Manitrude
No. Enc.: 1
Alignment: Neutral
Movement: 90' (30') + 30' (10') per
initial Hit Dice
Armour Class: 4 (jacket) / 8 (tubers)
Hit Dice: 1d6
Attacks: 1-6 (1 per initial Hit Dice)
Damage: 1
Save: C4 (Improves with additional Hit Dice)
Morale: 7
Hoard Class: None
XP: 300 per initial Hit Dice
Manitrudes are sentient
molluscotuberoids, tough chitinous jackets each carried aloft a mass
of dexterous tubers. In immature Manitrudes these tubers are used to
draw nutrients from the environment, whether soils, mould colonies or
humid atmospheres.
As the creatures develop, however, they
become increasingly coordinated and agile and take to hunting ever
larger prey, pinning their victims and feeding on their vital fluids
by a powerful osmotic mechanism. A mature Manitrude is able to strike
swiftly by propelling itself from surfaces, and even distract and
mesmerise its victims, reputedly in some cases setting intricate
traps; it is suggested by the enlightened that an ancient and adept
Manitrude may even be capable of a form of flight in fluids as thin
as air, and a rudimentary speech by means of vibration.
The tubers themselves are often damaged
in the course of exploration, excavation and pursuit, but rapidly
regrown down from the jacket, which itself also grows additional
folds as the central nervous system evolves. These lost tubers
quickly sprout young Manitrudes into the surrounding space, while the
growth of the jacket has led to speculation that Manitrudes are able
to learn from their consumption of other creatures, and are perhaps
capable of developing immense intelligence over time; scholars hungry
for the knowledge they may possess are known to have commissioned
collecting expeditions. Manitrudes are long-lived, and may be
effectively immortal while possessed of sufficient developed tubers
to at least subsist.
In combat a Manitrude will select a
single victim and strike rapidly, attempting to enwrap the individual
while shielding tubers and victim alike with its jacket. To this end
it may leap double its maximum Movement in the first round. For each
successful attack by a Manitrude against any target, the hit point
lost is transferred to the Manitrude and the target is enwrapped,
with the following effects: a) the target suffers a cumulative attack
penalty of -1, b) the Manitrude has the number of Attacks available
to it reduced by 1, and c) the Manitrude continues to attack this
target once per round regardless of its number of Attacks,
transferring the hit point each time. Effects a)-c) last until the
Manitrude is next successfully attacked by any individual; hit points
lost to a Manitrude by a target may be recovered as normal, while the
Manitrude adds those gained to its running total, increasing the
initial level permanently if it is exceeded. The lower of the
Manitrude's two AC values is used when the jacket is placed between
attacker and tubers, the higher otherwise and at range.
If a Manitrude is dealt a total of 6 or
more hit points of damage with any single blow, its maximum Movement
is reduced by 30' (10') and number of Attacks by 1; the Manitrude
will then attempt to flee. If the maximum 6 Hit Dice are rolled, the
Manitrude may fly for one quarter of its total available Movement
when uninjured, and may also attempt communication.
---
The
Manitrude is the brain-child and creation of Porky from
Porky's Expanse blog, working from an illustration by Hereticwerks/Garrisonjames.
