Wednesday, January 4, 2012

"A" is for "Armigo"

Armigo  ("Harmy Ant")

No. Enc.:  2d8 (1d8x10)
Alignment:  See below
Movement:  120' (40')
  —Burrow:  18' (6')
Armor Class:  6
Hit Dice:  6
Attacks:  5 or 1 or 2 (4 claws, 1 bite, or 1 sting, or 2 weapons)
Damage:  1d4 / 1d4 / 1d4 / 1d4 / 1d10, or 1d8 + poison, or by 2 weapons
Save:  L6
Morale:  11
Hoard Class:  See Below
XP:  570

Armigos are 5' tall, spiky, chitinous insectoids that strike terror into the hearts of all denizens of the Mutant Future.  Based on the tales of those few fortunate souls who survived encounters with the dread beings, an insidious pattern emerges.

When Armigos first appear in a region, they are little more than brutes.  They mindlessly run roughshod over the landscape and strip it of vegetation and wild game, stinging (and injecting a Class 4 Poison) indiscriminately all the while.  They show no interest in material goods [meaning a Hoard Class of None].  They then vanish for a 2d4 weeks...

...but upon reappearing, Armigos evince the rudiments of culture.  They construct thatch/mud domiciles, fashion primitive tools, and adorn their bodies with ornaments [gaining Hoard Class V].  At this point, they actively hunt larger prey, including humanoids and other sentients....

And then they vanish again for another 2d4 weeks.

At the end of this duration, and always at the most inopportune time, the Armigos appear again...armed to the mandibles with Ancient weaponry and artifacts [Hoard Classes XV and XVIII], and the wherewithal to use them.  They make bombastic, imperious demands of all settlements in a region, and overrun any all who dare oppose them.  The militant insects add the residents to their ranks, and march their slave-armies to conquer other communities.

At the end of 1d6 months (and usually after all their press-ganged minions have perished from exhaustion, starvation, battle, or being eaten by their masters), the remaining Armigos vanish...

...and the cycle begins anew.

Mutations:  Toxic Weapon (Venom)


Tuesday, January 3, 2012

"C" is for "Churl"

Churl

No. Enc.:  2d6 (4d6)
Alignment:  Chaotic
Movement:  135' (45')
Armor Class:  6
Hit Dice:  1+1
Attacks:  3 or 1 (2 claws, 1 bite, or by weapon)
Damage:  1d2 / 1d2 / 1d3, or by weapon
Save:  L1
Morale:  8
Hoard Class:  VI, VIII
XP:  33

Churls are 1.5' long, fuzzy rodents with nimble claws adept at manipulating locks, tools, and artifacts.  A lone churl can wield small weapons like a knife or grenade (rolling it, instead of throwing), but groups of 3 or more can operate larger gadgets.  They crave Ancient foodstuffs, so never nest far from ruins or bunkers.

Consumate bullies and cruel beyond measure, churls relish in terrorizing and enslaving isolated communities.  And they use their Precognition to particularly insidious effect, in that they modify and customize their abuses based on the "forseen reactions" of their victims.

The more dastardly their intent and the more demented their scheming, the brighter their eyes glow.

Mutations:  Control Light Waves, Mind Thrust, Precognition

Thursday, December 29, 2011

"G" is for "Gruboceros"

Gruboceros

No. Enc.:  0 (1d12)
Alignment:  Neutral
Movement:  120' (40') 
Armor Class:  7
Hit Dice:  7
Attacks:  1 (head-butt or trample)
Damage:  2d4 or 2d10
Save:  L4
Morale:  6
Hoard Class:  None
XP:  790

Gruboceros (both singular and plural) are massive, fleshy, 20' long insects with thick, undulating bodies that reach 6'-7' off the ground.  They wander savannahs and plains, lazily grazing on grasses and tubers.

Though usually docile, gruboceros herds Charge and/or Trample when threatened....and stampede when panicked.  The creatures can also secrete an odious Class 11 paralytic fluid.  [While the game effects are the same, it isn't so much Paralysis proper as it is "predators spend 2d6 rounds hacking, spitting, and scraping their tongues to get the foul taste from their mouths".]

