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Alphacondylus 117

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by

Dale
in

ORIGINAL LIFE FORMS:

  • Class Malacostraca: Pistol Shrimp (family Alpheidae)
  • Class Reptilia: Matamata Turtle (Chelus fimbriata)
  • Class Mammalia: Star-nosed Mole (Condylura cristata)
  • Class Aves: Lyrebird (genus Menura)

APPEARANCE: The Alphacondylus is a bizarre, low-profile creature that blends geology and biology. Its body is wide, flat, and circular, almost entirely concealed beneath a rough, craggy carapace that perfectly mimics a moss-covered river stone or a chunk of bedrock. This shell, like a Matamata turtle’s, is flattened and textured with ridges and bumps. The creature has six limbs. Four are short, stout, and mole-like, equipped with massive, flattened claws designed for powerful digging. The two front limbs are wildly asymmetrical. The left is a small, delicate pincer used for fine manipulation, while the right is an enormous, club-like claw, similar to that of a pistol shrimp, which it holds “cocked” and ready to snap.

Its head is a fleshy, triangular protrusion from beneath the shell, possessing tiny, black, bead-like eyes. The most striking feature is its “face,” which is completely dominated by the fleshy, pink, 22-tentacled star-nose of a mole. These tentacles constantly writhe and touch the surrounding environment. The center of this star conceals the creature’s true mouth, which can expand into a surprisingly wide, circular, vacuum-like maw.

SIZE: An adult Alphacondylus is about three feet in diameter but stands only a foot tall due to its flattened profile. It is incredibly dense and heavy for its size, weighing between 150 and 200 pounds.

SPEED: On the surface, the Alphacondylus is incredibly slow and cumbersome, moving with a shuffling, awkward gait. However, beneath the earth, it is a master. It does not so much dig as “swim” through soft soil, sand, and mud, using its powerful mole-claws to move with surprising speed and agility while underground.

STAT MODIFIERS: Strength: Moderate Stamina/Constitution: Very High Dexterity: Low (on surface), Moderate (underground) Perception: Very High (touch and hearing) Intelligence: Low (instinctual cunning) Willpower: Moderate Charisma/Social: Very Low

SKILLS: Burrowing: Unmatched in its ability to move through soft earth. Vocal Mimicry: Able to perfectly replicate any sound it has heard, from the cry of a baby to the hiss of a steam-pipe to snippets of humanoid speech. Sonic Blast: Its large claw can snap shut with enough force to create a stunning sonic blast. Stealth: By burying itself and leaving only its camouflaged carapace exposed, it is nearly impossible to detect. Tactile Sense: Its star-nose is a hyper-sensitive tactile organ that can map its immediate surroundings through touch alone.

BEHAVIOR: The Alphacondylus is a “trap-door” predator of unnerving intelligence and patience. It spends the vast majority of its life buried just beneath the surface of the ground in soft soil or mud, with only its rock-like shell exposed. From this position, it will use its incredible vocal mimicry to act as a living lure. It will listen to its environment for days, learning the sounds of local prey or passersby. It might imitate the sound of a wounded animal, a crying infant, or even the jingle of dropped coins to attract a curious victim.

When a target moves close to investigate the sound, the Alphacondylus uses its star-nosed tentacles, which can poke through the soil, to get a precise tactile reading of the target’s location and size. When the victim is directly above or beside it, it unleashes its primary weapon: it snaps its oversized claw shut, creating a powerful cavitation bubble in the earth or air that produces a stunning concussive blast. In the instant the prey is stunned and disoriented, the Alphacondylus erupts from the ground, its mouth gaping wide to suction-feed, dragging the victim underground to be consumed.

DIET: The Alphacondylus is a carnivore that consumes anything it can stun and fit into its mouth. Its diet consists of ground-nesting birds, rodents, large amphibians, and any other creature small enough to be drawn to its lure. They have become a particular menace in settled farmlands, where they mimic the sounds of lost sheep or chickens to prey on livestock. It swallows its stunned prey whole, its powerful digestive system breaking down even bone.

EMOTIONS: This creature is entirely driven by instinct. It shows no signs of anger, fear, or pleasure. Its mimicry is a cold, practiced tool, devoid of any understanding of the sounds it makes. It is a patient, reactive machine, waiting for the proper stimulus to begin its deadly hunting sequence. Its only seeming “agitation” is the constant, subtle writhing of its star-nose tentacles as it reads the world around it.

ENVIRONMENT WHERE FOUND: It thrives in any environment with soft, deep, and preferably damp soil. It is most common in wetlands, swamps, the loamy soil of riverbeds, and dense, shaded forests. It avoids rocky terrain, deserts, and hard-packed clay where it cannot effectively burrow. Its encroachment into agricultural lands has made it a serious and much-feared pest, as it can be incredibly difficult to locate and remove once it has established a territory.

TAGS: Feral, Magical Beast, Carnivore, Solitary, Trap-Door Predator, Subterranean, Camouflage, Sonic Blast, Vocal Mimicry, Swamp, Forest, Agricultural Pest, Chimera, Abomination, Lure-Hunter, Stun-Attack, Suction-Feeder, Bio-acoustic, Carapaced, Star-Nosed

AGE

The Alphacondylus 117 leads a life of extreme longevity, with individuals often reaching ages of 80 to 100 years. Their slow, deliberate, and low-energy lifestyle contributes to this long lifespan. They spend the vast majority of their lives buried and waiting.

