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Starting for a thread for Miscellaneous Monsters, folklore critters, and one-off random encounter beasts. I'll start off with a few from American folklore, I'm already working on a few more(including the Walloping Whumpus), but feel free to throw in your own creations.


'Fearsome Critters’------Creatures of North American Folklore

(Raiding folklore heavily for these)
While many of these creatures, especially those of North America, have been ascribed to lumberjack stories and folktales, the Coming of the Rifts has proven some of them exist, suggesting that anything is possible, somewhere in the megaverse.

-Tripodero--North American D-Bee Fearsome Critter
“--Lost two good dawgs to those damn living machineguns! If I hadit been wearin’ me helmet at the time, I wudda lost an eye, too!”

The Tripodero is a creature that has been mistaken for a (E) Shemarrian bio-construct or the result of some sort of d-bee biowizardry. In fact, accounts of this unlikely-looking creature predate the Coming of the Rifts.
The Tripodero is normallya low-slung lizard-like creature walking on two legs, with a long tail as a counterbalance. However, its legs, and to a lesser extent its tail, have telescoping bone and muscle elements that allow its appendages to extend in length, elevating its bodyideally above the ground cover. The long legs and the tail form a tripod, hence its name.
This locked-leg posture gives the tripodero a stable firing platform for its other unique feature; its ability to shoot projectiles. One of its nasal cavities has become enlarged to the point it dominates the snout, and the nostril is often mistaken for the creature’s mouth(which, when closed, actually sits flush with the underside of the snout). The airway is lined with powerful muscles and is connected to a special high-pressure lung chamber, allowing it to act as a powerful peristaltic-pneumatic projectile launcher.
The Tripodero shoots wads of previously ingested clay or gravel(some accounts claim that it stores this ammunition specifically in its left cheek, but right-cheeked tripoderos have also been observed) with a force equivalent to a rubber bullet or a .22 caliber rifle.. This is usually enough to bring down the small animals the tripodero subsists on, and powerful enough to stun or wound a human being.
Tripoderos are SDC creatures, and they inflict relatively light damage, but they can still be a nuisance to ‘soft’ targets and prey. In North America, they are a threat to the unwary(and unarmored) and have been known to wipe out poulty pens and small pets.

Alignments: Effectively Anarchist(Animal)
Lifespan: 20 years
Size: 4 ft tall, 30-50 lbs
Gender: Heterosexual; females lay 1d4 eggs annually, which hatch after incubating for 2 weeks. The young stay with their mother for a month before setting out on their own.
Physical Description/Appearance:
A lizard-like animal with leathery skin, two telescoping legs with foot-claws, and a long tail. The head is long and narrow and dominated by a single nostril/aperature in the center front(the other nostril and mouth are to the right and underside respectively and normally barely visible). The eyes are positioned so as to sight accurately down the snout.
Disposition/Attitudes:
Driven by hunger and mating urges. The tripodero will normally find a spot to sit in ambush and snipe at prey, before mechanically lowering itself to go low through the bushes to get at its stunned/shot prey. If surprised or harassed by larger animals, it will shoot at them to distract and drive them off, using the opportunity to make its escape.
Physical Attributes:
IQ: 6(animal intelligence)
ME:---
MA:---
PS: 2d6
PP: 3d6+4
PB:----
PE: 3d6
SPD:(Running) 25( 16 MPH)
(Leaping) Can leap, using a spring action of its legs and tail, its PS +5 ft up/across. Increase orizontal distance by 50% with a running start.
(Climbing) Not possible
(Swimming) Awkward swimmer, but possible, at a churning speed of 6(4 MPH)
(ISP)---
(PPE):2d6
Hit Points: 6d6+4
SDC: 6d6
MDC:-----
Horror Factor:----
Natural Abilities:
*Projectile Sniper----The Tripodero pneumatically spits projectiles out to a range of 60 ft + its P.S. x5 in ft. Damage is 1d6 + P.S. in SDC. Has enough cheek capacity for 6d6 shots.
*Keen Eyesight----Hawk-like sterioscopic vision, with good low-light perception of 180 ft range.
Psionics: None
Magic: None
Skills of Note:
* Prowl 80%
* Effectively has the equivalent of W.P. Rifle
Actions/Attacks Per Melee: 4
Damage:
Kick/Claw 2d6 SDC
Bonuses:
+3 to strike with projectiles
Cybernetics/Bionics: None
Culture:
Solitary hunters of small animals.
Tripoderos are known to hang around construction sites, apparently to gather gravel from road-building work or steal nuts, bolts, and other small hard objects to use as ammunition.
Value: None. Cannot be tamed.

