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Myxo branchia 21

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by

Dale
in
  • Original Life Forms:
    • Class Myxini: Pacific Hagfish (Eptatretus stoutii)
    • Class Insecta: Praying Mantis (Mantodea order)
    • Class Osteichthyes: Stonefish (Synanceia verrucosa)
    • Class Arachnida: Trapdoor Spider (Ctenizidae family)

Appearance

The Myxo-branchia 21 is a master of camouflage and a biological nightmare. Its main body is wide, flattened, and roughly ovular, resembling the body of a stonefish. Its skin is a mottled, warty texture of grey, brown, and dull green, making it nearly indistinguishable from a moss-covered river rock or a chunk of shale. A ridge of highly venomous, needle-sharp spines runs down its back, perfectly disguised as a rocky crest. Protruding from the underside of this fish-like body are eight multi-jointed, spider-like legs that allow it to scuttle and burrow. The front two limbs, however, are the large, raptorial forelegs of a praying mantis, folded tightly against its body when at rest but capable of striking with lightning speed. Its head is a terrifying fusion, possessing the wide, upturned mouth of a stonefish and the triangular, swiveling head and large, multi-faceted compound eyes of a mantis.

Size

  • Length/Width: 3 – 4 feet
  • Height: 1.5 – 2 feet
  • Weight: 150 – 200 lbs

Speed

  • Walking: Slow. It moves with a deliberate, unsettling scuttling motion.
  • Burrowing: Fast. It can use its eight arachnid legs to rapidly dig itself into sand, mud, or loose soil.
  • Strike Speed: Extremely Fast. Its mantis-like forelimbs strike too quickly for the eye to follow.

Stat Modifiers

  • Strength: +1
  • Dexterity: +3
  • Constitution: +2
  • Intelligence: -4
  • Wisdom: +3
  • Charisma: -5

Skills

  • Stealth: Masterful. Its natural camouflage and patient behavior make it almost impossible to spot when it is lying in wait.
  • Perception: Excellent. Its compound eyes provide a wide field of view, and it is highly sensitive to vibrations in the ground.
  • Athletics: Good (for burrowing and climbing), Poor (for running).

Behavior

The Myxo-branchia 21 is the ultimate ambush predator. Its entire existence revolves around patience. It will find a suitable location and use its spider-like legs to burrow into the substrate, leaving only its rock-like back and camouflaged head exposed. It can remain perfectly motionless in this state for days or even weeks, waiting for prey to wander within striking distance. When a target is in range, the creature erupts from its hiding place. Its mantis-claws snap forward to seize the victim, while its body arches to impale the target on its venomous dorsal spines. If discovered or threatened by a superior force, it employs a unique defense mechanism inherited from the hagfish: it instantly exudes a massive volume of thick, fibrous slime from pores all over its body, which expands in contact with water (or the moisture in the air), creating a suffocating, immobilizing cloud of mucus.

Diet

Indiscriminately carnivorous. It will attack and attempt to consume any living thing that it can successfully ambush and overpower. This includes large fish, wading birds, small mammals, and any adventurers who fail to notice the “rock” they are about to step on.

Emotions

The Myxo-branchia 21 is a creature of pure, primal instinct. It does not display recognizable emotions like fear or anger. Its two primary states are the absolute, patient stillness of the hunt, and the explosive, reflexive violence of the kill. When attacked, its slime defense is not a fear response but an automatic biological reaction, much like a plant releasing pollen.

Environment Where Found

This creature is found in any environment that facilitates its ambush tactics. It prefers wet, soft terrain like coastal tidal flats, muddy riverbeds, and the murky bottoms of jungle pools. However, it is also adaptable enough to be found in areas with loose soil or scree, such as the base of a cliff or a rocky desert canyon, where it can effectively disguise itself as part of the landscape.

Tags

Feral, Ambush Predator, Venomous, Burrower, Camouflage, Slime Defense, Chitinous, Abomination, Solitary, Patient, Carnivore, Raptorial Limbs, Venomous Spines, Grappler, Mud-dweller, Lurker, Composite Beast

Life Cycle

The life cycle of a Myxo-branchia 21 is solitary, patient, and deeply tied to the earth it mimics.

