"S" is for "Sneakstank"

Here's another collaborative beastie arising from our Umerica group.  Each player rolled on the ol' mutations chart from Maximum Mutagenesis (which is a danged snazzy tome), hence the resulting ridiculousness.

Sneakstank

Sneakstanks are roughly man-sized crabs (around 4'-5' tall, and about 6' wide) with bulbous eyes and scaly, reptilian limbs.  Their mouth-mandibles end in small manipulative claws.

Sneakstanks are cunning, and while certainly no geniuses, are intelligent enough to utilize any tech that fits in their "hands".  Like piratical gondoliers, they pole across the waters via "trashbergs" to plunder unassuming coastal communities.

Sneakstank:  INIT +3; ATK big pincer +5 melee (2d6), small pincer +5 melee (1d6); AC 10 (d5 Armor); HD 3; MV 20' or 60' swim; ACT 1d20 (big) and 1d16 (small); SP Abnormal Limbs, Aquatic Adaptation (Water Ambush), Gigantic Proportions (Huge Eyes), Queasy Emissions (Offensive Odor); SV Fort +4, Ref +0, Wil +2; AL N or C.

Abnormal Limbs:  lizard-like

Aquatic Adaptation (Water / Sand Ambush):  lies in wait under the surface of either water or sand, gaining a surprise attack against oblivious foes [must roll an Intelligence check at DC 15 to detect]. Successful surprise attacks are automatic critical hits.

Gigantic Proportions (Huge Eyes):  gains +10 to all visual perception checks; can see perfectly well in the dark; gains +2d to stare down an opponent.

Queasy Emissions (Offensive Odor):  exudes a foul miasma that induces retching to all within 100’.  Getting closer requires a WILL save at DC 14; failure indicates convulsive gaging, inflicting a -2d penalty to all actions while within 100’ of the creature.  A new save must be made each round for those who choose to remain near the crab. Failing three saves in a row will cause the person to effectively be "turned" (as Turn Unholy of the core DCC book, pg 96-97).

"What's Nuked, Scooby-Doomsday?" — Karkinoid

Karkinoid  ("Man-Crab")

No. Enc.:  1 (1)
Alignment:  Chaotic
Movement:  240' (80')
 —Burrow:  240' (80')
Armor Class:  0
Hit Dice:  14
Attacks:  2 (1 small claw, 1 big claw), or 1 crush
Damage:  1d6 / 2d8, or 6d6
Save:  L9
Morale:  11
Hoard Class:  XV
XP:  8,700

Karkinoids are immense, 12' tall crustaceans that reach heights of 20' when telescoping upon their middle limbs.  The ornery beings possess freakish speed, agility, and maneuverability, and make standing vertical jumps over 100' and bounding horizontal leaps of a quarter-mile.  Karkinoids also skitter at full movement up vertical surfaces and upside-down along ceilings.

If a karkinoid successfully strikes with a To Hit roll of 15+ with its larger claw, its prey is grasped in an unbreakable crush that does an automatic 2d8 damage per round; furthermore, the victim suffers an additional automatic 1d8 biting damage per round as its devoured alive!  Karkinoids are just as likely to attack from below the sands (Surprising on a 1-4 on 1d6) and drag screaming victims to their subterranean lairs...

...and they are pouncing from above, crushing unsuspecting targets for 6d6 damage!

Karkinoids trigger hives, swelling, and respiratory distress in all those with shellfish allergies if within a 15' radius of the beasts.

Mutations:  Enhanced Vision (Night, Ultraviolet), Fear Generation, Unique Sense ("Tremor-Sense")

—

Inspired by Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated episode #4, "Revenge Of The Man-Crab" (2010).

And for the Savage Worlds version, click here!