-Rubberado--North American D-Bee Fearsome Critter
“Them rubberados jump like a cat with its paws on fire. One moment they’re there, the next they’re anywhere else.”

A rodent-like creature with a talent for bouncing. Its rubbery flesh gives it the ability to careen off objects in great arcing jumps, once it gets going.
Eating the internal organs of a Rubberado has the same effect as eating faerie food; save vs magic or be afflicted with bloating(-1d4 on initiative), and the ability to bounce one’s P.S. x5 in ft, for 1d4x10 minutes.
Post-Rifts, rubberados are prized by wilderness folk for both their flesh(and the bouncing effect, if one can stand the bloating) and for the skins, which can be used to make footwear and waterproof garments.

Alignments: Anarchist
Lifespan: 15 years
Size: 2 ft long, 5 lbs
Gender: Heterosexual; females produce litters of 1d4 young that mature in 6 months.
Physical Description/Appearance:
A small woodchuck-like quadraped with a nubby stubble-covered skin.
Disposition/Attitudes:
Nervous, frenetic, tend to always be moving in search of food. Easily startled.
Physical Attributes:
IQ: 4 (animal intelligence)
ME:----
MA:----
PS: 2d4
PP: 4d6
PB:----
PE: 2d6
SPD:(Running) 20 ( 8 MPH)
(Leaping/Bouncing)PSx10 in ft
(Climbing) Poor climbers, except on a high bounce. They can easily tank high falls, though, able to survive drops of their PSx30 in ft without harm.
(Swimming) Fair swimmers: 65%
(ISP)----
(PPE): 3d6
Hit Points: 3d6
SDC: 3d6
MDC:----
Horror Factor:------
Natural Abilities:
*Good Sense of Smell---Can detect and track down food with 80% certainty
*Blunt force physical attacks, such as punches, kicks, rocks, and hammer blows do NO damage to the creature.
*Bouncing----Can bounce their PSx10 in ft.
Psionics:----
Magic: None
Skills of Note: None
Actions/Attacks Per Melee: 2
Damage:
Bite 1d4 SDC
Bonuses:
+2 to dodge in addition to any bonuses from high P.P.
Cybernetics/Bionics: None
Culture:
Solitary vegetarians. Mated couples stay together just long enough to conceive, then go their separate ways. They have become pests on agriculture in some regions, especially the American SouthEast.
Value:
Rural traders will pay 40 credits for rubberado hides, for use in shoe soles and garments.
Rubberado innards are edible, though they taste rubbery and cause uncomfortable bloating. Still, alchemists will pay 100 credits a pound for fresh rubberado meat to make bouncing potions.

-Gumberoo--North American D-Bee Critter
“My stupid ******** of a son-in-law came out from the city and caught a gumber raiding my supply shed and he immediately opened up on it with a plasma pistol. Of course the gumber went up like a firebomb and took my shed and stored-up stock with it. Pity it didn’t take my daughter’s useless dumb-stud with it as well.”

Resembles a hairless black bear. Its skin is invulnerable to kinetic attacks (they MAY come from the same ecology as the rubberado)and can deflect projectiles back at their shooter/thrower. Gumberoos, however, are extremely vulnerable to fire-based attacks, taking DOUBLE damage regardless of whether the attacks are SDC or MDC, and the animal explodes spectacularly if killed with fire. Generally active year-round(do not hibernate).
Gumberoos prefer forested habitat, and are found dispersed through the forest lands of North America, though they are most common in the American and Canadian northwest.

Alignments: Anarchist(animal predator)
Lifespan: 35 years
Size: 7 ft tall, 500-600 lbs
Gender: Heterosexual; females produce litters of 1-3 young that mature in 17 months.
Physical Description/Appearance:
A dark-skinned, but hairless, ursinoid-like quadraped with a large blunt bearded snout. The skin shines like rubber.
Disposition/Attitudes:
Always hungry, but shy and retiring. If confronted by a more powerful animal/opposition, it will seek to flee if possible. For obvious reasons, they are afraid of fire and avoid it however possible.
Physical Attributes:
IQ: 7 (animal intelligence)
ME:----
MA:-----
PS: 4d6
PP:-----
PB:------
PE: 4d6
SPD:(Running) 44(30 MPH)
(Leaping) 8 ft across, 7 ft up w/ a running start
(Swimming)( 6 MPH)
(ISP): -----
(PPE): 3d6
Hit Points: 2d4x10
SDC: 2d4x10+40
MDC:----
Horror Factor: 10
Natural Abilities:
*+10 save vs Horror Factor, + 5 save vs Poison & Disease

*Good Sense of Smell---Can detect and track food with 80% certainty

*Immune to Kinetic Attacks---Purely physical attacks, such as punches, kicks, spears, arrows, rocks, bullets, and rail run rounds do NO damage to the creature.