Gruboceros are frequently utilized as beasts of burden.

Mutations:  Dermal Poison Slime



Wednesday, December 28, 2011

"Q" is for "Quakewhale"

Quakewhale

No. Enc.:  0 (1d6)
Alignment:  Neutral
Movement:  120' (40')
Armor Class:  4
Hit Dice:  26
Attacks:  1 (head-butt or stomp)
Damage:  4d10 or 6d12
Save:  L13
Morale:  10
Hoard Class:  None
XP:  7,500

Quakewhales are the largest terrestrial animals in the Mutant Future, reaching heights of 60' tall and lengths of over 100' long.  The titanic beasts lumber across the plains feeding upon levitating skoral reefs, or plow through forests stripping mutant trees of their foliage.

Quakewhales tend to ignore smaller creatures, and are simply too massive for most predators.  That said, the beasts will Charge and/or Trample with abandon when provoked or accosted...and particularly when they think their young are in peril.  And their head-butts are primarily used against obstacles or other quakewhales.  (Rutting season is colloquially described as "The Month Of Thunders".)

Quakewhale herds communicate over vast distances through infrasonic calls.

Mutations:  Increased Sense (Hearing)

Monday, December 26, 2011

"G" is for "Grimfin"

Grimfin

No. Enc.:  0 (1d4)
Alignment:  Neutral
Movement:  0' (0')
     —Swim:  30' (10')
Armor Class:  1
Hit Dice:  3
Attacks:  1 (bite)
Damage:  1d10 + poison
Save:  L3
Morale:  11
Hoard Class:  VII
XP:  95

Grimfins are sluggish, armored, 6' long fish that dwell in sludgy, polluted waterways.  They thrive in the most unlivable of conditions.

Grimfins are feared for both their toxic bites (which inject a Class 8 poison) and their "death beams".  From its glowing cyclopean eye, a grimfin can fire a withering ray that requires a victim to make a Saving Throw Versus Death when struck.  Success means the target only takes 3d6 damage...but failure means it shrivels into a lifeless husk.  Like the Energy Ray Physical Mutation, a grimfin's beam is usable only every 3 rounds, and at a range of 50'.  Androids are completely immune to this effect.

Grimfins can live for about 1 hour when removed from water.  Enterprising pirates exploit this ability and tie the fish to the front of their vessels, and the agitated creatures fire their beams indescriminately at everything in their paths.

A grimfin's "treasure" represents swallowed shiny items trapped in its stomach.

Mutations:  Accumulated Resistance (Contaminants & Toxins), Toxic Weapon (Venom), Unique Mutation ("Death Beam")

Saturday, December 24, 2011

"H" is for "Hartind"

Hartind

No. Enc.:  1d6 (5d6)
Alignment:  Neutral
Movement:  180' (60') 
Armor Class:  6
Hit Dice:  6
Attacks:  2 or 1 (2 kicks, or 1 gore, 1 trample, or 1 weapon)
Damage:  1d6 / 1d6, or 1d10, or 1d8, or by weapon
Save:  L6
Morale:  9
Hoard Class:  VII, XIV
XP:  1,570

Hartinds are intelligent, communal cervines that establish their villages in deep forests in the cooler elevations.  They possess humanoid torsos with fully-functional arms and hands, and females sport mammaries with which to nurse their young.  Their pelts shimmer with a blue irridescence.

Hartinds are militant vegetarians.  They find the entire concept of Mutant Plants—particularly sentient ones—to be an affront to Nature itself, and actively hunt down, Trample, subdue, and devour any and all they encounter.  If Mutant Plant PCs are captured, the Hartinds will stage an elaborate feast, and invite neighboring villages to share in the bounty.

Hartinds frequently swap technology, and engage in "repair offs", with the Meen'go.  (The bird-people are quite uncomfortable with the Hartinds' anti-plant biases, however.)