"What's Nuked, Scooby-Doomsday?" — Skeleman

Skeleman

No. Enc.:  See Below
Alignment:  Chaotic
Movement:  120' (40')
      —Swim:  120' (40')
Armor Class:  4
Hit Dice:  7
Attacks:  2 or 1 (2 claws, or 1 weapon)
Damage:  1d6 / 1d6, or by weapon
Save:  L8
Morale:  9
Hoard Class:  XV +1d6 gizmos
XP:  2,190

Skelemen are freakish extraterrestrials with bony indigo frames topped by an enormous, unblinking eye.  They are equally at home on land and in water.  Lacking respiratory systems, they are immune to gas-based attacks and related environmental effects.  Skelemen see right through holograms, mirages, and illusion-based Mutations.

Mute and utterly silent in motion, skelemen Surprise on a 1-4 on 1d6.

Skelemen navigate the spaceways in craft of their own design, and they are experts at scavenging, repairing, and piloting Ancient vehicles of any and all varieties.  In fact, their primary motivation seems to be procuring and hoarding such transports (particularly planes) for reasons unknown.

Skelemen travel in trios, and larger groupings always comprise multiples of three (six, nine, etc).

Mutations:  Aberrant Form ("All-Seeing Eye", "Skeletal Body"), Enhanced Vision (Night), Intellectual Affinity (Tinkerer)

—

Inspired by The Scooby-Doo Show episode #26, "A Creepy Tangle In The Bermuda Triangle" (1978).

And for the Savage Worlds version, click here!

"What's Nuked, Scooby-Doomsday?" — Tempusite

Tempusite

No. Enc.:  1 (1d4)
Alignment:  Chaotic
Movement:  120' (40')
Armor Class:  2
Hit Dice:  9
Attacks:  2 or 1 (2 claws, or 1 weapon)
Damage:  1d10 / 1d10, or by weapon
Save:  L9
Morale:  8
Hoard Class:  XXI
XP:  3,800

Tempusites are 8'-tall insectoids with hunched, spindly bodies covered in both thick chitin and shaggy hair.  They are freakishly strong, and can deadlift bulky debris and hurl it up to 50' for 6d6 damage.

The beings hail from the Year 5000. Tempusites "infest" teleporters, time machines, and other Ancient / extraterrestrial devices that breach the dimensions [meaning their Plane Shift is dependent on technology of opportunity], and have but one goal:  to drag anything not nailed down—artifacts, wealth, and even living victims—into the far-flung future!  The sinister purposes behind their thievery and kidnapping is unknown.

Tempusites speak all known languages in a halting growl.

Mutations:  Fear Generation, Plane Shift (modified)

—

Inspired by The Scooby-Doo Show episode #24, "The Creepy Cruise" (1977).

And for the Savage Worlds version, click here!

Mutants In The News — "Mo' 'Squitos, Mo' Problems" Edition

To combat the dengue fever and chikungunya viruses, the FDA is considering the release of millions of genetically-modified mosquitos (made by your friends at Oxitec!) into Florida swamplands.  The modified critters—all males—carry a "suicide gene" and will theoretically mate and pass on the same trait to their offspring, thereby eliminating huge chunks of the blood-sucking population.

While successfully tested in other countries, the FDA option is under heavy scrutiny, with many headlines clearly going for the hysteria angle.

If only there were some way to release mosquitos that feed on pythons....

And what a great origin concept for Gamma World's own soul besh, aka "skeeters"!

"R" is for "Rhinosaurus"

Rhinosaurus

No. Enc.:  0 (1d6)
Alignment:  Neutral
Movement:  150' (50')
Armor Class:  3
Hit Dice:  13
Attacks:  1 (bite or gore or trample)
Damage:  2d6 or 2d12 or 5d8
Save:  L7
Morale:  9
Hoard Class:  None
XP:  4,200

Rhinosauruses are elephantine, not-at-all-reptilian bugs that inhabit both arid wastelands and lush jungles. Their iridescent carapaces are so dazzling, anyone attacking them in melee without protective eyewear / lenses suffers a -2 To Hit.  The beasts Trample [p. 58 of the Mutant Future Core Rules] more often than not, but they also channel powerful prismatic beams through their horns.

