HORSES

RIDING HORSE

Initiative: 6	Physical Defense: 6
Number of Attacks: 1	Spell Defense: 6
Attack: 6	Social Defense: 7
Damage: 9	Armor: None
Number of Spells: NA	Mystic Armor: 0
Spellcasting: NA	Knockdown: 5
Effect: NA	Recovery Tests: 3
Death Rating: 44	Combat Movement: 50
Wound Threshold: 13	Full Movement: 120
Unconsciouness Rating: 36
Legend Points: 55
Equipment: None
Loot: Various items from the rider

Commentary
The most common horses in Barsaive, riding horses make strong mounts, but cannot wear barding or armor. A riding horse can carry a rider and up to 250 pounds of equipment without suffering encumbrance penalties (see Adventuring in Earthdawn).

WAR HORSE

Initiative: 7	Physical Defense: 8
Number of Attacks: 1	Spell Defense: 6
Attack: 8	Social Defense: 8
Damage: 14	Armor: As outfitted
Number of Spells: NA	Mystic Armor: 2
Spellcasting: NA	Knockdown: 9
Effect: NA	Recovery Tests: 3
Death Rating: 48	Combat Movement: 80
Wound Threshold: 14	Full Movement: 100
Unconsciouness Rating: 40
Legend Points: 90
Equipment: None
Loot: Various items from the rider

Commentary
Larger and stronger than riding horses, war horses are bred to carry heavy loads while remaining able to canter and gallop. War horses can wear barding, and can carry their riders and up 350 pounds of equipment without suffering encumbrance penalties (see Adventuring in Earthdawn). War horses are often used by armies and cavalry units, particularly the ork scorcher cavalries that roam the lands of Barsaive.

ICE FLYERS

Initiative: 10	Physical Defense: 7
Number of Attacks: 1	Spell Defense: 6
Attack: 9	Social Defense: 6
Damage: 14	Armor: 5
Number of Spells: (1)	Mystic Armor: 7
Spellcasting: 5	Knockdown: 4
Effect: Ice Flyer Shackles;	Recovery Tests: 2
Death Rating: 38	Combat Movement: 75
Wound Threshold: 10	Full Movement: 150
Unconsciouness Rating: 30
Legend Points: 70 (120 for leader)
Equipment: None
Loot: Ice feathers worth 1D6 x 10 silver pieces per ice flyer. These items count as treasure worth Legend Points.

Commentary
Ice flyers resemble white, winged baboons, standing roughly 6 feet tall and weighing up to 700 pounds. Some, though not all, of their feathers gleam as if made of crystal. They often gather in flocks of 4–24 individuals, one of which leads the flock. The leader usually stays out of direct combat, using its Spellcasting ability to attack rather than physically entering the fray.

Ice flyers may strike targets from the air, swooping in to attack in a flurry of shrieking and clawing, and then flapping upward out of the melee. If an ice flyer’s Initiative die roll result is 3 greater than that of its target, the target may not use a melee attack against the ice flyer. (For more information on melee attacks, see Combat.) An Initiative die roll result 1 greater than the target’s Initiative die roll result increases the ice flyer’s Physical Defense by 1 point, and an Initiative die roll result 2 greater than the target’s Initiative result increases the ice flyer’s Physical Defense by 2 points.

Ice flyers can use a special magical effect on a target called Ice Flyer Shackles. The ice flyer makes a Spellcasting Test against the Spell Defense of any target within its line of sight; a successful result wraps the target in bands of magical frost. To break free of the shackles, an imprisoned character must make a Strength Test with a result of 12 or higher, which shatters the shackles into millions of shards. Unless completely destroyed in this way, the shackles automatically repair any cracks or breaks, leaving the character trapped. A Damage Test result of 20 points or more from a single attack also breaks the shackles, but the shackled character takes that 20 points of damage in the process. Ice flyers can use their shackling ability at a range of up to 75 yards. Ice flyer shackles melt after 3D6 rounds.

The leader of a group of ice flyers may use an ability called Howling Challenge on a target. The lead ice flyer spends one round howling; in the following round, it makes a Spellcasting Test against the target’s Social Defense. A successful result forces the victim into a howling contest with the ice flyer. As the victim howls, the ice flyer rolls the Howling Challenge dice. The victim then makes a Charisma Test against the result of the ice flyer’s Howling Challenge dice roll. If the victim rolls a number higher than the Difficulty Number, the challenge ends and the ice flyer flees in shame, followed in the next round by its fellow ice flyers. If the victim’s Charisma Test result does not exceed the Difficulty Number, the leader may maintain the Howling Challenge, re-rolling the Howling Challenge dice to produce a new Difficulty Number each round for as long as the challenge lasts. The leader can maintain Howling Challenge as long as it continues to win, and as long as it takes no other action. Howling Challenge works at a range of up to 150 yards on any target within the leader’s line of sight.

