ACKS monster: Half-Ghoul

Half-Ghoul
% In Lair: 20%
Dungeon Enc: Cabal (1d8) / Lair (3d8)
Wildreness Enc: Cult (3d8) / Lair (3d8)
Alignment: Chaotic
Movement: 90' (30')
Armor class: 2
Hit Dice: 1*
Attacks: 3 (2 claws, bite) or by weapon
Damage: 1d3/1d3/1d3 or by weapon
Save: F1
Morale: +3
Treasure Type: D
XP: 13

Those touched by the dread Lady Beneath - the Chthonic goddess Kassogtha - slowly fall into her embrace of eternal life-in-death. Dark rituals slowly turn the devout cultist into a half-ghoul - disfigured and malicious, slowly rotting alive towards death and "rebirth" in undeath. The cultist appears disfigured with lesions and blisters on his face and body; his fingers are elongated to resemble claws and his teeth grow into fangs. Half-ghouls often disguise themselves as plague victims and wear long robes and hoods to obscure their true nature.

The half-ghoul is not undead (yet) and thus cannot be turned and is still vulnerable to sleep, charm, and hold spells, as well as poison. He is, however, immune to disease. Unlike a true ghoul, he cannot paralyze with his bite, but he can still deliver vicious bites and rend flesh with his claws. When a half-ghoul dies, he will rise as a true ghoul on the next dusk unless he is decapitated, a stake is driven into his heart, or the spell bless is cast upon his body.

Half-ghouls are fanatics of their cult and much more willing to die for their rotten goddess than regular ghouls are. Kassogtha's dark blessing also imbues them with strength and resilience beyond those they had as normal men before they entered her unholy embrace.

Monster Monday: Neo-Rabid Humans for SWN (Zombies!)

Art by Luigi Castellani

After a week-long delay in this regular feature due to an excessive work-load in my day-job, I'm back again, this time with Zombies!

Neo-Rabid Human 

Armor Class: 9

Hit Dice: 1

Attack Bonus: +2

Damage: Bite (1d6)/Claw (1d4)/Claw (1d4)

No. Appearing: 2d6 (band) or 6d6 (horde)

Saving Throw: 15+

Movement: 20m

Morale: 12

Neo-Rabies is a genetically-enhanced version of the rabies virus originating from various pre-Scream Mandate research "black sites".  A potent bio-weapon, it was modified to have a far shorter incubation time and to reach the victim's brain within 24 hours. Once there, it is engineered to keep the host alive and active for several weeks (essentially the later stages of neural damage are delayed). The end result is a "zombie" plague, though the "zombies" are not dead yet, just brain-damaged, aggressive, and out for a bite.

Being bitten by a Neo-Rabid human may infect the subject with Neo-Rabies; the victim of a successful bite which caused any damage must save vs. Physical Effect or be exposed to Neo-Rabies. The disease itself has Toxicity 10, Virulence 3, Interval of one day. At each interval the victim loses 1d4 Wisdom. Three failed saving throws mean an irrecoverable transformation into a Neo-Rabid human, who will die off in 2d6 days but in the meantime will attack and try to bite any organic creature in its way except for other Neo-Rabid humans. The effect of this disease on aliens is unknown.

Monster Monday: Giant Roaches for Classic Traveller!

Well, this is the Space Cockroach's Hideout, isn't it? So how about some unrealistically large roaches for your Classic Traveller gaming needs?

Giant Cockroach

Gatherer, Swarm (3d6), 25kg, hits 8/5, as Mesh, "Teeth" (mandibulae; 2D damage), A9, F3, S3

The Giant Cockroach is a giant - and particularly disgusting - version of the common cockroach, reaching up to 60cm in length not including antennae (which add another 30cm!) and weighting about 25 kilograms. While giant cockroaches feed on trash and other smelly substances found in sewers and not on flesh, and are cowardly insects to boot, they will fight to defend their nests and territories, and may stage an opportunistic attack on weak adventurers. Note that the giant cockroach is highly resistant to radiation, as well as to most toxins and pathogens.

Balroach

Gatherer, Solitary or Swarm (1d6), 800kg, hits 25/10, as Cloth, "Teeth" (mandibulae; 5D damage), A5, F8, S2

The Dreaded Balroach is a horribly nauseating cockroach larger than a horse. While it is an omnivore and scavenger rather than a predator, it will fiercely defend its lair and may see weak adventurers as food. Its horrid appearance and unsightly behavior make it a menace whenever it emerges from its sewerly warrens to scavenge in the dwellings of humanity! The Balroach is immune to almost all toxins and diseases as well as to most dosages of radiation except for extremely high doses.

Monster Monday: Dread Chuul for Stars Without Number

Dread Chuul

Armor Class: 1

Hit Dice: 10

Attack Bonus: +10/+10

Damage: 2d6/2d6 (claw/claw)

No. Appearing: solitary or group (1d6)

Saving Throw:  10+

Movement: walk 20m, swim 10m

Morale: 10

(D20 SRD monster converted to SWN)

Engineered in some arcane pre-Scream laboratory as a living amphibious tank, the Chuul is a horrible mix of crustacean, insect, and serpent. After a laboratory accident allowed several of these creatures to sneak into the local waterways, it has later spread to several other worlds even before the Scream came. This abomination lurks submerged or partially submerged in murky water, awaiting for prey to devour. Although amphibious, Chuuls are not good swimmers and actually prefer to be on land or in very shallow water when they attack. A Chuul is about 3m and weighs 650kg and prefers to wait by the shore, submerged in murky water, until it hears nearby prey (in or out of the water) that it can attack with surprise. Chuuls may live indefinitely on land and under water and are immune to most known poisons and diseases.

The Chuul grabs with its claws and constricts its foe, then passes the opponent to its paralytic tentacles. It tries to always have one claw free, so if it faces a large number of opponents, it drops a paralyzed or dead victim and continues attempting to grab, constrict, and paralyze the rest. On a successful hit by a Chuul's claw, it is also able to constrict a victim for an additional 3d6 points of damage. The constriction continues on subsequent rounds. The hold may be broken on a roll of 2 or less on 1d6 (add the victim’s Strength bonus to the range, so a Strength of 16 would allow for the character to free himself from the dread Chuul on a roll of 3 or less); breaking the hold takes a full round.

A victim grabbed by the Chuul's claw are also grasped by its tentacles, which exude a paralytic secretion. Anyone held in the tentacles must each round save vs. physical effect on the Chuul’s turn or be paralyzed for the next round. While held in the tentacles, paralyzed or not, a victim automatically takes 1d8 points of additional damage each round from the creature’s mandibles.

