Off the records: Paranormal Critters Options

[Crimson Jack]

I'm thinking about a new run for my group that involves them taking a job in the Ute Nation. The Johnson is going to be a Native American game preserve warden. The setup is that he's tired of dealing with talisleggers/poachers that are sneaking onto the game park to kill the para-critters for their hides/horns/whatever. Instead of trying to catch them, he wants them dead. He'll be hiring the runners to find them and bring them back in - sans life.

What I'd like though, is for the team to run across a particularly nasty & aggressive critter. Now, I have my choice from both of the Paranormal Sourcebooks and the condensed Critters book, but I'd like to come up with something new for them... something they don't know about.

Does anyone have a good link to a Critters site, or better yet, something they've made up for their own group? It's gotta be something that's native to the Ute Nation... or have a reason why its not. Also, my group is fairly tough. We have one newb in the group, but four seasoned SR players (2 physads, 1 mage, 1 Gunbunny).

Any suggestions, links or otherwise?

[Ancient History]

A pack of wyverns?

[Crimson Jack]

AH,

No, what I meant to say was that I'm trying to invent something new for them... something they don't know anything about. Some new creature that's recently awakened. They've fought quite a few of the things in Critters at one point or another in their careers. Looking for something none of them could possibly know anything about.

[Dax]

My suggestion? Go to your local gaming shop and flip through those D20 suppliments that are mostly monsters and the like. You might find something in there that might translate over to Shadowrun easily enough.

[toturi]

Base critter template(Critters) + T:WL Mutation and Toxic mods = never been seen Critter

[Herald of Verjig...]

1) mutate an existing critter

2) add a few tweaks to a local unawakened species of your choice

[ Spoiler ]

Awakened Roadrunner:
B: 1
Q: 15 x 5 (or more)
S: 1
I: 1/4
C: -
W: 3
R: 8 + 3D6
Attacks: 4L (ballistic armor applies)
Powers: Accident, Movement (self), Innate spell: Ignore Gravity

[Zazen]

You forgot to give it the Accident power ;)

[Herald of Verjig...]

I have corrected the oversight.

[toturi]

Wiley Coyote: Accident(self)

[Crimson Jack]

Thanks. I forgot all about Target:WL.

[Kanada Ten]

I've been waiting to see a pack of runners vs the Essence Kitten.

Sun Soldier (Cnemidophorus helios)
This brightly colored, yellow and black striped lizard is thought to be an awakened Plateau Striped Whiptail. Like its progenitor, this species is parthenogenic, capable of reproducing without benefit of male fertilization. Unlike the Plateau Striped Whiptail, the Sun Soldier dwells in the desert around Los Vegas.

The Sun Soldier has the ability to spray its prey with digestive juices when they come into its ambush range. Waiting patiently near watering holes or shade, using an innate camouflage ability, the lizard sits absorbing even the hottest of the sun's rays. Its large, powerful jaws can rip apart any animal once the stomach acid takes effect.

B3 Q4(x3) S3 C- I2/6 W3 E6 R5

Powers Concealment, Innate Spell (Acid Stream), Movement (Self, 3 time per day), Immunity to Heat, Regenerate (one box per hour)

Notes The Sun Soldier becomes lethargic and loses its Concealment, Regeneration, and Innate Spell powers when removed from sun light. Reduce all attributes by 1 for every full 24 hours without sun light. When its Body is reduced to 0 the lizard dies. Attributes are replenished by 1 every hour in direct sun light. The Innate Spell range is (Essence) meters.

[Crimson Jack]

Okay, so here's what I came up with. This is a variant on the Wyvern:

Bod 10
Qck 3 x 2
Str 9
Cha -
Int 2/4
Wil 5

Init: 4 + 2d6
Att: 9S, +1 Reach

Movement for flying is 6x.

Enhanced Senses (low-light)
Fear
Immunity (poison)
Venom
Blindness

He'll be a mean cuss too. How's he look?

[Kanada Ten]

I'd add a little bit of armor and maybe the Increased Reaction power... :vegm:

[Patrick Coogan]

I don't have the stats for it anymore, but I had come up with the Tyson Cactus:

Originally thought to be an awakened and/or mutated strain of the Saguaro Cactus, some meta-herbologists theorize that it's actually the result of infection by an as-yet-undidentified meta-virus. There are un-verified reports of other cacti species exhibiting similar behavior.

The result, in a any case, is a cactus that by all appearances seems normal. However, when approached too closely (anywhere from 1 to 13 meters has been documented) the cactus immediately becomes animated, mobile, violent, and hostile.

As the effect is usually a total surprise, the first sign that anything is amiss is when an unfortunate hiker/smuggler/ranger is clubbed in the head with several hundred pounds of spikey vegetable matter. If the unfortunate happens to be travelling alone, the result has usually been the death of the victim.

Tyson Cactus, have not demonstrated any intelligence, though their behavior has been described as violently cunning. The will often ambush, sometimes stalking a victim for days after an attack.

They do appear confused by multiple targets and will often lurch back and forth wildly when faced with choices.

One of the relatively more disturbing qualities of these cacti are their propensity to continue attacking something long after it has been killed. There is one recording, made by a tourist, showing a Tyson Cactus knock a man to the ground, and after a brief scramble, pound the body with its limbs over 200 times.

While Saguaro's are not native to the region you're talking about, they could be said to seem to be spreading north.

Then again, your players may not know enough about desserts to even notice the distinction.

Have fun!

[boodah]

saguaro = arizona only at this point in time.

only place in the world....