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Carchagulus Bombatrach 77

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by

Dale
in

The Carchagulus Bombatrach 77 is a monstrous predator resulting from the merging of four distinct life forms from across the Animalia Kingdom — Original Life Forms Referenced:
Mammalia: Wolverine (Gulo gulo)
Amphibia: Goliath Frog (Conraua goliath)
Insecta: Bombardier Beetle (Brachinini tribe)
Chondrichthyes: Great White Shark (Carcharodon carcharias)

      Appearance

      The creature is a horrifying chimera. It has the stocky, powerful, and low-slung body of a wolverine, covered in dark, shaggy fur that is constantly damp and slick. This fur gives way to smooth, scaleless, and mottled green-brown amphibian skin on its underbelly and legs. Its back is protected by a segmented, iridescent carapace of black chitin, reminiscent of a beetle’s shell. Instead of a canid or mustelid head, it has the unmistakable, terrifying maw of a great white shark, complete with a lifeless black eye and a wide mouth filled with multiple rows of serrated, triangular teeth. Its forelimbs are short and bear long, non-retractable claws like a wolverine, but its hind legs are disproportionately large and muscular, coiled like a frog’s for explosive leaps.

      Size

      The Carchagulus is a dense and heavy creature, larger and bulkier than its wolverine base. An adult typically measures 5 to 6 feet long from its nose to the base of its stubby tail and stands about 3 feet high at the shoulder. Due to its dense muscle and bone, it weighs between 250 and 350 pounds.

      Speed

      On the ground, its standard movement is a lumbering, awkward gait, making it relatively slow for a predator of its size. However, it can launch itself forward in a terrifyingly fast leap, covering up to 40 feet in a single bound from a standstill, thanks to its goliath frog-like legs. It is also an adept and surprisingly fast swimmer, using its powerful legs and body to propel itself through the water.

      Stat Modifiers

      • Strength: Very High
      • Dexterity: Low (for running), High (for jumping)
      • Constitution: Very High
      • Intelligence: Low (Feral)
      • Wisdom: Moderate
      • Charisma: Very Low

      Skills

      The Carchagulus possesses a specific set of honed predatory skills. It has a high proficiency in Athletics, particularly for any actions involving jumping or swimming. Its terrifying appearance and aggressive displays give it a natural mastery of Intimidation. Its senses grant it a high proficiency in Perception, especially related to scent and vibrations in the water or ground. Finally, it is surprisingly adept at Stealth when submerged in murky water.

      Behavior

      This is a solitary and intensely territorial apex predator. The Carchagulus is notoriously aggressive and will attack any creature that enters its domain without hesitation. It is an ambush predator, preferring to lie in wait, partially submerged at the water’s edge. It uses its powerful leap to close the distance to prey instantly, aiming to land on top of its victim with its crushing weight and gaping maw. When threatened or injured, it turns its rear towards the attacker and unleashes its chemical spray as a potent defensive measure. It communicates through a horrifying series of deep, guttural croaks that escalate into a high-pitched, clicking hiss.

      Diet

      The Carchagulus is a hypercarnivore. Its diet consists of anything it can overpower and fit into its mouth. This includes large fish, deer-sized land mammals, unwary avians, and other monstrous creatures that venture too close to its watery lair. Its rows of serrated shark teeth are not for chewing but for gripping and tearing off large chunks of flesh, which it swallows whole.

      Emotions

      As a feral creature, its emotional range is limited and primal. The Carchagulus is driven almost entirely by aggression, hunger, and territorial instinct. It does not feel fear in a conventional way, responding to superior threats with overwhelming rage rather than flight. It is incapable of loyalty, affection, or any complex social emotion.

      Environment Where Found

      The Carchagulus Bombatrach 77 is amphibious and must remain near water to keep its skin moist. It is most commonly found in murky swamps, slow-moving river deltas, and coastal estuaries within temperate and tropical climates. It typically makes its lair in a riverside cave, a hollowed-out log, or a deep, muddy burrow dug into a riverbank.

      Tags: Feral, Monster, Amphibious, Mammalian, Chitinous, Apex Predator, Territorial, Caustic Spray, Leaper, Solitary, High-Threat, Ambush Predator, Swamp Dweller, Powerful Bite, Chemical Defense, Armored, Chimera, Vicious, Aquatic Hunter

      Life Cycle

      The life cycle of a Carchagulus is a multi-stage process that reflects its chimeric nature, beginning in the water and ending in a brutal reign on land.

