifeblood
| |
| | 18
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Protection
| |
| | 1
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Damage
| |
| | 1d6H
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Traits
| |
| | Ambush; Pounce
| |
| |}
| |
| </div>
| |
| | |
| <div class="nightcats-panel-grid nightcats-panel-grid--two">
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| | |
| <div class="nightcats-panel nightcats-panel--beast">
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| <div class="nightcats-panel-title">Deadly Cobra</div>
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| <div class="nightcats-panel-subtitle">Temple shade and a raised hood</div>
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| | |
| <div class="nightcats-tags">
| |
| <strong>Threat:</strong> Lethal if ignored •
| |
| <strong>Habitat:</strong> Ruins, temples, jungle shade •
| |
| <strong>Behavior:</strong> Defensive, fast strike •
| |
| <strong>What People Fear:</strong> Death comes hours later
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| </div>
| |
| | |
| The cobra is feared in old stone places, in shrine courtyards, and in the cool shadows beneath roots and fallen masonry. It does not need great size. Its warning is plain enough for the wise.
| |
| | |
| {| class="nightcats-stats"
| |
| ! Strength
| |
| | 0
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Agility
| |
| | 3
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Mind
| |
| | 0
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Lifeblood
| |
| | 5
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Protection
| |
| | 0
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Damage
| |
| | 1d6L
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Traits
| |
| | Venom; Fast Strike
| |
| |}
| |
| </div>
| |
| | |
| <div class="nightcats-panel nightcats-panel--beast">
| |
| <div class="nightcats-panel-title">Great Python</div>
| |
| <div class="nightcats-panel-subtitle">A slow death in living rope</div>
| |
| | |
| <div class="nightcats-tags">
| |
| <strong>Threat:</strong> Severe •
| |
| <strong>Habitat:</strong> Trees, ruins, riverbanks •
| |
| <strong>Behavior:</strong> Constrictor ambush •
| |
| <strong>What People Fear:</strong> Slow death in silence
| |
| </div>
| |
| | |
| Many an explorer has mistaken one for a fallen branch or hanging root. That error is usually the last one he makes.
| |
| | |
| {| class="nightcats-stats"
| |
| ! Strength
| |
| | 3
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Agility
| |
| | 1
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Mind
| |
| | 0
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Lifeblood
| |
| | 16
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Protection
| |
| | 1
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Damage
| |
| | 1d6
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Traits
| |
| | Grapple; Constrict
| |
| |}
| |
| </div>
| |
| | |
| </div>
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| | |
| <div class="nightcats-panel nightcats-panel--beast">
| |
| <div class="nightcats-panel-title">Sloth Bear</div>
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| <div class="nightcats-panel-subtitle">Ill-tempered muscle and claws</div>
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| | |
| <div class="nightcats-tags">
| |
| <strong>Threat:</strong> Dangerous •
| |
| <strong>Habitat:</strong> Jungle clearings •
| |
| <strong>Behavior:</strong> Territorial, unpredictable •
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| <strong>What People Fear:</strong> It mauls the face first
| |
| </div>
| |
| | |
| The sloth bear is not a hunter in the tiger’s fashion, but that does not make it safe. Startle one in the brush and it becomes a storm of claws, dirt, and pain.
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| | |
| {| class="nightcats-stats"
| |
| ! Strength
| |
| | 3
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Agility
| |
| | 1
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Mind
| |
| | 0
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Lifeblood
| |
| | 13
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Protection
| |
| | 1
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Damage
| |
| | 1d6
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Traits
| |
| | Frenzy
| |
| |}
| |
| </div>
| |
| | |
| == River and Marsh Creatures ==
| |
| | |
| <div class="nightcats-panel nightcats-panel--beast">
| |
| [[File:NC_Crocodile.png|400px|right]]
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| <div class="nightcats-panel-title">River Crocodile</div>
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| <div class="nightcats-panel-subtitle">The river opening its jaws</div>
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| | |
| <div class="nightcats-tags">
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| <strong>Threat:</strong> Deadly •
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| <strong>Habitat:</strong> Rivers, crossings •
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| <strong>Behavior:</strong> Patient ambush •
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| <strong>What People Fear:</strong> The water takes you
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| </div>
| |
| | |
| A river crocodile may watch a ford for days without stirring. It waits for carelessness, for routine, for the moment when a traveler believes the crossing is safe because nothing has happened yet.