The creature’s life cycle begins in a clutch of 4 to 6 soft, leathery eggs, which are laid in a shallow, muddy nest and then immediately abandoned. The Hatchling, or “Pebble,” emerges small and vulnerable, with a still-soft carapace. For the first five years of its life, it remains buried, subsisting on worms and large insects, and its sonic blast is a weak “pop” used more to startle than to stun.

From age five to fifteen, the Juvenile, known as a “Stunner,” develops the full power of its sonic claw. This is the most dangerous phase for the Alphacondylus itself, as it practices its vocal mimicry. Lacking the patience of an adult, it will often create a cacophony of disjointed sounds—a bird’s song, a wolf’s howl, a scream—which can give away its position to other predators before it has fully mastered its ambush technique.

An Adult, from age fifteen to eighty, is a master of its craft. It has perfected its vocal lures and established a wide territory, or “lure-ground,” which it knows intimately. It is a patient and unerringly effective predator during this long stage of its life.

Elders, or “Resonating Stones,” are creatures over eighty years old. They move so rarely that their shells often become encrusted with actual geology, with moss, fungi, and even small plants taking root on their carapace. Their sonic blasts become immensely powerful, capable of shattering stone, but the metabolic cost is so high that they can only be used once every few days.

MATING

The mating of the Alphacondylus is a rare and acoustically complex event. As solitary creatures, they only seek each other out when triggered by a major environmental cue, such as a once-in-a-decade flood that saturates their territories and allows their vibrational sounds to travel for miles underground. A male will enter a female’s lure-ground and initiate the courtship not with a physical display, but with a demonstration of its mimicry. It will broadcast the most complex and difficult sound it has learned, perhaps the intricate whistle of a steam-powered engine, a full stanza from an opera it heard from a passing bard, or a perfect sentence of humanoid speech in a strange accent.

The female, if she is receptive, will respond from her burrow by perfectly replicating the sound. The male will then offer a new, more complex sound. This call-and-response continues for hours, a competitive duet of flawless mimicry. This ritual is the ultimate test of fitness, proving that the suitor is intelligent enough to learn complex sounds and has survived long enough to have heard them. After the duet concludes, the male is permitted to approach and mating is a brief, functional affair. They then part ways forever, returning to their solitary existences.

TACTICS

The Alphacondylus is the ultimate tactician of the lure. Its entire strategy revolves around deception and a single, overwhelming strike from a hidden position. It will spend days listening to its territory, learning the specific sounds that attract the local fauna or intelligent passersby. It demonstrates an uncanny cunning in its choice of lures: in farmland, it will mimic a distressed calf to draw the protective mother; near a well-traveled road, it will mimic the sound of a woman weeping or gold coins spilling onto the stone path.

Once the lure is set, it waits. As a target approaches, the Alphacondylus uses its star-nosed tentacles, which it can poke through the surface of the soil, to get a precise tactile reading of the victim’s size, weight, and exact location. When the target is in the optimal position (usually directly overhead), the Alphacondylus unleashes its Cavitation Snap. This is not just a sound; it is a concussive blast created by the violent collapse of a vacuum bubble, which travels through the ground and air, stunning and disorienting any creature within a short radius.

In the instant the prey is stunned, the Alphacondylus erupts from the earth, its wide, circular maw already gaping. It uses a powerful suction-feeding technique, inhaling with tremendous force to draw the stunned creature into its gullet, often dragging it underground in the process.

Defensively, the creature is reliant on its shell. If discovered, its first instinct is always to burrow deeper and escape. If cornered on the surface, it will use its Cavitation Snap non-directionally as a wide-area stun to disorient its attackers, giving it the precious few seconds it needs to dig to safety.

ACTIONS

Cavitation Snap: The creature snaps its oversized claw, creating a sonic blast in a 15-foot radius. All creatures in the area must make a difficult stamina or constitution check or be stunned for a short duration.

Vacuum Maw: Used on a stunned or helpless target directly adjacent to the Alphacondylus. The target is pulled into the creature’s mouth and swallowed whole. This is an all-or-nothing attack that is only used after a successful stun.

Flawless Mimicry: The creature can perfectly replicate any sound it has previously heard. This is not an attack, but a utility used to lure prey and create diversions.

Subterranean Eruption: The Alphacondylus bursts from the ground as a surprise action, often initiated in concert with its Cavitation Snap.

Impenetrable Shell: The creature withdraws its head and all of its limbs completely into its carapace. In this state, it cannot move or attack, but its defensive stats become exceptionally high, making it nearly impervious to damage.

OTHER INTERESTING INFORMATION

The creature’s star-nose is a biological marvel. The 22 tentacles are so sensitive that they can feel the minute changes in air pressure from a creature breathing nearby, or detect the body heat of a living thing through several inches of topsoil, allowing it to “see” in perfect darkness using touch and temperature alone.

The power of the Cavitation Snap is dependent on ambient moisture. The sonic blast is created by the collapse of a vacuum bubble in the water present in the air and soil. For this reason, the Alphacondylus is less effective in extremely arid or desert environments, forcing it to stick to wetlands and forests.

