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Myriapoda Octopus 914

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by

Dale
in

This feral life form is a chimeric fusion of four distinct classes within the Animalia Kingdom:

  • Cephalopoda (Mollusks): Represented by the Giant Pacific Octopus.
  • Arachnida (Arachnids): Represented by the Goliath Birdeater Spider.
  • Reptilia (Reptiles): Represented by the King Cobra.
  • Amphibia (Amphibians): Represented by the African Bullfrog.

Appearance

The Myriapoda-Octopus 914 is a horrifying sight of wet, pulsating muscle and chitin. It possesses the bloated, powerful body of a bullfrog, but instead of traditional legs, it sprouts eight long, spider-like limbs covered in fine, venomous hairs. Its skin is a shifting, camouflaging membrane capable of mimicking both stone and steam-pipe textures. Its head features the hooded neck and forward-facing fangs of a cobra, but with a centralized, parrot-like beak and golden octopus eyes that can perceive magic flow.

Size and Speed

  • Size: 6 feet tall at the shoulder; 12-foot limb span; weighs 450 lbs.
  • Speed: 30 mph (Land), 40 mph (Burst Jump), 50 mph (Swimming).

Stat Modifiers

  • Strength: +3 (Crushing beak and powerful jumping muscles)
  • Dexterity: +5 (Multi-limbed climbing and camouflaged stealth)
  • Constitution: +2 (Resilient amphibian skin and high pain tolerance)
  • Intelligence: -2 (Primal, cunning hunter)
  • Wisdom: +4 (Heightened awareness of vibrations and heat)
  • Charisma: -5 (Repulsive to all sentient life)

Skills

  • Active Camouflage: Can become virtually invisible in any environment, including industrial skyscraper districts.
  • Venomous Leap: Can propel itself 30 feet in any direction to deliver a bite that causes necrotic tissue damage.
  • Suction-Grip: The spider-limbs end in cephalopod-like suckers, allowing it to walk on glass ceilings or wet steam-pipes.
  • Pressure-Wave Detection: Senses movement through air or water with 100% accuracy within 40 feet.

Behavior

The 914 is an ambush predator that prefers to haunt the rafters of megacity skyscrapers and the underside of floating city docks. It is highly intelligent for a feral creature, often cutting magic circuits or steam lines to lure technicians into its hunting ground. It is solitary and fiercely guards its “hoard” of shiny metal scraps and magic crystals.

Diet

Carnivorous: It feeds primarily on smaller monsters and domestic griffons. It has a particular taste for the marrow of avatars, which it extracts using its beak after paralyzing them with cobra-derived venom.

Emotions

Driven by Malicious Cunning and Envy. It seems to take a dark satisfaction in hoarding items it cannot use, such as mechanical gears or rhodium coins, simply to prevent others from having them.

Environment

Found in Metropolis Megacities, specifically in the high-altitude rafters, ventilation shafts, and the “dark zones” between skyscraper clusters. They also frequent the under-structures of floating cities.

Tags

feral, chimera, tier 2, climber, ambush-predator, venomous, camouflage, solitary, urban-terror, hopper, mimicry, sticky, tongue-lash, hopper, multi-limbed, camouflage, ambush, venomous, cephalopod-hybrid, urban-stalker

Life Cycle and Development of the Myriapoda-Octopus 914

The existence of a 914 is defined by extreme environmental adaptation and a lifecycle that bridges the gap between aquatic and high-altitude urban settings.

  • The Gelatinous Clutch (Egg Phase): Females lay thousands of small, sticky eggs inside discarded steam pipes or ventilation ducts. These eggs are encased in a camouflaging mucus that mimics the texture of rusted iron.
  • The Hatchling Swarm: Upon hatching, the young possess fully functional active camouflage and miniature suction-grips. They immediately move to the outer skin of skyscrapers, feeding on smaller vermin and high-magic insects.
  • The Great Molt: As they grow, they must shed their skin four times. During a molt, their camouflage fails, leaving them vulnerable. They often hide deep within the internal machinery of a building, causing mechanical jams.
  • Adulthood: Reaching maturity in three years, the 914 claims a specific vertical territory (often a ten-story radius) and begins its life of ambush and hoarding.

