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Holothuria Scolopendra 9

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by

Dale
in
  • Original Life Forms:
    • Class Holothuroidea: Sea Cucumber (Holothuria)
    • Class Chilopoda: Giant Centipede (Scolopendra gigantea)
    • Class Malacostraca: Pistol Shrimp (Alpheidae family)
    • Class Bivalvia: Giant Clam (Tridacna gigas)

Appearance

The Holothuria-Scolopendra 9 is a bizarre and horrifying creature adapted for shoreline ambushes. Its body is a 15-to-20-foot-long, segmented tube, similar to a giant centipede but with a soft, fleshy, and somewhat gelatinous hide like a sea cucumber. This fleshy body is lined with dozens of sharp, chitinous legs that allow for surprisingly rapid movement. The posterior third of the creature is protected by two massive, bivalve shells, like those of a giant clam, which are often covered in sand, barnacles, and rock fragments for camouflage. The creature’s head is that of a centipede, with long antennae and a pair of venomous forcipules (pincer-like fangs). Most strikingly, one of its foremost limbs is a massively oversized, asymmetrical claw, like that of a pistol shrimp, capable of snapping shut with incredible force.

Size

  • Length: 15 – 20 feet
  • Width: 4 – 5 feet at the shell
  • Weight: 800 – 1,200 lbs

Speed

  • Walking: Fast. It moves with a swift, undulating, centipede-like motion across land.
  • Burrowing: Moderate. It can use its many legs to quickly bury its soft body in sand or loose earth.

Stat Modifiers

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

Skills

  • Stealth: Excellent, but only when setting an ambush. When moving, it is quite loud.
  • Perception: Moderate. It primarily senses the world through vibrations in the ground and its antennae.
  • Athletics: Good for scurrying over uneven terrain.

Behavior

This creature is a highly specialized territorial ambush predator. It spends most of its time motionless, having buried its soft, vulnerable body in the sand or soil, leaving only its massive, rock-like clam shells exposed. It can lie dormant in this state for weeks. When a curious creature or unwary traveler approaches to investigate the out-of-place “seashell,” the Holothuria-Scolopendra erupts from the ground. Its primary attack is to stun its prey from a distance using its pistol shrimp claw, which snaps shut with enough force to create a deafening sonic blast and a concussive shockwave through the air or water. Once the target is stunned or disoriented, the creature scurries forward to finish it with its venomous centipede fangs. If it is seriously threatened or wounded, it will retreat into its clam shell and employ its sea cucumber defense: violently expelling a mass of sticky, toxic internal tubules from its rear end to entangle and poison its attacker while it makes its escape.

Diet

Carnivorous. It primarily feeds on large coastal birds, inquisitive dune creatures, and any other animal or adventurer drawn in by the strange sight of its shell.

Emotions

The creature is entirely driven by instinct and displays no recognizable emotions. Its behavior is a simple loop of dormancy, hunger, predatory violence, and self-preservation. Aggression is signaled by the raising of its pistol claw and a loud clacking of its many legs. Its defensive state is characterized by a full retreat into its shell.

Environment Where Found

Holothuria-Scolopendra 9 is found exclusively in coastal environments. It prefers sandy beaches, arid shorelines, and the rocky terrain of tidal flats where it can effectively burrow and camouflage its shell among the natural landscape.

Tags

Feral, Ambush Predator, Venomous, Burrower, Chitinous, Armored, Sonic Blast, Evisceration Defense, Coastal, Territorial, Carnivore, Trap Beast, Segmented, Stunning, Asymmetrical, Shoreline, Toxic Entrails

Life Cycle

The life cycle of the Holothuria-Scolopendra 9 is a process of immense attrition, reflecting its harsh coastal environment and invertebrate origins.

  • Broadcast Spawning: Adults do not mate. Once every few years, prompted by a specific combination of tidal forces and magical alignments, mature creatures in a region will instinctively crawl to the edge of the surf. In a massive, impersonal event, they release clouds of gametes into the churning water.
  • Larval Stage: The fertilized eggs hatch into tiny, planktonic, centipede-like larvae. Billions are consumed by sea creatures, but the tide washes a lucky few back onto sandy beaches.
  • The Shell-Seeker Phase: A surviving larva’s first instinct is to burrow into the sand for protection. For the first year of its life, it is a tiny scavenger known as a “shell-seeker.” It must find and inhabit progressively larger empty seashells to protect its soft, vulnerable posterior. During this phase, it is a primary food source for many coastal birds and crabs.
  • Metamorphosis: After several years of growth, once the juvenile is large enough, it finds a safe place to burrow for an extended period. It undergoes a painful metamorphosis, its body growing its own bivalve shell which fuses to its flesh, while its specialized pistol-shrimp claw develops its disproportionate size and power.
  • Adulthood: Upon reaching its full size after 15 to 20 years, it will claim a stretch of shoreline as its territory, and live a solitary life of ambush hunting. Their natural lifespan is estimated to be between 60 and 80 years.

