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Melesepia Dynastes 77

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by

Dale
in

The Melesepia Dynastes 77 is a monstrous amalgam, a product of Saṃsāra’s potent and unpredictable magic fusing several distinct life forms into a single, highly successful predator.

Original Life Forms — This creature is a magical fusion of four distinct animals:

  • Mammalia: Eurasian Badger (Meles meles)
  • Insecta: Rhinoceros Beetle (Dynastinae subfamily)
  • Amphibia: Poison Dart Frog (Dendrobatidae family)
  • Cephalopoda: Cuttlefish (Sepiida order)

Appearance

The creature has the low-slung, powerful body of a massive badger, covered in coarse, oily fur. Its back is protected by a thick, iridescent carapace of chitin, much like that of a rhinoceros beetle, which shimmers with metallic greens and purples. A large, formidable horn, also made of chitin, juts from its head just above its nose. From its upper jaw, flanking a mouth full of sharp teeth, sprout two long, prehensile tentacles reminiscent of a cuttlefish. Its skin, visible between the fur and armor plates, is leathery and capable of rapid, stunning color shifts, though it often defaults to the vibrant, warning blues and oranges of a poison dart frog. Its powerful, clawed feet are webbed, making it an adept swimmer and digger.

Details and Traits

  • Size: It stands about 2-3 feet (60-90 cm) tall at the shoulder and weighs between 80 and 150 pounds (36-68 kg).
  • Speed: It has a moderate running speed but is a relentless pursuer. It is also a remarkably fast digger, able to create burrows in packed earth with astonishing speed.
  • Stat Modifiers:
    • Strength: High (+3)
    • Dexterity: Average (+0)
    • Constitution: Very High (+4)
    • Intelligence: Low (-4)
    • Wisdom: Average (+1)
    • Charisma: Low (-3)
  • Skills: It has a keen sense of smell and vibration, giving it high Perception. Its ability to change colors grants it proficiency in Stealth. Its powerful build makes it a master of Athletics for digging and climbing.
  • Behavior: The Melesepia is a highly territorial and aggressive creature. It spends much of its time expanding its complex underground burrow system. It is a solitary ambush predator, using its camouflage to lie in wait before charging with its horn or lashing out with its tentacles. When threatened, it will first flash its bright warning colors while emitting a chittering hiss. If the threat persists, it can spray a cloud of thick, black, noxious ink from its mouth to disorient attackers before it fights or flees.
  • Diet: It is an aggressive omnivore. Its diet consists of anything it can overpower, including large insects, fish, small mammals, and unprepared Avatars, supplemented with roots, tubers, and fungi it excavates.
  • Emotions: Its emotional range is primal and limited to territorial aggression, hunger, and cunning fear. It does not form social bonds.
  • Environment Where Found: The Melesepia Dynastes 77 thrives in damp, temperate environments. It is most commonly found in the sprawling Fenlands and the dense, wet old-growth forests of nations like Maglemosian, where the soil is soft enough for its extensive burrowing.
  • Tags: Feral, Magical Beast, Amphibious, Armored, Poisonous Skin, Camouflage, Digger, Territorial, Solitary, Horned, Tentacled, Omnivore, Ink Spray, Ambush Predator, Chitinous Plating, Subterranean, Vibrant Display

Life Cycle

The life cycle of a Melesepia is a strange and solitary process, blending traits from its disparate genetic origins. It is a functionally asexual creature that undergoes a form of metamorphosis.

  1. Gestation Pod: The Melesepia does not lay eggs in a traditional sense. Once every several years, prompted by a combination of hormonal and environmental triggers, an adult will construct a “gestation pod” deep within its burrow. It mixes its own toxic skin secretions with mud, fungi, and regurgitated biomass to create a hardened, nutrient-rich sphere about the size of a cannonball.
  2. Larval Stage: A single, grub-like larva develops within the pod, feeding on the alchemical mixture. In this stage, it is a pale, soft-bodied creature resembling a massive beetle larva, but with two small, twitching tentacles near its mouth. It is blind, defenseless, and remains sealed within the pod for nearly a full year.
  3. Metamorphosis: After the larval stage, the pod hardens into a chrysalis. The creature inside undergoes a rapid and complete magical metamorphosis over the course of several weeks, developing its tough carapace, powerful limbs, horn, and internal organs. This is its most vulnerable period.
  4. Hatchling: The juvenile Melesepia hatches by shattering the chrysalis. It emerges as a fully-formed, albeit smaller, version of the adult. It is driven immediately by instinct to dig, hunt, and establish its own territory, receiving no care from its parent. They reach full size within two years and have a natural lifespan of 20 to 30 years.