      1. The Clutch: Reproduction begins when a female lays a clutch of 20 to 30 large, gelatinous eggs, each the size of a human fist. These are deposited in a carefully hidden underwater nest, typically woven into the roots of a mangrove tree or secured under a rocky overhang in a murky riverbed.
      2. Larval Stage: After several weeks, the eggs hatch into purely aquatic larvae known as “Gulo-shark tads.” These creatures are voracious predators from birth. A Gulo-shark tad has the head and ravenous appetite of a shark, a long, powerful tadpole-like tail for swimming, and two well-developed, wolverine-like forelimbs with sharp claws, which it uses to pull itself along the riverbed and tear apart prey. They hunt insects, fish, and any other small creature, often engaging in cannibalism until only the strongest 2 or 3 from the clutch survive.
      3. Metamorphosis: After three to four months of rapid growth, the surviving larvae feel an instinctual urge to crawl onto land. Over the course of a week, they undergo a dramatic metamorphosis. Their tails are absorbed, powerful amphibian hind legs sprout and develop, their skin thickens and grows its furred coat, and the chitinous carapace hardens on their backs.
      4. Maturity and Lifespan: The newly transformed Carchagulus is a juvenile, roughly half its adult size but possessing all its adult features. It is driven from its birth waters by the territorial aggression of its parent. It must find its own territory and hunt to survive, reaching full maturity within two years. The life of a Carchagulus is violent and short; few survive past 15 years, with most succumbing to injury from territorial disputes or hunts long before then.

      Mating

      Mating for these solitary, hyper-aggressive creatures is a rare and violent event. Once a year, during the height of the rainy season, a sexually mature female releases a potent, oily pheromone into the water from glands in her skin. This scent travels for miles downstream, attracting any males in the region.

      The males converge on the female’s territory, where they engage in ferocious combat. These are not ritualized displays but brutal, all-out battles involving bites, leaps, and clawing attacks. The loser, if not killed outright, is driven away. The victor, often wounded himself, earns the brief and perilous right to mate. The act itself is swift and aggressive. Immediately following, the female’s tolerance vanishes, and she will attack and drive off the male, who must flee or risk being killed and eaten. The female then lays her eggs and abandons the nest, offering no parental care.

      Tactics

      The Carchagulus is a brutally efficient ambush predator, not a tactician that engages in prolonged battles.

      • Patient Ambush: Its primary tactic is to wait silently at the edge of a river or swamp, with only its eyes and the top of its carapace visible above the murky water. It can remain motionless for hours, waiting for prey to come within range.
      • Explosive Initiation: Combat begins with its Terror Leap. It launches its body from a standstill directly at its target, seeking to use its mass to knock the prey to the ground and disorient it.
      • Bite and Thrash: Immediately upon landing, its main objective is to secure a grip with its powerful, shark-like jaws. Once it has bitten down, it uses its stocky, muscular body to thrash violently, tearing flesh and shattering bone.
      • Defensive Repositioning: If it cannot gain an immediate advantage, or if it is wounded, it will instinctively use its Caustic Jet. The spray is not just for damage; it creates a cloud of noxious vapor that can blind and confuse attackers, giving the Carchagulus a moment to either escape into the water or reposition for another leaping assault.
      • Aquatic Dominance: A favored tactic against land-dwelling creatures is to drag them into the water. In its native element, the Carchagulus is far more agile and powerful, leaving its prey at a severe disadvantage.

      Actions

      • Multiattack: The Carchagulus makes two attacks: one with its Bite and one with its Claws.
      • Bite: A melee attack that uses its powerful jaws and rows of serrated teeth. On a successful hit, the target takes a high amount of piercing damage and may become grappled by the creature’s immense jaw strength.
      • Claws: A melee attack using the long claws on its forelimbs. This attack inflicts moderate slashing damage.
      • Terror Leap: As a special action, the Carchagulus can leap up to 40 feet horizontally from a standstill. Any creature within 5 feet of where it lands must succeed on a Strength-based challenge or be knocked prone and stunned for a moment.
      • Caustic Jet (Rechargeable): The Carchagulus can spray a 15-foot cone of boiling, noxious chemicals from a gland at its rear. Any creature caught in the cone must succeed on a Constitution-based challenge. On a failure, they take a high amount of acid and fire damage and are blinded for a short period. On a success, they take half damage and are not blinded. After using this ability, it must take time to recharge.

      Other Interesting Information

      • Ecological Keystone: In the swamps and river deltas it inhabits, the Carchagulus is a keystone predator. Its presence dictates the migratory patterns and behaviors of nearly all other local wildlife. Its population is fiercely self-regulating through its violent mating rituals and cannibalistic larval stage.
      • Alchemical Value: The components of a Carchagulus are highly prized in alchemical and enchanting circles. The glands that produce its chemical spray can be refined into incredibly potent acids or volatile reagents for explosives. Its teeth are often crafted into serrated daggers that inflict vicious, bleeding wounds. Its chitinous carapace can be treated and shaped into lightweight, durable armor with a natural resistance to acid.
      • Folklore and Ritual: In the nearby culture of Moche, the Carchagulus is sometimes seen as a feral incarnation of Ai’apaq’s destructive aspect—a creature of pure, mindless struggle. Some outlying Anuq clans have a rite of passage that requires a young warrior to hunt and kill a Carchagulus, proving they have mastered both strength and strategy.
      • Physiological Weakness: The creature’s greatest strength—its amphibious nature—is also its key weakness. Its smooth skin must remain moist. If it is lured too far from water into an arid environment, it will rapidly weaken. Its movements become sluggish, its skin begins to crack and bleed, and it loses much of its formidable strength, making it vulnerable to more persistent hunters.

