Hive Tyrant
Beast · no Crown (Meridian)
T5d12Major
A massive ox-sized insectoid queen with iridescent wings that controls a swarm of light-infused drones through light-signal commands, coordinating them with military precision.
Tier 5 · Role Major · Pool Vigor 4 / Vitality 10 · AC 14 · ATK +7 · Save DC 19 · Dmg d12
| Stat | Score | Mod | Die |
|---|---|---|---|
| Body | 18 | +4 | d8 |
| Mind | 16 | +3 | d6 |
| Sense | 16 | +3 | d6 |
| Heart | 8 | -1 | -d3 |
| Cunning | 18 | +4 | d8 |
| Fate | 16 | +3 | d6 |
Passives
Drone Swarm
Commands a swarm of light-infused drones (Tier 1 minors) through flashing wing signals. Drones act on the tyrant's initiative and always obey; the swarm scatters if the tyrant dies.
Maneuvers
Beacon Venom
A creature the tyrant stings makes a Body save (DC 19) or glows brilliantly for 1 hour; the drones attack glowing targets first, and stealth is impossible while glowing.
Declarations
Declared in the enemy tactical window and resolved at the start of its next turn. Any Vitality it loses first forces the disruption roll: on a 1 the telegraph is lost.
Drone Barrage
The tyrant signals drones to detonate around one point. Each creature within 15 ft makes a Body save (DC 19): on a failure it takes 5 damage, on a success it takes 1 Vigor damage. Each detonating drone dies.
Reactions
Drone Interception
When the tyrant is hit, a drone within 5 ft hurls itself into the blow. The drone dies and the tyrant takes no damage.
Tactics
GM tactics
The hive tyrant stays behind its drone swarm, using drones as shields and weapons. It stings targets to mark them as beacons, then sends drones to swarm. Killing the drones without the queen is futile (she produces more). Killing the queen causes surviving drones to go berserk.
Running it
Rules
- Shield of Tier + Heart mod over a Vitality pool of 2 x Tier. Full Vigor at combat start; at the start of its turn it rolls 5 exploding d4s and regains 1 Vigor per 4. Dead at 0 Vigor and 0 Vitality.
- A hit rolls d12. A crit rolls two: 2d12.
- Crits on a natural 16+ (Cunning 18).
- Two or three attacks in a normal turn: multiattack is the threat scaler, and one swing a round makes it a mook.
- Any Vitality lost while a telegraph is pending forces its disruption roll; on a 1 the telegraph is lost.
- Checks morale at one-third Vitality: Heart save against the party leader's presence, or GM judgment.
- NPCs never take wounds.