Mating and Mimicry

Mating is a complex game of sensory deception and risk, involving the creature’s unique ability to shift its appearance.

  • Color-Shift Courtship: Males attract females by rippling their skin in high-frequency patterns of blue and gold magic light. If a female is not impressed, she mimics the appearance of a predator to drive the male away.
  • The Silent Hand-Off: Because they are solitary and aggressive, mating occurs without physical combat. The male deposits a packet of genetic material onto a “neutral” pipe, which the female later retrieves.
  • Territorial Sharing: For a brief period after mating, a pair may share a skyscraper’s ventilation network, working together to pull down larger prey, such as a traveling merchant’s griffon.

Combat Tactics and Maneuvers

The Myriapoda-Octopus 914 uses the architecture of Saṃsāra as its primary weapon, turning safe passages into death traps.

  • The Ceiling Lunge: It clings to the ceiling using its suction-grips, waiting for an avatar to pass beneath. It then drops its full 450 lbs, leading with its parrot-like beak to crush armor and bone instantly.
  • Circuit Sabotage: Known as the “Smart-Hunter” tactic, the 914 will purposely damage a magic circuit to cause a blackout. It uses the darkness and its pressure-wave detection to pick off confused party members one by one.
  • Tongue-Lash Reel: While it has fangs, it also possesses a long, prehensile tongue. It can snag a smaller target (or a valuable piece of gear) from up to 15 feet away and pull it toward its beak.

Actions in Combat

  • Invisibility Strike: The creature attacks from a state of total camouflage. The target must succeed on a high-difficulty Wisdom or Perception check to avoid being caught by a Surprise Attack.
  • Venomous Needle Spray: The 914 can flick the venomous hairs from its spider-limbs. This creates a small cloud of irritants that causes blindness and persistent itching, lowering an avatar’s accuracy.
  • Multi-Limbed Grapple: It uses four limbs to hold onto the environment and the other four to restrain a target. Escaping this grip requires a significant Strength contest against the creature’s suction power.

Other Interesting Information

  • Hoarding Instinct: Unlike most feral beasts, the 914 collects mechanical gears and magic crystals. It does not use them but seems to enjoy the “vibration” of the magic storage, creating “nests” that hum with stolen energy.
  • Steam Immunity: Their skin is highly resistant to heat, allowing them to live directly against active steam pipes. This makes them nearly impossible to flush out using standard industrial heat-venting.
  • Trade Saboteurs: Merchants on floating cities often hire Tier 1 and Tier 2 avatars specifically to clear 914s from the docks, as the creatures frequently “snatch” cargo crates off ships using their tentacles.

In the high-magic world of Saṃsāra, a party of adventurers rarely seeks out a Myriapoda-Octopus 914 for sport. Instead, these encounters are usually driven by the need to secure vital industrial resources, protect city infrastructure, or fulfill high-stakes mercantile contracts.

Why Adventurers Search for the 914

  • High-Value Harvesting: The camouflage membrane and venomous hairs are prized by master crafters. The skin is used to create cloaking gear for Tier 2 scouts, while the venom is distilled into potent paralytic agents for specialized ammunition.
  • Urban Infrastructure Protection: Because they nest in ventilation shafts and “dark zones,” they often cause mechanical jams in skyscraper elevators or steam-lines. Adventurers are frequently hired as “Exterminators” to clear these nests and prevent costly city-wide blackouts.
  • Bounty Hunting: Merchant guilds on floating cities often place high Rhodium-tier bounties on these “Docks-Snatchers.” A single 914 can disrupt trade routes by stealing cargo crates directly off ships using its powerful suction-grips.
  • Rare Component Retrieval: The creature’s instinct to hoard mechanical gears and magic crystals makes their nests accidental treasure troves. An adventuring party might spend weeks tracking one just to recover a stolen high-tier storage crystal or a prototype engine part.

Essential Gear for the Hunt

To successfully hunt a creature that can become invisible and walk on ceilings, your party will need more than just standard steel. Ultraviolet lighting is essential for breaking through their active camouflage, and heavy-duty shears are required to harvest their reinforced fibers.

For navigating the tight, dark shafts where these creatures hide, the Fenix PD36R Pro Rechargeable Flashlight provides a powerful 2800-lumen beam that can cut through thick industrial haze. Its long-range throw allows scouts to spot the glint of the creature’s golden eyes from a safe distance before it lunges.