      Adventurers in the world of Saṃsāra might cross paths with a feral creature like the Carchagulus Bombatrach 77 through either incidental, dangerous encounters or as the direct objective of a purposeful hunt.

      Incidental Encounters

      These encounters occur when a party has no intention of fighting the creature, but circumstances force a confrontation. The Carchagulus’s intensely aggressive and territorial nature makes peaceful passage through its domain nearly impossible.

      • Territorial Trespass: The most common reason for an unexpected encounter is simple geography. A party might be traveling through a swamp, marshland, or river delta to reach another objective—perhaps an ancient ruin, a hidden city, or simply as a shortcut to another town. Unbeknownst to them, their path takes them directly through the hunting grounds of a Carchagulus. The creature, viewing any intrusion as a threat or a potential meal, would launch a sudden, ferocious ambush from the murky water’s edge, forcing the adventurers into a desperate fight for survival.
      • Navigational Hazard: Parties using rivers as a means of transport are especially vulnerable. A Carchagulus that has claimed a stretch of river as its territory may attack boats and rafts that pass through it. The encounter would begin with a violent jolt from below as the creature slams into the vessel, attempting to capsize it and spill its occupants into the water. The adventurers would have to fight the monster from the unstable platform of their boat, all while it circles and attacks from its element, aiming to drag them into the depths.
      • Caught in a Hunt: Adventurers might witness the Carchagulus while it is actively hunting other prey. They could be camped near a riverbank when another large creature—a giant marsh boar or a multi-limbed bog strider—crashes through their camp in a panic. Moments later, the Carchagulus would burst from the undergrowth in hot pursuit. The party would be caught directly in the path of a rampaging apex predator, forced to defend themselves from a creature whose attention was initially elsewhere but is now fixed on a new, more interesting target.

      Purposeful Hunts

      These scenarios involve parties actively seeking out a Carchagulus, either for profit, duty, or glory. The creature’s formidable nature and unique biological components make it a prime target for specific quests.

      • The Alchemist’s Reagents: The most common driver for a purposeful hunt is the immense value of the creature’s body parts. A master alchemist or an enchanter in a Moche city would post a quest with a substantial reward for acquiring fresh Carchagulus components. The glands that produce its boiling chemical spray are invaluable for creating highly potent acids, explosives, or alchemical fire. The creature’s multiple rows of serrated teeth are perfect for crafting vicious daggers that cause terrible, bleeding wounds. Its iridescent chitinous carapace can be treated and forged into lightweight armor with a natural resistance to acid and toxins. For a party looking to upgrade their gear or earn significant coin, this is a prime opportunity.
      • The Rite of Proving: In the warrior-centric culture of Moche, hunting a Carchagulus could be a formal rite of passage. A young Anuq noble from a powerful matrilineal house might be required to slay such a beast to prove their worthiness and claim their title, as per the tenets of the Si’anic Covenant which value strength through struggle. The noble would hire a party of experienced adventurers not to kill the beast for them, but to serve as trackers, support, and insurance against the swamp’s other dangers, ensuring the noble gets their chance to face the monster in a “fair” confrontation. The reward would be not only monetary but also political, earning the party great favor with one of Moche’s ruling families.
      • The Civic Extermination Mandate: When a Carchagulus establishes its territory too close to a settlement or a vital piece of infrastructure, the local government, under the authority of the Moche Queen, will issue an extermination quest. The creature might be menacing a fishing village, disrupting the operations of a magi-steam water pipeline, or making a key trade route impassable. A bounty would be placed on the creature, payable upon presenting proof of the kill—typically its distinct, shark-like jawbone. This is a straightforward mission for adventurers seeking to earn a reputation as protectors of the people.
      • Vengeance and Validation: An encounter could be driven by a personal vendetta. A wealthy merchant might hire the party after his cargo barge and crew were destroyed by a “river demon.” A grieving survivor might want revenge on the specific creature that killed their companions. This type of quest is often well-funded and emotionally charged, requiring the party not just to kill any Carchagulus, but to hunt down the specific one responsible for the past tragedy.

      Beyond the more obvious and highly sought-after components like the caustic glands, teeth, and carapace, the corpse of a Carchagulus Bombatrach 77 is a treasure trove of unique and potent reagents for skilled harvesters. Its chimeric physiology means that nearly every part of its body has specialized properties valued in alchemy, enchanting, and the crafting of high-tier gear.