Mating

There is no direct mating or social interaction between individuals. Reproduction is a rare, simultaneous, and impersonal broadcast spawning event. An adult Holothuria-Scolopendra will only encounter another of its kind during a territorial dispute, which almost always ends in the death of one of the combatants.

Tactics

The creature’s tactics are a brutally efficient combination of its chimeric parts, revolving around its unique ambush strategy.

  • The Shell Lure: This is its primary hunting method. The creature buries its entire 20-foot body in the sand, leaving only its massive, camouflaged clam shells visible on the surface. To the unwary, it looks like a large, interesting seashell embedded in the beach. It can lie dormant and motionless in this state for weeks.
  • Stun and Strike: When prey—be it a giant crab, a coastal grazer, or a curious adventurer—touches or gets within a few feet of the shell, the creature erupts from the sand. Its first and fastest action is to snap its oversized Pistol Claw. This creates a deafening sonic boom and a concussive blast of force, stunning and disorienting the target. In the moments the prey is reeling, the creature scurries forward on its dozens of legs to attack with its venomous centipede fangs.
  • Fortress Defense: When confronted with a threat it cannot immediately stun, its first defensive instinct is to withdraw its head and limbs deep within its nearly impenetrable clam shell, weathering the attack.
  • Evisceration Escape: If an enemy manages to damage the shell or persists in its attack, the creature will employ its ultimate defense. It violently expels a mass of sticky, toxic, and foul-smelling internal tubules from its rear opening. This horrific mass entangles, poisons, and disgusts the attacker, providing the perfect distraction for the Holothuria-Scolopendra to scurry away and burrow into the sand to hide and regenerate.

Actions

In a combat scenario, a Holothuria-Scolopendra 9 might perform the following actions:

  • Multi-attack: The creature makes two attacks: one with its Bite and one with its Claw.
  • Bite: A melee attack with its venomous forcipules. Inflicts piercing damage and injects a potent neurotoxin that can cause paralysis.
  • Claw: A melee attack with its smaller claws. Inflicts slashing damage.
  • Sonic Burst (Rechargeable): The creature snaps its oversized Pistol Claw, creating a 15-foot cone of concussive force. Targets in the area take thunder damage and must make a Constitution saving throw or be stunned for one round.
  • Withdraw: The creature pulls its entire body into its shell. While withdrawn, its Armor Class increases dramatically, and it is resistant to most forms of damage, but it cannot move or attack.
  • Toxic Evisceration (Once per day): As a reaction to taking a critical hit or dropping below half its health, the creature can expel its entrails. This creates a 20-foot radius of difficult, damaging terrain centered on itself. Any creature starting its turn in the area takes poison damage and must make a Strength saving throw or become restrained. After using this ability, the creature cannot heal naturally and suffers a penalty to its maximum health until it can rest for an extended period.

Other Interesting Information

  • Sonoluminescence: The cavitation bubble created by the Pistol Claw’s snap briefly generates a flash of light and a point of intense heat, thousands of degrees hot for a nanosecond. Alchemists call this “sonic fire.” The hardened “knuckle” of a Pistol Claw is a highly sought-after component for crafting gear that can create concussive or fire damage.
  • Symbiotic Algae: The creature’s exposed shells often cultivate a specific, hardy type of bioluminescent algae. This algae draws sustenance from the creature’s waste products and in turn provides a slow, steady trickle of nourishment via photosynthesis of sunlight and ambient magic. At night, a beach infested with these creatures may be dotted with dozens of faintly, eerily glowing “seashells.”
  • Incredible Regeneration: A trait inherited from its sea cucumber ancestry, the creature has remarkable regenerative abilities. It can regrow its expelled organs over several weeks. It can also regrow lost legs, though this is a much slower process.

An adventuring party would cross paths with a Holothuria-Scolopendra 9 in one of two ways: either as the specific, high-risk target of a specialized hunt, or as a terrifying and unforeseen environmental hazard during an unrelated quest. As a “trap beast,” it excels at turning a simple walk on the beach into a deadly combat encounter.

Deliberate Hunts for Rare Components

Only the most skilled (or desperate) adventurers would intentionally seek out this creature. The patrons who post such bounties are typically powerful, wealthy, and in need of the creature’s unique biological and magical properties.