If the party needs to harvest the leathery, spider-like limbs or the thick venomous hairs, the Wiss W7T Heavy Duty Titanium Coated Scissors are a reliable choice. The titanium coating prevents the blades from dulling against the abrasive, sand-like texture of the creature’s skin, making it easier to secure clean samples of the camouflage membrane.

When a Myriapoda-Octopus 914 is defeated in the skyscraper wilds of Saṃsāra, its chimeric anatomy provides a wealth of rare alchemical and industrial materials. Because it merges the traits of cephalopods, arachnids, reptiles, and amphibians, the harvesting process is complex and highly rewarding.

Harvestable Materials and Their Uses

  • Active Camouflage Membrane: The most prized harvest. This skin can be processed by Tier 2 leatherworkers to create cloaking cloaks or stealth-tech wraps. It retains its color-shifting properties for a limited time after the creature’s death if kept in a magic-storage solution.
  • Venomous Urticating Hairs: The fine hairs from the spider-like limbs are harvested and bundled. They are used in alchemical traps or as an irritant coating for blowgun darts, causing intense itching and distraction to enemy avatars.
  • Cobra-Hybrid Fangs and Venom: The hollow fangs are removed to be used as armor-piercing arrowheads. The venom itself is a potent neurotoxin, often distilled into paralytic oils used by urban bounty hunters to capture targets alive.
  • Suction-Grip Pads: These pads are carefully cut from the tips of the tentacles. When treated with steam-heated resins, they can be fashioned into climbing gloves and boots that allow avatars to scale the exterior glass of skyscrapers even during heavy rain or magic ebbs.
  • Golden Cephalopod Eyes: These eyes perceive the magic flow. Once preserved, they are used by lenses-smiths to create Mind’s Eye goggles, allowing the wearer to see active magic circuits and hidden traps through walls.
  • Hoarded Scrap and Crystals: While not part of the body, the creature’s stomach often contains undigested magic storage crystals or small mechanical gears it has swallowed, serving as a secondary “loot” source.

Essential Gear for Harvesting and Protection

To extract these materials without damaging their magical integrity, you need tools that can handle both wet, rubbery membranes and hard, chitinous hairs.

The Wiss W7T Heavy Duty Titanium Coated Scissors are the ideal choice for this task. The titanium-coated blades stay sharp even when cutting through the abrasive, hair-covered limbs. Their heavy-duty design provides the leverage needed to cleanly slice through the leathery camouflage membrane.

For securing the area and finding every scrap of hoarded gear in a dark ventilation shaft, the Fenix PD36R Pro Rechargeable Flashlight is a must-have. Its 2800-lumen output reveals the creature’s hidden nests, and its durable, water-resistant build makes it perfect for the damp, industrial environments where the 914 dwells.

Wet-Clinger and Eight-Fold Deception

In the elder-times, when the skyscrapers were but young sprouts of metal and the floating cities did not yet drift, there was a great “Silence-That-Was-Not-Quiet.” In this silence dwelt the Myriapoda-Octopus 914, a creature of the “Four-Faces-of-the-Wild.” It possessed the skin of the shifting-cloud, the leap of the great-bull, and the many-grasping-arms of the ocean-dweller.

The ancient carvings, found deep within the ventilation-wells of the first megacities, speak of a merchant-lord named “He-Who-Counts-the-Gears.” This lord did possess a “Great-Box-of-Storage” which held the most precious rhodium and magic crystals of the 73 islands. He did believe his high-vault was safe, for it was guarded by the “Strong-Locks-of-Steam.”

However, the 914 did not use the door. It did mimic the very rust upon the pipes and the shadow of the rafters. It did use its “Suction-of-the-Grip” to walk where the air is thin and the glass is smooth. While the guards did watch the floor, the creature did drop from the ceiling, its eight limbs moving like the “Hair-of-the-Spider.” It did snatch the gears and the crystals, not to spend them, but to keep them in its “Nest-of-Envy.”

