Ch 10: The Bestiary — The Frontier Codex

The Frontier is an ecosystem of violence. Every shadow has teeth. Every silence has a pulse. The things that crawl out of the Veil are not random—they are symptoms of a wound that will not close, and each one fills a niche in a food chain that puts humanity somewhere in the middle.

This chapter provides the statistics for the enemies the players will face, from the mundane greed of a Consortium Enforcer to the cosmic horror of a Stormcaller. It also provides the Marshal with lore, behavioral patterns, and tactical guidance to make each encounter feel distinct and dangerous.

A Word of Advice

The best monsters are the ones the players remember. Give them voices. Give them habits. Let the Dust Vulture Raider beg for water before she dies. Let the Hollow Man wear the face of someone the party used to know. Numbers kill characters. Details haunt players.

Reading a Stat Block

Every NPC and creature in this chapter follows a standardized format:

Stat Block Components

Tier: The threat level (Minion, Soldier, Elite, Boss). Determines baseline power and XP value.
Attributes: The six core stats (IRON, GRIT, QUICK, SAVVY, SWAY, ECHO), listed only where they deviate from the Tier default.
Vitals: Vitality (HP), Defense (TN to hit), Armor Rating (AR), Mettle, and Strain Cap where relevant.
Attacks: Pre-calculated weapon stats including Pool, Weapon Rating (WR), Tempo, and special properties.
Traits: Innate qualities that define the creature’s nature—immunities, vulnerabilities, and passive effects.
Abilities: Active special rules, Psionic Talents, or triggered effects.
Tactics: How this enemy fights. Read this before the session, not during.

Threat Tiers

Threat Tiers are shorthand for combat weight. They tell you at a glance how many of something it takes to threaten a party.

Tier	HP	Pool	Def	Mettle	AR	XP	Encounter Role
Minion	6–8	3–4	7–9	0	0–1	1	Fodder. Two per PC is fair; three is dangerous.
Soldier	8–10	5	8–10	0–1	1	2	Backbone. One per PC is standard. They use tactics.
Elite	10–14	6–7	9–11	1–2	1–2	3	Threats. One can anchor a Minion squad. Two stress a party.
Boss	18–24	8–10	10–12	3–5	2–3	5	Climax. Session-defining. Add Minions for drama.

Scaling Note

A starting PC has roughly 9–13 HP, Defense 9–12, and pools of 4–7 dice. These Tiers are calibrated to that range. As PCs grow (sessions 9+), increase enemy Pools by +1 and HP by +2–3 per tier to maintain tension.

Section I: The Factions (Human Threats)

Humans are the most common enemy on the Frontier. They are smart, they use cover, they hold grudges, and they have families that will come looking for answers. Killing a Fen-Wraith is survival. Killing a Consortium Enforcer is politics.

Consortium Forces

“The Consortium doesn’t send soldiers. They send invoices with guns.”

The Orvain Consortium fights like a corporation: it throws resources at a problem until the problem is buried. Kill a patrol and another arrives on the next train. Destroy a rail-guard post and they send a Psi-Hunter team. Embarrass a Rail Baron and they hire the Ironbrands.

Faction Tactics: Consortium forces fight defensively. They hold positions, use cover, and call for reinforcements. They prefer to let the enemy come to them because they can always afford to wait. Individual Consortium fighters are average. Their advantage is infrastructure.

Consortium Enforcer

Minion • XP 1

Hired muscle in bowler hats and dusters. Most were dockworkers or factory enforcers back East before the Consortium shipped them out with a pistol and a contract they can’t read. They fight for pay, not loyalty—and the pay isn’t good enough to die for.

HP: 7 Def: 8 Pool: 4 AR: 1 Speed: 6

Attacks

Attack	Pool	WR	Tempo	Notes
Volcanic Pistol	4	3	4	—
Billy Club	4	2	3	Stun on Crit

Gear

Duster (AR 1), 12 rounds standard, billy club, tin badge, flask of rotgut

Traits

Company Men: Enforcers carry Consortium writs of authority. Killing one is a hanging offense in any town that values its rail access.

Tactics: Fight in pairs; one suppresses while the other advances. Flee or surrender at half HP. They are not brave—they are employed. If the party flashes more money than the Consortium is paying, an Enforcer might suddenly remember he left the stove on.

Morale: Normal. Break when the paycheck isn’t worth the bullet.

Consortium Rail-Guard

Soldier • XP 2

Professional soldiers trained to protect the Silver Line. Rail-Guards have survived at least one Veil-Born attack on the tracks and earned the right to wear the grey coat. Most sleep with one hand on their repeater and wake at the sound of anything heavier than a rat.

HP: 9 Def: 9 Pool: 5 AR: 1 Speed: 7

Attacks

Attack	Pool	WR	Tempo	Notes
Repeater	5	4	5	Rapid Cycle
Bayonet	5	2	3	—

Gear

Boiler Plate (AR 1, Hardened), 30 rounds standard, 2 flares, signal whistle, ration tin

Traits

Disciplined: +2 to Morale checks. Rail-Guards hold their ground.
Trained Response: When a Rail-Guard uses a signal whistle, reinforcements (1d6 Enforcers) arrive in 2d6 minutes if within earshot of a rail station.

Tactics: Hold positions behind hard cover. Use overlapping fields of fire. One guards, one reloads. They do not pursue—their job is to protect the train, not chase glory. If the train moves, they move with it.

Morale: Disciplined (+2). Will not abandon the train under any circumstances.

Consortium Psi-Hunter

Elite • XP 3

Specialized agents from the Orvain Psi-Division, trained to locate, suppress, and capture rogue Psionics. They wear the black coat and carry enough salt to season a lake. Psi-Hunters travel in cells of three: one tracker, one suppressor, one binder. They are coldly professional and deeply unsettling to be around—something about the Null-Iron in their bracers makes the air taste metallic and wrong.

HP: 11 Def: 10 Pool: 6 AR: 2 Speed: 7 Mettle: 2

Attacks

Attack	Pool	WR	Tempo	Notes
Repeater	6	4	5	—
Salt Grenades	—	—	4	Auto-Disrupts all Psionics in Near range; no save
Null-Baton	6	3	4	+2 WR vs. Psionics; contact disrupts Channeling

Gear

Consortium Vest (AR 2), Null-Iron Bracers (+2 Defense vs. Psionics), Salt Rounds ×10, Manacles (Current-dampening), Signal Crystal

Traits

Psi-Sense: Can detect active Channeling within Far range. Passive—requires no action or roll.
Null-Iron Aura: Psionics within Close range suffer −1 die to all Channeling rolls.

Abilities

Coordinated Suppression (Tempo 4): If two or more Psi-Hunters act on the same Tick, their target suffers −2 dice to Focus checks against Disruption (stacks with other penalties).

Tactics: Identify the Psionic first—always. Use Psi-Sense to locate them, then open with Salt Grenades to disrupt active Channeling. Close to baton range. Capture alive if possible; kill if the target manifests Rank 3+ power. They never engage alone.

Morale: Professional (+2). Will retreat to regroup rather than die, but will return with more agents.

Rail Baron Thaddeus Craine

Boss • XP 5

A regional governor who rules the Kessick junction with the calm efficiency of a man who has signed more death warrants than he can count. Craine is short, fastidious, and never raises his voice. He doesn’t need to. The dozen armed men who follow him everywhere raise their voices plenty. His most dangerous weapon is his ledger.

HP: 18 Def: 10 Pool: 8 AR: 2 Speed: 6 Mettle: 3

Attacks

Attack	Pool	WR	Tempo	Notes
Masterwork Dragoon	8	4	5	Breaker
Cane-Sword	7	3	4	Concealed; +2 Initiative if unexpected

Gear

Consortium Vest (AR 2), gold pocket watch, leather ledger (enough blackmail to topple three towns), cigar case

Traits

The Ledger: Craine knows secrets. Before combat, the GM may reveal one compromising fact about a PC’s background or contacts, used as leverage.

Abilities

Call Reinforcements (Tempo 4): 1d6 Enforcers arrive in 2d6 Ticks. In Kessick, this becomes 2d6 Enforcers and 1 Rail-Guard squad.
Blood Money: Once per scene, offer §100+ to convince an enemy combatant to switch sides, stand down, or walk away. Target rolls SWAY + Resilience vs. TN 13 or is Tempted (must spend 1 Mettle to refuse).
Slippery: Spend 1 Mettle to force an attacker to reroll one die and keep the new result.