  • The Sonic Artificer’s Request: An artificer’s guild or a military engineer—perhaps from a nation like Chellean or Carthage—is attempting to create a powerful, non-lethal sonic stun weapon. The only known biological mechanism that can produce such a violent concussive blast without magic is the creature’s Pistol Claw. The party would be hired to bring back a perfectly preserved claw, or better yet, capture a live specimen for study, a monumentally difficult task that would command an astronomical reward.
  • The Alchemist of Regeneration: A master alchemist or healer theorizes that the creature’s most grotesque defense mechanism—the violent expulsion of its own internal organs—is the key to a medical breakthrough. The sticky, toxic tubules it ejects must contain unimaginably potent regenerative agents to allow the creature to survive such an act. A party would be hired for the dangerous and disgusting task of finding the creature, goading it into using its Evisceration Defense, and collecting a viable sample of the expelled entrails for study. Such a sample could be the key ingredient in a legendary healing potion capable of regenerating lost limbs.
  • The Trophy Shell: A wealthy noble, a high-ranking priest, or the curator of a grand museum might desire the creature’s most durable feature: its massive, bivalve shell. Beyond being a terrifying and unique trophy, the magically resonant shell, with its strange, algae-covered patterns, is believed to be a key component in crafting legendary shields or sonic-dampening armor. The adventurers’ task would not only be to slay the beast but to undertake the immense logistical challenge of detaching and transporting the multi-ton shell back to their employer.

Accidental and Environmental Encounters

Most encounters with a Holothuria-Scolopendra 9 are terrifying surprises, where the creature is not the objective but a deadly obstacle.

  • The Shipwrecked Shore: A classic survival scenario. The party’s vessel is destroyed in a storm, and they wash ashore on what appears to be a deserted island. As they take stock and search for resources, they might notice the beach is dotted with unusually large and beautiful seashells. A character approaching one out of curiosity, or in the hopes of finding a giant clam for food, would trigger the creature’s eruption from the sand, instantly turning their survival mission into a desperate battle against a hidden monster.
  • The Cartographer’s Peril: The party is hired by a naval power like Carthage to explore and map a previously uncharted coastline. While surveying the tidal flats and documenting the strange local wildlife, a member of the party might get too close to what they log as an “unusual geological formation” or “colossal bivalve fossil.” The sudden, deafening crack of the sonic blast would be their first and only warning that the geology itself is hostile, turning their scientific expedition into a chaotic fight for life.
  • Clearing the Pilgrim’s Path: A local community hires the adventurers to deal with a recent string of disappearances along a sacred coastal pilgrimage route. The locals blame ghosts, sea devils, or rival factions. The party follows the route, a beautiful and serene stretch of beach, only to find that the disappearances are centered around a cluster of “sacred stones” or “ancient shells” that are part of the pilgrimage. They soon discover that a Holothuria-Scolopendra has made this holy site its hunting ground, and they must eliminate the blasphemous predator to make the path safe again.

A successful hunt of a Holothuria-Scolopendra 9 yields a bounty of bizarre and valuable components, prized by alchemists, artificers, and enchanters across Saṃsāra. Beyond the obvious treasures of its sonic claw and massive shell, nearly every part of its grotesque anatomy has a unique purpose.

From its Centipede & Crustacean Anatomy

  • Venomous Forcipules: The creature’s twin, pincer-like fangs are hollow and naturally designed for injection. After the venom sacs are removed, these hollowed-out chitinous points can be used as masterwork tips for alchemical injectors or magical siphons. A dagger forged with the forcipules as its twin points is a favored tool of assassins, as it can be enchanted to deliver potions or poisons with even a glancing blow.
  • The Sonic Knuckle: The most valuable part of the oversized Pistol Claw is the specific, hardened nodule that actually creates the cavitation bubble. This “Sonic Knuckle” can be incorporated into the head of a warhammer or the face of a gauntlet. When enchanted, any solid impact made with this weapon will release a deafening thunderclap, adding sonic damage and potentially stunning the target.
  • Sensitive Antennae: The long, delicate antennae are covered in millions of microscopic chemoreceptors. When carefully dried and ground into a fine powder, they are a primary ingredient in potions of scent-tracking and alchemical incense that, when burned, can reveal the presence of invisible creatures or hidden poisons in the air.
  • Segmented Chitin: The flexible chitinous plates that make up the creature’s long body are distinct from its heavy rear shell. These plates are prized by armorers for creating highly articulated armor for limbs, such as vambraces and greaves, that offer the protection of carapace without sacrificing mobility.

From its Bivalve Shell

  • Adductor Muscle Sinew: The colossal muscle that snaps the two shells shut is a mass of incredibly dense and powerful fibers. When harvested and properly treated, this sinew can be spun into cables for steam-powered cranes and winches that are stronger than steel and far more flexible.
  • Resonant Nacre: The iridescent mother-of-pearl that lines the inside of the creature’s shell has unique acoustic and magical properties. When carefully flaked and suspended in a lacquer, it can be used to paint surfaces that dampen sound, creating stealth-enhancing coatings for armor or soundproof walls. Polished pieces are also used as focal points for illusion and light-bending magic.
  • Bioluminescent Algae Culture: The shell is often a habitat for a unique, symbiotic algae. If a live culture can be harvested and sustained, it can be cultivated to create ever-glowing paint or salves. These are highly valued in subterranean societies like the Choukoutienian nation for marking paths in the dark with a light that requires no fuel.