  • Reproduction (Parthenogenesis): This species reproduces asexually. Once or twice in its lifetime, triggered by a long period of successful hunting and resource abundance, an adult will find a secluded, muddy burrow near a stagnant water source. It will expend a massive amount of energy to produce and lay a single, large, gelatinous egg sac. This sac is immediately coated in a protective layer of its own slime and buried deep within the mud. The parent provides no care and abandons the site, often remaining weakened and dormant for several days to recover.
  • Nymph Stage: After several months of incubation, a nymph hatches from the egg. This juvenile form is small, soft-bodied, and lacks the camouflage and venom of an adult. It survives in the mud and shallow water by hunting insects and worms with its small but effective raptorial claws. This is the most vulnerable point in its life, where it is prey for fish and birds.
  • Metamorphosis: Over the course of five to seven years, the nymph undergoes a slow metamorphosis. It molts its skin repeatedly, with each stage appearing tougher, more rock-like, and flatter. Its venomous dorsal spines slowly grow in, and its slime-producing glands mature. During this time, it graduates to larger prey and perfects its burrowing and ambush techniques.
  • Adulthood & Territory: Upon reaching its full size, the creature’s primary instinct is to find, claim, and defend a territory of its own, often by challenging and killing an older member of its species. The rest of its life is spent in a patient cycle of waiting, hunting, and defending its domain. Their natural lifespan is estimated to be between 25 and 30 years.

Mating

The Myxo-branchia 21 does not mate. Reproduction is an asexual, instinctual event. They are fiercely solitary creatures, and an encounter between two adults almost always results in a brief, violent territorial dispute that ends with one killing and consuming the other.

Tactics

The creature’s tactics are ruthlessly efficient and entirely focused on ambush.

  • The Living Stone Ambush: Its primary and most successful tactic is to become part of the landscape. It will bury its body in mud, sand, or loose soil, leaving only its camouflaged dorsal shell and head exposed. It can remain perfectly motionless in this state for days, relying on its sensitivity to ground vibrations to detect approaching prey.
  • Erupting Strike: The attack is a singular, explosive action. Once a target is within a few feet, the Myxo-branchia launches its body from the ground with its eight spider-legs. In the same motion, its two raptorial forelimbs snap forward to seize the victim, while its body arches violently to drive its venomous dorsal spines deep into the grappled target.
  • Defensive Slime Cloud: This is a last-resort escape mechanism. If the creature is surprised, injured, or confronted by a threat it cannot overpower, it exudes a massive cloud of thick, fibrous slime from its skin. This mucus expands rapidly, creating a suffocating, immobilizing barrier that chokes and blinds attackers. While the enemy is entangled and disoriented, the Myxo-branchia uses the opportunity to rapidly burrow into the earth and disappear.

Actions

In a combat scenario, a Myxo-branchia 21 might perform the following actions:

  • Erupting Pounce: If hidden or burrowed, the creature can use its action to move up to half its speed without provoking opportunity attacks and make one Grappling Strike against a target.
  • Grappling Strike: A melee attack with its raptorial claws. On a hit, it inflicts piercing damage, and the target is grappled.
  • Venomous Impale: This is part of the Grappling Strike. A creature successfully grappled by the strike is also impaled on the dorsal spines and must make a difficult Constitution saving throw against the creature’s potent neurotoxin, which causes severe damage over time and can lead to paralysis.
  • Slime Defense (Rechargeable): As a reaction to taking damage, the creature can release its slime cloud. This creates a 20-foot radius of heavily obscured, difficult terrain centered on itself. Any creature other than the Myxo-branchia that starts its turn in the cloud or enters it must make a Strength saving throw or be restrained until the start of its next turn.

Other Interesting Information

  • Alchemical Venom: The stonefish-derived venom is highly prized by alchemists. It is a complex neurotoxin that causes excruciating pain and necrosis. When carefully refined, however, certain compounds can be isolated to create powerful analgesics for surgery or antitoxins for other poisons.
  • Concentrated Slime: The fibrous mucus it produces is a biological marvel. If the glands are harvested intact, the concentrated “slime packets” can be used as single-use thrown items. When thrown, they erupt on impact, creating a smaller version of the slime cloud perfect for trapping foes or gumming up mechanical constructs.
  • Geological Symbiosis: The creature’s carapace is not just camouflaged; it actively absorbs minerals from the soil. An ancient Myxo-branchia that has spent its life in a region rich in specific ores or gems may have visible veins of those minerals running through its shell, making it a target for prospectors as well as monster hunters.
  • Vibrational Communication: While non-sentient, these creatures communicate territorial boundaries by drumming their arachnid legs on the ground, sending low-frequency vibrations over a wide area. Other subterranean creatures in the region learn to recognize these patterns as a warning to stay away.

An encounter with a Myxo-branchia 21 is rarely a straightforward affair. Due to its masterful camouflage and patient, insidious nature, adventurers are more likely to stumble upon one by accident than to face it in a planned confrontation. However, the unique and valuable properties of its body do sometimes warrant a deliberate, high-risk hunt.

Deliberate Quests and Hunts

These missions are exceptionally dangerous, as the objective is often not just to kill the creature, but to overcome its unique defenses to procure a specific part of its anatomy.