When the merchant-lord did find his vault empty, he did hire the “Seers-of-the-Flow.” They did bring the “Lanterns-of-the-Truth-Light” to pierce the camouflage of the beast. They did find the creature in the high-altitudes, surrounded by stolen metal that hummed with a “Stolen-Song.” The seekers did try to strike, but the 914 did leap with the “Strength-of-the-Frog,” vanishing into the steam-pipes before the blow did land.

The chronicles tell us that the merchant-lord did never recover his gears, for the 914 is the “Keeper-of-the-Hoard-That-Serves-No-One.” It is said that even now, in the dark zones between the skyscraper clusters, one can hear the “Humming-of-the-Stolen-Crystals” where the 914 hides.

Moral of the Story: The eye that watches the gate is blind to the shadow on the ceiling; for he who hoards for himself alone is a beast, but he who loses to the beast is a fool who did not check the pipes.

Suggested conversions to other systems:

Call of Cthulhu (7th Edition)

Unique Name: The Multi-Limbed Mimic (Myriapoda-Octopus 914)

Characteristics:

  • STR: 80
  • CON: 65
  • SIZ: 90
  • DEX: 95
  • INT: 45
  • POW: 50
  • HP: 15
  • Build: 2
  • Move: 8 / 10 Swimming / 12 Leaping
  • Armor: 2-point Rubbery Hide (half damage from blunt impact)

Attacks:

  • Fighting: 50% (25/10), damage 1D6 + 1D6 (Build).
  • Ceiling Lunge (Maneuver): 60%, the target is pinned and must pass an Opposed STR roll or be bit by the beak (1D10 + 1D6).
  • Venomous Hairs: Anyone striking the 914 in melee must pass a DEX roll or suffer 1D3 damage and a penalty die to attacks due to intense itching for 1D4 rounds.

Sanity Loss: 1/1D8 Sanity points to see the 914 break its camouflage.

Blades in the Dark

Unique Name: The Rafter Lurker

Tier: 2 (Large Feral) Quality: 3 (Stealth/Camouflage)

Traits:

  • Perfect Mimicry: The 914 is invisible until it moves or strikes. Taking a Survey action to find it is Risky or Desperate.
  • Vertical Superiority: It always has the High Ground in urban skyscraper environments.
  • Sticky: It can climb any surface, including glass and wet copper.

Consequences & Maneuvers:

  • Ambush Snatch: (Complication) The creature grabs a piece of your gear or a teammate with its tongue and pulls them toward the ceiling. Resist with Prowess.
  • Venomous Itch: (Harm) The hairs cause your vision to blur. Level 2 Harm: “Distracted/Blinded.”

Dungeons & Dragons (5th Edition)

Unique Name: Skyscraper Octo-Toad

Large Monstrosity, Unaligned

  • Armor Class: 15 (Natural Armor)
  • Hit Points: 95 (10d10 + 40)
  • Speed: 30 ft., climb 30 ft., swim 40 ft.

Abilities:

  • STR: 16 (+3)
  • DEX: 20 (+5)
  • CON: 14 (+2)
  • INT: 6 (-2)
  • WIS: 18 (+4)
  • CHA: 3 (-4)

Features:

  • False Appearance: While the creature remains motionless, it is indistinguishable from its surroundings (pipes, stone, metal).
  • Standing Leap: The creature’s long jump is up to 30 feet and its high jump is up to 15 feet, with or without a running start.
  • Amphibious: The creature can breathe air and water.

Actions:

  • Multiattack: The creature makes one Tongue-Lash attack and one Beak attack.
  • Tongue-Lash: Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (2d6 + 3) bludgeoning damage. If the target is Medium or smaller, it is grappled (escape DC 14) and pulled up to 10 feet toward the 914.
  • Beak: Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one grappled target. Hit: 16 (3d8 + 3) piercing damage plus 7 (2d6) poison damage.

Knave (2nd Edition)

Unique Name: Ceiling-Cobra Octopus

Level: 5 (HD: 5d8, HP: 22) Armor: 14 (Camouflaged Hide) Move: 30 ft., Jump 30 ft. Morale: 9

Attacks:

  • Bite: 1 attack (1d10 damage). Target must save vs. CON or be paralyzed for 1d4 rounds.
  • Spider-Limbs: 2 attacks (1d6 damage). On a hit, the target’s armor/gear is covered in sticky mucus (-1 to next defense roll).

