Bestiary

Cutpurse Vines

Tier 1
Stamina 4 (per vine)
Unarmoured (+1)
No Damage

Hanging, creeping vines that grow in the jungle and can move of their own accord. They get their name from the fact that they steal objects from those below - mostly shiny or brightly-coloured things that will attract the curiosity of jungle birds (their actual prey). If you try to damage the vines or reclaim your belongings, they will lash out like strangling serpents, striking with frightening coordination.

Special: Cutpurse vines can’t inflict any damage on their own. However, three vines are enough to strangle a person and six vines are enough to lift someone off the ground. Strangling doesn’t inflict damage, but most people will be unconscious within a minute and dead within five.

Giant Mooncat

Tier 2
Stamina 11
Unarmoured (+1)
Damage as Modest Beast

Found only on the frozen expanses that stretch between strider enclaves, these solitary predators have violet fur, preternatural reflexes, and a playful approach to killing. Sometimes they’ll hunt you relentlessly, other times they seem almost tame. Occasionally they’ll display terrifying, almost human intelligence.

Special: Near the rough ice, a giant mooncat is dangerous enough. On the mirror-bright plains of smooth ice, however, they become downright perilous. Their reflected images don’t stay in the ice where they belong. Instead they seem to hover in the air, distorted and misleading mirages that make it nearly impossible to determine the predator’s exact location.

Great-Elk

Tier 2
Stamina 14
Unarmoured (+1)
Damage as Large Beast

As a beast trained for war, the broad and mighty great-elk has a reputation for being tenacious and dependable. In the wild, however, they’re unpredictable and easily spooked. Underestimate them at your peril!

Great Sea Serpent

Tier 4
Stamina 24
Lightly Armoured (0)
Damage as Large Beast

Supreme predators of the ocean, peerless and cold. There’s ruthless cunning in those glittering eyes, and the venom that drips from their jaws promises a watery grave. Its favourite way to hunt: rear up from the sea, snatch a hapless victim in its jaws, and plunge down into the inky depths while the light leaves their eyes.

Special: When you are at risk of being bitten by a great sea serpent, you are also at risk of being poisoned by it (all it takes is a scratch). Its poison lasts for an hour and floods your veins with icy cold, making your teeth chatter and your limbs weaken.

Scoundrel Heron

Tier 0
Stamina 2
Unarmoured (+1)
Damage as Small Beast

Thieving, mischievous, long-necked, bright-eyed: these reprobate birds always strike in numbers. They are known for their vicious laughter, cowardly nature, and for ganging up on hapless sailors.

Termite Squid

Tier 1
Stamina 5
Unarmoured (+1)
Damage as Modest Beast

Their beaks are made to chew through wood, but it’s the delectable flesh within that they crave. They can squeeze through any gap, and entangle their prey with grasping tentacles.

Special: The termite squid can chew through the hull of an average ship in about 10 minutes.

Titan Crab

Tier 4
Stamina 16
Heavily Armoured (-2)
Damage as Large Beast

Like a regular crab, but big enough to snatch up a person in its pincers. Normally placid enough if you keep your distance, but they’re highly aggressive near their spawning pools. Their carapace is tough, but offers little protection once cracked. If flipped over, they struggle to right themselves.

Special: A titan crab may seize a man-sized creature in its pincers instead of inflicting damage. Thereafter, it will crush whatever it’s holding, inflicting the crab’s regular damage automatically. Titan crabs often scuttle away once they’ve managed to grab a suitable prize.

Weakness: Once cracked, the titan crab’s armour is significantly weakened. After taking 6 damage to its carapace, it is considered to be only lightly armoured from then on.

Vexwing

Tier 1
Stamina 4
Unarmoured (+1)
1 Damage (see below)

A giant mosquito the size of your head, found in tropical jungles throughout the Archipelago. They can only kill the sick or helpless, but letting one drink its fill will leave you feeling weak and lethargic. To make matters worse, they carry all sorts of nasty diseases. Vexwings aren’t particularly tough and they don’t have any armour, but they’re swift and acrobatic in the air. It’s easiest to kill them when they’re feeding.

Special: Being fed on by a vexwing only inflicts 1 point of damage to your Stamina. After a few seconds of feeding, however, it inflicts the Lethargic condition. Being fed on again upgrades the condition to Bloodless. If you’re fed on a third time, you’ll fall unconscious. If you get bit by a vexwing, even if it doesn’t manage to drain any blood, you must roll separately against the risk of falling ill.

Weakness: Vexwings hate smoke and will keep far away from open flames. Their delicate wings are incredibly flammable, and they burn instantly if touched by fire.

Random Encounters

When preparing random encounters for an area, you can use this table as a starting point (idea comes from here). When rolling on the Reaction and Activity columns, use a d6 when encountering unintelligent creatures and a d10 when encountering sapient beings.

D6/D10 Encounter Distance Reaction Activity
1 Creature/Faction A Stumbled upon each other Aggressive or violent On the move or fleeing
2 Creature/Faction B A few paces apart Uncooperative or unfriendly Hiding/watching/stalking
3 Creature/Faction C Throwing range Wary or nervous Searching/scavenging/foraging
4 Creature/Faction D Bow range Neutral or uninterested Resting/sleeping
5 Creature/Faction E Extreme range Curious but uncertain Hunting/feeding/eating
6 Creature/Faction F Barely visible Curious and friendly In combat
7     Feigning or scheming Working/cooking/preparing
8     Threatening or demanding Planning/meeting/arguing
9     Open to talk or bargain Sparring/training/playing
0     Helpful or generous Partying/cavorting/carousing

Interpret the results in context of the encounter, and go with what makes sense over what the random table says. A result of “curious and friendly” for a vicious predator like a great sea serpent, for example, might simply mean that it has eaten recently and sees the player characters as playthings rather than dinner!