*Reflect Kinetic Attacks----Gumberoos can actually redirect kinetic attacks back at their point of origin(no bonus to strike, and HALF damage if it hits).

Vulnerability:
*Fire---Fire-based attacks do DOUBLE damage regardless of whether the attacks are SDC or MDC, and if the Gumberoo is killed with fire, it EXPLODES, doing 1d6x10 SDC to a radius equal to its P.E. in ft.

Psionics: -----
Magic: -----
Skills of Note:
*Prowl 80%
*Identify Plants & Fruits 90%
*Swimming 70%
*Climbing 70%
Actions/Attacks Per Melee: 3
Damage:
Bite 2d6 SDC
Claw Slash 2d6+10 SDC + any P.S. bonus
Tear/Pry 2d6
Bonuses:
` +3 Strike
+2 on Initiative
+2 Parry
+4 Roll

Cybernetics/Bionics: None
Culture:
Solitary omnivores. They generally scavenge for plants and other predators’ kills and hunt for small animals, but will hunt larger prey if they sense it is vulnerable. If two are encountered, they are either recently-weaned young or a mated pair.
Value:
Gumberoo hides can bring in 500 credits or more because they can be made into damage-resistant cloaks( 2d4x10 SDC and take NO damage from kinetic strikes/concussive blows). However, the cloaks are susceptible to fire(heat- and fire-based attacks do DOUBLE damage).

-Agropelter--North American D-Bee Fearsome Critter
“-Every day it seemed that went we went out on patrol we had to run a gauntlet of these stupid filthy alien beasts that would throw $#!+ at us. We’d blast away into the treeline and kill a dozen or so, but that never seemed to teach them anything; they’d be back the next patrol, throwing garbage just like before. And we’d waste ammo and our powercells in the process. At least, though, nobody tried throwing a grenade at them; that was made very clear to us by our sergeant that the little monsters can and will throw grenades back. The eltee wanted to call in a carpet-bombing and raze the forest for several miles around the base just to make sure of exterminating them, and most of the guys in my squad were with her on that, but the higher-ups never came through on her request. ”

A gibbon-like creature with a predilection for throwing loose debris at passersby. These forest-dwellers are resentful of anybody who damages the woods, such as loggers and hunters. Even casual travelers are targets of bored agrobelters or their young practicing their throwing skills. They’re equally adept at dodging counterfire.

Alignments: Anarchist
Lifespan: 35 years
Size: 4 ft tall, 50-80 lbs
Gender: Males and females. Give birth to 1-2 young at a time.
Physical Description/Appearance:
Spindly-legged, long-armed thin-build gibbon-like humanoid, covered in dense thick dark fur.
Disposition/Attitudes:
Fiercely territorial and aggressive. Very energetic and frenetic, and when they get bored, they seek to vent on passersby. Form tight family groups led by a matriarch.
Physical Attributes:
IQ: 2d6 (high animal intelligence)
ME: 2d6
MA:----
PS: 3d6+2
PP: 2d6+13
PB: 2d4
PE: 2d6+6
SPD:(Running) 3d6+9
(Leaping) Can leap up to 60 ft lengthwise and 12 ft up in a single bound
(Swimming) 3 MPH
(ISP): ME +2d6
(PPE): 3d6
Hit Points: 3d6+8
SDC: 5d6+12
MDC:---
Horror Factor:----
Natural Abilities:
*Leaping---Fearless arboreal leapers
*Keen Eyesight----Can estimate range and discern deliberate motion through thick forest with amazing acuity(reflected in Initiative and Striking bonuses). Low light vision of 300 ft.
*Very Agile---Fast and perceptive enough to have an Automatic Dodge
Psionics:(Minor)
-Sixth Sense(2)
- Sense Evil(2)
Magic: None
Skills of Note:
Climbing 98%
Swimming 70%
Prowl 88%
W.P. Small, Thrown
Actions/Attacks Per Melee: 5
Damage:
Bite 2d4 SDC
Can punch and kick as a last resort; 3d6 SDC
Bonuses:
+3 on Initiative
+3 Strike w/ thrown objects(plus any PP bonuses)
+8 Parry
+1d6 to Roll
Automatic Dodge
Cybernetics/Bionics: None
Culture:
Arboreal woods-dwellers and omnivores, practicing primitive hunter-gatherer behavior.
Pack/troop animals similar to terrestrial monkeys or primates, forming groups of 20-30 individuals. They tend to stake out a territory(10-20 miles) and patrol it, attacking those who damage their woods and threaten their food supplies. Occasionally a farm or orchard may become infested with agropelters, requiring the use of force to drive them out.
Value: None. They cannot be tamed nor are their skins of any value(except to themselves).

