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Dasysepia Dendromantis 77

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by

Dale
in

Original Life Forms Referenced:

  • Class Insecta: Orchid Mantis (Hymenopus coronatus)
  • Class Cephalopoda: Common Cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis)
  • Class Chondrichthyes: Common Stingray (Dasyatis pastinaca)
  • Class Amphibia: Poison Dart Frog (Dendrobates tinctorius)

Appearance: The Dasysepia Dendromantis 77 is a striking and bizarre fusion of its progenitors. Its core body is a flattened, kite-shaped cartilaginous disc, much like a stingray, that forms a “main body” or mantle. The skin is smooth, rubbery, and completely covered in highly advanced chromatophores derived from cuttlefish ancestry, allowing it to change its color, pattern, and even skin texture in an instant.

From the front of the disc emerge two primary limbs: a pair of long, serrated, raptorial forelimbs characteristic of a mantis. These limbs are jointed like an insect’s and are typically held folded tightly against the body, but can lash out with incredible speed. Protruding from the mantle is a distinct, triangular head with two very large, complex eyes with W-shaped pupils that constantly scan its surroundings. Two short, sensitive tentacles, used for taste and touch, flank the sides of its small, sharp beak. Its most deadly features are its skin and its tail. A long, whip-like tail, like that of a stingray, trails behind the body, ending in a sharp, serrated barb loaded with venom. The creature’s entire skin secretes a potent neurotoxin, a trait inherited from the poison dart frog.

Size: An adult Dasysepia Dendromantis 77 is moderately sized. The main body disc or “wingspan” typically measures between two to four feet across. Its whip-like tail adds an additional three to five feet to its total length. They are deceptively light for their size due to their cartilaginous structure, weighing between 30 to 50 pounds.

Speed: On land, the creature is slow and awkward, pulling itself along with its raptorial claws in a clumsy shuffle. However, in its native aquatic environment, it is an incredibly graceful and swift swimmer, propelling itself with undulations of its entire body. It can also use its wing-like body to glide for short distances through the air, typically launching itself from a high branch or cliff to ambush prey below or escape threats.

Stat Modifiers:

  • Strength: Low
  • Dexterity: High
  • Constitution: High
  • Intelligence: Moderate
  • Wisdom: Low
  • Charisma: Low

Skills: The creature’s unique biology grants it a high proficiency in skills related to ambush and evasion. It excels at Stealth due to its near-perfect camouflage. Its ability to glide and swim with grace makes it proficient in Acrobatics. The large, complex eyes provide it with superior Perception, and its powerful raptorial claws allow it to succeed in Athletics checks related to climbing and grappling prey.

Behavior: This is a solitary ambush predator. The Dasysepia Dendromantis 77 spends most of its time motionless, perfectly camouflaged against a rock, a patch of seaweed, the seabed, or the trunk of a large jungle tree. It can remain in this state for hours, waiting for prey to enter its strike range. When a target is identified, it attacks with explosive speed, either snatching the victim with its raptorial forelimbs or lashing out with its venomous tail barb. Its chromatophores are not only for camouflage but also for communication. It will flash vibrant, intimidating patterns to warn off larger predators or rival members of its own species from its territory.

Diet: The Dasysepia Dendromantis 77 is a carnivore with a varied diet dependent on its specific location. Coastal variants prey on fish, crabs, and seabirds. Those living in jungle swamps hunt for large insects, lizards, rodents, and any other creature foolish enough to wander within reach. Prey is seized by the powerful forelimbs and dismembered by its sharp, beak-like mouth. The tail venom is primarily defensive but can be used on larger, more threatening prey.

Emotions: As a feral creature, its emotional range is primal and instinctual, communicated entirely through the visual display of its skin. A calm, camouflaged state indicates neutrality or patience. Sharp, contrasting flashes of black and white signal aggression or a territorial challenge. The most dramatic displays are defensive, where it erupts into the brilliant, pulsating blues, yellows, and reds of its poison dart frog ancestors, a clear and honest signal of its extreme toxicity.

Environment Where Found: This creature thrives in wet, complex environments that offer abundant cover. They are most commonly found in the shallow coastal waters of Saṃsāra, particularly in and around coral reefs, kelp forests, and rocky shorelines. They have also adapted to inland freshwater ecosystems, such as mangrove swamps, misty rainforests, and the flooded ruins of ancient civilizations where they can cling to walls and ceilings.

Tags: Feral, Amphibious, Predator, Ambush, Camouflage, Venomous, Toxic, Glider, Solitary, Territorial, Cartilaginous, Bioluminescent, Aquatic, Raptorial, Chromatophore, Aposematic, Barbed, Beaked, Insectoid, Cephalopoid, Swamp-dweller

Life Cycle

The life of a Dasysepia Dendromantis 77 begins in a hidden underwater clutch. After a dangerous and mesmerizing courtship, the female lays a gelatinous sac of 30-50 small, spherical eggs, which she attaches to a concealed surface in a submerged cave or deep within a mangrove root system. The eggs themselves are camouflaged and infused with a mild toxin that deters most small predators.