  • The Alchemical Antitoxin: A wealthy patron, guild leader, or fellow adventurer has had the misfortune of surviving an encounter with a Myxo-branchia, but was impaled by its dorsal spines. The potent, necrotizing venom is now slowly destroying their body, and all common antitoxins have failed. The party is hired for a time-sensitive mission: according to master alchemists, the only cure is a specialized antitoxin that must be synthesized from the venom of the very same creature that inflicted the wound. The party must track the specific monster, subdue it, and carefully extract its venom glands to save their patron from a painful death.
  • The Slime Harvesters: A guild of artificers or an industrial corporation (perhaps from Carthage) posts a lucrative contract for a rare reagent needed to create a revolutionary new product—a non-lethal restraining agent or a perfect fire-suppressant foam. The key ingredient is the concentrated, unexpanded mucus from a Myxo-branchia’s slime glands. This is not a simple monster-slaying mission. The objective is to capture the creature alive or use highly advanced and delicate techniques to extract the glands without triggering the defensive slime release, which would ruin the alchemical properties of the sample.
  • The Living Mine: Rumors and legends in a mountainous or canyon region tell of a specific, ancient Myxo-branchia known as “Old Iron-Shell” or the “Gem-Back.” This particular specimen has lived for centuries in a mineral-rich territory, and over time, its stony carapace has absorbed the surrounding geology. Its shell is now laced with veins of pure, unblemished jade, rhodium, or another precious metal. A mining consortium or a wealthy collector would hire the party to hunt this legendary beast, not just to kill it, but to secure its corpse, which is effectively a priceless, living mineral deposit.

Incidental and Accidental Encounters

More often than not, a party finds a Myxo-branchia because it finds them first. These encounters are sudden, terrifying, and often occur when the adventurers are focused on another objective entirely.

  • The Treacherous Crossing: The party’s quest requires them to cross a wide, muddy riverbed, a murky swamp, or a coastal tidal flat. The area is dotted with what appear to be convenient, moss-covered stepping stones. As they make their way across, they discover with horror that the “stones” are the camouflaged backs of several Myxo-branchia. The crossing becomes a deadly tactical puzzle, where every step could trigger an explosive ambush from below, and retreating is just as dangerous as moving forward.
  • The Trail Goes Cold: Adventurers are hired to track a missing person—a lost child, a prospector, a botanist who wandered off a path. They follow the trail deep into a jungle or a series of muddy canyons. The tracks lead into a rocky, damp area, and then abruptly stop. As the party fans out to search for more signs, one of them leans against a waist-high boulder to catch their breath, only for the “boulder” to erupt from the ground. The rescue mission instantly becomes a desperate fight for survival against the creature that is the very reason their quarry disappeared.
  • The Unstable Worksite: A new steam-powered quarry or logging camp is suffering from a series of strange and fatal “accidents.” Workers are disappearing, and equipment is being damaged by what is assumed to be unstable ground or small rockslides. The party is brought in as security to investigate. They soon realize the accidents only happen in one specific part of the site, an area filled with innocuous-looking rocks. They must prove to the skeptical foreman that the geology itself is hunting the workers before attempting to lure out and eliminate the Myxo-branchia that has claimed the worksite as its new territory.

A skilled hunter who manages to defeat a Myxo-branchia 21 knows that the real work begins after the kill. Beyond the obvious value of its venom and slime glands, the creature’s composite body is a treasure trove of unique and valuable reagents for those with the knowledge to properly harvest them.

From its Mantis & Arachnid Features

  • Raptorial Scythes: The two large, serrated forelimbs are incredibly sharp and durable. A master weaponsmith can mount these natural blades onto hilts, creating a pair of perfectly balanced and terrifyingly effective hook swords or kamas. When enchanted, these weapons often retain a “grappling” or “ensnaring” quality, making it difficult for an opponent to disengage.
  • Compound Ocular Dust: The large, multifaceted eyes cannot be used as lenses. Instead, alchemists will carefully dry and grind them into a fine, iridescent powder. This “Ocular Dust” is a key ingredient in elixirs and incense used to heighten awareness. When consumed or inhaled, it grants the user a strange, fractured perception for a short time, making them exceptionally difficult to flank and allowing them to track multiple fast-moving objects at once.
  • Spinneret Silk Gland: Though it doesn’t spin webs, the creature possesses a vestigial gland that produces a small amount of incredibly tough, sticky “Stone-Silk.” This silk is too rare for making cloth, but it is prized by fletchers as a binding for arrowheads and feathers, creating arrows that never fail from poor construction. It is also used as a nigh-unbreakable thread for suturing enchanted leather armor.
  • Articular Chitin: The chitin from the eight arachnid legs is lighter and more flexible than the stony carapace. Armorers use these plates to create the articulated joints for heavier suits of armor, providing superior protection without sacrificing as much mobility.

