Sun-Scarab
Beast · no Crown (Meridian)
T1d4Minor
Beetle-like insects with polished golden shells that hum in direct sunlight, storing radiant energy by day and discharging it in painful flashes at night.
Tier 1 · Role Minor · Pool Vigor 1 (+1 overflow) · AC 13 · ATK +2 · Save DC 11 · Dmg 1 (flat)
| Stat | Score | Mod | Die |
|---|---|---|---|
| Body | 14 | - | - |
| Mind | 5 | - | - |
| Sense | 12 | - | - |
| Heart | 12 | - | - |
| Cunning | 8 | - | - |
| Fate | 12 | - | - |
A Minor has no attribute mechanics: the scores describe the creature, they do not roll.
Passives
Solar Charge
Basks by day to store sunlight in its shell; the hum gives a charged scarab away. A dead scarab holds its charge for a few hours.
Maneuvers
Radiant Discharge
Releases its stored charge into a creature touching it: the creature takes 1 damage (radiant). The scarab must bask in sunlight before it can discharge again.
Reactions
Death Flash
When killed while charged, it bursts in a 5 ft flash. Each creature in the burst makes a Body save (DC 11): on a failure it takes 1 damage, on a success 1 Vigor damage.
Tactics
GM tactics
Sun-scarabs are not aggressive. They discharge defensively when stepped on or handled. Swarms are dangerous only because of the accumulated radiant discharges.
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.