Cobmare 1 (3)

Gunslinger Knights

Cobmare filaments encrust shadowed areas in a storm’s aftermath, hiding in plain sight because they resemble nothing so much as cobwebs filling a dark corner or unused doorway. Cobwebs, a closer look reveals, with a slightly iridescent sheen strung with trembling, bead‑like blobs along each strand. At this point, destroying a cobmare infestation is as easy as clearing actual cobwebs. vBut let them fester for a few days, and a scrum of horrific creatures emerge from the rotten center of whatever object (or corpse) the “cobwebs” covered. No two are exactly alike, but all are about the size of a human hand, slimed with sticky fluid, and set with spines, teeth, legs, and vaporous wings that allow a cobmare swarm to travel great distances by night, afflicting communities that never felt the direct onslaught of a Fundament Storm.

Motive: Hungers for flesh, reproduction

Environment: In, near, and after Fundament Storms; usually in scrums of thirteen or more

Health: 3

Damage Inflicted: Minor wound (3 points)

Movement: Immediate; flies a short distance each round

Modifications: Speed defense as level 3 due to size; stealth as level 5 when not moving

Combat: A cobmare bites. Cobmare also have the following qualities and attacks.

• Repercussions: In any location cobmare have been active, cobwebs capable of hatching at least thirteen more cobmare in a few days are potentially left behind in a nearby shadowed area. Finding them requires spending about ten minutes looking and a successful difficulty 5 perception task.
• Sticky Strands: Cobwebby strands left behind by the attack of a cobmare or swarm hinder a target’s physical tasks, including attacks and Speed defense rolls—additional successful attacks accumulate hindrance. The target can clear all the cobwebs on their action with a successful Speed‑ or Intellect‑based roll against a level equal to the number of steps of hindrance.
• Rough Strands: Targets that begin their turns hindered by Sticky Strands automatically take 3 points of damage as the strands abrade flesh, injecting victims with toxic matter of the Crawling Deeps.
• Swarming Scrum: Cobmare prefer to attack en masse; when five or more attack the same creature, treat the attack as level 4, inflicting a moderate wound (5 points).

Interaction: Cobmare are about as intelligent as a swarm of angry wasps, and at least as aggressive.

Use: The Veen sometimes use cobmare "webbing" as turns hindered by Sticky Strands automatically weirdly dangerous clothing they wear into combat as a take 3 points of damage as the strands abrade surprise to their foes. A tree behind the priory is found flesh, injecting victims with toxic matter of the strangely covered—completely veiled, in fact—with Crawling Deeps. several layers of thick cobwebs.

GM Intrusion: The character opens their tool case or other personal equipment storage and discovers it’s full of “cobwebs.”