Gem Crabs are huge crustaceans with a carapace of granite and legs of sandstone, with two perfect pearls of obsidian as eyes and 4 sets of pincers - 2 huge ones, for defense, and two smaller ones for precise tasks. Gem Crabs stand at about 7 feet high while on their legs, and while hiding they look like a simple rock of about 3-4 feet high. They demonstrate basic sentience and logic, and will usually act friendly to anyone bringing them offerings of gems. Gem Crabs are able to understand the basics of almost every language, but they cannot speak or read.
Gem Crabs are born in the burning deserts of the South, where they spend their first weeks alive looking for a place to call their home. Once they’ve found a nice place, they settle and start gathering precious materials in their lair. Gold, silver, or any type of gems will fill them with pride and joy once placed in their nest.
Most Gem Crabs collect gems - hence the name - but some of them have been seen collecting stranger things; one such being has been seen in a cavern of the Blessed Isle collecting books even though it can't read. Another such creature lives on a small western island and trades food for coral.
Essence: 2; Willpower: 4
Join Battle: 6 dice
Personal Motes: 70
Health Levels: -0x2/-1x3/-2x3/-4/Incap.
Actions: Feats of Strength: 8 dice (may attempt Strength 3 feats); Read Intentions: 7 dice; Intimidate: 8 dice;
Senses: 6 dice; Stealth: 7 dice; Mining: 9 dice
Appearance 1, Resolve 4, Guile 1
Combat
Attack (Pincer, Dual Wielded): 7 dice (Damage 15)
Attack (Grapple): 9 dice (12 dice to control)
Combat Movement: 5 dice
Evasion 0, Parry 3
Soak/Hardness: 18/10 (Stone Carapace)
Merits:
Savaging Strength: A Gem Crab may spend a point of Willpower to convert up to five dice on the control roll of a clinch to automatic successes.
Keen Touch: Gem Crabs apply the Double-9 rule on perception checks to feel with their legs or body, including vibrations.
Sand Natives: Gem Crabs suffer no penalties from sand. Examples include movement or perception due to walking on sand or perceiving
through a sand-storm.
Stone-Crusted Fortress-Carapace: Gem Crabs can hide in their carapace to protect themselves better than most creatures.
When taking a Full Defense action, the Gem Crab increases his Parry by 4 instead of 2, but his Evasion does not increase.
Offensive Charms
Spine-Snapping Strike (6m; Supplemental; Withering-Only; Instant; Essence 1): This charm can only be used during a Clash.
If the Gem Crab wins the Clash, it’s opponent is considered to have rolled 0 successes on his attack, and the damage roll gains Double-8.
Snapping-Claw Offensive (10m; Supplemental; Clash, Perilous, Withering-Only; One Round; Essence 2): While taking a Full Defense action,
the Gem Crab may Clash any attack made in close range against him with a Withering attack.
Defensive Charms
Defense-For-Offense Approach (4m; Reflexive; Eclipse; One Round; Essence 1): When using a Full Defense action, the Gem Crab
can activate this charm. Until his next action, every attack he parries give him a point of initiative for each attack parried this turn.
I.E. the first attack parried gives him 1 point of initiative, the second will give him 2, etc...
Winning a Clash counts as a successful Parry for the purpose of this charm.
Mobility Charms
Force-Mocking Stability (4m, see charm; Reflexive; Instant; Essence 1): Grounding itself to the Essence of the earth and stone,
the Gem Crab becomes impossible to move for a brief instant. This Charm can be invoked when being forced to move due to any reason
(grapple, knockback, tornado, etc…) to ignore the movement entirely. This stability is such that the elemental cannot be knocked prone.
For each range band of movement ignored by this effect, the Gem Crab loses a point of Initiative. Knockdown counts as 0 range bands for this effect.