| |
| | |
| {| class="nightcats-stats"
| |
| ! Strength
| |
| | 4
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Agility
| |
| | 1
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Mind
| |
| | 0
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Lifeblood
| |
| | 18
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Protection
| |
| | 2
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Damage
| |
| | 1d6H
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Traits
| |
| | Ambush; Grapple; Death Roll
| |
| |}
| |
| </div>
| |
| | |
| <div class="nightcats-panel-grid nightcats-panel-grid--two">
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| | |
| <div class="nightcats-panel nightcats-panel--beast">
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| <div class="nightcats-panel-title">Blood Leeches (Swarm)</div>
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| <div class="nightcats-panel-subtitle">A hunger you barely feel</div>
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| | |
| <div class="nightcats-tags">
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| <strong>Threat:</strong> Minor to deadly in numbers •
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| <strong>Habitat:</strong> Still water •
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| <strong>Behavior:</strong> Swarm feeding •
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| <strong>What People Fear:</strong> You do not feel it happening
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| </div>
| |
| | |
| Leeches thrive where the water lies warm and quiet. Their danger is not in one bite, but in number, numbness, and the weakness that comes too late.
| |
| | |
| {| class="nightcats-stats"
| |
| ! Strength
| |
| | 0
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Agility
| |
| | 1
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Mind
| |
| | 0
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Lifeblood
| |
| | 8
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Protection
| |
| | 0
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Damage
| |
| | 1d6L
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Traits
| |
| | Swarm; Drain
| |
| |}
| |
| </div>
| |
| | |
| <div class="nightcats-panel nightcats-panel--beast">
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| <div class="nightcats-panel-title">Black River Catfish</div>
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| <div class="nightcats-panel-subtitle">A shadow beneath muddy water</div>
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| | |
| <div class="nightcats-tags">
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| <strong>Threat:</strong> Dangerous •
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| <strong>Habitat:</strong> Deep rivers •
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| <strong>Behavior:</strong> Opportunistic predator •
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| <strong>What People Fear:</strong> Something pulls you under
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| </div>
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| | |
| Some grow as long as a man. Most feed on refuse, carrion, and whatever the river gives them. The largest decide for themselves what the river ought to give.
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| | |
| {| class="nightcats-stats"
| |
| ! Strength
| |
| | 2
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Agility
| |
| | 1
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Mind
| |
| | 0
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Lifeblood
| |
| | 12
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Protection
| |
| | 1
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Damage
| |
| | 1d6
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Traits
| |
| | Drag
| |
| |}
| |
| </div>
| |
| | |
| </div>
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| | |
| == Creatures of Burden and Use ==
| |
| | |
| <div class="nightcats-panel nightcats-panel--beast">
| |
| [[File:NC_Elephant_Caravan.png|400px|right]]
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| <div class="nightcats-panel-title">Jungle Elephant</div>
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| <div class="nightcats-panel-subtitle">War, labor, memory, and wrath</div>
| |
| | |
| <div class="nightcats-tags">
| |
| <strong>Threat:</strong> Massive •
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| <strong>Habitat:</strong> Jungle, domesticated or wild •
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| <strong>Behavior:</strong> Calm unless provoked •
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| <strong>What People Fear:</strong> When it turns, nothing stops it
| |
| </div>
| |
| | |
| An elephant may carry wealth, kings, timber, or war towers, but it is never merely a tool. It remembers mistreatment. It remembers fear. When one breaks into fury, men vanish beneath its feet.
