Saturday, May 7, 2011

Mutants In The News — Nightmare Fuel Edition

I can't tell if the addition of the word "Swedish" makes the following headline more or less terrifying:

"Swedish Insect Shoots Larvae Into Victims' Eyes."

AIEEEEEEEEE.

"B" is for "Bearcuda"

Bearcuda

No. Enc.:  1d4+1 (1d8+2)
Alignment:  Neutral
Movement:  120' (40')
      —Swim:  60' (20')
Armor Class:  6
Hit Dice:  5
Attacks:  4 (2 claws, 2 bites)
Damage:  1d6 / 1d6 / 1d10 / 1d10
Save:  L3
Morale:  9
Hoard Class:  VII, VIII
XP:  650

Equally at home on land or submerged, bearcudas are scaly, toothy carnivores that never stray far from bodies of fresh water.  They make their lairs in burrows or underwater caves, and sometimes find their way into cavern complexes or ruins.  They stand 3'-4' at the shoulder, reach lengths between 5'-7', and weigh around 450-600 pounds.  Unlike most ursines, bearcudas have difficulty standing up on their hind legs.

Bearcudas attack with surprising speed, and are able to accelerate in short bursts, bumping their land movement rate to 180' (60') and swimming rate to 120' (30') for up to 3 consecutive rounds once per turn.  And during those 3 rounds, the creatures get a +1 To Hit bonus for each attack.

They are always encountered in familial groups (called a "battery"), consisting of pairs of mated adults and their offspring.  For every 2 adult bearcudas, there will be at least 1 cub.

Mutations:  Aberrant Form (Gills and Lungs)