NPC Codex

Running NPCs

Gameplay

Status Effects

Tactical Mode

This section contains stat sheets and information regarding a variety of NPCs. Some creatures are friendly, while others are dangerous.

Beasts

NPCs with the Beast trait are typically defined by their non-humanoid appearance and physiology, a disinterest or lack of capability in integrating with society, and a set of desires that are lacking in nuance compared with those of people. Not all Beasts have all of these aspects, but most do. For example, all animals fall under this category, including mythological creatures such as dragons. Most Beasts also have the Instinctual trait, which means that they are non-sapient and operate primarily out of instinct rather than higher reasoning. Those rare Beasts that lack the Instinctual trait might be capable of advanced communication and problem-solving.

Wolves

Wolves are wild canines that occupy forests, grasslands, and mountainous areas. They hunt in packs and sometimes harry roadways and small settlements, especially ones with sheep and other domesticated livestock.

Most fearsome are the rare dire wolves. These immense beasts stand taller than horses and are blessed with heightened intelligence and the ability to speak the languages of people. A wolf pack led by a dire wolf will act more strategically, obeying the dire wolf's commands. Some dire wolves work to safeguard their packs from the interference of two-legged folk, while others use the pack to further their own ends.

Tactics. Wolves work as a pack to surround their prey. They use their Howl ability to try and spook their quarry into breaking off from the group so they can be quickly dispatched and taken down with their Running Bite ability. Wolves will work for the good of the pack; if their prey proves too dangerous, the wolves will often retreat to search for easier game.

This growling wolf poses little threat alone, but there is seldom only one.

Beast Wolf Instinctual

Vitality 1 🤍 Size Medium 1
Stamina 1 ⛉ Speed 7

Physical skills Mental skills
Finesse 2 Discipline 3
Might 3 Guile 4
Reflex 4 Presence 2

⦿ Bite—Might (3). The Pack Wolf ⦿ Strikes, targeting one adjacent creature with their natural bite.
⮟ Grab (1-6). The target becomes grappled by this creature.
⮟ Knockdown (1-5). If the target is grappled by this creature, they also fall prone.
⮟ Rip (1-4). If the target is grappled by this creature, they take 1 Damage.

Although merely an animal, this canine creature understands pack hunting tactics instinctually.

Beast Wolf Instinctual

Vitality 2 🤍🤍 Size Medium 1
Stamina 2 ⛉⛉ Speed 7

Physical skills Mental skills
Finesse 3 Discipline 4
Might 4 Guile 5
Reflex 5 Presence 3

⦿ Bite—Might (4). The Wolf Hunter ⦿ Strikes, targeting one adjacent creature with their natural bite.
⮟ Grab (1-7). The target becomes grappled by this creature.
⮟ Knockdown (1-6). If the target is grappled by this creature, they also fall prone.
⮟ Rip (1-5). If the target is grappled by this creature, they take 1 Damage.

⦿ Running Bite. The Wolf Hunter moves up to half their Speed and ⦿ Bites a creature. This can only be used as a Readied action.

➲ Howl—Presence (3). The Wolf Hunter ⦿ Intimidates using Presence against any number of targets within 20 spaces. Up to 4 allied Wolf creatures within this range can each join the howl as an instant to add a cumulative +1 to this effect's difficulty.
Control—⮟ Muddle (1-5). Remove one of the “Success” choices available to the target(s).

Truly a legend among wolves, the massive dire wolf is remarkably intelligent and cunning. You can see in the creature's eyes. The dire wolf's howl is said to be a harbinger of death itself.

Beast Wolf

Vitality 7 🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍 Size Large 3-4
Stamina 5 ⛉⛉⛉⛉⛉ Speed 8

Physical skills Mental skills
Finesse 3 Discipline 5
Might 7 Guile 5
Reflex 5 Presence 4

Natural Armor. When the Dire Wolf successfully ⟳ Defends (Guard), they block 1 Damage.

⦿ Double Bite. The Dire Wolf ⦿ Bites twice, targeting a different creature for each Attack.