Special Properties:

  • Ambush: If the 914 is camouflaged, it gains a +4 bonus to its first attack roll and deals double damage.
  • Hoarder: If the party flees, the 914 will spend its next turn stealing one visible piece of gear rather than pursuing.

Fate Core / Condensed

Unique Name: Myriapoda-Octopus 914

Item Type: Adversary (Expert Stalker) Lore: A master of urban concealment, this creature uses the verticality of Saṃsāra’s skyscrapers to pick off the unwary.

Game Mechanics:

  • Aspects: Apex Ambush Predator, Active Camouflage Membrane, Suction-Grip Rafter-Lurker, Hoarder of Stolen Gears.
  • Skills: Great (+4) Stealth, Good (+3) Athletics, Good (+3) Fight, Fair (+2) Notice, Fair (+2) Physique.
  • Stunt (Passive): Unseen Hunter. The 914 gains a +2 to Stealth rolls when it remains motionless against industrial surfaces like pipes or stone.
  • Stunt (Active): Ceiling Snatch. When attacking from concealment on a ceiling, the 914 can use Stealth instead of Fight for its first attack. If successful, the target is Pulled Upward (Situation Aspect).
  • Stress: Physical [ ] [ ] [ ] / Mental [ ] [ ]

Numenera & Cypher System

Unique Name: Rafter-Mimic Cephalopod

Level: 5 (15) Lore: This creature has developed a biological form of active camouflage that mirrors the complex textures of ancient machinery.

Game Mechanics:

  • Armor: 2
  • Combat: The creature attacks once with its tongue (Reach) to pull a target in, then follows with a beak bite that deals 6 points of damage and requires a Might defense roll to avoid 2 points of Speed damage (poison).
  • Active Camouflage: Any task to detect the creature while it is hiding is hindered by two steps.
  • Maneuver: Urticating Hair Cloud. As an action, the creature can flick venomous hairs. Everyone within immediate range must make a Speed defense roll or be dazed (all tasks hindered by one step) for one minute.
  • Loot: The creature’s membrane can be salvaged for a cypher that provides limited invisibility (Level 5).

Pathfinder (2nd Edition)

Unique Name: Myriapoda-Octopus 914

Creature 6 / N / Large / Beast / Amphibious

  • Perception: +14; Low-Light Vision, Pressure-Wave Sense 40 ft.
  • Skills: Stealth +17 (+19 in industrial terrain), Athletics +14, Acrobatics +15.
  • Str: +3, Dex: +5, Con: +2, Int: -2, Wis: +4, Cha: -5.

AC: 24; Fort: +12, Ref: +17, Will: +14. HP: 95.

Speed: 30 feet, climb 30 feet, swim 40 feet. Melee [one-action]: Beak +17, Damage: 2d8+7 piercing plus 1d6 poison and Grab. Melee [one-action]: Tongue +17 (Reach 15 ft.), Damage: 2d6+7 bludgeoning plus Pull (10 feet). Vanish [one-action]: (Requirement: The 914 is in an area of cover or dim light). The creature uses its camouflage to become Hidden even if it is currently observed.

Savage Worlds (Adventure Edition)

Unique Name: Skyscraper Octo-Toad

Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d6, Spirit d8, Strength d8, Vigor d8. Skills: Athletics d10, Fighting d8, Notice d10, Stealth d12. Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 8 (2).

Special Abilities:

  • Armor +2: Rubbery, camouflaged skin.
  • Bite/Beak: Str+d6, AP 2.
  • Tongue Lash: The 914 can grapple targets at a Range of 3″.
  • Wall Walker: Suction-grips allow it to move on any surface at full Pace.
  • Leaper: Can jump 4″ (8 yards) as part of its movement and gains +2 to damage when leaping into an attack.
  • Camouflage: Attacks against a stationary 914 suffer a -4 penalty unless the attacker has specialized sensors.

Stat Block Summary: A high-agility predator that utilizes ambush and vertical movement to isolate and paralyze Tier 1 and Tier 2 avatars.

