"H" is for "Hermite"

Hermite

No. Enc.:  1d6 (3d6)
Alignment:  Neutral
Movement:  60' (20') 
Armor Class:  2
Hit Dice:  7
Attacks:  2 or 1 (2 claws, or 1 weapon)
Damage:  1d6 / 1d6, or by weapon
Save:  L7
Morale:  8
Hoard Class:  XX
XP:  1,840

Hermites are a race of 4' tall, terrestrial crustaceoids with conical shells that make their total heights between 6'-9'.  A shy, reserved, and deeply spiritual people, they avoid strangers, and do most of their trading via proxies.

Hermites are far more agile than they appear, and gain +2 to all martial Attack Rolls.

They also possess the bizarre ability to transform solid metal into an aqueous state with a touch.  This works against metallic weapons, armor/shielding, and objects of 50 lbs or less.  (Interestingly, copper is unaffected.)  Hermites utilize the resulting liquids in highly alcoholic ales renowned—and coveted—throughout the Mutant Future.

Mutations:  Natural Armor (Extreme) (x2), Unique Mutation ("Aqua-Touch")

Mutants In The News — Spider-Goat Edition

I think the world of the Mutant Future becomes EVEN MORE TERRIFYING if all the spider-goats that infest it have names like Freckles, Pudding, and Sweetie.

"The trouble is, you can't farm spiders...They're very cannibalistic."

Don't I know it, brother.

(The article also references computer-made lifeforms and cancer-assassin cells.)

"A" is for "Arbird"

Arbird  ("Treebeak")

No. Enc.:  0 (1d4)
Alignment:  Neutral
Movement:  120' (40') 
Armor Class:  5
Hit Dice:  10
Attacks:  1 (bite or stomp)
Damage:  2d6 or 4d6
Save:  L5
Morale:  9
Hoard Class:  None
XP:  2,400

Arbirds are towering, 20'-30' tall, flightless avians that dwell in dense forests and jungles. 

Possessing leaf-like feathers, legs covered with bark-like scales (and lichens and moss, too), and the ability to gradually shift their coloration to match the vibrant and freakish flora of their environs, arbirds are deadly ambush predators.  They stand immobile for days on end, and wait for prey to wander between their legs...and then strike, Surprising on a 1-5 on 1d6, and Swallowing targets whole on an Attack Roll of 18-20.  Anything Swallowed suffers the initial bite damage, and an additional 1d12 damage per round until digested.  Arbirds are strict carnivores, and only attack Mutant Plants in self defense.

Arbirds birth live young, and the newborn "copselings" can stand on their own immediately.

Mutations:  None

"B" is for "Buwoh"

Buwoh

No. Enc.:  1d4 (1d4)
Alignment:  Neutral
Movement:  15' (5')
         —Fly:  150' (50')
Armor Class:  5
Hit Dice:  3
Attacks:  3 (2 claws, 1 bite)
Damage:  1d4 / 1d4 / 1d3
Save:  L2
Morale:  10
Hoard Class:  IV
XP:  355

Buwohs are foot-tall, nocturnal avians found in all but the hottest environs.  They are quite territorial, and hostile to intruders (particularly if encountered nesting in Ancient ruins).

A buwoh's "second brain" is housed in the crystalline growths that jut from its forehead.  These crystals can be extracted from a dead specimen and implanted—and in the Mutant Future, that usually translates into "pounded into the skull with a mallet"—into any other living being of larger size.  The transplant subject suffers 8d6 damage from the ordeal, but if it survives, gains the buwoh's Mental Mutations and a permanent +1d4 to CHA.

Buwohs have gills, and often trundle into fresh water to scavenge for crustaceans and worms.  Considering their hollow bones, how they manage to stay on the bottom is unknown.

Mutations:  Aberrant Form (Gills), Dual Cerebellum (+1 extra Mental Mutation), Increased Sense (Vision), Mind Thrust

"H" is for "Haulbot"

Haulbot

Hit Dice:  30
Frame:  Armature
Locomotion:  Treads
Manipulators:  None
Armor:  Duralloy Armor (AC 3)
Sensors:  Class II
Mental Programming:  Programming
Accessories:  Robolink
Weaponry:  None
XP:  5,250

Haulbots are the size and shape of Ancient earthmovers, and in times past, they carried the ores and minerals unearthed by mining bots (see p. 131 of the Mutant Future Core Rules) and borer blimps.

A haulbot's sensors prevent it from accidentally running over a human, animal, or other robot...but Mutant Plants, Androids, and creatures that lack heat signatures will be crushed indiscriminately, taking 4d10 damage.  (Androids weren't widely used during the haulbots' heyday, and consequently aren't factored into the robots' programming.)  The units are slow and cumbersome, though, and anyone in their path can make an Ability Check Versus DEX with a -4 bonus applied to the roll to avoid being hit.