From its Holothurian Aspects

  • Gelatinous Hide: The soft, fleshy skin of the creature’s main body is useless as armor, but when rendered down in a slow-cooking process, it produces a thick, translucent gel. This gel is a peerless waterproofing and acid-proofing agent, used to treat leather boots, ship hulls, and alchemists’ gloves.
  • Cuvierian Tubules (The Entrails): Beyond their regenerative and toxic properties, the sticky tubules the creature expels are the source of the strongest known natural adhesive. When processed, they create a permanent bonding agent colloquially known as “Kraken Glue,” used in high-stress applications from shipbuilding to the construction of siege engines.

Greedy Captain and Pearl of Beach

It is told by the sailors of Carthage, and it is a story that has saved many a wise crew, that of Captain Malco, whose greed was a bigger sail than any on his ship. His vessel, the Gilded Skiff, sailed in waters that were not on any chart, for Malco sought treasures that no other had claimed.

And so it was that on a windless afternoon, the lookout cried down from the mast. He had spied a beach of white sand on an uncharted island, and upon this beach was a wonder. It was a clam shell, larger than a merchant’s cart, and its surface, even from a great distance, shimmered with the colors of the sunrise. Malco, who came to look with his spyglass, felt his heart beat with the drum of avarice, for a shell so grand must surely hold a pearl larger than a king’s head.

His first mate, a wise man who had seen many strange things, spoke a word of caution. “Captain,” he said, “the sea gives many gifts, but she does not leave her greatest jewels upon the sand for any fool to take. A thing so perfect in a place so wild is not a treasure, but an invitation.”

But Malco’s ears were stopped with the thought of the pearl. He called the first mate a coward and a fool. He ordered a longboat lowered, and he took with him six of his strongest men, armed with cutlasses and long crowbars to pry open their fortune. The first mate was ordered to wait with the ship, and he watched them go with a heavy soul.

The men landed on the silent beach. The great shell was a thing of terrible beauty, its surface covered in a fine, mossy algae that seemed to pulse with a faint, inner light. Malco, his eyes wide with impending wealth, cared not for the strangeness. “It is a god’s own jewel box!” he cried. “Pry it open, you dogs, and our names will be sung in every tavern in Carthage!”

The strongest of the sailors, a man named Gisco, set his crowbar to the lip of the great shell. The moment the iron touched the pearlescent surface, the sand did not just move, it exploded. The shell was not a shell. It was the back end of a horror. A great, fleshy, segmented worm of a body, as long as the longboat, erupted from its hiding place, skittering on a hundred insect legs. A fanged head, like that of a great centipede, rose from the sand, its antennae twitching.

The men were frozen with a terror that was beyond screaming. And the creature, it raised its one, great, oversized claw. And it snapped it shut.

There was no sound, and then all sound. A crack, like the world breaking in two, burst from the claw. It was a thunderclap that made no light. A wave of unseen force washed over the men. They were thrown back upon the sand, their ears bleeding, their minds a fog of confusion. They were stunned, like fish after a lightning strike.

The great beast, the Holothuria-Scolopendra, moved with a speed that was a lie to its great bulk. It ignored the fallen sailors. It scurried past them, its many legs a blur, and it went to the one who had commanded the trespass. It bent its fanged head, and it bit Captain Malco, whose greed had brought this doom. The venom was a swift and silent thing.

The other sailors, shaking off the stun, rose with cries of rage and fear. They fell upon the creature with their cutlasses. Their blades rang and scraped against the great shell on its back, doing no harm. One man, seeking a softer target, hacked at the fleshy, centipede body. His blade cut deep.

The creature was wounded. And its answer was a final, terrible blasphemy against nature. It did not roar. It convulsed. It retreated its head into the great shell, and from its rear, it expelled its own innards. A great, writhing mass of sticky, stinking, and toxic tubules shot forth, spraying over the remaining men. They were caught as if in a net of hot tar. They screamed as the poison of the entrails began to burn their skin.

From the ship, the first mate watched in frozen horror. He saw the creature, having given its foul defense, scurry with a speed that should not be, and burrow back into the sand. In moments, it was gone. All that was left on the beach was the great, shimmering, beautiful shell, sitting as peacefully as when they first saw it. And around it lay the still bodies of a greedy captain and his crew, a final warning from the deep.

Moral: The world is full of beautiful things that are only the exposed part of a deadly trap. Before you reach for a great treasure, ask first why it has not been claimed.