      Wolverine Hide and Claws

      • Harvestable Items: The creature’s dark, shaggy pelt and its five-inch, non-retractable claws.
      • Uses: The thick, oily fur of the Carchagulus is incredibly durable and naturally water-repellent. While the creature itself is vulnerable to prolonged exposure to arid conditions, its hide, when properly tanned and treated, makes for superb insulation. Crafters use it to create cloaks and armor linings that grant resistance to cold environments. The leather beneath the fur is tough yet pliable, ideal for reinforcing armor joints or crafting sound-dampening soles for boots. The claws are too thick and curved to be effective as weapon points, but their durability is legendary. When ground into a fine powder, they serve as a key tempering agent in Moche metallurgy, used to create alloys that are exceptionally resistant to chipping and shattering.

      Sinew of the Leaper

      • Harvestable Item: The massive, elastic tendons from the creature’s powerful, frog-like hind legs.
      • Uses: These sinews are a marvel of biological engineering, capable of storing and releasing immense kinetic energy. An enchanter can carefully harvest and preserve these long tendons, weaving them into the structure of boots or leg armor. Gear enhanced with the “Sinew of the Leaper” can magically reduce the wearer’s encumbrance when jumping or allow them to leap significantly further than their own strength would normally allow. They are a critical component in crafting gear favored by scouts and skirmishers.

      The Predator’s Liver and Eyes

      • Harvestable Items: The creature’s enormous, oil-rich liver and its lifeless, black eyes.
      • Uses: The liver of a Carchagulus is massive, weighing upwards of thirty pounds, and is saturated with a complex mixture of potent biochemical oils. When carefully rendered over a low alchemical flame, this oil serves as a superior fuel for lanterns, burning without smoke and producing a clear, steady light that seems to push back against magical darkness. More importantly, this oil is the primary base ingredient for Potions of Darkvision and alchemical unguents that grant resistance to ingested poisons. The eyes, perfectly adapted for seeing movement in murky water, can be preserved by a skilled artisan and set into a helmet or amulet. Such an item allows the wearer to better perceive movement and outlines in conditions of poor visibility, such as fog, blizzards, or even magical darkness.

      Cartilaginous “Bone”

      • Harvestable Item: The strong, flexible cartilage that makes up the creature’s entire skeleton, particularly from its shark-like skull and spine.
      • Uses: Lacking a brittle, mineral-based skeleton, the Carchagulus is supported by a framework of incredibly dense and flexible cartilage. While it cannot be used like traditional bone in crafting, it has unique properties. When ground into a powder, it is a reagent in potions that grant temporary resistance to bludgeoning damage or allow the imbiber to contort their body in unnatural ways. Sections of the cartilage can be shaped and hardened to serve as flexible, shock-absorbing grips for heavy weapons or as the core of composite bows that can withstand a greater magical strain.

      Chimeric Blood

      • Harvestable Item: The creature’s dark, thick blood.
      • Uses: The blood of a Carchagulus is an alchemical nightmare and a miracle. As a biological blend of mammalian, amphibian, insectoid, and piscine life, it is incredibly volatile and potent. It cannot be used for simple healing potions, as its conflicting properties make it toxic if not properly purified. Its primary use is as a powerful, unstable catalyst. When introduced into alchemical processes, it can dramatically increase the potency of a concoction, but also increase the risk of a catastrophic failure. It is the reagent of choice for master alchemists attempting to create powerful, but unpredictable, transmutation elixirs or mutative agents.

      Woman with a Wolverine’s Heart

      This telling is from the old time, before the ink of our histories was yet dry. Its journey was long, so its words may feel like stones in the mouth, not smooth water.

      There was a village called Pescara, which sat by the side of a great and murky river. The people of this village drew their life from the river. Their nets brought them fish, and the water fed their small fields. In this village lived a woman named Kesh. She was not of a noble line, nor was she a warrior who wore armor of shining plate. She was a fisherwoman, but her will was a hard thing, and her pride was as tall as the temple pyramid in the great city.

      Then a sorrow came to the river. A great beast made its lair in the deep water near Pescara. It was a horrifying thing, a River Devil with the head of a shark and the body of a wolverine. It had the hard shell of a beetle and the mighty legs of a frog. When it moved, it was a terror. The Carchagulus Bombatrach, it was called by the learned ones.

      When the beast arrived, the river’s spirit grew sick. The fish, which were once plentiful, vanished into the deep mud, for they were afraid. The great marsh-birds flew away, for their nests on the banks were no longer safe. And some villagers, who went to the water’s edge for reeds or for clay, did not return. A great hunger, which was a cold and quiet hunger, began to settle in the bellies of the people of Pescara.

      The elders of the village, their faces like carved wood, gathered in their hut. They spoke in the old way. “The River Devil is a trial from Ai’apaq,” the first elder said. “Its heart is angry. We must give it offerings, so its heart will be made calm.”

