Stirge

Stirge (CR 1)

Neutral - Tiny - Vermin

Lore:	Know (Nature)
2		16
Basic DC		Full DC

Initiative

3

Perception:
13	+3
Passive	Active

Ambush:

10+

on a d20

Senses:

• Standard Senses

Movement Types:

• Walk 10 ft.
• Hover 35 ft.

Defense

AC

14

Man Def

16

Monster Health
31	15	2
Hit Points	Bloodied	Hit Dice

Saving Throws
Fort:	+0
Refl:	+5
Will:	+0

Strong Against:

• (Mindless) Immune (no effect): all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, fear, morale effects, patterns, and phantasms)

Weak Against:

Offense

Size:	Tiny
2.5 ft.		0 ft.
Space		Reach

To-Hit

+3

Man Off

+3

Action

0

Points

Standard Attack (Melee):

• 1x Prying Claws +7 vs. AC (always hits on a 17+ on the die) (0/19-20 x2)
  as piercing (physical, common)
  Probing Attacks (see below)

Full Attack (Melee):

• 2x Prying Claws +7 vs. AC (always hits on a 17+ on the die) (1d4/19-20 x2)
  as piercing (physical, common)
  Probing Attacks (see below)

Standard Attack (Ranged):

Full Attack (Ranged):

Siege Damage: Not siege capable

Statistics

3

STR

19

DEX

10

CON

—

INT

12

WIS

6

CHA

Skills:

• Movement: 3
• Perception: 3
• Stealth: 3
• All other skills: 0 (no ranks)

Languages:

Feats:

Special Abilities

Probing Attacks (Ex) Free Action w/each attack

Each time the stirge makes a claw attack against an adjacent target, hit or miss, it inflicts a -1 penalty to that creature's AC until the end of the encounter. This penalty stacks with itself, and with any other penalties to the target's AC, such as from other stirge's Probing Attacks, or the Attach ability, below.

Attach (Ex) Swift Action, after any successful Claw Attack

As a swift action, after at least one successful claw attack against an adjacent target, the stirge may make a touch attack against that target at 1d20 + 7 vs. AC (always hits on a 17+ on the die). If it hits, it enters the target's space and latches on to their skin and clothing, inflicting a -2 penalty to the target's AC, and gaining a +2 bonus to its own AC. This penalty to the victim's AC is in addition to the penalties inflicted by Probing Attacks. Removing the stirge requires a standard action and either Might or an Escape Artist check versus the stirge's Maneuver Defense of 15. Any adjacent ally may also make one of these checks as a standard action to remove an attached stirge. If an adjacent ally is the one who succeeds in removing the stirge, the victim takes 1d4 slashing (physical, common) damage with no to-hit roll needed, as the stubborn creature is dragged off its victim. DR vs. slashing can resist this damage as normal. Note that missed attacks against an attached stirge do not harm the victim to whom the stirge is attached. Attached stirges can also be attacked directly, but 10% of the damage dealt to the stirge is also dealt to the victim it is attached to (rounding up, minimum 1). Area of effect attacks may not be used against attached stirges unless the victim is also included in the attack (since they share the same space). Of course, this damage can be mitigated with things like DR or ER, if the victim possesses such things. No more than four stirges can attach to a medium or small sized creature, eight to a large or larger creature. Creatures smaller than size small can only have one stirge attach at a time.

Blood Drain (Ex) Standard Action

Once a stirge has successfully Attached themselves to a victim, they may Drain Blood. As a standard action, the stirge deals 1d4 of piercing (physical, common) damage, and drains 1d2 points of CON from the victim, as Ability Damage. There is no to-hit roll or saving throw for this effect. Stirges cannot attack with their claws while performing a Blood Drain, because that's how they're holding on. Once a stirge has drained 4 points of CON, it will detach and attempt to escape the battle to digest its meal in peace. A stirge that successfully escapes a battle in this way is not considered 'defeated' and does not award treasure or XP.

Stirge

This strange creature looks like a mosquito that ate a radioactive housecat. It's got four wings, numerous spiny legs and a long proboscis through which they drain the blood of their prey. They lurk in caves and ruins, and are rarely encountered alone. They tend to gather in large flocks and can completely drain a human-sized victim in minutes. Stirges drink blood, much like large horrible mosquitoes, and while they are mainly a pest for experienced adventurers, they are a deadly peril for the less martially inclined. Any sighting of a stirge nest close to a community is cause for every adventurer to go and clean it out, before a tragedy strikes.

Combat Tactics

Stirges must attach to a victim before they can feed, so that is their priority. Their claw attacks reduce the target's AC each time they even attempt the attack, so even heavily armored opponents will quickly become vulnerable to a stirge's Attach ability. Plus, since all their attacks are touch attacks, a few lucky rolls can lead to them latching onto even the toughest of foes.

Once attached, they will Drain Blood as fast as they can until they have inflicted their quota of CON damage (4 points). Then they will use a Withdraw maneuver and their Hover to get away.

Stirges have no concept of flanks or tactics, and will generally charge the closest creature still filled with delicious blood, feed, and flee with no regard for their fellows. That said, they are fairly stealthy, and will often attempt to ambush travelers, seeking areas with good hiding spaces near a well-traveled path.

Out of Combat

Stirges tend to be sedentary during the day, though they can be stirred to action by activity near their nesting grounds. They nest in damp areas, attaching to ceilings and wedging themselves into crevices, much like bats.

Stirges tend to be a low-level, persistent presence, with the few survivors after each concerted effort to wipe them out building up their population slowly but steadily. They can nest and prosper in less space than seems possible, hide with ridiculous skill, and generally make a mighty nuisance of themselves to everyone and everything around them.

Rewards

XP: 400

Treasure: Sellable Goods worth 219 gp.

Weight: 10 lbs.     Volume: 0.4 cu. ft.

Optional Treasure Rules: Roll a d20 on Table 1 below once per encounter (NOT per creature). Any items discovered are in addition to the normal treasure for the encounter.

Table 1: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 10	Nothing Found
11 - 14	1 Languid Remnant (tier 1)
15 - 17	1 Pale Remnant (tier 2)
18 - 19	1 Bright Remnant (tier 3)
20	Roll on Table 2
###	Nothing to see here!
###	Or here. Move along.

Table 2: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 5	3 Languid Remnants (tier 1)
6 - 10	3 Pale Remnants (tier 2)
11 - 14	1 Intense Remnant (tier 4)
15 - 17	1 Blazing Remnant (tier 5)
18 - 19	1 Vital Remnant (tier 6)
20	Roll on Table 3
###	Or here. Move along.

Table 3: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 5	3 Bright Remnants (tier 3)
6 - 8	3 Intense Remnants (tier 4)
9 - 11	3 Blazing Remnants (tier 5)
12 - 14	3 Vital Remnants (tier 6)
15 - 17	1 Prime Remnant (tier 7)
18 - 19	1 Mythic Remnant (tier 8)
20	1 Empyrean Remnant (tier 9)