⦿ Bite—Might (7). The Dire Wolf ⦿ Strikes, targeting one adjacent creature with their natural bite.
⮟ Grab (1-8). The target becomes grappled by this creature.
⮟ Knockdown (1-7). If the target is grappled by this creature, they also fall prone.
⮟ Rip (1-6). If the target is grappled by this creature, they take 1 Damage.

⦿ Trample (Move Attack)—Might (7). The Dire Wolf moves up to their Speed and can move through the spaces of non-Large creatures. Each creature whose space they pass through must ⟳ Defend (Dodge), falling prone and taking 1 Stress on a failure.

⦿ Running Bite (Move). The Dire Wolf moves up to half their Speed and ⦿ Bites a creature. This can only be used as a ⦿ Readied action.

➲ Dreadful Howl—Presence (4). The Dire Wolf ⦿ Intimidates using Presence against any number of targets within 20 spaces. Each target takes 1 Stress. Up to 4 allied Wolf creatures within this range can each join the howl as an instant to add a cumulative +1 to this effect's difficulty.
Control—⮟ Muddle (1-5). Remove one of the “Success” choices available to the target(s).

➲ Sovereign Action (Taxing). The Dire Wolf takes 1 Stress and uses an action of their choice.

Dragons

True dragons are an uncommon sight in Senteia, but lesser dragonkinds can be found in many corners of the world. Dragons are characterized by their tough, often vibrant scales, their tenacity, and their almost-magical powers. Some can breathe fire, while others can petrify with a look.

Tactics. Each dragon has slightly different tactics based on their abilities. In general, dragons are territorial and spiteful. While marauding about, a dragon might engage what they consider easy prey for food, or else to steal their treasures. But once the prey proves too threatening, most dragons will retreat via flight or swimming, if able. Trespassers are likely to continue to encounter the same dragon in multiple altercations until the trespasser is removed or the dragon is slain.

The clifftop-dwelling wyvern is the closest thing to a true dragon that most might ever encounter. It flies on two broad, leathery wings, which it also uses as front legs when stalking on the ground. The creature stores reserves of acidic bile in its throat, which it can expel to pre-digest and incapacitate its prey before swallowing them whole.

Beast Dragon Winged

Vitality 5 🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍 Size Large 7-9
Stamina 4 ⛉⛉⛉⛉ Speed 5 (flying 8)

Physical skills Mental skills
Finesse 4 Discipline 4
Might 5 Guile 4
Reflex 4 Presence 5

⦿ Acid Spit (Line 5; Acid)—Finesse (4). This Wyvern ⦿ Shoots, targeting all creatures within the area (excluding the source space) with their natural acid spit. After using this ability, the Wyvern must spend a maneuver to recharge before they can use it again.
⮟ Acid Burn (1-6; Acid). The target becomes burning due to acid coating their body.

⦿ Claws—Might (5). The Wyvern ⦿ Strikes twice, targeting two different adjacent creature with their natural claws.
⮟ Rend (1-4). On a failure, the target takes 1 Damage and all Stress and Damage from this Attack is unblockable.

⦿ Bite (Reach)—Might (5). The Wyvern ⦿ Strikes, targeting one creature within 2 Spaces with their natural bite.
⮟ Swallow (1). If this Attack succeeds, this creature swallows the target and deals 1d4 unblockable Damage (Acid) to them.
Special. If the target is burning from the Wyvern's Acid Spit, this bane can trigger on (1-3) instead of (1).

⟳ Snap Strike. Trigger: a creature moves into a space within 2 of the Wyvern. The Wyvern ⦿ Bites the target.

The reclusive fire lizard can be found in a variety of biomes. However, they are extremely territorial, and are often a nuisance to newer settlements and mining operations.

Beast Dragon Winged

Vitality 1 🤍 Size Small
Stamina 1 ⛉ Speed 3 (flying 5)

Physical skills Mental skills
Finesse 3 Discipline 3
Might 2 Guile 5
Reflex 6 Presence 4

⦿ Bite—Finesse (3). The Fire Lizard ⦿ Strikes, targeting one adjacent creature with their natural bite.
⮟ Fire Venom (1-6; Toxin). If this attack succeeds, the target must ⟳ Resist against difficulty 4, taking 1 Blight on a failure.

⦿➲ Flyby Strike (Taxing). The Fire Lizard flies up to twice their flying Speed and ⦿ Bites a creature at any point during this movement.

