Shardback Pangolin
Beast · no Crown (Meridian)
T3d8Minor
Pony-sized armored beasts covered in overlapping crystalline scales that refract light, immune to radiant damage, capable of curling into a devastating rolling charge.
Tier 3 · Role Minor · Pool Vigor 3 (+3 overflow) · AC 14 · ATK +5 · Save DC 15 · Dmg 3 (flat)
| Stat | Score | Mod | Die |
|---|---|---|---|
| Body | 20 | - | - |
| Mind | 8 | - | - |
| Sense | 14 | - | - |
| Heart | 12 | - | - |
| Cunning | 12 | - | - |
| Fate | 14 | - | - |
A Minor has no attribute mechanics: the scores describe the creature, they do not roll.
Passives
Crystal Armor
Immune to radiant damage; light shatters harmlessly across its refracting scales.
Maneuvers
Rolling Charge
Curls into a ball and rolls over a target up to 30 ft away. Body save (DC 15): on a failure the target takes 3 damage and is knocked prone; on a success it takes 1 Vigor damage from spraying shards.
Reactions
Defensive Curl
When it takes damage, it curls into a ball until the start of its next turn: AC 19, cannot attack.
Tactics
GM tactics
Shardback pangolins are territorial but non-aggressive until approached within 30 ft. They answer intrusion with a Rolling Charge across open ground. When wounded, they curl into their impenetrable ball form and wait for threats to leave.
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.