Shadowrun (6th Edition)

Unique Name: Cephalo-Arachnid Lurker (Myriapoda-Octopus 914)

Attributes:

  • BOD: 6
  • AGI: 8
  • REA: 7
  • STR: 5
  • WIL: 4
  • LOG: 2
  • INT: 6
  • CHA: 1
  • ESS: 6
  • EDG: 2

Derived Stats:

  • Initiative: 13 + 2D6
  • Defense Rating: 10
  • Condition Monitor (P/S): 11 / 10
  • Armor: 2

Skills:

  • Athletics 7 (Leaping +2), Close Combat 6, Exotic Weapon: Tongue 7, Perception 6, Stealth 8 (Camouflage +2).

Powers & Traits:

  • Adaptive Camouflage: Provides a +3 dice pool bonus to Stealth tests. If stationary, enemies suffer a -4 penalty to Perception tests to spot the creature.
  • Wall-Crawl: Can move on vertical or overhead surfaces (even glass) at standard Pace.
  • Natural Weapon (Beak/Fangs): DV 3P, Attack Rating 10/—/—/—/—. On a successful hit, the target must resist a Paralytic Venom (Power 6, Speed: 1 Combat Round).
  • Prehensile Tongue: Can initiate a Grapple at a range of 5 meters.

Starfinder (2nd Edition / Playtest)

Unique Name: Industrial Rafter-Hunter (Myriapoda-Octopus 914)

Creature 6 / N / Large / Animal / Amphibious

  • Perception: +15; Darkvision, Pressure-Wave Sense 40 ft., Scent (30 ft.).
  • Skills: Stealth +18, Athletics +13, Acrobatics +15.
  • Str: +3, Dex: +5, Con: +2, Int: -2, Wis: +4, Cha: -5.

Defense:

  • AC: 24; Fort: +12, Ref: +17, Will: +14.
  • HP: 90.
  • Weaknesses: Electricity 5 (disrupts camouflage).

Offense:

  • Speed: 30 ft., Climb 30 ft., Swim 40 ft.
  • Melee [one-action]: Beak +17, Damage: 2d8+7 piercing plus Grab.
  • Melee [one-action]: Tongue +17 (Reach 15 ft.), Damage: 2d6+7 bludgeoning plus Pull (10 feet).
  • Leap [one-action]: The 914 jumps up to 30 feet horizontally or 15 feet vertically. This movement does not provoke reactions.
  • Active Camouflage [reaction]: Trigger: An enemy misses the 914 with an attack. Effect: The 914 immediately takes a Hide action.

Traveller (Mongoose 2nd Edition)

Unique Name: Mimetic Scraper-Crawl (Myriapoda-Octopus 914)

Characteristics:

  • STR: 9 (+1)
  • DEX: 14 (+2)
  • END: 8 (0)
  • INT: 2 (-2)
  • INS: 12 (+2)
  • PAC: 2 (-2)

Stats:

  • Armor: 2 (Rubbery Hide)
  • Health: 30
  • Movement: 10m (Land/Climb), 15m (Swim)

Skills:

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

Attacks:

  • Beak (Melee): Damage 2D+2.
  • Tongue (Melee): Damage 1D, Range 5m. Grapples target on a hit.

Traits:

  • Camouflage: Stealth checks are made with a +2 DM.
  • Amphibious: Operates without penalty in water.
  • Urticating Hairs: Any creature in base-to-base contact must succeed at an END check (10+) each round or suffer a -1 DM to all actions due to irritation.

Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (4th Edition)

Unique Name: The Rafter-Witch Beast (Myriapoda-Octopus 914)

Characteristics:

  • WS: 45
  • BS: 35 (Tongue)
  • S: 45
  • T: 40
  • I: 55
  • Agi: 60
  • Dex: 30
  • Int: 15
  • WP: 40
  • Fel: 05

Derived Stats:

  • Wounds: 18
  • Movement: 5 (8 Swim)
  • Armor: 1

Traits:

  • Amphibious: Breathe air and water.
  • Chameleon: Gains the Stealthy Talent (3) and is invisible while stationary in shadows.
  • Grappler (Tongue): Can use its tongue to pull targets within 4 yards into base contact.
  • Venom (Hard): Bite causes the Paralyzed Condition if a Toughness Test is failed.
  • Wall-Crawl: Can move freely on any solid surface, ignoring verticality.
  • Weapon (Beak): +SB+4 damage.