| |
| | |
| {| class="nightcats-stats"
| |
| ! Strength
| |
| | 5
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Agility
| |
| | 0
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Mind
| |
| | 0
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Lifeblood
| |
| | 25
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Protection
| |
| | 3
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Damage
| |
| | 1d6H
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Traits
| |
| | Trample
| |
| |}
| |
| </div>
| |
| | |
| <div class="nightcats-panel nightcats-panel--beast">
| |
| <div class="nightcats-panel-title">Water Buffalo</div>
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| <div class="nightcats-panel-subtitle">Slow strength until the charge</div>
| |
| | |
| <div class="nightcats-tags">
| |
| <strong>Threat:</strong> Low to dangerous •
| |
| <strong>Habitat:</strong> Wetlands, farms •
| |
| <strong>Behavior:</strong> Passive, but charges when angered •
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| <strong>What People Fear:</strong> Sudden charge
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| </div>
| |
| | |
| The water buffalo is a beast of mud, carts, plows, and patient labor. Yet patience is not gentleness. Press one too far and it answers with horn, weight, and speed.
| |
| | |
| {| class="nightcats-stats"
| |
| ! Strength
| |
| | 2
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Agility
| |
| | 1
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Mind
| |
| | 0
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Lifeblood
| |
| | 12
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Protection
| |
| | 1
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Damage
| |
| | 1d6
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Traits
| |
| | Charge
| |
| |}
| |
| </div>
| |
| | |
| == Predators of Shadow and Story ==
| |
| | |
| <div class="nightcats-panel nightcats-panel--beast">
| |
| [[File:NC_Black_Leopard.png|400px|right]]
| |
| <div class="nightcats-panel-title">Black Leopard</div>
| |
| <div class="nightcats-panel-subtitle">A ghost in the trees</div>
| |
| | |
| <div class="nightcats-tags">
| |
| <strong>Threat:</strong> Deadly •
| |
| <strong>Habitat:</strong> Jungle canopy •
| |
| <strong>Behavior:</strong> Stalker •
| |
| <strong>What People Fear:</strong> It chooses when you die
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| </div>
| |
| | |
| More rumor than beast in many tales, the black leopard is seen only when it allows itself to be seen. Hunters speak of finding its tracks circling camp for nights before the strike finally comes.
| |
| | |
| {| class="nightcats-stats"
| |
| ! Strength
| |
| | 2
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Agility
| |
| | 4
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Mind
| |
| | 1
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Lifeblood
| |
| | 12
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Protection
| |
| | 1
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Damage
| |
| | 1d6
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Traits
| |
| | Stealth; Ambush
| |
| |}
| |
| </div>
| |
| | |
| <div class="nightcats-panel nightcats-panel--beast">
| |
| <div class="nightcats-panel-title">Grave Hyenas</div>
| |
| <div class="nightcats-panel-subtitle">Laughing scavengers of the dead</div>
| |
| | |
| <div class="nightcats-tags">
| |
| <strong>Threat:</strong> Moderate in a pack •
| |
| <strong>Habitat:</strong> Battlefields, cremation grounds •
| |
| <strong>Behavior:</strong> Pack hunters •
| |
| <strong>What People Fear:</strong> They laugh while feeding
| |
| </div>
| |
| | |
| Grave hyenas are rarely alone, and never reassuring. Their cries carry badly through the night, like broken laughter or men speaking through torn throats.
| |
| | |
| {| class="nightcats-stats"
| |
| ! Strength
| |
| | 2
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Agility
| |
| | 1
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Mind
| |
| | 0
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Lifeblood
| |
| | 8 each
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Protection
| |
| | 0
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Damage
| |
| | 1d6
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Traits
| |
| | Pack
| |
| |}
| |
| </div>
| |
| | |
| == The Green That Hungers ==
| |
| | |
| <div class="nightcats-panel nightcats-panel--hazard">
| |
| [[File:NC_Devils_Pitcher.png|400px|right]]
| |
| <div class="nightcats-panel-title">Strangler Vines</div>
| |
| <div class="nightcats-panel-subtitle">The jungle closing its hand</div>
| |
| | |
| <div class="nightcats-tags">
| |
| <strong>Threat:</strong> Deadly •
| |
| <strong>Habitat:</strong> Deep jungle •
| |
| <strong>Behavior:</strong> Slow entrapment •
| |
| <strong>What People Fear:</strong> The jungle closes behind you
| |
| </div>
| |
| | |
| These vines do not lash like whips. They tighten slowly and patiently, while the victim wastes breath, strength, and hope. By morning the path may be gone, and something may hang within the leaves.
