 February 6, 2012 - 7:14am | Has anyone taken their kids to a Build a Bear Workshop? Well this aint that. This is a collaboration project to build a new sathar attack monster/bio-construct. Rules: 1. Basic idea is Community collaboration and submission to the SFman. I'll do the work of writing it up and push it along, looking for concensus in the posting and I'll break ties/ non concensus situations 2. Its a cold weather creature that the sathar bring to the dance on cold or snow bound planets/ environments. 3. Must be as "BAD Arsed" as the Quick Death Temporary working name is Death Yeti (subject to change just needed something) A. Carnivore or omnivore? Herbivores are not usually all that scary. B. Size- any is possible (but I would think Tiny is probably not going to work and Giant wasn't what I was looking for initially but its certainly on the table. C. Move, IM/RS, STamina, will probably all be determined after size and type though we dont have to follow the exact numbers on the tables of average creatures. D. Attack and damage should be influenced by what we come up with. E. Special Defense: Absolutely F. Special Attack: Absolutely Now Post I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
 February 6, 2012 - 5:38pm | I was looking back over the thread and noted that the pictures I uploaded of the creature from 'The Relic' have dissappeared. Not sure why. Anyway, I was going to edit them back into that post and I can no longer edit it. Not sure if they just aren't showing up for me but everyone else can see them. Regardless, if they're gone and you want/need them for anything let me know and I'll e-mail the .jpegs to you. I don't have to outrun that nasty beast my friend...I just have to outrun you!  |
February 6, 2012 - 5:41pm | Also Terl, I have written up a sathar attack monster for a scenario of mine. If you would like that creature to use for whatever reason let me know and I can pm it to you and not clutter up Jedion's thread with it. I don't have to outrun that nasty beast my friend...I just have to outrun you! |
February 6, 2012 - 6:26pm | I was looking back over the thread and noted that the pictures I uploaded of the creature from 'The Relic' have dissappeared. Not sure why. Anyway, I was going to edit them back into that post and I can no longer edit it. Not sure if they just aren't showing up for me but everyone else can see them. Regardless, if they're gone and you want/need them for anything let me know and I'll e-mail the .jpegs to you. upload them to photobucket and then post the links- its a way around problems with uploading them here- they may have been too big. The one that showed the tail was really cool as it looked like a quickdeath tail from one of the cannon artwork pictures sort of picks up a theme with the sathar having tinkered with both. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
February 6, 2012 - 6:40pm | Also Terl, I have written up a sathar attack monster for a scenario of mine. If you would like that creature to use for whatever reason let me know and I can pm it to you and not clutter up Jedion's thread with it. Clutter away if you like it was a thread for collaboration and ideas, I only set "rules" for the thread and hinted that I was in charge to have the moral authority to redirect things if the thread rabit trailled, which didn't happen. I'm surprised that we got so much done today, thought this would be a thread that would take a week to mature. We have 1. the Snow Gula; young and adult, and possible cyber version 2. Gutripper 3. Death Yeti (just because I like the name and I'm sure a SF version of the wampa will see some use) Other considerations: 4. would, could or did the sathar do cybernetic versions of other of their bio-constructs. 5. I think a little write up of a control module that allows sathar troops take into battle any of the non cyber creatures or rather non obviously cyber creatures like the cybo-dragon. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
February 6, 2012 - 8:00pm | New Sathar Attack Monster: Name: Death Weaver Type: Small Carnivore Number: 1-3 Move: Very Fast IM/RS: +6/65 Stamina: 35 Attack: 60 Damage: 1d10 bite Special Attack: Poison (S5/T20) Special Defense: Hard exoskeleton acts as 10 point skeinsuit. Native World/Habitat: Sathar attack monster. Any warm areas. DESCRIPTION: The death weaver has been bio-engineered from original black racer stock from the Starfall system. It is a many-legged arachnid that is about a meter in diameter (if just the body were measured it would be about half a meter in diameter). It is black in color and sports two fangs that are 7.5 centimeters in length and that are capable of easily penetrating a leather boot and delivering a load of poison to the foot inside. They have been bio-engineered with spinnerets (unlike the original stock) and use their webs primarily for hiding their nests and for lowering themselves from unexpected places, thus developing a ambush predator lifestyle. These webs are strong enough to support these massive spiders and eventually, through