Unzychtig Curiosities

Monster of the Week: The Rook

Added 2022-03-02 23:17:35 +0000 UTC

Bannock's Guide to the Monsters of Mejina

Rook

"Hoo boy, story time. So when I was a little pup and my family was caravanning the road between Maripol and Delbuk, we went up through the mountains. And we ran into one of these things. I had no idea what it was at the time, but all the adults kept muttering "Rook" under their breath and it seemed as good a name as any.

This thing walked beside us the whole way through the mountains, and I mean WALKED. This four legged beast just, hopped up on its back legs and walked like a person. It kept trying to talk to us, but my mom, she'd shush us up whenever we tried to answer.

The damn thing never slept. It kept talking to us at night, waking us up sometimes with laughing or screaming before my uncle Kamden chased it away. I dunno what it was trying to do. Wear us down maybe. And it just kept STARING at us with those eyes, like we weren't even there.

I'm grown up now and I know a bunch of combat ready stuff, but you can see all that below. You're here for the stories AND the nitty gritty, and speaking personally? What that thing says to you?

Don't listen. Don't think about it. Just forget."

Stahl's Notes:

"From the moment the Rook came into existence it has been a plague. I say The Rook as if there is only one but unfortunately that is a misplaced myth. This soulless creature is in fact a species, despite this they are all the same. There are hundreds of these creatures, they're more than capable of breeding so we know they can just make more of themselves. Yet despite this they all seem to share a personality.

Its as if they're all connected to the same mind somehow, they seem to see for each other, and seem to feel pain when others are harmed, so this idea isn't out of the question. But how this psychic link came to be is beyond both my knowledge and any guild research. Furthermore, guildmaster Marta was the only individual who had literature on this horrid creature and when she disappeared her library and the only knowledge we had for certain from the investigation and exploration of a deceased Rook disappeared with her.

Things we do know for certain. These creatures are among the most vile of any that live in this world. They revel and delight in pain; and they're so impossibly strong, nobody has gotten close enough to one that hasn't been so damaged they can no longer speak; even if they do survive the encounter."

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Artist: Dion Hamill

Description: The Rook is a terrifying creature with empty, soulless eyes that wears two skins, one that is its own and another false skin that seems to grow out of its head like a built in cowl, its skull like that of a cervid, with a maw like a canid and sharp tearing feline teeth that are strong enough to cut bone and tear muscle in a single yank.

It can smell you up to 30 meters away. Its claws are sharp and its hands and feet are fully motile, with complete control of its actions.

Ability Scores and Stats

Vitality: 557

Rush: 3000

Vigor: 40

Alacrity: 34

Deftness: 16

Consciousness: 22

Prescience: 20

Showmanship: 37

Stamina: 28

Resilience: 14

Psyche: 30

Vision: 15 Meters, Can detect entities up to 30 meters without seeing them automatically but attempts to strike anything outside 15 meters counts as the target being in full Cover

Languages: Cellan, Rooktongue

Carry Weight: 154 Kilograms

Tenacity: 32

Fatigue: 300

All attacks The Rook performs with its natural weapons and abilities are Grace damage.

Move Speed: 15 Tiles per Move Action, Equivalent to 75 Meters in 6 seconds, or a speed of 12.76 Meters per second exactly.

Acumen: 0

Finesse: +2

Feat: Apex Predator

Any enemy who is infected or bleeding can be smelled by the Rook. They cannot stealth when near it, are automatically revealed to it, even if in full cover. The Rook automatically creates True Eyes on any target Threatened by them.

Abilities:

Brilliant Claw: The rook strikes with Bare claws at its target, performing two attacks. This attack deals 50 Grace damage twice.

Cooldown: 6 Rounds, Costs 25 fatigue

Max Range: 10 meters (melee)

Wild Pounce: The Rook selects a target tile within 35 Meters. The Storyteller controlling the Rook should roll a D20. If the roll is below 5, the leap fails and they stay in place. If the roll is between 6 and 15 then the leap succeeds and deals 20 grace damage to any target that was already on that tile. If the roll is above 15 the leap also deals 20 grace damage to every tile within 10 meters of the landing space and Threatens any target that takes damage, forcing them to focus on only the Rook for 6 rounds.

Cooldown: 12 rounds, Costs 50 fatigue

Carnage: The Rook strikes violently with their mouth, attempting to use their teeth to violate their target. This attack has -3 Finesse for The Rook.

A target hit by Carnage takes 40 Grace damage and if damaged, is inflicted with Infected and Bleed. The Rook will prefer to aim for the Head with this ability.

Cooldown: 1 round, Costs 25 Fatigue

Defiant Rage: The Rook rears back and howls. Every entity that is not a Rook within 25 meters must pass an FC 50 intimidation check or are immediately inflicted with Fear and Vulnerable for 2 Rounds.

Cooldown: 12 Rounds, no cost

Antagonize: The Rook speaks to a target about that Target's greatest fear. Even if they have never met before, The Rook will know this information. There is no save nor accuracy check for this.

Targets who are antagonized become Vulnerable for two turns and Rattled for the remainder of the battle.

Cooldown: Once per target. Once per turn. Cannot perform other actions on turns when this is used.

Piercing Gaze: The Rook uses magic to reveal an enemy's weakness. Their next attack against that target will Pierce 5.

Cooldown: 6 Rounds, No Cost

Combat Routines:

As a storyteller, you may use the rook as you see fit, it is unusual to see more than one at a time, and roughly never will you see more than two at a time though they have been known to attack in pairs, usually one of either sex.

Rooks will enter the battlefield and seek out targets who are in stealth with Priority, using their Wild Pounce skill for free at the beginning of an encounter to close the gap.

The Rook takes advantage of its 15 tiles of movement every turn, and will chase and hunt down Prey it has found.

If by some miracle a Rook loses all its Rush it dies immediately with no saves.

Difficulty Rating: 10 Star

EXP TABLE

1 1800

2 1700

3 1600

4 1500

5 1400

6 1300

7 1200

8 1100