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Draw Steel Bestiary.html
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<section id="draw-steel-bestiary" class="level1">
<h1>Draw Steel Bestiary</h1>
<section id="creature-stats" class="level2">
<h2>CREATURE STATS</h2>
<p>Most of the information presented in a creature's stat
block is self-explanatory, and matches the statistics of hero
player characters. However, a few differences are worth
noting. <em>(Playtest note: Right now, creatures are color
coded, but this won't be the only way we indicate different
features.Icons are coming too. What are presented in this
packet are temporary playtest stat blocks until we get real
layout.)</em></p>
<blockquote>
<p>FOR THE DIRECTOR The information in this Bestiary
playtest packet is for the Director, and all references
to> “you” in the packet refer to the director. If you're
a player who isn't planning on also running games, you
should> stop> reading now so your foes' abilities
remain a surprise .</p>
</blockquote>
<section id="languages" class="level3">
<h3>LANGUAGES</h3>
<p>If a creature knows at least one language, their stat
block has a Languages entry that shows the languages they
know.Creatures who don't know any languages don't have this
entry.</p>
</section>
<section id="keywords" class="level3">
<h3>KEYWORDS</h3>
<p>Each creature has one or more keywords. These keywords
don't necessarily mean anything on their own, but special
rulesmight apply to them. For instance, a creature with the
Goblin keyword benefits from and can contribute to goblin
VillainPower abilities (see below).</p>
</section>
<section id="encounter-value" class="level3">
<h3>ENCOUNTER VALUE</h3>
<p>Each Director-controlled creature has an encounter value
(abbreviated EV) that is used in building encounters.
SeeEncounter Building for more information.</p>
</section>
<section id="creature-free-strikes" class="level3">
<h3>CREATURE FREE STRIKES</h3>
<p>When a Director-controlled creature makes a free
strike,they don't roll. Instead, their stat block features
a Free Strike stat representing the amount of damage they
deal with a melee free strike with a distance of reach 1 or
the creature's signature action, whichever is higher. This
is also the amount of damage they deal with a ranged free
strike with a distance equal to 5 or the range of the
creature's signature action, whichever is higher. Unless
otherwise noted, a free strike in a trait is a weapon
attack. Creature free strikes are a static number for two
reasons. First, it keeps gameplay fast.You don't have to
stop play to roll dice, and there's no chance of a creature
rolling a critical hit and bogging things down further when
it isn't their turn. Second, by keeping these static values
relatively low, heroes are encouraged to take more risks
when it really counts, even if that might result in them
taking damage from a free strike.</p>
<section id="creature-opportunity-attacks" class="level4">
<h4>CREATURE OPPORTUNITY ATTACKS</h4>
<p>Even though a Director-controlled creature doesn't
have to roll when they make a free strike, if they have a
bane onattacks against a creature, they still can't make
an opportunity attack against them.</p>
</section>
</section>
<section id="signature-action" class="level3">
<h3>SIGNATURE ACTION</h3>
<p>Every creature has a signature action, which is the
first action that appears in their stat block.</p>
</section>
<section id="traits" class="level3">
<h3>TRAITS</h3>
<p>Many creatures have traits, which are features that
don't require an action, maneuver, or triggered action to
activate,such as the goblin monarch's Crafty trait.</p>
</section>
<section id="villain-power-abilities" class="level3">
<h3>VILLAIN POWER ABILITIES</h3>
<p>Many creatures have abilities that require Villain Power
(abbreviated VP) to activate. See Villain Power for
moreinformation.</p>
</section>
<section id="end-effect" class="level3">
<h3>END EFFECT</h3>
<p>Certain creatures have the ability to take damage in
order to end one EoE (end of encounter) effect currently
affectingthem. The damage the creature takes to end the
effect can't be reduced in any way.</p>
</section>
<section id="villain-actions" class="level3">
<h3>VILLAIN ACTIONS</h3>
<p>The solo and boss creatures presented in this book are
designed to be fought in climactic battles at the end of an
adventure or campaign. Because of this, they get special
abilities called villain actions.</p>
<p>A creature with villain actions always has three. Each
villain action can be used only once per encounter, and no
more than one villain action can be used per round. A
creature can use a villain action at the end of any other
creature's turn during combat. Villain actions are numbered
and intended to be used in a specific order that creates a
logicalencounter flow and cinematic arc, but you can use
them in any order you choose.</p>
<p>The first villain action is an opener, which shows the
heroes they're not battling a typical creature. Openers
generally deal some damage, summon a lackey or three, buff
the boss, debuff the heroes, or move the creature into an
advantageous position. They're a taste of what's to
come.</p>
<p>The second villain action provides crowd control. It
typically activates after the heroes have had a chance to
respond once or twice to the villain, move into position,
and surround the villain. This second action helps the
villain regain the upper hand. Like an opener, this action
comes in many flavors, but it's even more powerful than an
opener.</p>
<p>The third and final villain action is an ultimate move
or “ult”—a showstopper that the villain can use to deal a
devastating blow to the heroes before the end of the
battle. If you have more than two creatures with villain
actions in an encounter (which should be a rare, if at all
occurrence), only one villain action total may be used per
round.</p>
</section>
<section id="resistance-roll-abilities" class="level3">
<h3>RESISTANCE ROLL ABILITIES</h3>
<p>Some creature abilities say “[Characteristic
Abbreviation] RR” instead of providing a dice equation.