      So they took their finest woven baskets and their most beautiful carved fish of wood, and they placed them on a flat stone by the riverbank. But the beast did not want baskets or carvings. It wanted meat. The offerings sat, and the beast’s terror continued.

      Kesh’s family was hungry. She looked at the small face of her child and the thin hands of her mother, and the wolverine-heart inside her chest would not be still. She went before the elders.

      “Your offerings are sticks against a flood,” she said, and her voice was sharp. “This is not a trial of waiting. This is a trial of action. I will hunt this beast.”

      The elders looked at her with disapproval. “You are a woman of the river, not a warrior,” the second elder said. “You speak with too much fire. You have the heart of a wolverine, always pushing, always fighting. That heart will be your unmaking. The beast will swallow you, and the river will not even burp.”

      But Kesh’s will was a hard thing. She went away from them. She took her long fishing spear, with its point of sharpened bone. She took her heaviest net, woven of river-vines that were as strong as iron wire. And she began her own trial. She did not rush. She went to the high reeds where the air was thick with bugs, and she watched the beast. She watched and watched, and her watching was a long watching.

      She learned the ways of the River Devil. She saw its great leap, a thing of impossible speed, that began from a stillness. She saw its clumsy walk upon the land, a walk that was not made for chasing. She saw how it loved the deep water and how it would spray a hot, smoking poison from its back when it was angered. She saw all these things, and she put them in her mind.

      After three days of watching, a plan grew in her thoughts. There was a place where the river made a sharp bend. On one side of the bend was a low, rocky bank. On the other side was a high cliff of wet, slick mud, a place where no heavy thing could find its footing. This was the place she chose.

      She went to the low, rocky bank. She took her spear and struck a great stone by the water, again and again, making a loud sound that echoed over the river. She shouted a challenge to the beast, her voice small but full of her wolverine-heart.

      The River Devil was a thing of rage, not thought. It heard the challenge. Its terrible shark-head rose from the murky water. It saw the lone woman on the bank, a small morsel of defiance. With a roar that was a croak and a hiss, it coiled its mighty frog-legs. It launched itself from the water. Its leap was a flying death.

      But Kesh was ready. As the beast flew through the air above the water, she did not run. She dove to the side and threw her heavy, weighted net with all her strength. The net opened in the air, a wide mouth of vines. It fell upon the beast in the middle of its leap.

      The River Devil landed not on Kesh, but on the muddy bank beneath the high cliff. Its great leap was spoiled by the net, which tangled its powerful legs. It thrashed and roared, but it could not get a good footing on the land. It was trapped between the river and the slick mud wall.

      The beast, in its fury, turned its shelled back to Kesh, readying its poison spray. But its back was now to the cliff. Kesh had already scrambled up the rocky bank on her side. She had seen, during her watching, several great boulders that sat loose at the top of the mud cliff. They were held only by roots and wet earth.

      With her spear, she did not attack the beast. She attacked the earth. She dug and pushed at the ground beneath the largest boulder. The earth gave way. The boulder shifted, and then it fell. It brought with it a cascade of other stones and a great slide of wet mud. The landslide came down upon the trapped and struggling beast. There was a great crack as its hard shell broke. It was buried. It was pinned.

      Kesh came down from the rocks. She walked to the half-buried monster. Its shark-head was stuck in the mud, its great mouth gasping. She took her fishing spear in both hands, and she ended its life.

      She returned to the village. She did not carry the beast’s head as a trophy. She only said, “The river is safe. The fish will return.”

      The elders looked upon her with new eyes. “The heart of a wolverine is not a curse,” the first elder said, his voice now quiet. “It is a gift from Ai’apaq, if that heart is guided by a clever mind.”

      Kesh, the fisherwoman, became a leader in Pescara. The village was saved not by a great warrior in shining armor, but by a woman who knew her river and was not afraid to use her mind as her sharpest spear.

      The Moral of the Story: The roar of a monster can make the ears deaf, but a quiet mind can see the path where its feet will stumble. For the greatest strength is not in the body that strikes the blow, but in the eye that first sees the weakness in the ground.

      Suggested conversions to other systems:

      Dungeons & Dragons (5th Edition)

      Grolathian Large monstrosity, unaligned

      Armor Class 16 (natural armor, carapace) Hit Points 136 (13d10 + 65) Speed 30 ft., swim 40 ft.

      STR 19 (+4) DEX 12 (+1) CON 20 (+5) INT 3 (-4) WIS 14 (+2) CHA 7 (-2)

      Skills Athletics +7, Perception +5, Stealth +4 Damage Resistances acid Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 15 Languages — Challenge 7 (2,900 XP)

      Amphibious. The grolathian can breathe air and water.

      Standing Leap. The grolathian’s long jump is up to 30 feet and its high jump is up to 15 feet, with or without a running start.

      Actions

      Multiattack. The grolathian makes two attacks: one with its bite and one with its claws.

      Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (2d10 + 4) piercing damage. If the target is a Medium or smaller creature, it is grappled (escape DC 15). Until this grapple ends, the target is restrained, and the grolathian can’t bite another target.

      Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d6 + 4) slashing damage.

      Caustic Spray (Recharge 5–6). The grolathian sprays boiling chemicals in a 15-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw, taking 28 (8d6) acid damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. A creature that fails its save is also blinded for 1 minute. A blinded creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.

      Call of Cthulhu (7th Edition)

      Murky River Devil A chimerical horror of the swamps, this creature is a fusion of mammal, fish, insect, and amphibian, driven by pure predatory instinct.

      STR 85 CON 90 SIZ 80 DEX 60 INT 25 POW 50 HP 17

      Damage Bonus: +1D6 Build: 2 Move: 6 / 8 (swimming) Sanity Loss: 1/1D6 Sanity points to see the Murky River Devil.

      Attacks Fighting (Brawl) 55% (27/11), damage 1D3 + damage bonus ** • Bite** 55%, damage 1D10 + damage bonus. A successful bite may grapple the target. ** • Claws** 40%, damage 1D6 + damage bonus.

      Dodge 30% (15/6) Armor: 3-point chitinous carapace on its back and 1-point tough, rubbery hide elsewhere.

      Special Powers Terrifying Leap: The river devil can spend a full move action to leap up to 30 feet. Any investigator within 5 feet of its landing spot must succeed on a DEX roll or be knocked from their feet, losing their next action.

      Caustic Jet: Once every three rounds, the river devil can spray a cone of boiling chemicals 15 feet long. Anyone in the cone must make a successful Dodge roll or take 2D6 burn damage. Those who fail the roll must also succeed on a CON roll or be blinded for 1D6 rounds as the caustic liquid sears their eyes.

      Blades in the Dark

      Shatter-Jaw Mire Fiend A territorial abomination whispered about by river-folk and feared by smugglers. A fusion of several creatures, it is a perfect killing machine for the murky waterways and swamps around Duskvol.

      Threat Level: 3 (A powerful, terrifying creature that requires special preparations to overcome) Scale: 2 (a large, dangerous group or a single, very large creature) Instinct: To ambush and viciously defend its territory.

      Traits:

      • Amphibious: As dangerous in the water as it is on the banks.
      • Armored Carapace: Its back is covered in thick chitin; blades and bullets may glance off harmlessly. (Acts as armor).
      • Vicious Maw: Its shark-like jaws can tear through flesh and splinter wood with ease. (Causes severe harm, can wreck equipment).
      • Terrifying Leap: Crosses distances in a blink, crashing down on its victims to sow chaos.
      • Caustic Bile: Can spew a boiling, chemical spray that eats through flesh and metal.

      Clocks:

      • The Mire Fiend erupts from the water! (4-segment)
      • Cornered and enraged, it unleashes its Caustic Bile. (4-segment)
      • The crew’s position is compromised; they’re pinned down. (6-segment)
      • It drags a victim into the murky depths… (4-segment)

      Knave (2nd Edition)

      Swamp Gulper A horrifying chimera of wolverine, frog, and shark that lairs in swamps and slow-moving rivers. It ambushes its prey from the water’s edge.

      Level 6 (Challenging Foe) HP 27 (6d8) Armor 16 (chitinous carapace) Morale 10 (Fights to the death unless severely wounded)

      Attacks

      • Bite: d10 damage. On a hit, the target is grappled. The Gulper can only grapple one creature at a time.
      • Claws (x2): d6/d6 damage.

      Qualities

      • Amphibious: Can breathe water and swims as fast as a man can run. Its land speed is slow and lumbering.
      • Caustic Spray: Once per combat, it can spray a 15-foot cone. d8 damage to all in the area (save vs. Constitution for half).
      • Leaping Ambush: The Gulper can leap up to 40 feet as its entire move. Anyone within 10 feet of where it lands must save vs. Dexterity or be knocked prone.
      • Armored Back: Attacks against the Gulper from above or behind are made with disadvantage.

      Fate Core System

      The Unsleeping Hunger of the Mire This creature is a chimerical manifestation of territorial rage. It claims a stretch of swamp or river and defends it with shocking ferocity, ambushing anything that strays too close.

      Aspects

      • High Concept: Territorial Chimeric Apex Predator
      • Trouble: Insatiable, Primal Rage
      • Other Aspects: Armored Like a Sunken Beetle; My Jaws Can Crush a Rowboat; A Leap Like a Thunderclap

      Skills

      • Superb (+5): Physique
      • Great (+4): Fight
      • Good (+3): Provoke
      • Fair (+2): Athletics, Notice
      • Average (+1): Stealth

      Stunts

      • Vicious Grapple: When the Unsleeping Hunger succeeds with style on a Fight attack using its jaws, it can choose to attach the Crushing Grip aspect to the target with a free invocation instead of taking a boost.
      • Leaping Pounce: When the Unsleeping Hunger overcomes an obstacle with Athletics to leap towards a target, it gets a +2 bonus to its first Fight attack roll against that target in the same turn.
      • Caustic Spray: Once per scene, as an action, the creature can spray a boiling chemical mist, making a special Fight attack against every target in its zone. This attack also creates a Caustic Mist situation aspect on the zone with one free invocation.