Its vocal mimicry has led to countless local legends of “ground-ghosts” or “talking earth.” Prospectors have been led astray for miles by following what they thought was a fellow miner calling for help, only to find nothing. This makes the Alphacondylus a source of local folklore and cautionary tales.

The primary valuable component that can be harvested is the complex knuckle of the “Snapping Claw.” It is a biological spring mechanism of incredible power and efficiency. A master engineer or artisan who can acquire one intact can use it to create a “Concussive Mallet,” a large, two-handed hammer that deals no physical damage but releases a stunning sonic blast on impact.

An Alphacondylus 117 is a living trap, a creature so perfectly adapted to its environment that most who encounter it do so only in their final, stunned moments. An adventuring party would likely cross its path by being brilliantly deceived, or, if they are hunting one, by undertaking a quest for a component so rare and strange that no other creature can provide it.

WHY A PARTY WOULD ENCOUNTER AN ALPHACONDYLUS

Incidental encounters with this creature are rarely straightforward. The Alphacondylus does not announce its presence. Instead, it makes its presence felt through illusion and misdirection, turning the environment itself into a weapon. A party that isn’t paying close attention to the sounds of the world may fall victim to it.

The Phantom of the Marshes: The party is hired to guide a caravan through a notoriously dangerous swamp or fen. As they travel, they begin to hear disembodied sounds drifting through the mist. At first, it might be a beautiful, alluring melody. Later, it could be the distinct sound of a man crying for help, his voice seeming to come from a nearby island of solid ground. If the party’s quarry is a fugitive, the creature might mimic the sound of the fugitive’s own voice, taunting them. The Alphacondylus is a living ghost, using its Flawless Mimicry to herd the party off the safe path and towards a patch of soft, muddy ground where it lies in wait, buried and invisible, ready to unleash its sonic blast on the first person to step within range. The encounter is a battle of wits, a test of the party’s ability to discern reality from a perfect, deadly illusion.

The Sunken Labyrinth: Following an ancient map, the adventurers arrive at the location of a forgotten ruin or a lost watchtower, only to find the structure has vanished. In its place is a wide clearing of churned earth, strange mounds of rock-like material, and an unnerving silence. An Alphacondylus has made this ruin its home. Over decades of burrowing, its actions have destabilized the very foundations of the structure, causing it to collapse and sink into the loamy soil. The “boulders” are, in fact, the creature’s camouflaged shell. To access the sunken treasures or knowledge they seek, the party must first contend with the very beast that acts as the site’s unintentional destroyer and current guardian.

Sabotage at the Aqueduct: A remote settlement relies on a series of magnificent steam-powered aqueducts to bring water to their fields. Recently, the massive cast-iron support pillars have begun to fail, showing signs of catastrophic structural shattering that engineers cannot explain. The party is hired to investigate what is assumed to be industrial sabotage by a rival faction. They would discover the culprit is an Elder Alphacondylus, a “Resonating Stone,” that has made its den at the base of the aqueduct. The immense vibrations from the steam-pumps have irritated the creature, and it has retaliated by using its powerful sonic blasts—strong enough to crack iron—to systematically destroy the pillars. The party must then figure out how to stop a monster that is attacking a skyscraper-sized structure from an unseen, underground location.

WHY A PARTY WOULD SEARCH FOR AN ALPHACONDYLUS

To hunt an Alphacondylus is to hunt a ghost that can stun you into oblivion. The quests that demand this are, by necessity, highly specialized and lavishly rewarded. They center on the creature’s unique biological abilities, which cannot be replicated by conventional magic or technology.

The Maestro’s Instrument: A world-renowned composer or inventor, known for creating unparalleled acoustic devices, has been commissioned to create their magnum opus: a sound-box capable of perfectly replicating any sound in existence. After years of research, they conclude that the secret lies in the unique larynx and vocal organs of the Alphacondylus. They hire the party for a sensitive mission: to capture a live specimen, or, failing that, to kill it so precisely that its delicate throat structures remain perfectly intact. The party cannot simply charge in with swords and fireballs; they must devise a trap or a strategy to subdue the creature without damaging the very prize they were sent to collect.

The City’s Peacekeeper: The captain of a city watch in a metropolis plagued by riots and violent crime seeks a new, non-lethal weapon. They need a way to pacify a large crowd or disable a heavily armored hooligan without bloodshed. They learn of the Alphacondylus’s “Cavitation Snap” and its stunning concussive force. They commission the party, along with a team of magi-tech engineers, to hunt down an adult Alphacondylus and harvest its massive “Snapping Claw.” The engineers believe they can study the claw’s unique biological spring mechanism to create a “Concussive Hammer,” a powerful maul that deals no physical damage but releases a targeted sonic blast on impact, stunning its target. The party must face the creature’s primary weapon head-on to acquire it.