This means that instead of the creature rolling when the
ability is used, the target of the ability must make a
resistance roll with the indicated characteristic against
the ability's effects.</p>
</section>
<section id="creature-roles" class="level3">
<h3>CREATURE ROLES</h3>
<p>A creature's role describes its function in combat in a
general sense. Roles are descriptive, and most don't follow
special rules—they simply help you build encounters and use
creatures effectively in combat. <em>(Playtest note: A lot
more guidance for using roles in building encounters is
coming.)</em></p>
<section id="ambusher" class="level4">
<h4>AMBUSHER</h4>
<p>Ambushers are melee warriors who can slip by beefier
heroes to reach squishier targets in the back lines.</p>
</section>
<section id="artillery" class="level4">
<h4>ARTILLERY</h4>
<p>Artillery creatures fight best from afar, and can use
their most powerful abilities at great distance.</p>
</section>
<section id="boss" class="level4">
<h4>BOSS</h4>
<p>Boss creatures are powerful commanders who often serve
as villains at the climax of adventures and campaigns.
They have better Stamina and damage output than other
creatures, and often aid those creatures—or can sacrifice
lesser allies for their own benefit.</p>
</section>
<section id="brute" class="level4">
<h4>BRUTE</h4>
<p>Brutes are hardy creatures who have lots of Stamina
and deal lots of damage. They have abilities and traits
that make them difficult to ignore and hard to get away
from, and that let them push enemies around.</p>
</section>
<section id="controller" class="level4">
<h4>CONTROLLER</h4>
<p>Controllers are creatures who change the battlefield,
often with magic or psionics. They reposition foes and
alter terrain to make it more advantageous for their
allies. Controllers are often on the squishier side, so
they need some protection!</p>
</section>
<section id="defender" class="level4">
<h4>DEFENDER</h4>
<p>Defenders are tough creatures able to take a lot of
damage, and who can force enemies to attack them instead
of squishier targets. Defenders often act in squads with
allies who have lower Stamina, such as controllers and
hexers.</p>
</section>
<section id="harrier" class="level4">
<h4>HARRIER</h4>
<p>Harriers are mobile warriors who make definitive use
of hit-and-run tactics. Their traits allow them to
makethe most of their positioning on the battlefield.</p>
</section>
<section id="hexer" class="level4">
<h4>HEXER</h4>
<p>Hexers specialize in debuffing enemies with conditions
and other effects. They are generally squishy and rely on
allies to help defend them.</p>
</section>
<section id="mount" class="level4">
<h4>MOUNT</h4>
<p>Mounts are mobile creatures meant to be ridden in
combat , and who make their riders even more dangerous.