| |
| | |
| {| class="nightcats-stats"
| |
| ! Strength
| |
| | 3
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Agility
| |
| | 0
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Mind
| |
| | 0
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Lifeblood
| |
| | 15
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Protection
| |
| | 1
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Damage
| |
| | 1d6
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Traits
| |
| | Immobilize; Constrict
| |
| |}
| |
| </div>
| |
| | |
| <div class="nightcats-panel nightcats-panel--hazard">
| |
| <div class="nightcats-panel-title">Devil’s Pitcher</div>
| |
| <div class="nightcats-panel-subtitle">A flower that eats the unwary</div>
| |
| | |
| <div class="nightcats-tags">
| |
| <strong>Threat:</strong> Lethal if trapped •
| |
| <strong>Habitat:</strong> Wet jungle •
| |
| <strong>Behavior:</strong> Passive lure •
| |
| <strong>What People Fear:</strong> You fall in and never climb out
| |
| </div>
| |
| | |
| Sweet scent, slick walls, and a bright inviting bloom make the devil’s pitcher more dangerous than any roaring beast. It does nothing at all until something slips.
| |
| | |
| {| class="nightcats-stats"
| |
| ! Strength
| |
| | 2
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Agility
| |
| | 0
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Mind
| |
| | 0
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Lifeblood
| |
| | 10
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Protection
| |
| | 1
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Damage
| |
| | 1d6
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Traits
| |
| | Trap; Dissolving Sap
| |
| |}
| |
| </div>
| |
| | |
| <div class="nightcats-panel-grid nightcats-panel-grid--two">
| |
| | |
| <div class="nightcats-panel nightcats-panel--hazard">
| |
| <div class="nightcats-panel-title">Red Lotus</div>
| |
| <div class="nightcats-panel-subtitle">Beauty drifting above still death</div>
| |
| | |
| <div class="nightcats-tags">
| |
| <strong>Threat:</strong> Dangerous •
| |
| <strong>Habitat:</strong> Still pools, temple tanks, marsh edges •
| |
| <strong>Behavior:</strong> Passive toxin •
| |
| <strong>What People Fear:</strong> Sweet dreams, then silence
| |
| </div>
| |
| | |
| The red lotus is beautiful enough to invite reverence. Its fragrance drifts across still water, soft and almost holy. Those who breathe too deeply grow light-headed, dreamy, and slow to notice that their limbs no longer answer with proper speed.
| |
|
| |
|
| Bodies found near lotus pools often bear no wound at all.
| | Use these terms consistently across the bestiary. |
|
| |
|
| {| class="nightcats-stats" | | {| class="wikitable codex-table" |
| ! Strength | | ! Trait !! Effect |
| | 0
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Agility | |
| | 0
| |
| |- | | |- |
| ! Mind
| | | '''Ambush''' |
| | 0 | | | The creature gains '''1 Advantage Die''' when attacking from concealment, surprise, or a position of clear tactical superiority. |
| |- | | |- |
| ! Lifeblood
| | | '''Burning Wounds''' |
| | 6 | | | A victim struck suffers the normal damage, then continues to take harm or penalty from the wound until treated or until the GM rules the effect has passed. |
| |- | | |- |
| ! Protection
| | | '''Charge''' |
| | 0 | | | If the creature moves at least several yards straight toward a target before attacking, it gains '''1 Advantage Die''' on the attack. |
| |- | | |- |
| ! Damage
| | | '''Constrict''' |
| | 1d6L | | | If the creature successfully grapples a target, it may continue inflicting its normal damage each round until the victim escapes or the creature is driven off. |
| |- | |
| ! Traits
| |
| | Dream Pollen; Poison
| |
| |}
| |
| </div>
| |
| | |
| <div class="nightcats-panel nightcats-panel--hazard">
| |
| <div class="nightcats-panel-title">Needle-Thorn Creepers</div>
| |
| <div class="nightcats-panel-subtitle">Brush once, suffer all night</div>
| |
| | |
| <div class="nightcats-tags">
| |
| <strong>Threat:</strong> Dangerous •
| |
| <strong>Habitat:</strong> Thick undergrowth, ruined walls, jungle margins •
| |
| <strong>Behavior:</strong> Contact hazard •
| |
| <strong>What People Fear:</strong> Fever follows the smallest scratch
| |
| </div>
| |
| | |
| At first glance these creepers seem no worse than any other bramble. Their danger lies in brittle thorns that snap beneath the skin and remain there. Hours later the wound burns, the flesh swells, and fever begins to speak in whispers.
