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Crustavolt Apex 442

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by

Dale
in

In the ever-shifting bio-magical landscape of Saṃsāra, where environmental “Glitches” can fuse lineages in an instant, the Crustavolt-Apex 442 represents a terrifying synthesis of armored resilience, avian precision, and aquatic adaptability.

Original Life Forms

  1. Malacostraca (Crustaceans): The Mantid Shrimp (Explosive striking force and hyper-complex vision).
  2. Aves (Birds): The Secretary Bird (Powerful, precise kicking legs and feathered crest).
  3. Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes): The Electric Eel (Bio-electric discharge and serpentine flexibility).
  4. Arachnida (Arachnids): The Trapdoor Spider (Subterranean ambush instinct and tactile hair sensitivity).

Crustavolt-Apex 442

Appearance: The creature possesses the long, powerful legs of a crane-like bird, though they are plated in iridescent, calcified chitin. Its upper torso is a nightmare of biological engineering: a serpentine neck covered in slick, eel-like skin that constantly flickers with low-voltage blue sparks. Its head features the bulbous, tri-focal eyes of a mantis shrimp, capable of seeing into the ultraviolet and infrared spectrums. Instead of wings, it possesses eight specialized, hairy sensory appendages tucked against its ribs that can detect vibrations in the earth or air. Its “crest” is a crown of stiff, quill-like feathers that act as lightning rods for its internal bio-electricity.

Size: Medium (Stands 6 feet tall; serpentine neck adds another 3 feet of reach). Speed: 45 ft. (Land), 30 ft. (Burrowing/Swimming).

Stat Modifiers

  • STR: +3 (Unrivaled striking acceleration)
  • DEX: +4 (Incredible reaction speed)
  • CON: +2 (Armored exoskeleton)
  • INT: -4 (Pure predatory instinct)
  • WIS: +4 (Hyper-sensory perception)
  • CHA: -3 (Alien and unnerving)

Skills

  • Cavitating Strike: When the creature hits with a leg strike, the sheer speed creates a vacuum bubble. The target takes additional Thunder damage, and any non-magical shield has a chance to shatter.
  • Bio-Electric Lash: As a reaction to being touched or hit with a metal weapon, the Apex releases a 400-volt discharge, potentially stunning the attacker.
  • Vibration Mapping: The creature cannot be surprised by anything moving on the ground or within 30 feet of it, even if heavily obscured or invisible.
  • Tri-Focal Analysis: Advantage on all Perception checks involving sight; the creature can see through most non-magical illusions.

Behavior: The Crustavolt-Apex 442 is a patient, subterranean ambush hunter. It digs shallow, camouflaged “hinge-pits” in the sediment or soft earth. It remains perfectly still, using its arachnid hairs to “listen” for footfalls. When prey passes over, it erupts with a vertical kick of such velocity that the air itself cracks. It is highly territorial and will defend its burrow against airships or larger creatures by discharging its electricity into the ground to create a “repulsion zone.”

Diet: Carnivorous. It favors ground-dwelling mammals and large insects. It uses its bio-electricity to pre-cook the internal organs of its prey before consuming them with a hidden, rasping maw located beneath its neck-folds.

Emotions: Driven by Static Aggression and Total Vigilance. It does not rest in the traditional sense; it enters a “Low-Power State” where its eyes continue to rotate independently, scanning for the slightest movement.

Environment: Found in the Salt-Flats of Vara-Sul and the Mud-Reaches of the lower island nations, where the ground is conductive and soft enough for burrowing.

Tags: Feral, Bio-Electric, Ambush-Predator, Armored, Subterranean, Chimeric, High-Velocity, Sensitive, Monstrosity, Salt-Dweller, Chitin-Bolt, Shrapnel-Molt, Shock-Trap, Cavitation-Kicker, Hinge-Pit-Lurker, Infrared-Stalker, Bio-Battery, Quilled-Conductor, Vibration-Sense, Tectonic-Striker

Life Cycle

The life cycle of the Crustavolt-Apex 442 is defined by a transition from aquatic vulnerability to terrestrial dominance, heavily influenced by the electrical storms of Saṃsāra.

