Vermin

Vermin are living invertebrates: insects, arachnids and arthropods. Their threat comes from infestation, instinctive aggression and many legs or many bodies acting through hunger, brood instinct or overwhelming contact, shaped by chitin, mandibles, stingers, silk, burrows and swarms.

Senses: normal (sight, hearing, smell, touch and taste) unless a trait says otherwise.

Subtypes

• Swarm: defined by many small bodies acting together through mass, pressure and overwhelming contact.
• Webspinner: defined by silk, webbing, cocoons, anchoring and trapped movement.
• Venomous: defined by poison, paralysis, numbing bites and lingering toxin.
• Burrower: defined by tunneling, surfacing, hidden approach and underground threat.
• Carapaced: defined by plated bodies, hard shells and durable insect armor.
• Brood-Bearing: defined by egg-laying, implantation, hatchlings and reproductive infestation.
• Leaping / Skittering: defined by sudden motion, wall-crawling, darting repositioning and unstable angles of attack.
• Parasite: defined by clinging, draining, nesting in flesh and spreading through bodies.

Traits & Maneuvers

Each subtype grants the trait listed under it; a trait and its maneuver are one Build Selection.

Anchoring Strand (Webspinner)

Vermin, Maneuver · 1 AP

1 visible enemy within Close must succeed a Reflex save against this creature's action check or be Slowed 10 (Average Magnitude) until it uses Recover to clear the webbing; its square becomes difficult terrain until cleared or the encounter ends.

Crafting tags: Essence none; Ingredients Plant Fiber, Preservative.

Paralytic Venom (Trait) (Venomous)

Vermin, Maneuver · Passive

When it damages a target with a natural weapon, the target must succeed a Fortitude save (DC 10 + half damage taken) or suffer Paralytic Venom.

Crafting tags: Essence none; Ingredients Organ, Toxic.

Chitinous Shell (Carapaced)

Vermin, Passive · Passive

+1 Soak (Average Step). Armor Piercing against it is reduced by 1 (Average Step).

Crafting tags: Essence Ward; Ingredients Bone, Preservative.

Brood Release (Brood-Bearing)

Vermin, Reaction · Reaction (1 RP)

Trigger: The first time it becomes Bloodied.

It drops a brood sac (object; Hardness 2 and Durability 10, scaled by Average Step/Magnitude and doubled per size above Medium) in an adjacent square. If not destroyed by the start of the next round it hatches: a non-Minion produces a creature of its type one rank lower at the same level; a Minion's sac bursts for Average necrotic damage in 5 feet (a Reflex save against this creature's action check negates).

Crafting tags: Essence Vitality; Ingredients Organ, Preservative.

Skittering Motion (Leaping / Skittering)

Vermin, Passive · Passive

Climb speed equal to its Speed; ignores difficult terrain from rubble, cracks, webs and debris. After moving 10+ feet to end adjacent to its target, its next melee attack against it gains 1 Advantage (Average Step).

Crafting tags: Essence Motion; Ingredients none.

Parasitic Cling (Parasite)

Vermin, Maneuver · 1 AP

Make 1 natural melee attack; a damaged target must succeed a Might save (DC 10 + half damage taken) or be clung to. While clinging it moves with the target without provoking, gains 1 Advantage (Average Step) on melee attacks against it, and gains 5 temporary HP (Average Magnitude) the first time each round it damages it. One host at a time; the host can use Recover to remove it.

Crafting tags: Essence Vitality; Ingredients Organ, Toxic.

Afflictions

Paralytic Venom (affliction)

Delivered by an adversary ability. Save: Fortitude (DC per the delivering effect, or 15 + creature level). Stage interval 1 round.

1. Slowed 10
2. Slowed 20
3. Stunned