Monday Monster: Reticulans!

Reticulan in Vacc Suit

The Reticulans are one of the so-called "Precursor Races" of my Alkonost Cluster/Sector for Stars Without Number. Their vast majority is now long dead, though dormant motherships still linger in some places, most notably the benighted world of Carcosa in the Alkonost Sector.

They are small, slender humanoids similar to the archetypal "Grey Aliens" of UFO lore: standing approximately 140cm tall, with large heads and almond-shaped multifaceted eyes, little or no nose and a small, toothy mouth. They exhibit both mammalian, reptilian and insectoid characteristics, and are typically dressed in a utilitarian harness carrying tools, sometimes in addition to a deflector belt projecting an energy shield defending the alien from attacks.

The Reticulans wereshaped by two main biological facts about their species: they reproduced asexually through parthenogenesis (similarly to aphids and certain species of whiptail lizards on Earth), and, originally, were scavengers who ate prey long after the predators killed it and ate their share.

Reticulan in force field

All Reticulans are "female" - each lays eggs several times in "her" life, each egg eventually hatching a Reticulan hatchling. No sexual contact with other individuals is required for this form of reproduction. This creates relatively less genetic variety than sexual reproduction, but the hatchlings are not exact clones of their "mother" (though they are pretty similar to "her"). This led to the initial hypothesis (by Humans when they first encountered their ruins on Zeta 2 Reticuli) that the Reticulans are all artificial clones - but, in reality, they are not. The implication of this is that all the social constructs based on sexual reproduction, such as family, love and so on found in Humans, are alien to Reticulans. The basic social unit is the "mother" and her "daughters", and, eventually, a genetic "line" tracing back to a single progenitor "mother". There is never a question put to a Reticulan's parentage: whoever laid the egg is the "mother". It also means that a single healthy Reticulan can colonize a planet in several generations' time.

Reticulans examining a human colony

Originally, the Reticulans were scavengers, eating remains of the prey of bigger predators. They never fought the predator, or the various hijackers, but rather waited for them to finish, then moved to feed on the remains. This made them relatively unadapted to physical fighting; lacking a reason to fight over mates (due to a-sexual reproduction) made even less evolutionary reason for them to be efficient physical fighters. Tool use allowed them to chase away predators from prey, and thus get a bigger part of the carcass, and, eventually, hunt themselves, and, later on, raise livestock. But poor fighters they remained - except for using various machines to fight the sporadic wars between groups. But, generally speaking, if possible, Reticulans see tools and technology as a solution to things, and their rulers are typically "tool-makers" (in later times, scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs) rather than warrior-types. As a spacefaring civilization, they fought using robots, as well as alien auxiliary troops and mercenaries. They can fight, but lack the instincts or muscle mass to be efficient soldiers (they were better as spies or as behind-the-scenes tacticians). The archetypal Reticulan government was a technocracy; their Empire, was led by monopolist mercantile-industrial Great Houses (each controlled by a genetic line), and, on top of that, an Imperial line controlling the biggest corporation.

All Reticulans are Psychic to a certain degree. Most have very rudimentary telepathic abilities, but their leaders possess great psychic strength. The Reticulans who survive to this day have avoided destruction or madness during the Scream as they were held in stasis or suspended animation, oblivious to the world around their dormant motherships. Now, here and there, their survivors might be awakened from their millennia-long slumber to face a different, alien world. There they attempt to study the new times in their typical inquisitive manner, such as by performing tests and dissections on captured specimen and spying on the "younger" sentients.

Note that Reticulans have access to Tech 5 gear and artifacts, though most of them will be unable to manufacture much new technology as almost all of their industrial worlds are gone. The typical Mothership may fabricate a limited amount of spare parts but lacks any proper industrial capacity.

Reticulan Technician

Armor Class: 6 (basic force field)

Hit Dice: 1

Attack Bonus: +2

Damage: 2d6 (Thermal Pistol), range 25m/50m

No. Appearing: Team (2d6)

Saving Throw:  15+

Movement: 20m

Morale: 7

This is the typical Reticulan worker, technician or low-rank researcher - not trained for combat, but rather for self-defense, and equipped with a "Plasma Pistol" (AKA Thermal Pistol - SWN p.37). "She" will fight only to defend herself or her ship, and is not a soldier in any way, but will, in many cases, participate in abductions, dissections and assorted low-grade espionage work. A Reticulan Technician may use any of the Levels 1-3 Telepathy powers at will, and will typically communicate telepathically with "her" fellow Reticulans as well as with other sentients.

Reticulan Security

Armor Class: 2 (Deflector Array)

Hit Dice: 2

Attack Bonus: +4

Damage: 2d8 (Plasma Projector), range 50m/100m

No. Appearing: Security Detail (1d6)

Saving Throw:  14+

Movement: 20m

Morale: 9

While the Reticulans lack proper front-line soldiers - they prefer to relegate this job to robots or to alien shock-troops - they do have a highly-equipped and well-trained security force aboard their motherships. A typical Reticulan shore (or abduction) party will include a Security Detail armed with "Plasma Rifles"(AKA Plasma Projectors - SWN p.37) and equipped with Deflector Array-equivalents and trained in combat. A Reticulan Technician may use any of the Levels 1-3 Telepathy powers at will, and will typically communicate telepathically with "her" fellow Reticulans as well as with other sentients.

Reticulan Leader

Armor Class: 0 (Field Emitter Panoply)

Hit Dice: 6

Attack Bonus: +6

Damage: 2d6 (Thermal Pistol), range 25m/50m

No. Appearing: Solitary

Saving Throw:  12+

Movement: 20m

Morale: 12

Each Reticulan unit is led by a leader of great psychic abilities and an unmatched intellect. "She" may use any Telepathy powers of levels 1-8 at will as well as Telekinesis and Biopsionics powers of levels 1-4. The leader is also capable of mind control - three times a day, "she" may Enslave a sentient creature; the victim must save vs. mental effect, or become the Reticulan's mental thrall, fully under the alien's command. An Enslaved creature obeys the Reticulan’s telepathic commands until the Reticulan is killed, and can attempt a new save vs. mental effect every hour to break free. The control is also broken if the Reticulan dies or travels more than 1 mile from "her" slave.

Monday Monster: Deep Ones!

This regular feature of my blog is a little delayed this week by a particularly heavy workload yesterday and on Sunday. But here you go - Cthulhu-mythos-type Deep Ones for Stars Without Number!

