Monday, June 18, 2012

Mascot Monday: Bloodglass Proselyte

THE COMING OF THE CLADE

We may never know from whence they come - another time, a distant moon, some farflung plane? What is known about the Clade would fill a thimble. They are a liquid lifeform, a kind of sentient, ambulatory blood - and they all claim descent from a single bloodform ancestor who divided aeons ago. The Clade's only apparent goal is the assimilation of all life, and they very well might succeed - for whoever takes the Clade into their system, by drought or injection, becomes part of the Clade. Naked Clade in their fully-liquid form are rarely seen - much more common is their golem-like dreadnaught of apostasy known as the Bloodglass Proselyte.

Each proselyte shares two features in common: first a large, stout, headless humanoid body constructed of a transparent, glass-like crystal; and second, an immense humanlike face sculpted into the chest or torso, twisted into a rictus grin. Within the glassy body sloshes the viscous blood-body of the Clade warrior himself. The bloodglass proselyte pummels its foes with massive crystalline hands, then grapples. There is a hole in the glass where the "neck" should be; it is this aperture the proselyte uses to force part of its own bloody body down the throat of its target, converting the hapless victim into another Clade. Or, more properly - a Clade walking about in a meat-suit. Once the victim has a taste of the blood, conversion is near-immediate, and quite painful. Clade apostates such as these may be slain normally; it takes years for the infant blood-form coursing within the human veins to mature into a 'proper' Clade.

The crystalline structure of the Bloodglass Proselyte is such that the "face" in the torso can resonate forth substantial sonic energy. This attack comes in the form of a shouted affirmation - implying the inevitable victory of the Clade - which is particularly suited to destroying fortifications and walls. In addition, humanform Clade apostates can sometimes gate in a Proselyte via unified chanting to the Clade.

These warrior-suits are thankfully rare in the Wampus Country, but several of them attack Sugarplum Castle each season, testing the Witch-Queen's defenses. Early sorties were easily dismissed as the Witch-Queen magically manipulated the blood sugar within each Clade bloodform; but recently the Clade has adapted and begun dispatching Proselytes equipped with synthetic enhancements which are resistant to the witch's sucromancy.


BLOODGLASS PROSELYTE (Clade golemsuit warrior)

# appearing: 1 (50%), 1d3 (50%)

AC3 HD 5+5 Save as Fighter 5

Attacks: two pummeling fists (2d4 each) or one affirmative shout (thrice daily; does 3d6 to flesh or 6d10 to structures). Following successful grapple, save vs death or swallow Clade bloodform and be converted.




Proselyte variants:

1 - the warrior carries a conversion-enabling device containing extra Clade; -2 to saves resisting conversion.

2 - the Proselyte's bloodform is chilled, providing it resistance (half damage) to fiery attacks.

3 - the glass-suit's fingers are hypodermic needles; no grapple is necessary, each attack carries a risk of conversion (save at +4).

4 - synthetic carbon-chain enhancement; Clade is immune to sucromancy.

5 - variant color (purple, orange, green). This Command Clade has 7 HD.

6 - color-changing Proselyte can shift the color of its bloodform at will, allowing a kind of camouflage.







1 comment:

  1. What about the part where humanform clades form deathcults in remote jungles?

    ReplyDelete