The Kouhun [Minion]
Tiny, predatory, centipede-like insects that could grow to around 30 centimeters long, the kouhun are native to the jungle planet of Indourmodo, though they are capable of adapting to and surviving in most any environment except for extreme cold. Small and swift moving, they possess two stingers on the front and back of their body. Through these stingers they are capable of injecting an incredibly potent neurotoxin that can dispatch targets quite quickly, strong enough to kill a full grown humanoid in mere minutes. As a bonus, the effects of the poison mimic the effects of cardiac arrest in most sentient species, which makes this creature a very popular choice of weapon for assassins, bounty hunters, and other folks of ill repute. In addition, the kouhun’s natural white coloring meant they were often able to be dyed. Skilled assassins would sometimes dye them in the dominant color of the target’s surroundings, making them much harder to detect.
Characteristics
Brawn 1
Agility 3
Intellect 1
Cunning 1
Willpower 1
Presence 1
Soak Value: 3
Wound Threshold: 5
Melee/Ranged Defense: 0|0
Skills (group only): Brawl, Coordination, Stealth
Talents: None
Abilities: Agile Fighter (may use Agility instead of Brawn when making melee attacks), Potent Neurotoxin (A successful melee attack from the kouhun’s stingers that deals at least one point of damage injects the poison into the target. The target must make a Daunting Resilience check. Failure deals 5 wounds to the target plus 1 strain per threat generated. Despair generated on this roll can be spent to cause the poison to remain in the target’s system, affecting him again next round.), Silhouette 0
Equipment: two stingers (Brawl; Damage 2; Critical 4; Range [Engaged]; Pierce 2)
As you can see, these creatures don’t present much of a challenge on their own, especially to a character who has a high Brawn or wearing heavy armor. But then again, that’s not the creature’s real strength. One could easily argue that if the kouhun is going up against a character in full battle dress, his job has failed. The kouhun is as much a weapon as it is a creature, capable of being deployed by assassins and bounty hunters to take out targets while they are at home or otherwise not as concerned with personal defense. All it takes is a single bite to inject the poison, and that can be all it takes to kill a target. So make sure you check under you bed, shine a light in all of those dark corners, and make sure the windows are bolted shut before you go to sleep tonight. Or wear your armor to bed…
Ben Erickson