Suggested conversions to other systems:

Dungeons & Dragons (5e)

Shoreline Lurker Large monstrosity, unaligned

Armor Class 15 (natural armor), 19 in shell Hit Points 136 (16d10 + 48) Speed 40 ft., burrow 20 ft.

STR 15 (+2) DEX 16 (+3) CON 18 (+4) INT 3 (-4) WIS 12 (+1) CHA 3 (-4)

Skills Perception +4, Stealth +6 Damage Resistances thunder Senses blindsight 30 ft., darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 14 Languages — Challenge 8 (3,900 XP)

Shell Lure. While the lurker remains motionless with its body burrowed and only its shell exposed, it is indistinguishable from a giant seashell.

Actions

Multiattack. The lurker makes one Bite attack and one Claw attack.

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d10 + 2) piercing damage plus 13 (3d8) poison damage. The target must succeed on a DC 16 Constitution saving throw or be paralyzed for 1 minute. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.

Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d8 + 2) bludgeoning damage.

Sonic Burst (Recharge 5–6). The lurker snaps its oversized claw, creating a sonic blast in a 30-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 16 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, a creature takes 27 (6d8) thunder damage and is stunned until the end of the lurker’s next turn. On a successful save, a creature takes half as much damage and is not stunned.

Withdraw. The lurker withdraws its body into its shell. Until it emerges, it gains a +4 bonus to AC, has advantage on Constitution saving throws, and has resistance to all damage. While withdrawn, the lurker cannot move or take any actions other than using an action to emerge.

Toxic Evisceration (1/Day). As a reaction when it drops to half its hit points or fewer, the lurker expels its internal organs in a 20-foot radius centered on itself. The area becomes difficult terrain. Any creature that starts its turn in the area takes 11 (2d10) poison damage and must succeed on a DC 16 Strength saving throw or be restrained by the sticky tubules. A creature can use its action to make a DC 16 Strength check, freeing itself or another creature within its reach on a success. The lurker takes 5 (1d10) irreducible damage when it uses this ability.

Call of Cthulhu (7th Edition)

The Tidal Flat Horror An abomination of the shoreline, this creature hides its massive, worm-like body beneath the sand, leaving only a beautiful, giant shell exposed as a lure for the greedy and the unwary.

STR 85 CON 90 SIZ 110 DEX 60 INT 15 POW 40 APP 05

HP: 20 Damage Bonus: +2d6 Build: 4 Move: 8 / 4 burrowing Sanity Loss: 1/1d10 to see it erupt from the sand.

Attacks Attacks per round: 1

  • Fighting (Bite) 45%, 1d8 damage + damage bonus + Venom.
  • Venom: An investigator hit by the bite must make a Hard CON roll or be paralyzed for 1d6+1 rounds.
  • Sonic Burst: As an action, the Horror can snap its large claw. All targets in a 10-yard cone must make a Hard CON roll or be stunned, losing their next action. This can be used once every 3 rounds.
  • Toxic Evisceration: If the Horror is reduced to 10 HP or fewer, it will use its next action to expel a mass of its internal organs. All investigators within 5 yards are entangled (must win an opposed STR roll to escape) and take 1d6 damage per round from the toxins until they break free. The Horror will use this distraction to burrow and escape.

Armor: 6 points of heavy shell and thick hide. If it uses an action to withdraw into its shell, its Armor increases to 12 against all attacks, but it cannot move or attack.

Skills: Stealth (when hiding) 90%.

Blades in the Dark

The Silt-Maw A monstrous burrowing predator that haunts the silted-up coastlines and forgotten canals. It lures scavengers with what appears to be a giant, half-buried treasure shell, only to erupt in a flurry of legs and fangs.

Tier: III Scale: Large (Scale 2) Qualities: Ambush Predator, Heavily Armored, Venomous, Terrifying, Subterranean

Drives/Motives:

  • To lie in wait, perfectly still.
  • To lure and consume any who trespass in its hunting ground.
  • To defend itself with horrific biological weapons.

Clocks

  • Survive the Sonic Ambush: 6-segment clock
  • Crack Its Impenetrable Shell: 8-segment clock
  • Escape the Entangling Guts: 4-segment clock

GM Actions / Monster Moves:

  • Erupt from the ground without warning, seizing a target and dragging them down.
  • Deafen and stun with a sonic blast, inflicting level 2 harm “Stunned & Disoriented.”
  • Inject a paralytic venom with its bite, creating a “Paralyzed” 4-clock for the victim.
  • Retreat into its impenetrable shell, becoming temporarily invulnerable to most harm.
  • Expel a spray of entangling, toxic guts, creating a dangerous zone and covering the crew in filth.

Knave (2e)

Giant Shell-Worm A massive, centipede-like worm with a huge clamshell protecting its rear. It burrows under the sand on beaches, leaving the shell exposed as a lure.

