ESPAGRA

Initiative: 9	Physical Defense: 11
Number of Attacks: 3	Spell Defense: 9
Attack: 12	Social Defense: 8
Damage: 9	Armor: 5
Number of Spells: NA	Mystic Armor: 5
Spellcasting: NA	Knockdown: 9
Effect: NA	Recovery Tests: 1
Death Rating: 55	Combat Movement: 100
Wound Threshold: 13	Full Movement: 200
Unconsciouness Rating: 50
Legend Points: 125
Equipment: None
Loot: Magical scales worth 1D20 x 10 silver pieces per espagra. These items count as treasure worth Legend Points.

Commentary
Flying predators colored a brilliant shade of blue, espagras resemble small dragons except for their iguana-like heads. An espagra’s wingspan often reaches 12 feet. Though quick and agile flyers, espagras do not strike opponents while in flight, preferring to swoop down upon an enemy, knock him down, and continue the struggle on the ground. This swooping attack adds 7 steps to a character’s Damage Test if the creature hits the character, but a swooping espagra sacrifices the remaining two of its customary three attacks in that Combat Round. An espagra may make a swooping attack after it has used its Full (flying) Movement of 200 yards in a round, and may follow up with three non-swooping attacks starting in the following round. An agile beast, the espagra can strike three different targets with a single attack, as long as the targets stand within ten yards of each other.

Some of an espagra’s scales exude elemental air magic. These scales add luster and brilliance to the other scales, making the creature shimmer in a way that other espagra—and many races—find appealing. Master clothiers can tailor garments using espagra scales; such clothes look richer than other fine garments, even those decorated with precious jewels. Cloaks made from espagra scales protect the wearer much like leather armor, but also add to the wearer’s Mystic Armor Rating (see Goods and Services).

GHOUL

Initiative: 5	Physical Defense: 7
Number of Attacks: 1	Spell Defense: 5
Attack: 7	Social Defense: 7
Damage: 8	Armor: 4
Number of Spells: 1	Mystic Armor: 0
Spellcasting: 8	Knockdown: 5
Effect: Poison (see below)	Recovery Tests: 1 (7)
Death Rating: 36	Combat Movement: 50
Wound Threshold: 10	Full Movement: 100
Unconsciouness Rating: Immune
Legend Points: 90
Equipment: None
Loot: 3D6 silver pieces per ghoul, taken from both tombs and victims. Approximately 75 percent of ghoul leaders carry jewelry worth 1D8 x 25 silver pieces. Jewelry counts as treasure worth Legend Points.

Commentary
Ghouls are undead creatures created by the Horrors’ arcane magics. To sustain themselves, ghouls must eat the vital organs of the living or recently dead. They live along trade routes where they ambush passing travelers, in cemeteries where they feed on the newly dead, or in city sewers, crawling out at night to hunt their victims. Ghouls react badly to sunlight, reducing their Attack and Damage step numbers by 2 if forced to fight in full sunlight or its equivalent. Ghouls travel in groups ranging from 6–25 individuals. Though some travelers have reported seeing ghoul hordes comprised of as many as 100 members, such huge bands have become rare since the departure of the Horrors.

Ghouls produce a magical toxin called cacofian that remains inert until activated by a ghoul’s Spellcasting ability. The ghoul must strike the target with a successful Attack Test to release the toxin, then make a successful Spellcasting Test in the same round to activate the cacofian. The poison takes effect for 6 rounds, or until dispelled or resisted. To dispel the toxin, treat it as a Circle 2 spell. Resisting the toxin requires the affected character to make a Toughness Test with a result of 10 or greater. This Toughness Test counts as the resisting character’s action for that Combat Round. The poison does progressive damage that armor cannot reduce, increasing in every round in which it remains active. In the first round, it does 1 point of damage. In the successive 5 rounds it does 4, 5, 10, 15, and 20 points of damage, respectively. When a ghoul dies, its cacofian becomes inert. Many nethermancers have attempted to use this toxin, but none have succeeded.

GARGOYLE

Initiative: 6	Physical Defense: 12
Number of Attacks: 2	Spell Defense: 9
Attack: 11	Social Defense: 11
Damage: 22	Armor: 13
Number of Spells: NA	Mystic Armor: 6
Spellcasting: NA	Knockdown: 18
Effect: NA	Recovery Tests: 4
Death Rating: 55	Combat Movement: 25
Wound Threshold: 13	Full Movement: 50
Unconsciouness Rating: 48
Legend Points: 500
Equipment: None
Loot: Horns, 5D6 x 10 silver pieces. These items count as treasure worth Legend Points.