"I think their predominant colour was a greyish-green, though they had white bellies. They were mostly shiny and slippery, but the ridges of their backs were scaly. Their forms vaguely suggested the anthropoid, while their heads were the heads of fish, with prodigious bulging eyes that never closed. At the sides of their necks were palpitating gills, and their long paws were webbed. They hopped irregularly, sometimes on two legs and sometimes on four. I was somehow glad that they had no more than four limbs. Their croaking, baying voices, clearly used for articulate speech, held all the dark shades of expression which their staring faces lacked ... They were the blasphemous fish-frogs of the nameless design - living and horrible."

- H.P. Lovecraft, "The Shadow Over Insmouth"

The Deep Ones are a race of aquatic monstrosities, part aquatic, part amphibian and part humanoid, who have inhabited the oceans of several planets for aeons. And yet, they remain; dwelling under the waves in their magnificent, if terrible, reef cities, where they pay tribute to their father-god, Dagon, as well as to their over-god, K'tulu. The Deep Ones are not content with living underwater, however. In service of their utterly alien masters, they seek to infiltrate coastal colonies, intermixing with the local human population, and tainting the blood of men with their terrible curse.

Deep One Hybrid

Armor Class: 8 (due to natural roughness; or by armor worn)

Hit Dice: 1

Attack Bonus: +2

Damage: by weapon

No. Appearing: 2d4 (gang) or 4d6 (warband)

Saving Throw: 15+

Movement: 20m, swims at 10m

Morale: 9

A Hybrid is a regular human tainted with Deep One blood; in addition to its abilities noted above, it may hold his breath for up to 10 minutes with no difficulty, and sometimes uses this ability to ambush unsuspecting prey who wander near murky water. Without close inspection, however, Hybrids may pass for normal, if ugly, humans, and they may use this fact to lure unsuspecting victims to their seaside villages, and even to stay at their inns, and then capture them and sacrifice them to their dread god K'tulu. They usually wear unkempt clothes or light armor and fight using simple weapons such as shotguns, pistols and semi-automatic rifles, though better armament may exist in some places. Each Hybrid gang is led by a ringleader with AC 7, 2 HD and a 14+ saving throw - as well as typically better weapons than its subordinates. Each Warband is led by a war-chief with AC 5, 2+1 HD, and +1 to melee weapon damage and to hit due to greater strength. A Deep One Hybrid village will be led by a headman with AC 4, 3 HD and +2 to damage to to-hit in melee from Strength; as long as he is alive, his cohorts will have Morale 11; in addition, there will be a minor Priest of Dagon in each village, with AC 7, 3 HD, gifted by its mad masters with free access to levels 1 through 3 Precognition and Telepathy psychic powers.

Deep One

Armor Class: 5 (due to natural armor)

Hit Dice: 2+1

Attack Bonus: +4/+4/+4 (bite, claw, claw)

Damage: 1d6/1d4/1d4 (bite, claw, claw)

No. Appearing: 2d4 (gang) or 4d6 (warband)

Saving Throw: 14+

Movement: 20m, swims at 30m

Morale: 11

A full Deep One is a monstrosity combining the features of a man, a frog and a fish. It may breath freely both under and above water, can see into the infrared spectrum and is immune to most disease; it has a very long life-span measured in centuries and it is theorized that such creatures' bodies produce natural anagathics preserving them from regular aging. Deep Ones have thick scales protecting their bodies and attack with their claws and teeth. Each Deep One gang is led by a champion with AC 2, 4HD and +1 bonus to both attacks and damage from Strength. Each Warband is led by a war-chief with AC 4, 6 HD and +2 to to-hit and damage rolls due to his massive strength. A Deep One village is led by a prince with AC 2, 8 HD, and +2 to damage to to-hit from Strength; as long as he is alive, his cohorts will gain a +1 bonus to Morale; in addition, there will be a Priest of Dagon in each Deep One village, with AC 3, 7 HD, and access to precognitive and telepathic psychic powers of levels 1-5.

Monster Monday: Giant Cockroaches for SWN - and the Dreaded Balroach!

Well, this is the Space Cockroach's Hideout, isn't it? So how about some unrealistically large roaches for your Stars Without Number gaming needs?

Giant Cockroach

Armor Class: 7

Hit Dice: 1

Attack Bonus: +2

Damage: 1d4

No. Appearing: 4d6

Saving Throw:  15+ (but see below)

Movement: 20m

Morale: 7

The Giant Cockroach is a giant - and particularly disgusting - version of the common cockroach, reaching up to 60cm in length not including antennae (which add another 30cm!) and weighting about 20 kilograms. While giant cockroaches feed on trash and other smelly substances found in sewers and not on flesh, and are cowardly insects to boot, they will fight to defend their nests and territories, and may stage an opportunistic attack on weak adventurers. Note that while a giant cockroach has a relatively weak saving throw (as given above), it saves on 10+ vs. toxins, diseases and radiation.

Balroach

Armor Class: 2

Hit Dice: 6

Attack Bonus: +6

Damage: 1d8

No. Appearing: 1d6

Saving Throw:  13+ (but see below)

Movement: 20m
Morale: 9

The Dreaded Balroach is a horribly nauseating cockroach larger than a horse. While it is an omnivore and scavenger rather than a predator, it will fiercely defend its lair and may see weak adventurers as food. Its horrid appearance and unsightly behavior make it a menace whenever it emerges from its sewerly warrens to scavenge in the dwellings of humanity! The Balroach is immune to almost all toxins and diseases as well as to most dosages of radiation except for extremely high doses.

Monster Monday - Tentacled Worm for Classic Traveller

Tentacled Worm

Intimidator, Solitary or Pack (1d6), 200kg, hits 20/9, as Mesh, Teeth (3D damage) and special (see below), 4D, A5, F7, S2

Like many life-forms native to the arid, cold, dusty homeworld somewhere beyond the Spinward Marches, the Tentacled Worm is exceedingly hardy and exhibits both insectoid and mollusk characteristics. This xenomorph is the apex scavenger of its homeworld, eating anything and everything, but rarely actively hunting. It prefers its meals dead, though it might act as an opportunistic predator if it detects easy prey. Since it can feed on virtually anything organic and biologically compatible with humans, the Tentacled Worm quickly found its way to the trash-dumps and sewers of many worlds, its eggs inadvertently carried by many a merchant ship to different worlds. This creature looks like a combination between a grub and a cephalopod, 3 meters long and standing a meter high, with multiple legs carrying its weight and many tentacles surrounding its mouth.

The Tentacled Worm has two attacks which it may use in the same round: slapping its prey with its poisoned tentacles, or biting with its many sharp mouth-parts. The tentacles cause no damage, but on a successful hit, the victim must roll 8+ or be paralyzed by its venom for 1d6 rounds. The bite itself is handled as a normal "teeth" attack. It also enjoys a keen sense of smell used to located food, and any party attempting to surprise it rolls at a -2 DM. Note that this sense of smell does not usually allow it to detect non-organic targets.