| |
| | |
| {| class="nightcats-stats"
| |
| ! Strength
| |
| | 1
| |
| |- | | |- |
| ! Agility
| | | '''Death Roll''' |
| | 0 | | | Against a grappled target in water, the creature gains '''1 Advantage Die''' on damage or inflicts especially brutal injury at the GM’s discretion. |
| |- | | |- |
| ! Mind
| | | '''Dissolving Sap''' |
| | 0 | | | A trapped victim continues taking damage each round until freed from the hazard. |
| |- | | |- |
| ! Lifeblood
| | | '''Drain''' |
| | 8 | | | When the creature inflicts damage, it restores '''1 Lifeblood''' to itself, or else weakens the victim in some obvious physical way. |
| |- | | |- |
| ! Protection
| | | '''Dream Pollen''' |
| | 0 | | | Anyone exposed must make an appropriate test or become drowsy, confused, or dulled. The GM may impose '''1 Penalty Die''' on affected actions. |
| |- | | |- |
| ! Damage
| | | '''Fast Strike''' |
| | 1d6L | | | The creature gains '''1 Advantage Die''' on initiative-related tests or on its first attack when speed is decisive. |
| |- | | |- |
| ! Traits
| | | '''Fearless''' |
| | Needle Thorns; Fever | | | The creature does not test for fear and cannot be driven off by intimidation alone. |
| |} | |
| </div>
| |
| | |
| </div>
| |
| | |
| == Creatures Touched by Sorcery ==
| |
| | |
| <div class="nightcats-panel nightcats-panel--sorcery">
| |
| [[File:NC_Ash_Tiger.png|400px|right]]
| |
| <div class="nightcats-panel-title">Ash Tiger</div>
| |
| <div class="nightcats-panel-subtitle">Fire that hunts on four feet</div>
| |
| | |
| <div class="nightcats-tags">
| |
| <strong>Threat:</strong> Deadly •
| |
| <strong>Habitat:</strong> Ruins, burned places •
| |
| <strong>Behavior:</strong> Supernatural predator •
| |
| <strong>What People Fear:</strong> Fire that hunts
| |
| </div>
| |
| | |
| Ash tigers are said to walk out of burned temples and smoke-black sanctuaries. Their stripes seem to shift like ember-light, and wounds they leave behind do not close cleanly.
| |
| | |
| {| class="nightcats-stats"
| |
| ! Strength
| |
| | 3
| |
| |- | | |- |
| ! Agility
| | | '''Fever''' |
| | 3 | | | A wounded victim must make an appropriate test after the encounter or suffer worsening weakness, delirium, or continuing loss of Lifeblood until treated. |
| |- | | |- |
| ! Mind
| | | '''Grapple''' |
| | 1 | | | On a successful attack, the creature may seize and hold the target instead of, or in addition to, normal positioning effects. A grappled victim cannot freely move away. |
| |- | | |- |
| ! Lifeblood
| | | '''Immobilize''' |
| | 16 | | | A victim caught by the creature cannot move until freed by a successful test, outside help, or cutting loose the restraining growth or limb. |
| |- | | |- |
| ! Protection
| | | '''Needle Thorns''' |
| | 1 | | | Anyone passing through or forced into the hazard suffers immediate light damage and risks lingering pain, swelling, or infection. |
| |- | | |- |
| ! Damage
| | | '''Pack''' |
| | 1d6H | | | When attacking a target already threatened by one or more allies, the creature gains '''1 Advantage Die'''. |
| |- | | |- |
| ! Traits
| | | '''Poison''' |
| | Burning Wounds; Fearless | | | Anyone wounded must make an appropriate test or suffer additional damage, weakness, paralysis, or another venom effect chosen by the GM. |
| |} | |
| </div>
| |
| | |
| <div class="nightcats-panel nightcats-panel--sorcery">
| |
| <div class="nightcats-panel-title">Idol-Bound Beast</div>
| |
| <div class="nightcats-panel-subtitle">A body inhabited by something else</div>
| |
| | |
| <div class="nightcats-tags">
| |
| <strong>Threat:</strong> Severe •
| |
| <strong>Habitat:</strong> Temples, cursed sites •
| |
| <strong>Behavior:</strong> Relentless •
| |
| <strong>What People Fear:</strong> It does not stop
| |
| </div>
| |
| | |
| Animals bound to carved spirits do not behave as beasts should. They do not flee pain. They do not hesitate. Their eyes burn with purpose that is not their own.