Despite its snakelike appearance, the mighty basilisk is not a serpent. Its front-facing eyes are empowered with a strange and ancient magic to sap the strength of its prey, ultimately turning the victims to stone. It is believed that this act alone somehow nourishes and sustains the basilisk.

Beast Dragon Aquatic

Vitality 8 🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍 Size Large 8*
Stamina 4 ⛉⛉⛉⛉ Speed 7

Physical skills Mental skills
Finesse 5 Discipline 4
Might 4 Guile 6
Reflex 4 Presence 5

*Serpent Size. The Basilisk occupies 8 spaces in a chain shape, with a space on one end representing the head and the origin space for the ⦿ Bite attack. The Basilisk can coil up to occupy fewer spaces, especially when constricting a creature.

Slithering. The Basilisk cannot be knocked prone.

⦿ Bite (Reach)—Finesse (6). The Basilisk ⦿ Strikes, targeting one creature within 2 spaces of the Basilisk's head with their natural bite. If this Attack succeeds, the target also takes 1 Blight.

➲ Wrap (Move Attack)—Might (4). The Basilisk moves up to half their Speed and targets one creature adjacent to any of their spaces. A creature that fails to ⟳ Defend becomes grappled, or takes 1 unblockable Damage due to constriction if they are already grappled.
⮟ Knockdown (1-4). The target is knocked prone.

➲ Petrifying Gaze (Arc 4, Gaze, Taxing)—Presence (5). Each non-Basilisk creature in the area (excluding the source space) must roll to ⟳ Focus, taking 3 Stress on a failure. Then, each exhausted target that failed takes 1 Blight and cannot use Move abilities until the start of the Basilisk's next turn. A living creature killed by this ability turns to stone, along with all their carried items. This ability cannot be used more than once per round.

Immortals

Immortals are typically creatures from other dimensions, where the laws of existence can vary wildly. These entities often have different appearances and abilities depending on the region in which they manifest. It is said that this is because their physical makeup is malleable, changing based upon the beliefs, worldviews, and traditions of mortals in their vicinity. Although not commonly accepted, this may coincide with the fact that most immortals feed upon—or are drawn to—mortal emotions such as ambition, rage, love, and pride. Not all immortals are subject to such predilections, however. Some immortals have their own designs, inscrutable to all but the most sage scholars.

Furnace demons are vaguely humanoid figures wreathed in black smoke and flame. Stoked by the fires of rage and ego, they refuse to die easily, and seek to bring destruction to that which they hate, which is pretty much everything.

Immortal Demon Fire

Vitality 3 🤍🤍🤍 Size Medium 1
Stamina 5 ⛉⛉⛉⛉⛉ Speed 4

Physical skills Mental skills
Finesse 2 Discipline 3
Might 5 Guile 2
Reflex 3 Presence 5

⦿ Incinerate (Taxing, Attack, Fire)—Might (5). Take 2 Fatigue. Target all other creatures within 2 spaces. Creatures that fail take 2 Damage. Creatures that succeed take 2 Stress.

⦿ Fiery Slam (Attack, Fire). The Furnace Demon ◕ Strikes using their flaming limbs.

➲ Stoke the Furnace (Fire). The Furnace Demon takes 1 Fatigue and removes all Damage.

Attack—⮟ Immolate (1-6; Fire). The target becomes burning.

Perhaps inspired by mortal warfare technology, the arbalest demon is a walking ballista with built-in fortifications. It is most vulnerable right after firing its massive crossbow, which itself is part of the demon's body.

Immortal Demon

Vitality 5 🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍 Size Large 3-4
Stamina 2 ⛉⛉ Speed 2

Physical skills Mental skills
Finesse 6 Discipline 4
Might 5 Guile 3
Reflex 2 Presence 3

⦿ Devastating Shot (Attack)—Finesse (6). Target all creatures in a Line 12 area (excluding the source space). Creatures that fail take 3 Damage. The Arbalest Demon must ⦿ Bunker and Reload before they can use this ability again.
⮟ Knockdown (1-5). The target is knocked prone.