Ice flyers have enchanted feathers that stay cold even in tropical heat, allowing the creatures to live in tropical or arid environments. These feathers count as treasure worth Legend Points.

JEHUTHRA

Initiative: 5	Physical Defense: 9
Number of Attacks: 2	Spell Defense: 13
Attack: 13	Social Defense: 9
Damage: 11	Armor: 8
Number of Spells: (1)	Mystic Armor: 4
Spellcasting: 11	Knockdown: 5
Effect: See below	Recovery Tests: 3
Death Rating: 55	Combat Movement: 30
Wound Threshold: 13	Full Movement: 60
Unconsciouness Rating: 50
Legend Points: 250
Equipment: NA
Loot: Thorax web worth 1D12 x 10 silver pieces. This item counts as treasure worth Legend Points.

Commentary
have eight legs, each 10 feet long, and their bristly bodies end in humanoid faces. Though their eyes look vacant, jehuthras possess considerable cunning and intelligence. They prefer traps and ambushes to a straight confrontation, and an overmatched jehuthra will flee rather than fight. Only if flight looks difficult or impossible does a jehuthra defend itself with its magical powers. The metallic deposits on a jehuthra’s chest form a thorax web, which the monsters use to create the web effects described below.

A jehuthra can create three magical effects: Lacerators, Frost Web, and Iron Web. Lacerators are cold, icy spikes that form on two of the jehuthra’s legs. They take a single Combat Round to form, last for 3D10 rounds, and add 4 steps to the jehuthra’s Damage step if it makes a successful attack. Frost web takes one round to cast against a single character, who must be within 100 yards of the jehuthra. The jehuthra rubs its thorax web and points at the target, then makes a Spellcasting Test against the target’s Spell Defense. A successful result entangles the victim in an icy, barbed web, and the extreme cold does 10 steps of damage to the target. Physical armor can reduce the damage, but metal armor offers no more than 3 points of protection. The web holds the victim fast for three rounds, unless he shatters it by making a Strength Test with a result of at least 12.

Iron Web is a defensive effect that allows a jehuthra to form an iron maze with any part of its existing web, requiring one spell thread with a Thread Weaving Difficulty Number of 10. The jehuthra uses its Spellcasting step to make the Thread Weaving Test. After tracing a pattern upon its thorax web, it makes a Spellcasting Test against the highest Spell Defense of all the characters within 25 yards of the jehuthra. If the Spellcasting Test is successful, Iron Web creates a maze 10 feet high, consisting of eight independent paths that lead to the maze’s center. The web maze extends for 25 yards around the jehuthra, closing over the top of the maze walls. The Iron Web isolates each character, placing him on a separate path from his fellow travelers. If a group has more than eight characters, the Iron Web distributes them as evenly as possible. The paths lead only to the center of the maze, and do not intersect. Characters moving faster than a slow walk (10 yards per round) must make a Dexterity Test with a result of 6 or better in order to move through the maze. A result of less than 6 inflicts 7 steps of damage on the character, as the web’s magical barbs tear at him. Physical armor reduces this damage by the affected character’s Armor Rating. The web lasts for 3D10 rounds, or until dispelled. Dispelling a single path has a Difficulty Number of 12; dispelling the entire web has a Difficulty Number of 21.

Rather than wait in the center, the jehuthra usually scurries down a path either to escape or to attack a character. If it wishes, the jehuthra can use its Spellcasting step to dispel a single path or the entire web.

KRILWORM

Initiative: 4	Physical Defense: 8
Number of Attacks: 1	Spell Defense: 7
Attack: 5	Social Defense: 7
Damage: 6	Armor: 0
Number of Spells: (1)	Mystic Armor: 2
Spellcasting: 8	Knockdown: 5
Effect: Locate target	Recovery Tests: 1
Death Rating: 30	Combat Movement: 75
Wound Threshold: 8	Full Movement: 150
Unconsciouness Rating: 25
Legend Points: 75
Equipment: None
Loot: None

Commentary
members and feeding off of large insects and small mammals. Their needle-like teeth drip a foul-smelling substance that many believe to be toxic. They have segmented bodies about 18 inches long, with bat-like wings sprouting near the front. Eyeless, they “see” through divination magic organs that look like six open, running sores. To locate a target, a krilworm swarm makes a Spellcasting Test against the target’s Spell Defense. If the test is successful, the krilworms locate the target. This ability also works on invisible or hidden targets. The powerful divination organs can so far only be used by krilworms, and are worthless on the open market.