After several weeks, the eggs hatch into tiny, larval forms called micromantises. At this stage, they are almost translucent and primarily aquatic, resembling flattened tadpoles with disproportionately large eyes and minuscule, developing forelimbs. They are extremely vulnerable and survive by adhering to surfaces and relying on their nascent camouflage abilities. They feed on microorganisms and insect larvae.

As they grow, they enter a juvenile stage, where their chromatophores become more sophisticated, their skin toxins gain potency, and their raptorial claws and tail barb harden. They begin to hunt larger prey like small fish and insects. During this period, they are intensely territorial with their own siblings, and cannibalism is common, ensuring only the strongest and most adept survive. Once they reach about half their adult size, they leave the water for short periods, learning to glide and hunt in the amphibious territories they will later claim. Adulthood is reached at approximately two years of age, when the creature is fully grown, its toxins and venom are at maximum potency, and it is capable of reproduction.

Mating

Mating is a rare and perilous affair for this solitary species. When a male is ready to reproduce, he will cautiously enter the territory of a larger female. To avoid being immediately attacked and eaten, he must initiate a complex and mesmerizing courtship display from a safe distance. He uses his advanced chromatophores to produce hypnotic, bioluminescent patterns that ripple across his body in waves of iridescent color. This “pattern dance” is a display of his health, control, and genetic fitness.

The female will observe this display motionlessly. If the male’s patterns are weak, erratic, or unappealing, she may ignore him or attack him as an intruder. If she is receptive, she will respond by flashing a simple, specific color pattern—often a slow pulse of deep blue—signaling her acceptance. The male will then approach cautiously and quickly deposit a spermatophore. His role is then complete, and he will retreat immediately. The female, now fertilized, will spend the next few days seeking out the perfect hidden location to deposit her egg clutch, after which all parental investment ceases.

Tactics

The Dasysepia Dendromantis 77 is a master of ambush and psychological warfare, employing a range of tactics rooted in its unique biology.

  • Camouflage and Wait: Its primary tactic is patience. The creature will find a strategic location and use its Chromatic Shift to perfectly mimic the color and texture of the surrounding rock, coral, or foliage. It enters a low-energy state, remaining utterly motionless for hours until suitable prey wanders into its strike zone.
  • Aposematic Warning: When confronted by a creature too large to eat or fight effectively, it will abandon stealth. It uses its chromatophores to erupt into a vibrant, pulsating display of warning colors—brilliant yellows, reds, and blues. This aposematic display is a clear, honest signal of its highly toxic skin, a tactic designed to trigger an instinctual avoidance response in predators.
  • Pin and Pierce: Against prey its own size or slightly larger, it employs a grapple-and-strike tactic. It first uses its Raptorial Snatch to seize and immobilize the target. While the victim is pinned, the Dasysepia will bring its long, flexible tail around to deliver a precise stab with its venomous barb, incapacitating the prey for consumption.
  • Glide to Vanish: If an ambush is compromised or it is wounded, its primary escape tactic is to launch itself toward the nearest body of water. It uses its flattened body to glide silently through the air, covering a surprising distance before plunging into the water and instantly camouflaging itself against the seabed or submerged debris.

Actions

  • Raptorial Snatch: The creature makes a lightning-fast strike with its two serrated forelimbs to grapple a target. The limbs are ideal for punching through tough hides and locking onto a victim.
  • Venomous Lash: A rapid, whipping strike with its tail. The sharp, serrated barb is designed to deliver a potent, fast-acting neurotoxin that causes paralysis and excruciating pain.
  • Chromatic Shift: As an action, the creature can alter its entire skin. It can either shift to a state of near-perfect camouflage that blends with its surroundings or activate its Aposematic Flash to warn and intimidate foes.
  • Toxic Secretion (Passive): The creature’s skin constantly oozes a thin layer of neurotoxin. Any creature that grapples it or makes prolonged skin-to-skin contact is exposed to this poison, which is absorbed through the skin and causes progressive numbness and weakness.
  • Ambush Glide: From a position of height, the creature can leap and glide up to 60 feet, descending silently onto a target or to an escape point.

Other Interesting Information

  • Ecological Keystone: In their local environments, they are a significant mid-level predator that controls populations of smaller animals. Their presence is often an indicator of a healthy, complex ecosystem with sufficient prey and cover.
  • Cuttlebone Relic: Internally, the creature possesses a porous, cartilaginous plate that it uses to regulate its buoyancy in water. This “mantis-bone” does not decay quickly upon death and is highly sought after by alchemists and artisans. It is light, durable, and an excellent filtering agent for potions, and when ground into a fine powder, it is used to polish delicate magical lenses and gemstones.
  • Innate Intelligence: Its cephalopod ancestry gives it a surprising capacity for learning and problem-solving. A Dasysepia will remember the patrol routes of larger predators in its territory and adjust its hunting grounds accordingly. They have also been observed using their forelimbs to deliberately drop rocks to startle prey from hiding places.
  • Regeneration: While not magical, its cartilaginous body and simple physiology allow for remarkable healing. It can regrow a lost tail barb over the course of a month and can recover from deep gashes that would be fatal to other creatures.