From its Stonefish & Hagfish Anatomy

  • Venomous Dorsal Spines: Once the venom sacs at their base are carefully removed, the hollow, needle-sharp spines themselves are valuable. They are perfectly formed natural darts for blowguns. Assassins and spies particularly value them as a delivery system for other poisons, as they are naturally designed to break off in a wound and inject a payload.
  • “Rock-Flesh” Fillets: The creature’s flesh is dense, grey, and saturated with low levels of toxins, making it inedible to most. However, a handful of master alchemists and chefs know a dangerous and secret preparation method involving slow cooking in magically purified clay pots. If successful, the process renders the meat into a delicacy known as “Rock-Flesh.” Consuming it is said to temporarily grant the diner a portion of the creature’s patience and toughness, allowing them to better resist pain and fatigue.
  • The Lurker’s Heart: The heart of the Myxo-branchia is a strange, slow-beating organ adapted for extreme patience. When preserved in brine, it becomes a potent reagent for rituals and alchemy related to stasis and time. It is a key ingredient in potions that allow a user to enter a deep meditative trance or stand watch for days without sleep, and it is sometimes used to lay curses of lethargy or stillness upon a person or place.

Other Components

  • Coordinating Nerve Ganglia: The complex nerve cluster that allows the creature to coordinate its ten limbs with such lethal precision is a neurological marvel. Artificers and makers of magical constructs prize these ganglia, using them as a template or even a core component for the logic engines of clockwork sentinels and other automatons, granting them a simple but effective threat-response system.
  • Corrosive Stomach Acid: To digest the bones, shells, and armor of its varied prey, the creature produces a highly corrosive digestive fluid. If carefully siphoned from the stomach before it can be neutralized by air, this acid can be stabilized and bottled. It serves as a universal solvent for alchemists, capable of slowly eating through common metals, and is sometimes used to weaken the magical integrity of warded locks or chests.

Impatient Pilgrim and Patient Stone

It is told by the mud-gatherers and the folk of the great delta that a person’s wisdom can be measured by the path their feet choose. There is the long, hard road over the hills, which is safe. And there is the short, soft road through the tidal flats, which is death. This is the story of one who chose poorly.

There was a young man named Valen, though some records name him Kael. He was a pilgrim, or perhaps a merchant, whose heart was filled with the fire of impatience. He carried a heavy pack, but a heavier pride. He came to the edge of the great mud flats that stretched for many leagues, and he sought to cross them to reach a port city on the other side. The folk of the delta warned him. An old woman, whose face was a map of the river’s wrinkles, said to him, “The flats have teeth. Do not trust the ground that looks solid. Do not rest upon the helpful stone. Go the long way. A journey of seven days is better than a journey that never ends.”

Valen laughed. His legs were strong and his eyes were sharp, or so he believed. “Seven days for you, grandmother, whose pace is that of a crawling snail. I will cross in a single day, before the sun has twice touched the western water. Your patient stones can watch me from afar.”

And so he set out. The air was wet and heavy. The mud sucked at his boots. He did not mind. He was strong. He leaped from tussock to tussock. He used large, mossy rocks as stepping stones to cross the murky, slow-moving channels. He made good time, and he felt pride swell in his chest. He looked back at the distant village and scorned the meekness of its people. His eyes were on his destination, not on the path itself.

By midday, he was weary. The sun was hot and the air was thick. He saw before him a particularly large and convenient stone, flat on top and covered in a pleasing green moss. “Here,” he said to himself, “I will rest and eat. A patient stone for an impatient man.” He swung his heavy pack from his shoulders and sat upon the stone’s edge.

In the space between one breath and the next, the world erupted. The stone upon which he sat was not stone. It was flesh. It was hunger. It was the Myxo-branchia. From the mud, it rose, its eight spider-legs launching its flattened, warty body into the air. Before Valen could cry out, two great, serrated claws, like those of a giant mantis, snapped forward and seized him in a grip of impossible strength. His body was pulled down and forward, and as he fell, the creature arched its back. A row of needle-sharp spines drove deep into his leg and side, and a fire that was also a cold numbness, the creature’s venom, flooded his veins.

But Valen was a warrior in his own way. He roared with pain and rage, and drew a long knife from his belt. He plunged it deep into the creature’s flank. He felt the blade grind against something hard, like rock. The creature made no sound, but its great, multifaceted eyes fixed upon him. And then, it gave its reply.