learned behavior (as the species did not originally produce webs), may begin to use its webs in a fashion similar to other spider species. They are very powerfully built; robust even, and have been bio-engineered to develop a more dense carapace so that they can now support their own weight on worlds with higher gravity (now, anything less than 1.0). They depend upon their speed (very fast!), strength and highly toxic poison to subdue prey (a dose of Antitox will clear this right up). These spiders are extremely fearsome and exceptionally aggressive, chasing anything that they encounter. Their poison is also extremely toxic so that a single bite is generally capable of killing any creature twice the size of a human or smaller within moments of exposure. Any bite that manages to bypass the defenses of the death weaver’s victim and does at least one point of damage will inject a deadly toxin (S5/T20) into the victim. In addition to the damage inflicted by the poison, this toxin has a secondary effect: paralysis. Each turn that passes, the victim must roll against their STA stat with a cumulative -10% or become completely paralyzed. The victim will still be able to feel and breath, just not move or speak. Regardless of how much time passes, at the point at which the victim falls to the ground paralyzed, the spider will quickly approach and begin to feed…leaving the still-live victim to feel everything that the spider is doing while it contemplates its death. Generally this arachnid will either rush at or ambush a victim from above, delivering a deadly bite before backing off quickly and allowing their poison to bring the prey down. Once a victim has been brought down, the death weaver will defend their kill viciously and without regard to personal safety. They will climb up on their prey, wave their two front legs about menacingly, while arching back and displaying their fangs and hissing loudly to warn off any trespassers. If any other creature were to approach a death weaver while it was defending its prey in such a manner and if that creature were to get to within 5 meters, the death weaver will spit a stream of venom at the eyes of the intruder with an attack score of 50. If the attack is successful, the new victim will suffer the same exposure to the toxin as if they had been bitten. Obviously if the victim has any kind of facial protection (that would cover the mouth and eyes) the poison will be nullified even if the attack is successful. The death weaver have been bio-engineered to produce twice the amount of poison as the original stock. It can produce and store four loads of poison in a day. Producing this poison takes a lot of energy that is why it is so very potent. Once it is out of poison, a death weaver will seek a good hiding place (caverns, crevices and other similar dark places) to restore its supply before venturing back out to hunt. If killed (and not completely destroyed), the poison glands (one each, located directly behind the fangs - each containing 2 ounces of toxin) could be harvested and used in a variety of different ways. The liquid could be collected in a small vial, kept tightly sealed and later added to food as a potent and deadly assassination tool, the potency of which would be identical to having been delivered directly by the death weaver. It could also be applied to low tech, bladed melee weapons or to needler ammunition. Once dried it would last indefinitely but would be used up after one successful attack. Used in this manner, it would be half as effective (S5/T10 and the -10% STA roll would not be cumulative). The Sathar used an advanced form of DNA manipulation to create these hideous beasts from a deadly spider found on a moon in the Starfall system. Unlike the original stock, this monster has been engineered to create far more eggs each year - potentially creating as many as 200 young a year. Also unlike the original stock, this spider has been engineered to survive for two years rather than dying naturally after just one. This allows this beast to produce 400 offspring during it’s lifetime with a very real potential to over populate on planets with no natural enemies and collapse entire ecosystems, not to mention the extreme hazard to civilized population. As with all sathar attack monsters, the sathar plan to release this one on enemy planets to terrorize its inhabitants. Though this construct is most certainly less powerful than some of the other sathar attack monsters, it still has some very real benefits over those other more powerful constructs. It is really small in comparison which allows the sathar to carry many times more death weavers than cybodragons while en-route to a planet to drop them off for example. I don't have to outrun that nasty beast my friend...I just have to outrun you! |