Mating

The Melesepia Dynastes 77 is a solitary creature that does not seek out mates. Reproduction is an asexual, instinct-driven event. An adult is capable of creating a gestation pod without a partner, a process it will undertake only a few times in its long life. This reproductive strategy ensures the creature’s survival without requiring any social interaction, reinforcing its territorial and aggressive nature.

Tactics

The Melesepia is a cunning and brutal combatant, employing a variety of tactics to ambush prey and defend its territory.

  • Ambush and Charge: Its primary tactic is to use its chromatophore-laden skin to camouflage itself against rocks, mud, or undergrowth, often lying partially buried. When a target passes, it erupts from hiding in a powerful charge, aiming to gore the victim with its massive horn.
  • Ensnare and Weaken: It uses its two long, prehensile tentacles to grapple and constrict its prey. The suckers on the tentacles are lined with sharp barbs that deliver a mild paralytic venom, weakening a creature for the kill.
  • Disorient and Escape: When faced with a superior foe or multiple attackers, it will spray a cloud of thick, noxious ink from its mouth. This ink is a potent irritant that temporarily blinds and chokes its victims, creating a screen for the Melesepia to either press its attack or burrow into the earth to escape.
  • Subterranean Assault: It is a master of its environment and will use its burrowing ability to its advantage. It may collapse the ground beneath its enemies, create pitfalls, or launch surprise attacks by emerging from the earth from an unexpected direction.

Actions

In a combat scenario, a Melesepia Dynastes 77 can perform the following actions:

  • Multiattack: The Melesepia makes three attacks: one with its Horn and two with its Tentacles.
  • Horn: Melee Weapon Attack. A powerful thrust with its chitinous horn, designed to pierce armor.
  • Tentacle: Melee Weapon Attack. A lashing strike that deals damage. On a successful hit, the target is also grappled. A creature grappled by the tentacles is exposed to its Poisonous Skin at the start of each of its turns.
  • Ink Spray (Recharge 5-6): The Melesepia sprays a 15-foot cone of noxious black ink. All creatures in the area must make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failure, they are blinded for 1 minute. A creature can take an action to wipe the ink from its eyes to end the effect. The area is also considered heavily obscured.
  • Burrow: The Melesepia can burrow through 20 feet of soil and dirt, leaving a 5-foot diameter tunnel in its wake.

Other Interesting Information

  • Alchemical Value: The creature is highly prized by alchemists and artisans. Its horn can be fashioned into weapons that are as strong as steel, its carapace can be made into exceptional lightweight armor, and the glands that produce its skin toxin and ink can be harvested to create valuable poisons and blinding agents.
  • Lair Hoards: Much like its badger ancestors, the Melesepia has a tendency to drag shiny or interesting objects back to its lair. The burrows of older specimens often contain a haphazard collection of lost adventurer gear, coins, bones, and occasionally, dormant magical items.
  • Ecosystem Engineers: The extensive, labyrinthine burrows created by these creatures can dramatically alter the local landscape. Their tunnels can drain marshes, divert underground streams, and often break into forgotten caves or ancient ruins, creating unexpected hazards and opportunities for explorers.
  • Unique Vulnerability: A strange quirk from its cephalopod ancestry makes the Melesepia susceptible to a specific form of mesmerism. Complex, shifting patterns of light can capture its attention and overwhelm its simple predatory mind, potentially placating it or allowing skilled illusionists to bypass it without conflict.

Adventurers in the world of Saṃsāra would have numerous compelling reasons to either stumble upon or actively hunt the formidable Melesepia Dynastes 77. These encounters can range from simple extermination contracts to complex missions requiring more than just brute force. The following are several scenarios detailing why a party would seek out these feral creatures:

1. The Protective Extermination Contract

This is the most common reason for an encounter. A Melesepia is a powerful and highly disruptive creature.

  • The Scenario: A small village or a vital trade outpost on the edge of the Maglemosian Fenlands is being terrorized. A large Melesepia has established a territory nearby, its burrows making local roads treacherous. It has begun raiding livestock pens, attacking merchant carts, and may have even killed a local trapper who wandered too close to its lair. The village mayor or a guild representative, lacking the resources to deal with such a monstrous threat, posts a bounty for a party of capable Avatars to hunt down and eliminate the creature, ensuring the safety of the community.

2. The Artisan’s Requisition

The unique biological components of a Melesepia are highly valuable to skilled crafters and alchemists, making it a target for specialized hunting parties.