A party of adventurers in the world of Saṃsāra would have numerous compelling reasons to either stumble upon or actively seek out a Dasysepia Dendromantis 77. These encounters can range from desperate hunts for rare alchemical components to unavoidable confrontations in ancient, flooded ruins. Why adventurers would encounter or search for one of these creatures:

The Alchemist’s Antidote

A prominent figure in a coastal city—perhaps a merchant prince, a guild master, or a high-ranking official—has been struck by a creeping paralysis that resists all forms of magical healing. An expert alchemist determines the affliction is not a curse, but a sophisticated neurotoxin absorbed through contact. The only hope for a cure is to create an antitoxin from the source of the poison itself. Clues, such as the victim’s last known location near a misty mangrove swamp and the unique nature of the toxin, point to the Dasysepia Dendromantis 77. The adventurers would be hired for a high-stakes mission: venture into the creature’s hazardous environment, hunt it down, and carefully harvest its toxic skin or venomous tail barb. The challenge lies not just in surviving the creature’s deadly ambush tactics but in retrieving the components intact for the alchemist to work their craft.

The Artisan’s Request

An artisan of legendary skill, perhaps one who crafts the focusing lenses for high-tier magical gear or scrying orbs of unparalleled clarity, puts out a lucrative commission. To achieve the flawless, distortion-free polish required for their next masterpiece, they need a rare material: a powder ground from the internal cartilaginous plate, or “mantis-bone,” of a mature Dasysepia Dendromantis 77. This component is prized for its unique porous structure and gentle abrasive quality. The adventurers’ quest is to hunt the creature specifically for this internal plate. This presents a unique challenge, as a brute-force approach with heavy weapons would likely shatter the delicate bone, rendering it useless. The party must devise a strategy to kill the creature with precision, possibly using targeted strikes or non-destructive magic to preserve their prize.

The Guardian of the Sunken Ruins

Adventurers seeking a lost artifact, an ancient piece of lore, or a map to a hidden treasure learn that their objective lies within a flooded temple or a sunken city from a bygone era. Locals and historical records speak of the site as being haunted or protected by a silent, deadly guardian that has claimed the lives of all previous explorers. This “guardian” is not a spirit, but a population of Dasysepia Dendromantis 77 that have made the ruins their primary territory. The adventurers would not be searching for the creatures initially, but would inevitably encounter them as a formidable environmental hazard. They would need to navigate the dark, submerged corridors while constantly watching for the tell-tale shimmer of a camouflaged predator on the walls, ceiling, or floor, turning the exploration into a tense game of cat and mouse.

The Phantom Light Investigation

In a remote coastal village, fishermen and pearl divers have been disappearing at an alarming rate. Survivors speak of strange, hypnotic, pulsating lights beneath the waves in the areas where their comrades were last seen. Terrified, the villagers believe a vengeful water spirit or a Siren is luring their people to their doom. The party would be hired as monster hunters or investigators to solve the mystery and cleanse the area of the malevolent entity. Their investigation would reveal that the “phantom lights” are not supernatural but are, in fact, the mesmerizing and dangerous courtship or territorial displays of an unusually large and aggressive Dasysepia Dendromantis 77. Their task then becomes to hunt this specific, clever predator to make the waters safe again.

The Trial of the Unseen

To be accepted into an exclusive guild of elite trackers, a clandestine circle of alchemists, or an order of monks who value subtlety over strength, an aspirant must complete a perilous trial. One such trial could be to prove one’s mastery of the natural world by acquiring an item that cannot be taken by force. A master might task the adventurers with obtaining a “captured echo” of a Dasysepia’s aposematic warning display. This would require them to track the creature, get close enough to be perceived as a threat without being attacked, and use a specially prepared enchantment or soul-gem to record the magical and visual energy of the defensive flash. This is a quest that expressly forbids killing the creature, forcing the party to rely on stealth, perception, environmental manipulation, and raw nerve to succeed.

