Argus
(I used the picture on p.11 of Gamma Dawn [after I cut out the smaller one with the gun] as inspiration for these creatures)
Type: Large Omnivore
Number: 2-20
Move: Medium
IM/RS: +5/50
Stamina: 150
Attack: 50
Damage: 3d10 Pincers (x2)
Special Attack: Attack rolls 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 & 50 mean the argus has locked a pincer onto a target and is automatically doing 3d10 per turn with no need to roll to hit thereafter with that pincer.  If locked on, may attempt (especially if threatened) to carry the victim into the water to feed in safety.
Special Defense: Chitinous shell acts as full polyplate armor.
Native World: Archangel - fresh or salt water areas

DESCRIPTION: These large crayfish-like creatures are amphibious scavengers.  They prefer carrion but will attack and kill other creatures smaller than themselves and will also feed on accumulated seaweed or algae.  They can detect blood or carrion from 20 km away in water or 2 km away on land.  Once a dead or wounded creature has been detected the argus becomes a single-minded feeding machine and will strive tirelessly to track down the source and eat it.  If a living (unwounded)  creature ventures close enough to be spotted by the argus they may or may not be attacked depending upon whether the ‘odds’ are clearly in favor of the argus (example: 10 argus milling around a beach and 3 humans wander by - the humans would be attacked.  3 argus on a beach and 10 humans wander by - the argus would retreat to the water.).

The argus never strays more than 2 km from a water source and they never stay out of the water for longer than a few hours before returning to the water to wet their gills after which they will venture back out in search of food.  They are only active at night out of the water but in water they can be encountered at any time.

Their shell acts as full polyplate  armor (¼ damage from beam and inertia sources; absorbs 250 pts).  Once the armor has been breached the argus will attempt to retreat to the safety of its watery home where the shell will eventually heal (1 week per 100 points of damage). 

They attack with large vice-like pincers that are easily capable of clipping limbs off human-sized targets and even nipping a man-sized victim in half from side to side.  If an argus is ever killed after it has locked a pincer onto a victim the pincer will stubbornly remain closed on the victim as if the argus was still alive.  Even if the pincer is hacked off at the ‘wrist’ joint it will continue to remain closed like a vice.  The only way to release it is to manually pry the pincer apart (STR [of the strongest character involved, victim or helper] -20 with a bonus of +10 per character helping [example: the victim being helped by 2 others would get a bonus of +20 to the STR roll]) or to break the ‘thumb’ joint where the two sides of the pincer come together (causing 100 points of damage [the ¼ damage from beam and inertia sources applies] specifically to the joint after the beast has been dispatched will break it and release the hydraulic effect - no called shot is required for this as the beast is not jumping around, etc). This could end up being a potentially life-threatening situation for a lone victim as it could easily lead to the amputation of a limb even after the argus has been killed if the victim is unable to remove the pincer.  Irreversible limb death will occur if the limb in question has been squeezed thusly for longer than 20 minutes.

A resourceful character might realize that the shells of these beasts are extremely hard and seem to be a very adequate defense. It seems plausible to consider the possibility that with a successful Repair Machinery roll a character might be able to fashion replacement plates from this armor to repair their own combat or polyplate armor…or even to fashion a new suit of armor using shell fragments in place of polyplate.  The protective value and mass would all be the same.

As an aside, once dispatched, the argus makes an extremely good meal - especially with a bit of butter and lemon juice.

Cave Bear
Type: Giant Omnivore
Number: 1-2
Move: Slow
IM/RS: +4/40
Stamina: 500
Attack: 55
Damage: 6d10 claw or 4d10 bite
Special Attack: Hug for an automatic +4d10 per turn on a roll of 10 or less
Special Defense: Thick hide acts as a skiensuit for the duration of the bear’s lifespan
Native World: Archangel – caverns/ruins

DESCRIPTION: The cave bear is a large (10 meters long and 5 meters high at the shoulder) creature inhabiting the caverns and ruins of Archangel. It attempts to eat any organic substance it finds. The cave bear normally attacks by slashing the victim with its massive foreclaws, attempting to sweep the unfortunate creature into a hug. If the bear's normal attack succeeds on a roll of 10 or less, it has caught the foe in its hug. The cave bear does +4d10 points damage each turn until the victim dies or breaks the hold (at -30, due to the bear's great strength).