Monster Monday: the Dragon and Flying Eye for Classic Traveller!

Beyond the Frontier... Here Be Dragons! And Eye-Monsters too! With FULL Classic Traveller rules and stats to boot!

Dragon

Flying Killer, 800kg, hits 31/12 , as Cloth, Teeth+1 (5D damage), Claws+1 (4D damage), as Shotgun (see below) 4D, A3, F9, S3

The Dragon is a large airborne predator native to a Size 5, Atmosphere 8 world far beyond the Frontier. Its fire-breathing capabilities stem from the fact that it could siphon and filter methane from its digestive tract and store it in two large sacks at its belly. The gas is then pumped through its mouth and ignited by a bio-electric spark-generating organ in its thorax. The dragon carries enough methane in its sacks for 5 combat rounds of breathing fire; they will refill after a good meal and 6D6 hours of rest.

Every time a Dragon is hit with an explosive, incendiary or high-energy weapon, roll 9+ for its methane sacks to catch fire, painfully killing the creature by setting it ablaze. Alternatively, a character may attempt to aim directly at these sacks with a DM of -4; on a successful hit when aiming in such a way, any explosive, incendiary or high-energy weapon will set the Dragon on fire. Of course, if all of the methane in the sacks has been used up, ignore these rules.

A dragon's fiery breath uses Shotgun range and armor DMs; like a 'proper' Shotgun, it uses the Group Hits by Shotguns rule (Classic Traveller Book 2 p.42). Additionally, after a hit is scored, the target catches fire on a roll of 8+ and thus continues to take additional 1d6 damage per round until the flames are put out (taking two full combat rounds of dedicated efforts, or one round using a fire extinguisher).

A dragon's skin is strong, scaly and very light. A suit of armor may be made from this skin, requiring a roll of 10+ (DM +Mechanical skill) and 1d6 weeks of work; a failed roll ruins the skin. This armor is similar to Jack Armour in shape and weight, but will provides the protection of Cloth.

Flying Eye

Flying Eater, solitary or pack (1d6), 50kg, 24/12 hits (but see below), as Cloth, Teeth 2D and as Laser Carbines 4D, A1, F8, S1

The Flying Eye looks like a large (2m diameter) warty sphere with one huge central eye and a big, toothy mouth. Around its head, the Flying Eye has 1d6 small (10cm diameter, 60cm long) "eyestalks" and eight tentacles protrude from its lower body, serving as manipulating digits. Most of the Flying Eye's body consists of a huge hydrogen bladder; the gas is a by-product of the creature's digestive process. The hydrogen has two uses: first, it allows the creature to float in the air, and second, the Flying Eye uses this gas to fuel a special organ resembling a hydrogen/oxygen fuel cell. The electricity generated by this organ serves as its main energy source (in other words, the creature is "powered" by bio-electricity). In addition, the Flying Eye can "burn" greater than usual amounts of hydrogen to power up its "eyestalks" - though this procedure tends to eat up its hydrogen reservoir rather quickly.

The "eyestalks" are not eyes - only the central eye serves as a visual organ - but rater natural laser weapons! The Flying Eye may "fire" any or all of its "eyestalks" in one turn and may target one creature per "eye". The "eyestalks" use the range and armor DMs of the Laser Carbine and do 4D damage. However, the Flying Eye's body holds only enough hydrogen to power 2d6 shots in total. To fully "recharge", the Flying Eye must eat a good meal (say, one unfortunate traveller) and digest it for 3d6 hours.

Every time a Flying Eye is hit, roll 8+ for its hydrogen bladder to rupture, killing the creature. However, if any explosive, incendiary or high-energy weapon has ruptured the gas bladder, the hydrogen ignites, "attacking" everything within a 5m radius using the armor DMs or a 40mm RAM grenade, causing 4D damage on a successful hit.

Monday Monster Take 2 - Aboleth and Skum for Classic Traveller!

Hereby I present you with... The Aboleth and its Skum for Classic Traveller! As this is the first Monday of the year, you get the same monster with stats BOTH for SWN (earlier today) AND for Classic Traveller (now)!

Aboleth

Psionic Siren, solitary, 3,200kg, 40/20 hits, as Cloth, "stinger" (actually, tentacles) 8D, A if surprise, F8, S1 (S3 in water)

The Aboleths are old, unfathomable creatures, the product of aeons past, and practically immortal unless slain. They were old when the Ancients were young; they might have been old even when our galaxy formed. Where they came from remains a mystery, as the Aboleths themselves are tight-lipped about their ultimate origin. But as each of them is old, their knowledge is enormous. They spend ages in their underwater lairs, brooding, plotting… With endless patience. A single Aboleth, intelligent beyond the human ability to understand, may be the centerpiece of a massive interstellar conspiracy, spun across the centuries towards an end known only to that alien mastermind.

The Aboleth itself is a revolting, green but pink-bellied, fishlike alien life-form found primarily in subterranean lakes and rivers, or deep beneath the oceans on remote worlds. Four pulsating blue-black orifices line the bottom of its body and secrete gray slime smelling like rancid grease; it has four long tentacles used for grabbing, whipping and manipulating objects. It uses its tail for propulsion in the water and drags itself along with its tentacles on land. An Aboleth weighs slightly more than 3 metric tons.

An Aboleth in combat utilizes its vast alien mind, as well as its watery lair, to its advantage. First, three times a day, it may Enslave a sentient creature; the victim must roll 8+ (DM +2 if INT A+), or become the Aboleth's mental thrall, fully under the creature's command. An Enslaved creature obeys the Aboleth’s telepathic commands until the Aboleth is killed, and can attempt a new 8+ roll (DM +2 if INT A+) every 24 hours to break free. The control is also broken if the Aboleth dies or travels more than 1 kilometer from its slave. An Aboleth may also use the Life Detection, Telempathy, Read Surface Thoughts, Send Thoughts, Probe and Shield powers of the Telepathy psionic talent at will, as if it has an infinite store of Psionic Strength points at hand.

A blow from an Aboleth’s tentacle might cause a terrible affliction due to the unique symbiotic bacteria and fungi who inhabit its skin and mucus glands. A creature hit by such a tentacle must roll 8+ (DM +2 if END 8+) or begin to transform over the next 1d6 minutes, his or her skin gradually becoming a clear, slimy membrane as it is digested by the microbes. An afflicted creature must remain moistened with cool, fresh water or take 1d6 points of damage every 10 minutes. The slime gives any creature attacking the victim a +1 DM to hit him or her. If treated before the transformation is complete by a character with Medic-3 or better and appropriate supplies (such as a medikit), the process may be reverted. Once completed, only a TL13+ hospital may cure the victim.