      Stress & Consequences

      • Physical Stress: [1][1][1][1]
      • Consequences: One mild, one moderate, and one severe consequence slot.

      Numenera & Cypher System

      The Gulocarchan Ambusher This biomechanical horror may be a relic of a prior world’s failed ecosystem, or a naturally evolved predator perfectly suited to the Ninth World’s dangerous waterways. It is a creature of instinct, driven only to hunt and defend its territory.

      Level: 6 (target number 18) Health: 30 Damage: 6 points Armor: 3 Movement: Short; Long when leaping or swimming.

      Modifications:

      • Jumps as level 7.
      • Stealth in murky water as level 7.
      • Resistant to poisons and acids; all poison/acid-based tasks to affect it are hindered.

      Combat: The Gulocarchan Ambusher is a straightforward and brutal combatant. Its primary attack is its Bite, which inflicts 6 points of damage. A GM Intrusion on a successful bite attack could be that the target is also grappled, automatically taking 4 points of damage each subsequent round until they can escape (a level 6 Might-based task).

      Once per encounter, as its entire action, the creature can eject a Caustic Jet, spraying a short area in front of it. All targets in the area take 4 points of ambient damage from the acid.

      A common GM Intrusion is for the Gulocarchan Ambusher to use its Terrifying Leap ability, launching itself at a character who thought they were at a safe distance. This leap can knock the character prone and immediately put them within range of its vicious bite.

      Pathfinder (2nd Edition)

      Mire-Maw Creature 7 Unaligned, Large, Amphibious, Beast

      Perception +15; darkvision, scent (imprecise) 30 feet Skills Acrobatics +13, Athletics +17, Intimidation +15, Stealth +15 Str +6, Dex +2, Con +5, Int -4, Wis +4, Cha -2

      AC 25; Fort +18, Ref +13, Will +15 HP 115 Resistances acid 10

      Speed 25 feet, swim 40 feet

      Melee [one-action] Jaws +18 (Reach 10 feet), Damage 2d10+9 piercing plus Improved Grab Melee [one-action] Claw +18 (Agile), Damage 2d6+9 slashing

      Caustic Spew [two-actions] (Acid, Evocation, Primal) The Mire-Maw sprays a 15-foot cone of boiling acid. Each creature in the cone takes 8d6 acid damage (DC 25 basic Reflex save). The Mire-Maw can’t use Caustic Spew again for 1d4 rounds.

      Leaping Pounce [two-actions] The Mire-Maw Leaps up to its Speed. If it ends its movement within reach of at least one enemy, it can make a Jaws Strike against that enemy. If this Strike hits, the target is also knocked prone. This movement does not trigger reactions.

      Worry [one-action] Requirements: The Mire-Maw has a creature grabbed in its Jaws. Effect: The Mire-Maw thrashes its head back and forth, dealing 2d10+9 slashing damage to the grabbed creature (DC 25 basic Fortitude save).

      Savage Worlds Adventure Edition

      Swamp Terror A ferocious, solitary predator that embodies the dangers of the wild. These chimerical beasts claim entire sections of swampland as their own, ambushing anything foolish enough to trespass.

      Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d4(A), Spirit d8, Strength d12, Vigor d10 Skills: Athletics d10, Fighting d10, Notice d8, Stealth d8 Pace: 5; Parry: 7; Toughness: 10 (3) Edges: —

      Special Abilities:

      • Armor +3: A thick, chitinous carapace protects its back.
      • Aquatic: Pace 8 in water.
      • Bite: Str+d8, AP 2.
      • Caustic Spray: Once per encounter, the Swamp Terror can spray a Medium Blast Template. Targets in the template must make an Agility roll versus the creature’s Athletics. Success indicates the character avoids the blast; failure results in 2d8 damage.
      • Leap: The Swamp Terror can leap up to 8″ (48 feet) as part of its normal movement.
      • Size 1: Larger than a normal human.
      • Terrifying (Feral): Anyone who sees the Swamp Terror for the first time must make a Fear roll.

      Shadowrun, Sixth World

      Guloform Mire-Thrasher

      This paranormal critter is believed to be a bizarrely stabilized result of SURGE, though some corporate biologists whisper of it being an early-generation gene-spliced bioweapon abandoned in the bayous. It is a hyper-aggressive, territorial apex predator found in polluted marshlands and overgrown sewer confluxes.