A Voice from the Past: A tragic story drives this quest. A wealthy nobleman’s young daughter wandered into a swamp and was never seen again. The only clue was the report of a guard who heard the girl’s final, terrified scream. Years later, the nobleman, driven by grief, hears of the Alphacondylus and its ability to perfectly mimic sounds it has heard. He becomes obsessed with the idea that the very same creature that heard his daughter’s last cry might still live in that swamp, its voice preserved in the creature’s memory. He offers the party a king’s ransom not to kill the beast, but to do the near-impossible: find the ancient creature, somehow prompt it to reproduce that specific, tragic sound, and record it with a magical device so he can hear his daughter’s voice one last time.

The corpse of an Alphacondylus 117 is a bizarre collection of highly specialized biological systems. For a harvester who knows what they are looking for, it offers far more than just the famous snapping claw or vocal organs. Its unique anatomy provides a wealth of ingredients for alchemists, engineers, and artisans who operate on the cutting edge of their respective fields.

THE LIVING CARAPACE

Harvest: The creature’s shell is not a single piece, but a fused plate of bone and keratin covered in a thick, living layer of rock-like skin and moss. It must be carefully chiseled off the main body. The difficulty lies in keeping large, intact sections of the camouflaged outer layer, which is where the value is. Use: The carapace’s primary property is its “environmental sympathy.” When the outer layer is ground into a fine powder and mixed with mortar or clay, it creates “Chameleonic Bricks.” A structure built with these bricks will, over the course of several weeks, slowly and subtly shift its color and texture to perfectly match the surrounding landscape, becoming a hidden fortification. A large, intact piece can be fashioned into a “Trickster’s Shield,” which seems to subtly shift its appearance, making it difficult for an attacker to judge its exact distance and position.

STAR-NOSED HAPTIC FILAMENTS

Harvest: This is an incredibly delicate task. The 22 fleshy tentacles of the star-nose are interwoven with a dense network of hyper-sensitive nerve fibers. They must be dissected with surgical precision and immediately submerged in a protein-rich alchemical solution to prevent their rapid decay. Use: The nerve filaments cannot be used whole, but are instead rendered down into a shimmering, viscous oil known as “Haptic Essence.” This potent substance grants a temporary, supernatural sense of touch. A locksmith applying a single drop to their gloves can feel the precise alignment of tumblers within a lock. A surgeon can distinguish between healthy and diseased tissue by touch alone. A sapper can feel the subtle vibrations of a flawed structural support in a fortress wall, identifying the perfect place to set an explosive charge.

PNEUMATIC SUCTION MUSCLE

Harvest: The large, ring-like muscle that powers the creature’s vacuum maw must be extracted from its head. It is a single, powerful, and dense piece of tissue that is difficult to cut through. It must be cured and stretched carefully to retain its unique compressive properties. Use: This muscle possesses an unparalleled ability to contract and expand with incredible force. Engineers and mechanics prize cured strips of this muscle tissue above all other materials for use as high-pressure gaskets and seals. In the most advanced and volatile steam engines, these “Alphacondylus Seals” are the only things that can reliably contain the immense pressure without warping or breaking, allowing for engines that are both smaller and more powerful than their contemporaries.

MOLE-CLAW SPADES

Harvest: The four large, flattened claws on the creature’s digging limbs are easily removed with a heavy saw or cleaver. They are made of a dense, layered keratin that is far more durable than iron. Use: Their most simple use is as spade-heads for shovels and other digging implements. A shovel tipped with a Mole-Claw spade can cut through hard clay and loose rock with ease and will never dull. In a more advanced application, a set of four claws can be mounted onto the front of a steam-powered chassis to create a formidable excavation machine, capable of burrowing through earth at an astonishing rate for mining operations or military sapping.

THE ACOUSTIC CORTEX

Harvest: This is perhaps the most esoteric and difficult harvest. It requires a skilled anatomist to open the creature’s skull and identify the specific lobe of its brain responsible for processing and storing sounds for mimicry. This “Acoustic Cortex” is a distinct, pale-grey nodule of brain tissue that must be magically preserved within moments of death. Use: Mnemomancers—mages who specialize in the magic of memory—are the primary clients for this component. Through a complex and often unreliable ritual, a mnemomancer can attempt to extract a “Phonographic Echo” from the cortex. This is a psychic recording of a single sound the Alphacondylus had perfected during its long life. The resulting artifact, often a small crystal or stone, will, when held, perfectly and endlessly replay that one sound. The sound captured is almost always random; one might get the sound of a beautiful song, while another might get the sound of a pig squealing. The chance of finding a specific, useful sound, like a lost password the creature once overheard, makes these artifacts incredibly valuable and rare.

SCROLL OF THE STOLEN VOICE

In a village that sat by the edge of the Great Fen, there lived two siblings. The sister was named Alae, and her voice was a gift from the spirits of the clear-running streams. When she sang, the birds would grow quiet to listen, and the hearts of her people were made light. The brother’s name was Kovar, and his heart was a fist, always grasping. He loved the shine of gold and the weight of polished stones, and his ears were deaf to his sister’s music, hearing only a tool he might one day use.

One day, a weary traveler told a tale of a River Jewel, a gem of impossible beauty hidden deep within the Great Fen, a stone that wept light. Kovar’s greedy heart became a hot stone in his chest. He resolved to have this jewel. But the Fen was a dangerous place, filled with grasping roots and silent, hungry things. So he went to his sister, Alae, with a face full of lies. “Sister,” he said, “let us go into the Fen to find the Singing Orchid, whose petals make a sweet tea for the elders.” Alae, whose heart was good, agreed. Kovar smiled, for he believed her beautiful voice would be a shield, calming the spirits and charming the beasts so that he might pass safely on his selfish quest.