HD: 12 Armor: As Plate (15), or 18 if withdrawn in shell. Morale: 9 Speed: Fast, Burrow (Normal) Attack: One attack per round (Bite).

Special Abilities:

  • Shell Lure: When burrowed, it is indistinguishable from a giant seashell. The shell itself is immune to damage from conventional weapons.
  • Sonic Burst: Once per combat, as its action, all targets in a 30ft cone must save vs breath weapon or be stunned for 1 round (cannot act).
  • Venomous Bite: d10 damage. A target damaged by the bite must save vs poison or be paralyzed for d6 rounds.
  • Withdraw: Can spend its turn to withdraw into its shell. While withdrawn, its Armor is 18, and it is immune to critical hits, but it cannot move or attack.
  • Gut Spew: The first time the worm is reduced to 1/4 of its HP or less, it spews sticky guts in a 20ft radius. All in the area must save vs paralysis or be stuck in place for d4 rounds. The worm will use this time to burrow and escape, and will not fight further.

Fate Core System

The Thunderclap Worm A creature of legend among coastal communities, spoken of in hushed tones. They tell of a beautiful, giant shell on a lonely beach, a prize that lures the greedy. But the shell is a lie, the back door to a monster whose roar is a physical blow.

High Concept: Massive, Sonic-Blasting Ambush Predator Trouble: Vulnerable Fleshy Body, Impenetrable Shell

Other Aspects:

  • That’s No Seashell!
  • A Deafening, Concussive Blast
  • A Gushing Torrent of Toxic Entrails

Skills

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

Stunts

  • Sonic Burst: Once per scene, the Thunderclap Worm can use Physique to make a physical attack against every target in its zone with a concussive blast.
  • Fortress Shell: When the Thunderclap Worm is the target of a physical attack, it can spend a Fate point to gain Armor:4 against that attack by withdrawing into its shell.
  • Eviscerating Defense: The first time the Worm takes a moderate or severe consequence in a conflict, it can immediately fill its zone with Toxic, Entangling Guts, creating a new situation aspect with two free invocations for it to use for defense or to escape.

Stress:

  • Physical: [][][][][]
  • Mental: [][]

Numenera & Cypher System

Sonic Burrower A massive chimerical organism that has mastered the art of the ambush. It buries its long, soft body in the sand or scree, leaving only its armored, shell-like posterior exposed as a lure for curious prey.

Level: 7 (A very dangerous opponent) Motive: Lies in wait to ambush and consume prey. Environment: Sandy coastlines, arid wastelands, or anywhere it can bury its body. Health: 21 Damage: 7 points Armor: 3 Movement: Skitters a long distance. Burrows a short distance.

Modifications: Stealth while burrowed is level 9 (+2 steps). Defense rolls while withdrawn in its shell are level 9 (+2 steps).

Combat: The Sonic Burrower erupts from the ground when prey is within a short distance. Its primary attack is a sonic blast from its claw that affects all creatures in a 20-foot (6 m) cone. This is a level 7 attack that deals 7 points of damage. A character who fails their Speed defense roll is also stunned and cannot take actions on their next turn. It can bite with its venomous fangs, dealing 7 points of damage. A character damaged by the bite must make a Might defense roll or take an additional 4 points of poison damage per round for three rounds. If the Sonic Burrower is reduced to 10 health or less, it will use its next action to expel a mass of toxic entrails in an immediate radius. All tasks performed by others within this area are hindered, and anyone starting their turn there takes 3 points of ambient damage until they leave. The Burrower will then attempt to escape. GM Intrusion: The creature’s sonic blast causes a nearby cliff face or ruin to collapse, creating a new hazard for the players.

Interaction: It is a feral beast and cannot be communicated with.

Pathfinder (2e)

Giant Sand-Gnasher – Creature 10 Unaligned, Huge, Aberration, Amphibious

Perception +19; darkvision, tremorsense 60 ft. (imprecise) Skills Athletics +23, Stealth +20 (+24 while burrowed) Languages — Str +7, Dex +4, Con +6, Int -4, Wis +3, Cha -4

AC 30; Fort +22, Ref +18, Will +19 HP 190; Immunities paralyzed; Resistances sonic 10

Shell Lure While the Sand-Gnasher is burrowed with only its shell exposed, it is indistinguishable from a giant seashell and can Hide without cover or concealment.

Speed 40 feet, burrow 20 feet

Melee [one-action] Jaws +23 (reach 10 feet), Damage 2d12+13 piercing plus Sand-Gnasher Venom.

Ranged [two-actions] Sonic Burst (evocation, primal, sonic) The Sand-Gnasher unleashes a 30-foot cone of concussive force. Creatures in the cone take 12d6 sonic damage (DC 29 basic Fortitude save). A creature that critically fails its save is also stunned 1.