  • The Spawning (Egg Phase): Females deposit “static-clutches”—transparent, jelly-like eggs—into brackish coastal mud during lightning storms. The eggs act as biological capacitors, absorbing ambient electricity to accelerate the embryos’ growth.
  • The Spark-Larva (Juvenile): Upon hatching, the young resemble armored eels with spindly, underdeveloped legs. They live in shallow water, feeding on small crustaceans and using low-voltage pulses to ward off predators.
  • The Calcification (Adolescence): After one year, the larva crawls onto land. Its eel-skin begins to harden into chitinous plates on the limbs, and its Secretary Bird-like legs reach their full length. This is the most dangerous stage, as the creature’s “Tri-Focal Analysis” eyes are not yet fully calibrated.
  • Prime Maturity: A mature Apex 442 can live for thirty years. It becomes a permanent subterranean resident, only surfacing to strike or find a new territory.
  • The Molting Flare: Every two years, the creature sheds its leg armor. The old plates shatter into jagged, conductive glass shards. During this 48-hour window, the creature is soft-bodied and remains entirely underground, discharging massive “Warning Volts” into the soil.

Mating

Mating occurs during the Dry Surge, a season where the air in the salt flats becomes thick with static.

  • Tectonic Drumming: Males use their chitinous legs to strike the floor of their hinge-pits in a specific rhythmic sequence. These vibrations can be felt by females up to five miles away through their sensory appendages.
  • The Light Show: When a female approaches, the male emerges and flares his feather-crest. He channels his internal bio-electricity through the quills, creating a localized corona discharge that looks like a halo of blue dancing fire.
  • The Conductive Bond: The pair touches crest-to-crest, equalizing their electrical potential. If the frequencies do not match, the female may perceive the male as prey and attempt a Cavitating Strike. If successful, the male assists in digging a massive nursery-pit before departing.

Tactics & Actions

The Crustavolt-Apex 442 is a “Hard-Counter” to armored or shielded opponents. Its combat style is explosive and brief.

  • Hinge-Pit Ambush: The creature gains a +10 bonus to Stealth while in its pit. It waits until a target is directly above before erupting.
  • Anti-Shield Precision: It specifically targets shields and parrying weapons. The vacuum created by its legs can buckle metal, while the bio-electricity bypasses physical blocks to shock the wielder.
  • Seismic Evasion: If outnumbered, the Apex strikes the ground with both legs simultaneously. This creates a localized tremor and a blinding flash of light, allowing the creature to burrow back into the earth and relocate.

Key Actions:

  • Multiattack: The creature makes one Beak-Snap (Eel-neck) and one High-Velocity Kick.
  • Cavitating Kick: Melee Weapon Attack: The kick hits with the speed of a bullet. On a hit, the target takes 2d10 bludgeoning damage and 1d10 thunder damage. If the target is using a non-magical shield, the shield is destroyed.
  • Discharge Lash (Recharge 5–6): The serpentine neck lashes out at a target within 10 feet. On a hit, the target takes 3d6 lightning damage and must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or be Stunned until the start of the Apex’s next turn.

Other Interesting Information

  • The Glass Trail: The shards left behind by a molting Apex are highly conductive and exceptionally sharp. Local tribes often harvest these to create “Static-Tipped” arrows or to line the perimeters of their villages as a natural security system.
  • Visual Spectrum: Because it sees in ultraviolet and infrared, the Apex is often found staring at “blank” patches of sky or rock. It is actually watching the movement of heat signatures or the faint UV trails left by flying insects.
  • Salt Flat Symbiosis: It is often found near Steam-Vent salt deposits. The creature uses the high salinity of the earth to extend the range of its electrical discharge, effectively turning its entire territory into a massive, invisible shock-trap.
  • The Copper-Maw: Inside its throat, the Apex has copper-colored ridges that act as transformers for its electricity. These ridges are prized by Vaporspire Engineers for high-end electrical conduits.

In the world of Saṃsāra, encountering a Crustavolt-Apex 442 is rarely a matter of bad luck—it is usually a matter of high-stakes commerce or technological necessity. Because this creature bridges the gap between biological life and pure electrical energy, it is a living resource for the 73 island nations.

1. Resource Extraction for High-End Engineering

The primary reason a party would search for an Apex 442 is “Industrial Harvesting.” Saṃsāra’s steam-tech is often hybridized with electrical components that require materials only this creature can provide.