Tactics: Craine never fights fair and never fights first. He surrounds himself with guards, positions himself behind hard cover, and opens negotiations before opening fire. If combat begins, he targets the party’s most mercenary-looking member with Blood Money, uses Slippery to survive incoming fire, and calls reinforcements immediately. He will retreat through a pre-planned escape route if the fight turns—he always has one.

Morale: Craine does not break. He strategically relocates and sends a bill for the damages.

Dust Vulture Clans

“The Vultures don’t fight like soldiers. They fight like weather. You don’t see them coming until you’re already wet.”

The Dust Vulture clans are nomadic raiders and survivors who view warfare as a natural extension of hunting. They do not hold ground—they take what they need and vanish into the dunes. Their Mindweavers cloak raiding parties in shimmering illusions, making a war-band look like a heat mirage until the first shot is fired.

Faction Tactics: Hit-and-run. Ambush. Psychological warfare. Vultures attack supply lines and isolated patrols, not fortified positions. They use terrain like a weapon—sandstorms for cover, slot canyons for ambushes, the blinding sun at their backs. If a fight turns against them, they scatter like sand and regroup later. The only exception is when a Khan calls Ashak (blood-debt)—then they fight to the last.

Dust Vulture Raider

Minion • XP 1

Scavengers wrapped in layered rags and tinted goggles, their skin cracked from sun and wind. Most are desperate—clan outcasts, failed farmers, refugees who chose the waste over the Consortium’s indentured contracts. A Raider’s most prized possession is their water skin. Take it and they’ll follow you to the edge of the world.

HP: 7 Def: 9 Pool: 4 AR: 0 Speed: 7

Attacks

Attack	Pool	WR	Tempo	Notes
Scrap-Rifle	4	4	5	Unreliable (jams on natural 1–2)
Serrated Knife	4	2	3	Bleed (1 HP/turn until treated, Medicine TN 9)

Gear

Rags (no AR), goggles, waterskin (1 day), 8 rounds scavenged ammunition, bone charm

Traits

Desert Adapted: Immune to Scorchveil environmental heat checks. Can navigate by stars without a compass.
Scavenger’s Instinct: After combat, Raiders have already taken anything of value from the bodies. If the party doesn’t secure the fallen immediately, small items vanish.

Tactics: Ambush from concealment—behind dunes, in slot canyons, from beneath sand-covered tarps. Focus fire on whoever is carrying the water. Scatter and flee if the fight turns; regroup at a pre-arranged rally point and try again at night.

Morale: Normal. Break when outgunned but return after dark. Always return after dark.

Vulture Sand-Rider

Soldier • XP 2

Elite scouts mounted on wind-skiffs—lightweight sail-craft that skim the dunes at terrifying speed. A Sand-Rider’s skiff is a deeply personal machine, hand-built from scavenged parts and decorated with clan totems. Damaging one is an insult worse than murder.

HP: 8 Def: 10 Pool: 5 AR: 0 Speed: 8

Attacks

Attack	Pool	WR	Tempo	Notes
Carbine	5	3	5	—
Harpoon	5	3	5	Range: Near; on hit, can drag target 4m toward Rider

Gear

Sand-Skiff (Speed: Very Fast, Def 8, HP 6), goggles (immune to Blinding from sand/light), rope, grappling hook

Traits

Skiff Mounted: While on skiff, Speed is Very Fast (3× normal). Can disengage without provoking reactions.

Abilities

Hit and Run: After completing an attack, may move full Speed as a free action. Once per scene.
Drag: If a harpoon hits, the Rider can spend their next action (Tempo 4) to drag the target across the ground. Dragged targets take 1d3 damage from terrain and are Prone.

Tactics: Harass from range, circling the party like sharks. Harpoon isolated targets and drag them into the open dunes, away from allies. If the skiff is damaged, the Rider abandons it and fights like a desperate Raider.

Morale: Aggressive (−1). May press a losing fight to prove themselves, but will flee if their skiff is destroyed.

Vulture Mirage-Weaver

Elite • XP 3

Mindweaver outcasts who found a home among the clans. Mirage-Weavers wrap their people in veils of shimmering unreality, turning a column of fifty raiders into a heat-shimmer on the horizon. They speak rarely, and when they do, people listen—because a Mirage-Weaver who talks to you is a Mirage-Weaver who isn’t inside your head.

HP: 9 Def: 9 Pool: 6 (Channel) AR: 0 Speed: 6 Mettle: 1

Attacks

Attack	Pool	WR	Tempo	Notes
Knife	4	2	3	—

Psionics (ECHO 3, Channel 3)

Veil of Silence (R2): Allies within Near gain +4 to Stealth; observers forget faces within minutes.
The Nudge (R1): Plant a simple urge in target’s mind. ECHO + Focus TN 9 to resist.
Phantom Pain (R3): Inflict Strain damage equal to Margin. Target is Stunned for 1d3 Ticks.

Gear

Crystal prism (Focus), layered robes, waterskin, pouch of hallucinogenic dust

Traits

Forgettable: Even without actively Channeling, a Mirage-Weaver’s features are hard to remember. Descriptions are always vague and contradictory.

Tactics: Never enter direct combat. Stay hidden behind the war-band. Use Veil of Silence to cover the approach, then Phantom Pain on the biggest threat. If discovered, flee using The Nudge to plant the urge “look the other way” in pursuers.

Morale: Normal. Will not fight to the death for a raiding party. They are too valuable and they know it.

Khan Draven Ash-Blood

Boss • XP 5

Warlord of the Cindermaw Clan. Draven earned his surname the old way—by drinking the blood of a Skin-Changer he killed with his bare hands at age sixteen. The blood changed him. The Consortium has a standing bounty of §5,000 for his head. Three Ironbrand teams have tried to collect. Draven wears their contract badges on a necklace.

HP: 20 Def: 11 Pool: 9 AR: 1 Speed: 9 Mettle: 4

Attacks

Attack	Pool	WR	Tempo	Notes
Bone-Axe	9	4	5	Breaker; Bleed (1 HP/turn)
Throwing Knives	8	2	3	Range: Near; carries 3

Gear

Chitin Armor (AR 1, light—crafted from Veil-born carapace), trophy necklace, bone totem

Traits

Monster’s Constitution: Immune to Poison and Fear. +2 to resist all Psionics.
Regeneration: Heals 1 HP at the start of each of his turns. Does not function against Salt or Fire damage.

Abilities

Blood Fury: When Wounded (≤ half HP), gains +2 dice to all attacks and becomes immune to Suppression.
Pack Tactics: All allies within Near range gain +1 die to attack rolls while Draven is standing and visible.
War Cry (Tempo 3): All enemies within Near must roll ECHO + Resilience vs. TN 13 or become Suppressed. Enemies who have already heard it this scene gain +2 to resist.

Tactics: Opens with War Cry, then charges the strongest enemy. He does not waste time on weaklings. He fights in melee exclusively and trusts his Raiders to handle ranged threats. When Blood Fury activates, he becomes a whirlwind of bone and fury. He fights to the death. Always.

Morale: Fanatic. Draven does not break. His clan breaks when he falls—and not before.

Redeemer Order

“You do not negotiate with the Redeemers. You survive them.”

The Redeemers are a militant religious order born from the ashes of every old-world faith that couldn’t explain why the sky broke. They believe the Veil is divine punishment, that the Current is corruption made manifest, and that Psionics are either sinners or demons—the distinction doesn’t matter when the pyre is lit.

Faction Tactics: Zealous aggression and total commitment. They advance in pairs—Purifiers flush targets with fire while Acolytes close with salt and torches. They target Psionics first, always. The Redeemers do not retreat. They do not negotiate. They purify.

The Horror of the Redeemers: Many genuinely believe they are protecting humanity. The Acolytes are often frightened teenagers. The Purifiers are veterans who’ve seen what happens when a Psionic loses control. The tragedy is that they are sometimes right—and that rightness fuels atrocities.

