The Bonestrider began as an attempt to create a Warstrider without the necessary materials, little more than a giant zombie held together with nails and sinew with a hollowed out cavity for a pilot its true value is to mortal warfare. Its creator the Daybreak Caste Abyssal The Seven-Degreed Physician of Black Maladies has already begun to sell them in the Hundred Kingdoms. It's unknown if he has any ulterior motives beyond this war profiteering.
The Carrion Lord was the second of the Physician's Bonestriders and sold for a substantial sum to the Republic of Aresha. Its name comes from the fact that the outer armour was insufficient to completely contain the smell of decay from the deceased giant and this causes crows and other scavengers to flock to it like an ill omen. The Areshans have no love of the monster that wears their colours and the honour and prestige of being the Bonestrider's pilot has been diminished since its third pilot died of old age. Now Carrion Lord lingers, slouched over in a modified barn being watched over by a specialised group of surgeons and embalmers.
Essence: 1; Willpower: 1; Join Battle:2 dice
Health Levels: -0x5/-1x5/-2x7/-4x7/Incap.
Speed Bonus:+0
Actions: Feats of Strength: 12 dice (may attempt Strength 7 feats, see Incredible Might); Intimidation: 10 dice
Appearance 3 (Hideous), Resolve 3, Guile 1
Combat
Attack (Greatsword): 11 dice (Damage 16, minimum 3)
Attack (Greataxe): 11 dice (Damage 16, minimum 2) Chopping
Attack (Shield Bash): 12 dice (Damage 14, minimum 1) Smashing
Attack (Grapple): 8 dice (10 dice to control). The Bonestrider makes unopposed control rolls against enemies of smaller size, unless its victims use magic that allows them to clinch larger enemies, such as Dragon Coil Technique
Combat Movement: 5 dice
Evasion 1, Parry 5
Soak/Hardness: 20/10 (bony carapace)
Special Attacks
Dual Strikes: The pilot may pay a point of Willpower to make a flurry of two different attacks. Each attack must have a different target and be made using a different weapon. A Bonestrider wielding a shield may instead flurry an attack with a full defense action.
Merits
Attunement Spike: The Bonestrider is hungry for essence and in order to function it must take 16m per hour from a pilot or a sacrificial victim bound within the cockpit, if they are unable to pay the essence the Bonestrider instead drains their willpower at 4wp per hour and then finally their health levels at 2l per hour. Injuries from this take the form of premature aging, such as physical weakness, greying hair and sallow skin.
Hollow: The cavity in the Bonestrider’s chest in large enough for a single human sized individual who receive the benefits of being protected with a Defend Other action with an effective Parry of 5. It should be noted that killing the pilot doesn’t actually stop the Bonestrider until it next requires essence.
Incredible Might: The Bonestrider applies double 8s on any feat of strength.
Legendary Size: The Bonestrider’s immense size makes it extraordinarily difficult for human-scale enemies to engage it in combat. It does not take onslaught penalties from any attack made by a smaller opponent, although magically-inflicted onslaught penalties still apply against it. Withering attacks made by smaller enemies cannot drop the Bonestrider below 1 Initiative unless they have a post-soak damage of 10 dice (although attackers can still gain the full amount of Initiative damage dealt). Decisive attacks made by smaller enemies cannot deal more than (3 + attacker’s Strength) levels of damage to the Bonestrider with a single attack, not counting any levels of damage added by Charms or other magic.
Notes:
Carrion Lord is artifact 3 and requires maintainance and repairs as though it were a Warstrider. Though the craft required is Necrosurgery.