Strix

Strix

Giant forest owls with fifteen-foot wingspans, strix hunt by diving down from the skies and carrying their prey aloft with them — prey that can range from deer, to wolves, to isolated travelers. Mottled dark-brown feathers that make no sound in flight and large, round eyes that see clearly in the dark make them deadly nocturnal ambush predators, while their wicked claws have more than enough strength to seize and savage prey.
Essence: 1; Willpower: 5; Join Battle: 7 dice
Health Levels: −0/−1x3/−2x3/−4/Incap
Actions: Feats of Strength: 6 dice (may attempt Strength 3 feats); Fly: 8 dice; Intimidate: 5 dice;
Senses: 5 dice (see Eagle Eye and Night Vision);
Stealth: 7 dice; Tracking: 6 dice
Resolve 2, Guile 2

COMBAT
Attack (Peck): 7 dice (Damage 15)
Attack (Talons): 11 dice (Damage 11)
Attack (Grapple): 8 dice (7 dice to control)
Combat Movement: 8 dice
Evasion 5, Parry 3
Soak/Hardness: 3/0
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Carried Away: When a strix deals 5+ levels of damage with a withering talon attack, it may forgo receiving any Initiative and instead perform a reflexive grapple gambit against that enemy. Each point of Initiative it would have gained adds one bonus die to the control roll if the grapple is successful.
Dread Clutches: When the strix savages a grappled enemy, it may also drag him along with any movement actions it takes, without restraining him first. The strix may move normally during a grapple as long as it’s in flight.
Swooping Descent: A strix that flies downward to make a decisive unexpected attack adds two automatic successes to the attack roll. A strix soaring high in the sky is beyond sensory range without superhuman senses, ensuring an ambush on first strike and allowing the strix to attempt re-establishing stealth in combat or withdrawing from the battlefield by simply flying higher than its enemies can see.

MERITS
Eagle Eye: A strix gains five bonus dice on visual Perception- based rolls to notice something while it has the height advantage, and can make out fine details of far-off targets this way. It automatically succeeds on rolls to track a character while airborne, unless that character employs perfect concealment magic.
Eagle Wing Rush: A strix may rush enemies from long range above them, as long as the horizontal distance between them is still at short range.
Night Vision: A strix can see in dim conditions without penalty, and reduces the difficulty of Perception-based rolls made in deeper darkness by one.
Storyteller Tactics
A strix prefers fly-by grapple gambits, snatching up prey and carrying it off to its nest or another high perch to pick apart at its leisure. It cannot throw or slam grappled enemies, but may release them from a great height to cause falling damage as normal. It attempts to flee upon suffering 5+ levels of damage, carrying away anything caught in its talons.