Redeemer Acolyte

Minion • XP 1

Young zealots carrying torches and pouches of rock salt. Most are between fifteen and twenty, recruited from frontier orphanages by preachers who offered food, safety, and answers. They will die for the cause because the cause is the first thing that ever made them feel like they mattered. This is what makes them dangerous and what makes killing them haunt you.

HP: 6 Def: 7 Pool: 4 AR: 0 Speed: 7

Attacks

Attack	Pool	WR	Tempo	Notes
Torch	4	2	4	Fire; can ignite flammables
Salt Pouch (thrown)	3	1	3	Auto-Disrupts Psionics on hit; Range: Close

Gear

Torch, 3 salt pouches, holy symbol (wooden), threadbare robes, letter from home

Traits

Zealous: Immune to Intimidation. +2 to resist Fear.
Youth: Acolytes look young because they are. Killing one in front of witnesses costs the party 1 Legend (reputation hit).

Tactics: Mob tactics. Surround suspected witches in groups of 3–5. Throw salt to disrupt Channeling, then close with torches. They fight with more courage than skill, and they scream prayers while they do it.

Morale: Fanatical (−4) when facing “witches.” Normal when facing mundane threats.

Redeemer Purifier

Soldier • XP 2

Soldiers of the faith armed with fire and fury. They carry coach guns loaded with rock salt and hand-held flamers fed by pressurized oil canisters. They smell like kerosene and righteousness. Most have burn scars on their arms from their own weapons. They consider this a mark of devotion.

HP: 9 Def: 8 Pool: 5 AR: 1 Speed: 6 Mettle: 1

Attacks

Attack	Pool	WR	Tempo	Notes
Coach Gun (Salt)	5	4	4	Scatter; auto-Disrupts Psionics; +1 Roll Bonus vs. supernatural
Hand Flamer	5	3	5	Fire; Cone (Close, 3m wide); ignites flammables

Gear

Boiler Plate (AR 1, Hardened), holy symbol (iron, +1 Mental Def), flask of oil, 10 salt shells, fire-starter kit

Traits

Zeal: Immune to Fear.
Fire-Hardened: +2 to resist Fire damage from any source (including their own weapons).

Tactics: Advance in pairs. First fires the flamer to flush targets from cover. Second follows with the coach gun to finish what stumbles into the open. Against Psionics, prioritize disruption—salt shells first, then fire. They do not take prisoners when fighting “the Touched.”

Morale: Fanatical (−4) against supernatural targets. Disciplined (+2) against mundane threats.

Redeemer Inquisitor

Elite • XP 3

Witch-hunters with eyes like burning coals. Part detective, part executioner, part priest. They can smell Erosion on a person the way a bloodhound smells fear. An Inquisitor never travels alone—always accompanied by at least two Purifiers and often a squad of Acolytes for “witness duty,” because every burning needs witnesses to spread the word.

HP: 11 Def: 10 Pool: 6 AR: 1 Speed: 7 Mettle: 2

Attacks

Attack	Pool	WR	Tempo	Notes
Pump-Action Shotgun	6	4	5	Intimidating (+1 Suppression)
Blessed Blade	6	3	4	+2 WR vs. Veil-Born

Gear

Boiler Plate (AR 1, Hardened), Holy Vestments (+2 Mental Def), Salt Grenades ×2, journal of confessions, iron manacles

Traits

Purity of Purpose: Immune to Mindweaver Talents Rank 2 and below. +2 to resist Rank 3+.
Smell the Witch: Can sense anyone with Erosion 3+ within Near range. Passive, no roll—the Inquisitor simply knows.

Abilities

The Sermon (Tempo 4): Target must roll SWAY + Resilience vs. TN 12 or become Suppressed by guilt and spiritual doubt. Works on anyone—even the innocent—because guilt is universal.
Mark the Witch (Tempo 3): Designate one target as “condemned.” All Redeemers within earshot gain +1 die against that target for the scene.

Tactics: Identify the Psionic using Smell the Witch. Mark them. Use The Sermon to suppress. Coordinate Purifiers for the kill. Disturbingly competent.

Morale: Fanatic (−4). Inquisitors do not retreat. They have seen worse than you.

Grand Inquisitor Silas Vane

Boss • XP 5

A man who walked into the Ash Belt without water, without food, and without fear—and walked out forty days later with eyes that burn white and a voice that can stop a Stormcaller in its tracks. He is tall, gaunt, and utterly still. He carries “Absolution,” a relic shotgun plated in sanctified silver. The Circle believes Vane is a latent Psionic in deep denial. None of them are entirely wrong.

HP: 22 Def: 11 Pool: 9 AR: 2 Speed: 7 Mettle: 5

Attacks

Attack	Pool	WR	Tempo	Notes
“Absolution”	9	5	5	Scatter; Breaker; +2 WR vs. Veil-Born
White-Fire Touch	8	4	4	Ignores armor; Fire; melee only

Gear

Consecrated Armor (AR 2, immune to Veil-Born corrosion), The Scripture of Ash (personal focus), Vial of Sanctified Salt (3 uses, each = Salt Grenade)

Traits

Eyes of White Fire: Darkvision. Cannot be Blinded. Eyes glow in darkness—Stealth is impossible if he is looking for you.
Burning Faith: Immune to all Psionics Rank 3 and below. +4 to resist Rank 4–5.

Abilities

Aura of Purity (Passive): All allies within Near gain +2 Mental Def and are immune to Fear.
Judgment (Tempo 6): Declare a target “condemned.” All Redeemers gain +2 dice against the condemned. Lasts until target is dead or Vane is incapacitated. One target at a time.
White Fire (1/scene): All creatures within Near take 4 Fire damage (ECHO + Resilience TN 13 for half). Psionics and Veil-Born take +2 additional damage. Ignites flammables.

Tactics: Vane leads from the front. He enters first. He Judges the most dangerous supernatural target, activates White Fire if surrounded, then wades into melee with White-Fire Touch. His Purifiers and Acolytes finish what he starts and carry his body out if it finally stops moving.

Morale: Unbreakable. Vane has looked into the Ash Belt and whatever looked back blinked first.

Ironbrand Mercenaries

“An Ironbrand contract is more reliable than gravity. Gravity takes days off during Breaches. The Ironbrands don’t.”

The Ironbrands are professionals in a world of amateurs. They fight for money, honor their contracts to the letter, and maintain the most advanced military hardware on the Frontier—the Hardsuits.

Faction Tactics: Fire-and-maneuver. Disciplined squads with overlapping fields of fire, clear communication, and pre-planned retreat routes. They use Shock-Troopers as the anvil and Contractors as the hammer. Every engagement has an exit strategy.

Ironbrand Contractor

Soldier • XP 2

The backbone of the guild—professional guns-for-hire who ask no questions and answer to the contract. An Ironbrand Contractor can be identified by the brand on their left forearm—a stylized anvil seared into the skin. It cannot be forged. It cannot be removed without taking the arm.

HP: 9 Def: 9 Pool: 5 AR: 1 Speed: 7 Mettle: 1

Attacks

Attack	Pool	WR	Tempo	Notes
Repeater	5	4	5	—
Combat Knife	5	2	3	—

Gear

Boiler Plate (AR 1, Hardened), binoculars, signal flares ×2, ration pack, contract badge

Traits

Professional: +2 to resist Fear, Intimidation, and bribes under §50.
Contract-Bound: Will not betray their current contract for any reason short of the contract holder breaking its terms first.

Tactics: Disciplined fire-and-maneuver. Use cover, coordinate with squadmates, maintain spacing. Will execute a tactical withdrawal if outmatched, then return with reinforcements.

Morale: Professional (+2). Will not break while under contract.

Ironbrand Shock-Trooper

Elite • XP 3

Walking tanks in steam-assisted Hardsuits—hydraulic exoskeletons of riveted iron plate and pressurized servos. A Shock-Trooper stands seven feet tall, weighs half a ton, and carries enough firepower to suppress an entire street. The interior smells of oil, sweat, and hot metal. Most can’t sleep without the hum of machinery.