Mounts act atthe same time as their riders.</p>
</section>
<section id="solo" class="level4">
<h4>SOLO</h4>
<p>A solo creature is an action-oriented creature capable
of tak ing on the player characters on their own, or with
thebackup of just a handful of underlings. <em>(Playtest
note: There are no solo creatures in this
packet.)</em></p>
</section>
<section id="support" class="level4">
<h4>SUPPORT</h4>
<p>Support creatures specialize in aiding their allies,
providing buffs, healing, movement, or action
options.</p>
</section>
</section>
</section>
<section id="creatures-who-grab" class="level2">
<h2>CREATURES WHO GRAB</h2>
<p>If a creature has an ability or trait that allows them to
grab another creature, they can have only one creature
grabbed at a time unless their stat block specifies
otherwise. If the creature has already grabbed the maximum
number of creatures, the ability or trait used to grab can't
be used against another target unless the creature releases
an already grabbed target.</p>
</section>
<section id="minions" class="level2">
<h2>MINIONS</h2>
<p>Minions are weaker enemies who are made to die fast and to
be threatening in large squads. Minion is a monster role that
always has another role such as artillery or brute attached
to it, so you know what the minion does well in addition to
being a minion. The knowledge of how minions work isn't a
secret, and shouldn't be kept from the players. Share the
information in this section with them! They'll have a lot
more fun battling minions and shaping narrative around taking
out multiple foes at once if they understand how the rules
work.</p>
<section id="organized-as-squads" class="level3">
<h3>ORGANIZED AS SQUADS</h3>
<p>Minions with the same name (for instance, “goblin
sniper”) can be organized into squads. All members of a
minion squad act together on the same initiative, and can
make squad attacks (see Squad Action).</p>
</section>
<section id="shared-low-stamina" class="level3">
<h3>SHARED LOW STAMINA</h3>
<p>Minions have low Stamina and fall quickly in battle.
They allow heroes to feel extra heroic, since a hero might
kill several minions at once, depending on those minions'
level and encounter value!</p>
<p>Each squad of minions shares a Stamina pool, with
initial Stamina equal to each individual minion's Stamina
multiplied by the number of minions in the squad. For
example, goblin snipers each have Stamina 5, so a squad of
four snipers has a Stamina pool of 20. Whenever a minion in
a squad takes damage, the squad's Stamina pool is reduced
by a number equal to the damage taken.</p>
<p>Because minion Stamina is tracked as a pool, minions
can't be winded and can't regain Stamina during a
battle.</p>
<section id="dropping-one-minion" class="level4">
<h4>DROPPING ONE MINION</h4>
<p>Whenever a minion squad's Stamina pool is reduced by
an amount equal to an individual minion's Stamina, one
minion dies or otherwise gets taken out of the fight. If
a squad of goblin snipers has its Stamina pool reduced to
15, then the minion who took the damage that reduced the
pool dies. When the Stamina pool hits 10, 5, and finally
0, another minion in the squad dies. If multiple minions
take the damage that results in the pool dropping low
enough to kill one minion, the creature who dealt the
damage to the minions decides which of those minions
dies.</p>
</section>
<section id="dropping-multiple-minions" class="level4">
<h4>DROPPING MULTIPLE MINIONS</h4>
<p>If a single attack reduces a minion squad's Stamina
pool by an amount of damage equal to the Stamina of
multiple minions, multiple minions are taken out by the
damage. Start with minions who took the damage first. If
all those minions are eliminated and there is still more
damage to account for , the minions nearest to the ones
who were taken out suffer the same fate. For instance, if
one goblin sniper takes 12 damage from a fury's Brutal
Slam ability, that sniper dies and another nearby sniper
also gets taken out. Allow the player to narrate how
their hero takes out additional minions killed by a
single attack. Maybe each minion is within striking
distance of the hero, who makes multiple brutal weapon
attacks with a single action. Maybe the body of the
original target is hurled into an unfortunate ally. Maybe
additional minions affected by a single attack pass out
from fright! Taking out multiple minions is a chance to
play up the cinematic part of the game.</p>
</section>
<section id="damaging-multiple-minions" class="level4">
<h4>DAMAGING MULTIPLE MINIONS</h4>
<p>Minion squads are particularly susceptible to damage
dealing area abilities and attacks that target multiple
creatures, because the minion squad'sStamina pool takes
damage each time an individual minion takes damage. If
three goblin minions are hit with a conduit's Lightfall
ability that deals 4 holy damage to each target in its
area, the minion pool loses 12 Stamina!</p>
</section>
<section id="prepping-minion-stamina-pools" class="level4">
<h4>PREPPING MINION STAMINA POOLS</h4>
<p>When you're preparing a battle with minions, it helps
to take a moment and write out the different amounts of
damage at which a minion squad suffers a loss of one of
their minions. For instance, a squad of goblin snipers
loses a minion when they take a total of 5, 10, 15, and
20 damage. If you do the math before combat starts (or
take a quick moment to jot it down during a pause in
combat), it'll help things run smoothly.</p>
</section>
</section>
<section id="different-minion-strengths" class="level3">
<h3>DIFFERENT MINION STRENGTHS</h3>
<p>Some minions are stronger than others . This lets you
create squads of differing numbers of minions to keep the
heroes on their toes as you build encounters that fit your
needs. Some minions attack and die in droves, such as the
lowly pitling demon with Stamina 4. Others might be able to
absorb the damage of one or two signature actions before
they drop, such as the radenwight ratagast with Stamina 12.