  • The Scenario: A master armorer in a major city has received a commission from a noble to craft a unique suit of lightweight ceremonial armor. To do this, they require the large, iridescent carapace from an adult Melesepia, prized for its durability and shimmering beauty. Simultaneously, a spymaster or an alchemist’s guild might offer a separate, handsome sum for a live sample of the creature’s skin glands to create potent paralytic poisons. The party would be hired as expert hunters, tasked with retrieving these specific, high-quality components from a dangerous beast.

3. The Unwitting Trespasser

Sometimes, adventurers find trouble they weren’t looking for. The creature’s burrowing habits make it a hidden threat in many environments.

  • The Scenario: The party is delving into a separate quest, perhaps seeking a lost ruin or an ancient artifact deep within the forest. They discover a series of wide, recently-dug tunnels that seem to lead directly into the substructure of the ruin they’re exploring. They soon realize that the ruin has become the central chamber of a Melesepia’s sprawling lair. Their original quest now has a major complication: they must navigate the territory of a highly aggressive, camouflaged beast to reach their goal.

4. The Recovery Mission

The Melesepia’s hoarding instinct, much like its badger ancestors, can create unique problems that only adventurers can solve.

  • The Scenario: An important diplomat or merchant was ambushed on the road. While the guards were fought off, the Melesepia was more interested in a large, shiny, locked chest than the people themselves. It has dragged the chest, containing vital political documents or a priceless heirloom, deep into its labyrinthine burrow. The quest is not simply to kill the beast, but to infiltrate its dangerous lair, locate the specific item amidst a hoard of bones and debris, and retrieve it without being cornered and killed.

5. The Scholar’s Pursuit of Knowledge

The magical and biological nature of the Melesepia makes it a subject of intense academic interest.

  • The Scenario: A researcher at a prestigious Maglemosian academy is studying magical life forms and believes the creature’s unique asexual reproduction holds the key to understanding how life adapts on Saṃsāra. They need a live, intact “gestation pod” for their research. The party is hired for a high-stakes, high-reward mission: infiltrate a Melesepia’s den, steal the pod without destroying it, and escape, all while dealing with the incredibly protective and enraged parent creature.

6. The Environmental Hazard

The creature’s actions can have unintended, large-scale consequences that threaten regional infrastructure.

  • The Scenario: The extensive burrowing of a Melesepia is causing the ground to become unstable beneath a critical bridge that connects a mining outpost to a major city. Sinkholes have started appearing, and engineers fear the entire structure could collapse. The party is hired to solve the problem by any means necessary, which likely involves clearing out the creature and finding a way to reinforce the ground before disaster strikes.

Beyond the more obvious and valuable components like the horn, carapace, and poison glands, a skilled harvester with the right knowledge can procure several other unique ingredients from the corpse of a Melesepia Dynastes 77. Each part has specialized uses in the high-magic economy of Saṃsāra.

1. Resonant Cuttlebone

  • What it is: Located along the creature’s spine is a large, porous, internal shell-like structure. It is surprisingly lightweight for its size and seems to absorb sound, humming with a faint, latent magical energy.
  • What it is used for: When carefully harvested and ground into a fine powder, the Resonant Cuttlebone is a primary reagent for potions and enchantments related to stealth. It is a key ingredient in high-potency Potions of Camouflage and the ink used to scribe Scrolls of Invisibility. A skilled artisan can also carve the entire cuttlebone into a Focus of Somatic Silence, a magical item that allows a spellcaster to perform the complex hand gestures of their spells with minimal, nearly imperceptible movements.

2. Alkahestic Blood

  • What it is: The creature’s blood is a volatile, alchemically potent catalyst that reacts strongly to magical energy. It is a deep, unsettling blue-black color and smells faintly of ozone and damp earth.
  • What it is used for: The blood is not a poison on its own but is used to create items with retributive properties. For example, when used in the quenching process of forging a shield or armor, it can imbue the item with the “Venomous Rebuke” enchantment, causing it to release a cloud of toxic vapor when struck with force. Paradoxically, its complex biological structure makes it the perfect base for powerful, broad-spectrum Antitoxins, as it provides the foundation for neutralizing many other poisons.

3. Adamantine-Laced Claws

  • What it is: The five claws on each of the creature’s powerful feet are not simple keratin. Through a lifetime of burrowing through rock and mineral-rich soil, they become infused with metallic particulates, making them incredibly dense and sharp, with a hardness approaching that of adamantine.
  • What it is used for: These claws are too brittle to be forged, but they can be expertly set by a master fletcher or weaponsmith. Their most common use is as the tips for masterwork armor-piercing arrows and crossbow bolts. A full set of twenty claws can also be incorporated into the design of a vicious Spiked Shield or a pair of devastating Gauntlet Weapons.

