Ironvein Crocodilian
Beast · no Crown (Meridian)
T3d8Minor
Twenty-foot armored reptilians with glowing orange veins of superheated blood that splashes attackers with burning gore when wounded.
Tier 3 · Role Minor · Pool Vigor 3 (+3 overflow) · AC 14 · ATK +6 · Save DC 15 · Dmg 3 (flat)
| Stat | Score | Mod | Die |
|---|---|---|---|
| Body | 20 | - | - |
| Mind | 8 | - | - |
| Sense | 14 | - | - |
| Heart | 12 | - | - |
| Cunning | 16 | - | - |
| Fate | 14 | - | - |
A Minor has no attribute mechanics: the scores describe the creature, they do not roll.
Passives
Thermoluminescent Blood
Superheated blood glows orange through its hide. A creature that wounds it in melee is splashed and takes 1 Vigor damage; while the crocodilian is wounded it bleeds freely, and any creature starting its turn within 5 ft takes 1 Vigor damage.
Maneuvers
Clamping Jaws
A creature it hits with its bite is grabbed in its jaws (Body save DC 15 to wrench free).
Death Roll
Rolls a grabbed creature under the water or against the stones. The victim makes a Body save (DC 15), taking 3 damage on a failure or 1 Vigor damage on a success.
Tactics
GM tactics
Ironvein crocodilians lurk submerged, indistinguishable from rock. They ambush from the water, lock on with Clamping Jaws, and finish with Death Roll. When wounded, their bleeding creates a zone of fire around them. Melee combat becomes more dangerous the more Vigor they have lost.
Running it
Rules
- Vigor equal to Tier, with an overflow of the same size behind it: 3, then 3 more. Neither half regenerates.
- A hit deals a flat 3, no roll. A crit (natural 20 only) rolls d8 and never lands below 3.
- 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 6 kills it outright, and a single blow of 6 or more kills it on the spot.
- Vigor damage is simply damage against a Minor: its whole pool is Vigor.
- Two attacks in a normal turn: Tier 3+ Minors get a second.
- Group morale: when its group loses half its number, fled or dead, the rest check morale.
- NPCs never take wounds.