Bestiary
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.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeering | Lurking | Swooping | Interfering | Bullying | Squabbling |
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.
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!