Both are level 1 minions, but their EVs are different.
Fewer ratagasts can and should be used in a battle as
compared to pitlings, and the heroes will need to use their
best abilities to kill several of those more powerful
minions at once.</p>
</section>
<section id="acting-together" class="level3">
<h3>ACTING TOGETHER</h3>
<p>When minions act, each minion in the squad must use
their action in concert. This is because minions have squad
attacks that require participation from all minions,
requiring all individual attacks to happen at the same
time.</p>
<p>Like all creatures, an individual minion—or all the
minions in a squad—can elect to take no action on a
turn.</p>
<section id="minion-action-economy" class="level4">
<h4>MINION ACTION ECONOMY</h4>
<p>Minion turns are meant to be short. On their turn,
each minion can take only a move action and an action, a
move action and a maneuver, or two move actions.</p>
<p>Minions can make opportunity attacks, but they
typically don't have bespoke triggered actions, keeping
them easy to run.</p>
</section>
<section id="squad-action" class="level4">
<h4>SQUAD ACTION</h4>
<p>Each minion has a signature action that is an attack
ability target ing one creature. When multiple minions in
a squad use their signature action on a turn, make one
roll for the whole squad. Each minion must target a
different creature with their signature action. Many
minion signature actions benefit from the squad being
close together, so don't spread them out too far!</p>
<p>If a squad has minions who don't use their signature
action, those minions can still contribute to the squad's
effectiveness. Each such minion can use an action to
increase the damage to one target of the signature action
by an amount equal to the minion's free strike value, as
long as that target is within distance of the minion as
if the minion were using the action, and the minion has
line of effect to the target.</p>
<p>If a minion squad gets a critical hit with their
signature action, then all the minions who participated
in using the action can use the action again.</p>
</section>
<section id="tracking-squads" class="level4">
<h4>TRACKING SQUADS</h4>
<p>If you use multiple squads made up of the same type of
minions in an encounter—for instance, two squads of
goblin spinecleavers - it's important to make it easy for
the players to tell the squads apart. You can use
different miniatures for each squad, or give each squad's
miniatures an indicator (a colored magnet, ring, sticker,
and so forth) to help you and your players keep track of
which minions are part of the same squad as they start
moving around on the battlefield. Many online virtual
tabletops have tools for adding colors or textures to
icons that make tracking different squads easy.</p>
</section>
</section>
<section id="attached-captain" class="level3">
<h3>ATTACHED CAPTAIN</h3>
<p>Any non-mount creature who speaks a language a squad of
minions can understand can be attached to that squad as a
captain. Captains aren't necessarily strategic leaders with
brilliant strategies. Sometimes they're just powerful
creatures who bully, inspire, or have some supernatural
influence that drives other creatures to action. A squad of
minions can only have one captain, and a creature can't be
captain to more than one squad of minions.</p>
<section id="separate-actions-and-stamina" class="level4">
<h4>SEPARATE ACTIONS AND STAMINA</h4>
<p>A captain takes their turn at the same time as the
members of their squad but isn't limited in their action
options as minions are. A captain's Stamina isn't added
to a minion squad's Stamina pool and is tracked as for
any other creature in combat.</p>
</section>
<section id="captain-benefits" class="level4">
<h4>CAPTAIN BENEFITS</h4>
<p>While a minion squad has a captain, each minion in the
squad gains a +1 bonus to speed. Additionally, the
captain gains an edge on attacks against creatures who
are adjacent to one or more of their minions.</p>
</section>
<section id="i-am-the-captain-now" class="level4">
<h4>I AM THE CAPTAIN NOW</h4>
<p>If a squad of minions loses their captain, a new
allied creature can become that squad's captain at the
start of the round.</p>
</section>
</section>
</section>
<section id="encounter-building" class="level2">
<h2>ENCOUNTER BUILDING</h2>
<p>We're still working on these guidelines, and need to add
information about how environment, party composition, and the
like affect encounters. But for this playtest, the basics of
encounter building are as follows.</p>