  • The Copper-Maw Conduits: The conductive ridges inside the creature’s throat are the most efficient natural transformers in existence. Vaporspire Engineers pay a king’s ransom for these to power the main boilers of “Cloud-Breaker” class airships.
  • Cavitating Tendons: Weapon smiths search for the leg tendons to create “Piston-Bows”—ranged weapons that use the creature’s kinetic memory to fire bolts with enough velocity to pierce heavy iron plate.
  • The Static-Glass Molt: Even without killing the beast, adventurers may be hired to “Minesweep” a known nesting ground during the molting season to collect the glass-like chitin shards for use in high-voltage shielding.

2. Trade Route Security and “Grounding”

The Salt Flats of Vara-Sul are vital for trade, but the Crustavolt-Apex makes ground travel nearly impossible for caravans using metal-rimmed wagons or armored guards.

  • Bounty Hunting: A Merchant Guild may hire a party to eliminate a “Grandfather Apex” that has grown large enough to ground-out an entire caravan from its hinge-pit, paralyzing every living thing in a 50-foot radius.
  • Mapping the Hinge-Pits: Instead of killing the creature, a party might be tasked with “Seismic Tagging”—using specialized gear to mark the location of active pits so trade vessels can navigate the flats safely.

3. Scientific and Scholarly Inquiry

The Scholarchs are fascinated by the creature’s Tri-Focal Analysis eyes, which perceive spectrums of reality hidden from most humanoids.

  • Invisible Threat Detection: A party might be sent to capture a live juvenile. By observing which way the creature’s eyes rotate, researchers can detect “Mana-Leaks” or invisible “Void-Wraiths” that are beginning to manifest in a region.
  • The Lightning Rod Ritual: Local shamans believe the Apex’s feather-crest acts as a lightning rod for the island’s spirit. If an island’s weather becomes erratic, a party might be sent to ensure the “Local Apex” is healthy and acting as a proper conduit for the atmospheric pressure.

4. Territorial Overlap (The “Wrong Turn” Scenario)

Because the Apex 442 is a subterranean ambush predator, the party often encounters them by accident when exploring ruins buried beneath the salt or mud.

  • The Hidden Trapdoor: An adventurer might be searching for an ancient “Steam-Core” in a buried basement, only to realize the “floor” they are standing on is actually the camouflaged hinge-pit of a hungry 442.
  • Static Sensitivity: If the party has a member who uses high-voltage magic or carries an unshielded power cell, the Apex will perceive them as a “rival battery” and aggressively seek to discharge into them to eliminate the competition.

Adventure Hook: “The Glass-Walkers”

A prominent Vaporspire Engineer has gone missing while attempting to “live-tap” an Apex 442 to power a prototype engine. The party is hired to track the engineer’s signal into the salt flats, navigate the field of razor-sharp “Molt-Glass,” and retrieve the engineer (and their equipment) before the creature returns for its “Low-Power State.”

In the world of Saṃsāra, the corpse of a Crustavolt-Apex 442 is a volatile but lucrative resource. Harvesting requires specialized tools, as the creature’s internal capacitors can discharge even after death. If the body is not grounded properly within one hour of expiration, the “Bio-Battery” effect causes the internal organs to liquefy into a conductive, toxic slurry.

Harvestable Components and Industrial Applications

The Copper-Maw Conduits

  • The Material: Strips of high-conductivity, copper-colored tissue found within the throat.
  • The Use: These are used as Natural Transformers in elite steam-engines. They are more efficient at converting magical steam into electrical torque than any forged metal, making them essential for high-performance airship turbines.
  • Harvesting: Requires a DC 20 Steam-Engineering check.

Tri-Focal Ocular Lenses

  • The Material: Multi-layered, crystal-clear lenses from the bulbous eyes.
  • The Use: These lenses are ground down to create Spectral Optics. These allow the wearer to see invisible thermal signatures and ultraviolet ley-line leaks, which is critical for navigators traveling through volcanic ash or deep-sea mists.
  • Harvesting: Requires a DC 18 Jeweler or Optics check.

Cavitating Leg Tendons

  • The Material: Calcified, spring-like fibers from the Secretary Bird-like legs.
  • The Use: These are used to construct High-Velocity Piston-Bows. The tendons retain a “Kinetic Memory,” allowing a projectile to be fired with such force that it creates a localized vacuum bubble (cavitation) in the air, bypassing most wind-based projectile defenses.
  • Harvesting: Requires a DC 16 Survival check.

