 July 28, 2013 - 5:14am | The slime was left by a small omnivore, a slime bug, that is hiding in the wreckage (Move slow, IM/RS 6/55, STA 35, ATT 55, Dm 2d10) It looks like a flat bug with razor-sharp claws. Characters move at half speed in the slime. So what is it? native of Volturnus? Native of some other planet in the Frontiers? Of Sathar origin? Escaped cargo? I think the fact that this was a sample adventure and that the creature is left vague that its intended that this creature should be part of the blank canvase for the referee to paint in. But for purposes of discussing this as a potential adventure write up we'll need to make some decisions about it. We only have a few details and the slime thing suggests something: 1. native to Clarion, its wet environment would be idea for such a creature 2. sathar origin- sathar themselves are covered in slime and even leave a bit of slime trail from their passing, I believe I remember reading that. so being from a similar evolutionary tree the slime bug could have similar features as the sathar. 3. just as easily be from anywhere It could be that the slime bug is part of the mystery of the Hepplewhite crash. One more thing to unravel, a bombing, a mysterious bug, and a child trapped in the wreckage. All somehow interwoven as three separate strands into a three strand rope tied to the hook of the Hepplewhite crash pulling the PCs into adventure. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
 July 28, 2013 - 6:51am | Slime bug scourge of space travellers everywhere. Vrusk scientists are unsure of their regular diet but it is known they enjoy and can thrive on lubricants and hydraulic fluids. This leads them to seek out all manner of mechanical conveyances to suck the fluids out of. They somehow seem to particularly enjoy starships. Sounds like a great job but where did you say we had to go? |
 July 28, 2013 - 7:57am | Slime bug = the frontier equivalent of cockroaches or rats? They are everywhere? I would give them a planet of origin and not make them sathar. We can't blame everything on the sathar. -iggy |
July 28, 2013 - 5:51pm | Gremlin in the machine or omnipresent pest. I like both ideas. Slime bugs should come from a known location IMO. They are plague for spacers as they chrew into the hydraulics such that a fairly standard proceedure is to sweep the ship for them after contact with another ship or station. Enviromental skill becomes crucial here. During a long running campaign the players would encounter them a hand full of times and instantly jump to the conclusion their must be a slime bug because the GM stated there is a slime trail on the deck but surprise this time it just happened to be a sathar. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
July 28, 2013 - 5:58pm | I'm trying to imagine such a creature, and a flat fish came to mind. The description of sharp claws suggests some form of structural support or skeleton (whether internal or external). Slime doesnt suggest external skeleton to me though. While the word bug suggests something with an external skeleton. I like the idea of eye stalks coming off the head. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
July 29, 2013 - 3:07am | No need to use silly imagination. Hollywood has come to our rescue again. The 5th Element Sounds like a great job but where did you say we had to go? |
July 29, 2013 - 3:33am | No need to use silly imagination. Hollywood has come to our rescue again. The 5th Element Can you supply a pic? I googled 5th element and only came up with the orange haired chick  I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
July 29, 2013 - 1:44pm | Netflix it and look for the scene where they are cleaning the landing gear on the ship. My grandkids like the dog. Sounds like a great job but where did you say we had to go? |
July 29, 2013 - 1:48pm | I would think that most starships are light on hydrolics and heavy on electical. The exception would be atmospheric capable ships where hydrolics are a better method of creating great forces. Thus I would say these critters should be attracted to the rubbers and plastics the hoses and wires are made and coated in. The propper defense is routine and active maintainance. High end hoses and cadles would have metal braid outer coverings for protection. A good upgrade for the PCs to spend on when they are being plagued by these critters and the GM needs to lighten the excess credits in the game. -iggy |
 August 2, 2013 - 9:46pm | As RT said in the other thread about if this was on Volturnus, Maybe the ship was transporting animals from different locations, the rippers, the slime bugs, one of the mysteries to be solved is could these creatures have escaped and the bomb was suppose to keep the creatures from escaping into a world, but something terrible went wrong????? |
 August 4, 2013 - 8:42am | The slime bug is like the slug from Ice Pirates or the Zynocks from Star Wars (Empire Strikes Back). Basically, a space cockroach. |
February 16, 2017 - 9:21am | So in my new inspiration in other threads Bio-Gen corp which is well funded and a front is dabbling in illegal sathar bio-engineering tech. They'll claim they're using eorna bio engineering tech but their breakthroughs came from studying sathar bio-constructs. The slime bug is a sample among many being sent to another lab. Hepplewhite was just the shipper tasked with getting the cargo into orbit. Slime bug is currently the most advanced construct Bio-gen has come up with. Their scientist are very excited and the Slime bug sample is destined for another secret lab where they are working on creating a sapient being (Vihm/rats). I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
February 16, 2017 - 5:40pm | I like the characterization of this as a space cockroach. I always misremember it as having razor sharp teeth but the book says claws so space cockroach works for me. The space herpy from Ice Pirates is perhaps to much. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
February 25, 2017 - 9:42am | quick sketch rifting of the comment "space cockroach" with a mix of cricket and sathar slime I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
 February 26, 2017 - 7:26am | Or, you could give it a bit more of an alien look. It could have one, multifaceted eye, for example. The adventurers could later learn that it comes from the planet where the Heliopes are found. Joe Cabadas |
February 26, 2017 - 8:35am | I imagined slim bugs as green without any hard body parts. I guess I am biased by media like the blob and foods like green jello. -iggy |
February 26, 2017 - 3:09pm | I imagined slim bugs as green without any hard body parts. I guess I am biased by media like the blob and foods like green jello. I'm trying to imagine them with sharp claws? perhaps a fusion of the cybo-slug with appendages with claws? more of a space grub? maybe just skip the claws and give the cybo slug sharp teeth I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
February 26, 2017 - 5:00pm | I was joking about this a bit hence the green jello comment. I was pointing out a preconception I am prone too when I hear the word slime. -iggy |
July 6, 2023 - 9:18am | Note: this does not exactly fit the description of the bug in the Hepplewhite crash originally used Fusion Brain with the prompts: slime bug with pincers and stinger as you can see there are no pincers or stinger evident but at least the AI produced something that didn't look like something a dralasite pooped out on the floor.  I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
July 6, 2023 - 9:28am | NOTE: I realize that the proposed stats below dont match what in the Hepplewhite Crash but these are what I think would make good stats to match the picture- This is a "fixed" in photoshop piece of AI artwork - basically the antennae needed to be fixed and some of the legs connected to the body
originally used Fusion Brain with the prompts: slime bug with pincers and stinger as you can see there are no pincers or stinger evident but at least the AI produced something that didn't look like something a dralasite pooped out on the floor. I'm going to go with Small carnivore of 5 kg and 25 cm long; # occuring 1-20, Move is Fast, IM/RS- 10/85, Stamina- 5-20, Attack 35, Damage is 1d5, Special Attack is Acidic slime coating for aditional 1d5 during the turn bitten or during contact. The eye on the stalk coming form the middle of the carapace is the reason for jacking the IM and RS to high numbers The Acidic Slime coating is actually part of its digestive system to break down animal & meat protiens for consumption.- it only "mildly" affects plant material ie you can see trails and marks on plants caused by the acidic slime. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
July 6, 2023 - 10:41am | Ok new slime bug candidate and this one better fits the book discription and can use the book stats: same deal originally done in Fusion Brain AI but photoshopped by me to fix legs and antenna  I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