From every pore on its warty skin, a thick, white, fibrous slime gushed forth. It was not a liquid, but a living net that expanded in the wet air. It covered Valen in an instant. It filled his mouth and his eyes. He tried to pull away, but the slime was thick as tar and sticky as resin. His struggles only entangled him further. The creature, its defense given, did not stay to fight. It simply relaxed its grip, and with a soft, wet sound, it melted back into the mud, burrowing into the ground until it was gone, leaving the pilgrim to his fate.

Valen was caught. The venom worked its way through him, turning his strong limbs to lead. The slime held him fast, a fly in a spider’s web. His impatience had won him a swift journey to this final resting place. Now, he had all the time in the world. He could not move. He could not run. He became as still and as patient as the stones he had mocked. He watched the sun cross the sky, and he watched the tide slowly creep in, and he knew the truth of the delta.

Days later, the slow travelers who had taken the long road saw his pack from a distance, and they found him. Or what was left of him, encased in the hardened, grey mucus, a silent monument to haste.

Moral: The earth has a patience that will always outlast the impatience of men. Do not curse the long road, for it is the road that has been proven safe by the feet of the wise. The shortest path is often but a straight line to a waiting mouth.

Suggested conversions to other systems:

Dungeons & Dragons (5e)

Mire Lurker Medium monstrosity, unaligned

Armor Class 17 (natural armor) Hit Points 65 (10d8 + 20) Speed 20 ft., burrow 20 ft.

STR 13 (+1) DEX 16 (+3) CON 14 (+2) INT 3 (-4) WIS 16 (+3) CHA 2 (-5)

Skills Perception +5, Stealth +7 Damage Resistances poison Senses darkvision 60 ft., tremorsense 60 ft., passive Perception 15 Languages — Challenge 4 (1,100 XP)

Stone Camouflage. The lurker has advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks made to hide in rocky or muddy terrain.

False Appearance. While the lurker remains motionless and at least partially burrowed, it is indistinguishable from a normal moss-covered rock.

Actions

Raptorial Grapple. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) slashing damage, and the target is grappled (escape DC 13).

Venomous Spines. When the Mire Lurker successfully hits a creature with its Raptorial Grapple attack, the target must succeed on a DC 14 Constitution saving throw, taking 22 (4d10) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. A creature that fails the save is also poisoned for 1 minute.

Slime Defense (Recharge 6). As a reaction to taking damage, the lurker can exude a cloud of thick slime in a 10-foot radius around itself. The area becomes difficult terrain for 1 minute. Each creature in that area when the slime appears must succeed on a DC 13 Strength saving throw or be restrained. A restrained creature can use its action to make a DC 13 Strength check, freeing itself on a success.

Call of Cthulhu (7th Edition)

The Still-Stone A perfectly camouflaged predator that mimics a mossy river rock. It lies in wait for days, utterly motionless, before erupting to seize its prey.

STR 60 CON 70 SIZ 55 DEX 75 INT 20 POW 50 APP 05

HP: 13 Damage Bonus: +0 Build: 1 Move: 5 / 5 burrowing Sanity Loss: 0/1d6

Attacks Attacks per round: 1

  • Fighting (Raptorial Claws) 60%, 1d6 damage and begins a grapple.
  • Venomous Impale: An investigator grappled by the claws is automatically impaled on the creature’s dorsal spines. They take 1d10 damage and must make a Hard CON roll. Failure means they take an additional 1d10 damage at the start of the next round and suffer a penalty die to all physical actions until they receive medical attention.
  • Slime Burst: If the Still-Stone suffers damage of 4 points or more from a single attack, it can immediately release a cloud of thick mucus as a defensive reaction. All investigators within 5 yards must make a DEX roll or become entangled, losing their next action as they struggle to get free. The Still-Stone will use this distraction to burrow and escape from the fight.

Armor: 3 points of stony carapace.

Skills: Dodge 37%, Stealth (when hiding) 85%.

Blades in the Dark

Slick-Stone A silent, patient horror that lurks in the sludge of the canals or the muck of the Deathlands. It looks like just another rock until its claws flash out to drag the unwary to their doom.

Tier: II Scale: Normal (Scale 1) Qualities: Ambush Predator, Perfectly Camouflaged, Venomous, Armored

Drives/Motives:

  • To lie in wait, perfectly still.
  • To ambush any living thing that comes within reach.
  • To defend its hiding spot with surprising ferocity.

