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Cursed Effigy

Adversaries Designed by James Bratten • Art by Zinaida

Adversary overview

A malformed guardian of straw, bone, and bound souls. Its stitched grin never moves, but its head jerks to follow intruders. It serves its witch-mistress even after she’s long gone.

Cursed Effigies are crude constructs stitched together from straw, bone, and remnants of failed enchantments. Created by witches,
hags, or desperate necromancers, each effigy carries a sliver of its maker’s soul — a bound echo of hatred and loyalty.

When its creator dies, the effigy doesn’t rest. It waits. Over decades, it sags and rots in the fields or forests it once guarded, until a traveler’s voice, a trespasser’s footstep, or a whisper of the witch’s name reawakens its purpose.

They move with jerking, puppetlike motions. Their heads swivel with the sound of creaking rope. At night, their hollow eyes glow faintly from the embers that burn inside their chests.

Stat block

Tier
2
Type
Minion
Difficulty
13
HP
1
Stress
1
Attack mod
0
Damage thresholds
Minor Damage — Mark 1 HP Minor
Mark 1 HP
1
Major Damage — Mark 2 HP Major
Mark 2 HP
1
Severe Damage — Mark 3 HP Severe
Mark 3 HP

Standard attack

Raking Claws
Range: Melee
Damage: 5
Attack Mod: 0
Damage Type: Physical

Features

Passives

  • Minion (6)

    The Effigy is defeated when they take any damage. For every 6 damage a PC deals to the Effigy, defeat an additional Minion within range the attack would succeed against.

Actions

  • Group Attack
    fear 1

    Spend a Fear to choose a target and spotlight all Cursed Effigies within Close range of them. Those Minions move into Melee
    range of the target and make one shared attack roll. On a success, they deal 5 physical damage each. Combine this damage.

Reactions

  • Reanimation
    stress 1

    When destroyed, mark a Stress to rise again with 1 Hit Point. The Effigy collapses completely only when it has no Stress remaining.

Motives & tactics

Obey lingering curses and defend the grove. Terrify before killing. Prefers ambush and coordinated strikes with allies.

Experiences

  • Intimidation +2

Cursed Effigy

Tier 2 minion

A malformed guardian of straw, bone, and bound souls. Its stitched grin never moves, but its head jerks to follow intruders. It serves its witch-mistress even after she’s long gone.

Motives & Tactics: Obey lingering curses and defend the grove. Terrify before killing. Prefers ambush and coordinated strikes with allies.

Difficulty: 13 | Thresholds: 1/1 | HP: 1 | Stress: 1

ATK: 0 | Raking Claws: Melee | 5 Physical

Experience: Intimidation +2

HP:

STRESS:

Features

Minion (6) - Passive: The Effigy is defeated when they take any damage. For every 6 damage a PC deals to the Effigy, defeat an additional Minion within range the attack would succeed against.
Group Attack - Action: Spend a Fear to choose a target and spotlight all Cursed Effigies within Close range of them. Those Minions move into Melee range of the target and make one shared attack roll. On a success, they deal 5 physical damage each. Combine this damage.
Reanimation - Reaction: When destroyed, mark a Stress to rise again with 1 Hit Point. The Effigy collapses completely only when it has no Stress remaining.

Discussion

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