-Hidebehind--North American D-Bee Fearsome Critter
(aka ‘Hideys’, ‘Snatch-grabbers’, ‘Beast-ninja’)
“In hidebehind territory, I tend to keep a grenade on a string wired around my neck. That way, if one of those bastards gets me, there’s a good chance I can take the beast out with me. ”

A dangerous supernatural predator, the hidebehind is blamed for a number of disappearances in the North American woods over the centuries.
Though resembling a horrible cross between a bear and an ape, the hidebehind possesses a number of mystic abilities that allow it to evade detection. Its signature ability is that of compressing itself(possibly through dimensional folding) so thin that it can hide behind objects as little as five inches wide. They are also fast enough to almost always find cover or stay behind a target so as not to be seen; this evasive ability has been compared to some of the eastern martial arts’ special powers and abilities.
Hidebehinds are borderline intelligent; they are expert stalkers and seem to take delight in tormenting their preym avoiding being seen until the last moment. They can also be picky eaters, passing up easy targets for more appetizing , if difficult, prey.
Like a preying mantis, hidebehinds will attempt to stun or knockout their target in the first swift strike, then draw their prey close in for a killing bite, usually to the neck or throat.

Hidebehinds do have a toxic susceptibility to alcohol, and can be repelled by the mere smell of liqour.

Alignments: Anarchist and Evil(animal predator)
Lifespan: 40 years
Size: 5-6 ft tall, lbs
Gender: Unknown
Physical Description/Appearance:
Broad bipedal ape-bears covered in thick black fur. The face is buried under this covering, and the front and back of the beast appear identical. They can ‘fold’ themselves to incredible thinness(one inch wde) to hide behind narrow cover.
Disposition/Attitudes:
Stalkers and ambush predators. They seem to take great (sadistic) satisfaction in stalking and killing prey from ambush.
Physical Attributes:
IQ: 2d6(high animal predator)
ME:------
MA:------
PS: 3d6+13 (Supernatural)
PP: 2d6+14
PB:------
PE: 2d6+12
SPD:(Running) 5d6+30( MPH)
(Leaping) 12 ft across/6 ft up
(ISP): ----
(PPE): 5d6
Hit Points:------
SDC:------
MDC: 1d4x10
Horror Factor: 14
Natural Abilities:
*Megadamage Creature w/ Supernatural Strength

*Stealth----Hidebehinds are exceptionally stealthy; 90% to Prowl.
Hidebehinds are also naturals on what humans would call the martial arts of evasion(Hsing Tsia) in which the beasts instinctively move around out of a target’s line of sight(Hidebehinds have become proficient at learning that goggles and visors are devices of vision; they are less aware of pinhole and masked cameras), swinging around behind a turning opponent to avoid being seen. This is why it is always a god idea for travelers to move in groups where they can watch each others’ backs in hidebehind territory. Proficiency of 70%

*Sense of Smell---HIdebehinds possess excellent senses of smell and can track by smell with 80% proficiency. Though that same acute sense of smell makes them suspectible to the repellent essence effects of a thrown liqour bottle-bomb.

*Magic Compressibility----Hidebehinds can ‘fold’ themselves such that they can find cover behind even the thinnest sapling( 1 inch thick). However, they cannot hide their shadows, and an observant person may be able to see the predator’s silhouette. This ability also does not allow them to squeeze through narrow opennings, so the mass manipulation seems only optical or perceptual.

*Hard Strike---Hidebehinds do Critical Damage on an unmodified 19-20.

Vulnerability:
*Alcohol---Hidebehinds are poisoned by concentrated alcohol. A few drops of 30-proof alcohol solution does 4d6 points of damage to them. Whiskey-breath has been known to repel them.

*Poor Swimmers/Climbers---Hidebehinds are physically over-specialized in that they are poor climbers and swimmers.