Clocks

  • Resist the Necrotic Venom: 6-segment clock
  • Escape the Slime Trap: 4-segment clock
  • Find and Kill the Hidden Slick-Stone: 8-segment clock

GM Actions / Monster Moves:

  • Erupt from hiding: Appear from nowhere, inflicting harm before anyone can react.
  • Seize with lightning speed: Pull a target into a dangerous situation (e.g., off a walkway into the canal), inflict level 2 harm “Impaled”.
  • Inject debilitating venom: Add the “Venom-Sick” quality to a character, creating a clock for them to find an antidote or suffer worsening consequences.
  • Exude a cloud of suffocating slime: Create a messy, hazardous zone and use the confusion to escape and hide again.

Knave (2e)

Mud-Mantis A patient, rock-like predator that burrows into mud and scree, leaving only its camouflaged back exposed. It waits for days for prey to step too close.

HD: 6 Armor: As Plate (15) Morale: 11 Speed: Slow, Burrow (Normal) Attack: One attack per round.

  • Grappling Claws: d8 damage. If the attack hits, the target is automatically grappled. A grappled target is immediately attacked by the creature’s Venomous Spines as part of the same action.

Special Abilities:

  • Ambush: When attacking from hiding, its attack cannot be defended against.
  • Venomous Spines: A target grappled by the claws must save versus poison or take an additional 2d6 damage and be stunned for d4 rounds (cannot act, but can defend).
  • Slime Burst: When it takes damage of 5 points or more, it can choose to release a cloud of slime. All creatures within 10ft must save versus paralysis or be stuck in place for 1 round. The Mud-Mantis will use this opportunity to burrow and escape.
  • Camouflage: When motionless in mud or among rocks, it cannot be detected by normal sight. Characters must specifically state they are prodding rocks or using other methods to find it.

Fate Core System

The Patient Hunger of the Mud Flats To travelers, it is a cautionary tale whispered around campfires. It is the helpful-looking stone that is not a stone. It is the sudden, searing pain from the mud. It is the embodiment of the lesson that in the wilds of Saṃsāra, the greatest dangers are those you never see coming.

High Concept: Perfectly Camouflaged Ambush Predator Trouble: Mindless, Instinct-Driven Hunger

Other Aspects:

  • A Rock with a Thousand Spines
  • Lightning-Fast Raptorial Claws
  • Gushing Cloud of Suffocating Slime

Skills

  • Great (+4): Stealth
  • Good (+3): Fight, Notice
  • Fair (+2): Physique, Athletics
  • Average (+1): Will

Stunts

  • Erupting Ambush: The Patient Hunger gets a +2 to its first Fight roll in a conflict against any target that was not aware of its presence.
  • Venomous Impale: When the Patient Hunger successfully uses its Fight skill to Create an Advantage by grappling a target with its claws, it can immediately inflict a 2-shift Physical hit on the target as a free action from its venomous spines.
  • Defensive Slime Cloud: Once per scene, when this creature takes a moderate or severe consequence, it can automatically fill its zone with thick, sticky slime. This creates a Suffocating Slime situation aspect with two free invocations for the creature to use for defense or to escape the conflict.

Stress:

  • Physical: [][][][]
  • Mental: []

Numenera & Cypher System

Litho-Mandible A bizarre, genetically-sculpted organism from a prior world, the Litho-Mandible is a patient predator that has perfectly adapted to mimic its environment. It is less a creature and more a living, predatory trap.

Level: 4 (A dangerous threat, especially when undiscovered) Motive: Lies in wait to ambush and consume prey. Environment: Riverbeds, tidal flats, canyons with loose scree, or anywhere it can burrow and resemble a rock. Health: 12 Damage: 4 points Armor: 2 Movement: Skitters a short distance. Burrows a short distance.

Modifications: Stealth tasks to hide are level 7 (+3 steps). Perception tasks to spot a hidden Litho-Mandible are level 7 (+3 steps). Combat: The Litho-Mandible remains perfectly still until prey comes within immediate range. Its initial strike is a level 5 attack (+1 step) due to its explosive speed. A successful hit with its raptorial claws deals 4 points of damage, and the target is grappled. A grappled target is immediately impaled on the creature’s dorsal spines and must make a Might defense roll. On a failure, they take 4 points of poison damage, and all movement-based tasks are hindered for the next hour. If the Litho-Mandible is struck for 5 or more points of damage, it can use its next action to exude a massive cloud of slime in a 10-foot (3 m) radius. All tasks performed by others within the cloud are hindered. The Litho-Mandible will use this cover to burrow and escape. GM Intrusion: A character, thinking it is a stable rock, steps directly on the Litho-Mandible. The creature’s ensuing attack is hindered, but the character is automatically hit and grappled.

Interaction: The Litho-Mandible is a feral beast driven by simple instinct. It cannot be reasoned with.