Commentary
Enchanted creatures of elemental earth and stone, gargoyles stand about 5 feet 6 inches tall and weigh an impressive 900 pounds. Their heads are elongated and distorted. Their hands end in long claws that they use to rake opponents, often in fly-by attacks.

Despite their nasty dispositions, gargoyles usually attack only to defend their territory or to protect other elemental earth. Though they gather in groups of 6–10 gargoyles, similar to lion prides, gargoyles are not social creatures. Individual gargoyles sometimes leave the pride for months, wandering the skies alone or in pairs. Because many of these wandering gargoyles are staking a claim to new territory, they act more aggressively than full prides. Occasionally an entire pride of gargoyles migrates, for unknown reasons.

Note that magical talents and spells that affect entities work against gargoyles.

GRIFFIN

Initiative: 7	Physical Defense: 8
Number of Attacks: 2	Spell Defense: 8
Attack: 8	Social Defense: 7
Damage: 12	Armor: 4
Number of Spells: NA	Mystic Armor: 1
Spellcasting: NA	Knockdown: 8
Effect: NA	Recovery Tests: 4
Death Rating: 50	Combat Movement: 29
Wound Threshold: 14	Full Movement: 57
Unconsciouness Rating: 43
Legend Points: 200
Equipment: None
Loot: Beak and feathers, 3D6 x 10 silver pieces. These items count as treasure worth Legend Points.

Commentary
These strange, four-legged creatures combine a lion’s body with the head, legs, and wings of a large eagle. Like an eagle’s, a griffin’s front legs are covered in feathers and end in sharp talons; its hind legs resemble those of a lion, covered in soft fur and ending in a paw. A typical griffin stands 4 feet tall at the shoulder, and is 5 to 6 feet long with an average wingspan of 7 to 9 feet. The head of a griffin resembles that of an eagle, with large, keen eyes and a sharp beak. Its wings are covered with bright feathers, usually yellow and white, but sometimes red and orange.

Griffins gather in nests of up to 10 individuals, but more commonly live in flocks of 4 or 5. They nest in mountainous regions, and rarely venture into the jungles or forests of Barsaive.

Griffins seldom attack travelers on foot, unless their territory is threatened. Their strong taste for horse meat occasionally leads them to attack travelers on horseback, in order to feed on the horse. An attacking griffin swoops down on an opponent and strikes out with its talons. Such a swooping attack adds 3 steps to a griffin’s Damage Test, but also limits the griffin to one attack per round. After a swooping attack, a griffin remains on the ground, and can attack its prey with its talons and hind claws.

Humanoids of average human size and smaller, except for windlings, can use griffins as aerial mounts. Though difficult to train, tame griffins make excellent steeds.

GUARD VETERAN

Initiative: 10	Physical Defense: 8
Number of Attacks: 1	Spell Defense: 7
Attack: 9	Social Defense: 7
Damage: 11	Armor: 6
Number of Spells: (1)	Mystic Armor: 3
Spellcasting: 7	Knockdown: 7
Effect: Perception	Recovery Tests: 3
Death Rating: 36	Combat Movement: 35
Wound Threshold: 10	Full Movement: 70
Unconsciouness Rating: 28
Legend Points: 100
Equipment: Ring mail armor, battle-axe.
Loot: Lucky charm valued at 2D6 silver pieces if not magical, 2D6 x 20 silver pieces if magical. (To determine the magical value of a guard veteran’s charm, the gamemaster rolls 1D6; on a result of 10 or better, the charm increases the guard veteran’s Physical Defense or Spell Defense by 1 point. To activate the charm, the guard must make a Perception Test with a result of 5 or better. The charm’s protection lasts for 1D6 rounds. Each use of the charm costs 1 Strain Point to invoke, whether successful or not).

Commentary
A soldier with years of experience, a guard veteran has loyally served his city, house, or master for a lengthy period of time. Most have encountered the Horrors or their constructs at least once, and none care to repeat the experience.

Guard veterans have honed an uncanny judge of character into a magical talent. Whenever a character tries to deceive a guard veteran, the guard veteran makes a Spellcasting Test against the character’s Spell Defense. A successful result, though not revealing a character’s true intent, rouses the guard’s suspicions. The guard’s Social Defense increases by 5 points, making him unlikely to fall for the character’s scam. This increase in Social Defense lasts for a number of days equal to the guard’s Spellcasting Test result.

Though steadfast, guard veterans do not give their employers blind loyalty. Most consider themselves guardians of justice, and if a character can prove that an employer has evil intentions, many guard veterans will cease to defend him.