Psionics:----
Magic: None
Skills of Note:
Prowl 95%
Tracking 90%
Climbing 40%
Swimming 40%
Actions/Attacks Per Melee: 7
Damage:
Bite 3d6 MD
Restrained Claw Strike 5d6 SDC
Full Strength Claw Strike 3d6 MD
Fast Strike(2 attacks) 6d6 MD
Bonuses:
+3 on Initiative
+3 Strike
+3 Dodge
+3 Parry
Stun/Knockout on an unmodified 17-20
Critical Damage on an unmodified 19-20
Cybernetics/Bionics: None
Culture:
Wilderness predators. Tend to be solitary stalkers, as more than one Hidebehind in the same territory tend to get in each other’s way.
Value: Necromancers will pay 4d6x100 credits for the skin of a Hidebehind that they can turn into a Cloak of Shadowmelding.
Alchemists will pay 1d4x1,000 credits for the internal organs of a Hidebehind for use in potions of Invisibility and shadowmelding.

-Hoopsnake--North American D-Bee Fearsome Critter
“Damn, but Jolly’s hand swelled up so big he could hardly lift it after that hoopsnake bit him.”

Hoopsnakes(or hornsnakes) are alien serpents that are characterized by their unique ability to arch their bodies, take their tails in their mouths, and stifen into a hoop shape to roll at great speed across the land. They are extremely venomous, ill-tempered, and readily lash out at other animals. They are also surprisingly agile, quick to bite, but also quick to retreat if they are outnumbered.
Hoopsnake venom is characterized by excruciating pain and intense swelling of the poisoned tissues; it appears to have a magic component as the afflicted limb/body part will swell up proportionately as a Giant spell, including magically-increased mass. However, victims rarely benefit from the growth aspects of the envenomation as the enlarged limb proves extremely encumbering and oh-so-pain-wracked.

Alignments: Anarchist and Evil(animal predator)
Lifespan: 12-15 years
Size: 6-9 ft long, 6-10 lbs
Gender: Males and females, same as regular snakes. Oviparous(egg-laying), producing clutches of 10-20 eggs.
Physical Description/Appearance:
A long slender brown or black snake/serpent. The scale pattern is curiously similar to bicycle tire treading.
Some species are distinguished by a small horn-like growth on their snouts.
Disposition/Attitudes:
Ill-tempered predators that lash out at anything they regard as threatening.
Physical Attributes:
IQ: 1d6(animal intelligence)
ME: -----
MA:----
PS: 5
PP:-----
PB: 1d4
PE: 3d6
SPD:(Slithering/crawling) 7( 4 MPH)
(Rolling) 30 ( 20 MPH)
(Swimming) 11( 7.5 MPH)
(ISP): ----
(PPE): 4d6
Hit Points: 6d6+12
SDC: 2d6+40
MDC:---
Horror Factor: 14 if recognized as the deadly hoopsnake.
Natural Abilities:
*Detect and Track Heat----50 ft range

*Rolling----The ability that gives the hoopsnake its name. It arches its body, takes its tail in its mouth, and starts rolling like a bicycle tire.

* Fangs----Hoopsnakes bite fo 2d4 SDC damage, plus possible venom effects.

*Venom----- Roll versus lethal poison or take 6d6 SDC/Hit Point damage and is -7 on Initiative. A successful save means the victim takes HALF damage and is only -3 on Initiative.
Hoopsnake venom has the added characteristic that it causes organic tissues to swell up similar to a localized Giant spell, with a x1d10 increase in size and mass if a succcessful save versus magic isn’t rolled.
Due to the encumberance caused by the swollen oversized limb, if an arm is bitten, the character loses half their APMs, and is -1 to dodge and parry, if a leg is bitten, the character’s Speed is slashed to 25% of normal and bonuses to dodge are HALVED. A bite to the torso causes the character to lose ALL initiative and is -3 to dodge. A head bite is far more serious; lose ALL initiative, -1d4 on Perception rolls, cannot dodge or parry, -1d6 to strike, and is -50% on skill rolls because of the extreme hydrocephaly and attendant head pain. Venom effects last 6d6 minutes.
Psionics: None
Magic: None, aside from its venom
Skills of Note:
Prowl 80%
Climbing 70%
Swimming 70%
Actions/Attacks Per Melee: 3
Damage:
Bite 2d4 SDC plus venom effects
Bonuses:
+2 to strike
+2 dodge(+3 when rolling)
Cybernetics/Bionics: None
Culture:
Solitary predator that preys on small animals.
Value:
Some alchemists and potion-makers hunt hoop snakes to milk them for their venom, useful in potions(especially Growth), while assassins and poisoners will seek them just for the undiluted poison. An ounce of hoopsnake venom will bring as much as 700 credits.


-Dungavenhooter --North American D-Bee Fearsome Critter
“Ain’t much left of a man left to bury after a dungavenhooter’s got him....just a few shreds of clothing.”