They went into the Great Fen. Alae sang her songs to lighten the journey, her voice weaving through the hanging moss and dark waters. And it was as Kovar had planned; the small, biting things of the swamp seemed to stay away, soothed by the melody. After much walking, they came to a strange, quiet clearing. In its center sat a single, large stone covered in thick, green moss, looking as if it had slept there since the world was young. “Here!” Kovar whispered, his eyes gleaming with avarice. “The Singing Orchid must grow near such a sacred stone!” But he did not look for any flower. He drew a small spade and began to dig at the soft earth around the stone’s edge.

Alae felt a wrongness in the air. The birds were too quiet. The Fen was holding its breath. She stopped her song. And in that silence, a new sound began. A voice, pure and clear as her own, rose from the mossy stone itself. It was her song, the very one she had just been singing, but it was a perfect copy, an echo with no soul.

Kovar gasped in delight. “A spirit of the Fen! It blesses my quest! It sings with my sister’s voice to show me the way!” He dropped his spade and stepped closer to the stone, enchanted by the beautiful, hollow mimicry.

“No, brother!” Alae cried, her heart turning to ice. “That is not a spirit! It is only a sound! It is a mouth pretending to be a heart!” She ran to pull him back, but he shrugged her off, mesmerized. The beautiful song, his own sister’s voice, seemed to draw him forward. He leaned down, placing his hand upon the mossy stone, seeking the source of the magic.

In that instant, the song stopped. A loud, wet thump echoed in the air, a sound like a giant snapping their knuckles. Kovar froze, his eyes wide and confused. And then the clearing erupted. The mossy stone was not a stone. It was the shell of a great horror, which burst from the soft earth. Its face was a star of writhing flesh, and its mouth was a great, dark hole. With a sound like a mighty rushing wind, it inhaled. Kovar, stunned and helpless, was pulled from his feet and into the creature’s vacuum maw. He vanished into the earth, and the ground where the beast had been was now only churned mud.

Alae fled, her own song now a scream in her throat. She returned to the village, but she never sang again. Her voice was gone, stolen not by the creature, but by the memory of how it had been used. The people of the village learned to fear beauty without a source. They learned that some echoes are not memories of a thing that has passed, but a lure for a thing that waits.

Moral of the story: A gift given for joy can be stolen for greed. Beware the beautiful voice that comes from the ground, for it is a hook cast by a hungry mouth.

Suggested conversions to other systems:

CALL OF CTHULHU

THE SUBTERRANEAN SIREN

This creature is a living trap, an anomaly of biology that has perfected the art of deception. It is found in fens, swamps, and other wetlands. Its ability to perfectly mimic humanoid voices has made it the source of countless ghost stories and tales of travelers being lured to their doom by phantom cries for help.

STR 65, CON 95, SIZ 80, DEX 25, INT 35, POW 60, HP 17 Move: 3 / 6 (burrowing) ATTACKS:

  • Attacks per round: 1
  • Stunning Snap —, special, see below
  • Engulf —, special, see below

Dodge 12% (6/2) Armor: 4-point natural carapace. Skills: Stealth 85% (when burrowed), Listen 70%.

SPECIAL RULES:

  • Perfect Mimicry: The Subterranean Siren can perfectly replicate any sound it has heard, from complex music to human speech. An Investigator hearing a suspicious sound must make a Hard Psychology roll to even suspect it might be a mimicry.
  • Burrowed Hunter: The creature spends most of its time buried, where it cannot be targeted. It uses its star-shaped nose, which it can poke through the soil, to sense its surroundings by touch.
  • Stunning Snap: Instead of a normal attack, the creature can emerge and unleash a sonic blast. All Investigators within a 20-foot radius must succeed on a Hard CON roll or be stunned, unable to act for 1d3 rounds. The creature can do this once every 3 rounds.
  • Engulf: The creature makes no attack roll. It automatically hits one stunned Investigator adjacent to it. The victim is pulled into the creature’s maw and begins to suffocate as per the standard rules.
  • Sanity Loss: 0/1d4 SAN for hearing it perfectly mimic a personal or emotional sound (like a loved one’s voice); 1/1d8 SAN for witnessing it erupt and engulf a companion.

BLADES IN THE DARK

THE CANAL SINGER (A deceptive, subterranean, ambusher; Tier III Threat)

A horror that lurks in the muddy canals and sump-drains of Doskvol. It is a living urban legend, blamed for disappearances near the waterways. The Bluecoats dismiss it as ghost stories, but those who work the canals at night know to beware of a familiar voice calling from an empty shore.

DRIVES:

  • To lure intelligent prey into a vulnerable position.
  • To remain hidden and secure in its subterranean lair.
  • To consume its victims without a struggle.

MOVES (GM ACTIONS):

  • Perfectly mimic a voice of someone in distress or a sound of opportunity (like a bag of coins falling).
  • Erupt from the mud and filth with surprising force.
  • Unleash a deafening, disorienting crack from its claw.
  • Drag a stunned victim beneath the surface.
  • Vanish into the earth, leaving no trace.