Beyond the previously mentioned toxic skin, venomous barb, and the “mantis-bone” plate, the unique physiology of a Dasysepia Dendromantis 77 offers several other valuable components to adventurers skilled enough to harvest them. Additional items and ingredients that can be harvested from their corpses and their uses:

1. Chromatic Ink Sac

  • Description: This is a small, internal sac containing a viscous, iridescent ink rich with unstable chromatophores. Unlike normal cephalopod ink, it does not create a black cloud but rather a shimmering, disorienting burst of chaotic, shifting color.
  • Uses:
    • Alchemical Use: The primary ingredient for Potions of Obfuscation or Illusion. When consumed or shattered, the resulting potion doesn’t create true invisibility but a shimmering distortion that makes the user incredibly difficult to focus on or target accurately.
    • Artisan Use: Highly sought after by enchanters and scribes. When used as a pigment, it creates “Shifting Ink.” Text or runes written with it can be enchanted to change color, reveal a hidden secondary message when a specific condition is met (like the light of the full moon or the speaking of a command word), or simply appear as a hypnotic, unreadable swirl until activated.

2. Oculi of Perception

  • Description: The two large, complex eyes of the creature. The internal lenses are uniquely structured to perceive minute details and movements through murky water and distorting light.
  • Uses:
    • Artisan Use: A master gem-cutter or artisan can carefully extract and grind these lenses to be fitted into optical gear. When set into a helmet, goggles, or spyglass, the “Oculus Lens” grants the wearer magically enhanced perception. This can manifest as the ability to see through magical fog, more easily detect subtle movements, or gain a limited ability to perceive things in low-light conditions.

3. Serrated Raptorial Claws

  • Description: The two hard, chitinous forelimbs of the creature, lined with sharp, serrated edges. They are lightweight but incredibly durable.
  • Uses:
    • Weapon Crafting: The entire claw can be detached and fashioned into a unique weapon, serving as a naturally serrated short sword or hand-axe that causes grievous wounds. Smaller pieces can be knapped to create viciously sharp arrowheads or dagger blades.
    • Tool Crafting: A pair of these claws can be integrated into a set of specialized gauntlets. Such gear is highly valued by climbers and scouts, as the natural sharpness and shape provide an exceptional grip on sheer rock faces, ice, or the bark of massive trees.

4. Concentrated Toxin Glands

  • Description: While the entire skin is toxic, the creature has two small, specialized glands located near its head where the neurotoxin is produced and stored in its purest form. These must be harvested with extreme care, as rupturing them is highly dangerous.
  • Uses:
    • Alchemical Use: This is the key ingredient for creating potent weapon poisons. A single drop of the pure toxin, when correctly processed and applied to a blade or arrow tip, can induce rapid paralysis or debilitating weakness in a target, even from a minor scratch. Its trade is often restricted or illegal in civilized lands.

5. Cartilaginous Hide

  • Description: The tough, flexible, cartilage-based hide that makes up the creature’s main body. Once the outer toxic slime layer is carefully scraped away and the hide is properly cured, it becomes a resilient and lightweight exotic leather.
  • Uses:
    • Armor Crafting: This hide is too flexible for rigid armor but is perfect for creating lightweight gear. It offers excellent resistance to piercing and slashing attacks while remaining quiet and supple. It is a favored material for the gear of scouts, duelists, and anyone who relies on dexterity and stealth over brute force. It also has a natural resistance to water and rot.

6. The Beak

  • Description: A small, sharp, and incredibly hard beak, similar to that of a parrot or squid, located in the creature’s mouth.
  • Uses:
    • Artisan Use: Its density and natural point make it an exceptional tool for fine detail work. It can be set into a handle and used as a stylus for inscribing runes on hard surfaces like gems or metal. Alchemists may use it as a miniature pestle for grinding extremely hard or rare ingredients without contamination.

Two Brothers and Water-Shadow

It is told in the scripts of the coast-folk, though the meaning is sometimes a clouded water, a story of two brothers who went seeking the Dasysepia, the creature which is a thought hidden in the swamp. The first brother, he was Kael, a man of quiet hands and seeing eyes. His purpose was singular; he was a Scribe of Histories, and he required the creature’s special ink, the chromatic fluid, to finish a scroll about the gods’ first footfalls on Saṃsāra. It was a holy work.

The second brother was Vorlag, a man of loud feet and grasping hands. He was a hunter, but his quarry was not sustenance, it was wealth. He had heard the tellings of the creature’s hoard of parts: the eye-lenses that see what is not there, the skin that makes fine armor, the claws that mock any smith’s blade, the toxin for which kings pay in gold. His purpose was not singular, but manifold, like the grasping arms of a greedy spirit.

Together, as blood-kin do, they journeyed to the place where the creature was known to make its home: the sunken ruins of the old city, a place of silent stone drowned in green water.

Kael, the quiet one, entered the ruins as if entering a temple. His feet made no sound on the moss-slick stones. He looked, and what he looked for was not the creature, but the signs of the creature. A scratch mark here. A disturbed patch of silt there. He saw the world as the creature saw it, and so the world showed him its secrets. After a day of watching, he saw it. A patch of wall that was not a wall. A stone that breathed. It was the Water-Shadow, perfectly at one with the ruin. Kael did not draw his weapon. He took a small fish from his pouch, an offering, and set it on a stone near the water’s edge. He bowed his head, a gesture of respect for the spirit of that place, and retreated to watch from afar, to learn its ways.