A d-bee monster known to inhabit the area around the Great Lakes and along the Saint Lawrence Seaway, dungavenhooters are ruthless predators from another dimension. They are stalk and ambush specialists, striking from concealment to subdue prey, then render it into a form the mouthless creatures can assimilate,
Dungavenhooters lack articulated mouths, but their respiratory system nostrills double as food intakes hardier than the human shared upper respiratory/digestuve tract. The creatures vibrate internally at frequencies more akin to vibroweaponry, so on contact they do megadamage to other creatures. Dungavenhooters use this ability to quickly pulverize their prey, dessicate the remains through vibration, then inhale the resulting powder. This leaves very little of the victim to be found and identified(and never a body to be resurrected).
Dungavenhooters also use their vibrational abilities to generate ‘white noise’ infrasound to mask the noise of their movements, Fortunately, this same noise static makes them easier to detect by those with enhanced hearing, such as Dog Boys.
Interestingly, the dungavenhooters of Rifts Earth have learned to associate the smell of alcohol with prey, usually because drunks make for easier targets. Thus dungavenhooters have become a real menace around wilderness taverns and distilleries. In the Shemarrian Nation, this has been turned against them; the producers of the infamous Bastards Brew, in order to protect their operations(and customers) set out traps baited with stale batches of their product to lure in dungavenhooters to their destruction. This also has the added benefit of keeping Hidebehinds away, though it attracts other creatures, such as giant slugs.

(Historical Note: It’s easy to see that the dungavenhooter was created as a temperance lesson for people of the then-frontier and wilderness areas, just as a good number of other ‘Fearsome Critter’s were created as warnings against careless behavior).

Alignments: Anarchist and Evil(animal predator)
Lifespan: 50 years
Size: 10-12 ft long, 400-500 lbs
Gender: Hermaphrodites similar to earthworms. They produce broods of up to 30 hatchlings that leave the nest after a week and reach sexual maturity after 18 months. Most young, however, wind up being eaten by other predators unless they learn quickly how to control their noise-making abilities.
Physical Description/Appearance:
A cross between a crocodile and a large snake, with no mouth, but large nostrils. They have dark scaled skin and small eyes. They have small, sharp clawed legs and a long tail. They also possess a chameleon ability, allowing them to change color to match their surroundings.
Disposition/Attitudes:
Ruthless stalker-ambush predators.
Physical Attributes:
IQ: 2d4(animal intelligence)
ME:---
MA:---
PS: 2d6+25(Supernatural)
PP: 2d6+9
PB:----
PE: 3d6+12
SPD:(Running) 8, but can sprint at up to 45( 30 MPH) for 1d4 minutes
(Leaping) Not possible
(Swimming) 18 ( 11 MPH)
(ISP):----
(PPE): 4d6
Hit Points:---
SDC:---
MDC: 2d6x10
Horror Factor: 14
Natural Abilities:
*Megadamage Creature w/ Supernatural Strength

*Excellent Sense of Smell---Track by smell 80%

*Chameleon Skin---90% chance of going undetected if standing still, 70% if moving at 2 ft per melee or slower, 20% if moving at 6 ft per melee or slower

*Generate White Noise/Infrasound---- To those who lack enhanced hearing, this covers the sound of the dungavenhooter’s terminal attack approach. Effective range of 50 ft.

*Sense Vibrations---Not quite natural sonar, but dungavenhooters can detect even minute vibrations on land(200 ft range) and in water(500 ft range)

Vulnerabilities:
*Noisy---At subsonic frequencies, dungavenhooters are fairly noisy, and those with enhanced hearing can easily detect them. During dungavenhooter mating season, they are especially noisy, sending out deep vibratory calls to attract suitors.

Psionics: None
Magic: None
Skills of Note:
Prowl 75%
Swim 98%
Track 70%
Actions/Attacks Per Melee: 4
Damage:
VibroStrike/Head Butt 5d6 MD
Claw Slash 3d6 +2MD
Tail Lash 4d6 MD
Bonuses:
+1 on Initiative
+2 Strike
+3 Dodge underwater
+4 Roll
+1 save vs Magic

Cybernetics/Bionics: None
Preferred Habitat:
Wetlands, Swamps, Creeks and Rivers.
Culture: Solitary stalker-hunters
Value: None