February 6, 2012 - 8:06pm | I was ok with the name gutripper, not head over heels for it but ok. Upon further reflection the name suggests a feeding practice- it like to rip open and feed on the guts of its victims first. If you used the optional hit locations you could rule that all hits by this creature are against center of mass. Other than that it has no measurable or mechanical impact on the game but it does represent some fluff or color to the game so I'm finding myself to like this much more now as a name. the name, for me adds color and that is cool. For the Gula- no reason it cant have multiple names, Gula, snow gula, snow terror I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
 February 6, 2012 - 8:13pm | Frozen Spiders Heat sensitive meter diameter spiders much like the camel spiders in the Middle East. Make them double jointed with a central mouth. They ball up with their mouths up and hibernate until passing heat wakens them then they jump up and grab/bite. The legs bend the opposite direction as they jump up and grab their prey. -iggy |
February 6, 2012 - 8:18pm | Alright, I'm posting a link to the site where I found the pictures of the creature from 'The Relic' (1997). Sorry they dissappeared from my previous post! http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images?_adv_prop=image&fr=ytff1-sunm&sz=all&va=kothoga I don't have to outrun that nasty beast my friend...I just have to outrun you! |
February 6, 2012 - 8:21pm | RE: Death Weaver I like the attention to detail in the write up and even covering tactics of its attack (brings up the point that we should discuss the other creatures and the tactics of their attack) This is very much one of those creature that would have been engineered to cause ecological collapse. And I love the fact that you picked up a creature from the star mist module and did this with it. The sathar certainly had access to it. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
February 6, 2012 - 8:35pm | @Rollo You beat me! When I clicked on this thread and read it you hadn't posted yet about spiders. After I clicked post comment I noticed your new post. -iggy |
February 6, 2012 - 8:53pm | @Rollo You beat me! When I clicked on this thread and read it you hadn't posted yet about spiders. After I clicked post comment I noticed your new post. ooh I thought you were offering a snow adaption on his spider, which I liked BTW.I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
February 6, 2012 - 9:38pm | @Iggy, hey np! There's *always* room for more beasties in the universe that want nothing more than to nibble on hapless explorers as light afternoon snacks. :) The more the merrier! I don't have to outrun that nasty beast my friend...I just have to outrun you! |
February 6, 2012 - 9:36pm | @Jedion - in regards to 'gutripper'. It is also an apt description for the way those things attack bipedal targets. Leaping up and slashing down with their rear legs would almost always result in lateral wounds along the abdomen and/or groin. Enough damage (ie, the victim expiring) would result in disembowlment and/or severing of the femoral arteries. I don't have to outrun that nasty beast my friend...I just have to outrun you! |
February 6, 2012 - 9:28pm | I also don't see any reason why Iggy's spider couldn't be written up as a cold climate variation of the death weaver if he wished (or they could be a new creature just as easily). The sathar are supposed to be exceptionally good at genetic manipulation. Taking origional spider stock from Evergloom (which, after the events detailed in that Starfall scenario I sent you Jedion, will be available to the sathar - indeed, those spiders were the main reason the sathar set up a lab there) and manipulating the genetic code to suit their needs for cold environments would surely be as easy for them as manipulating the DNA to create death weavers. I don't have to outrun that nasty beast my friend...I just have to outrun you! |
February 6, 2012 - 9:28pm | RE: camoflague Special Defense Looking at existing creatures, those that are buried under sand like a funnel worm go unnoticed till they attack. the creatures discussed that are using white fur are not buried under the snow so I dont think they should go unnoticed. I like the idea of using the same rule that is used for the quick death but shortenning the distance from 120m to something much closer and keeping the 70% chance to remain undetected. I guess I'm looking for a standard rule to apply to all white creatures in snow. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
February 6, 2012 - 9:34pm | How about cutting it down to 60m and leaving the 70% chance intact? That may allow the hapless target(s) a chance to see the beast coming and have 1 turn (if the beast's movement is medium - maybe only just enough warning to not be surprised if the beast's movement is fast) before combat ensues. I don't have to outrun that nasty beast my friend...I just have to outrun you! |
February 7, 2012 - 6:00am | How about cutting it down to 60m and leaving the 70% chance intact? That may allow the hapless target(s) a chance to see the beast coming and have 1 turn (if the beast's movement is medium - maybe only just enough warning to not be surprised if the beast's movement is fast) before combat ensues.