4. Iridescent Sinew

  • What it is: The fibrous tendons connecting the Melesepia’s powerful muscles to its chitinous plates are exceptionally strong and shimmer with the same metallic iridescence as the carapace. They are highly resistant to stretching or snapping.
  • What it is used for: The primary use for this sinew is as a bowstring for high-tension composite longbows, allowing for a greater draw weight and projectile velocity than nearly any other natural material. It is also a rare and sought-after component for the articulation of magical constructs, used to create the finger and limb joints of high-tier Golems where both immense strength and fine dexterity are required.

5. The Burrower’s Heart (Melesepia Bezoar)

  • What it is: This is the rarest and most valuable component, found in less than one in ten adult specimens. It is a geode-like stone, a magical bezoar that forms in the creature’s gizzard over many years. Externally, it looks like a smooth, heavy, black rock, but when cracked open, it reveals a hollow interior lined with shimmering, crystalline structures.
  • What it is used for: The Burrower’s Heart is a potent earth-aspected magical focus. Its main use is as the core component for enchanting powerful digging tools, such as a Spade of the Earth-Mover. When crushed and used as a ritual component, it can drastically reduce the time and energy required to cast powerful geomancy spells. If kept whole, it can also function as a powerful, single-use Bezoar of Invulnerability, which when swallowed, grants the user temporary immunity to all poisons and resistance to physical damage.

Lament of the Four-Souled Beast

And it is told by the old ones of the Fenlands, whose words are themselves echoes of their grandmothers’ words, that the Melesepia was not always a thing of rage. This telling is cracked, like an old pot, and some of the meaning may have leaked away through the ages.

In the time before the time of our fathers, there was a quiet grove, a place of green moss and still, black water. In this grove, where the wild magic ran close to the skin of the world, there lived four creatures.

There was the Old Badger, whose fur was silver with wisdom and whose burrow was the deepest in the fen. He knew the secrets of roots and the ways of the deep earth. There was the Horned Beetle, whose shell shone with the colors of a storm-cloud at sunset. He was proud, and his strength was the strength of the unbending oak. There was the Blue Frog, small of body but great of spirit. His skin was the color of a rare sky-flower, and he knew the secret of the water-that-burns, the poison of the skin. And in the still, black pond, there lived the Cuttlefish, who was shy and clever. She spoke not with a voice, but with the changing colors of her skin, a living tapestry of thought.

These four were not friends, for they were beasts and their ways were not the ways of people. Yet they lived in the grove in a kind of balance, a silent understanding. They were four notes in the slow song of that one place.

But the world of Saṃsāra is a world of flowing magic, and sometimes the river overflows its banks. And it came to pass that a great Mana Storm, a flood of raw and screaming power, swept down from the high mountains. The sky did not rain water, but color. The wind did not howl, but sang a mad song that twisted the shapes of the trees.

The four creatures of the grove, in their fear, were driven to the same place, a hollow beneath the roots of an ancient tree. The Badger, the Beetle, the Frog, and the Cuttlefish, they huddled together as the storm of pure creation broke over them.

And the magic, which had no mind, saw not four lives, but one pocket of life. It took them. It broke them. It unwove their forms as a careless child pulls apart a tapestry. Their shapes were un-made. Their thoughts were broken into shards. Their spirits were poured into a single vessel, a new body made of their sundered parts. The four were made one, but the one had the mind of none. The wisdom of the Badger became rage. The strength of the Beetle became aggression. The poison of the Frog became a mindless defense. The cleverness of the Cuttlefish became a low cunning. And thus the first Melesepia was born, a lament of four souls trapped in a prison of flesh and fury.

Now, there was a man named Jorn, a cutter of peat who lived at the edge of the fen. He knew the quiet grove and had seen the four creatures from a distance. After the Mana Storm passed, he went to see what had become of the place. The trees were twisted. The air was heavy and wrong.

From the dark of the old tree’s roots, the Melesepia came forth. Jorn saw it, and it was a thing of wrongness. It had the body of the Badger, but the shell of the Beetle. It had the terrible horn and the waving arms of a sea-thing. Its skin flashed with the colors of the poison Frog. He saw in its eyes no thought, only a terrible, unified hunger.

Jorn cried out and he ran. The beast, with a shriek that was a chorus of four broken voices, gave chase. It was faster than Jorn. Its heavy claws tore at the mud behind his heels. Jorn, in his terror, tripped and fell, and his satchel of tools and trinkets spilled onto the ground.

From the bag rolled a sun-stone, a crystal with many faces that Jorn had found. The last light of the day-star, weak and red, struck the crystal. And a dance of colors, a web of complex, shifting light, was thrown upon the mossy ground before the beast.