HP: 14 Def: 8 Pool: 7 AR: 3 Speed: 5 Mettle: 2

Attacks

Attack	Pool	WR	Tempo	Notes
Gatling Arm	7	4	6	Cone (Near); Suppressing Fire
Power Fist	7	4	4	Breaker; Knockdown

Gear

Ironbrand Hardsuit (AR 3, Bulky: −1 Def, −1 QUICK for Tempo), integrated ammo feed (200 rounds), emergency release bolts

Traits

Unstoppable: Immune to Knockdown and forced movement. Environmental hazards (ice, rubble, mud) have no effect.
Bulky: Hardsuit reduces Def by 1 and slows initiative (−1 QUICK for Tempo only).

Abilities

Suppressing Fire (Tempo 6): Cone (Near). All targets must roll GRIT + Resilience vs. TN 11 or become Suppressed. Fail by 5+: also Prone. Area denial.

Tactics: Advance slowly. Suppressing Fire to pin, then close for Power Fist. They are the breaching tool—sent through the front door, the barricade, the wall. Contractors follow in their wake.

Morale: Professional (+2). Do not panic. May execute a fighting retreat if ordered.

Captain Beulah “Ironjaw” Stetzell

Boss • XP 5

Legendary commander of the Ironbrand Western Division. Beulah earned her nickname after taking a Vulture harpoon through the jaw—she tore it out, cauterized the wound with a cigar lighter, and finished the battle. The rebuilt jaw is half iron now. She is fifty-two, grey-haired, and built like a siege engine that learned to walk. She carries “Paycheck,” a custom repeating rifle with notches she stopped counting at two hundred.

HP: 20 Def: 11 Pool: 8 AR: 3 Speed: 7 Mettle: 4

Attacks

Attack	Pool	WR	Tempo	Notes
“Paycheck”	8	5	5	Scope (+2 Aim at Far), Breaker
Powered Gauntlet	8	4	4	Stun on Crit

Gear

Modified Hardsuit (AR 3, no Bulky penalty), integrated comm unit, contract ledger, iron flask of whiskey

Traits

Ironjaw: Immune to Stun and effects targeting the face/mouth.
Reputation: When Beulah identifies herself, all non-Fanatic enemies must make a Morale check at −2.

Abilities

Tactical Genius: At the start of combat, designate two allies. They begin at Tick 0 (Instant).
Lead from the Front: All allies within Near gain +1 die to all rolls while Beulah is standing.
Unbreakable Contract: Cannot be bribed, charmed, or intimidated into abandoning a contract. Psionic compulsion is automatically resisted.
Called Retreat (Tempo 3): All allies may immediately Scramble for free. Beulah covers their withdrawal personally.

Tactics: Beulah doesn’t fight—she conducts. She positions forces before the first shot, designates priority targets, and picks off threats from cover with Paycheck. She only engages personally when her people need her, and only retreats when the contract is fulfilled or the cost exceeds the payment. She always extracts her wounded.

Morale: Unbreakable. Her people do not break while she is watching. And she is always watching.

Circle of Ash

“The Circle doesn’t fight wars. They fight ignorance. Unfortunately, ignorance fights back with guns.”

A secretive cabal of scholars, mystics, and outcasts dedicated to understanding the Veil rather than destroying it. When they do fight, they fight with foresight, preparation, and an unnerving willingness to sacrifice pawns.

Faction Tactics: The Circle rarely initiates violence. Guardians form a defensive perimeter while Initiates and Archivists work rituals or escape with critical texts. They use Seer predictions and Mindweaver illusions to control the battlefield. They fight to disengage, not to destroy.

Circle Initiate

Minion • XP 1

Scholars who traded the relative safety of ignorance for dangerous enlightenment. Most are young and idealistic, drawn to the Circle by the promise of answers. They wear grey robes and carry ritual knives they have never used on anything more threatening than a candle wick.

HP: 6 Def: 8 Pool: 4 (Channel) AR: 0 Speed: 6

Attacks

Attack	Pool	WR	Tempo	Notes
Ritual Knife	3	2	3	—

Psionics (ECHO 2, Channel 2)

Glimpse (R1): After any ally (including self) rolls, spend 1 Strain to reroll one die. Must accept the new result.

Gear

Grey robes, ritual knife, leather satchel of notes, ink and quill, candle

Traits

Bookworm: If the party needs obscure information, a captured Initiate can provide it with a SWAY + Persuasion check (TN 9—they’re not brave).

Tactics: Stay behind Guardians. Use Glimpse to help allies avoid critical failures. Surrender immediately if threatened directly.

Morale: Fragile (−2). Scholars, not soldiers. Break easily.

Circle Guardian

Soldier • XP 2

Warrior-monks sworn to protect the Lodges and the secrets the Circle guards. Recruited from former soldiers, reformed bandits, and anyone with combat experience and a reason to believe. They fight in disciplined silence—no war cries, no threats. It’s unsettling.

HP: 9 Def: 9 Pool: 5 AR: 1 Speed: 7 Mettle: 1

Attacks

Attack	Pool	WR	Tempo	Notes
Glaive	5	3	5	Reach (2m); targets must close before attacking
Throwing Crystals	4	2	3	Range: Near; 1 Strain to Psionics in Close range of impact

Gear

Ritual Robes (AR 1 vs. Psionics only), Focus Amulet, ration pouch

Traits

Psi-Resistant: +2 to resist all Psionics.
Sentinel: Cannot be Surprised while on watch duty.

Tactics: Defensive line between threats and scholars. Use glaive Reach to keep enemies from closing. Throwing Crystals against enemy Psionics. They will die to protect their charge.

Morale: Disciplined (+2). Will die for their charge, not for pride.

Circle Archivist (Seer)

Elite • XP 3

The keepers of prophecy—Seers who have spent decades studying possible futures until “now” and “then” have blurred. They finish your sentences. They duck before the shot is fired. They cry at jokes that haven’t been told yet. Their eyes have a faint violet tinge—advanced Erosion—and their skin is cool to the touch.

HP: 8 Def: 11 Pool: 7 (Channel) AR: 0 Speed: 5 Mettle: 2

Attacks

Attack	Pool	WR	Tempo	Notes
Staff	4	2	4	—

Psionics (ECHO 4, Channel 3)

Glimpse (R1): Reroll one die after any roll.
The Fatal Reading (R2): Target suffers −2 dice to all actions (Fear effect) for the scene.
Object Reading (R3): Touch an object and see its history—key events, previous owners, usage. Duration: 1 minute per Step.
Thread-Walker (R4): Teleport to any visible point within Far range. Arrives silently, trailing violet light.

Traits

Foresight: Cannot be Surprised. +2 dice to Initiative. Has already seen this moment.
Fragile Frame: −1 die to all physical actions.

Tactics: Never melee. Thread-Walker to maintain distance. Fatal Reading on the greatest threat. Glimpse to keep allies alive. If captured, cooperates—and feeds captors prophecies designed to manipulate future events.

Morale: Normal. Values survival because their knowledge dies with them.

Elder Rhun, Voice of the Veil

Boss • XP 5

The oldest living Seer—possibly the oldest living human. He exists in a preservation tank beneath the Lodge at Palomera, suspended in viscous amber fluid. He communicates telepathically; his thoughts arrive like memories you didn’t make. He has lost three of five Memories and exists in serene incompleteness. He is the most powerful Psionic known to be alive, and he is dying.

HP: 10 (Tank: 24 HP, AR 4) Def: 12 Pool: 10 (Channel) AR: 0 (Tank AR 4) Speed: 0 Mettle: 5

Attacks

Attack	Pool	WR	Tempo	Notes
Telekinetic Crush	10	5	6	Range: Far; ignores cover; ignores AR

Psionics (ECHO 5, Channel 5)

All Seer Talents at Rank 4 and below.
The Rewind (R5 — Miracle): Reset the scene by 10 seconds. Only Rhun remembers. All others experience déjà vu. Cost: 1 Memory (burned).

Traits

Preservation Tank: Must be destroyed (24 HP, AR 4) to reach Rhun directly (10 HP, 0 AR).
Telepathic Communication: Speaks directly into minds within Far range. No language barrier, no line of sight needed.
Web of Fate: Rhun has seen the moment of his death. He cannot be killed before it arrives (GM determines when). Any premature killing blow automatically misses, deals minimum damage, or is deflected by improbable coincidence.

Abilities

Future Echo (1/scene): Declare a PC’s action fails before they roll. Automatic failure with Margin −1. Used only to prevent outcomes that damage the Circle.
Thread Cascade (1/scene): All allies within Near gain +3 dice to their next roll. Costs 2 Strain and a nosebleed.