An Aboleth underwater surrounds itself with a viscous cloud of bacteria-rich mucus, roughly 30cm thick. Any creature coming into contact with and ingesting this substance must roll 8+ (DM +2 if END 8+) or lose the ability to breathe air for the next 3 hours due to acute microbiological infection. An affected creature suffocates in 2d6 minutes if removed from the water. Renewed contact with the mucus cloud and failing another roll of the same kind continues the effect for another 3 hours. This effect may be removed by a character with Medic-3 or better and appropriate supplies (such as a medikit).

Skum

Hunter, pack (2d6), 100kg, 18/7 hits, as Jack, Claws 1D and Teeth 2D or by weapon, A3, F9, S2

Many Aboleths breed Skum from their human captives - revolting fish-amphibian-like humanoids, who serve as their hand, ears and eyes outside their watery lair. They are produced by immersing a human or humanoid alien in Aboleth-secreted microbe-rich mucus for several days, as well as possible psychic brainwashing. These creatures possess a slimy skin, and may breath indefinitely both under and outside of water. While sometimes armed with weapons, they also possess a powerful bite, as well as sharp claws. Skum lack much organization or willpower of their own, and show little initiative, but will fight to the death to protect their masters. Their presence usually signifies the existence of an Aboleth lair in the vicinity. No way has been devised yet to transform a Skum back into a human being.

Monday Monster - Aboleth and Skum

Hereby I present you with... The Aboleth and its Skum for Stars Without Number!

Aboleth

Armor Class: 4

Hit Dice: 8

Attack Bonus: +8/+8/+8/+8

Damage: 1d6/1d6/1d6/1d6 (tentacles); also special

No. Appearing: solitary

Saving Throw:  11+

Movement: 5m (land) or 30m (water)

Morale: 9

The Aboleths are old, unfathomable creatures, the product of aeons past, and practically immortal unless slain. They were old when the stars were young; they might have been old even when our galaxy has formed. Where they came from remains a mystery, as the Aboleths themselves are tight-lipped about their ultimate origin. But as each of them is old, their knowledge is enormous. They spend ages in their underwater lairs, brooding, plotting… With endless patience. A single Aboleth, intelligent beyond the human ability to understand, may be the centerpiece of a massive interstellar conspiracy, spun across the centuries towards an end known only to that alien mastermind.

The Aboleth itself is a revolting, green but pink-bellied, fishlike alien found primarily in subterranean lakes and rivers, or deep beneath the oceans on remote worlds. Four pulsating blue-black orifices line the bottom of its body and secrete gray slime smelling like rancid grease; it has four long tentacles used for grabbing, whipping and manipulating objects. It uses its tail for propulsion in the water and drags itself along with its tentacles on land. An Aboleth weighs about 3 metric tons.

An Aboleth in combat utilizes its vast alien mind, as well as its watery lair, to its advantage. First, three times a day, it may Enslave a sentient creature; the victim must save vs. mental effect, or become the Aboleth's mental thrall, fully under the creature's command. An Enslaved creature obeys the Aboleth’s telepathic commands until the Aboleth is killed, and can attempt a new save vs. mental effect every 24 hours to break free. The control is also broken if the Aboleth dies or travels more than 1 mile from its slave. An Aboleth may also use all the powers of the Telepathy discipline, up to and including level 8, at will.

A blow from an Aboleth’s tentacle might cause a terrible affliction due to the unique symbiotic bacteria and fungi who inhabit its skin and mucus glands. A creature hit by such a tentacle must save vs. physical effect or begin to transform over the next 1d4 minutes, his or her skin gradually becoming a clear, slimy membrane as it is digested by the microbes. An afflicted creature must remain moistened with cool, fresh water or take 1d12 points of damage every 10 minutes. The slime increases (i.e. worsens) the creature’s armor class by 1 (but never to more than 9). Use of the Purge Toxin Bio-Psionic power or a Medikit used with a Tech/Medicine roll at difficulty 9 before transformation is complete will restore an afflicted creature to normal. Afterward, however, only Pretech medical science may cure the affliction.

An Aboleth underwater surrounds itself with a viscous cloud of bacteria-rich mucus, roughly 30cm thick. Any creature coming into contact with and ingesting this substance must save vs. physical effect or lose the ability to breathe air for the next 3 hours due to acute microbiological infection. An affected creature suffocates in 2d6 minutes if removed from the water. Renewed contact with the mucus cloud and failing another save vs. Physical Effect continues the effect for another 3 hours. This effect may be removed by the Purge Toxin power or by a successful use of a Medikit with a Tech/Medicine roll at difficulty 9.

Skum

Armor Class: 7 or by armor

Hit Dice: 2+2

Attack Bonus: +3

Damage: 1d6 (bite) / 1d4 (claw) / 1d4 (claw) or by weapon

No. Appearing: brood (1d4+1) or pack (2d6)

Saving Throw: 14+

Movement: 15m (land) or 30m (water)

Morale: 12

Many Aboleths breed Skum from their human captives - revolting fish-amphibian-like humanoids, who serve as their hand, ears and eyes outside their watery lair. They are produced by immersing a human or humanoid alien in Abol.eth-secreted microbe-rich mucus for several days, as well as possible psychic brainwashing. These creatures possess a slimy skin, and may breath indefinitely both under and outside of water. While sometimes armed with weapons, they also possess a powerful bite, as well as sharp claws. Skum lack much organization or willpower of their own, and show little initiative, but will fight to the death to protect their masters. Their presence usually signifies the existence of an Aboleth lair in the vicinity. No way has been devised yet to transform a Skum back into a human being.

Monster Monday - Cave Squid for Classic Traveller

I have already statted this xenomorph for Stars Without Number; here it is with Classic Traveller stats.

Cave Squid

Pouncer, solitary or clutch (2d6), 25kg, 12/7 hits, as Cloth, "Teeth" (actually, a beak at its "base") 2D, A if surprise, F if surprised, S1

The Cave Squid is one of the larger predators on a dry, cold, dusty world on the edge of known space. Exceedingly hardy like all native life-forms of that dust-world, the squid can weather the biting dry, cold air and filter out even the worst dust-storm, requires little water and may lie half-dormant for a long period in wait for prey. Its natural habitat are caves and rocky outcrops, from which it hangs in wait for prey; in modern times, it also has an annoying habit of infiltrating abandoned or seldom-used buildings, then attempting to eat anyone who tries to reclaim them. A hardy animal, the Cave Squid hitched a ride on many an unknowing free-tader outbound from its homeworld, and by now they have adapted well to most "shirt-sleeve" and marginal environments all over known space as an invasive species.