Feather-Crest Lightning Rods

  • The Material: Stiff, quill-like feathers from the creature’s crown.
  • The Use: These serve as Static Grounding Pins for delicate arcane equipment. When placed on a portable research station, they attract and safely dissipate ambient electrical interference, protecting sensitive tools from “Surge-Frying.”
  • Harvesting: Requires a DC 14 Shamanic Weaving check.

Eel-Skin Insulation

  • The Material: The slick, flexible skin from the neck.
  • The Use: Once tanned with salt-flat minerals, it becomes Grip-Tape for Power-Tool Handles. It is perfectly non-conductive, protecting engineers from the “Back-Arc” shocks common when working on heavy steam-generators.
  • Harvesting: Requires a DC 12 Skinning check.

Economic Value and Trade

  • Raw Carcass: A fresh, grounded carcass can fetch up to 2,500 Trade Shells from an Industrial Workshop.
  • Processed Components: Individual components, especially the Copper-Maw Conduits, can be sold for 600 – 900 Shells each on the black market or to official naval shipyards.
  • The Shrapnel-Molt: Even without a kill, the glass-like chitin shards collected from a nesting site sell for 10 Shells per pound as a raw material for abrasive industrial grinding or reinforced armor plating.

Walking-Bolt and Earth-Hole of Sudden-Quiet 442

In the age-time when the mud was still the mother of the mountains, and the Great Steam had not yet been put into the iron-pipes of the Vaporspire, there lived a giant-thing called Omo-the-Thunder-Kicker. This Omo was not a man, and not a spirit, but a Crustavolt-Apex 442 who had grown as tall as the masts of a trade-ship.

The story-skins say that Omo lived in the Salt-Flats of Vara-Sul, where the ground is white like the bone and the air tastes of the Static-Bite. Omo did not walk the paths of the world. Omo lived in the Hinge-Pit, a hole in the earth that was hidden by a door made of the salt-dust and the spider-spit.

One time-cycle, a great army of the Iron-Nation marched across the flats. They carried shields of the heavy-metal and swords that sang of the forge. They did not see Omo. They did not hear the Arachnid-Hairs of Omo’s belly as they tasted the vibration of their boots.

When the General of the Iron-Nation stepped upon the salt-door, the earth did the Great-Shatter. Omo erupted like the bolt of the sky-fire. His legs, plated in the Chitinous-Armor, did the kick that moves faster than the eye-seeing. CRACK! The air itself was broken. The vacuum of the Cavitating-Strike turned the General’s shield into the dust of the sea-shell.

The army struck at Omo with their metal-sticks, but Omo was the Bio-Battery. Every time the iron touched the Eel-Skin of Omo’s neck, the blue-fire leaped out. It traveled up the arms of the soldiers and turned their hearts to the Sudden-Quiet. Omo’s eyes, the three-spheres of the Tri-Focal-Analysis, saw their heat-shapes even as they tried to run into the mist.

For three sun-dwellings, the army fought the Walking-Bolt. But they could not hit what was beneath the earth, and they could not touch what was filled with the High-Voltage. Omo used the Quilled-Conductor of his head to draw the lightning from the clouds, turning the battlefield into a lake of Molten-Glass.

When the sun rose on the fourth day, there was no army. There was only Omo, sitting in his pit, eating the internal-organs that he had pre-cooked with the Bio-Electric-Lash. He left behind the Shrapnel-Molt, the shards of his old skin that were sharp like the tooth of the shark and carried the ghost of the spark.

Guro-the-Scribe, who saw this from the far-away-mountain with his Optic-Glass, wrote: “The earth is not a floor. It is a mouth. And the light in the sky is not a spirit. It is the hunger of the 442.”

The Moral: He who marches with the heavy-metal upon the salt must not be surprised when the ground answers with the lightning. It is better to walk with the soft-step and the wooden-shoe than to be the grounding-rod for a beast that feeds on the pride of the armored.

Suggested conversions to other systems:

Call of Cthulhu (7th Edition)

Name: The Salt-Flat Striker 442 Classification: Greater Independent Race / Transdimensional Monstrosity Description: A spindly, chitin-plated horror that lurks beneath the earth, sensing the electrical impulses of the nervous systems above it.