Tactics: Rhun never fights. He is protected by Guardians, Archivists, and architectural defenses. If the Lodge is breached, he uses Future Echo to prevent killing blows, Thread Cascade to empower defenders, and Telekinetic Crush only as a last resort. If his tank is breached, he activates The Rewind.

Morale: Irrelevant. Rhun is beyond fear. He is waiting for his appointment.

Section II: Veil-Born Entities

“The things that come through the Veil are not evil. Evil requires intent. These things are just… hungry. Or confused. Or following rules we can’t read.”
— Elder Rhun (recorded thought-fragment)

Veil-Born are creatures spawned by the Current—the chaotic energy that bleeds through the torn barrier between reality and whatever lies beyond. They are not natural. They do not evolve. They manifest according to patterns scholars have been trying to decode for decades.

Universal Veil-Born Traits

Salt Vulnerability: Salt disrupts the Current. Salt Rounds, rock salt, and salt barriers deal ×2 damage or impose additional effects.
Iron Sensitivity: Cold iron causes pain. Iron weapons deal +1 WR against Veil-Born (automatic; no special ammo needed).
No Morale: Unless stated otherwise, Veil-Born do not make Morale checks.

Hollow Man

Minion • XP 1

They were people once. Now they are empty—shells animated by residual Current. Hollow Men are drawn to warmth. They approach slowly, arms outstretched, making a sound that might be weeping or might be the wind through an empty ribcage. They do not run. They do not stop. The most terrible thing about Hollow Men is that they sometimes wear the faces of people you knew. Salting the dead is law on the Frontier. This is why.

HP: 8 Def: 7 Pool: 4 AR: 0 Speed: 5

Attacks

Attack	Pool	WR	Tempo	Notes
Grab	4	1	4	Initiates Grapple; then Cold Drain
Cold Drain	—	—	—	While grappled: 1 Strain every 4 Ticks

Traits

Relentless: Immune to Pain, Fear, Stun, Bleeding, and Poison. Does not eat, sleep, or breathe.
Empty: Immune to all Mindweaver Talents and Suppression.
Salt Vulnerability: ×2 damage from Salt Rounds. A salt barrier stops them completely.
Slow: Speed halved. Never Scramble, Sprint, or Rush. They walk.

Tactics: Walk toward warmth. Grab and hold. Multiple converge on the same target. Most dangerous in enclosed spaces.

Encounter Design: Terrifying in numbers. A single one is pitiful. A dozen, shambling out of the fog wearing a settlement’s missing, is a horror set piece.

Ashborn

Minion (Swarm) • XP 1

Dust-spirits that coalesce during sandstorms in the Scorchveil, spinning into vaguely humanoid shapes of whirling grit and debris. Fast, erratic, and almost impossible to see during a storm. They strip flesh from bone with grinding spirals of sand. Water is their great weakness. A full canteen thrown at an Ashborn collapses it instantly—but water is life, and spending it on a dust-ghost is a terrible trade.

HP: 4 Def: 12 Pool: 4 AR: 0 Speed: 10

Attacks

Attack	Pool	WR	Tempo	Notes
Flay	4	2	4	On Crit: destroy 1 point of target’s AR

Traits

Swarm: Very high Defense. Area-effect attacks deal normal damage; single-target attacks have their damaged reduced by 3.
Reform: Returns 1d6 minutes after destruction unless killed by water or Psionic attack.
Dust Form: Immune to Bleeding, Grapple, Knockdown. ×2 damage from Water (canteen = 4 damage; immersion = instant destruction).
Storm-Bound: Cannot exist without wind. In still air, collapse within 1d6 minutes.

Tactics: Swarm the weakest or most encumbered target. The GM should describe the wind becoming hostile rather than clearly defined enemies appearing.

Encounter Design: Environmental hazards during travel, not stand-up fights. The party hears the storm coming. Do they shelter and lose time, or push through and fight the wind itself?

Fen-Wraith

Elite • XP 3

Marsh spirits born from the accumulated grief of every soul the Fen has swallowed. They smell of stagnant water and old sorrow. Fen-Wraiths are territorial—and lonely. Some will attempt to communicate before attacking, writing words in condensation, arranging corpse-candles in patterns, or whispering through the reeds in voices that sound like someone you loved.

HP: 10 Def: 10 Pool: 7 AR: 0 Speed: 7

Attacks

Attack	Pool	WR	Tempo	Notes
Cold Touch	7	3	4	Ignores armor; +1 Strain
Drown	—	—	—	While grappled: 1d3 damage/turn, ignores AR

Traits

Ethereal: Immune to non-magical physical damage. Salt and Ghost-Rock deal ×2. Iron deals normal.
Fear Aura: Anyone entering Near must roll ECHO + Resilience vs. TN 11 or become Suppressed.
Water-Bound: Cannot move more than Far from anchor point. If forced beyond, dissipates and reforms in 1d6 hours.
Reflection: Can be seen in reflective surfaces even when invisible.

Tactics: Lurk in reflections and dark water. Emerge, grapple the most isolated target, drag them under. Use Fear Aura to scatter the group, then pick off the one who freezes. Patient. Can wait all night.

Encounter Design: Best when the party must cross its territory. Negotiation is possible (they want something—a memory, a song, a living person to keep them company), but the price is always uncomfortable.

Stormcaller

Boss • XP 5

Elemental nightmares that ride the perpetual storms of the Stormrise Bluffs—skeletal figures of crackling blue lightning mounted on spectral cloud-horses. They hunt by detecting electrical activity. The Consortium’s first attempt to build an airship lasted exactly fourteen minutes. They are beautiful and terrible—blue lightning dancing in the shape of a rider.

HP: 30 Def: 12 Pool: 10 AR: 0 Speed: 16 Mettle: 3

Attacks

Attack	Pool	WR	Tempo	Notes
Thunder-Lance	10	5	5	Range: Far; Breaker; Stun on Crit
Static Burst	—	3	6	All within Near: 3 damage; GRIT TN 13 or drop all metal
Trample	8	4	4	Charge from above; Knockdown

Traits

Lightning Rod: Attackers using metal weapons at Near+ take 1d3 electrical damage after their attack. Non-metal weapons exempt.
Flash Step (Tempo 2): Teleport to any visible point within Far range.
Storm Form: Immune to electricity, wind, cold, falling. ×2 damage from Grounding (Bastion) and Crop Iron.
Flying: Rides above ground. Melee cannot reach unless it descends or the character reaches elevated positions.

Tactics: Hunt from above. Thunder-Lance at anyone moving or carrying metal. Static Burst when enemies cluster. Trample isolated targets or Psionics in Open State. Flash Step to reposition constantly.

Weakness: Can be lured by powerful electrical signals (telegraph, overloading engine, Psionic bait). Must make ECHO TN 11 to resist investigating.

Encounter Design: Should feel like an environmental catastrophe with agency. The encounter is “survive the storm,” not “fight the boss.” Encourage finding shelter, ditching metal, and stopping movement. Direct confrontation requires non-metal weapons, Bastion support, and elevation.

Skin-Changer

Elite • XP 3

A thing that wears people. Nobody knows what it looks like underneath—something thin, wet, and wrong. It kills a person, consumes them over an hour, and walks out wearing their face with absolute fidelity. The disguise is not an illusion but a physical reconstruction. The only tells: dogs bark, children stare, and the air smells faintly of copper. Thankfully rare—fewer than a dozen on the Frontier at any time.

HP: 12 Def: 10 Pool: 7 AR: 1 Speed: 8 Mettle: 2

Attacks

Attack	Pool	WR	Tempo	Notes
Claws (true form)	7	4	4	Bleed (1 HP/turn until treated)
Borrowed Weapon	6	varies	varies	Uses victim’s equipment and style

Traits

Perfect Disguise: Indistinguishable by normal observation. Insight TN 15 to notice wrongness. Psionics: ECHO + Insight TN 13 (mind reads as static).
Consume: Must kill and consume over 1 hour. Leaves traces: blood, hair, burning fat smell.
Shed Skin (Tempo 3): Drops disguise. +2 dice to all attacks for 10 Ticks. Witnesses within Near: ECHO + Resilience TN 11 or Suppressed.