NOTES FOR THE GM: The Canal Singer is a perfect creature for a mystery or a trap. A score might involve a client hiring the crew to investigate the disappearance of a loved one, whose voice they keep hearing near a certain canal. The challenge is not fighting the beast—a direct confrontation is something it will always flee from—but resisting its lure. A failed resistance roll against its mimicry might result in a character gaining the temporary aspect Mesmerized by the Song, compelling them to walk towards the trap. A 4-segment clock called “The Trap is Sprung” could represent the crew’s approach to the beast’s location.

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS

ALPHACONDYLUS (Medium monstrosity, unaligned)

Armor Class: 17 (natural armor) Hit Points: 85 (10d8 + 40) Speed: 15 ft., burrow 30 ft.

STR 15 (+2), DEX 8 (-1), CON 18 (+4), INT 5 (-3), WIS 14 (+2), CHA 10 (+0)

Skills: Perception +5, Stealth +2 Senses: Blindsight 30 ft. (blind beyond this radius), Passive Perception 15 Challenge: 5

False Appearance. While the alphacondylus remains motionless and at least partially buried, it is indistinguishable from a mossy rock.

Vocal Lure. The alphacondylus can perfectly mimic any sound it has heard, including humanoid voices. A creature that hears the sounds can tell they are imitations with a successful DC 14 Wisdom (Insight) check.

ACTIONS:

  • Sonic Snap (Recharge 5-6). The alphacondylus snaps its large claw, creating a concussive blast. Each creature in a 20-foot radius of the alphacondylus must make a DC 14 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, a creature takes 14 (4d6) thunder damage and is stunned until the end of its next turn. On a successful save, the creature takes half as much damage and is not stunned.
  • Engulf. The alphacondylus targets one stunned or incapacitated creature within 5 feet of it. The target must succeed on a DC 12 Strength saving throw or be pulled into the alphacondylus’s body. A swallowed creature is blinded and restrained, has total cover against attacks and other effects outside the alphacondylus, and takes 10 (3d6) acid damage at the start of each of the alphacondylus’s turns. If the alphacondylus takes 15 or more damage from a creature inside it, it must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw at the end of that turn or regurgitate all swallowed creatures, which fall prone in a space within 10 feet of the alphacondylus.

KNAVE

THE STONE-LURE

HD 7, Armor as Plate & Shield (18), Morale 9, Pincer d6, Move 20ft (burrowing 40ft)

  • Perfect Mimicry: Can flawlessly imitate any sound. Characters must save versus illusion to discern the sound is fake.
  • Burrowed: While underground, it can only be harmed by attacks that affect a wide area. It cannot be targeted directly.
  • Sonic Stun: Once per combat, the Stone-Lure can emerge from the ground and unleash a sonic blast. All characters within 30 feet must save versus paralysis or be stunned for 1d4 rounds. While stunned, a character cannot act and all attacks against them are made with Advantage.
  • Swallow Whole: The Stone-Lure automatically hits any adjacent stunned character. A swallowed character takes d12 damage per round from digestive juices. They can be saved if the creature is killed within 3 rounds and they are cut out.
  • Slow on Surface: Moves only 20ft per round when not burrowing.

FATE

THE ECHO IN THE MUD

This creature is an environmental threat, an NPC whose danger comes from its ability to manipulate the scene and the characters’ perceptions. A direct confrontation is rare; the conflict is usually about resisting its lure and surviving its single, decisive ambush.

HIGH CONCEPT: Deceptive Subterranean Lure Predator TROUBLE: Slow and Vulnerable on the Surface OTHER ASPECTS: A Voice Stolen from a Memory, Stone-Hard Camouflaged Carapace, The Stunning Crack of a Snapping Claw

SKILLS:

  • Great (+4): Deceive
  • Good (+3): Physique
  • Fair (+2): Stealth, Provoke (by mimicking unsettling sounds)
  • Mediocre (+1): Notice
  • Poor (-1): Athletics

STUNTS:

  • Flawless Mimicry: The Echo in the Mud can use its Deceive skill to Create an Advantage on the scene itself, creating aspects like A Child’s Cry for Help or The Jingle of Spilled Coins to lure characters into a specific zone.
  • Cavitation Snap: Once per scene, as an action, the creature can force every other character in its zone to make an Overcome roll using their Physique skill. Any character who fails gains the situational aspect Stunned and Reeling with one free invoke against them.
  • Swallow Whole: The creature gets a +2 bonus to Physique rolls made to Overcome a helpless, stunned, or otherwise incapacitated target by engulfing and swallowing them.

NUMENERA & CYPHER SYSTEM

THE SONOCLASTIC BURROWER

LEVEL: 4 MOTIVE: To lure prey close, stun it, and consume it. ENVIRONMENT: Wetlands, swamps, riverbeds, and other areas with soft, deep earth. HEALTH: 18 DAMAGE: 4 ARMOR: 3 MOVEMENT: Slow; immediate burrowing. MODIFICATIONS: Stealth as level 7 when burrowed or camouflaged. Deception as level 6 for its vocal mimicry.