Withdraw [one-action] The Sand-Gnasher pulls its body into its shell. It gains a +4 circumstance bonus to AC (AC 34) and resistance 10 to all physical damage, but it cannot use any actions other than to Emerge from its shell, which is also a single action.

Sand-Gnasher Venom (poison) Saving Throw DC 29 Fortitude; Maximum Duration 6 rounds; Stage 1 2d6 poison damage and flat-footed (1 round); Stage 2 3d6 poison damage, flat-footed, and clumsy 1 (1 round).

Vile Evisceration [reaction] Trigger The Sand-Gnasher is reduced to 95 HP or fewer. Effect The Sand-Gnasher expels its entrails, creating a 15-foot burst of difficult terrain around it that lasts for 1 minute. Any creature that starts its turn in the area takes 3d6 poison damage.

Savage Worlds Adventure Edition (SWADE)

The Dune-Thumper A colossal predator of the wastes and shorelines, the Dune-Thumper lures prey with its giant, treasure-like shell before erupting from the sand to attack with a stunning sonic blast and venomous fangs.

Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6(A), Spirit d8, Strength d12+4, Vigor d12 Skills: Athletics d10, Fighting d10, Notice d8, Stealth d10 Pace: 8; Burrow: 6 Parry: 7 Toughness: 15 (4)

Special Abilities:

  • Armor +4: Heavy bivalve shell and chitin.
  • Burrow (6”): Can burrow into sand or loose earth.
  • Hardy: Does not suffer a Wound from being Shaken twice.
  • Huge: Attackers add +4 to attack it. Its attacks can affect up to five adjacent foes. Toughness +4.
  • Lure: When burrowed, it requires a Notice roll at –4 to spot it before it attacks. It gets The Drop on anyone who fails this roll.
  • Mandibles: Str+d8, AP 2. Venom: A character who suffers a Wound from the mandibles must make a Vigor roll or become Paralyzed. They are Shaken and cannot attempt to recover from being Shaken until they are no longer Paralyzed. A new Vigor roll can be made each round to break the paralysis.
  • Sonic Blast: Once per encounter, as an action, may use the Cone Template. Characters in the template must make a Vigor roll or become Stunned.
  • Eviscerate: The first time the Dune-Thumper is Wounded, as a reaction, it sprays a Large Blast Template of sticky, toxic guts. Anyone in the template is Entangled and takes 2d6 damage. The creature will then attempt to burrow and flee.

Shadowrun (6th World)

Tidal Flat Devourer This paracritter is a terrifying apex predator of polluted shorelines and toxic estuaries, often found near corporate dumping sites. Knight Errant patrol reports speculate it may be a magically evolved mutation or an escaped Aztechnology bio-weapon. It ambushes prey by mimicking a large, discarded piece of industrial refuse or a strange shell.

Attributes

  • BOD: 10, AGI: 5, REA: 4(6), STR: 9, WIL: 6, LOG: 1, INT: 4, CHA: 1, EDG: 3, ESS: 6.0, MAG: 6

Derived Attributes

  • Initiative: 10 + 3d6
  • Defense Rating: 8
  • Physical Condition Monitor: 13
  • Stun Condition Monitor: 11

Skills Athletics 4, Close Combat 5, Exotic Weapon (Sonic Blast) 5, Perception 3, Stealth 5

Powers

  • Armor: 14 (Heavy Bivalve Shell)
  • Burrowing: The creature can move through sand, soil, and industrial sludge.
  • Camouflage (Littoral): Provides a +4 dice pool bonus to Stealth tests in coastal/beach environments. When partially burrowed, it is visually indistinguishable from a large seashell or piece of debris.
  • Dual Natured: Can perceive and interact with the astral plane.
  • Paralyzing Venom: Toxin, Vector: Injection, Speed: Immediate, Power: 11, Effect: Paralysis, Physical damage (Resist with Body + Willpower; each net hit the toxin gets inflicts 1 box of Physical damage and a -3 dice pool penalty to all physical actions for 1 hour).
  • Regeneration: Recovers 1 box of Physical damage at the start of each Combat Turn.
  • Vile Evisceration: As a Major Action, can fill a Zone with sticky, toxic entrails. This acts as a Chemical attack (Power 8, DV 8P, AP -2) and creates difficult terrain that requires an Athletics test to move through.

Attacks

  • Bite: Attack Rating 10 vs. Defense Rating. DV 7P, AP -3. Injects Paralyzing Venom.
  • Sonic Blast: Exotic Weapon + Agility. Attack Rating 10 vs. Defense Rating. DV 10S, AP -4, Blast (5m radius).