Stats:

  • STR: 80
  • CON: 65
  • SIZ: 60
  • DEX: 95
  • INT: 40
  • POW: 70
  • HP: 12
  • Damage Bonus: +1D4
  • Build: 1
  • Move: 9 / 6 Burrowing

Combat:

  • Attacks per round: 2 (Kick and Beak-Snap)
  • High-Velocity Kick: 60% (30/12), damage 1D8 + DB. If the target is using a shield or firearm to parry, the item must pass a Luck roll or be rendered useless (shattered/jammed).
  • Bio-Electric Lash: 50% (25/10), damage 1D6 + 2D6 shock. Target must pass a Hard CON roll or be stunned (cannot act) for 1 round.
  • Vibration Sense: Invisibility or darkness provides no penalty to the creature’s Fighting skill against targets on the ground.

Skills: Stealth (In Pit) 90%, Spot Hidden 80%. Armor: 3-point chitinous plates. Sanity Loss: 1/1D6+1 Sanity points to see the Apex 442 erupt from the salt.

Blades in the Dark

Name: The Lightning-Hinged Stalker Tier: III Type: Arcane Horror / Beast

Attributes:

  • Insight: 3
  • Prowess: 4
  • Resolve: 2

Abilities:

  • Ambush Hunter: The Stalker always has Potency when attacking from a hidden pit.
  • Cavitating Force: When this creature inflicts a consequence with a kick, it can automatically include “Broken Gear” or “Shattered Armor” in addition to the harm.
  • Bio-Battery: Metal weapons used against the Stalker cause 1 Stress to the attacker due to the electrical feedback.
  • Spectral Sight: The creature has Potency when resisting or noticing anything involving supernatural invisibility or heat-based stealth.

Clock: “Overload” (4 segments). Each time the creature is struck by a metal weapon, the clock ticks. When full, it releases a Discharge Lash affecting everyone in the zone.

Dungeons & Dragons (2024 / 5th Edition)

Name: Crustavolt-Apex 442 Medium Monstrosity, Unaligned

  • Armor Class: 17 (Natural Armor)
  • Hit Points: 78 (12d8 + 24)
  • Speed: 45 ft., burrow 30 ft.

Stats:

  • STR: 16 (+3)
  • DEX: 19 (+4)
  • CON: 14 (+2)
  • INT: 3 (-4)
  • WIS: 18 (+4)
  • CHA: 5 (-3)

Skills: Stealth +7 (+12 in Hinge-Pit), Perception +7 Senses: Tremorsense 60 ft., Truesight 30 ft. (Tri-Focal Analysis), Passive Perception 17

Traits:

  • Bio-Electric Feedback: A creature that touches the Apex or hits it with a melee attack using a metal weapon takes 4 (1d8) lightning damage.
  • Cavitating Strikes: The Apex’s melee attacks deal an extra 4 (1d8) thunder damage (included in the attack).

Actions:

  • Multiattack: The Apex makes one Beak-Snap attack and one High-Velocity Kick attack.
  • Beak-Snap: Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d8 + 4) piercing damage plus 7 (2d6) lightning damage.
  • High-Velocity Kick: Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d6 + 4) bludgeoning damage plus 4 (1d8) thunder damage. If the target is holding a non-magical shield, the shield shatters and becomes useless.
  • Discharge Lash (Recharge 5–6): The Apex releases electricity in a 15-foot radius. Each creature in that area must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw, taking 21 (6d6) lightning damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one. On a failure, the creature is Stunned until the start of the Apex’s next turn.

Knave (2nd Edition)

Name: Crustavolt-Apex 442 Level: 5 Armor: 16 (Chitinous Plates) Hit Dice: 5 (22 HP) Attack: +5 (1 Kick 1d10 + Thunder, 1 Beak 1d8 + Shock) Move: 45ft (Burrow 30ft) Morale: 10

Abilities:

  • Cavitating Kick: On a hit, if the target has a shield, it must make a Strength save or the shield is destroyed.
  • Static Discharge: Attacking with metal weapons deals 1d4 damage to the attacker.
  • Vibration Mapping: Cannot be surprised by ground-based enemies.
  • Tri-Focal Vision: Ignores all penalties from non-magical darkness or fog.