Behold, the beast’s fury was stilled. Its great horn ceased to threaten. Its many legs were rooted to the spot. Its head tilted, and the many eyes stared at the dancing, patterned light. A confusion fell upon it. The part that was Cuttlefish was mesmerized by the shifting colors. The part that was Badger screamed to charge. The part that was Beetle reared in a display of aggression. The part that was Frog urged it to hide. The four souls within were at war, their unified rage momentarily broken by a beautiful, patterned light.

This moment of indecision was all that Jorn needed. He scrambled to his feet and fled into the deepening shadows, leaving the confused beast staring at the fading light of the crystal. Jorn brought the story back to his people, a story of how a terrible new creature had come to be, and a story of the one strange thing that could soothe its feral heart.

The Moral of the Story: For even in the most fearsome monster, there is a shard of what it once was, and the key to its undoing is hidden within its own sundered soul.

Suggested conversions to other systems:

Dungeons & Dragons (5th Edition)

Fenland Amalgam Large monstrosity, unaligned

Armor Class 16 (natural armor) Hit Points 114 (12d10 + 48) Speed 30 ft., burrow 20 ft., swim 30 ft.

STR 17 (+3), DEX 10 (+0), CON 18 (+4), INT 3 (-4), WIS 12 (+1), CHA 7 (-2)

Skills Perception +4, Stealth +3 Damage Resistances poison Senses darkvision 60 ft., tremorsense 30 ft., passive Perception 14 Languages — Challenge 6 (2,300 XP)

Amphibious. The amalgam can breathe air and water.

Poisonous Skin. A creature that touches the amalgam or hits it with a melee attack while within 5 feet of it takes 5 (1d10) poison damage. A creature that is grappled by the amalgam takes this damage at the start of each of its turns.

Light Hypnosis (Weakness). If the amalgam sees a source of complex, shifting patterns of light (such as that created by the hypnotic pattern spell), it must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or be stunned until the end of its next turn as it stares blankly at the source. It has disadvantage on this saving throw.

Actions

Multiattack. The amalgam makes three attacks: one with its Horn and two with its Tentacles.

Horn. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 12 (2d8 + 3) piercing damage. If the amalgam moved at least 20 feet straight toward the target immediately before the hit, the target takes an extra 7 (2d6) piercing damage.

Tentacle. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) bludgeoning damage, and the target is grappled (escape DC 14). The amalgam has two tentacles, each of which can grapple one target.

Noxious Ink (Recharge 5–6). The amalgam sprays a cloud of black, choking ink in a 30-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, a creature takes 18 (4d8) poison damage and is blinded for 1 minute. On a successful save, the creature takes half as much damage and is not blinded. A blinded creature can take an action to wipe the ink from its eyes, ending the effect.

Call of Cthulhu (7th Edition)

Chthonic Amalgam of the Fens A burrowing horror of amalgamated flesh

Characteristics STR 80, CON 90, SIZ 85, DEX 50, INT 20, POW 60

HP: 17 Move: 8 / 10 swimming / 4 burrowing Av. Damage Bonus: +1d6 Build: 2 Armor: 4-point chitinous plates and tough, oily fur.

Attacks Fighting 50% (25/10), damage 1d3 + DB Gore (Horn) 60% (30/12), damage 1d8 + DB. On an Extreme success, the target is impaled and must win an opposed STR roll to escape. Grasping Tentacles (2) 40% (20/8), damage grapple. A grappled opponent is automatically constricted each round for 1d6 damage and exposed to its Poisonous Hide.

Skills: Dodge 30% (15/6), Stealth (in fens) 60% (30/12), Listen 50% (25/10).

Abilities Burrow: The amalgam can disappear into soft earth or mud as a full round action, making it impossible to target until it re-emerges. It may burst from the ground to surprise a target, granting it a bonus die on its first attack. Noxious Ink: Once per encounter, the amalgam can spray a cloud of choking ink affecting all targets in melee. All must succeed on a Hard CON roll or be overcome, suffering a penalty die to all actions for 1d4 rounds and being blinded until they can spend a round clearing their eyes. Poisonous Hide: Any investigator striking the amalgam with unarmed attacks or being grappled by its tentacles must make a CON roll or take 1d6 damage as poison seeps into their skin. Hypnotic Lights (Weakness): If confronted with a significant source of complex, shifting light patterns, the amalgam must make a POW roll. If it fails, it becomes motionless and stares, unable to act for 1d3 rounds.

Sanity Loss: 0/1d4 Sanity points for seeing the Chthonic Amalgam. 1/1d6 Sanity points for seeing it burst from the earth or being sprayed by its ink.