<section id="step-1-choose-encounter-difficulty" class=
"level3">
<h3>STEP 1: CHOOSE ENCOUNTER DIFFICULTY</h3>
<p>First,determine how difficult an encounter you want to
create based on the following guidelines.</p>
<section id="trivial-encounters" class="level4">
<h4>TRIVIAL ENCOUNTERS</h4>
<p>Trivial encounters are easier than easy. They present
no challenge at all for the heroes, who are guaranteed to
survive the battle with their Stamina mostly, if not
entirely, untouched. Think 10th-level heroes taking on a
small band of typical kobolds. There's no way it ends
well for the kobolds. These encounters can be fun to
occasionally throw into your game, but for many groups,
the novelty disappears quickly, so that too many trivial
encounters can feel like a waste of time.</p>
<p>Unless you determine otherwise, trivial encounters
don't earn the heroes any Victories.</p>
</section>
<section id="easy-encounters" class="level4">
<h4>EASY ENCOUNTERS</h4>
<p>Unless the heroes have already depleted most of their
Stamina and Recoveries, easy encounters won't threaten
their lives. Easy encounters are great for adventures
that want to give the heroes a lot of battles between
respites, or for when you want the heroes to feel like
superheroes while still overcoming a combat challenge
that feels as though it's within their pay grade.</p>
<p>An easy encounter is worth 1 Victory.</p>
</section>
<section id="standard-encounters" class="level4">
<h4>STANDARD ENCOUNTERS</h4>
<p>Standard encounters are the most common for many
adventuring groups. These battles deplete some of the
heroes' Stamina and Recoveries, especially from
melee-focused characters. Although character death is
uncommon in a standard encounter, it isn't impossible,
especially if a player makes a poor tactical choice or
just finds that the dice are against them.</p>
<p>A standard encounter is worth 1 Victory.</p>
</section>
<section id="hard-encounters" class="level4">
<h4>HARD ENCOUNTERS</h4>
<p>Hard encounters are typically climactic encounters
with bosses and their loyal servants, or some other
scenario that puts the heroes' lives in an equal amount
of peril. Hard encounters are winnable, but the heroes
need to play smart to survive.</p>
<p>A hard encounter is worth 2 Victories.</p>
</section>
<section id="extreme-encounters" class="level4">
<h4>EXTREME ENCOUNTERS</h4>
<p>Extreme encounters feature threats of a level that the
heroes aren't likely to survive if they try to fight to
the bitter end. Such encounters rarely appear in most
campaigns, though if the heroes are 8th level or higher,
they can typically survive such encounters - or have a
good chance of coming back to life afterward.</p>
<p>If the heroes overcome an extreme encounter, they
should be awarded at least 2 Victories.</p>
</section>
</section>
<section id="step-2-determine-encounter-difficulty" class=
"level3">
<h3>STEP 2: DETERMINE ENCOUNTER DIFFICULTY</h3>
<p>To determine how many creatures and other types of
challenges you should have in an encounter, you need to
figure out the heroes' encounter strength (abbreviated
ES).</p>
<p>To calculate a group's ES, first determine each hero's
encounter worth. This starts at a baseline of 12, then you
add 3 for each level of the hero. For instance, a 3rd-level
hero has an encounter worth of 21 (12 + 3 + 3 +3). Then add
the encounter worth of all heroes together, and that's your
ES. For instance, a group of five 3rd-level heroes has an
ES of</p>
<ol start="105" type="1"></ol>
<section id="factor-in-victories" class="level4">
<h4>FACTOR IN VICTORIES</h4>
<p>Victories make heroes more powerful on their way to
the next level. For each 3 Victories the heroes earn,
increase the overall ES as if there were another hero in
the party. For instance, if a party of 3rd-level heroes
has 3 Victories, increase the ES by 21. If they have 6
Victories, increase the ES by 42. Be careful that the
larger ES doesn't lead you to using more creatures than
recommended in Number of Creatures. It's usually better
to use higher cost creatures in an encounter rather than
add lots when increasing ES thanks to Victories.</p>
<p>Since you can rarely predict the exact order in which
the heroes will face encounters during an adventure, it
helps to keep a list of monsters with an EV cost worth
roughly the encounter worth of one, two, and three heroes
that make sense for the adventure you're running. You can
easily drop or swap these creatures into an encounter on
the fly.</p>
</section>
</section>
<section id="step-3-determine-encounter-budget" class=
"level3">