Mutations:  Aberrant Form (Humanoid Torso), Chameleon Epidermis, Intellectual Affinity (Tinkerer), Mental Barrier, Narcolepsy [D]








Thursday, December 22, 2011

Mutants In The News — "A Post-Apocalyptic Campaign In 6 Seconds" Edition

Here is the backstory for an epic campaign, fully formed as if from the brow of Zeus himself.

Truly, a Christmas miracle.

Reindeer from Treat on Vimeo.

"B" is for "Bitestrider"

Bitestrider

No. Enc.:  0 (1d10)
Alignment:  Neutral
Movement:  210' (70')
Armor Class:  4
Hit Dice:  5
Attacks:  3 (2 claws, 1 bite)
Damage:  1d4 / 1d4 / 2d6
Save:  L3
Morale:  10
Hoard Class:  None
XP:  500

Bitestriders are freakish, man-sized bipeds that stalk migratory herbivores across the Mutant Future.  Pack hunters, their tactics include both ambushes and all-out, speedy assaults.

A bitestrider relies on its antennae for Energy Ray attacks, and detecting prey via electrical impulses.  This "electro-sense" functions as the Echolocation Physical Mutation [p. 24 of the Mutant Future Core Rules], but Robots and Androids overload it; accordingly, bitestriders give "living metal" a wide berth.

Bitestrider teeth—bizarrely formed from an organic glass—are prized for use as arrowheads, surgical tools, and saws.  They grant +2 damage when used in weapons and implements.

Mutations:  Energy Ray (Electricity), Unique Sense ("Electro-Sense")

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

"T" is for "Thanatiel"

Thanatiel

No. Enc.:  1d2 (1d6)
Alignment:  Neutral
Movement:  30' (10')
         —Fly:  180' (60')
Armor Class:  -1
Hit Dice:  8
Attacks:  3 (2 claws, 1 bite)
Damage:  1d4 / 1d4 / 3d6
Save:  6
Morale:  10
Hoard Class:  VI, VII, XIV
XP:  3,060

Feasting on robots, machinery, and Ancient artifacts as well as flesh, the striking, 6' tall thanatiels are one of the most dreaded creatures of the technology-starved Mutant Future.  They usually roost in Ancient ruins, particularly abandoned skyscrapers and sports arenas.

Thantiels are nigh-invulnerable to physical harm, and possess "mono-molecular beaks" capable of slicing through the thickest materials.  The birds are drawn to concentrations of electronics (vehicles, equipment caches, etc.), and always consume metal and circuitry before focusing on live prey...unless, of course, said prey is wearing powered armor....

And woe be to any Android PCs caught in their sights!

Mutations:  Aberrant Form (Xenomorphism—Modified Digestive System), Gigantism, Reflective Epidermis (Electricity, Radiation), Unique Sense ("Techno-Sense")

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Mutants In The News — "You're Next!!! YOU'RE NEXT!!!" Edition

Big ups to one of the most infectiously enthusiastic bloggers I read, Needles, for finding this article about web-like filaments growing on nuclear waste.  I can't imagine anyone more qualified to blog about atomic thread and radioactive fibers.

Here's my favorite quotes from the piece:

“The growth, which resembles a spider web, has yet to be characterized, but may be biological in nature...."

and
 

“But whatever it is, (it) doesn’t appear to be causing any damage...."


I think we all know how this one progresses....





Monday, December 19, 2011

"S" is for "Spidosaur"

Spidosaur

No. Enc.:  1 (1d4)
Alignment:  Neutral
Movement:  135' (55') 
         Swim:  45' (15')
Armor Class:  3
Hit Dice:  11
Attacks:  1 (bite, or tail-slap)
Damage:  2d12 + poison, or 2d8
Save:  L6
Morale:  11
Hoard Class:  VI
XP:  4,400

Spidosaurs, unholy arachnid/crocodilian hybrids, are 20'-25' long abominations found in fetid swamps, ruined sewers, and the rusting hulls of Ancient ships.  Though frequently encountered near watery environs, spidosaurs are ungainly swimmers, so they usually race along vertical surfaces and ceilings, or drop from treetops.