A resourceful character might realize that the hide of this beast is extremely tough and seems to be a very adequate defense. It seems plausible to consider the possibility that by simply stitching pieces of hide onto existing clothing a character might be able to fashion a replacement skeinsuit.  The protective value would only be 40 points to simulate the fact that there would be unprotected seams here and there instead of a full bodysuit and the mass would be 4kg instead of 1kg because the hide is thick and heavy. But when your pretty store-bought skein suit is hanging off you in ragged strips, something is better than nothing yeah?


Cebus
(I used the picture of the primate-like figure on p.08 of Gamma Dawn for inspiration for these creatures)
Type: Small Omnivore (semi-intelligent)
Number: 2-20
Move: Medium
IM/RS: +8/80
Stamina: 15
Attack: 50
Damage: 1d5
Special Attack: None
Special Defense: Teleportation (see below)
Native World: Archangel - temperate forests

DESCRIPTION: These small primates (10 kg) are very curious creatures and will approach any being or creature that they either know to be non-hostile or that they know nothing about.  They will avoid contact with creatures that they have had previous experience with if that experience has been hostile in nature.  They are semi-intelligent and can discern the difference between that grumpy Yazirian that growled at them and that nice Dralasite that offered an apple.  Similarly, they can even recognize the difference between mean and nice members of the same species and will actively avoid the mean ones in favor of socializing with the nice ones. 

They absolutely love fruit of any kind and will continuously visit a friendly creature that offers fruit.  They also love shiny objects and, during the course of social interaction may manage to snatch the occasional shiny object and hide it for future examination.  Of course this makes them a minor nuisance to those that wish to retain all their shiny objects and not share.  Once they become comfortable with a particular being they will conduct ‘grooming’ behavior whereby they will pick at the being’s clothing, equipment and hair for parasites like ticks and fleas, etc. 

If ever they find themselves in a hostile situation these curious little primates have an astoundingly powerful defensive mechanism.  They can teleport themselves (and whatever small items they happen to be holding in their hands) up to 60 meters away instantly (no concentration requirement), with no chance of failing, two times per day. They must be familiar with the location that they wish to teleport to (meaning, they must have physically been at the target location at some point within the last hour). When the cebus teleports, there is a slight rush of air toward the cebus (like the intake of breath from a very large creature) followed by an audible ‘POP’ a fraction of a second before the cebus vanishes.

They are extremely agile and good climbers.  They mainly eat fruit, greens and small insects but can survive on stripped tree bark in a pinch.  Their short, soft fur is very dark black along the back and sides and dark brown on the belly.  Their faces, tops of their heads, and the pads of the hands and feet are hairless.  Their large and inquisitive eyes are amber with black iris’ and their prehensile tail is easily twice the length of their body and is used to grip tree limbs and help the cebus maintain its balance.

Can be domesticated and trained.

Chimera:
(I used the picture on p.80 of the Remastered Alpha Dawn rulebook for inspiration for these creatures)
Type: Medium Carnivore
Number: 1-10
Move: Fast
IM/RS: +6/60
Stamina: 100
Attack: 60
Damage: 2d10
Special Attack: None
Special Defense: None
Native World: Archangel - dry plains and deserts

DESCRIPTION: This strange-looking beast looks like a composite of a mammal (lion) and a reptile (snake) and sports just two legs.  It lives in dry areas like dry grassy plains and deserts.  In spite of its very unusual and somewhat frightening appearance, this creature is fairly harmless unless it is cornered or threatened.  In which case it will bite and then sprint away at a rapid pace.  Usually the beast can be seen lounging lazily in whatever shade it can find, only springing up abruptly and dashing after prey that it happens to spot.  It eats anything it can catch and will chase after any other animal that is smaller than it.

When lying in the shade as it often does, it may sometimes go unnoticed and upon approach it will suddenly leap upright, snarl loudly and dart off in a safe direction away from the approaching creature.  The experience can surprise and unsettle the unobservant to say the least!