Fate (Core / Condensed)

Name: Crustavolt-Apex 442 Tier: 2 (Apex Ambush Predator)

Aspects:

  • High Concept: Subterranean Bio-Electric Stalker
  • Trouble: Overloads Under Constant Magic
  • Aspect: Tri-Focal Ultraviolet Sight
  • Aspect: Hinge-Pit Ambush Specialist

Approaches / Skills:

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

Stunts:

  • Cavitating Strike: Because of your explosive leg speed, when you succeed with style on a Fight attack using your legs, you can choose to destroy a situational aspect representing the target’s armor or shield instead of taking a boost.
  • Static Feedback: Because you are a living battery, you gain a +2 to Physique when defending against melee attacks made with metal weapons. If you succeed with style, the attacker takes 2 shifts of mental stress from the electrical shock.
  • Hinge-Pit Eruption: You gain a +2 to Stealth when creating an advantage related to being hidden or camouflaged in salt or mud environments.

Stress: [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] Consequences: Mild (2), Moderate (4)

Numenera & Cypher System

Name: Crustavolt-Apex 442 Level: 5 (15)

Motive: Territorial defense and ambush hunting. Environment: Salt flats, brackish marshes, and mud-reaches. Health: 20 Damage Inflicted: 5 points Armor: 2

Modifications: Stealth and Perception as Level 7; Speed defense as Level 6.

Combat:

  • Cavitating Kick: On a successful hit, the target must make a Might defense roll. On a failure, their shield or physical armor is degraded by 1 point permanently (or until repaired).
  • Bio-Electric Lash (Action): The creature lashes out with its neck. The target takes 5 points of electricity damage and is hindered in all actions for one round.
  • Hinge-Pit Surprise: If the Apex attacks from its camouflaged pit, the task to notice it is hindered by two steps. The first attack made from the pit deals +2 damage.

Interaction: The Apex 442 is purely instinctual. It cannot be bargained with, though it is attracted to high-energy cyphers. A character carrying unshielded electrical cyphers may find the creature stalks them relentlessly.

Pathfinder (2nd Edition Remaster)

Name: Crustavolt-Apex 442 Creature 7 [Unique] [Large] [Amphibious] [Beast] [Electricity]

Perception: +18; Tremorsense 60 ft., Truesight 30 ft. (Tri-Focal Analysis) Skills: Athletics +16 (+19 for Kicking), Stealth +17 (+20 in Salt Flats), Acrobatics +15 Str +5, Dex +6, Con +4, Int -4, Wis +4, Cha -3

AC: 26; Fort +15, Ref +18, Will +13 HP: 110; Immunities: Electricity Bio-Electric Aura: A creature that hits the Apex with a melee weapon made of metal takes 1d6 electricity damage.

Actions:

  • Melee [one-action] High-Velocity Kick +18, Damage 2d10+8 bludgeoning plus 1d8 thunder.
  • Melee [one-action] Eel-Bite +18 (Reach 10 ft.), Damage 2d8+8 piercing plus 1d10 electricity.
  • Cavitating Impact: If the Apex hits a target with a High-Velocity Kick and the target is using a non-magical shield, the Apex makes an Athletics check against the target’s Reflex DC. On a success, the shield is Broken.
  • Discharge Lash [two-actions] (Electricity): The Apex releases a burst of energy. All creatures within a 15-foot emanation take 8d6 electricity damage (DC 25 Reflex save for half). Creatures that fail are Stunned 1.

Savage Worlds (Adventure Edition)

Name: Crustavolt-Apex 442 Rank: Veteran (Wild Card)

Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d4 (A), Spirit d8, Strength d10, Vigor d8 Skills: Athletics d10, Fighting d10, Notice d12, Stealth d12, Stealth (Hinge-Pit) d12+2 Pace: 10; Parry: 7; Toughness: 10 (4)

Edges: Assassin, First Strike, Hard to Kill.

Special Abilities:

  • Armor +4: Chitinous plates on limbs and torso.
  • Cavitating Kick: Str+d8 damage. On a Raise, any non-magical shield held by the target is destroyed.
  • Bio-Electric Discharge: Instead of attacking, the creature can pulse electricity. Everyone in a Small Blast Template must make a Vigor roll (-2) or be Stunned.
  • Tri-Focal Vision: Ignores penalties for Illumination and Invisibility within 5″ (10 yards).
  • Vibration Sense: Ignores all Stealth and Invisibility bonuses for targets touching the ground within 10″.
  • Weakness (Water): If the Apex is fully submerged in non-saline water, its Bio-Electric abilities have a 50% chance to fail or backfire.