⦿ Bunker and Reload. The Arbalest Demon recharges their ⦿ Devasting Shot ability. Until the start of their next turn, they block 2 Damage from all Attacks.

The wheel demon is truly the stuff of nightmares. Covered all over with whirling cogs and buzzsaws, this creature revels in slicing and chopping up its enemies. Some of its appendages act as wheels, allowing it to zip across the battlefield in a blink.

Immortal Demon

Vitality 2 🤍🤍 Size Medium 1
Stamina 5 ⛉⛉⛉⛉⛉ Speed 7

Physical skills Mental skills
Finesse 4 Discipline 2
Might 3 Guile 3
Reflex 6 Presence 3

Defend—⮟ Retaliate (1-4). If the Attacking creature is adjacent, they take 1 Damage.

⦿ Buzzsaw (Attack)—Finesse (4). The Wheel Demon ⦿ Strikes with their sharpened saw appendages. This Attack deals 1 additional Damage if the ⟳ Defend fails by 2 or more.

⦿ Crashing Charge (Move, Attack, Taxing)—Finesse (4). The Wheel Demon takes 2 Stress and moves up to double their Speed in a straight line in any horizontal direction, and can move through spaces occupied by enemy creatures. Every creature the Wheel Demon moves through in this way is targeted by this Attack, and takes 1 Damage on a failure, or 1 Stress on a success.
⮟ Knockdown (1-6). The target is knocked prone.

People

The Person trait is applied (broadly speaking) to humanoid creatures who typically live in larger societies and have established cultures. They are sapient, capable of advanced reasoning, and generally social. Humans, elves, dwarves, and orcs all have the Person trait. The presence or absence of this trait on a creature does not imply any particular moral or ethical conclusions about the creature. For example, many NPCs may be capable of extreme empathy and cooperation, and are deserving of respect, even if they lack the Person trait.

Criminals

Ne'er-do-wells and underworld types, NPCs with the Criminal trait are often found in thieves' dens, hideouts, or seedy taverns. Some are honorable resistance fighters, pushing back against oppression. Others are simply in it for the gold.

Tactics. Criminals are generally driven by their coinpurses and their sense of self-preservation. Unless the potential haul is big, most thieves aren't willing to put their lives on the line. When fighting, Criminals tend to strike from ambush, and retreat if the altercation starts to go south for them.

The common bandit is little more than a petty thief and bully. They tend to steal what they can before making a quick getaway. Bandits are often superstitious.

Person Criminal Gullible

Vitality 1 🤍 Size Medium 1
Stamina 1 ⛉ Speed 5

Physical skills Mental skills
Finesse 4 Discipline 2
Might 3 Guile 4
Reflex 4 Presence 3

Items: Light Armor, 3 Knives

Strike—⮟ Cutpurse (1-3). Steal a Lightweight item or 1d6 Money from the target using an open hand.

Defend (Dodge)—⮟ Sidestep (1-4; instant). Before the Attack resolves, move up to half Speed.

═══ Equipment ═════════════════════════════════════

Light Armor (Armor; Burden 1).
Defend (Guard)—On failure (-2). Block 1 Damage.
Defend—⮟ Endure (1-3). Block 1 Stress and 1 Damage.

Knife (Weapon, Light Melee; Thrown 3, Burden L).
Strike—On failure (-3). The target takes 1 Damage.
Strike—⮟ Pierce (1-3). 1 Stress and 1 Damage from this Attack are unblockable.

Thugs are criminal bruisers, enforcers, and shin-breakers. Their massive strength is often too much for their own weapons, forcing them to improvise.

Person Criminal Candid

Vitality 4 🤍🤍🤍🤍 Size Medium 1
Stamina 3 ⛊⛉⛉ Speed 4

Physical skills Mental skills
Finesse 3 Discipline 3
Might 6 Guile 3
Reflex 3 Presence 3

Items: Medium Armor (Cumbersome 1—1 Stamina marked), Maul, Garrote

Strike using a Heavy Melee Weapon—⮟ Break (1-3). The Weapon breaks, becoming useless. The target takes 1 Damage and falls prone.

═══ Equipment ═════════════════════════════════════

Medium Armor (Armor; Burden 2).
Defend (Guard)—On failure. Block 1 Damage.
Defend—⮟ Endure (1-3). Block 1 Stress and 1 Damage.