But Vorlag, his brother, came with thunder in his hooves. He did not look, he searched. He did not listen, he proclaimed. He shouted challenges into the silent archways, striking the stone with his spear-butt. “Show yourself, you collection of treasures! I am Vorlag, and I have come to unmake you for my fortune!”

And the Water-Shadow, it heard. But it did not show itself. Vorlag, in his impatience, waded deep into a flooded chamber, his eyes scanning for any movement. He saw a flicker of impossible color, a flash of blue and yellow, and his heart sang with greed. He saw the creature clinging to a far column and charged, his spear held high.

This was the creature’s design. The path was slick with ancient slime. Vorlag’s charge was clumsy, his footing unsure. The creature did not meet his charge. As he came close, it launched itself not at him, but away from him, gliding through the water to another column deeper in the ruin. The chase was begun.

Vorlag pursued, blind to all but the prize. The creature led him on, through confusing, half-submerged tunnels, always staying just ahead. The warning of the skin-colors, a shouting of poison, was to Vorlag as the buzzing of a fly. A thing to be ignored. He saw only the value of the hide, not the danger it spoke of. The creature led him into a low-ceilinged room with only one entrance. Vorlag entered, his spear ready, cornering his quarry. He smiled a smile of triumph.

But the Water-Shadow was not cornered. It was the master of its home. With a speed that defied the eye, it did not lash with its venom-tail, nor did it strike with its raptorial claws. It launched itself forward and pinned Vorlag’s spear-arm to the wall. And with its other great claw, it simply pushed his head beneath the surface of the green water and held it there. It did not struggle. It did not writhe. Its great, alien eye watched him, devoid of anger or malice. It was merely performing an action, as a craftsman sets a stone.

Kael, feeling a dread in his spirit, followed the trail of his brother’s noisy passage. He came to the chamber and saw his kin, floating in the stillness. There was no great wound upon him, no mark of venom. He was simply empty of life. The Water-Shadow was gone, vanished back into the stone and the water from whence it came. Kael looked upon his brother, and upon the silent room, and understood. The creature’s intelligence was not like a man’s. It did not kill for rage, but for purpose. Its purpose had been to remove the noise.

He did not seek the creature again. He left his own fine scribing tools on the stone as a final offering, and returned to the city with no ink, and no brother. He had only the story.

Moral: Thus, the sages of that time wrote: The one who hunts a thing for its single part may earn his prize. But the one who hunts a thing for all its parts will only become a part of that thing’s story.

Suggested conversions to other systems:

Call of Cthulhu (7th Edition)

The Sunken Color A territorial predator from the abyssal swamps and sunken ruins of the world.

Characteristics STR 70, CON 80, SIZ 65, DEX 85, INT 60, POW 55

HP: 15 Damage Bonus: +1d4 Build: 0 Move: 4 / 10 swimming

Attacks

  • Attacks per round: 1
  • Fighting 45% (22/9): 1d6+1d4 damage. On a successful hit, may initiate a grapple.
  • Tail Barb 35% (17/7): 1d4+1d4 damage + Potent Venom.

Armor: 2 points of tough, cartilaginous hide.

Skills: Dodge 45%, Stealth 75%, Spot Hidden 70%.

Special Abilities:

  • Perfect Camouflage: The Sunken Color can alter its skin’s color and texture to perfectly match its surroundings. When motionless, it requires an opposed Spot Hidden roll vs. its Stealth (75%) to detect. It will always attempt to ambush from this state.
  • Toxic Skin: Any investigator grappling or grappled by the Sunken Color must make a Hard CON roll at the start of each of their turns. Failure results in 1d4 damage as neurotoxins are absorbed through the skin.
  • Potent Venom: An investigator struck by the tail barb must make a Hard CON roll. On failure, they are paralyzed for 1d6 rounds, able to take no actions. If they are already paralyzed and are struck by the tail barb again, they must make an Extreme CON roll or die.

Sanity Loss: 0/1d4 Sanity points for seeing a Sunken Color. 1/1d6 Sanity points to witness its impossible camouflage shift or its cold, alien intelligence as it drowns a victim.

Blades in the Dark

Ink-Skin An aberration from the deepest, most polluted canals and forgotten waterways, a patient hunter with an unnervingly intelligent gaze.

Threat Level: Tier II Dangerous, Exotic Fauna Type: Hunter, Lurker, Aberration Impulse: To jealously guard its territory; to ambush and drag isolated prey into the water; to disable targets before killing them.