Squirmorgs----Space Ugly Gestalts

“Oh dear gods-”
The figure lurching up the passageway towards them radiated pure horror. A mass of blood-red pulpy tentacles and misplaced staring eyes completely covered the head and one arm, a yellow slime dripping from the mass over the skin of a shapely human female body barely dressed in the black slick-tex pleasure outfit of the starliner’s hostesses.
“That’s-”
“Yeah, Jedel, that brunette you were going to ask out to watch the wormhole transit through to the Azure Gate-”
As the two travelers watched, the eldritch monstrosity reached the glassteel door separating them. Tentacles probed at the door, before the uncovered arm shot up and began tapping out a code on the hatch lock-pad. Farther back down the hall, the two observers could see several more tentacled forms lurching up the hallway.
The calmer of the two men turned and grabbed his companion to haul him back the way they came as the hatch began to open, tentacles already squirming through the opening portal.
“Come on, Tommy! We got to warn the others and contain this mess! Jimmy the next hatches so they can’t use their new knowledge to open them! Buy time to get weapons and mount a counterattack!”
Tommy gibbered as they ran for the next breakwall hatch. “Against those things?! It’s...it’s a zombie apocalypse in space! How are we going to fight the undead?!”
His calmer companion didn’t break stride in their rapid retreat. “Not the undead, Tommy. Those people have just been body-jacked! I’ve seen this sort of thing before in the service and they’re not dead yet! You might still have a chance with Jedel if we work fast enough and you don’t let those things touch and take you over! I got a couple of ideas we can use, but I’m going to need some tools-”

Squirmorgs are a mutant form of Vampire Space Ugly(Rifts: Phase World, Dimension Bk, pg 112) that have developed a form of vampiric collective intelligence. It is not known if this mutation came about naturally, or from experimentation by an unknown party(some have likened the squirmorgs to ‘giant mutant vampiric neurons’). Other rumors have the Squirmorgs as a mystic hybrid of space uglies and octopoid Vorelli fear-vampires. Like the VSUs, squirmorgs seek to subdue prey to feed upon their life energy(though they also live off blood, suggesting a not quite efficient ability to subsist wholly on life energy)...and they are always so hungry for more.....
Squirmorgs appear like the average Space Ugly, but hunt in packs of four or more. When ambushing suitable prey, they will attempt to swarm the target, making skin contact so they can administer a nerve agent-style neuro-conductive slime-venom that both stupifies the victim and allows for better connection between the nervous systems of the victim and the squirmorgs. The squirmorgs will then attach themselves to the victim, covering parts of their body(especially the head; the squirmorgs will allow enough space for their victim to breath) in a living extra skinning of squiggloid horror. Joining tentacles, the squirmorgs form a collective intelligence, and take control of the victim’s body, while interrogating the victim’s mind for information.
So networked, the collective squirmorg get a boost in intelligence, and also a convenient means of getting around, using the victim’s hijacked body as a vehicle. The squirmorg intelligence can plumb the victim’s mind for knowledge on how to open doors, bypass security measures, and hunt down additional prey.
The sight of a squirm-jacked victim covered in eldritch cyclops-eyed vermiform ugliness has been known to cause observers to pause in horror and hestitate to take action, allowing the squirmog to attack or escape. In other cases, thinking the victim to be some form of xenoformed undead zombie, would-be rescuers have killed squirmorg victims, not realizing that they’re still alive, and horribly aware of what’s happening to them.
A squirmorg intelligence will typically ride a host body until they have drained the victim’s ISP, PPE, P.E., and Hit Points before discarding the host and moving on to another victim. It is possible to free a victim from squirmorg possession, though the experience leaves many victims traumatized(roll versus insanity, then for a random insanity).
Fortunately, Squirmorgs have a number of vulnerabilities; they are not as strong or tough as true vampire space uglies, and they possess a susceptibility to silver, the metal apparently interfering with their networked neural processes. However, their ability to commandeer others’ bodies makes up for their lack of speed and strength.

Squirmorgs are a known threat in the Three Galaxies, but not so in the RIfts Earth solar system, though it’s possible that some might have been transported via dimensional rift to Earth’s orbit/solar system and just haven’t been reported yet.

Alignments: (Animal) Effectively Diabolic
Lifespan: 9 years
Size: 2-3 ft long, weight 6-10 lbs
Gender: Hermaphrodites

Physical Attributes:
IQ: 2d4 (animal intelligence), linked, they have a collective intelligence of 3d6
ME: 2d6+6
MA: 2d6+6
PS: 3d6
PP: 4d6
PE: 4d6
PB: 1d4
SPD: 4d6(this is both running/sliddig along floors and jetting through the air in micro-graviy)
(PPE): 1d6

MDC: 4d6 MDC
However, when covering a host, the gestalt will typically leave enough of the host exposed so as to present enough that there’s a 30% chance that attacks will miss the squirmorgs and hit the victims instead.

