Vein Crawler
- HP
- 3
- Defense
- 7
- AR
- 0
- Mettle
- 0
Attacks
| Attack | Pool | WR | Tempo | Qualities | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burrow | 3 | 1 | 4 | — | On hit vs. Wounded target: begins Infestation (see traits). |
| Latch | 3 | 0 | 3 | — | Attaches to skin; 1 Strain/hour until removed (Medicine TN 11). |
Traits
- Tiny: −2 to be hit with ranged attacks. Melee attacks at normal difficulty.
- Infestation: If a Vein Crawler successfully Burrows into a Wounded (below half HP) target, it enters the body. Removal requires Medicine TN 15 and a surgical kit — failure deals 2 damage. While infested: Host takes 1 Strain per day. Host's ECHO increases by +1 (the Current sensitivity is real). After 3 days: involuntary Psionic manifestations — random minor effects (objects rattle, lights flicker, nearby animals panic). After 7 days: host must roll ECHO TN 11 daily or trigger a Tension Die.
- Current-Fed: Heals 1 HP per day while infesting a living host.
Parasitic creatures found in the deep mines of the Ash Belt, where the earth is veined with deposits of Ghost-Rock and strange, humming silver. Vein Crawlers are segmented, eyeless worms roughly two feet long, with translucent skin that reveals a digestive tract pulsing with luminescent Current. They burrow into living flesh through wounds and existing orifices, feeding on the host’s bioelectric field.
Miners call them “Glowguts” and consider them an occupational hazard — an infestation, not a monster. The problem is that a Vein Crawler infestation doesn’t just drain your energy. It changes you. Infected hosts become increasingly attuned to the Current, developing involuntary psionic sensitivity that manifests as hallucinations, uncontrolled telekinesis, and in extreme cases, spontaneous Breaches. The Consortium considers infested miners “compromised assets” and quarantines them in sealed wards that the Redeemers would very much like to burn.
Speed 3. Classified as Minion (Parasite).
Tactics
Vein Crawlers swarm from mine walls, floor cracks, and spoil heaps. They target wounded characters (drawn by the bioelectric spike of injury). In open combat they are negligible — the danger is the infestation that follows.
Encounter Design
Vein Crawlers are a long-term horror. The combat encounter is trivial — stomp the worms. The real encounter is realizing, three days later, that something got inside you. Use them to create paranoia about wounds, mining operations, and the Consortium’s quarantine practices.