Blades in the Dark

The Bog-Hulk A Tier III Threat. A monstrous, territorial amalgam of chitin, fur, and grasping tentacles that haunts the sodden margins of the world. It burrows through the muck, creating lightless warrens where it drags its prey and hoards strange, glittering things.

Drives:

  • To defend its territory with savage fury.
  • To ambush and consume any living thing it can overpower.
  • To drag shiny, interesting objects back to its lightless lair.

Moves:

  • Gore with its great horn.
  • Ensnare a victim with grasping, poisonous tentacles.
  • Burst from the ground in a spray of mud and violence.
  • Vanish into the earth, leaving only a dark, gaping hole.
  • Spray a cloud of blinding, choking ink.
  • Reveal its vibrant, unsettling skin in a threat display.

Mechanics: A Bog-Hulk is a dangerous foe that likely requires a plan, not just a straight fight. A “Wreck” action might be needed to damage its Armored Carapace (perhaps a 4-tick clock to “Shatter Armor”). Getting close to it is perilous; being Grappled by its Tentacles or touching its Poisonous Hide inflicts level 2 Harm “Toxic Shock.”

Its weakness can be exploited. A clever “Sway” or “Attune” action using a strange light source (perhaps an ancient artifact or a spark-craft device) could create an opportunity, making the Bog-Hulk pause or become confused for a moment.

Knave (2nd Edition)

Horned Burrower HD 7 | Armor 16 | Morale 10 Attack Horn (d10 piercing) / 2 x Tentacles (d6 bludgeoning, grapple)

  • Burrow: The Horned Burrower can move through soil, sand, or mud at a speed of 15ft.
  • Camouflage: In its native fen or forest environment, it has advantage on all saves made to hide.
  • Poison Skin: Any character grappling the burrower or hitting it with an unarmed attack takes 1d6 poison damage. A character grappled by its tentacles takes this damage automatically at the start of their turn.
  • Noxious Ink: Once per combat, the burrower can spray a 15ft cone of ink. All targets in the cone must save vs. Poison or be blinded for 1d4 rounds.
  • Light Trance (Weakness): If presented with a source of complex, shifting light (e.g., a prism in sunlight, certain spells), the burrower must save vs. Spell. If it fails, it is stunned for 1 round as it stares at the light source.

Fate Core System

The Amalgam of Sorrow Grove

This creature is a significant threat, suitable as a scene’s primary antagonist.

High Concept: Monstrous Amalgam of Fury and Instinct

Trouble: Mesmerized by Dancing Lights

Other Aspects: My Hide is Armor, My Skin is Poison; Territorial Burrow-Dweller; Ambush Predator of the Fens

Skills

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

Stunts

  • Chitinous Carapace: The amalgam has Armor: 1 against physical attacks.
  • Grasping Tentacles: When it Succeeds with Style on a Fight attack, it can attach the Grappled situation aspect with a free invoke to the target instead of taking a boost.
  • Noxious Ink Spray: Once per scene, the amalgam can make a special Provoke attack against all other characters in its zone. If successful, it attaches the Blinded and Choking situation aspect to the zone with one free invoke.

Stress & Consequences

  • Stress: ◇◇◇ (3 Physical Stress boxes)
  • Consequences: One Mild Consequence slot.

Numenera & Cypher System

Phase-Fused Glaivehorn Level 6 (18)

A territorial, science-fantasy horror, the Glaivehorn is the result of a reality-warping event fusing multiple creatures into one aggressive predator.

  • Health: 24
  • Damage: Inflicts 6 points of damage.
  • Armor: 2
  • Movement: Moves a short distance per round. Can burrow a very short distance per round.
  • Modifications: Stealth as level 7 due to its natural camouflage. Perception as level 5.
  • Combat:
    • The Glaivehorn attacks with its large horn or entangling tentacles. If it moves a short distance before making a horn attack, the attack is level 7 and inflicts 8 points of damage.
    • Its tentacle attack can, instead of damage, hinder a target’s actions by one step on a successful hit.
    • Once every few rounds, it can spray a cloud of noxious ink at all targets within immediate range. This is a level 5 attack; targets who are hit are blinded, and all their actions are hindered for one round.
    • Poisonous Skin: Anyone touching the Glaivehorn (including striking it with a light weapon or being grappled) takes 3 points of ambient poison damage.
    • GM Intrusion (Weakness): The GM can intrude by introducing a source of complex, strobing lights. The Glaivehorn becomes mesmerized, and its level is treated as 2 for all defensive purposes for one round.
  • Interaction: The creature is feral and hostile. It communicates through aggressive hisses and vibrant threat displays on its skin.
  • Loot: Its corpse may yield a Glaive-Horn (medium piercing weapon), several Carapace Plates (can be crafted into armor with +1 Armor), and glands sufficient for two doses of a level 5 paralytic poison.