Starfinder

Acoustic Ambusher – CR 10 XP 9,600 N Huge magical beast Init +5; Senses tremorsense 60 ft., darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +19

Defense HP 175 EAC 23; KAC 25 Fort +14; Ref +14; Will +11 Defensive Abilities shell defense; Immunities poison; Resistances sonic 10

Offense Speed 40 ft., burrow 20 ft. Melee bite +22 (3d8+15 P plus paralytic venom) Space 15 ft.; Reach 10 ft. Offensive Abilities sonic concussion, vile evisceration

Statistics STR +5; DEX +1; CON +4; INT -4; WIS +2; CHA -2 Skills Athletics +24, Stealth +19

Ecology Environment sandy or rocky coasts Organization solitary

Special Abilities Paralytic Venom (Ex) A creature hit by the ambusher’s bite must succeed at a DC 19 Fortitude save or be paralyzed for 1d6 rounds. Shell Defense (Ex) As a move action, the ambusher can withdraw into its shell, increasing its KAC to 29. It cannot attack while withdrawn, and emerging is a move action. While withdrawn, it has cover from all attacks. Sonic Concussion (Ex) As a standard action, the ambusher can snap its claw, creating a 30-foot cone of sonic force. Creatures in the area take 11d6 sonic damage and are stunned for 1 round (Reflex DC 19 for half damage and to negate the stun). It cannot use this ability again for 1d4 rounds. Vile Evisceration (Ex) When the ambusher is reduced to 25% of its hit points or fewer, as a reaction, it expels a mass of sticky entrails in a 20-foot radius burst. The area becomes difficult terrain. Creatures in the burst gain the entangled condition and take 4d6 acid damage (Reflex DC 19 negates entanglement and halves damage).

Traveller (Mongoose 2e)

Sand-Striker A Class A Dangerous Fauna found on worlds with extensive shorelines. The Sand-Striker is a large ambush predator that buries its segmented body, using a massive, hardened shell as a lure. Its primary attack is a stunning sonic clap generated by a specialized limb.

Profile: INST 9(+1), STR 14(+4), DEX 8(+1), END 15(+4) Hits: 32 (Very Large) Speed: 8m (walking), 6m (burrowing) Skills: Melee (natural) 3, Recon 2, Stealth (when hiding) 4, Survival 2

Traits:

  • Armour: Heavy Shell (Armour 8).
  • Burrower: Can move through sand and soil.
  • Camouflage (Lure): When burrowed, it is indistinguishable from a large seashell. Requires a Formidable (12+) Recon check to identify the danger before it attacks.
  • Huge: As a Huge creature, all attack rolls against it gain a DM+4.
  • Fear: A character seeing it erupt from the ground must make a SOC 8+ check or be stunned for one round, unable to take any action.

Attacks:

  • Bite: Melee (natural) 3, Damage 4d6+4. This attack has the Toxin (paralytic) trait; a character damaged must make an END 10+ check or be paralyzed and unable to act for 1D minutes.
  • Sonic Clap: As a significant action, this ranged attack affects a 30-degree arc out to 15m. All targets in the arc must make an END 10+ check or be stunned for 1d3 rounds.
  • Gut Burst: If the Sand-Striker takes more than 16 damage in a single round, as a reaction it can spew a mass of sticky guts. All characters within 10m must make a DEX 8+ check or become entangled, unable to move for 1d6 rounds.

Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (4e)

The Sand-Screamer A monstrous abomination that haunts the desolate coasts of the Old World, particularly the shores of the Chaos Wastes. It is a creature of pure ambush, a living trap of chitin, shell, and flesh. Fishermen tell tales of entire villages vanishing, leaving only strange, oversized seashells on the blood-stained sand.

Main Profile WS 60, BS -, S 75, T 80, I 50, Ag 30, Dex 20, Int 10, WP 60, Fel –

Secondary Profile A 3, W 38, SB 7, TB 8, M 4, Mag -, IP -, FP –

Traits:

  • Amphibious: Can breathe water and air.
  • Armour: 6 (Massive Shell)
  • Bite: WS 60, +13 Damage. This attack has the Poison (Paralytic) quality. A character suffering a Wound from this attack must pass a Difficult (–10) Endurance Test or gain 1d10 Paralysed Conditions.
  • Big: Grants the creature the Large quality.
  • Burrow (Sand and Mud): Can move through soft ground at half speed.
  • Fear 3: A truly horrifying abomination.
  • Lure: When burrowed, requires a Hard (–20) Perception Test to spot it before it attacks.
  • Sonic Boom: As an action, all characters in a Cone template in front of the creature must pass a Challenging (+0) Endurance Test or gain 1 Stunned Condition.
  • Vile Purge: The first time the Sand-Screamer suffers a Critical Wound, it immediately sprays its entrails as a reaction. All characters within 6 yards gain 3 Entangled Conditions and must pass a Difficult (–10) Endurance Test or gain a Nauseated Condition for 1d10 rounds.
  • Size: Huge
  • Skills: Melee (Brawling) 60, Perception 60, Stealth 50