Wednesday, March 9, 2016

Encounter: Blurd

It's Real (2spooky)
So, fantasy, right? We can do anything, right? Well, how about a Blurd? This is a supremely clever portmanteau of "blur" and "bird". This bird has the power to blur fine details in reality, granting temporary disadvantages that involve your tinier organs and limbs.
Let's stat this guy out.

Mechanics


So thinking about all the small body parts we have that might be removed by smudging, if life were a photograph, and a malevolent being was learning Photoshop, I've come up with this list of easily inflicted disadvantages and hit locations, keeping track of the highest CER for these afflictions as I reach them.

  • Face - Lowered appearance (20 Character points would be worth 4 CER) (p.21)
  • Eyes - Blindness 10 CER (p.125)
  • Spine - Bad Back,  (p.124)
  • Mouth - Cannot Speak (p.125) + No Sense of Smell/Taste (p.146)
  • Ears - Deafness (p.129)
  • Hands - No Fine Manipulators (p.145)
  • Legs - No legs (sessile) p.145
  • Arm - One Arm p.147
  • Entire body - Diffuse (p.60) and Quadriplegic (p.150) 15 CER.
That's a long list, and the list goes on and on, but this is good enough for now. The worst possible affliction is Quadriplegic; I'm saying Diffuse is the opposite of a temporary nuisance that comes with it, so altogether a 15 CER. Let's take a look at where we stand.

Attack Skill10Active Defense2
Affliction15Damage Resistance0
Damage2Health0
Fatigue Points0Hit Points0
Move4Will0
Total Offensive Rating (OR)31Total Protective Rating (PR)2

OK, so a little fast, and the affliction is already taking up most of the CER budget, plus we need a lot of skill if we are doing lots of random hit locations, and a tiny bit of damage. Heck, the point value is so good, why don't we just see where we are sitting right now:

ST: 5HP: 10Speed: 6
DX: 14Will: 10Move: Air Move 10, Ground Move 2
IQ: 4Per: 10
HT: 10FP: 10SM: -3
Dodge: 9Parry: N/ADR: 0
Peck (15): Reach C, 1d-4 cutting. This is not something to worry about.
Blur (15): Max range 10 yards, Acc 3, this is a cone that spreads 5 yards (2 yards to either side at maximum distance) If this hits, the opponent must have a contest of will versus the skill (distance penalties and DR applies) of the attack. On a failure, roll random hit location, whatever is hit is smudged out for degree of success minutes and becomes useless. A critical hit inflicts both diffuse and Quadriplegic status for margin of success minutes (still roll even if it's a critical success,) minimum 1 (effect occurs even if the target technically tied or won.)
Traits: Wild Animal, Flying (wings), Cowardice - 9, No Fine Manipulators, Empathy, Animal Empathy, Dependents (Nest)
Skills: Brawling-15, Innate Attack (Blur) - 15
Class: Dire Animal

Fluff

This is an unusual bird, the Blurd is not intrinsically antagonistic; it instead depends on a fantastic defensive mechanism - the result of mishandling magical fallout. Blurds do not like violence and even if it is not directed towards them, they will retaliate. They often have nests near the ground where immature Blurds exercise, without full control of their abilities. If the Blurd feels its nest is threatened, it will let out a warning cry [Per based Naturalist, or Area Knowledge rolls might identify this] If unheeded, it will feel forced to attack. Normally it only attacks until it feels the threat has been abated, but if any mortal harm are to come to its young, in a grievous berserk state, it will not rest until it gets its pound of flesh.

Other Thoughts

This encounter is meant to be a bit of world coloring rather than a right out dangerous thing, but it can, of course be made much more deadly. Its afflictions are already pretty top class, but throw in a symbiotic relationship with a bruiser, or just some firepower, combined with an intent to kill instead of protect, and it becomes immediately several times more dangerous.

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