<h3>STEP 3: DETERMINE ENCOUNTER BUDGET</h3>
<p>Once you know your ES and have chosen your encounter
difficulty, you can determine your encounter budget as
follows:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Trivial encounters</strong> have a budget
that is anything less than 75 percent of your ES.</li>
<li><strong>Easy encounters</strong> have a budget of
between 75 and 90 percent of your ES.</li>
<li><strong>Standard encounters</strong> have a budget
that is between 90 and 110 percent of your ES.</li>
<li><strong>Hard encounters</strong> have a budget of
between 110 and 125 percent of your ES.</li>
<li><strong>Extreme encounters</strong> have a budget
that is greater than 125 percent of your ES.</li>
</ul>
</section>
<section id="step-4-spend-encounter-budget" class="level3">
<h3>STEP 4: SPEND ENCOUNTER BUDGET</h3>
<p>You spend your encounter budget to “buy” hostile
creatures to take part in your encounter.Each hostile
creature costs a number of budget points equal to its
encounter value (EV). When choosing creatures, try to
choose a variety of roles for a more dynamic combat
experience.</p>
<section id="consider-creature-level" class="level4">
<h4>CONSIDER CREATURE LEVEL</h4>
<p>To ensure an encounter is challenging but not
devastating for the players, you want to choose creatures
whose level is within 2 of the heroes' level. For
instance, creatures of level 3 through 7 are appropriate
challenges for a party of 5th -level heroes. If the
heroes have 6 or more Victories, you can push the upper
limit to within 3 levels of the heroes.</p>
<p>This is really the only indicator that level serves in
encounter building. Everything else relies on EV.</p>
</section>
<section id="number-of-creatures" class="level4">
<h4>NUMBER OF CREATURES</h4>
<p>Too many creatures or too many different stat blocks
in an encounter can create a big cognitive load for you
and turn exciting encounters into slogs.</p>
<p>In general, you don't want more than five creatures
per hero at a time in an encounter.If the encounter has
more than two creatures per hero, at least half the
creatures in that encounter should be minions.</p>
<p>When it comes to number of stat blocks, you generally
don't want to use more than six different kinds of stat
blocks in an encounter, though you can probably manage
more if you're using a lot of simple minion stat blocks.
If you're just starting out as a Director, keep the
variety small until you're confident in your ability to
run a complex combat encounter.</p>
</section>
<section id="star-of-the-show" class="level4">
<h4>STAR OF THE SHOW</h4>
<p>Sometimes a combat encounter features a creature that
you want to stick around for more than a round of combat
and leave a lasting impression on the heroes. These are
typically the named villains who the heroes face in the
climax of an adventure or campaign.</p>
<p>If you want a creature to stick around and leave a
lasting impression in a combat encounter, make it a hard
encounter and choose a boss or solo creature with an EV
that is at least half the encounter budget to be the star
of the show.</p>
</section>
</section>
<section id="step-5-build-initiative-groups" class="level3">
<h3>STEP 5: BUILD INITIATIVE GROUPS</h3>
<p>Once you have your creatures selected, you'll put them
together in initiative groups, with all creatures in the
same initiative group acting on the same turn. Though it's
not a hard and fast rule, you can keep the following
guideline in mind as you build initiative groups: The total
EV of an initiative group should be between the encounter
worth of one to two heroes (see Step 2 above).</p>
<p>This helps to ensure that each encounter group can hold
its own against any character in the party without
overwhelming that character.</p>
<p>It's okay to have one group with a total EV less than
that. It's also okay for a group to be worth more than two
heroes,as long as that group consists of a single creature
or the heroes have racked up a lot of Victories.</p>
<section id="how-many-initiative-groups" class="level4">
<h4>HOW MANY INITIATIVE GROUPS?</h4>
<p>In a battle without a solo creature, you generally
want about as many initiative groups as there are heroes
plus or minus two. This gives you a healthy range to play
with and makes your turns effective without being
overwhelming for the heroes.</p>
</section>
</section>
</section>
<section id="villain-power" class="level2">
<h2>VILLAIN POWER</h2>
<p>Just as every hero has a Heroic Resource determined by
their class, so too do the heroes' foes need their own juice
