Lost Company Press
An oversized leech, about the size of a large dog, with a dark, slimy body and a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth. It can extend and retract its body to surprising lengths, allowing it to reach prey from a distance and latch on tightly. The creature's skin oozes a numbing secretion that aids in its feeding, making its presence known only when it's too late to easily remove it.
Motive: Feeds on the blood of living creatures
Environment: Swamps, marshes, and dark, wet places (Wilderness)
Health: 6
Damage: 2 points
Armor: 2
Movement: Short when leeching, Immediate otherwise
Modifications: Resists poisons and diseases as level 3 due to its hardy nature
Combat: A Giant Leech can attach itself to a victim with a successful attack. Once attached, it deals 5 points of ongoing damage each round as it siphons blood. Removing the leech requires a difficulty 5 Might task. The leech's numbing secretion adds a level of difficulty to notice it upon initial contact, and while attached, all actions by the victim related to detecting or removing the leech are hindered by one step
After dealing damage for two consecutive rounds, the Giant Leech becomes engorged, increasing its health by an amount equal to the damage dealt.
If it is about to be detached or killed while engorged, the leech can regurgitate some of its meal to apply a slippery coat over its body, adding +2 to its defense for that round.
Interactions: The leech has no sentience to speak of and acts purely on instinct; it's not possible to reason or communicate with it in any meaningful way.
Uses: The characters might need a sample of the leech's anesthetic slime for a local healer, or a swamp might be overrun by these creatures, threatening the nearby villages.
GM Intrusion: While engaged with one leech, another has silently approached from behind or below the murky waters, catching the character by surprise as it attempts to latch on.