Maul (Weapon, Heavy Melee, Two-Handed, Weight d8; Burden 2).
Strike—On failure (-2). The target takes 1 Damage.
Strike—⮟ Whirl (1-5; instant, Flourish). On a failure, Strike another target within reach.
Strike—⮟ Pierce (1-3). 1 Stress and 1 Damage from this Attack are unblockable.

Garrote (Weapon, Light Melee, Two-Handed, Harmless; Burden L). This weapon can only be used to Brawl (Wrestle) to grapple an adjacent target. Targets grappled this way are also breathless and cannot breathe.
⦿ Strangle. Target creature grappled by you using the Garrote takes 1 unblockable Stress and 1 unblockable Damage. Until the start of your next turn, their Escape attempts have -1 edge.

Bandit gangs sometimes employ archers to kill their foes from afar. These ranged units will often flee when confronted directly, however.

Person Criminal Cowardly

Vitality 2 🤍🤍 Size Medium 1
Stamina 3 ⛉⛉⛉ Speed 5

Physical skills Mental skills
Finesse 5 Discipline 5
Might 3 Guile 4
Reflex 4 Presence 4

Items: Light Armor, Shortbow, Dagger

➲ Rapid Fire (Taxing). Take 1 Stress. The Bandit Archer ⦿ Shoots a creature they missed with a Shortbow this turn. This maneuver cannot be used more than once per round.

═══ Equipment ═════════════════════════════════════

Light Armor (Armor; Burden 1).
Defend (Guard)—On failure (-2). Block 1 Damage.
Defend—⮟ Endure (1-3). Block 1 Stress and 1 Damage.

Shortbow (Weapon, Ranged 10, Two-Handed, Ammunition 1 arrow, Weight d6); Burden 1).
Shoot—On failure (-3). The target takes 1 Damage.
⟳ Fast Reload (Reaction). Load 1 arrow into the Weapon.

Dagger (Weapon, Light Melee; Burden L).
Strike—On failure (-4). The target takes 2 Damage.
Strike—⮟ Pierce (1-3). 1 Stress and 1 Damage from this Attack are unblockable.

The leaders of bandit gangs are vile by nature, but with a natural charisma that keeps the group bound by a common purpose: the illicit accumulation of wealth. Bandit bosses are often seen ordering their subordinates around, both on the battlefield and otherwise.

Person Criminal

Vitality 8 🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍 Size Medium 1
Stamina 6 ⛉⛉⛉⛉⛉⛉ Speed 5

Physical skills Mental skills
Finesse 4 Discipline 5
Might 5 Guile 4
Reflex 5 Presence 5

Items: Medium Armor (mark 1 Stamina), 3 Handaxes

Defend while wielding two Melee Weapons—⮟ Deflect (1-4). On a success, the attacker's roll fails instead, and this creature blocks 1 Stress and 1 Damage.

⦿ Strike, Strike, Throw. Requirement: must be wielding two Melee Weapons. The Bandit Boss ⦿ Strikes twice, targeting a different creature and using a different Melee Weapon for each Strike. Then, they can ⦿ Shoot to throw one of their wielded Melee Weapons.

➲ Battle Command. The Bandit Boss barks an order, commanding up to 3 allied Criminal Pawns who can hear them to use an instant to do one of the following: ➲ Reposition, ➲ Rally, ⦿ Brawl, ⦿ Shoot, or ⦿ Strike.

⟳ Avenging Attack. Trigger: a creature defeats an ally. The Bandit Boss ➲ Repositions, then uses ⦿ Brawl, ⦿ Shoot, or ⦿ Strike against the triggering creature.

═══ Equipment ═════════════════════════════════════

Medium Armor (Armor; Burden 2).
Defend (Guard)—On failure. Block 1 Damage.
Defend—⮟ Endure (1-3). Block 1 Stress and 1 Damage.

Handaxe (Weapon; Flex Melee, Thrown 3; Burden 1). When you ⦿ Shoot using this Weapon's Thrown trait against a target within its first range increment, you can use Might instead of Finesse.
Strike/Shoot—On failure (-3). The target takes 1 Damage.