Tactics: Infiltrate. Isolate. Replace. Never fights openly unless cornered. Poisons supplies, leads patrols into ambushes, sows paranoia. When forced to fight, targets isolated individuals and uses Shed Skin with advantage.

Encounter Design: The best Skin-Changer encounter is a mystery, not a fight. The party arrives in a settlement where someone has been replaced. Tensions are high. The real combat only happens once it’s identified—and it’s already chosen its escape route.

The Red Mother’s Maw

Boss (Environmental) • XP 5

Not a creature—a wound. A pulsating chasm in the earth, thirty meters across, ringed with teeth of crystallized Current and lined with flesh that shouldn’t exist. The ground around it is warm and wet. The air smells of copper and ozone. It breathes. It warps gravity, folds space, and hiccups time until everything within its reach slides slowly, inevitably, into its gullet.

HP: N/A Def: 8 Pool: 8 AR: 5 Speed: N/A

Attacks

Attack	Pool	WR	Tempo	Notes
Pseudopod	8	4	5	Reach 10m; Grapple on hit
Swallow	—	6	—	Grappled targets pulled in; 8 damage/turn, ignores AR

Traits

Immobile: Cannot move. Controls 20m radius.
Indestructible: The Red Mother's Maw cannot be killed. It is not a creature — it is a wound in reality. Damage dealt to the Maw is absorbed harmlessly (the flesh ripples, the teeth regrow, the chasm yawns wider). The only way to close the Maw is to perform the Sealing Ritual (see below).
Massive: Immune to Grapple, Knockdown, Stun, and single-target Psionics. It is terrain with intent.

Abilities — Reality Warp (1/turn, automatic)

At the start of its turn, one effect occurs (GM chooses or rolls 1d6):

1	Memory Bleed: All creatures within 20m experience a vivid, involuntary flash of one of their Core Memories — but wrong. The face is different. The words are changed. The detail that made it yours is missing. Each PC must roll ECHO + Resilience TN 13 or take 1 Erosion as the Maw's version of the memory tries to overwrite theirs.
2	Time Hiccup: One random PC loses their next turn entirely. 4 Ticks pass.
3	Spatial Fold: Two PCs within 20m swap positions. Both Disoriented (−2 dice to next action).
4	Hunger Pulse: All within 20m take 1 Strain. Psionics take 2 Strain.
5	Echo: The Maw produces a perfect copy of one PC’s voice screaming from inside. ECHO TN 13 or 1 Strain.
6	Silence: All sound ceases for 1d3 rounds. No verbal communication. The silence is the worst part.

The Pull: Any creature that starts its action within 20m of the Maw's edge must spend 2 extra Tempo on any action that moves them away from the Maw. The gravity isn't strong enough to drag you in, but leaving is harder than arriving.

Vulnerabilities

A Bastion Soul’s Null Zone suppresses Reality Warp while maintained.

Sealing the Maw

The Maw can be temporarily sealed with a ritual detailed below (requiring an Extended Check).
Success Threshold: 5 successes
TN: 15
Pool: ECHO + Channel (or ECHO + Lore for non-Psionics with Circle of Ash texts)
Interval: Each roll takes 1 minute of sustained concentration at the Maw's edge.
Salt Cost: Each roll consumes 5 pound of salt (thrown into the Maw).
Fumble: The Maw retaliates — Pseudopod attack on the ritualist, automatic hit.
Temporary Seal: Success closes the Maw for 1d6 weeks per surplus success beyond the threshold.

Encounter Design: The Maw is a set-piece, not a monster. The party needs to get something near it, survive its influence, and get out—or perform a sealing ritual requiring multiple Extended Checks while it tries to eat the ritualist.

Section III: The Frontier’s Ecology

The Veil didn’t just tear a hole in reality—it rewrote the rules for everything that lived near the breach. These creatures are the new apex predators, parasites, scavengers, and environmental hazards that fill the niches created by a broken world.

Beasts & Constructs

Glass-Walker

Soldier • XP 2

Crystallized predators native to the Ash Belt. They stand six feet at the shoulder, walk on four articulated crystal legs, and hunt by vibration. Nearly invisible in smog. The only warning: a faint chiming like wind through broken bottles.

HP: 8 Def: 11 Pool: 5 AR: 2 Speed: 10

Attacks

Attack	Pool	WR	Tempo	Notes
Crystal Jaws	5	3	4	Breaker
Lash (tail)	5	2	3	Bleed; Range: Close

Traits

Transparent: +4 Stealth in reduced visibility; +2 in clear air.
Vibration Sense: Detects movement through ground within Far range. Flying/still targets invisible.
Fragile: Blunt weapons deal ×2 damage.
Silent Death: No vocalizations. Chiming of movement is the only sound.

Tactics: Stalk in reduced visibility. Ambush with Crystal Jaws targeting throat. If injured, retreat into smog and re-stalk.

Encounter Design: Stalking encounters in the Ash Belt. The party hears the chiming. They see rainbow patterns shifting in the smog. They know it’s there. They can’t see it.

Clockwork Hound

Soldier • XP 2

Steam-powered tracking automatons. Cannot be reasoned with, bribed, or intimidated. Machines do not get tired, distracted, or feel sympathy. Rumors persist that some Hounds have begun operating without instructions, running on empty cylinders, patrolling routes no one assigned. The Consortium denies this.

HP: 10 Def: 8 Pool: 5 AR: 2 Speed: 9

Attacks

Attack	Pool	WR	Tempo	Notes
Iron Jaws	5	3	4	Grapple on hit; IRON TN 13 to pry open
Tackle	5	2	3	Knockdown; charge from Near

Traits

Construct: Immune to Fear, Poison, Bleeding, Strain, Erosion, Psionics, mental effects. Repaired, not healed (Savvy + Craft TN 13, 1 hour).
Tireless: Pursues indefinitely.
Scent Lock: +4 Awareness for pursuit once locked on a scent.
Vulnerability: Electricity deals ×2 damage. Water immersion deals 1d3/minute and jams for 1d6 Ticks.

Abilities

Alarm (Tempo 0): Shrill whistle audible for half a mile. Enforcers respond in 2d6 minutes.

Tactics: Patrol, detect, Alarm, Tackle, Iron Jaws, hold until Enforcers arrive. Multiple Hounds flank.

Encounter Design: Pursuit encounters. The clicking grows louder. The whistle sounds. Now run—or find a river.

Bone Sentinel

Elite • XP 3

Ancient guardians of the Graven Plain—twelve-foot constructs assembled from colossal bones, animated by Current so old it predates the Rupture. They stand motionless among the bone-hills, indistinguishable from the landscape until they move. The first warning is a sound like an avalanche of skulls.

HP: 14 Def: 8 Pool: 6 AR: 3 Speed: 5 Mettle: 1

Attacks

Attack	Pool	WR	Tempo	Notes
Bone Club	6	5	6	Knockdown; Breaker
Bone Shard Burst	—	3	5	All Near: 3 damage, QUICK TN 11 or Bleed
Trample	6	4	5	Must move 4m+; Knockdown

Traits

Construct: Immune to Fear, Poison, Bleeding, Strain, Erosion, mental effects.
Dormant: Awareness TN 15 to recognize. Activates on approach/digging/loud noise near mounds at dusk.
Reassemble: At 0 HP, collapses. Unless scattered, salted, or burned, reassembles in 1d6 hours.
Ancient: Does not register as Veil-Born to Psi-Sense or Smell the Witch. Predates both.

Tactics: Activates when threshold is crossed. Attacks within patrol radius. Returns to dormancy when intruders leave or die. Bone Club to smash, Shard Burst if surrounded, Trample if enemies flee.

Encounter Design: Guardian encounters. The party needs something from a burial mound. Fight it (hard, reassembles), sneak past (very hard), or deactivate it (the Circle might have theories).

Tar Widow

Soldier • XP 2

Arachnids the size of a large dog, lurking beneath petroleum-contaminated pools. Their tar-like secretion hardens on contact with air, binding prey in place. Miners learn to prod pools with sticks. The Widows have learned to wait for the second footstep.

