Tar Widow
- HP
- 8
- Defense
- 9
- AR
- 1
- Mettle
- 0
Attacks
| Attack | Pool | WR | Tempo | Qualities | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fangs | 5 | 3 | 4 | — | Poison (GRIT TN 11 or 1 Strain/hour for 1d6 hours; paralytic). |
| Tar Spit | 5 | 1 | 3 | — | Range: Near; target must roll QUICK TN 11 or Immobilized (stuck in place) for 1d3 rounds; IRON TN 13 to break free early. |
Traits
- Ambush Predator: +4 to Stealth while submerged. Awareness TN 15 to spot a Tar Widow in a pool before it attacks.
- Tar Coating: Melee attackers who hit the Tar Widow must roll QUICK TN 9 or their weapon sticks (requires Tempo 3 to pull free). Unarmed attackers are automatically Grappled.
- Flammable: The tar secretion ignites easily. Fire damage deals ×2 to the Tar Widow — but also to anyone Grappled by or stuck to it. A burning Tar Widow deals 2 Fire damage per turn to all creatures within Close range.
- Oil-Breather: Can breathe underwater and in toxic atmospheres. Immune to Ash Belt air hazards.
Ambush predators found in the oily, iridescent pools that dot the Ash Belt — arachnid creatures roughly the size of a large dog that lurk beneath the surface of petroleum-contaminated water, breathing through specialized tubes that break the surface like reeds. Their bodies are coated in a viscous, tar-like secretion that hardens on contact with air, binding prey in place.
Tar Widows are named for their hunting strategy: they wait. A pool that has been colonized by a Tar Widow looks identical to every other stagnant pool in the Ash Belt — dark, oily, and unremarkable. The only warning is the absence of insects and the faint petroleum smell that is slightly stronger than the ambient Ash Belt stink. Miners and travelers learn to prod pools with sticks before crossing. The Widows have learned to wait for the second footstep.
Speed 8.
Tactics
Wait submerged until prey steps into or near the pool. Tar Spit to immobilize, then surface and bite. If multiple targets, focus on immobilizing as many as possible before feeding. If set on fire, the Tar Widow flees into the water (extinguishing itself if submerged) and waits to ambush again from a different pool.
Encounter Design
Tar Widows work as exploration hazards in the Ash Belt. The party needs to cross a stretch of pools. Some are safe. Some are not. Prod with a stick? Waste time going around? Walk fast and hope? The tension is in the uncertainty — and the sound of something large moving beneath the surface.