to fuel their strongest threats. Villain Power (abbreviated
VP) is a resource gained by the Director. You use it to let
enemies in the game activate their most powerful abilities
and throw surprises at the heroes during combat.</p>
<section id="earning-villain-power" class="level3">
<h3>EARNING VILLAIN POWER</h3>
<p>At the start of each round of combat, you gain VP equal
to the number of heroes in the battle. If a hero dies, they
stop generating VP for you in this way. At the end of an
encounter, all your villain power disappears.</p>
<p>It's up to you if you want to show your players how much
VP you have. Some Directors feel the tension of watching VP
creep up and can create great drama, while others like to
keep the players guessing about what could come next. Do
whatever is most fun for your group, and if you're not
sure, ask your players what they would prefer!</p>
</section>
<section id="spending-villain-power" class="level3">
<h3>SPENDING VILLAIN POWER</h3>
<p>Non-minion monsters can spend VP the way heroes spend
their heroic resources, activating and enhancing their
abilities. Abilities that make use of Villain Power have
that VP cost noted in a creature's stat block.</p>
<p>Specific types of monsters sometimes have other ways
they can spend VP, typically on features that affect an
entire group of enemies or that affect the encounter
environment. Such abilities can be found in the “[Creature]
Villain Power” section in a creature type's overall
writeup.</p>
<p>You won't be able to spend your VP on every single
option a given encounter has to offer. It's totally up to
you how you deploy VP. You can spend it on smaller, but
still impactful, features each round. You can save it up
and use it on some very dramatic abilities. You can spend
it on the same feature that uses all your VP each round and
then forget about it until the next. Do whatever is most
fun for you and your players in a given encounter.</p>
</section>
</section>
<section id="demons" class="level2">
<h2>DEMONS</h2>
<p>Demons spawn in the Abyssal Wasteland, where evil and
chaos meet. These creatures of incarnate evil crave violence
and suffering in the way most other creatures need food. A
demon cares only for themself, and they torture and tear
apart lesser demons for fun.</p>
<p>The bestial appearance of each demon is unique, composed
of a chaotic arrangement of teeth, claws, and limbs meant for
killing. Even demons of the same kind have unique features.
One might bear an extra set of eyes or teeth, while another
could have a human arm growing from their forehead.</p>
<section id="mortal-alliances" class="level3">
<h3>MORTAL ALLIANCES</h3>
<p>Demons form temporary alliances with evil mortals in
exchange for souls to consume. Such alliances create
carnage with alarming efficiency, though they inevitably
collapse when the demons decide to devour their foolish
partners. The only creature who can truly keep a demon in
line is a more powerful demon.</p>
</section>
<section id="soul-reavers" class="level3">
<h3>SOUL REAVERS</h3>
<p>Demons feast not on food or water, but on souls. Souls
fuel their anarchic powers, and while starved for souls, a
demon can scarcely think. Whenever a demon kills a creature
with a soul, they consume that soul and keep its energy
within their body. A demon can then burn that soul energy
to enact their most devastating abilities.</p>
</section>
<section id="demonic-hierarchy" class="level3">
<h3>DEMONIC HIERARCHY</h3>
<p>Mortal scholars have classified demons into ten
categories, and the higher a demon's category, the more
powerful the fiend. Though demons don't use these
classifications themselves, this system reflects their
hierarchy, as stronger demons bully the weak into
service.</p>
<p>Each time a demon consumes a soul, there's a chance they
might evolve into a more powerful demon. Though category 1
demons typically become category 2 demons after consuming a
single soul, there's no known pattern to how more powerful
demons evolve. Some category 2 demons evolve to category 3
after consuming just one soul, while others must devour
thousands before earning a promotion. The evolution from
one category to the next can be instant, or it can take
years. This inconsistency has led to much scholarly debate
on whether all souls are equal, or whether demonic
evolution is aided by the consumption of souls that are
especially corrupt—or heroic.</p>
<p><em>Playtest note: More demon descriptions are
coming.</em></p>
<section id="category-1-demons" class="level4">
<h4>CATEGORY 1 DEMONS</h4>
