The H@rthg!r

[Transmission begins:

¡SECTOR-WIDE ALERT!
::Commonwealth Space Force Dispatch::

*High Confidence*

2514-MAY-14|19:05 Non-local

Commonwealth Space Force confirms a strong H@rthg!r presence in 34 Feynman system. All civilians and citizens are cautioned to avoid the system. All communication from colony on 34 Feynman, including traffic control, has been lost. Local space traffic is currently under the jurisdiction of the Commonwealth Space Force Fleet-in-presence which is conducting military actions to re-take the system. Commonwealth ground forces are also on-site and engaged in active conflict. System should be considered dangerous and hostile until further notice!

The H@rthg!r

Image Source: eastern-empire.com

Stat Block: AC 15, HD 2d6+1, THB +2, ATT by weapon+1 melee, MR 12, ST 17, MV 4, XP 30

Despite their reptilian appearance H@rthg!r are more properly classified as Archosaurs. Warm-blooded and quick moving the H@rthg!r have never not been at war. As their daily struggle to survive evolved along with themselves into the struggle to donimate their archosaur cousins then their world, eventually their solar system and now beyond.

H@rthg!r are carnivorous and physically powerful, gaining a bonus of + 1 on melee damage rolls due to their great strength. They exercise no reservations about the use of other intelligent species as food.  H@rthg!r reproduce by egg laying and earth mammals suffer a -3 on the Reaction table as they smell similar to an egg stealing rodent species native to the H@rthg!r homeworld.

The H@rthg!r military is the H@rthg!r government; there is no distinction. The same is true of the various services; the navy, cavalry and infantry are all one force. Promotion is based on ability to perform and achieve objectives quickly and efficiently. At the highest levels the warlords sit in tribunals over their clade-troops and gatherings of tribunals debate and decree ruling over their separate worlds. While the H@rthg!r present a unified face to outsiders, there is no over-arching power structure beyond the tribunals. Only by cooperation between H@rthg!r worlds can forces large enough to attack or invade other Polities be formed.

H@rthg!r uniforms, such as they are, tend to be camo designs. It is the H@rthg!r themselves where the colors really come into it. Skin colors, based on clade, tend to be mottled or spotted in pattern and are greens, reds, oranges and yellows with occasional blacks or browns reflective of the individual's homeworld.

H@rthg!r Warparty Squad Size: 9+ H@rthg!r (2 fire teams of 3 H@rthg!r, 1 Hvy. Weapon team of 2 H@rthg!r and Leader; possibly supported by FleshEaters)

A single fireteam of these lizardmen took down half my mission team last night in two rounds! Their tech is advanced compared to the Commonwealth's, allowing cordless man-portable energy weapons.

:Transmission ends]

Xenoform Alert - Aquarii Wyrm

[Transmission begins:

Following the return of the surviviors of the investigatory team dispatched to Iota Aquarii c to check into the lapse of communications with the University archaeological team there, the following previously unknown xenoform has been identified.  Dubbed an Aquarii Wyrm this xenoform is dangerous and reacted to the mission team in a hostile manner.  The total loss of the administration and dig staff at the Iota Aquarii c Archaeological Site has been attributed, in part, to their presence.

Since that time, several other specimens has been located in differing stellar systems where contact lapse with the associated local outpost has ultimately resulted in loss of those staff and facilities.

Should you encounter such a xenoform, shelter in place and alert the authorities!

Aquarii Wyrm - artist's approximation

Based on detailed debriefings of the surviving members of the free-lance investigatory mission team that encountered them on Iota Aquarii c the following stats have been worked up for this creature:

• AC 13, HD 3d6+1, THB +3, ATT 8 tentacles, MR 9, ST 16+, MV 6, SPC Paralyzing Chemical (touch), XP 90

An Aquarii Wyrm is a 3 meter (10-foot) long nocturnal or subterranean scavenger that looks like a cross between a gigantic green cutworm and a cephalopod, with eight slimy tentacles arranged in a ring around its mouth. Though they appear to subsist primarily by scavenging carrion and other refuse, they will eat fresh meat when they can get it — they also lay eggs in corpses so their larvae have a ready supply of food when newly hatched.

An Aquarii Wyrm's bite is weak (1d3), so it's primary attack is its tentacles. The sticky slime that coats its tentacles contains a fast-acting paralytic agent that paralyzes any creature touched that fails a Brawn-modified Saving Throw. The Aquarii Wyrm then drags the paralyzed prey away to eat leisurely.

Aquarii Wyrms move quickly and can climb nearly any surface without difficulty, even upside down on a structure's ceilings. They appear to have cognitive capacity comparable to Earth's insects, and therefore Aquarii Crawlers can't be tamed or bargained with.

Sorry for the delay in getting this posted but until last night my players hadn't yet encountered my wee beastie and as they reference my site during play I didn't want to spoil the surprise!

:Transmission ends]