Also known as: Sky-Clamp, Doorbat, The Hanging Shape
Altered Dimensions — Field Report
The first Latchwing incursion coincided with a rash of sealed hatches and jammed access panels aboard a high-altitude research platform. Surveillance footage showed nothing entering the frame—only doors closing and failing to reopen. When handlers finally flushed the creature into open air, it detached from the structure and drifted away, carrying a piece of composite alloy fused into its body. From that point on, capture teams learned to treat infrastructure failures as possible wildlife events.
Taxonomy Tags:
Power Source: Magic · Intelligence Level: Intelligent · Biome: Sky, Urban · Origin: Created · Threat Scale: Minor · Physical Form: Hybrid · Behavioral Disposition: Opportunistic · Social Structure: Pair-Bonded · Narrative Role: Trickster · Environmental Interaction: Creates Hazards
Physical Description
The Latchwing resembles a broad-winged creature with a flattened, manta-like silhouette, roughly two meters across when fully spread. Its wings end in jointed, claw-like structures capable of gripping surfaces with precise pressure. The underside is patterned with interlocking ridges resembling mechanical latches or locking teeth. When at rest, it folds itself tightly against walls, doors, or machinery, making it appear as an extension of the structure rather than a separate organism.
Taxonomy Overview
The Latchwing is classified under magic due to its apparent ability to manipulate fastening mechanisms and closures without direct physical force, though in no-magic settings this may be reframed as advanced electrostatic adhesion or micro-scale material manipulation. It is fully intelligent, capable of problem-solving, recognizing patterns of access and control, and deliberately exploiting them. Latchwings inhabit skies and dense urban environments, favoring elevated structures, vehicles, and enclosed spaces with moving parts. Evidence suggests they were created—either engineered or deliberately summoned—for a purpose no longer understood. Their threat level is minor; they rarely injure directly, but their interference can escalate danger by sealing exits, disabling equipment, or trapping individuals. Physically hybrid, they blend organic tissue with rigid, structured surfaces. They behave opportunistically, feeding or nesting where disruption creates advantage. Latchwings form stable pair bonds, coordinating loosely but without broader social groups. Narratively, they function as tricksters, complicating situations rather than confronting directly, and they create hazards by altering how environments are meant to function.
Encounter Frequency & Usage
Encounter Frequency: Uncommon. Latchwings are best introduced through environmental problems—doors that won’t open, vehicles that won’t disengage, or safety systems behaving “incorrectly.” In fantasy games they may be treated as arcane constructs gone feral; in sci-fi or modern settings, as anomalous organisms interacting with technology in impossible ways. They shine in scenarios where timing, escape routes, and containment matter more than damage output.
Stat Blocks
OpenD6
Strength: 2D
Dexterity: 4D
Intelligence: 3D
Perception: 3D
Wits: 3D
Presence: 2D
Special Abilities
Latch Manipulation: The Latchwing may seal, jam, or lock a nearby door, hatch, or mechanical access point with a successful Moderate Wits roll.
Clinging Glide: While attached to a surface, the Latchwing gains +1D to resist being dislodged.
Structural Camouflage: Perception checks to notice a stationary Latchwing attached to infrastructure increase difficulty by one level.
Move: 12 (fly), 4 (crawl)
Scale: Character
Fate Points: 0
Character Points: 0
Basic Fantasy RPG
Armor Class: 15
Hit Dice: 2 (9 hp average)
Move: 30’ (fly), 10’
Attacks: 1 claw (1d4)
No. Appearing: 1–2
Save As: Thief 2
Morale: 6
Alignment: Neutral
XP Value: 50
Special Abilities
Seal Mechanism: Once per encounter, the Latchwing may cause a door, chest, or similar object to become stuck for 1d4 rounds unless forced.
Wall Clinger: May cling to walls and ceilings without penalty.
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