Acolyte Hybrid

Saves: Agility +5

Proficiencies: Stealth +5, Athletics +4

Senses: Sees normally in dim light and darkness

Cult Ambush. If the acolyte hybrid begins the encounter hidden, its first melee attack gains Advantage.

Wall-Runner. The acolyte climbs sheer industrial surfaces at full Movement and ignores difficult terrain in mines, sewers, and hab-warrens.

Too Many Truths. The first time a creature sees the acolyte clearly, it makes a Willpower Save DC 12 or suffers Disadvantage on its next attack as the wrongness of the body registers.

Rending Claw. Melee Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 2d6 + 2 rending damage. On a critical hit, the target's armor is degraded, reducing its Defense by 1 until repaired.

Heavy Rock Cutter. Melee Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 2d10 + 2 rending damage. This slow industrial-tool strike destroys Light Cover it is turned against and can be used only every other turn.

Drag Into the Dark. On a hit with Rending Claw against a Pinned or isolated target, the acolyte pulls the target 10 feet toward a hatch, shaft, or shadow.

Morale: Does not flee while the brood's will presses on it; withdraws into tunnels only to reposition and strike again.

Tactics: Stay off-map until the party commits to the firefight, then erupt behind or beneath their position. Punish anyone who leaves the group or stands near a vent. Rotate out through tunnels rather than dying in the open.

Loot / Evidence / Hooks: A worker's ident-tags on a body that stopped being a worker generations ago — proof the infection runs through the census.

An Acolyte Hybrid is a second-generation cultist whose body has stopped keeping the family secret — hunched, clawed, and terribly fast in the dark. It closes distance through spaces humans forgot existed.

Use this enemy when the party needs melee pressure erupting from tunnels, vents, and floor grates in the middle of a firefight.

Moderate durability, high melee pressure, strong ambush and climb mobility, fear factor on reveal, fanatical morale.

Cult Ambush. If the acolyte begins the encounter hidden, its first melee attack gains Advantage.

Wall-Runner. Climbs sheer industrial surfaces at full Movement and ignores difficult terrain in mines, sewers, and hab-warrens.

Too Many Truths. The first time a creature sees the acolyte clearly, it makes a Willpower Save or is shaken, taking Disadvantage on its next attack.

Rending Claw. Melee attack that degrades armor on a critical hit.

Heavy Rock Cutter. Slow, brutal industrial-tool attack that mangles cover and limbs alike.

Drag Into the Dark. On a hit against a Pinned or isolated target, pulls the target 10 feet toward a hatch, shaft, or shadow.

Morale: Does not flee while the brood's will presses on it; withdraws into tunnels only to reposition and strike again.

Tactics: Hold acolytes off-map until the party is committed to a firefight with neophytes, then reveal them behind or beneath the party's position. They should punish anyone who leaves the group, guards the rear alone, or stands near a vent. Rotate them out through tunnels rather than letting them die in the open.

Full Stat Block Priority: Medium