      Attributes

      • Body: 7
      • Agility: 4
      • Reaction: 4
      • Strength: 6
      • Willpower: 4
      • Logic: 1
      • Intuition: 4
      • Charisma: 1
      • Edge: 2
      • Essence: 6.0
      • Initiative: 8 (4 + 4)

      Condition Monitor: 12 Physical, 10 Stun Defense Rating: 8 Armor: 8

      Skills: Athletics 4, Unarmed Combat 5, Perception 4, Stealth 4

      Powers

      • Armor: The creature’s chitinous carapace provides it with an Armor rating of 8.
      • Corrosive Spit: As a Major Action, the mire-thrasher can spray a cone-shaped area (treat as a Shotgun Choke, Medium). Characters in the area must make an Agility + Reaction test versus a threshold of 3. Failure results in 8P physical damage with an AP of -4 and the Corroding status effect.
      • Enhanced Senses: Smell.
      • Leap: The mire-thrasher can use a Major Action to leap up to 20 meters. It does not need a running start.
      • Natural Weapon (Bite/Claws): The creature’s bite and claws are its primary weapons. Use its Unarmed Combat skill for the attack. The attack has a DV of 4P and an AP of -2.

      Starfinder Roleplaying Game

      Gul-Sharok Ambusher

      CR 7 XP 3,200 N Large magical beast (aquatic) Init +3; Senses blindsense (scent) 60 ft., darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +14

      Defense EAC 19; KAC 21 HP 105; RP 4 Fort +11; Ref +9; Will +8 Resistances acid 10

      Offense Speed 30 ft., swim 40 ft. Melee bite +18 (1d10+12 P plus grab) or claw +18 (1d8+12 S) Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft. Offensive Abilities pounce, caustic burst

      Statistics STR +5; DEX +3; CON +4; INT -4; WIS +2; CHA -1 Skills Athletics +19, Stealth +14

      Ecology Environment temperate or warm swamps and rivers Organization solitary

      Special Abilities

      • Caustic Burst (Ex) As a standard action, a Gul-Sharok can spew a 30-foot cone of boiling digestive fluids. Creatures in the cone take 8d6 acid damage (Reflex DC 15 half). A creature that fails its save is also blinded for 1d4 rounds. The ambusher cannot use this ability again for 1d4 rounds.
      • Pounce (Ex) As a full action, a Gul-Sharok can move up to its speed and make a single bite attack at the end of its movement.

      Traveller (Mongoose 2nd Edition)

      Swamp Pouncer (Gulo-Carcharias Brachinus)

      Homeworld: K’naar (UWP A7688A9-B) – A temperate, wet world with extensive swamps and high levels of biodiversity.

      Profile STR 12 (+4) DEX 9 (+1) END 12 (+4) Animal 4D Damage 3D Armor 2D Skills: Athletics (swimming) 2, Recon 1, Stealth 1, Survival 2 Pace: 8m / 16m (swimming) Weight: 150 kg

      Traits

      • Amphibious: Can breathe in and out of water.
      • Armor: Its chitinous carapace provides 6 points of armor to its back and sides. Head and underbelly are unarmored.
      • Bite: The creature’s primary attack inflicts 3D damage.
      • Pouncer: As its entire action, the creature can leap up to 12 meters to engage a target.
      • Scent: Can detect creatures by smell up to 100 meters away.
      • Territorial: Will attack any creature of human-size or larger that enters its perceived territory (roughly 1-2 km of waterway).
      • Caustic Spray: As an attack, it can spray a single target within 10 meters. This is a biological agent that inflicts 2D damage and ignores all armor unless it is environmentally sealed.

      Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (4th Edition)

      Mire-Gnasher

      A foul beast of the deep marshes and sullen rivers, the Mire-Gnasher is a horror of local legend. Part river-beast, part rabid dog, part something far worse, it tears apart cattle, fishermen, and foolish mutants with equal, mindless ferocity.

      Characteristics WS 55 BS 0 S 50 T 55 I 45 Ag 40 Dex 15 Int 10 WP 40 Fel 5

      Traits

      • Amphibious: Can breathe underwater and suffers no penalties for acting in water.
      • Armour (3): Its back is covered in a thick, beetle-like shell that provides 3 Armour Points. This does not apply to its head or underbelly.
      • Belligerent: This creature is aggressive and territorial, and will fight any perceived threat.
      • Bite: +9 (SB+4), Damaging, Impale, Vicious.
      • Claws: +9 (SB+4).
      • Fear (2): A truly horrifying sight to behold.
      • Leap: As a maneuver, the Mire-Gnasher may leap up to 6 yards.
      • Size (Large): This creature is the size of a small horse or a very large boar.
      • Swamp-Walker: Ignores penalties for moving through mud and marshes.
      • Vomit (Caustic Bile): Once per combat, the Mire-Gnasher can vomit the contents of its stomach in a cone-shaped template. Anyone hit takes a Damage +8 hit with the Corrosive and Unavoidable Qualities.