HP: 8 Def: 9 Pool: 5 AR: 1 Speed: 8

Attacks

Attack	Pool	WR	Tempo	Notes
Fangs	5	3	4	Poison (GRIT TN 11 or 1 Strain/hour for 1d6 hours; paralytic)
Tar Spit	5	1	3	Range: Near; QUICK TN 11 or Immobilized 1d3 rounds; IRON TN 13 to break free

Traits

Ambush Predator: +4 Stealth submerged. Awareness TN 15 to spot before attack.
Tar Coating: Melee attackers: QUICK TN 9 or weapon sticks (Tempo 3 to free). Unarmed = auto-Grappled.
Flammable: Fire deals ×2—but also to anyone Grappled by it. Burning Tar Widow: 2 Fire/turn in Close range.

Encounter Design: Exploration hazards in the Ash Belt. Crossing pools. Some safe, some not. Tension is in the uncertainty.

Sand Leviathan

Boss (Environmental) • XP 5

The Scorchveil’s apex predator—a burrowing colossus beneath the dunes. What surfaces is usually a ridge of chitinous plates, a fin of crystallized sand, or a mouth. The mouth is the size of a train car. There is no known way to kill one. The Dust Vultures do not try. They worship them.

HP: 50 Def: 6 (surfaced) AR: 6

Attacks

Attack	WR	Notes
Breach	8	6m radius. QUICK TN 15 or 8 damage + Knockdown + buried
Swallow	—	Inside mouth when submerged: 10 damage/turn, no save, no AR
Sand Wake	3	10m line; Knockdown; buried to waist (IRON TN 13 to free)

Traits

Burrowing: Cannot be targeted while submerged except by vibration or psionic attacks.
Vibration Sense: Detects footsteps/machinery at Extreme range. Heavy movement detected at double range.
Immense: Cannot be meaningfully harmed. HP = pain tolerance. At 0 HP, submerges for 1d6 days.
Indifferent: Not hostile—hungry. Targets largest vibration source.

Encounter Design: A survival set piece about movement, silence, and sacrifice. Do you freeze and hope it passes? Throw your pack mule toward the disturbance? Run and risk the vibrations? There is no winning. There is only escaping.

Haunts, Parasites & Phenomena

The Walking Dead (The Drowned)

Minion • XP 1

The unsalted dead of the Fen. They are confused, sad, and cold. They want warmth. They want company. They will wrap their arms around you and hold you close—and the water in their lungs will fill yours. They don’t understand that the embrace kills. The worst encounters are the ones where the Dead are recognizable.

HP: 7 Def: 6 Pool: 3 AR: 0 Speed: 4

Attacks

Attack	Pool	WR	Tempo	Notes
Embrace	3	1	4	Initiates Grapple
Lungwater	—	—	—	Grappled: drowning, 2 damage/turn ignores AR. IRON TN 11/turn to resist.

Traits

Waterlogged: Immune to Bleeding, Poison, Fire. Half speed on land; full in water.
Undead: Immune to Fear, Pain, Stun, mental Psionics.
Salt Vulnerability: ×2 from Salt Rounds. Salt circle keeps at bay. Salting the body destroys permanently.
Pitiful: Attacking one that resembles someone known: ECHO + Resilience TN 9 or hesitate (lose first action).

Encounter Design: Horror encounters. Tension comes from the emotional weight. One is manageable; eight will drown the whole party. Use during night scenes, rising from water around camp.

Corpse-Candle

Minion (Hazard) • XP 1

Hovering spheres of pale bioluminescence above the Fen’s black water. Beautiful. Deadly. Each is the visible projection of a submerged colony of Current-infused algae that feeds on bioelectricity. The lure is biological, not psionic—psionic defenses do not help.

HP: 3/candle (Colony: 15 HP) Def: 12 AR: 0 Speed: 8

Traits

Lure: SAVVY + Insight TN 13 each turn or move toward nearest light. Biological mesmerism, not psionic. Blindfolding/averting gaze prevents.
Colony Shock: Pool 4, WR 2 electrical when prey enters water. Targets in water: −2 Defense.
Vulnerability: Salt in water kills colony in 1d6 minutes.

Encounter Design: Navigational hazard. Hundreds of lights across the only path. Blindfold and navigate by touch? Waste salt? Go around and lose a day? Resource management and decision-making.

Vein Crawler

Minion (Parasite) • XP 1

Two-foot eyeless worms with translucent skin. They burrow into living flesh, feeding on the host’s bioelectric field. Infestation changes you—developing involuntary psionic sensitivity manifesting as hallucinations, uncontrolled telekinesis, and spontaneous Breaches. The Consortium considers infested miners “compromised assets.”

HP: 3 Def: 7 Pool: 3 AR: 0 Speed: 3

Traits

Tiny: −2 to be hit with ranged attacks.
Infestation: Burrows into Wounded (below half HP) targets. Removal: Medicine TN 15, surgical kit (failure = 2 damage). While infested: 1 Strain/day, +1 ECHO, after 3 days involuntary manifestations, after 7 days daily ECHO TN 11 or trigger Tension Die.

Encounter Design: Long-term horror. Combat is trivial—stomp the worms. The real encounter is realizing three days later that something got inside you. Creates paranoia about wounds, mines, and quarantines.

The Whispering Man

Elite • XP 3

A tall, thin figure at the edge of torchlight on the Graven Plain—dark coat, wide-brimmed hat, face a smudge. His voice is crystal clear: he whispers your name. He feeds on memory. If you answer his questions, he takes the memory. If you refuse, he asks again. His patience is infinite.

HP: 11 Def: 11 Pool: 7 (Channel) AR: 0 Speed: 10 Mettle: 2

Psionics (ECHO 4, Channel 3)

The Question: If the target answers (voluntary or not), they take 1 Erosion and the Whispering Man heals 2 HP. Target loses a minor memory. Answers about Core Memory Pillars weaken that Pillar (−1 to Spark rolls until Long Rest).
Your Name (R2): Target must roll ECHO + Resilience TN 13 or be Compelled to approach for 1 round.
The Offer (R3): Offers to return a lost memory or reveal desired knowledge. If accepted: 2 Erosion and a planted vision (useful but possibly false).

Traits

Intangible: Cannot be harmed physically. Salt causes it to flicker and retreat (1d3 rounds).
Persistent: If driven away, returns the following night. Follows across the Graven Plain for weeks.
Anchored to the Plain: Cannot leave the Graven Plain.
Iron Repulsion: A circle of iron prevents approach within Near range.

Encounter Design: Slow-burn horror across multiple sessions on the Graven Plain. Cannot be fought—only endured, avoided, or outsmarted. The party must leave the Plain to escape. Erodes Erosion, sleep, and paranoia while asking uncomfortable questions about characters’ pasts.

Mirror Haunt

Soldier • XP 2

An entity inside reflective surfaces. It manifests as your reflection behaving incorrectly—blinking when you don’t, smiling when you’re terrified, reaching toward you. It feeds on attention. The more you look, the stronger it becomes. Superstitious Frontier folk crack their mirrors and cover still water. This isn’t paranoia. It’s pest control.

HP: 8 Def: 11 Pool: 5 AR: 0 Mettle: 1

Attacks

Attack	Pool	WR	Tempo	Notes
Reflection Strike	5	3	4	Must see a reflective surface; ignores cover
Shatter-Scream	—	2	5	Breaks all glass/mirrors in Near; shards: 2 damage + Bleed

Traits

Surface-Bound: Can only attack through reflective surfaces. No reflection, no attack.
Attention Feed: Each round of eye contact: +1 Pool for next attack (max +3). Averting gaze: −2 to your attacks but prevents feed.
Migratory: Moves between surfaces within Near as a free action.
Vulnerability: Destroying current surface forces migration. No surface in Near = destroyed.

Encounter Design: Environmental awareness. Identify and destroy every reflective surface while it strikes from unexpected angles. Haunted-house encounter with a clear win condition: break everything shiny.

Grave Gas Phantom

Variable (uses affected character’s stats)

The “Phantom” is the victim themselves, acting out a hallucinogenic fugue in which they believe they are a towering ancient being. The gas doesn’t create a monster—it turns you into one. They speak in untranslatable languages and lash out at everything smaller than a horse. When it wears off, they remember nothing.