Feral Human
Type: Medium Omnivore
Number: 10-50 (typical 'hunting' party)
Move: Medium
IM/RS: +5/50
Stamina: 50
Attack: 40
Damage: by weapon type or 1d10 fist
Special Attack: None
Special Defense: None
Native World: Archangel – anywhere

DESCRIPTION: Feral humans are nothing more than roving gangs of insane, cannibalistic wild humans that have no moral compass in the least and a very limited intelligence.  They rob, rape and kill without remorse whenever they have the chance.  It is not uncommon for them to consume the bodies of those they kill, often even hunting humans for meat.  Females are usually taken as slaves for the purpose of procreation and are killed and eaten after they become too old to serve that purpose. Males are always killed and eaten and never taken as slaves.  The only way to become a member of a gang is to be born into it.  All outsiders are considered 'meat' unless they are being used as a slave for procreation as detailed above.  Very rarely do they use technological weapons, preferring instead to use simple archaic-style weapons since they allow them to get 'up close and personal' - and of course because technological weapons are extremely rare on Archangel.  These 'humans' are capable of speech, but they are also EXTREMELY violent and essentially never stop attacking long enough to carry on a conversation with their prey. There are about 1 million humans scattered all around the planet.  Roughly 100,000 of them are regular humans.  The rest are these feral humans.  A settlement of these feral humans typically has between 50-500 members. Though they are no longer afflicted with the virus, their culture has evolved to the point that they still conduct themselves as if they were.  

Feral Rats
Type: Small Carnivore
Number: 2-20
Move: Fast – 90 meters/turn
IM/RS: +6/60
Stamina: 5
Attack: 40
Damage: 1d2 bite + disease
Special Attack: None
Special Defense: None
Native World: Archangel – ruins

DESCRIPTION: Feral rats are large brown rats originally brought to the planet by human settlers. Feral rats travel in packs of 2-20 and will attack any animal in their path. A medium-sized creature caught by a pack will be attacked by the rats. Creatures larger than medium will be avoided.

Any creature bitten or scratched by a feral rat has a 50% chance of being infected by a disease that attacks the central nervous system. A creature only needs to roll once per encounter with these rats. Unless a victim is given a dose of antibody plus within 12 hours, he will become hostile and paranoid and might even attack or desert his companions. If antibody plus is administered after the initial 12 hour period of exposure it will be ineffective unless administered in a hospital setting. Every 12 hours after being bitten the victim can make a stamina check with a -5% cumulative modifier per attempt. If the character succeeds, he has recovered. If not, another 12 hours must pass before the victim can try again. Once the cumulative negative modifier exceeds the diseased character’s STA score, the character perishes from the affliction.

Under normal conditions rats would shy away from larger life forms.  These feral rats however, had been affected by the virus in a similar manner as the humans on the planet.  During the course of infection however, the virus affected the rat population in a much more sinister way, genetically altering them to become these larger, more aggressive rodents.  The disease they carry has nothing to do with the virus.  It is just a simple disease common to this world and easily cured with a dose of antibody plus.

Depending upon the universe that the Referee has created, this virus may also be dangerous to a vimh character.  Since these feral rats were susceptible, perhaps there is a shared genetic similarity that the virus could exploit.  It is left to the Referee therefore, to pass this virus along to any vimh characters if it were ever to resurface.  Since it has been incorporated into the genetic code of these rats, it is also conceivable to imagine that any vimh character wounded by one of these rats could possibly catch the virus.  

Mantid
(I used the picture on p.32 of Gamma Dawn for inspiration for these creatures)
Type: Medium Carnivore
Number: 1
Move: Medium; on ground, Fast; in flight
IM/RS: +8/80
Stamina: 100
Attack: 70
Damage: 2d10 per claw
Special Attack: Attack rolls 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 & 70 mean the victim is impaled and no further rolls to hit are required, 2d10 damage per turn is automatic and the bug can then carry the victim off.
Special Defense: Camouflage - 70% to remain unnoticed until it moves to strike.
Native World: Archangel - Warm climates

DESCRIPTION: This mantis-like creature’s camouflage is excellent.  It can change color to mimic its surroundings.  Furthermore, its body temperature equals that of the ambient air temperature making it invisible on thermal imagers.  It is a 200 kg, 1.5 m insect that patiently sits completely still (moving only to mimic the action of wind on a shrub or to slowly and painstakingly approach a victim) until a target comes close enough for the mantid to detect (within 50 m).  Then it slowly stalks the prey until it can strike.