The cave squid hangs from a ceiling - cave or building - by its muscular "foot" placed at the top of its body. When motionless, it can look like a stalactite, by holding its tentacles stiffly under itself, or like a lump of rock, spreading its tentacles so the membrane between them covers its body. Its shell and skin usually resemble limestone, though a cave squid can change its color to match almost any type of stony background. This how it ambushes prey - when a creature enters its cave (or abandoned building), A Cave Squid is about 120cm long from the tips of its tentacles to the top of its head and weights approximately 25kg. Once the tough outer hide is peeled, the innards of this creature are much softer, and are considered a delicacy on its homeworld and on several other worlds all across known space.

The Cave Squid uses echolocation to detect its prey, and thus can "see" perfectly even in total darkness. When in hiding, it enjoys a total +3 DM to surprise (Pouncer DM already included); if the Cave Squid attacks an unsuspecting victim, it enjoys a free round of action when it can attack before the victims may act themselves. On a successful attack, it may attempt to grapple and strangle its victim on 6+ on 2d6 (DM -2 if the victim has STR 8+); if it succeeds, it grapples its victim, immobilizing it. On each subsequent combat round, the victim is allowed a roll of 8+ to get free (DM +2 if STR 8+); if he fails, the Cave Squid may constrict him, doing an automatic 1D damage (the Cave Squid may roll to attack him as well as its main action at the same round).

Monday Monster - Resurrected Dinosaurs for Classic Traveller!

Last week I posted dinosaur stats for Stars Without Number. Here are the same dinosaurs... With Classic Traveller stats!

A common dream of scientists and laymen alike, ever since the development of modern genetics in the second half of the 20th century, was bringing the beasts of the past to life, chiefly dinosaurs, massive reptiles who captured human imagination for many generations. Actual remnant DNA from Jurassic and Cretaceous fossil records, however, was greatly fragmentary in nature, preventing direct cloning of dinosaurs, as was initially proposed. So, for a long time, resurrecting dinosaurs remained a distant dream for many. But the development of advanced genetic engineering techniques during the late Rule of Man allowed for the creation of hybrid genomes, complementing the fragmentary fossil record with genetic material taken from the dinosaurs' living relatives, modern avians. This allowed for the creation of living, breathing dinosaurs, who might show various differences from their actual progenitor templates, but who were close enough to have a huge market among enthusiasts, terraformers, and colonists in search of interesting imported or cloned fauna. Several worlds thus had a certain population of these reptiles, and many still survive to the time of the Third Imperium.

So here I will provide the stats for several of the more common resurrected species.

Alamosaurus

Grazer, solitary or herd (3d6), 30,000kg, 55/26 hits, as Jack, "thrasher" (actually, trample) 8D, A8, F5, S1

The Alamosaurus is an enormous sauropod herbivore, ranging up to 25m in length, with a shoulder height of 7m and a weight of approximately 30 tons. At this size, even Tyrannosauruses will hesitate to attack, unless the Alamosaurus is weak, or a youngster separated from its herd; when in a herd, virtually no predator will dare hunt this giant creature. An Alamosaurus, therefore, has little to fear from predators, and is rarely aggressive unless cornered, or unless defending its young. When it does attack, however, it uses its sheer weight to trample any smaller aggressor, and may damage vehicles as well, including armored ones. While some barbaric tribes on low-tech worlds tame Alamosauruses to serve as giant beasts of burden, their slow pace and non-aggressive nature make them ill-suited to use as war-beasts.

Ankylosaurus

Grazer, herd (3d6), 6,000kg, 35/11 hits, as Battledress, thrasher  4D, A4, F6, S2

Armoured to the hilt with bony plates and armed with a massive club of a tail capable of crushing most predators, the Ankylosaurus has the abilities, as well as the necessary temper, to defend itself from any perceived threat. At the length of 10m and with a weight of 6 metric tons, this is a difficult, but rewarding, challenge for hunters, and its meat may feed an entire tribe of lost-worlers for a few days.This herbivorous dinosaur is quick to anger, and views most other creatures of human-size or larger as potential predators, hence to be minced with its crushing tail. A hit by the heavy, flail-like tail will knock a human-sized target prone on 7+ after a successful hit, unless the target wears battledress, in which case the chance is reduced to 9+.

Carnotaurus

Pouncer, solitary, 1,600kg, 35/11 hits, as Jack, teeth  6D, A if surprise, F if surprised, S3

The Carnotaurus is a large, though lightly built, predatory theropod, specializing in ambushing its prey. With teeth like swords and a bite force eclipsing that of a large crocodile, a Carnotaurus hunts dinosaurs larger than itself, tearing their flesh with bestial ferocity. While lacking the bulk of larger predatory theropods, the Carnotaurus is capable of attaining impressive speed, attacking the prey from surprise. This dinosaur was actually much more common as an "exotic pet" of wealthy owners than the much more imposing Tyrannosaurus, owing to its lower meat intake and thus cheaper upkeep cost.

Deinonychus

Chaser, pack (2d6), 50kg, 12/4 hits, as Jack, teeth 2D and claws 1D, A if more, F5, S4

Occasionally mistaken with the much smaller Velociraptor, the Deinonychus is a man-sized theropod, standing less than a meter tall and stretching up to three meters including its long, feathered tail. Like many of the smaller theropods, the Deinonycus has a coat of feathers, but unlike its modern avian relatives, it possesses claws on its fore-limbs and a toothy maw. This reptile is a pack-hunter, intelligent enough to coordinate attacks on prey much larger than a single Deinonychus, bringing much food to the pack. Since this is a social animal, it is possible to tame it, and several worlds sport Deinonychus pets, though the smaller Velociraptor is much more popular in that role due to its more manageable size.

Edmontosaurus

Grazer, herd (2d6), 3,200kg, 30/12 hits, as Jack, "hooves" 2D, A8, F5, S4

A common riding animal on worlds where resurrected dinosaurs are common, the Edmontosaurus is a medium-sized herbivore weighting about 4 metric tons. It is relatively easily to tame, and is often raised as a beast of burden. Being able to run twice as fast as a human being is an added bonus.

Tyrannosaurus

Hijacker, solitary, 6,000kg, 35/11 hits, as Mesh, teeth  6D, A3, F8, S2

King of the dinosaurs, the Tyrannosaurus is a true monster, apex predator of its time, and now apex predator of the genetically-enhanced future. Massing up to seven tons, it outweighs many vehicles, and can exert massive force with its enormous jaws. Originally bred for the preserves of ultra-rich big-game hunters, it now stalks many worlds where the perimeter defending these preserves fell apart during and shortly after the beginning of the Long Night. On many lost worlds, this reptile is worshiped as a god.

