Blood Hawks

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Blood Hawk

– Predatory Carnivore

Also Known As: Demon Hawks or Death Hawks and Screech Hawks.

Alignment: Considered to be Diabolic.

Attributes:

I.Q. 1D4+3 (medium animal intelligence)

M.E. 1D6+19

M.A. 1D6

P.S. 1D6+14 (Supernatural)

P.P. 1D6+13

P.E. 2D6+10 (Supernatural)

P.B. 1D6+6

Spd 1D6, or 2 mph (3.2 km) walking on the ground.

Maximum flying speed is 75 mph (120 km) and can be maintained for two hours. A more relaxed 50 mph (80 km) can be maintained for as long as 10 hours. A dive can attain a speed of 190 mph (304 km). Maximum altitude is three miles (4.8 km) or roughly 16,000 feet (4,877 m).

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M.D.C. by Location:

• *Wings (2) – 1D6+34 each (an additional +10 for males)
• Main Body – 2D6+50 (an additional +20 M.D.C. for males)

* A single asterisk means a small and/or difficult target to strike and requires a Called Shot to hit. Even then the attacker is -4 to strike. Reducing the M.D.C. of one wing to zero makes flight impossible until the bird can heal, which takes 1D6+6 days. Lost limbs do not regenerate.

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Horror Factor: 10 for an individual or pair, 15 for a flock of six or more. A small flock is 1D4+3 animals, medium 2D4+5, large (a rarity) 20 or more.

Size: 2 feet (0.6 m) tall and has a wingspan of 4-5 feet (1.2 to 1.5 m). Females are 10% smaller, but just as fast and deadly.

Weight: 15-20 pounds (6.8 to 9 kg).

Average Life Span: 50 years. Blood Hawks mate at the end of winter or early spring. Females lay 1D4 eggs that hatch 60 days later. Young are able to fly, poorly, at three weeks old, but need their parents to protect them and teach them how to hunt. Parents and young stay together as a family unit for 1D4+4 months. After which the young are able to hunt and take care of them-selves, and leave their parents.

Juveniles may stay together, at least for a time and do not usually join a flock until after reaching full sexual maturity and finding a mate at two or three years of age. Blood Hawks mate for life and travel and hunt together.

If a mate is slain the survivor morns for 1D6+1 years and will not consider finding a new mate until after that period is over.

P.P.E.: 3D6

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Disposition:

Patient and cunning avian predators, Blood Hawks often test potential prey to see if they can get the upper hand before engaging in an all out attack. Most aggressive when protecting a mate or their young. Will starve themselves in captivity and try to escape or kill their captor at every opportunity.

Note: Blood Hawks are completely untamable predatory animals, impervious to the influence of even the Simvan, Psi- Stalkers and Psi-Druids. However, they can become familiars via the Familiar Link spell invocation with the mage getting double the Hit Point bonus and the Blood Hawk getting one additional M.D.C. point. If the Blood Hawk familiar is slain, the mage to which it is linked takes double the usual damage from the severed link. Likewise, a Blood Hawk can be summoned and controlled by Shifters, but +1 to save.

Equivalent Skill Abilities:

Astronomy 65% (Blood Hawks have excellent sense of direction and can even navigate by the stars and moon), Climbing 40%/30%, Land Navigation 95% (-10%

at night), Tailing 75%, and Tracking 75% (by sight, includes tracking people, +10% to follow a blood scent).

Natural Abilities:

Hover indefinitely on wind currents and fly for 10 hours before needing to stop and rest. Extremely sharp, hawk-like vision that enables the bird to see a rabbit up to two miles (3.2 km) away, excellent other senses, Supernatural Strength and Endurance, incredible agility and fast. A day-time hunter, but may attack at night if its roost is disturbed or if starving, or easy prey drops in its lap; nightvision 1,000 feet (305 m). Bio-Regenerates at a rate of 1D6 M.D.C. per 24 hours. Also see Psionics.

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Attacks per Melee: Four.

Mega-Damage:

Attacks with razor-sharp beak and talons, usually making swooping and diving attacks.

• Bite – 1D6 M.D.
• Claw Strike – 1D6+4 M.D.
• Swooping Claw Strike – 2D6+6 M.D., but counts as two attacks.
• Power Dive (special) – 1D6x10 M.D., but it must be the animal’s first attack of the melee round, and uses ALL melee attacks/actions other than the ability to fly away at half its usual speed. Speed remains half for the next melee round (15 seconds), but its has four melee attacks that round. Diving attacks take a lot of energy and cannot be repeated more than every other melee round.

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Bonuses (in addition to possible attribute bonuses):

• +2 on Perception Rolls to notice prey and danger
• +5 on initiative
• +3 to strike
• No parry
• +2 to automatic dodge (the act of dodging does not use up a melee attack)
• +3 to pull punch/strike
• Critical Strike on a roll of a Natural 19-20 (double damage)
• +2 to roll with impact/fall, impervious to disease
• +4 to save vs poison,
• +2 to save vs Horror Factor.
• Needs a 12 or higher to save vs psionics.

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Vulnerabilities:

All Mega-Damage weapons and attacks inflict their full damage; -2 penalty to save vs magic and cannot swim.

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Magic: None.

Psionics (limited):

Psionic abilities are limited to:

Detect Psionics (6), See Aura (6), Sense Magic (3), Telekinetic Punch (6) and Telekinetic Push (4). Needs a 12 or higher to save vs psionics.

Equal to a third level Major Psychic.

Base I.S.P.: 1D6+50.

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Habitat:

Temperate Forests, Plains, and Mountain areas of America, Canada and Mexico. They are comparatively uncommon at locations with many ley lines, ley line triangles and strong magic energy or large populations of practitioners of magic like the fallen Kingdom of Tolkeen, Lazlo, New Lazlo, Calgary and the Magic Zone.

That said, lone hunters, pairs and small groups may be encountered almost anywhere in North America and are especially common in the mountainous regions.

Enemies:

As a predator that feeds on small, medium, and large animals, including humanoids, it sees most creatures as potential prey. Psi-Stalkers, Psi-Hounds, other CS mutant animals, Dark Hounds, and Simvan are regarded as natural enemies by the Blood Hawks to be avoided in large groups and killed when alone or in small groups. Psychics, magic practitioners, super-natural beings and Mega-Damage creatures are generally seen as too powerful to make good prey and are generally left alone unless they are sick, injured or dying.

Of course, the animal will fight anyone who provokes or attacks it, or threatens its mate or young.

Allies:

Only other Blood Hawks and may gather in small flocks of 2D6+1 animals. Blood Hawks sometimes perch and ride on the backs of truly massive creatures such as the Aegis Buffalo, Fury Beetles and some of the giant herbivore dinosaurs, but they are not allies and do not care about the welfare of the animal upon which they are resting or catching a ride.

Value:

None. Feared and disliked by most people, especially farmers, ranchers and those living in the wilderness, and considered to be dangerous and bad luck or a bad omen. May be used as a Familiar, via the Familiar Link spell.