Spidosaurs sport toothy maws and enormous fangs that drip with a viscous Class 16 poison.  Their multiple eyes grant 360-degree vision, meaning the beasts are never Surprised.  A spidosaur's bellow echos for miles, and can paralyze prey by prompting primordial panic. 

Some of the most arrogant and militant races (like ClamazonsKarkhans, chaotically-inclined Manataur, and Goliaths [p. 74 of the Mutant Future Core Rules]) boast about taming spidosaurs as mounts, but those claims remain unverified.

Mutations:  Extra Parts (Eyes, Limbs), Shriek (Greater), Toxic Weapon (Venom)



Sunday, December 18, 2011

Fun With Feedback — "Bring On The Atomic Apes!" Edition

Thank (or blame) Messrs. Trey and Bill for this one.



Irradiape

No. Enc.:  1d10 (5d6)
Alignment:  Neutral
Movement:  120' (40')
Armor Class:  3
Hit Dice:  1
Attacks:  3 (2 claws, 1 bite)
Damage:  1d2 / 1d2 / 1d4
Save:  L2
Morale:  8
Hoard Class:  VI
XP:  22

Irradiapes are luminescent, foot-long primates that swarm around sites contaminated with radiation:  ruined reactors, missile silos, beached Ancient submarines, and the like.  They discharge scintillating bursts of energy from the spurs on their heads.

To utilize its Empathy mutation, an irradiape must make eye contact with the subject, and then succeed with a Mental Attack.  Targets can first make an Ability Check Versus Dexterity to avoid the gaze, and can gain a bonus of -1 to the roll for every -1 to attack they take in turn.  (Ex: a -2 to bonus to the Ability Check, with a subsequent -2 to Attack Rolls.).  Irradiapes have effective WIL scores of 5+1d4.

Irradiapes utilize their mind-thralls to procure food, and act as guards.  Those enslaved are usually short-lived, though, due to the intense radiation of their surroundings.

Mutations:  Empathy, Energy Ray (Radiation), Reflective Epidermis (Radiation), Unique Sense (X-Ray Vision)

Saturday, December 17, 2011

"M" is for "Mongoon"

Mongoon

No. Enc.:  1d6 (1d12)
Alignment:  Chaotic
Movement:  300' (150') 
Armor Class:  3
Hit Dice:  4
Attacks:  6 or 2 (4 claws, 2 bites, or 2 by same weapon)
Damage:  1d4 / 1d4 / 1d4 / 1d4 / 1d6 / 1d6, or by weapon twice
Save:  L4
Morale:  8
Hoard Class:  VII, XVIII
XP:  355

The lithe, lean mongoons are 4' tall, twitchy mammalians with penchants for cruel humor, kleptomania, inappropriate groping, and binge drinking.  They are known far and wide as "the bastards of the Mutant Future".

While they always congregate in gangs, mongoons seem to hate each other as much as (if not more so) as everyone despises their kind.  They require a strong leader (either a larger mongoon with more Hit Dice, or a more powerful sentient being) to guide them; otherwise, mongoon troops invariably turn to infighting and bloodshed.  Mongoon Force Screens get more use amongst themselves than against other foes.

Despite their glaring personality faults, mongoons make excellent henchmen, legbreakers, and assorted riffraff.  They excel at physical combat, and gain a +3 to all hand-to-hand To Hit rolls from raw speed, agility, and seemingly impossible maneuvers (which they've obnoxiously nicknamed "Goon-Fu").

A mongoon's skin is highly sensitive to Ancient-made chemicals, so they suffer an extra +1 per die of damage from sprays, gases, drugs, and/or toxins of an inorganic nature.

Mutations:  Epidermal Sensitivity [D], Force Screen, Negative Empathy [D], Quickness




Friday, December 16, 2011

Mutants In The News — Atomi-Kongs & Irradi-Apes Edition

To better measure radiation levels in and around the damaged Fukushima nuclear complex in Japan, scientists are unleashing an army of gadget-laden monkeys to do the dirty work.


What could possibly go wrong?

I mean...really?