COMBAT: The Sonoclastic Burrower is a trap-door predator. It uses its Vocal Lure ability to draw targets to its position. Any creature hearing the lure must succeed on an Intellect defense task to recognize it as a mimicry. Once a target is at an immediate distance, the burrower will use its Sonic Stun. This attack affects all creatures at immediate range. They must succeed on a Might defense task or be stunned, unable to take any actions for one round. The burrower can use this once every three rounds. Against a stunned or helpless target, the burrower will use its Engulf attack. This is a standard attack roll. If it hits, instead of dealing damage, the target is swallowed. A swallowed target is considered held, cannot move, and takes 4 points of acid damage each round until they can succeed on a Might-based task (difficulty 4) to cut their way free.

PATHFINDER

ALPHACONDYLUS LURE (CREATURE 5) UNCOMMON, N, MEDIUM, ABERRATION, AMPHIBIOUS

Perception +11; vibration sense (imprecise) 60 feet, no visual senses Skills: Athletics +13, Deception +12 (for vocal mimicry), Stealth +10 Str +4, Dex -2, Con +5, Int -3, Wis +2, Cha +3 Vibration Sense: The alphacondylus can sense any creature in contact with the ground within the listed range.

AC 22; Fort +15, Ref +8, Will +10 HP 80 Shell Defense [reaction] Trigger: The alphacondylus is the target of an attack. Effect: The alphacondylus withdraws into its shell, gaining a +2 circumstance bonus to its AC against the triggering attack. It cannot use this reaction again until the start of its next turn.

Speed 20 feet, burrow 30 feet, swim 20 feet Melee [one-action] Pincer +14, Damage 2d8+6 bludgeoning

Vocal Lure [one-action] (auditory, enchantment, incapacitation, mental) The alphacondylus mimics a sound. Each creature within 120 feet that can hear it must attempt a DC 21 Will save.

  • Critical Success: The creature is unaffected and is temporarily immune for 1 hour.
  • Success: The creature is unaffected.
  • Failure: The creature is fascinated and must spend its next action moving toward the alphacondylus.
  • Critical Failure: As failure, and the creature does not need to have a language to be fascinated by the sound.

Sonic Burst [two-actions] (auditory, sonic) Frequency: once per minute. The alphacondylus unleashes a stunning blast. Each creature in a 15-foot emanation must make a DC 22 Fortitude save.

  • Success: The creature takes 2d6 sonic damage.
  • Failure: The creature takes 4d6 sonic damage and is stunned 1.
  • Critical Failure: The creature takes 8d6 sonic damage and is stunned for 1d4 rounds.

Engulf [one-action] Requirements: The target is stunned, unconscious, or willing, and adjacent to the alphacondylus. Effect: The alphacondylus makes a Pincer Strike with a +2 circumstance bonus. If it hits, it deals no damage but swallows the target. The swallowed creature is grabbed, slowed 1, and takes 2d6 acid damage at the beginning of each of its turns. A creature can escape by succeeding at a DC 21 Acrobatics or Athletics check.

SAVAGE WORLDS

THE SWAMP-LURE (WILD CARD)

This strange, shelled beast is a patient terror of the wetlands. It uses an unnerving ability to mimic voices and other sounds to draw its prey into a deadly trap.

Attributes: Agility d4, Smarts d6 (A), Spirit d8, Strength d12, Vigor d10 Skills: Athletics d10, Fighting d6, Notice d8, Performance d12, Stealth d10 Pace: 3; Parry: 5; Toughness: 11 (4) Edges: –

SPECIAL ABILITIES:

  • Armor +4: Heavy stone-like carapace.
  • Aquatic: Pace 4.
  • Burrow: Pace 4.
  • Camouflage: +4 to Stealth rolls when burrowed or hiding in muddy/swampy terrain.
  • Lure: The Swamp-Lure can use its Performance skill to make a Test against any character who can hear it, attempting to lure them to its location.
  • Sonic Blast: As an action, the Swamp-Lure can place a Medium Burst Template centered on itself. Any character within the template must make a Vigor roll at -2 or be Stunned.
  • Swallow Whole: The Swamp-Lure makes a grapple check against an adjacent Stunned character. If successful, the victim is swallowed. Each round on the Swamp-Lure’s turn, the swallowed character suffers a level of Fatigue from suffocation and acid. This can lead to Incapacitation and death. A character can try to cut their way out from the inside, but this is difficult and requires a successful attack against the creature’s full Toughness.
  • Size 2

SHADOWRUN

SEWER SIREN (PARACRITTER)

This paranormal animal is a horrifyingly successful invasive species in the sewer systems and industrial runoff canals of many major sprawls. It is a biological trap, using its uncanny ability to mimic sounds—from a crying child to a malfunctioning commlink—to lure unwary squatters, gangers, and even shadowrunners into a lethal ambush.