Velociraptor

Chaser, pack (3d6), 12kg, 8/8 hits, no armor, teeth 2D and claws 1D, A if more, F6, S4

While its name is occasionally appropriated to describe the much larger Deinonychus, the Velociraptor is a small predatory theropod, rarely weighting over 15 kilograms. It enjoys a feathery tail (constituting most of its 2m length) and a full coat of feathers, and runs twice as fast as a typical human. Like its larger relative, the Velociraptor is a pack hunter, and a social animal, and is readily tamed - a common pet held on several worlds in lieu of dogs. A single Velociraptor is a nuisance; a hungry pack, on the other hand, could be very dangerous, particularly to a single victim.

Monday Monster - Resurrected Dinosaurs

Hereby I present you with... Dinosaurs for Stars Without Number!

A common dream of scientists and laymen alike, ever since the development of modern genetics in the second half of the 20th century, was bringing the beasts of the past to life, chiefly dinosaurs, massive reptiles who captured human imagination for many generations. Actual remnant DNA from Jurassic and Cretaceous fossil records, however, was greatly fragmentary in nature, preventing direct cloning of dinosaurs, as was initially proposed. So, until the last First Wave and the early-mid Second Wave of human expansion into space, resurrecting dinosaurs remained a distant dream for many. But the development of advanced pretech genetic engineering techniques allowed for the creation of hybrid genomes, complementing the fragmentary fossil record with genetic material taken from the dinosaurs' living relatives, modern avians. This allowed for the creation of living, breathing dinosaurs, who might show various differences from their actual progenitor templates, but who were close enough to have a huge market among enthusiasts, terraformers, and colonists in search of interesting imported or cloned fauna. Many worlds thus had a certain population of these reptiles, and many still survive to this post-Scream day.

So here I will provide the stats for several of the more common resurrected species.

Alamosaurus

Armor Class: 4

Hit Dice: 12

Attack Bonus: +8

Damage: 4d8 (trample)

No. Appearing: solitary or herd (3d6)

Saving Throw: 9+

Movement: 10m

Morale: 6

The Alamosaurus is an enormous sauropod herbivore, ranging up to 25m in length, with a shoulder height of 7m and a weight of approximately 30 tons. At this size, even Tyrannosauruses will hesitate to attack, unless the Alamosaurus is weak, or a youngster separated from its herd; when in a herd, virtually no predator will dare hunt this giant creature. An Alamosaurus, therefore, has little to fear from predators, and is rarely aggressive unless cornered, or unless defending its young. When it does attack, however, it uses its sheer weight to trample any smaller aggressor; their sheer weight allows them to damage targets otherwise only damaged by Gunnery attacks. While some lostworld tribes  tame Alamosauruses to serve as giant beasts of burden, their slow pace and non-aggressive nature make them ill-suited to use as war-beasts.

Ankylosaurus

Armor Class: 3

Hit Dice: 8

Attack Bonus: +9/+9

Damage: 4d4 (tail)/2d6 (trample)

No. Appearing: 1d20

Saving Throw: 11+

Movement: 20m

Morale: 9

Armoured to the hilt with bony plates and armed with a massive club of a tail capable of crushing most predators, the Ankylosaurus has the abilities, as well as the necessary temper, to defend itself from any perceived threat. At the length of 10m and with a weight of 6 metric tons, this is a difficult, but rewarding, challenge for hunters, and its meat may feed an entire tribe of lost-worlers for a few days.This herbivorous dinosaur is quick to anger, and views most other creatures of human-size or larger as potential predators, hence to be minced with its crushing tail. A hit by the heavy, flail-like tail has a 3-in-6 chance of knocking a human-sized target prone on a successful hit, unless the target wears powered armor, in which case the chance is reduced to 2-in-6.

Carnotaurus

Armor Class: 5

Hit Dice: 7+1

Attack Bonus: +9/+9

Damage: 1d10 (bite)/1d4 (tail slap)

No. Appearing: 1

Saving Throw: 12+

Movement: 25m

Morale: 9

The Carnotaurus is a large, though lightly built, predatory theropod, specializing in ambushing its prey. With teeth like swords and a bite force eclipsing that of a large crocodile, a Carnotaurus hunts dinosaurs larger than itself, tearing their flesh with bestial ferocity. While lacking the bulk of larger predatory theropods, the Carnotaurus is capable of attaining impressive speed, attacking the prey from surprise. As an ambush predator, it surprises its prey unless the victim succeeds in a Perception skill roll at difficulty 8. This dinosaur was actually much more common as an "exotic pet" of wealthy owners than the much more imposing Tyrannosaurus, owing to its lower meat intake and thus cheaper upkeep cost.

Deinonychus

Armor Class: 6

Hit Dice: 2

Attack Bonus: +3/+3/+3

Damage: 1d6 (bite)/1d4 (claw)/1d4 (claw)

No. Appearing: 3-9

Saving Throw: 14+

Movement: 30m

Morale: 8

Occasionally mistaken with the much smaller Velociraptor, the Deinonychus is a man-sized theropod, standing less than a meter tall and stretching up to three meters including its long, feathered tail. Like many of the smaller theropods, the Deinonycus has a coat of feathers, but unlike its modern avian relatives, it possesses claws on its fore-limbs and a toothy maw. This reptile is a pack-hunter, intelligent enough to coordinate attacks on prey much larger than a single Deinonychus, bringing much food to the pack. Since this is a social animal, it is possible to tame it, and several worlds sport Deinonychus pets, though the smaller Velociraptor is much more popular in that role due to its more manageable size.

Edmontosaurus

Armor Class: 5

Hit Dice: 4

Attack Bonus: +4

Damage: 1d6 (trample)

No. Appearing: 3-9

Saving Throw: 13+

Movement: 40m

Morale: 7

A common riding animal on worlds where resurrected dinosaurs are common, the Edmontosaurus is a medium-sized herbivore weighting about 4 metric tons. It is relatively easily to tame, and is often raised as a beast of burden. Being able to run twice as fast as a human being is an added bonus.