Shields and armor made from rhinosaurus hide are immune to lasers and other photonic attacks.

Hardy and trainable, rhinosauruses are favored mounts of wasteland tribes.

Mutations:  Energy Ray (Laser / Light), Reflective Epidermis (Laser / Light)

Devastation Drive-In: The Final Cut — 'Ticks' (1993)

Ziptick

No. Enc.:  7d10 (20d20)
Alignment:  Neutral
Movement:  150' (50')
Armor Class:  1
Hit Dice:  1
Attacks:  1 (bite)
Damage:  1d4
Save:  L1
Morale:  12
Hoard Class:  None
XP:  40

To better harvest certain "recreational pharmaceuticals", Ancient horticulturists used mysterious chemical brews to facilitate plant growth and elemental resistance...

...BUT IN DOING SO, INADVERTENTLY CREATED A BREED OF LEAPING, LEECHING, AND ALTOGETHER LETHAL NIGHTMARES!!!

Zipticks are hyper-aggressive, saucer-sized arachnids found in wooded and overgrown environs.  They possess armored hides and powerful jaws, and dash and leap (standing 10'; running 20') with such speed that all ranged attacks directed their way suffer a -2 To Hit penalty.  Zipticks cling to, and move across, vertical surfaces and ceilings with ease, and often drop down on those below (Surprising on a 1-3 on 1d6).  They also surge across the landscape to attack in swarms.

Zipticks lay clutches (containing dozens—if not hundreds—of eggs) almost anywhere in their habitat...and while many masses are blatant, others rest within hollow logs and ruins, and dangle from trees, and coat the undersides of bulky artifacts / wreckage, etc.  When clearing out egg-festations, adventurers have to be extra cautious and triple-check the area. Accidentally brushing up against an egg wakes up the tick within, and the creature gets a free biting attack as it bursts free.

Speaking of bites, zipticks clamp with mighty fangs.  A successful bite allows a ziptick to burrow its head deep into the victim, and the beast freely drains 1d6 damage per round after. Zipticks inject a powerful hallucinogenic toxin with each bite; a failed Saving Throw Vs. Poison results in Confusion  [p. 57 of the Mutant Future Core Rules] from twisted visions for 1d4 Turns.  Getting exsanguinated while tripping is a horrible way to perish, indeed.

Removing a ziptick requires an Ability Check Vs. STR at a +2 penalty, and successfully pulling it free inflicts an automatic 1d8 damage.  But one risks being too successful, as making the aforementioned Ability Check by 5 or more means that the body is ripped free, but the head stays embedded, doing free damage each round as above!  Dealing with a detached head involves cutting it out of the victim with a bladed weapon, which inflicts base equipment damage plus and additional 1d10 for trauma.

If a ziptick bites with a Natural 20, the creature actually burrows into the victim, and devours the unfortunate soul from within!  (Damage is the standard 1d4 + 1d6 per round.)  Death is agonizing, and bystanders can see the tick(s) hideously squirming under the skin.  Those that expire from an "internalized tick" suffer even after death, as 1d10 rounds later, their corpses are rent asunder as a man-sized ziptick bursts forth!  These abominable, fang-ier specimens [XP: 1,700] have 5 HD, AC -1, and inflict 2d8 damage with each bite...and natural To Hit rolls of 18-20 sever limbs!  Fortunately, these giant zipticks don't drain blood...but unfortunately, it's because they're too busy devouring flesh and bone.

Standard zipticks explode when touched by open flame (even something as small as a lit match), and  that's the easiest way to remove them.  They actively flee fire, too, and their Morale drops to 5.  Giant zipticks don't die instantly like their smaller brethren, but do take double damage per fiery attack.

Zipticks are incredibly strong and tenacious for their size, and given enough time, can gnaw and dig through earth, wood, and even metal in pursuit of prey.

Mutations:  Toxic Weapon (Hallucinogenic Venom)

—

Designer's Notes:  This film never got a proper theatrical release, so no official poster exists (necessitating use of the DVD cover).