R - Aggressive Direbat

"She went out to the swamps with 4 men and didn't last more than a half-span. She came back about five days later with only two of her escort left - claiming bats the size of wolves swooped down on them and carried the other two off. I warned her... but maybe I should have warned her men too."

While the savvy traveler knows to keep a watchful eye out for approaching threats, very few ever think to look up - instead; focusing on the myriad of snakes, spiders, and beasts that could be prowling behind every other stone or tree. It is this aversion to vertical awareness that the Direbat's greatest strength lies. Certainly stronger than the average man, even a modestly armed traveler would cause enough damage to one of those beats in a fair fight to make the temptation of their flesh a poor investment for the creature's energy. But swooping down from the dark canopies above - especially on lone campers or travelers who wander too far from the campfire - is an excellent way to incapacitate their prey before sinking their teeth in for the kill.


Nocturnal by nature, direbats are typically not a threat for those traveling during the day; however stories still permeate of disoriented and lost travelers stumbling into the dark dens of these beasts without realizing - often to the detriment of their life. That being said, Direbat attacks on sentient life is still uncommon, however, the more aggressive or desperate individuals will still try to drag off a sleepy camper who wanders from the safety of the fire to relieve themselves in the night.

(Rival) - Aggresive Direbat

BRN - 3 AGI - 3 INT - 1 CUN - 2 WIL - 1 PRE - 0

Silhouette - 1 DEF 0/1 Soak - 3 Wounds - 13
Weaknesses - Lightning, *Light* Resistances - None Immunities - None
Quick Initiative : 3.0 Prestige - N/A Identify: Nature 2

Primary Checks

Knife-Like Fangs: Brawl dcc : Damage 6 (Piercing Critical 3; Range [Engaged]

Buffeting Wings: Brawl dcc : Damage 4 (Sonic Critical 5; Range [Engaged]



Information

General Skills : Athletics 1, Coordination 2, Stealth 3, Perception 2, Survival 1, Vigilance 3

Combat Skills : Brawl 2

Abilities

Flyer: This adversary can fly Dark Vision 2: When making checks, this adversary may remove up to b b imposed to poor visibility caused by darkness and shadows. Heliophobic: This adversary will not willingly approach bright sources of light, and if they are exposed directly to direct light they must make a Hard ddd) Fear Check as an Out-of-turn incidental.

Special Actions

Swoop Attack : After this adversary makes a combat check using the Brawl skill, they can disengage from the target and move to Short distance as an incidental and without taking strain to do so.

Equipment

Weapons
Knife-Like Fangs : Brawl; Damage 6 (Piercing Critical 3; Range [Engaged];
Buffeting Wings : Brawl; Damage 4 (Sonic Critical 5; Range [Engaged]; Disorient 3


Armour & Gear
None
Potential Sundries
None

Roleplaying Suggestions

General Behaviors

Nocturnal hunters, Direbats will group together in small colonies of about 3-10 adults. Favoring caves and abandoned structures, they typically begin their hunting and social dynamics after waking shortly before Dusk. Once the sun has truly set however the Direbats will all leave their roost (save for nursing mothers who will stay to protect and feed their young). Direbats that are members of a colony will spread out across the territory and individually look to find prey to return back to the colony.


A direbat aggressive enough to attack an armed traveller is typically on the brink of starvation or in some form of emotional or physical distress. Observation of the species is understandably difficult, however, experts theorize that the successful hunting of a sentient species generates a sense of status amongst the primitive species.

Combat Behaviors

Opportunity strikers, Aggresive Direbats are typically solitary hunters who target smaller sentient species when they are separated from others during the night. Light-sensitive, they will typically avoid campfires and even torches - however, the bolder ones have been known to knock torches aside with their wings before going in for the kill. 


If the initial attack incapacitated the target, the Aggressive Direbat will promptly take off with its prey in it's claws in an attempt to bring it back to the colony. Once there as remaining life in the prey is removed with a few precise bites from the creature's fangs. Those that regain composure while in the creature's claws while airborne are perhaps just as unfortunate - as the creature will not hesitate to dash its prey across the rocks below and then swoop in to collect the broken pieces afterwards.
[be] If the target remains active after the initial hit, the Direbat will immediately draw away and circle in the air to determine its chances of success in future assaults. The Direbat will typically either withdraw completely (especially if their prey has allies nearby) or follow up with another swooping attack until the fight turns in its favor or the beast is forced to withdraw.

Social Behaviors

While the creatures have been known to display behaviors of intense social hierarchy amongst their colonies, all attempts at communicating or bartering with the creatures have been unsuccessful.