Pathfinder (2nd Edition)

Fenland Chitin-Terror Creature 6 N, Large, Amphibious, Beast

Perception +14; low-light vision, tremorsense (imprecise) 30 feet Skills Athletics +16, Intimidation +13, Stealth +13 Str +6, Dex +1, Con +4, Int -4, Wis +2, Cha -1

AC 24; Fort +16, Ref +11, Will +12 HP 105 Resistances poison 10 Weaknesses Light Hypnosis

  • Light Hypnosis The chitin-terror is fascinated by complex, shifting light patterns. When targeted by an illusion spell or effect with the visual trait, it takes a –2 circumstance penalty to its Will save. On a critical failure against such an effect, it is stunned 2.

Speed 25 feet, burrow 15 feet, swim 25 feet

Melee [one-action] Horn +17 (Deadly d10), Damage 2d10+8 piercing Melee [one-action] Tentacle +17 (Reach 10 feet), Damage 2d6+8 bludgeoning plus Grab Melee [one-action] Claw +17, Damage 2d8+8 slashing

Poisonous Hide (Aura, Poison) 5 feet. A creature that enters the aura or begins its turn there takes 2d6 poison damage (DC 22 basic Fortitude save). A creature that touches the chitin-terror (such as with an unarmed Strike) takes this damage automatically.

Noxious Ink [two-actions] (Poison) The chitin-terror sprays a cloud of ink in a 30-foot cone. Each creature in the cone must attempt a DC 24 Fortitude save.

  • Critical Success The creature is unaffected.
  • Success The creature is sickened 1.
  • Failure The creature is blinded for 1 round and sickened 2.
  • Critical Failure The creature is blinded for 1 minute and sickened 3.

Constrict [one-action] 1d8+6 bludgeoning, DC 24 basic Fortitude save. Requires a creature to be grabbed by a tentacle.

Savage Worlds Adventure Edition

Glaive-Horned Fen Horror A large, territorial amalgam with a tough, chitinous shell, a goring horn, and entangling tentacles.

Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4 (A), Spirit d8, Strength d10, Vigor d10 Skills: Athletics d8, Fighting d8, Notice d6, Stealth d8 Pace: 6; Burrow: 4; Swim: 6 Parry: 6 Toughness: 11 (4)

Special Abilities:

  • Armor +4: Hardened chitinous carapace.
  • Aquatic/Burrower: Can move at its full Pace while swimming. Can burrow through earth.
  • Camouflage: +2 to Stealth rolls in native fen and forest terrain.
  • Glaive-Horn: Str+d8, AP 2.
  • Poisonous Hide: Any character making a touch attack or grappled by the horror must make a Vigor roll or become Fatigued.
  • Reach 1”: Its tentacles give it an extended reach.
  • Size 2: The creature is large, increasing its Toughness by 2.
  • Tentacles: Str+d4. A raise on the Fighting roll Entangles the target.
  • Ink Spray: As an action, the horror can spray a Cone Template of noxious ink. Targets in the template must make an Agility roll or become Distracted and Vulnerable.
  • Weakness (Hypnotic Lights): If confronted with a significant source of complex, shifting light, the horror must make a Spirit roll or be Shaken and Stunned.

Shadowrun, Sixth World

Fenland Chimeran This paracritter is a terrifying example of magical emergence, a savage fusion of multiple creatures into a single, highly aggressive predator found in remote, magically active wetlands.

Attributes

  • Body: 7
  • Agility: 4
  • Reaction: 4
  • Strength: 6
  • Willpower: 4
  • Logic: 1
  • Intuition: 3
  • Charisma: 1
  • Magic: 4
  • Edge: 2

Derived Stats

  • Initiative: 7 + 2d6
  • Defense Rating: 8
  • Condition Monitor (P/S): 12 / 10
  • Armor: 10 (Natural Armor)

Skills: Unarmed Combat 4, Perception 3, Stealth 4, Running 2

Powers

  • Burrowing (2): The chimeran can move through soil or mud at a rate equal to half its normal speed.
  • Camouflage: When in its native fen or forest terrain, the chimeran gains 4 bonus dice on its Stealth tests.
  • Enhanced Senses: Olfactory, Tremor Sense.
  • Natural Weapon (Horn): DV (STR/2) + 2P, AP -2.
  • Natural Weapon (Tentacles): DV (STR/2)P. A successful attack also initiates a grapple.
  • Toxin (Ink Spray): As a ranged attack (Agility + Athletics), affects a cone area. Targets must resist 8S damage and the Disorientation status effect.
  • Venom (Contact): A contact vector with a Speed of 1 Combat Turn and a Power of 8. The effect is Paralysis.
  • Allergy (Complex Light Patterns, Severe): When exposed to significant, rapidly shifting light patterns (like strobes or certain illusion spells), the chimeran suffers a -4 dice pool penalty to all actions.