"S" is for "Slimebiter"


Slimebiter

No. Enc.:  1d4 (2d4)
Alignment:  Neutral
Movement:  45' (15')
     —Swim:  150' (50')
Armor Class:  5
Hit Dice:  8
Attacks:  3 (2 claws, 1 bite)
Damage:  1d6 / 1d6 / 2d8+2
Save:  4
Morale:  11
Hoard Class:  VI
XP:  4,060 (or 4,560)

Urban legends abound in the Mutant Future about giant, mutated animals—rats, snakes, alligators, and even sharks—infesting urban sewers, but there's no way such creatures could possibly exist...

...because the seals would get them.  It would be crazy to think otherwise.

Slimebiters (also known as "sewer seals" or "sludgeseals") are 12'-15', 1.5-2 ton pinnipeds that inhabit the most contaminated of waters:  derelict sewers, toxic ponds, reactor retaining pools, cesspits, and the like.  They lurk beneath the mucky surface waiting for prey, and then explode forth with such speed and ferocity that they Surprise on a roll of 1-4 on 1d6 and gain a +2 Initiative bonus.

Slimebiters' mouths swarm with disease, and their bites transmit either Flesh Eating Bacteria (50%) [see p. 48 of the Mutant Future Core Rules] or Tetanus (50%) [p. 49] on a failed Saving Throw Versus Poison.  They, in turn, are immune to the effects of all known illnesses, toxins, and radiation.

The creatures are one of the few known predators of glowbras, quicksilverfish, and repulslugs.

There is a 10% chance that any given slimebiter possesses the Density Alteration mutation.  These size-shifting monstrosities are powerful enough to burst through the pavement covering their sewer lairs...and rampage throughout the city above, devouring all in their paths.

Mutations:  Enhanced Vision (Night Vision), Reflective Epidermis (Radiation), Toxic Weapon ("Bacterial Bite")

Thursday, December 15, 2011

"D" is for "Dualigator"

Dualigator

No. Enc.:  0 (1d4)
Alignment:  Chaotic
Movement:  90' (30')
      —Swim:  90' (30')
Armor Class:  3
Hit Dice:  4
Attacks:  2 (2 bites)
Damage:  2d8 / 2d8
Save:  L3
Morale:  9
Hoard Class:  VI
XP:  630

Dualigators are two-headed, 12' long reptiles with domineering personalities and haughty egos.  They have a particular fondness for the flesh of "lesser" humanoids, and often lurk near settlements, waterways, and oases to snag unlucky victims.  Any given dualigator has an INT score of 7+1d4 and a WIL of 7+1d6, but they fancy themselves the smartest, canniest beings in the vicinity.

While unable to utilize weapons, dualigators can manipulate objects, doors, and some Artifacts with the ape-like paws on their front-most limbs.

Dualigator hides are prized for their brilliant azure hue, and helms made from the scales grant the wearer an immunity to the Mental Phantasm mutation.

Mutations:  Aberrant Form (Hands), Dual Cerebellum (+1 extra Mental Mutation), Extra Parts x2 (Heads, Legs), Increased Willpower, Mind Reflection, Mind Thrust, Neural Telepathy, Possession

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

"B" is for "Bloat Titan"

Bloat Titan

No. Enc.:  0 (1d6)
Alignment:  Neutral
Movement:  120' (40') 
Armor Class:  6
Hit Dice:  10
Attacks:  1 (bite, or trample)
Damage:  2d10+3 + disease, or 4d8+3
Save:  L5
Morale:  9
Hoard Class:  None
XP:  3,800

The elephantine bloat titans are swollen, 16' tall, 10 ton arachnids that prowl grasslands and forests in a neverending quest for fresh blood.  When a herd is on the move, the ground quakes and wildlife flees in terror.

A bloat titan's thick carapace is impervious to conventional melee weapons and firearms.  And its deadly jaws transmit Hyper-Lyme Disease upon a failed Saving Throw Versus Death, which acts as the Superflu virus [see p. 48 of the Mutant Future Core Rules] without the communicability aspect...and it lasts 1d2+2 weeks, instead of 2.

Bloat titans dislike open flames, and villages often deter the creatures with bonfires or burn-pits.

