The Dulled
Fiend · Crown of Despair
T3d8Minor
A person -- not a monster, a person -- in ordinary clothing with an entirely forgettable face. It walks into a settlement and sits down and does nothing. The bread tastes like nothing. The sunset is just light. When it touches you, it is not draining anything. It is showing you the truth.
Tier 3 · Role Minor · Pool Vigor 3 (+3 overflow) · AC 12 · ATK +5 · Save DC 15 · Dmg 3 (flat)
| Stat | Score | Mod | Die |
|---|---|---|---|
| Body | 16 | - | - |
| Mind | 18 | - | - |
| Sense | 20 | - | - |
| Heart | 8 | - | - |
| Cunning | 18 | - | - |
| Fate | 16 | - | - |
A Minor has no attribute mechanics: the scores describe the creature, they do not roll.
Passives
Forgettable Presence
Sees through all illusions and cannot be surprised. Outside combat, a creature must pass a Mind save (DC 15) to notice the Dulled at all; it looks entirely ordinary.
Color Drain
Each hit the Dulled lands drains one stage: first the target's skin and clothing fade, then the world turns grey to its eyes, then joy and humor flatten to nothing, then total emotional death and willing service to Despair. Each stage lifts separately, the last only by removing the curse.
Maneuvers
Settle In
The Dulled sits down and does nothing. Each creature within 30 ft makes a Heart save (DC 15) or is weakened while it remains in the area, pressed flat by the sense that nothing matters.
Accelerated Draining
A lingering grey touch. On a hit the target makes a Heart save (DC 15): on a failure the Color Drain advances two stages, on a success one.
Tactics
GM tactics
Infiltrates settlements and sits quietly, using Settle In to slowly demoralize everyone nearby. In combat, targets the most emotionally expressive character with Accelerated Draining to advance the Color Drain. Against groups it simply settles in and lets the grey spread. Fights defensively, not out of self-preservation but because it simply does not care enough to be aggressive.
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.