Tidal Blades
Miskie leaned her head up, looking bothered to be disturbed. "Who? Oh, old Grido the Tooth? He's mad as a shell eater. Always making up stories. He once got a whole group of us out to his place to investigate a firemander. Turns out, he'd put a leap engine in his oven and forgotten about it!"
Firemanders are highly intelligent amphibian creatures closely related to salamanders. They are drawn to the subtle, comforting humming of michronic energy, and are often found in populated areas, trying to sneak in under floating houses or climb on the roof, where they leech the waves of michronic energy, sometimes becoming so hot the building catches fire. They're also fond of shellers and hunt anywhere that shellers reside.
All firemanders are female, reproducing mostly through parthenogenesis. They are closely studied by the scientists at the Citadel for their interesting michronic-sensing properties.
Motive: Hunger for food and michronic energy
Environment: Anywhere there are shellers or michronic energy
Health: 18
Damage Inflicted: Moderate wound (6 points)
Armor: 2 (from flames; see Combat)
Movement: Short
Modifications: Deception and trickery as level 7
Combat: When alight, firemanders are challenging foes, as the flames upon their bodies act as both offense and defense, granting the firemander 2 points of Armor and inflicting a moderate wound (6 points) (ignores Armor) to anyone who comes within immediate range of the creature.
When not on fire, most firemanders attempt to escape rather than engage in combat. If necessary, they may shed a body part, such as a tail or limb, knowing it will grow back over time.
Interaction: Firemanders are quick learners and are willing to try any means necessary to achieve their goals of gaining shellers and michronic energy. They may appear to be injured to get others to feed them, create a diversion in order to access a building, or even learn to do tricks and employ tools to get what they want.
Use: The michron lab that the characters needed to solve a problem is overrun with firemanders or has burnt to the ground. The characters must convince a firemander to help them discover a source of michronic energy.
Loot: Firemanders might have some stolen tools, 1d6 shells, or a cypher stashed nearby.
GM Intrusion: A character's cypher or artifact explodes or malfunctions due to the firemander's excessive heat.