Tyrannosaurus

Armor Class: 3

Hit Dice: 10

Attack Bonus: +12/+12/+12

Damage: 3d8 (bite)/2d8 (trample)/1d8 (tail slap)

No. Appearing: 1

Saving Throw: 10+

Movement: 20m

Morale: 12

King of the dinosaurs, the Tyrannosaurus is a true monster, apex predator of its time, and now apex predator of the genetically-enhanced future. Massing up to seven tons, it outweighs many vehicles, and can exert massive force with its enormous jaws. Originally bred for the preserves of ultra-rich big-game hunters, it now stalks many worlds where the perimeter defending these preserves fell apart during and shortly after the Scream. On many lost worlds, this reptile is worshiped as a god. In battle, in addition to its toothy may, it may also attempt to trample its foes with its great weight, or slap them with its tail; due to the mass and muscle power involved, all of these attacks may harm targets usually only damaged by Gunnery attacks.

Velociraptor

Armor Class: 7

Hit Dice: 1/2

Attack Bonus: +1/+1/+1

Damage: 1d4 (bite)/1d2 (claw)/1d2 (claw)

No. Appearing: 2-12

Saving Throw: 15+

Movement: 40m

Morale: 8

While its name is occasionally appropriated to describe the much larger Deinonychus, the Velociraptor is a small predatory theropod, rarely weighting over 15 kilograms. It enjoys a feathery tail (constituting most of its 2m length) and a full coat of feathers, and runs twice as fast as a typical human. Like its larger relative, the Velociraptor is a pack hunter, and a social animal, and is readily tamed - a common pet held on many worlds in lieu of dogs. A single Velociraptor is a nuisance; a hungry pack, on the other hand, could be very dangerous, particularly to a single victim.

Monster Monday - Laanese Tentacled Worm

Laanese Tentacled Worm

Armor Class: 7

Hit Dice: 3+1

Attack Bonus: +3 (also Special)

Damage: 1d6 (also Special)

No. Appearing: 1-3

Saving Throw: 14+

Movement: 20m

Morale: 7

Like many life-forms native to the arid, cold, dusty world of Laana, the Tentacled Worm is exceedingly hardy and exhibits both insectoid and mollusk characteristics. This xenomorph is the apex scavenger of Laana, eating anything and everything, but rarely actively hunting. It prefers its meals dead, though it might act as an opportunistic predator if it detects easy prey. Since it can feed on virtually anything organic and biologically capable with humans, the Tentacled Worm quickly found its way to the trash-dumps and sewers of many worlds, its eggs inadvertently carried by many a merchant ship to different worlds. This creature looks like a combination between a grub and a cephalopod, 3 meters long and standing a meter high, with multiple legs carrying its weight and many tentacles surrounding its mouth.

The Tentacled Worm has two attacks which it may use in the same round: slapping its prey with its poisoned tentacles, or biting with its many sharp mouth-parts. The tentacles cause no damage, but on a successful hit, the target must make a Physical Effect save or be paralyzed by the venom for 2d4 rounds. The bite itself is handled as a normal attack and does 1d6 damage. It also enjoys a keen sense of smell used to located food, and it may attempt to detect sneaking foes by smell as if it has Perception-4. Note that this sense of smell does not usually allow it to detect non-organic targets.

Monday Monster - Laanese Cave Squid

I hereby present a new feature of this blog - Monday Monster. Here I will provide xenomorphs for Stars Without Number, sometimes converted d20 SRD monsters, in other cases monsters out of my own imagination. Eventually I might even convert them over to Classic Traveller.

Laanese Cave Squid

Armor Class: 4

Hit Dice: 8+1

Attack Bonus: +3

Damage: 1d8

No. Appearing: solitary or a clutch of 3-9

Saving Throw: 14+

Movement: 15m (crawling), 20m (flight - when gliding from a ceiling)

Morale: 7

The Cave Squid is one of the larger predators on the dry, cold, dusty world of Laana. Exceedingly hardy like all native Laanese life-forms, the squid can weather the biting dry, cold air and filter out even the worst dust-storm, requires little water and may lie half-dormant for a long period in wait for prey. Its natural habitat are caves and rocky outcrops, from which it hangs in wait for prey; in modern times, it also has an annoying habit of infiltrating abandoned or seldom-used buildings, then attempting to eat anyone who tries to reclaim them. A hardy animal, the Cave Squid hitched a ride on many an unknowing freighter outbound from Laana, and by now they have adapted well to most "short-sleeve" and marginal environments in the sector as an invasive species.

The cave squid hangs from a ceiling - cave or building - by its muscular "foot" placed at the top of its body. When motionless, it can look like a stalactite, by holding its tentacles stiffly under itself, or like a lump of rock, spreading its tentacles so the membrane between them covers its body. Its shell and skin usually resemble limestone, though a cave squid can change its color to match almost any type of stony background. This how it ambushes prey - when a creature enters its cave (or abandoned building), A Cave Squid is about 120cm long from the tips of its tentacles to the top of its head and weights approximately 20kg. One the tough outer hide is peeled, the innards of this creature are much softer, and are considered a delicacy on Laana; in fact, in the more habitable parts of that world, Cave Squids have become quite rare, as during the hard years following Liberation, their flesh was a welcome change from the ubiquitous broad-beans and metawheat ration provided to all citizens.

The Cave Squid uses echolocation to detect its prey, and can thus "see" perfectly even in total darkness. When in hiding, noticing it requires a Perception check at difficulty 10 when not deliberately searching the area, and at difficulty 8 when deliberately searching; if the Cave Squid attacks an unsuspecting victim, it enjoys a free round of action when it can attack before initiative is rolled and the victims may act themselves. On a successful attack, roll an opposed Athletics check (modified by the character;s Strength modifier) between the victim and the Cave Squid (the Cave Squid has a total modifier of +4); if it wins the contest, it grapples its victim, immobilizing it. On each subsequent round, the victim is allowed another opposed Athletics check; if he fails, the Cave Squid may constrict him, doing an automatic 1d8 damage (the Cave Squid may roll to attack him as well as its standard action).

Barbarian Conqueror King Goes Commercial!

 

Autarch has agreed to publish the Barbarian Conqueror King setting and rules (as well as the Sword & Sorcery Monsters) as a supplement to the Adventurer Conqueror King System (ACKS). We signed the agreement yesterday!

Time to start writing!

[ACKS] Dinosaur, Carnotaurus

The Carnotaurus is a large, though lightly built, predatory theropod, specializing in ambushing its prey. With teeth like swords and a bite force eclipsing that of a large crocodile, a Carnotaurus hunts dinosaurs larger than itself, tearing their flesh in bestial ferocity. While lacking the bulk of larger predatory theropods, the Carnotaurus is capable of attaining impressive speed, attacking the prey from surprise. As an ambush predator, it gains +2 to all Surprise checks. While untameable, this dinosaur is a popular foe for gladiators to fight in the arenas of Kanahu.