The Gas

Trigger: Disturbing a burial mound (digging, walking over vent, explosion). 10m radius cloud.
Check: GRIT + Resilience TN 13 to resist. Holding breath: +2.
Duration: 1d6 hours. Ends early with smelling salts (Medicine TN 11), cold water immersion, or Bastion Null Zone.

Modifications to Affected Character

+2 IRON (reflected in Pools and damage)
+2 to all physical Pools
Immune to Fear, Pain, Suppression
Cannot distinguish friend from foe—attacks nearest creature
Cannot use Ballistics, Medicine, Channel, Insight, or Craft. Melee and Brawl work normally.
Speed +4

Encounter Design: A party member (or NPC ally) is affected. Remaining characters must restrain without killing—or survive until it wears off. Your party member at their most dangerous and most vulnerable. Best when the affected player is in on the horror.

Apex Threats & Rail Horrors

Iron Revenant

Elite • XP 3

The ghost of the rails—a spectral figure fused with locomotive wreckage. Pistons for arms, a boiler plate for a chest, a headlamp for a single burning eye. Moves with the grinding shriek of metal on metal. The temperature drops twenty degrees. The rails glow cherry-red.

HP: 14 Def: 9 Pool: 7 AR: 2 Speed: 6 Mettle: 2

Attacks

Attack	Pool	WR	Tempo	Notes
Rail-Spike Fist	7	4	5	Breaker; Crit: impales (Pinned, IRON TN 13 to free)
Boiler Scream	—	2	6	Cone (Near): 2 damage + ECHO TN 11 or Suppressed
Magnetic Pull (Tempo 4)	—	—	4	Metal objects in Near yanked 4m toward it. Metal armor: IRON TN 11 or dragged.

Traits

Spectral Machine: Immune to Bleeding, Poison, mental Psionics. ×2 from Salt and Ghost-Rock.
Rail-Bound: Cannot exceed Far range from nearest track. If rails removed: −2 Pools, HP halved.
Heat Aura: Metal within Close is superheated. Contact: 1 damage/Tick. Metal weapons after 3 attacks: 1 damage/subsequent attack.
Iron Affinity: Senses/manipulates iron in Near. Doors lock, chains rattle, guns jam (SAVVY TN 11 to clear).

Encounter Design: Obstacle encounters. Fight it (difficult), sneak past (very difficult—it senses metal), or lay it to rest (discover crash victims, salt wreckage, Circle ritual). Best encounters offer all three.

The Brood Mother

Boss (Environmental) • XP 5

A sessile predator disguised as a small Fen island. Interwoven tendrils, root-like appendages, sac-organs producing Broodlings that hunt on its behalf. From above, it looks inviting—dry ground in endless swamp. Exhausted travelers who make camp on it rarely realize their mistake until the ground moves.

HP: 100 Def: 7 Pool: 7 AR: 3

Attacks

Attack	Pool	WR	Tempo	Notes
Tendril Lash	7	3	5	Reach 8m; Grapple on hit
Engulf	—	4	—	Grappled target pulled in: 4 damage/turn, ignores AR; IRON TN 15 to free

Broodlings (spawned 1d3/turn from sac-organs)

HP	Def	Pool	WR	Tempo	Speed
3	8	3	2	3	9

Small, fast, pack attackers. Grapple and drag toward Mother. Destroying sac-organs (HP 16, AR 2; 4 total) prevents further spawning.

Traits

Immobile / Camouflage: Awareness TN 15 to identify before landing; TN 11 once on surface.
Regeneration: 10 HP/turn. Fire prevents for 1 turn per instance.
Vulnerability: Fire ignores AR and prevents regen. Ghost-Rock and oil recommended. 10 lbs salt: 2d6 damage, prevents regen 1 hour.

Encounter Design: Escape encounter. The party lands on an “island.” The ground moves. Get off before it closes around you. Burn it. Salt it. But mostly, run.

Threadripper

Elite • XP 3

A predator drawn to psionic energy like a shark to blood. It phase-shifts between material world and Veil-space. Appears as a shimmer resolving into overlapping wings, too many legs, and mandibles that cut the air. Drawn from miles away by Rank 3+ Channeling. The ecological tax collector of the Current.

HP: 12 Def: 11 Pool: 7 AR: 1 Speed: 12 Mettle: 2

Attacks

Attack	Pool	WR	Tempo	Notes
Phase-Mandibles	7	3	4	Ignores mundane AR
Current Drain	6	—	5	Target takes 2 Erosion; Threadripper heals 4 HP

Traits

Phase-Shift: Mundane attacks: 50% miss chance (1d8, 1–4 = miss). Salt, iron, Ghost-Rock, Psionics always connect.
Current Scent: Detects Channeling at Extreme range. Erosion 3+ at Far. Arrives in 1d6 minutes.
Feeding Frenzy: After Current Drain, becomes fully material for 1d6 minutes. Vulnerable but +1 die to attacks.
Pack Hunter: Rank 3+ Channeling: 1d3 additional Threadrippers arrive over the next hour.

Encounter Design: The consequence encounter. The Psionic cast something powerful. Minutes later, something phases in and heads straight for the caster. Reinforces the core theme: power has a price.

The Conductor

Boss • XP 5

The ghost of the Screaming Rails. A spectral figure in a conductor’s uniform, punching phantom tickets and checking watches that run backward. Polite, soft-spoken, and entirely wrong. The collective manifestation of every soul lost to rail disasters. He walks through the train, car by car, and asks each passenger for their “ticket.”

HP: 20 Def: 12 Pool: 8 AR: 0 Speed: 7 Mettle: 3

Abilities

“Tickets, Please” (Tempo 4): Present a physical token or roll ECHO + Resilience vs. TN 13. Failure = “Removed.”
Removal (GM chooses): Spatial—appears 1d6 miles back along the track, alone. Temporal—appears in cargo hold, 1d6 years aged, +1 permanent Strain, −1 memory. Final—disappears entirely, reappears at next station with no memory and +1 Erosion.
All Aboard (Passive): Train cannot be stopped. Engine runs on ghost-fire. Double speed through an unreal landscape.
Last Stop (1/encounter): At 0 HP, train brakes violently (QUICK TN 11 or Prone + 2 damage). Conductor dissipates. Train is miles off course on unmapped tracks.

Traits

Spectral: Immune to mundane attacks. Salt, Ghost-Rock, iron deal normal. Psionics deal ×2.
Rail-Bound: Only manifests aboard trains.
Inevitable: Walks from last car to first. Cannot be blocked, barricaded, or slowed. Doors open. Walls part. Tempo 6 between cars.
Polite: Asks nicely. This is somehow worse.

Encounter Design: Horror set piece aboard a moving train. A ticking clock—how many cars between him and the party? Who has a ticket? Can the Psionic weaken him? Can anyone stop the train? Each car he passes through goes silent.

Appendix: Encounter Building Guidelines

Encounter Budget

Use the XP Value of enemies to gauge encounter difficulty for a party of 4 PCs:

Difficulty	Total XP	Example
Easy	4–6	4 Minions or 2 Soldiers
Standard	8–10	1 Elite + 4 Minions, or 2 Elites
Hard	12–16	1 Boss + 4 Minions, or 3 Elites + 2 Soldiers
Deadly	18+	1 Boss + 1 Elite + Soldiers, or 2 Bosses (if you hate your players)

The Golden Rules of Encounter Design

Six Rules for Better Fights

Action Economy Wins. Four PCs against one Boss will overwhelm through volume. Always give a Boss 2–4 escort enemies to absorb actions and protect flanks.
Environment Matters. A Minion behind Hard Cover (+4 TN) is as hard to hit as an Elite in the open. Use terrain. Fights in featureless rooms are forgettable.
Tension is a Resource. Every combat adds to the Tension Pool. Long fights attract worse things. Time pressure makes every decision matter.
Scarcity Creates Drama. Track ammunition. Track Strain. Track Mettle. A party running low feels desperate. Both powerful and desperate are good—alternate them.
Make Enemies Human. Even Veil-Born have behaviors and weaknesses. An enemy that fights intelligently is more memorable than a sack of HP that charges forward.
Not Every Fight Needs to Be Won. Some encounters are about survival, not victory. Players should learn that running is sometimes the best tactic, and that wisdom lies in knowing when to holster the iron.