<p>The weakest of demon kind, the following category 1
demons are included in this book:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Pitlings</strong> resemble rodents or
insects, but possess gleaming green eyes and terrible
body odor, and disgorge a viscous, toxic phlegm.</li>
<li><strong>Ensnarers</strong> are the result of
pitlings getting ahold of an unfortunate soul. The
pitling is in the process of digesting the soul of a
creature, physically boring through its head, and
flopping around like an appendage. The body is
puppeteered and mid transformation into a demon, with
mouths forming on the creature's hands and arms that
shoot out long, barbed tongues as attacks.</li>
<li><strong>Frenzied</strong> are similar to ensnarers,
but their transformation into a true demon is more
advanced, resulting in a fast and viscous creature full
of energy and hunger for more souls.</li>
</ul>
</section>
<section id="category-2-demons" class="level4">
<h4>CATEGORY 2 DEMONS</h4>
<p>The following category 2 demons are included in this
book:</p>
<ul>
<li>Rumored to be the initial source of the teachings
of all shadows through the College of Black Ash,
<strong>remasches</strong> are demons whose physical
form is blended with the nature of the wastes where
they dwell. A remasch teleports around the battlefield,
inflicting chaos on their enemies directly or through
the minions they control.</li>
<li>Possessed of glowing eyes and tendril-ringed maws,
<strong>ruinants</strong> breathe with a sickening
wheeze and have bodies covered in inflamed scars. A
ruinant can inflict fresh wounds and burns on their
victims in a pattern mirroring those on the demon's own
body.</li>
<li><strong>Torlases</strong> are piecemeal
abominations whose physical forms don't obey the normal
laws of geometry. They control the battlefield by using
living flesh and whipping allies and enemies alike into
advantageous position.</li>
<li><strong>Bendraks</strong> appear as an amalgamation
of flesh and shards of a broken mirror, able to shape
their bodies to distract and confuse their foes. A
bendrak can divert an enemy's attack to another enemy
or hide themselves or allies behind dazzling
reflections.</li>
<li><strong>Mucerons</strong> are the result of an
ensnarer going through repeated demon evolutions to
become a brutish creature, covered in several mouths
that shoot out barbed tongues, pulling an enemy's
attention along with pulling them physically.</li>
<li><strong>Chorogaunts</strong> are terrifying demon
leaders. Each is an amalgamation of several demon
bodies formed into a mobile, living musical instrument.
Several heads are arranged into a chorus embedded in
the demon's chest and its ribs are upturned into a
fleshy pipe organ. Their attacks entrance and confuse
enemies, making them more vulnerable to other
demons.</li>
</ul>
</section>
</section>
<section id="demon-languages" class="level3">
<h3>DEMON LANGUAGES</h3>
<p>Demons speak Proto-Ctholl.</p>
</section>
<section id="demon-villain-power" class="level3">
<h3>DEMON VILLAIN POWER</h3>
<p>At the start of any demon's turn, you can spend VP to
activate one of the following features.</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><strong>Soulburn (3 VP):</strong> Every demon acting
this turn deals additional damage equal to their level
with their abilities and free strikes.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p><strong>Abyssal Rift (5 VP):</strong> Two size 2
rifts to the Abyssal Wasteland appear at locations of
your choosing. Each demon within 5 squares of a rift
gains an edge on attacks. Any demon can use an abyssal
rift as a portal to another abyssal rift in the
encounter, moving into any space in one rift and
appearing immediately in any unoccupied space in the
other rift. Any non-demon creature who enters the rift
for the first time in a round or starts their turn
there takes corruption damage equal to the level of the
highest-level demon within 20 squares of a rift. An
abyssal rift is an immovable object that has Stamina
25, weapon immunity 5, and holy weakness 5. As a
maneuver, a creature who has the Magic or Psionics
skill can make a hard Reason or Intuition test while
adjacent to a rift to destabilize it. On a success, the
rift closes. On a failure with a consequence, the rift
regains 5 Stamina. If no demons are within 20 squares
of the rift, it closes.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p><strong>Abyssal Evolution (7 VP):</strong> A demon
minion of your choice turns into a non-minion demon of