Doubt Mite
Fiend · Crown of Apostasy
T1d4Minor
Tiny, translucent insects like silverfish made of dried clay, Doubt Mites infest holy books and eat the ink from sacred texts, leaving pages blank. They nest in reliquaries, hollowing out saints' bones and filling them with dust.
Tier 1 · Role Minor · Pool Vigor 1 (+1 overflow) · AC 8 · ATK +2 · Save DC 11 · Dmg 1 (flat)
| Stat | Score | Mod | Die |
|---|---|---|---|
| Body | 6 | - | - |
| Mind | 4 | - | - |
| Sense | 14 | - | - |
| Heart | 12 | - | - |
| Cunning | 12 | - | - |
| Fate | 12 | - | - |
A Minor has no attribute mechanics: the scores describe the creature, they do not roll.
Passives
Erode Faith
A creature the mite hits must save (DC 11) or be weakened until the end of its next turn as doubt gnaws at its resolve.
Text Devourer
Eats ink from sacred texts and hollows relics from within. A holy book or reliquary it infests crumbles or goes blank within days unless the mites are burned out.
Maneuvers
Crisis of Small Things
Reveals a carried holy symbol or sacred text as hollow, blank, or crumbling. Its bearer must save (DC 11) or be frightened for 1 round.
Reactions
Scatter Into Sacred Spaces
When threatened, the mites pour into the nearest holy book or reliquary, out of reach, and keep eating from within.
Tactics
GM tactics
Doubt Mites do not fight. They infest. They eat ink, hollow relics, and erode confidence one small failure at a time. The prayer book is blank. The relic is dust. The candle will not light. They are Apostasy's patient, microscopic work.
Running it
Rules
- Vigor equal to Tier, with an overflow of the same size behind it: 1, then 1 more. Neither half regenerates.
- A hit deals a flat 1, no roll. A crit (natural 20 only) rolls d4 and never lands below 1.
- Crits on a natural 20 only.
- Minor: no stat modifiers or dice in play; its scores describe the creature, they do not roll.
- At 0 Vigor it breaks and flees, out of the fight but alive; Fanatics fight on into the overflow instead.
- Total damage reaching 2 kills it outright, and a single blow of 2 or more kills it on the spot.
- Vigor damage is simply damage against a Minor: its whole pool is Vigor.
- Group morale: when its group loses half its number, fled or dead, the rest check morale.
- NPCs never take wounds.