In the Mutant Future, functional haulbots are often modified for use as troop- and slave-transports.

"P" is for "Pigmeez"

Pigmeez

No. Enc.:  2d8 (7d6)
Alignment:  Neutral
Movement:  60' (20') 
Armor Class:  2
Hit Dice:  2
Attacks:  1 (bite or weapon)
Damage:  1d4-2, or by weapon -2
Save:  L2
Morale:  8
Hoard Class:  VI
XP:  74

Pigmeez (both singular and plural) are a race of 18" tall, albino porcines that make their lairs in Ancient ruins, cavern complexes, and subterranean tunnel systems. 

Severely hampered by their tiny stature, clusters of Pigmeez latch, remora-like, onto larger beasts and humanoids and ride-slash-command them via Parasitic Control.  They aren't mean-spirited or cruel when dominating others, and view it as a pragmatic necessity for survival.  Encounters with Pigmeez in the wild always involve an additional 1d2 random creatures (per the Encounter Tables on p. 104-105 of the Mutant Future Core Rules, or entries in this blog) that do the bidding of their hosts; that number climbs to 1d6 when encountered in their lairs.

All Pigmeez have synesthesia, and can hear colors, taste numbers, and smell music.

Mutations:  Albinism [D], Dwarfism, Enhanced Vision (Night Vision), Metaconcert, Parasitic Control, Unique Sense ("Synesthesia")

"V" is for "Voidswimmer"

Voidswimmer  ("Phasefin")

No. Enc.:  2d6 (2d6)
Alignment:  Neutral
Movement:  120' (40')
    —Flight:  120' (40')
     —Swim:  120' (40')
Armor Class:  See Below
Hit Dice:  2
Attacks:  1 (bite)
Damage:  1d6
Save:  L5
Morale:  11
Hoard Class:  None
XP: 

Voidswimmers are freakish, 3' long fish that move unimpeded through solid matter, air, and water, with no loss of momentum for shifting mediums.  They are almost always "out of phase" with reality, and cannot be struck or damaged by any physical means; only Mental Mutations work against them while desolidified.

The creatures must become corporeal to feed.  They make hit-and-run attacks, phasing around—and into—their prey to take quick bites before shifting again.  A victim has only a 20% chance each round of being fast enough to physically retaliate a voidswimmer...but this number is upped by 10% for each positive Dexterity-based Missile Attack Modifier possessed by the target.  (Conversely, this number is lowered by 5% for each negative Modifier.)   And even if victims are fast enough, they still must strike against an effective Armor Class of 3.

Some sages hypothesize that voidswimmers are not of this world, and came to the Mutant Future through Ancient dimensional-travel experimentation.

Mutations:  Aberrant Form (Phase-State)

Mutants In The News — Gimme Shelter Edition

Over at the always astounding and amazing Retronaut gallery, there's an entry chock full o' pics of an unearthed 60s-era bomb shelter.

 

The photos, credited to a Rogers Turner, are AMAZING.  Check 'em out.

"F" is for "Floral Snake"

Floral Snake

No. Enc.:  1d4 (1d4)
Alignment:  Neutral
Movement:  75' (25')
Armor Class:  7
Hit Dice:  3+2
Attacks:  1 (bite)
Damage:  1d8 + poison
Save:  L3
Morale:  9
Hoard Class:  None
XP:  240

Floral snakes are 10'-12' long ambulatory plants with sinuous stem-bodies, leafy "tongues", and flowery "hoods".  While able to draw nutrients and moisture from the soil with their tail-roots, they favor live prey.

The type of poison injected by a floral snake's thorn-fangs is determined at random on the Poison Class Table [p. 50 of the Mutant Future Core Rules].  And being masters of camouflage, floral snakes Surprise on a roll of 1-5 on 1d6 when encountered in wooded or overgrown areas.

Floral snakes "bleed" a nutritive sap, and the pulpy remnants (which taste like a mixture of melon and copper) of a deceased specimen provide enough liquid to hydrate an adventurer for up to 3 days.

Mutations:  Animal Limbs Or Organs (Serpentine Body), Free Movement, Full Senses, Thermal Sensitivity [D], Toxic Weapon (Venom)

Mutants In The News — "This Is Evolution In Action" Edition

The world's first hybrid sharks have been discovered, with better temperature-adaptive capabilities than their progenitors.  Accordingly, the mutants have expanded their turf well beyond their historical boundaries.

Choice quotes from lead researcher Jess Morgan, of the University of Queensland:

"It's very surprising because no one's ever seen shark hybrids before...."

"It's enabled a species restricted to the tropics to move into temperate waters."

"This is evolution in action."

But here's my fave:

"And in fact, this may be happening in more species than these two."

Boogity!

"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)

"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

"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

"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)

"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")

"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]





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")

"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")

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....

"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 Clamazons, Karkhans, 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)

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)

"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