Starfinder Roleplaying Game

Vexian Glaive-Maw CR 6, XP 2,400 N Large magical beast

Init +2; Senses low-light vision, tremorsense 60 ft.; Perception +13

Defense

  • EAC 18; KAC 20
  • HP 95
  • Fort +10; Ref +10; Will +5
  • Defensive Abilities Poisonous Hide; Resistances poison 10

Offense

  • Speed 30 ft., burrow 20 ft., swim 30 ft.
  • Melee horn +16 (1d8+10 P) or tentacle +16 (1d6+10 B plus Grab)
  • Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft. (10 ft. with tentacle)
  • Offensive Abilities Noxious Ink

Statistics

  • Str +4, Dex +2, Con +5, Int -4, Wis +1, Cha -2
  • Skills Athletics +18, Stealth +13
  • Other Abilities camouflage

Special Abilities

  • Camouflage: In forests or fens, a Glaive-Maw gains a +4 bonus to Stealth checks.
  • Noxious Ink (Ex): Once every 1d4 rounds, a Glaive-Maw can spray a 30-foot cone of black ink. Creatures in the area take 4d6 poison damage and are blinded for 1 minute (DC 16 Reflex save for half damage and negates blindness).
  • Poisonous Hide (Ex): A creature that strikes the Glaive-Maw with a natural weapon or unarmed strike takes 1d8 poison damage (DC 16 Fortitude save negates).
  • Light Daze (Weakness): A creature can perform a trick attack against the Glaive-Maw using a light-producing item. If successful, instead of the normal effects of the trick, the Glaive-Maw is dazed for 1 round.

Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, 4th Edition

Mire-Fiend A hulking, multi-limbed beast of the deep fens, born of twisted magic. Its chitinous hide deflects blades, its horn impales knights, and its tentacles drag victims into the muck.

Mire-Fiend Profile

| WS | BS | S | T | I | Ag | Dex | Int | Fel | WP |

| 55 | – | 50 | 60 | 35 | 30 | 25 | 10 | – | 40 |

Traits: Armour (3), Amphibious, Burrow (6), Camouflaged (Woods & Marshes), Fear (1), Horn (Impale), Poison (Contact, Mild), Size (Large), Tentacles (2, Entangle), Weapon (Horn) +9, Weakness (Flickering Lights)

  • Ink Spray: As a Full Action, the Mire-Fiend can make a Ranged attack with a range of 4 yards, targeting a cone-shaped area. Any targets hit must make a Challenging (+0) Agility Test or gain 1d10 Blinded Conditions.
  • Weakness (Flickering Lights): If confronted with complex, shifting light patterns, the Mire-Fiend must pass a Difficult (–10) Willpower Test or gain the Stunned Condition for 1 round as it stares blankly at the source.

Traveller, Mongoose 2nd Edition

Maglemosian Ground-Squid A large, territorial predator from a high-magic world, this creature is a bizarre amalgam of mammal, insect, and cephalopod. It is known for its tough hide, aggressive nature, and its ability to burrow through the earth.

UPP: 8A9434 Hits: 20 Speed: 12m (4m burrowing, 12m swimming) Skills: Athletics (digging) 1, Recon 1, Stealth 1 Attacks:

  • Goring Horn – 8; 2d6+2
  • Claws – 8; 1d6+2
  • Tentacles – 8; Grapple

Traits:

  • Armor: Chitinous Carapace (Armor 4).
  • Amphibious: Breathes air and water.
  • Burrower: Can move 4m per round through soft earth.
  • Camouflage: Gains DM+2 to Stealth checks in fen or forest terrain.
  • Poison Skin: A contact poison. If touched or grappling, target must make an END 8+ check or take 1d6 damage for 1d6 rounds.
  • Ink Spray: Once per encounter, can spray a 5m cone. Anyone in the cone must make an Average (8+) DEX check to Dodge or be blinded for 1d6 rounds.
  • Weakness (Strobe Effect): A confusing, strobing light source forces an Average (8+) END check. Failure renders the creature inactive for one round as it stares at the light. Behavior: Territorial Predator, Solitary.