On occasion, swarms of krilworms attack large animals and humanoids, but a determined character can easily drive off these swarms. For each krilworm that dies fighting large animals, the swarm makes a Willpower Test, using the Willpower step of any krilworm in the swarm. On a result of 4 or better, the swarm continues its attack on the target; on a result of less than 4, the swarm leaves to find easier pickings.

Krilworms have a peculiar affinity for Nethermancers, and Nethermancers in turn often harbor a soft spot for these loathsome creatures. This unusual affinity allows Nethermancers to add 2 steps to all tests made against a krilworm’s Social Defense.

LIGHTNING LIZARDS

Initiative: 7	Physical Defense: 6
Number of Attacks: 1	Spell Defense: 9
Attack: 6	Social Defense: 7
Damage: 7	Armor: 3
Number of Spells: (1)	Mystic Armor: 4
Spellcasting: 12	Knockdown: 6
Effect: see below	Recovery Tests: 2
Death Rating: 38	Combat Movement: 65
Wound Threshold: 10	Full Movement: 130
Unconsciouness Rating: 30
Legend Points: 150
Equipment: None
Loot: Eyes worth 150 silver pieces each. The eyes count as treasure worth Legend Points.

Commentary
long with 3-foot tails and weigh roughly 200 pounds. When dry, their yellow-and-green skin glistens as though oiled. Lizards bloated from feeding within the past 48 hours (in which they eat one-third of their body weight), are docile unless provoked. Hungry lizards, by contrast, show remarkable aggression.

Lightning lizards use their Spellcasting abilities to produce two magical effects, Crackling Armor and Twinbolts. Crackling Armor takes one round to cast, and requires the lightning lizard to make a Spellcasting Test with a result of 2 or better. If the test is successful, Crackling Armor surrounds the lizard with bolts of lightning, crackling a mere inch from its skin. Crackling Armor increases a lightning lizard’s Physical Armor Rating to 6. Anytime a character physically strikes a lightning lizard under the influence of Crackling Armor, with his hand or foot, a weapon, or some other object, the lizard makes a Spellcasting Test against the striker’s Spell Defense. A result equal to or greater than the Difficulty Number sends lightning into the striker. The lightning does Step 8 damage, though non-metal physical armor reduces this damage.

Twinbolts sends two streaks of lightning toward a target from the lizard’s eyes. The lizard using this ability makes a Spellcasting Test against the target’s Spell Defense. If the test is successful, the lightning hits the target. Twinbolts does Step 22 damage at a range of 120 yards. Non-metal physical armor provides protection against this attack.

The eyes of lightning lizards are worth 150 silver pieces each, and count as treasure worth Legend Points.

OGRE

Initiative: 4	Physical Defense: 7
Number of Attacks: 1	Spell Defense: 8
Attack: 12	Social Defense: 6
Damage: 16	Armor: 7
Number of Spells: NA	Mystic Armor: 1
Spellcasting: NA	Knockdown: 9
Effect: NA	Recovery Tests: 3
Death Rating: 50	Combat Movement: 35
Wound Threshold: 12	Full Movement: 70
Unconsciouness Rating: 45
Legend Points: 110
Equipment: Ogre club, chain mail
Loot: 1D6 x 10 silver pieces per ogre

Commentary
Orks claim that ogres look like overgrown dwarfs; dwarfs think ogres look like overlarge orks. Everyone agrees that ogres are big and ugly. They stand 7 feet 6 inches tall, weigh 400 pounds, and can use elemental magic to detect certain metals and wield powerful weapons. Ogres can smell silver and other precious metals, and often dig makeshift mines to locate the ore. Once dug up, they trade the ore to greedy dwarfs in exchange for chain mail, plate armor, and (occasionally) weapons.

Ogres believe the crude lengths of wood they wield are magical weapons. Though the weapons are nearly impossible to break, the magic that reinforces them lies in the ogre, not in his club. In the hands of an ogre, the club adds 5 steps to its user’s Strength step. An ogre club untouched by an ogre for more than 24 hours becomes an ordinary hunk of wood, similar to an ordinary club.