Mutations:  Gigantism, Toxic Weapon ("Hyper-Lyme Bite")

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

"P" is for "Porse"

Porse

No. Enc.:  0 (2d6)
Alignment:  Neutral
Movement:  240' (80') 
Armor Class:  6
Hit Dice:  4
Attacks:  3 (2 kicks, 1 bite)
Damage:  1d4 / 1d4 / 1d6
Save:  L2
Morale:  8
Hoard Class:  None
XP:  245

Porses are sleek, hairless quadrupeds with beak-like snouts and blowholes in place of nostrils.  They gallop across the Mutant Future in familial pods, and spend their days hunting, frolicking, and "playfully" tormenting larger, slower predatory beasts.

The creatures are quite vocal, and communicate with elaborate whistles, clicks, and whines.  Once every 3 rounds, a porse can emit a focused burst of sound in a cone 15' long and 10' wide at its endpoint that Paralyzes targets for 1d4 rounds upon a failed Saving Throw Versus Stun.  Porses primarily use this ability to herd and disorient small game, so man-sized or larger targets get a +2 bonus to the Save roll.

Porses are intelligent enough to cooperate with humanoid trainers, and make excellent steeds.

Mutations:  Echolocation, Regenerative Capability, Unique Mutation ("Sonic Stun")

Monday, December 12, 2011

"S" is for "Shrumak"

Shrumak

No. Enc.:  1d4 (1d8)
Alignment:  Neutral
Movement:  150' (50') 
Armor Class:  5
Hit Dice:  13
Attacks:  3 or 1 (2 claws, 1 tendril-bite, or by club)
Damage:  1d8+3 / 1d8+3 / 1d10+3, or 1d12+3
Save:  L7
Morale:  10
Hoard Class:  XV
XP:  7,800

Shrumaks are towering, 12' tall beasts that lair in swamps, caverns, sewers, and Ancient ruins.  Though technically blind, they are active hunters, and chase down prey with surprising strength, speed, and agility.  Shrumaks often use stalagtites, logs, or debris as clubs, but (seemingly) lack any other hallmarks of intelligence.

A shrumak's spores act as the Mental Phantasm mutation when inhaled, and affect everyone within a 10' radius upon a failed Saving Throw Versus Poison.  The effects last 1d6 turns.

There is no evidence to suggest that shrumaks associate with either fungal groves [see p. 72 of the Mutant Future Core Rules] or fungoids [p. 73], though some speculate they may be the hyper-mutated forms of either.

Shrumaks and quarillas are mortal enemies.

Mutations:  Combat Empathy, Control Weather, Echolocation, Energy Ray (Cold), Free Movement, Nocturnal [D], Poisonous Spores





Saturday, December 10, 2011

"J" is for "Jaman"

Jaman

No. Enc.:  1d2 (1d6)
Alignment:  Chaotic
Movement:  120' (40') 
Armor Class:  6
Hit Dice:  7
Attacks:  1 (kick, or weapon)
Damage:  1d6, or by weapon
Save:  L7
Morale:  7
Hoard Class:  XVI
XP:  2,540

While slight of build and lacking in physicality, the 8' tall, lanky, wooly Jamen more than make up for their shortcomings with sheer dastardliness.  They are well known throughout the Mutant Future as grifters, flesh-peddlers, pushers, fences, assassins, and all-around scoundrels. 

A Jaman's thick wool—which ranges in coloration from dark brown, to off-white, to even lavender—resists the effects of radiation, and can be woven into protective garments.  Though they view it as demeaning, Jamen down on their luck will sell their hair for hard coin.

A Jaman always "knows a guy who knows a guy," as is an excellent resource for PCs needing to walk on the shadier side.  Jamen never stray far from their urban vice dens, and always have a minimum of 1d4 goons (usually Crules, KarkhansManacondas, Mantipedes, and/or Pigmen [see p. 88 of the Mutant Future Core Rules]) in their employ.

Mutations:  Control Light Waves, Damage Turning, Intellectual Affinity (Bartering), Mental Phantasm, Reduced Oxygen Efficiency [D], Reflective Epidermis (Radiation)