Pathfinder (2e)

Mire-Mantis – Creature 5 Unaligned, Medium, Aberration, Amphibious

Perception +15; darkvision, tremorsense 30 ft. (imprecise) Skills Acrobatics +11, Athletics +12, Stealth +13 (+17 in rocky or muddy terrain) Languages — Str +3, Dex +4, Con +3, Int -4, Wis +4, Cha -5

AC 22; Fort +14, Ref +11, Will +15 HP 75; Resistances poison 5

Rock Mimicry. As long as the Mire-Mantis is motionless on rocky or muddy ground, it appears to be a normal boulder. It has a +2 circumstance bonus to its AC and saving throws against effects that would move it, and it can Hide or Sneak in this terrain even without cover or concealment.

Speed 20 feet, burrow 20 feet

Melee [one-action] Raptorial Claw +15 (agile), Damage 2d8+5 piercing plus Grab.

Ambushing Lunge [two-actions] The Mire-Mantis Burrows up to its speed. It can pop up at any point during this movement to make a Raptorial Claw Strike against an adjacent creature. If this Strike hits, the creature is automatically exposed to its Mire Venom.

Mire Venom (poison) Saving Throw DC 22 Fortitude; Maximum Duration 6 rounds; Stage 1 1d10 poison damage and slowed 1 (1 round); Stage 2 2d10 poison damage and slowed 1 (1 round).

Slime Defense [reaction] Trigger The Mire-Mantis takes damage from a creature within 10 feet. Effect The Mire-Mantis releases a burst of slime. The triggering creature and all adjacent creatures must succeed at a DC 22 Reflex save or be slowed 1 until the end of their next turn (or slowed 2 on a critical failure).

Savage Worlds Adventure Edition (SWADE)

Rock Lurker A patient and vicious predator that perfectly mimics a moss-covered boulder. It waits for days or weeks for the unwary to get too close before striking with terrifying speed.

Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d4(A), Spirit d6, Strength d8, Vigor d8 Skills: Athletics d8, Fighting d8, Notice d10, Stealth d10 Pace: 4; Burrow: 4 Parry: 6 Toughness: 8 (2)

Special Abilities:

  • Armor +2: Stony carapace.
  • Burrow (4”): Can burrow into loose earth, sand, or mud.
  • Camouflage: Characters suffer a –4 penalty to Notice rolls to spot the Rock Lurker when it is motionless in its native environment.
  • Claws: Str+d6.
  • First Strike: If the Rock Lurker attacks an opponent who was unaware of it, it gets The Drop, automatically gaining +4 to its attack and damage rolls for that first attack.
  • Pounce: The Rock Lurker can leap 1d6” to make a Wild Attack, adding +2 to its attack and damage.
  • Slime Burst: As a reaction to being Wounded, the creature can spray slime in a Medium Blast Template centered on itself. All targets in the template must make an Agility roll or become Entangled.
  • Venom: Anyone who suffers a Wound from the Rock Lurker’s claws (which press the victim into its spines) must make a Vigor roll. On a failure, they suffer a level of Fatigue, which can lead to Incapacitation but not death. The Fatigue is recovered after one hour.

Shadowrun (6th World)

Sludge-Mantis A highly successful paracritter bioform often found lurking in the polluted barrens and toxic swamp zones outside major sprawls. Its perfect camouflage makes it a terrifying ambush predator, and corporate rumors suggest its origins lie in a botched gene-splicing experiment intended to create a semi-sentient living minefield.

Attributes

  • BOD: 6, AGI: 5, REA: 4(6), STR: 5, WIL: 4, LOG: 1, INT: 5, CHA: 1, EDG: 2, ESS: 6.0, MAG: 5

Derived Attributes

  • Initiative: 11 + 3d6
  • Defense Rating: 9
  • Physical Condition Monitor: 11
  • Stun Condition Monitor: 10

Skills Athletics 3, Close Combat 4, Perception 5, Stealth 6

Powers

  • Armor: 8
  • Camouflage (Rocky/Muddy Terrain): Provides a +4 dice pool bonus to Stealth tests in appropriate environments. While motionless, it is visually indistinguishable from a rock.
  • Enhanced Senses: Thermographic Vision, Vibration Sense (Range 20m).
  • Paralyzing Venom: Toxin, Vector: Injection, Speed: Immediate, Power: 10, Effect: Paralysis, Physical damage (Resist with Body + Willpower; each net hit the toxin gets inflicts 1 box of Stun damage and a -2 dice pool penalty to all physical actions for 1 hour).
  • Raptorial Claws: A successful Close Combat attack with its claws automatically injects its venom.
  • Slime Gland: As a Major Action, can cover a Zone (10m radius) in thick slime. This creates Difficult Terrain, imposing a -2 penalty on all Agility-based tests for characters within the zone.

Attacks

  • Raptorial Claws: Attack Rating 9 vs. Defense Rating. DV 4P, AP -2.