OGRE TWINS

Initiative: 4	Physical Defense: 6
Number of Attacks: 1	Spell Defense: 10
Attack: 11	Social Defense: 7
Damage: 16	Armor: 7
Number of Spells: (1)	Mystic Armor: 4
Spellcasting: 8	Knockdown: 10
Effect: 9 (for healing only)	Recovery Tests: 2
Death Rating: 60	Combat Movement: 35
Wound Threshold: 15	Full Movement: 70
Unconsciouness Rating: 55
Legend Points: 450 (for the pair)
Equipment: Ogre club, chain mail
Loot: 1D6 x 10 silver pieces, 1D4 small gems worth 50 silver pieces each for each twin. Gems count as treasure worth Legend Points.

Commentary
Ogre twins are two identical ogres, only one of whom can inhabit the material plane at a time. Like conventional ogres, ogre twins can sense precious metals and magically harden their clubs. Ogre twins are indistinguishable from their single counterparts, unless a character can sense connections between a twin and the astral plane. If a character makes a successful Astral Sight (or Sense) Test against the ogre twin’s Spell Defense, he can see a pair of faint, white lines trailing from the ogre twin’s head and disappearing into astral space.

Ogre twins can switch places with a thought. Each twin’s physical possessions remain on the material plane; the second twin’s body appears in the same spot occupied by the first twin, in the same position, even in mid-action if the twins so desire. The displaced twin inhabits a small, dimensional pocket between the astral and material planes. The white lines magically connect the displaced twin with the thoughts of the material twin, and also provide the displaced twin with air.

Either twin can use his Spellcasting step to heal himself. Ogre twins usually heal in the dimensional pocket, switching places when the other twin needs healing. The injured twin spends one round in the dimensional pocket, and in that round makes a Spellcasting Test against his own Spell Defense. If the test is successful, the ogre then makes a Recovery Test of Step 9, reducing his Current Damage by the Recovery Test result.

If one of the ogres is killed, the other immediately appears on the physical plane to avenge its twin’s death. Killing both twins in quick succession is the only way to defeat them.

ORK

Initiative: 2	Physical Defense: 6
Number of Attacks: 1	Spell Defense: 6
Attack: 7	Social Defense: 6
Damage: 10	Armor: 10
Number of Spells: NA	Mystic Armor: 1
Spellcasting: NA	Knockdown: 6
Effect: NA	Recovery Tests: 1
Death Rating: 32	Combat Movement: 30
Wound Threshold: 8	Full Movement: 60
Unconsciouness Rating: 24
Legend Points: 50
Equipment: Broadsword, footman’s shield, chain mail
Loot: 1D4 silver pieces per ork

Commentary
The ork described in this entry is the standard ork footman, standing approximately 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighing 225 pounds. Sometimes mercenaries, often bandits, orks always negotiate if they sense potential profit. If an ork thinks he can get a better deal by working with a party rather than jumping it, he will.

Orks roam all the lands of Barsaive in mercenary bands. These ork scorcher bands travel the countryside, seeking employment. Some bands are Cavalrymen, mounted on war horses and occasionally on massive thundra beasts. Ork Cavalrymen often use lances and spears to charge their opponents. For information about these weapons, see Goods and Services.

SHADOWMANTS

Initiative: 7	Physical Defense: 7
Number of Attacks: 1	Spell Defense: 6
Attack: 7	Social Defense: 7
Damage: 7	Armor: 4
Number of Spells: 1 (Poison)	Mystic Armor: 0
Spellcasting: 6	Knockdown: 6
Effect: 9 (Poison)	Recovery Tests: 2
Death Rating: 35	Combat Movement: 45
Wound Threshold: 9	Full Movement: 90 (Flight)
Unconsciouness Rating: 27
Legend Points: 100
Equipment: None
Loot: Stingers worth 1D10 x 10 silver pieces. The stingers count as treasure worth Legend Points.

Commentary
Eight feet wide with a 5-foot tail, shadowmants resemble large, flying stingrays. A shadowmant’s outer side is black, its underside dark gray, and its tail ends in a crystalline stinger. A shadowmant has two eyes and a small mouth lined with rows of tiny, needle-sharp teeth. Nocturnal creatures, shadowmants roam at night, spending daylight hours underground.

A shadowmant uses its tail to sting its victims. The stinger contains a poison powerful enough to kill a troll within 10 Combat Rounds. Once the poison has killed its prey, the shadowmant eats its victim. The shadowmant’s virulent poison resists the healing effects of talents or poultices with a Spell Defense of 8. Alchemists prize shadowmant poison and stingers, using them to brew magical potions.