Attributes: Body 8, Agility 2, Reaction 3, Strength 5 Essence: 6.0, Magic: 6.0 Initiative: 6 + 1d6 Matrix AR: N/A Condition Monitor: 12P / 11S

Skills: Athletics (Burrowing) 5, Exotic Ranged Weapon (Sonic Blast) 4, Perception 4, Performance (Mimicry) 6, Stealth 6 Powers: Armor 8, Camouflage (Subterranean/Aquatic), Natural Weapon (Pincer, DV 2P, AP -), Ultrasound Sense, Vocal Mimicry

SPECIAL ABILITIES:

  • Ultrasound Sense: The Sewer Siren’s star-nose provides it with Blindsight out to 20 meters, allowing it to navigate and target in complete darkness or murky water.
  • Burrower: The creature can move through soft earth or mud at a rate of (STR) meters per combat round.
  • Sonic Blast: As a Major Action, the siren can snap its large claw to create a concussive blast. This is a Ranged Exotic Weapon attack targeting an area (a 5-meter radius from the creature). Anyone caught in the blast must make a Body + Willpower (3) test. Failure inflicts the Stunned status effect for 1d6 rounds.
  • Engulf: The siren can perform a special unarmed attack against a stunned character within 2 meters. If successful, the target is swallowed whole and begins to suffocate.

STARFINDER

THE MIRELURE (CR 5) XP 1,600 N Large magical beast Init +0; Senses blindsight (vibration) 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +11

DEFENSE EAC 17; KAC 19 HP 70 Fort +9; Ref +7; Will +4 Defensive Abilities: shell

OFFENSE Speed 10 ft., burrow 30 ft., swim 20 ft. Melee pincer +11 (1d6+7 B) Offensive Abilities: engulf, sonic burst, vocal lure

STATISTICS Str +2; Dex -2; Con +4; Int -4; Wis +1; Cha +2 Skills Athletics +16, Deception +11, Stealth +11

SPECIAL ABILITIES Shell: The mirelure can withdraw into its shell as a standard action, gaining a +4 bonus to its AC but losing the ability to attack. It can emerge as a move action. Vocal Lure (Ex): As a standard action, the mirelure can perfectly imitate a sound. Any creature within 120 feet must succeed at a DC 14 Will save or be fascinated for 1d4 rounds. While fascinated, a creature will move toward the sound. Sonic Burst (Ex): As a standard action, the mirelure can unleash a sonic blast in a 30-foot cone. Creatures in the area take 5d6 sonic damage and are stunned for 1 round (Fortitude DC 14 for half damage and to negate the stun). The mirelure cannot use this ability again for 1d4 rounds. Engulf (Ex): The mirelure can attempt to swallow a stunned or helpless creature by making a successful melee attack. A swallowed creature takes 2d6+4 acid damage per round and is considered grappled and blinded.

TRAVELLER

THE RESONANT AMBUSHER (SUBTERRANEAN LURE PREDATOR)

This creature is a bizarre ambush predator found on wetland worlds with soft, loamy soil. Its entire life cycle is built around luring prey with vocal mimicry and disabling it with a powerful, biologically generated sonic weapon before consuming it.

UPP: 42A500-0 Skills: Stealth-3, Deception-2 Pace: 4m (burrowing 12m) Armor: 5 (Heavy Carapace) Weapons:

  • Pincer: 6, 1d6
  • Sonic Stun: -, see below

Traits: Camouflage (Wetlands/Underground), Burrower, Vocal Mimic, Fear (1) Behavior: The Resonant Ambusher remains burrowed and hidden. It uses its Vocal Mimic trait (which functions as Deception-2) to lure targets to its position. When a target is within 5m, it will emerge and use its Sonic Stun. Sonic Stun: As an action, all targets within a 5m radius must make a Difficult (10+) Endurance check. Failure means the character is stunned and may not take any action for 1d6 rounds. Engulf: The creature will attempt to swallow any stunned target whole on its next turn. This is an opposed Strength check. If the creature wins, the character is swallowed and will begin to suffocate on the following round.

WARHAMMER FANTASY ROLEPLAY

THE FEN-CALLER

A horror of the vast marshes and fens of the Empire, the Fen-Caller is a creature of legend used to frighten children. Those who travel the marshes know the stories are true. It is a patient monster that steals voices to lure the unwary to a crushing, stunning end before dragging them into the mud.

M 3, WS 25, BS -, S 55, T 60, I 30, Agi 15, Dex 10, Int 15, Wp 45, Fel 5 Wounds: 22

Traits: Amphibious, Armour (3), Bite (11), Fear (2), Night Vision, Size (Large), Stealthy, Swamp-strider, Weapon+11 Skills: Athletics 65, Deception (Mimicry) 55, Endurance 70, Perception 45, Stealth (Wetlands) 45

SPECIAL ABILITIES:

  • Deceptive Lure: As an action, the Fen-Caller can perfectly mimic any sound it has heard. All who hear the sound must make a Challenging (+0) Cool Test. Those who fail gain a Broken Condition and are compelled to move toward the sound on their next turn.
  • Concussive Clap: The Fen-Caller can spend its turn snapping its massive claw. All characters within a 6-yard radius must make a Hard (-20) Endurance Test or gain 1d5+1 Stunned Conditions. The Fen-Caller cannot use this ability again for 1d5 rounds.
  • Engulf: The Fen-Caller can make a Melee (Brawl) Test against an adjacent opponent suffering from at least one Stunned Condition. If successful, the target is considered Engulfed. An Engulfed character is Helpless and suffers a Crushing Critical Wound automatically at the start of each of their turns until they are freed or the Fen-Caller is slain.