Starfinder

Lithovore Stalker – CR 5 XP 1,600 N Medium magical beast Init +5; Senses tremorsense 60 ft., darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +11

Defense HP 70 EAC 17; KAC 19 Fort +9; Ref +9; Will +6 Defensive Abilities rock plating; Immunities poison

Offense Speed 20 ft., burrow 20 ft. Melee raptorial claw +14 (1d8+9 S) Offensive Abilities ambush strike, venom spines, slime defense

Statistics STR +4; DEX +2; CON +3; INT -4; WIS +1; CHA -2 Skills Athletics +16, Stealth +11

Ecology Environment any terrestrial environment with loose ground Organization solitary

Special Abilities Ambush Strike (Ex) If the stalker attacks a creature that was unaware of its presence, the attack targets the creature’s flat-footed AC. Rock Plating (Ex) While motionless and at least partially burrowed, the stalker is indistinguishable from a normal rock and can take the Hide action without cover or concealment. Venom Spines (Ex) A creature hit by the stalker’s raptorial claw is impaled on its dorsal spines and must succeed at a DC 15 Fortitude save or be afflicted with Lithovore Venom. Lithovore Venom: Type poison (injury); Save Fortitude DC 15; Track Dexterity; Frequency 1/round for 6 rounds; Effect For each failed save, the target is slowed (as the slow spell) for 1 round. The target’s Dexterity score cannot drop below 0; Cure 2 consecutive saves. Slime Defense (Ex) As a standard action, the stalker can spray a 15-foot cone of thick slime. The area becomes difficult terrain. A creature in the area must succeed at a DC 15 Reflex save or gain the entangled condition for 1d4 rounds.

Traveller (Mongoose 2e)

Burrowing Stalker A common ambush predator on worlds with complex life. It mimics local geology with uncanny perfection, lying dormant for extended periods before striking with blinding speed. Xenobiologists note its triple-threat system of grapple, venom, and slime make it a highly successful solitary hunter.

Profile: INST 9(+1), STR 8(+1), DEX 10(+2), END 10(+2) Hits: 16 Speed: 4m (walking), 4m (burrowing) Skills: Melee (natural) 2, Recon 2, Stealth 3, Survival 1

Traits:

  • Armour: Natural Carapace (Armour 4).
  • Burrower: Can move through soft ground like soil or sand.
  • Camouflage: When motionless, requires a Difficult (10+) Recon check to spot.
  • Pounce: Can leap up to 4m as part of an attack action.

Attacks:

  • Raptorial Claws: Melee (natural) 2, Damage 2d6+1, has the Grapple trait.
  • Venomous Spines: A target successfully grappled is automatically injected with venom. The victim must make an END 10+ check or suffer 2d6 damage and a DM-2 to all physical actions for 1d6 hours.
  • Slime Jet: As an action, can target one character within 10m. The target must make a DEX 8+ check or be covered in thick slime, suffering a DM-2 penalty to all actions until they spend a significant action cleaning it off.

Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (4e)

Carrion-Stone A foul and unnatural beast that lurks in the muddy riverbanks and marshes of the Old World. Scholars debate whether it is a creature of Chaos or simply one of nature’s cruelest jokes. It appears as a mossy boulder until some poor unfortunate soul steps too close, at which point it reveals its true, horrifying form.

Main Profile WS 50, BS -, S 45, T 55, I 50, Ag 35, Dex 40, Int 10, WP 40, Fel –

Secondary Profile A 2, W 18, SB 4, TB 5, M 3, Mag -, IP -, FP –

Traits:

  • Amphibious: Can breathe water and air.
  • Armour: 3 (Stony Carapace)
  • Burrow (Mud and Soil): Can move through soft ground at half speed.
  • Fear 1: A frightening, unnatural creature.
  • Grapple Claws: WS 50, +10 Damage. If this attack hits with 2 or more Success Levels, the target also gains the Entangled Condition.
  • Stealthy: Gains a bonus SL to Stealth Tests in rocky or muddy terrain.
  • Venom (Potent): A character who suffers a Wound from the Carrion-Stone’s spines must make a Challenging (+0) Endurance Test or gain the Paralysed Condition for 1d10 rounds.
  • Venomous Spines: If the Carrion-Stone successfully gives a target the Entangled Condition using its Grapple Claws, it automatically inflicts one hit with its spines as part of the same action, exposing the target to its Venom.
  • Slime Spray: As an action, all characters in a Cone template must pass an Average (+20) Dodge Test. Those who fail gain 2 Entangled Conditions.
  • Size: Medium
  • Skills: Melee (Brawling) 50, Perception 60, Stealth 55