I like that, same chance of not being detected as the quickdeath but since its white fur on snow it gets half again as close as the quickdeath does. That works for me.I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
 February 7, 2012 - 10:00pm | So, I am a little late with this, but I was working on an arctic adventure. It was inspired by Jedion's article on "Hostile Weather.." coming up in SFman #18. Iwas editing it and started thinking about working up an adventure for Issue #19 using those rules. I have a creature, wip, I called the snow creature. It is a pack creature and a scavenger. It keeps coming near the installation but would never bother the scientists. When the installation gets hit by mercs and leaves the bodies to freeze, the snow creatures drag the bodies off to use for food. The PC's find all of this out when they come to find out what happened to the installation. Somewhere in the story, the Sathar have a small base there too, with a few of the creatures cybernetically inhanced and jacked up to attack instead of being plain scavengers. One of their abilities is they have blood that has an anti-freeze compound in it. This way they can survive the really cold nights. This is as far as I have gotten with them though. |
 March 16, 2019 - 8:27am | For those paying attention to old posts, I'm pulling together information on Sathar robots for a story but thought maybe I should add in the cybernetic attack monsters. I think I'll pull some of the stuff out of here, especially the ideas by Rollo and Iggy, for the story... with proper attribution to the creators... I think I have Iggy's real name somewhere, but I have no idea who Rollo is. If anyone can confirm both men's identities, I would appreciate it. Joe Cabadas |
March 16, 2019 - 8:28am | For those paying attention to old posts, I'm pulling together information on Sathar robots for a story but thought maybe I should add in the cybernetic attack monsters. I think I'll pull some of the stuff out of here, especially the ideas by Rollo and Iggy, for the story... with proper attribution to the creators... I think I have Iggy's real name somewhere, but I have no idea who Rollo is. If anyone can confirm both men's identities, I would appreciate it. A little revision in my thinking here. The Sathar robot story -- rough draft -- seems long enough without adding a cybernetics category to it. So I'm not going to incorporate the information above into it. It would still make a good separate story at some point. Joe Cabadas |
March 17, 2019 - 5:59am | For those paying attention to old posts, I'm pulling together information on Sathar . And you're doing a damn good job. which is pushing me to do more at the magazine as well I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
March 17, 2019 - 6:10am | I think I'll pull some of the stuff out of here, especially the ideas by Rollo and Iggy, for the story... with proper attribution to the creators... I think I have Iggy's real name somewhere, but I have no idea who Rollo is. If anyone can confirm both men's identities, I would appreciate it. attribution is tough and the way you should handle it is this, you write it you're the author. you used thoughts and ideas posted in forums that were not really in a sollid written form, meaning they weren't an essay but just thoughts typed out then attribute "Special thanks to Rollo, Karzan, Tom, Dick, and Harry for contributions in discussion threads at www.starfrontiers.us " and in this case you just use their forum handle. If someone actually wrote essay like material that you are cleaning up a little for magazine submission then you need to contact them and say hey mind if I take your material here format it for magazine publication and submit it to the magazine and credit you as author. and since you/'re in contact with them you get their name and put in on the article. If they have significant essay like material but you are doing a lot of writing then agian with communication with that individual you both are authors. I write so much I tend to try to promote others over myself becuase I dont really need another writing credit and its looks better for the magazine if its not a two man show- something I liked to refer to in my head as the Tom & Jerry Show does that help? I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