Moves:

  • Vanish into the Scenery: The Ink-Skin becomes utterly invisible against a surface (brick, water, slime), its skin perfectly mimicking the texture and color. The GM starts a clock for an ambush. Finding it before it strikes requires a Survey or Hunt action, likely with limited effect.
  • Lash Out with Barbed Tail: The creature strikes with its tail. Inflicts level 3 Harm (Impaled) and the PC gets a dose of its potent venom (Paralyzed).
  • Pin with Serrated Claws: It traps a target, pinning them in place. The victim can’t move and takes level 2 Harm (Grappled). This sets up a teammate for a devastating blow or allows the Ink-Skin to use another move on them.
  • Flash with Unsettling Colors: It explodes in a silent, hypnotic display of impossible light. All who witness it must Resolve their hesitation or take 1 stress and are momentarily frozen in place.

Clocks:

  • Ambush! (6-segments): When the clock is full, the Ink-Skin strikes from hiding with terrifying surprise.
  • Territory Breached (4-segments): This clock starts when the crew enters its lair. Ticks mark its growing agitation and preparation.

Dungeons & Dragons (5th Edition)

Murk-Ray Medium aberration, unaligned

Armor Class: 15 (Natural Armor) Hit Points: 85 (10d10 + 30) Speed: 20 ft., swim 40 ft.

STR 14 (+2) DEX 18 (+4) CON 16 (+3) INT 10 (+0) WIS 14 (+2) CHA 7 (-2)

Skills: Perception +5, Stealth +10, Acrobatics +7 Damage Resistances: Poison Condition Immunities: Poisoned Senses: Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 15 Languages: — Challenge: 4 (1,100 XP)

Amphibious. The murk-ray can breathe air and water.

Chameleonic Skin. The murk-ray has advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks. As a bonus action, it can take the Hide action.

Silent Glide. If the murk-ray is at least 10 feet off the ground, it can use its movement to glide. When it does so, it can move up to 60 feet horizontally, and it descends 1 foot for every 3 feet it moves horizontally. It does not provoke opportunity attacks while gliding.

Toxic Skin. A creature that touches the murk-ray or hits it with a melee attack while within 5 feet of it takes 3 (1d6) poison damage.

Actions

  • Multiattack. The murk-ray makes two Raptorial Claw attacks.
  • Raptorial Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d8 + 4) slashing damage, and the target is grappled (escape DC 14). Until this grapple ends, the murk-ray cannot make a Raptorial Claw attack against another target.
  • Tail Barb. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d4 + 4) piercing damage, and the target must make a DC 14 Constitution saving throw, taking 14 (4d6) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. If the poison damage reduces the target to 0 hit points, the target is stable but paralyzed for 1 hour, even after regaining hit points.

Knave (2nd Edition)

Chroma-Claw

HD: 5 Armor: 14 Attack: +5 Damage: d8 Claws / d6 Tail Barb Morale: 9

Qualities:

  • Ambush Predator: When motionless, the Chroma-Claw is perfectly camouflaged and can only be spotted with a successful WIS saving throw. It attacks from camouflage with advantage.
  • Amphibious: Can breathe air and water. Swims at double its normal speed.
  • Glider: Can leap from a height to glide silently up to 60ft to a new location.
  • Toxic Skin: PCs touching it or striking it with melee weapons must save versus poison or take 1d4 damage.
  • Paralyzing Venom: A character hit by the Tail Barb attack must save versus poison or be paralyzed for 1d4 turns, unable to act.
  • Multi-limbed: Can attack with both of its raptorial claws (d8/d8) or with one claw and its tail barb (d8/d6+poison).

Fate Core System

The Living Mural A silent, patient predator that makes its lair in the drowned halls of the forgotten world, becoming one with the algae and stone.

High Concept: Patient Ambush Predator of the Sunken Ruins Trouble: Territorially Aggressive and Instinct-Driven

Other Aspects:

  • A Shroud of Living Color
  • Skin Steeped in Numbing Toxin
  • A Tail Like a Poisoned Whip

Skills

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

Stunts

  • Perfect Camouflage: Because it has A Shroud of Living Color, the Living Mural gets a +2 to Stealth rolls when motionless and attempting to blend in with its surroundings.
  • Raptorial Snatch: Because it is a Patient Ambush Predator, when it succeeds with style on a Fight attack to create an advantage, it can place the Grappled and Pinned aspect on its target for free, in addition to getting a free invoke.
  • Paralyzing Venom: Because it has A Tail Like a Poisoned Whip, when it inflicts a consequence with its tail, the consequence must include the word Paralyzed (e.g., Arm Paralyzed by Venom).

Stress: [1] [2] [3] Consequences: One Mild, one Moderate, one Severe.

Numenera & Cypher System

Chromatoform Stalker This creature is a bio-engineered relic of a prior world, a fusion of several aquatic and insectile life forms designed as the perfect aquatic assassin or guardian.

Level: 5 Health: 15 Damage: 5 points Movement: Short distance on land; Immediate distance in water. Can also glide a short distance through the air if launching from a height. Modifications: Stealth tasks are level 7 due to its adaptive camouflage. Resists poison as level 6.