It is a fearsome predator and has no fear of attacking prey twice its size.  It can impale a victim and, if threatened, fly away at a rapid pace with that victim as long as the victim is equal to or less than its own weight. If the mantid takes damage or is attacked with weapons that make loud noises it will flee and attempt to take its victim with it.

Though primarily active at night, mantids can be found hunting during the day as well.

Ravener
(I used the picture on p.32 of the Remastered Zebulon’s Guide to Frontier Space for inspiration for these creatures)
Type: Medium Carnivore
Number: 2-25
Move: Fast
IM/RS: +7/70
Stamina: 75
Attack: 75
Damage: 2d10 bite
Special Attack: None
Special Defense: None
Native World: Archangel - anywhere

DESCRIPTION: Raveners are furry brown creatures that resemble wolves. Raveners hunt in packs of 2-25, and will attack any animal in their path. They are cunning and attack in waves, some sprinting after prey while others follow at a loping stride. When one wave of sprinters falters, another wave takes their place until the prey finally tires. A medium-sized creature caught by a pack of raveners will be attacked by 2-3 of the creatures, while the rest encircle the prey and block off any avenues of escape.

Razor
Type: Giant Carnivore
Number: 1-2
Move: Fast
IM/RS: +5/50
Stamina: 500
Attack: 60
Damage: 10d10 bite
Special: Attack None
Special Defense: Soft cover while in water
Native World: Archangel – salt water

DESCRIPTION: The razor is a giant (20 meters and weighing in at about 60 tons!) predatory fish similar to a shark, though it sports elongated dorsal fins that occur at regular intervals and incrementally diminishing sizes along the entire length of its spine from a bit behind its massive head all the way to its tri-angular, downward-pointed tail. Its jaws, more than two meters wide, are filled with hundreds of razor-sharp teeth. The razor will attack anything in the water smaller than 20 meters long. If the players are aboard any type of craft, the razor will bump and investigate the craft in an effort to determine if it is edible.  Keeping in mind that this is a 20 meter long beast, it’s ‘gentle’ bumps will cause 1d10 damage to the craft.  After 1d10 bumps, the creature will determine that the craft is not worth eating and will move off. If the characters are in the water, the razor will attack one of them at random. If the initial strike causes damage (blood in the water), then the razor will relentlessly attack that same target until it is dead and consumed (if that initial attack misses or fails to spill blood into the water there is a 50% chance that the razor will loose interest and simply move off). If there are more victims in the water after that point, the razor will circle a couple times and then choose another at random. Once it starts feeding, one razor (on average) will kill and consume two medium-sized victims before moving off.  Of course, once it starts attacking and blood spills into the water, it is just a matter of time before more razors show up. Razors can smell blood in the water up to 30km from its source and will come to investigate.

Sand Swimmer
Type: Medium Carnivore
Number: 1
Move: Slow
IM/RS: +8/80
Stamina: 50
Attack: 75
Damage: 2d10 bite
Special Attack: Poison S8/T10
Special Defense: None
Native World: Archangel - warm, dry areas

DESCRIPTION: The sand swimmer resembles a 4 to 8 meter long snake. It has two 8 cm long horns, one over each eye, that gently arch over the top of the serpent’s head. The sand swimmer prefers to dislodge burrowing animals from their subterranean homes in order to occupy the burrows themselves.  After taking over a suitable lair, the sand swimmer waits patiently until an unsuspecting creature wanders within striking range (2-4 meters). As soon as it senses the presence of its prey, the sand swimmer springs forth, hoping to kill any creature it hits with its extremely venomous bite (a shot of antitox will counteract the venom).  Once it strikes it will immediately recoil into its burrow and let the poison do its work.  The bite mark oozes puss and releases pheromones from the poison that the serpent can detect from as far away as 1km.  The serpent therefore, waits after having landed a successful bite for an hour or so before venturing out to locate its victim.  This serpent is easily capable of killing and consuming an adult human.