Numenera Discovery
Large insects with unusually strong wings of iridescent goldgleam, caffas have learned to navigate at ground level and below, flying tight and low between and around spaces that seem far too small for their size. In tight spaces, caffas are formidable opponents due to their ability to dodge hits and slip through tiny areas to attack from unexpected directions. Caffas have a wingspan of 4 feet (1 m).
Motive: Territory, defense, and hunger for flesh
Environment: Caffas inhabit areas with strong winds. They typically live low to the ground and sometimes even dwell underground.
Health: 6
Damage Inflicted: 3 (or 2) points; see Combat
Movement: Long
Modifications: In tight spaces, defends as level 3 due to their ability to maneuver and dodge in unexpected ways
Combat: Caffas first attack with a stroke of their wings. This attack either knocks an opponent prone (but inflicts no damage) or deals 3 points of damage, as chosen by the caffa. Once an opponent is knocked down, caffas attempt to bite, usually in tender spots. They bite as if they were 1 level higher but inflict only 2 points of damage.
Caffas are immune to wind, push-backs, and all other air-based attacks.
Interaction: Caffas can't be reasoned or communicated with.
Use: A few caffas are somewhat dangerous, but a swarm can threaten a whole community. Locals often pay well to have someone deal with an infestation. Sometimes hunters go looking for the creatures to harvest their goldgleam.
Loot: Goldgleam wings can be rolled up, carried, and sold at good prices to interested parties for decorating houses, armor, and other items. Alternatively, PCs can use goldgleam on their own items. Although it's a resilient material to carry and store, it's hard to work with; typically, eight or ten wings are required to decorate one small item.
GM Intrusion: The wing attack knocks a foe down and inflicts 3 points of damage.
Numenera Discovery
Caffa adults plant the seeds of their larvae with a special type of wing flap. The larvae crawl along the ground or dig into it, feasting on any flesh they find, whether living or dead. After feasting, they burrow into the ground and spin themselves into cocoons. They remain in this state for anywhere from a few hours to a few days before emerging as adult caffas.
Motive: Hungers for flesh
Environment: Caffa larvae go wherever the adults plant them, usually in swarms of up to a dozen.
Health: 3
Damage Inflicted: Minor wound (2 points)
Movement: Immediate
Modification: Defends as level 2 due to size
Combat: Caffa larvae attach to the limbs of their prey, using their large mouths to literally suck the flesh from their victims. Their saliva injects a numbing chemical that makes the bites painless, but a victim might feel sluggish in that particular limb. Once the larvae are pulled off the limb, there is no lasting effect.
Interaction: Caffas can't be reasoned or communicated with.
Use: Caffa larvae can be used on their own or as a secondary element in a fight with caffa adults.
The larvae typically exist anywhere that adult caffas do and come up from their underground burrows to feed.
Loot: If caffa larvae are fed well and allowed to burrow, PCs who wait patiently will be rewarded with a tiny, sproutlike eruption in the soil. This is a sign that the larvae have cocooned and can be tugged out of the ground. The PCs can boil the cocoons, which will kill the larvae inside and result in a small spool of strong golden thread called silster.
GM Intrusion: The larva's bite paralyzes one of the PC's limbs, making it useless for ten minutes.