Triss [Labyrinth Lord]

Triss
No. Enc.: 1d4
Alignment: Chaotic
Movement: 90' (30')
Armor Class: 5
Hit Dice: 1+1
Attacks: 2 (bite, scratch or gaze)
Damage: 1d4-1(+Rot), 1d4-1(+Rot), see below
Save: F4
Morale: 6

Diminutive and vile-natured, Triss are the questionably reptilian remnants of past indiscretions at a particular homunculists' laboratory. Some believe the Triss to be some sort of amalgam of left-over fragments or cast-off bits, but that has never been verified. All that anyone really knows about these vicious little monsters is that they have proliferated far, far too quickly for anyone's comfort and they have a disturbing ability to intermingle with a wide variety of other species in order to spawn weird mutant offspring that sometimes go on to become distinct derivative supra-species in and of themselves.

A Triss attacks by biting with its turtlish beak, scratching with its tiny claws, or using its gaze attack. They do 1d4-1 damage; if they roll a "1" for damage that means they do no damage but still transfer their rotting effect which is suspected to be the work of sorcerously twisted bacteria.

A Rotten Bite
Their bite is capable of severing small cords, cutting through leather and snipping rope (usually taking two or three bites to get through a standard rope), however their bite also transfers a copious amount of their saliva onto the target and their saliva forces a Save or else the area affected will begin to rot. The area affected is 1d4 inches in diameter and persists for 1d4 days, after which it dries up, the victim must make another Save or take an additional 1d4 damage, and the area heals normally, but has a strange greenish blemish left behind to remind them of the Triss. The rotting effect can be cured by magical healing (Cure Disease works nicely, Neutralize Poison will cut the duration of the rotting in half), but the greenish blemish will still remain.

A Horrid Scratch
The scratch of a Triss does little real damage, but it also spreads the rotting effect just as their bite does, but in addition, a Triss can use their scratch attack to target items such as those made from leather, parchment, hide or even wood and cause them to rot. To carry out this sort of vandalism the Triss must forego harming their opponent and instead target the victim's equipment and gear. Wine-skins and water bladders are common targets for this sort of thing, and even if the Triss fails to ruin them, there is a chance that they spoil or poison the contents.

A Dim View of Things
The Triss also possess a gaze attack that allows them to project a cone of magical Darkness extending from their snout to a range of 20'. This conical Darkness effect only lasts for 2d4 turns and the Triss can only use this effect 1d4 times per day. The attack itself causes no damage, but it is used by the Triss to lay-down a coating of saliva upon the ground or floor right around their enemies so as to ruin their boots, dissolve sandals, or cause their bare feet to rot. (Note: Phorain are immune to the rotting effect of Triss bacteria).

Wretched Things
Normally, such a despicable and unpleasant (they also smell like rotten milk) creature as the Triss would be relegated to the not-so-tender mercies of vermin-killers, but alas the foul things have been found to be of incredible utility to alchemists, homunculists, golemists, and quite a few other specialized scholars, sorcerers and scientists. The Triss are especially useful in developing compounds to assist in the creation of hybrids, stitching-together chimerae, creating homunculi or pseudri or other forms of synthesized life and more. In places such as Wermspittle a single Triss can bring as much as 2d4 gold pieces, double or triple that if it is still alive. Many refugees and some feral children have gotten quite adept at capturing Triss to sell in the Supplier's Market and other such places.