Water Stand

By Strands Dude Dave Przybyla

Three days out from the kaer our exploration party passes the Imperial Highway, just south of the ruins of Outour, an
old imperial trading post. As we approach the still imposing walls, Zenagada, our Scout, pauses. She had thought the
bump on the road a mound of dirt or part of a low hill. Now we realize it is something covered by dirt and dead plants,
debris blown by the wind that caught on the obstruction.
A wooden cart (a wooden cart!) with two wheels, probably once pulled by an animal. No animals here, nor their
remains. Metal bits, bits of fabric, the cart once held something but is now empty. Yet not everything is missing. Two
corpses, shriveled and waterless, on either side of the road and the cart. Each wears tattered pants and tunic and no
boots, the bare feet stick out from the pant legs in an almost comical way. Their skin shrunk and became taut as it dried,
now muscles bulge through the thin parchment. Two men, one human and one dwarf, who do not look like they died in
peace, though I know better than to make assumptions, for the mask of death cannot be read the same as that of life.
Their faces are contorted in seeming agony, their hands grasp at their necks. There are no obvious marks of weapons or
violence upon their bodies. But it appears these men died struggling.
I ask for a halt, excited by the puzzle before me. Usually, the cause of death in the desert is more obvious; I will enjoy
extracting the secrets from these men.

- From the journal of Kouris, Nethermancer of Kaer Uqbar, written just before casting the
spell Experience Death.

Attribute Steps: Characteristics:

Dexterity: 10 Initiative: 11
Strength: 8 Physical Defense: 14
Toughness: 13 Spell Defense: 14
Perception: 10 Social Defense: 10
Willpower: 9 Movement: 150/75
Charisma: 8 Carrying/Lifting: 270/540
Physical Attacks: 1
Attack Type Attack Step Damage Step
Drown 12 3
Spell Attacks: 1
Spell Power Spell Power Step Spell Power Effect
Spellcasting 15
Power Power Step Quantity
Horror Mark 15
Karma Points 8 20
Karma Tap 15
Terror 15
Thirst 20
Defense and Damage
Physical Armor: 14 Mystic Armor: 6
Death Rating: 80 Wound Threshold: 18
Uncon. Rating: Immune Knockdown: Immune
Recovery Tests: 5

Legend Points: 5000

Loot: None
Commentary:
Water Stands evolved during the Scourge to emulate desert conditions, and are usually found where water is
scarce. An amorphous shape of varying size, a Water Stand equals the volume of a few gallons of water, able
to flow like water, seep into cracks, settle into the earth. It can also slither up vertical surfaces and make short
leaps, e.g., from the ground into the mouth of a Name-giver. A Water Stand cannot shape itself into
appendages, thereby creating hands, feet, etc. There is no way to distinguish a Water Stand from normal
water except through magic, or by observing its un-water-like behavior.
A Water Stand cannot see, hear, or speak, but perceives through vibrations and echoes that it senses through
the ground or the air. Thus, it is possible that by remaining still one might confuse a Water Stand and
prevent it from finding a victim. Water Stands have become very clever to avoid this dilemma. They can
follow footsteps, have good recognition of sounds out to several hundred yards (depending on the medium
the sound travels through), and remembers everything they "hear." One trick the Water Stand employs is
swirling in circles just beneath the surface of the ground, kicking up a cloud of dirt or sand that reflects from
foes to betray their presence.
These Horrors enjoys the cravings of thirst, and the pain of those who do not have enough to drink. They do
not necessarily wait for the slow death, but will just as often leap into the mouths of victims to drown them,
then jump back out when the deed is done. In this respect, Water Stands are very strange Horrors, because
they have not yet decided on a consistent modus operandi. Sometimes a Water Stand will Horror Mark a foe
and torment him with the Thirst Power, offering the use of Karma Tap in exchange for relieving the craving
for water; sometimes it will slay all foes as quickly as possible; sometimes it will kill one and then wander
off, leaving others unharmed. The Water Stand often seems capricious.
Some Water Stands have evolved near ancient pre-Scourge water sources in the desert, such as wells, and
have developed ties to the wells such that destroying the well will destroy the Horror. They will simulate
actual water so that a victim will drink them. These Horrors must protect the location whether or not it still
holds water, and to the death, for they will cease to exist if the location is destroyed.

Game Mechanics:
When a Water Stand attacks physically, it enters the victim's throat and blocks the air passages. This requires
a successful Attack Test against the victim's Physical Defense (unless the victim drinks the Water Stand!),
which allows the Water Stand to immediately enter the victim on that same action. Each round the Water
Stand is in the throat causes Step 3 damage as the victim slowly suffocates; the victim can no longer speak
since his throat is blocked.
The best way to get rid of a Water Stand is to destroy the location to which it is tied, if any. Otherwise,
probably magic provides the only way to help the victim without killing him, since a physical attack cannot
harm the Water Stand without going through the victim first! Water Stands are especially susceptible to fire-
based attacks, and may apply no armor to damage inflicted by them.
Unlike other Horrors, a victim of a Water Stand does not need to be within line-of-sight to be Horror
Marked; the only condition (which also applies to Karma Tap) is that the Water Stand must be able to sense
the victim through sound or vibrations.

Design Notes:
Some readers might object to the victim being unable to dislodge the Water Stand from his throat. I do not
include this as an option because it does not fit my vision of the creature. Besides destroying the location to
which the Water Stand is tied, the only way I can see to dislodge it from a victim (without necessarily killing
him) would be to employ spells. While Wizard and Nethermancer spells would seem most appropriate, the
Strands Elementalist spell Olav's Rain of Fire might also work. Engulfing the victim in the Rain of Fire would
simultaneously harm the Water Stand, which would probably be less able to withstand the flames than the
character. It would be a race to see who would die first!
Alternatives that would allow the victim a chance to get rid of a Water Stand within him: treat the Water
Stand as a poison that requires a Toughness Test to disgorge (or the use of another talent or spell that can
affect poison), or allow Willpower Tests to determine whether the victim can "throw up" the Water Stand.
This creature was designed to be included in the Erg Atchane setting, which began as a campaign where I
was the gamemaster. It is based on something I saw in an amine called Jo Jo's Bizarre Adventure. Because of
its fluid properties, the Water Stand can be very difficult to corner, and could give an adventuring group a
tough (and frustrating) challenge. A party with no spellcasters would need to be very creative to defeat this
Horror. In addition, whether a Water Stand contains elemental water, or can be used for any of the purposes
for which elemental water is employed, should be strictly up to the gamemaster.