Horror Factor: 10; a collective Squimorg Intelligence possessing a victim has an H.F. of 14

Natural Abilities:
*Possesion Attack--- If a Squirmorg can attach itself to a victim’s head, the person must make a save versus possession at a penalty of -3 due to the actual physical contact and the neuro-venom(see below) . On a failure, the victim’s body becomes suborned to the control of the Squirmorg. Once every 10 melees, the victim can attempt to fight the possession, but as it is a phsyical, rather than purely mental, linkage, the effort is made at -3 +-1 for every attached parasite. If the victim makes a save, they gain back partial control of their body and one action per melee to do something(such as sound an alert, trigger a lockdown, stab or shoot one of their unwelcome riders,etc. The Squirmorgs can still have partial control over the body, but their own combined APMs will be reduced to 4, have NO bonuses, and Speed of the commandeered body will be HALF, for 2d4 melees, after which they will attempt to regain full control of the victim.
Removing the Squirmorg from the victim is a painful process; simply tearing it off does 2d4 Hit Point damage to the victim as the Squirmorg’s neural tendrils and feeding tubes are ripped from the victim’s body. A successful surgery/field surgery effort can reduce the damage to 1d4.Similarly, there are some chemical treatments that will cause the Squirmorg to release its grip, though there will still be 1d4 in damage.
Possession by a squirmorg gestalt counts as a traumatic experience for reasons of determining insanity.

*Neuro-Venom---Squirmorg slime contains a skin-absorption toxin; roll versus nonlethal poison or be effectively stupified; reduce APMs to 1, -10 to strike, parry, dodge, and roll, for 2d6 melees. The neurotoxin also makes it easier for the Squimog to Possess the victim; victim is -3 versus possession.

*Life-Drain----Squirmorgs live off a combination of a victim’s ISP, PPE, P.E., and Hit Points. A single squirmorg will drain 1d4 points an hour. Of course, with multiple parasites on a single host, depletion to lethal levels goes much faster.

*Space Ugly Powers---Squirmorgs possess the regular Space Ugly abilities of Climbing (80%/70%), Prowl(45%) and being able to squeeze through narrow spaces as small as 4 inches wide. They can also survive hard vaccum, don’t need to breath, and secrete powerful digestive acids(1d4x10 SDC/1 MD depending on type of structure).

*Impervious to most poisons, drugs, and diseases, but their linkage to a host makes them vulnerable to some chemical treatments(See Vulnerabilities).

Vulnerabilities:
*Silver----Silver weapons do DOUBLE damage(as MDC) to Squirmorgs. Stabbing the squirmorg covering a parasitized victim’s head with a silver weapon gives the victim a chance to make another save versus possession. And surgery attempts to remove squirmorg parasites get a +10% to chance of success when using silver-plated instruments.

*Chemical ----There are some chemical treatments that will cause the Squirmorg to release its grip on its unwilling host. However, the chemicals tend not to be common and run the risk of poisoning the host as well. Atropene and botulism toxin work effectively at helping break the chemical grip of the parasites on their host, but both chemicals have their ow risks if administered incorrectly.
In general, it will take about 1d4 minutes for injected/inhaled chemicals to take effect, toxifying the host enough to cause the parasites to let go. There is a 50% chance the parasites may take the opportunity to kill their host, unless somehow distracted.

Psionics:
*See Aura(No ISP cost)
*Telepathy(Contact)(No ISP cost)---This allows a collective squirmorg intelligence to read a host-victim’s mind and figure out how to use the victim’s memories and skills, albeit at -25%, and ranged weapons skills are -2 to strike.

Magic:-----
Combat: 4 attacks per melee
As a collective possessing a common host body, they have HALF the combined attacks of all the attached members, causing the host to move in rapid spastic, but very controlled and deliberate, jerking motions. This contributes to the wearing out of the host’s body and is an incentive for the Squirmorg to find a new host to transfer to, typically killing the previous host to absorb its PPE at the moment of death.

Bonuses: (Same as Space Ugly)
+1 Strike individually, +6 in a swarm, +1 to Dodge/Roll individually, use HALF the host’s bonuses to parry/dodge/roll when infesting a victim.

Damage:
Bite 6d6 SDC
Tentacle Lash 4d4 SDC
Body Block/Tackle 1d4 SDC
Squirmorg gestalts get to add any SDC/MDC damage bonuses their host may possess.
Remember, they can also secrete/spew(10 ft range) corrosive acid.