Combat: The Chromatoform Stalker attacks with its serrated raptorial forelimbs, inflicting 5 points of damage. It can use its full action to lash with its tail. If the tail attack hits, in addition to damage, the target must make a level 5 Might defense roll or become paralyzed, unable to take physical actions for one minute. Any creature that touches the stalker or hits it with an unarmed melee attack takes 1 point of damage (ignores Armor) from the toxins secreted by its skin. A GM Intrusion could be that the stalker’s camouflage was so perfect it gets to act first regardless of initiative, striking before anyone realized it was there.

Interaction: The Chromatoform Stalker is a solitary, territorial creature. It does not communicate in any recognizable way, but will flash brilliant, unsettling patterns of color across its skin to warn off threats it deems superior to itself before it attacks or flees.

Loot: Its hide can be crafted into light armor (provides +2 Armor but counts as one category lighter for speed reduction purposes). Its venom sac can be harvested, allowing a single weapon to be coated. The next time that weapon inflicts damage, the target is subject to the stalker’s paralysis effect.

Pathfinder (2nd Edition)

Reef-Scythe – Creature 4 N, Medium, Aberration, Amphibious, Animal

Perception +12; darkvision, wavesense 30 ft. Skills Acrobatics +12, Athletics +11, Stealth +14 Str +3, Dex +4, Con +3, Int -2, Wis +4, Cha -1

AC 21; Fort +11, Ref +14, Will +12 HP 60 Immunities poisoned; Resistances poison 5

Speed 20 feet, swim 40 feet

Toxic Skin (Poison) A creature that touches the Reef-Scythe, including with a melee unarmed attack, or is hit by its raptorial claw takes 1d4 poison damage (DC 21 basic Fortitude save).

Melee [one-action] Raptorial Claw +14 (Agile), Damage 2d8+5 slashing plus Toxic Skin Melee [one-action] Tail Barb +14, Damage 1d6+5 piercing plus Reef-Scythe Venom

Grab [one-action] (Attack) Requirements The Reef-Scythe’s last action was a successful Raptorial Claw Strike. Effect The target is grabbed (Escape DC 22).

Perfect Camouflage [one-action] The Reef-Scythe Hides. It can become hidden in an aquatic or swamp environment even without cover or being concealed from the viewer.

Reef-Scythe Venom (Poison) Saving Throw DC 21 Fortitude; Maximum Duration 6 rounds; Stage 1 1d6 poison damage and flat-footed (1 round); Stage 2 1d6 poison damage and slowed 1 (1 round); Stage 3 1d6 poison damage and paralyzed (1 round).

Savage Worlds (Adventure Edition)

Swamp Stalker

Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, Strength d8, Vigor d8 Skills: Athletics d10, Fighting d10, Notice d8, Stealth d12, Swimming d10 Pace: 4; Parry: 7; Toughness: 8 (2)

Special Abilities:

  • Amphibious: Pace 8 in water; breathes air and water.
  • Armor +2: Tough, cartilaginous hide.
  • Camouflage: +4 to Stealth rolls when in its native swamp or aquatic environment. Opponents suffer a –4 penalty to Notice rolls to detect it.
  • Claws: Str+d6.
  • Poison (-2): Anyone hit by the Tail Lash must make a Vigor roll at –2. Success means they are Distracted, failure means they are Stunned.
  • Size 0: Normal human-sized creature.
  • Tail Lash: This is a Fighting attack with Reach 2. It inflicts Str damage and delivers its Poison on a successful hit.
  • Toxic Skin: Anyone making a successful unarmed attack against the Stalker suffers its Poison effect automatically (Vigor roll at -2).

Shadowrun (6th Edition)

Aztechnology Chamel-Ray A high-threat paracritter, believed to be an Aztechnology-designed bioweapon that escaped containment and went feral in the toxic wetlands and sewer systems of the sprawl. It is a prized source for restricted toxins and other esoteric reagents.

Attributes Body: 5 Agility: 6 Reaction: 5 Strength: 4 Willpower: 3 Logic: 3 Intuition: 4 Charisma: 3 Edge: 2 Essence: 6.0

Initiative: 9 + 2d6 Condition Monitor (Physical): 11 Armor: 8 (Natural Armor)

Skills: Sneaking 5, Unarmed Combat 5, Perception 4, Swimming 4

Critter Powers

  • Amphibious: Can breathe in air and water. Suffers no movement penalties in aquatic environments.
  • Camouflage: Gains +3 Edge on Sneaking tests when in an appropriate environment (e.g., ruins, swamps, murky water).
  • Natural Weapon (Claws & Barb): The creature’s attacks have an AP of -2 and a Damage Value of 6P.
  • Venom (Paralytic): This venom is delivered by the creature’s Tail Barb attack. If the attack deals damage, the target must resist the venom’s Power of 8 with a Body + Willpower test. Each net hit for the Chamel-Ray inflicts a -1 penalty to the victim’s Agility attribute. If the victim’s Agility reaches 0, they are paralyzed for (12 – Body attribute) minutes.
  • Toxic Secretion: The creature’s skin is coated in a mild contact toxin (Power 6). Anyone making an unarmed attack against the Chamel-Ray or being grappled by it is exposed.

