This is lead developer Hiromi again. Chris and the rest of the Green Ronin folks are off working the GAMA trade show right now, so I’m filling in to talk about the project.
But, before I get started on that, I wanted to say that Green Ronin needs GMs for Gen Con 2025. GMs who run enough games get a free GM badge for the con, which is a pretty good deal! So, if you’re a GM and want to have fun running games at Gen Con, check out this page for more information, and drop Jonesy a line at [email protected]or hit us up over on the Atomic Think Tank!
In terms of the project’s progress this past month, Hal’s been hard at work laying out the text of the orogeny update that we showed off last month. Additionally, Hal and I have been working with artists to get some amazing illustrations done for the book. I could be wrong, but I don’t think there are many more pieces of art that we’re waiting on, which brings us closer to getting you the wonderful book you’ve been patiently waiting for.
All right, now for the previews! This time, I’m talking about a few of the deadly creatures of the Stillness that your characters might run into, especially during a Season. I’ll also provide some in-game details to whet your appetites for the full game.
First up, we have Season-changed kirkhusas, depicted in this exciting piece by Claudio Pozas. Normally, kirkhusas are cute, playful, otter-like creatures that midlatters with food surpluses take in as pets. But, all things change during a Season, and those who invite kirkhusas into their homes will have to be quick to turn to violence if they want to stay alive.
A few things to note about these cute, but deadly critters:
Their Speed is 16 on land and in water, meaning that you’re not going to be able to get away from them by swimming. Climbing could help, but don’t count on it.
Like the otters they resemble, they’re social creatures. So, when they can, they hunt in packs. And they have Stunts that support that (Double Team & Knock Prone). Don’t get surrounded.
Our version of the kirkhusa is visually based on the Brazilian ariranha (giant otter; Pteronura brasiliensis), thanks to the artist Claudio Pozas’ brilliant idea.
Surprisingly, kirkhusas are even bigger than giant otters! According to the novels, Season-changed kirkhusas can be around 100 pounds.
In this gorgeous, yet horrifying illustration by Cristián Huerta, we see an unfortunate bull under attack by the violent boilbugs. As their name suggests, they’re bugs that boil water inside their bodies, causing severe burns on anything they land on. In large swarms, they’re a terrifying force of nature, capable of wiping out entire comms.
Boilbugs technically have a docile, non-aggressive form most of the time, but they also live in hives. So, with the exception of a few biomests (biologists in the Stillness), no one has ever seen a non-Season-changed boilbug. Of course, given how terrifying boilbugs are, no one wants to see a boilbug of any type!
Some design tidbits here:
Boilbugs are swarm creatures, meaning that they obey swarm rules; you can’t hurt them by swinging a glassknife at them. Only an attack that does damage to an area does full damage. That’s great news for orogenes and bad news for everyone else, which is how fights with boilbugs go in the novels.
If you manage to do enough damage to a swarm through area attacks, they become vulnerable to the Knock Out Stunt. Not very vulnerable, mind you; successfully landing the Stunt will only deal 1 point of damage. Still, it’s better than nothing.
Lastly, we have this vicious attack by a stone eater, depicted by Julie Sakai. Very few characters truly know anything about stone eaters, as the creatures are secretive and not usually social among humans. But, they are intelligent and very, very deadly when they want to be.
The good news is that if you see a stone eater (and know that you’re looking at a stone eater and not just a statue), they probably want you to see them and aren’t aggressive … yet.
Some design notes:
Like in the novels, they can pass through earth and rock at will and can do so with terrifying speed. In game, this is represented by an ability called In A Blink, which allows them to reposition themselves (and anyone unfortunate enough to be dragged by them) anywhere in an action encounter. The only thing keeping this from effectively being a teleport is that there has to be contiguous solid earth or stone between the two points.
Also like in the novels, their ability to grab someone and hold onto them is terrifying; they use their incredibly high Constitution (8!) to maintain grabs instead of their lower Accuracy.
They also have potent natural armor that makes it very unlikely for an attack to actually do damage.
On top of all that, GMs can choose to make them even more dangerous with the optional Adversary Improvement rules, which bumps their stats up.
In short, they are statted out to be terrifying, because that’s how they’re presented in the novels. That said, they’re not indestructible. It is possible to injure or even defeat one. It’s incredibly unlikely, and I would not recommend picking that fight, but the option is available to you.
That’s it for now, but, like I said, we’re closing in on the final production days for this book. We should have some really good news for you soon.
