Thornling
Plant · Crown of Nature
T2d6Minor
Small vine-woven humanoids about two feet tall with berry-cluster faces that shift color to express emotion-bright red for anger, dark blue for calm, white for warning. They move with a lurching organic gait, leaving tiny wildflowers in their footprints.
Tier 2 · Role Minor · Pool Vigor 2 (+2 overflow) · AC 12 · ATK +4 · Save DC 13 · Dmg 2 (flat)
| Stat | Score | Mod | Die |
|---|---|---|---|
| Body | 16 | - | - |
| Mind | 6 | - | - |
| Sense | 16 | - | - |
| Heart | 16 | - | - |
| Cunning | 14 | - | - |
| Fate | 16 | - | - |
A Minor has no attribute mechanics: the scores describe the creature, they do not roll.
Passives
Regeneration
Regains 1 Vigor at the start of its turn while standing on natural earth. Nothing regrows on worked stone, metal, or artificial floors.
Nature's Alarm
Rooted into the plant life within 100 ft. If any plant there is cut or burned, every Thornling in range knows and converges.
Maneuvers
Verdant Surge
Roots and briars erupt in a 20 ft radius, turning it to difficult terrain. Creatures in the area make a Body save (DC 13) or are restrained by constricting roots until cut free (the roots part after taking 1 damage).
Reactions
Thorn Lash
When a creature within 10 ft cuts or burns plant life, thorns whip out and that creature takes 1 Vigor damage.
Tactics
GM tactics
Thornlings fight as a swarm, using Verdant Surge to root a whole group in place and Thorn Lash to punish anyone who cuts or burns the green. Every Thornling within a hundred feet knows the moment a plant is harmed, and they converge. They prioritize creatures exploiting the natural world and ignore those who treat it respectfully. They are the land's immune response.
Running it
Rules
- Vigor equal to Tier, with an overflow of the same size behind it: 2, then 2 more. Neither half regenerates.
- A hit deals a flat 2, no roll. A crit (natural 20 only) rolls d6 and never lands below 2.
- 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 4 kills it outright, and a single blow of 4 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.