Corpse-Candle
- HP
- 3
- Defense
- 12
- AR
- 0
- Mettle
- 0
Attacks
| Attack | Pool | WR | Tempo | Qualities | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lure | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | See Lure trait. |
| Colony Shock | 4 | 2 | 0 | — | Triggered when prey enters water; electrical damage. Targets in water suffer −2 to Defense against this attack. |
Traits
- Lure: Any creature that can see a Corpse-Candle must roll SAVVY + Insight TN 13 at the start of each turn or move toward the nearest light. **This is not psionic** — it is biological mesmerism. Psionic resistance does not apply. Blindfolding or averting gaze prevents the effect.
- Swarm Colony: The underwater colony has 15 HP and AR 0. Destroying individual candles (3 HP each) reduces the colony's lure range but doesn't kill it. There are typically 6–10 candles per colony.
- Electrical Discharge: When a lured creature enters the water, the colony delivers a shock (Pool 4, WR 2 electrical). The shock is designed to stun, not kill — the colony feeds on the target's bioelectricity over hours while they float unconscious.
- Vulnerability: Salt poured into the water kills the colony over 1d6 minutes (salt disrupts the Current sustaining it). Fire has no effect (underwater organism).
The lights of the Thousand-Lantern Fen — hovering spheres of pale bioluminescence that drift above the black water like lanterns in a festival. They are beautiful. They are deadly. They are the lure of something underneath.
Each Corpse-Candle is the visible projection of a submerged organism — a colony of Current-infused algae that feeds on the bioelectric energy of living creatures. The light is hypnotic, drawing prey toward deep water where the colony waits. The effect is not psionic — it is biological, a phenomenon closer to the anglerfish than to the Mindweaver, and this makes it particularly insidious because psionic defenses do not help.
Locals know to never follow the lights. Travelers rarely get the warning in time.
Speed 8. Classified as Minion (Hazard) — see Swarm Colony trait.
Tactics
Corpse-Candles don’t have tactics — they have instinct. The lights drift toward clusters of living creatures, maximizing lure exposure. When multiple prey items are drawn in simultaneously, the colony prioritizes the one with the strongest bioelectric signature (typically the Psionic character).
Encounter Design
A navigational hazard during Fen travel. The party sees the lights ahead — hundreds of them, floating in a field across the only path. Do they blindfold themselves and navigate by touch? Do they waste salt to clear a lane? Do they go around and lose a day of travel? The Corpse-Candle encounter is about resource management and decision-making, not combat.