| |
| | |
| {| class="nightcats-stats"
| |
| ! Strength
| |
| | 4
| |
| |- | | |- |
| ! Agility
| | | '''Pounce''' |
| | 2 | | | If the creature leaps from cover, from above, or onto an unaware foe, it gains '''1 Advantage Die''' on the attack. |
| |- | | |- |
| ! Mind
| | | '''Stealth''' |
| | 1 | | | Attempts to notice the creature before it attacks suffer '''1 Penalty Die''', so long as it has cover, darkness, or natural concealment. |
| |- | | |- |
| ! Lifeblood
| | | '''Swarm''' |
| | 18 | | | The creature is made up of many small bodies. Normal weapons do not always work well against it, and the GM may give attackers '''1 Penalty Die''' when brute force is the wrong answer. |
| |- | | |- |
| ! Protection
| | | '''Trap''' |
| | 2 | | | The creature or hazard does not pursue, but anyone entering its reach, maw, or grasp is immediately endangered and may need a test to escape. |
| |- | | |- |
| ! Damage
| | | '''Trample''' |
| | 1d6H | | | When the creature overruns a target, it may strike more than one nearby foe, or knock victims aside, prone, or underfoot. |
| |- | | |- |
| ! Traits
| | | '''Unfailing''' |
| | Unfailing; Fearless | | | The creature does not retreat, hesitate, or abandon pursuit unless physically prevented, destroyed, or compelled by sorcery. |
| |} | | |} |
| </div>
| |
|
| |
| == Trait Vocabulary ==
| |
|
| |
| Use these terms consistently across the bestiary:
| |
|
| |
| * '''Ambush''' — Gains advantage when attacking from concealment or surprise.
| |
| * '''Burning Wounds''' — Wounds continue to pain or worsen after the initial hit.
| |
| * '''Charge''' — Gains advantage or extra force when it has room to rush a target.
| |
| * '''Constrict''' — A grappled victim continues taking damage until freed.
| |
| * '''Death Roll''' — Inflicts extra harm against a grappled target in water.
| |
| * '''Dissolving Sap''' — Trapped victims continue taking damage each round.
| |
| * '''Drain''' — Restores Lifeblood or weakens victims through feeding.
| |
| * '''Dream Pollen''' — Victims test to avoid drowsiness, confusion, or stupor.
| |
| * '''Fast Strike''' — Acts or attacks before most foes can react.
| |
| * '''Fearless''' — Immune to fear, panic, and intimidation.
| |
| * '''Fever''' — A wound worsens over time unless treated.
| |
| * '''Grapple''' — On a good hit, the target is seized or pinned.
| |
| * '''Immobilize''' — Prevents movement until escaped or cut free.
| |
| * '''Needle Thorns''' — Contact inflicts many tiny embedded wounds.
| |
| * '''Pack''' — Gains advantage when attacking with allies.
| |
| * '''Poison''' — Victim tests to resist worsening harm or debility.
| |
| * '''Pounce''' — Gains advantage when leaping from cover or higher ground.
| |
| * '''Stealth''' — Hard to detect before it attacks.
| |
| * '''Swarm''' — Many tiny bodies; difficult to fight like a normal foe.
| |
| * '''Trap''' — Cannot pursue, but is dangerous once entered.
| |
| * '''Trample''' — Can strike or bowl through more than one target.
| |
| * '''Unfailing''' — Does not retreat, hesitate, or break off pursuit.
| |
|
| |
| </div>
| |