Vileblod leeches (Sanguisuga pallidusa)  

Those who live in the wetlands know that even the shortest of baths can result in an unwelcome collection of insects and other pests. Among the common nuisances in these environments are mosquitoes, water spiders, and leeches. However, one of the most insidious creatures that can attach itself to unsuspecting individuals is the vileblood leech. They are known to trouble both locals and those who traverse the wetlands on foot. When these leeches fasten onto a person’s legs, they induce a sense of dizziness and disorientation, making it difficult to escape their clutches. In larger groups, their ability to dilute the blood of those they attach to results in increasing weakness over time, ultimately leading to their victim’s demise.

Appearance: These creatures have flat and elongated bodies, resembling small snakes. They typically reach no more than a foot in length (30 centimeters), but they can expand in size up to 10 times when filling their entire volume with blood. When killed or sliced at this enlarged state, they can potentially bleed someone to death. Their mouths have a circular opening filled with needle-like teeth, which they use to attach themselves to their prey.

Statistics: B1 S1 M1 W1 L4 Ev8 D4

Skills: Stealth +6

Abilities:

• Leaching – The creature attaches itself to the target undetected but each time it sucks enough blood to grow in size, it reattaches itself making this procedure noticeable. Each hour if a character fails a Perception check on the creature, they first lose 1 Life point, which is doubled with every consecutive fail. Conversely, each consecutive Perception check this creature gets −1 to Stealth.