Shadowrun (6th World Edition)

Name: Volt-Hinged Lurker 442 Category: Awakened Critter (Paranormal Crustacean-Hybrid)

Stats:

  • Body: 5
  • Agility: 7
  • Reaction: 6
  • Strength: 6
  • Willpower: 4
  • Logic: 1
  • Intuition: 5
  • Charisma: 1
  • Essence: 6
  • Initiative: 11 + 3D6

Powers:

  • Enhanced Senses (Thermographic/UV/Vibration): The creature ignores all visibility penalties from darkness, smoke, or invisibility (if the target is on the ground).
  • Natural Weapon (Cavitating Kick): DV 4P, AR 10/—/—/—/—. On a successful hit against a target using a physical shield, the shield’s Armor rating is permanently reduced by 2.
  • Electrical Discharge: When the creature hits with its neck lash, it deals 5S (e) damage. Targets must resist with Body + Willpower or suffer the Stunned status for (Power – Hits) rounds.
  • Immunity (Electricity): The creature is immune to electrical damage.
  • Camouflage: Gain +4 dice to Stealth tests when remains stationary in its hinge-pit.

Starfinder (2nd Edition / Playtest)

Name: Crustavolt-Apex 442 Level: 6 Creature: Medium Monstrosity

Stats:

  • Perception: +15 (Truesight 30 ft., Tremorsense 60 ft.)
  • Skills: Athletics +16, Stealth +17 (+22 in pits), Acrobatics +15
  • Str +4, Dex +5, Con +2, Int -4, Wis +4, Cha -3

Defense:

  • AC: 23; Fort +13, Ref +17, Will +11
  • HP: 90
  • Immunities: Electricity

Offense:

  • Speed: 45 ft., Burrow 30 ft.
  • Melee [one-action]: Cavitating Kick +17, Damage 2d10+4 Bludgeoning plus 1d8 Thunder.
  • Melee [one-action]: Eel-Snap +17 (Reach 10 ft.), Damage 2d8+4 Piercing plus 1d10 Electricity.
  • Sunder Shield: If the Cavitating Kick hits a target with a non-magical shield, the Apex makes an Athletics check against the target’s Reflex DC. On a success, the shield gains the Broken condition.
  • Discharge Lash [two-actions]: 15-foot radius emanation. 6d6 Electricity damage (DC 23 Basic Reflex save). On a failure, the target is Stunned 1.

Traveller (Mongoose 2nd Edition)

Name: Crustavolt-Apex 442 Animal Class: Ambusher (Vibration-Sense)

Stats:

  • STR: 11 (+1)
  • DEX: 14 (+2)
  • END: 10 (+1)
  • INT: 1 (-2)
  • INS: 12 (+2)
  • PAC: 9 (+1)

Skills:

  • Athletics (Dexterity): 2
  • Melee (Unarmed): 3
  • Recon: 2
  • Stealth: 4

Traits:

  • Armor: 4 (Chitinous plating).
  • Cavitating Strike: 3D damage. If the target is using a shield or primitive armor, the armor value is reduced by 1 on a successful hit of 10+.
  • Bio-Electric Discharge: Instead of an attack, the creature can discharge. Everyone in Adjacent range must make an END check (10+) or be Stunned for 1D3 rounds.
  • Burrower: Can move through soft earth or sand at half speed.
  • Vibration Sense: Can detect any movement on the ground within 20 meters without line of sight.

Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (4th Edition)

Name: Crustavolt-Apex 442 Class: Monster

Stats:

  • M: 5 | WS: 50 | BS: — | S: 45 | T: 35 | I: 60 | Agi: 55 | Dex: — | Int: 10 | WP: 30 | Fel: —
  • Wounds: 22

Traits:

  • Armor 3: Chitinous Plates.
  • Tremorsense: Can detect targets on the ground regardless of visibility.
  • Weapon +9 (Kick): Impact. If this attack causes a Wound, any shield held by the target takes 2 Damage (ignoring quality).
  • Weapon +7 (Eel-Bite): Reach. This attack carries the Shock trait.
  • Shock: Targets must pass a Challenging (0) Endurance Test or receive 1 Stunned Condition.
  • Burrow: Can move through earth; counts as Hidden while underground.
  • Territorial: Will not leave its designated salt-flat or marsh zone.