Starfinder

Ksarik Chromavore – CR 4 XP 1,200 N Medium aberration (aquatic)

Init +4; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +10

Defense HP 55 EAC 16; KAC 18 Fort +8; Ref +8; Will +3 Immunities poison

Offense Speed 20 ft., swim 40 ft. Melee Raptorial Claw +12 (1d6+8 S; critical grapple)

Statistics STR +4; DEX +2; CON +1; INT -2; WIS +0; CHA -1 Skills Acrobatics +10, Athletics +15, Stealth +15 Languages —

Ecology Environment warm swamps, coasts, and ruins Organization solitary

Special Abilities

  • Ambush (Ex): On the first round of combat, if the Chromavore acts before its target, it can make a full attack as a standard action.
  • Living Camouflage (Ex): The Chromavore can change its coloration to blend in with its surroundings, gaining a +10 racial bonus to Stealth checks. It can always choose to take 10 on a Stealth check, even if rushed or threatened.
  • Tail Lash (Ex): As a standard action, the Chromavore can make a tail attack against a target within 10 feet. If the attack hits (+12), it deals 1d4+8 P damage and exposes the target to Ksarik Venom.
  • Ksarik Venom: Injury; save Fortitude DC 13; track Physical (special); frequency 1/round for 6 rounds; effect target is paralyzed for 1 round; cure 2 consecutive saves.
  • Toxic Skin (Ex): A creature that grapples the Chromavore or is grappled by it is exposed to Ksarik Venom at the end of its turn.

Traveller (Mongoose 2nd Edition)

Chameleon Ray (Dasysepia Dendromantis)

UPP: 8A9590 Traits: Armor (2), Camouflage, Glider, Swimmer, Toxin (contact), Venom (paralytic) Type: Carnivore (Ambusher) Skills: Athletics (climbing) 1, Melee (natural) 2, Recon 2, Stealth 3, Survival 1 Pace: 6m Behavior: A solitary predator found in shallow water and dense, wet environments. It is extremely territorial and will attack anything of similar size or smaller that enters its hunting grounds. It relies on its camouflage to get within striking distance before attacking.

Attacks

  • Raptorial Claws: An attack using Melee (natural) 2. Deals 2d6 damage. A successful hit may also initiate a grapple.
  • Tail Barb: An attack using Melee (natural) 2. Deals 1d6 damage and injects venom.

Trait Descriptions

  • Armor (2): The creature’s hide is dense and cartilaginous, providing 2 points of protection.
  • Camouflage: The creature’s skin can change color and texture. This imposes a DM-6 on any Recon or similar checks made to spot it when it is motionless.
  • Glider: Can leap from heights to glide up to 20m.
  • Swimmer: Moves quickly and gracefully in water.
  • Toxin (Contact): Anyone touching the creature must make an Average (8+) END check or suffer 1d6 damage and a DM-2 to all physical actions for 1d6 hours.
  • Venom (Paralytic): Anyone struck by the tail barb must make a Difficult (10+) END check or be paralyzed and unable to move for 2d6 minutes.

Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (4th Edition)

Mire-Mantis A bizarre, multi-limbed horror that lurks in the foetid swamps and river ruins of the deep south. Scholars who have seen sketches of the beast believe it to be a twisted creature of Chaos, a foul mockery of both insect and fish, though others claim it is merely a natural, if unsettling, predator.

Mire-Mantis Profile WS 45, BS -, S 40, T 45, I 40, Ag 45, Dex 35, Int 15, WP 35, Fel –

Traits:

  • Amphibious: Can breathe water and air.
  • Armour: 2 (Tough Hide)
  • Bite +7: S damage
  • Chameleonic Skin: The Mire-Mantis gains 4 SL on Stealth Tests to remain hidden in its native swamp or ruin environment. When hidden, opponents must pass a Difficult (–10) Perception Test to spot it.
  • Fear 1
  • Size: Medium
  • Tail Attack +7: S damage + Venom
  • Toxin: Any character touching the Mire-Mantis (such as with a Punch or Grapple) must make a Challenging (+0) Endurance Test or gain one Fatigued Condition.
  • Venom (Paralytic): A character struck by the Tail Attack must succeed on a Challenging (+0) Endurance Test or gain one Stunned Condition and one Prone Condition. The character cannot take any action to remove the Stunned Condition until a full round has passed.
  • Weapon +8: (Raptorial Claws) S+2 Damage