Finally done, here you go:
Eightball Puppeteer (Insidiator horrificus)
Carnivore Siren
Wt= 70kg Armor = Jack Hits = 14/5
A (if surprise & see text) F (if surprised and see text) S1
Spiny Tentacles (treat as Claws for armor and range) = 1D6 (+ special)
Mandibles (treat as Teeth+1 for armor and range) = 2D6+1
The Puppeteer, whose scientific name means “Lurking Horror” is a large ambush predator found on the dark world of Eightball. The animal is solitary, territorial, and scientists are split about its level of intelligence but no one can deny it is extremely curious, cunning, and highly dangerous to stumble upon one while it is lurking in its burrow or creeping about the dark forests of Eightball.
The Puppeteer is a warm-blooded animal with some characteristics found in reptiles (scales, R-strategy egg-layer), mammals (warm blooded, high metabolism), and yet it is not classifiable as either. Nor is it a monotreme or mammal-like reptile. The animal even has characteristics found in arthropods and cephalopods. The animal has both an internal skeleton and external cuticle layer where it is not scaled or covered with a leathery hide. It is truly alien and highly advanced for its evolutionary development.
A Puppeteer is a long (2m average, but some have reached 3m), bilaterally symmetrical animal with what appear to be (but not actually, only in appearance) three segments. The head is spherical and has two pairs of 1.2-1.5m spined tentacles on either side at the edges of the mouthparts. The mouth is jawed, but with the addition of two pairs of jointed mandibles, resembling large chelicerae similar to those found on some arthropods. Four protruding, globular black complex eyes are stacked in two pairs above the mouth and situated for excellent vision forward and above the animal. Ears are present on either side of the head behind the tentacle base, but are well protected under a thin but tough layer of membrane. Overall, the head is covered by a smooth layer of leathery dermis colored tan with brown and black banding.
The head swivels around on a gristly base of heavy muscled neck protected by a ring of dark cuticle layers. The neck is more flexible than it appears and allows the animal to bite down on a prey animal that might thrash around and otherwise strain the Puppeteer’s neck enough to cause it to have to either leave its burrow or release the prey without having to do either. It cannot survive a full 360-degree twisting, but it can come close to that amount of swiveling.
Around the base of the neck, there is a fleshy collar that wraps around the back of the neck and provides a sheath for the two dozen fine fronds that the animal extends or retracts to both sample and expel scent in the air. The fronds can retract to about .5m and extend as far as 1.2m. They are very thin, yet tough and flexible enough to resist damage. The very tips are brightly bioluminescent and range from yellow to yellow-green.
Behind the head and neck is the second “segment”: this contains the vital organs and is sheathed in a thick cuticle layer for protection. Puppeteers breathe with lungs and make a wide range of vocalizations, both for communication with other Puppeteers, and for mimicking prey animals. This section has two pairs of legs for locomotion that have the same leathery hide that the head does. Each thick, heavily muscled leg ends in a sharp bony spur that is used for the foot. The Puppeteer uses these legs for movement and digging, plus, by sinking the sharp foot into the soil around it the animal can resist being pulled from its burrow. The midsection is a darker tan color with black banding.
The last section is a long, fat cylindrical tail that tapers to a blunt tip. Large amounts of fats are stored here and used for surviving the planet’s period of bright sunlight when the Puppeteer buries itself in its burrow and hibernates. The tail is strong but not used as a weapon. When the animal moves along the surface the tail is dragged along behind it, protected by fine scales along the upper half, and wide, smooth ones with a thicker cuticle on the bottom surface
To understand and appreciate the Puppeteer one must also take into account the unique environment of the world it evolved on and the biome it lives in.
Eightball (UPP= E787100-0)
Eightball is so named for having a north polar cap that is the only readily seen feature on an otherwise dark gray world when approached in space. For most of the year, the dense atmosphere hides the two major landmasses. The average temperature is 21 degrees Celsius, though the high humidity makes it seem half again that. Violent storms frequent the vast oceans and impressive lightning storms rage over the northern, larger landmass’ mountainous north region. The heavy, damp heat is relieved during half of the planet’s 300-day year by rains ranging from monsoon to a steady, warm drizzle.
Because of the dense atmosphere the level of light during the daytime hours (averaging 10) is the equivalent of the urban limit of twilight (3-4 Lux), while the night hours (averaging 12) are so dark that it has been described as having substance. There is a brief period of the year, between the wet and less-wet periods, when the daytime light reaches as much as 40 Lux for 90 days. During this time, there is explosive growth among the flowering plants and most of the animal life seeks shelter by hibernating or only moving about in the night even if of an otherwise diurnal habit. Molds and fungi of all types abound on Eightball, and the oceans have vast mats of mosses covered in various molds, and fungus clusters like islands drift across the surface.
Due to the rapid growth and dense clouds of spores, pollen, and seeds expelled by all types of plants during the brightest season of the year, the atmosphere becomes hazardous to breathe unless anti-allergens are taken regularly. Filter masks and respirators are mandatory in addition to the anti-allergens, and the filters must be changed every day. During the rest of the year, anti-allergens are advisable, but masks are not needed.
Eightball Puppeteer (Insidiator horrificus)
Carnivore Siren
Wt= 70kg Armor = Jack Hits = 14/5
A (if surprise & see text) F (if surprised and see text) S1
Spiny Tentacles (treat as Claws for armor and range) = 1D6 (+ special)
Mandibles (treat as Teeth+1 for armor and range) = 2D6+1
The Puppeteer, whose scientific name means “Lurking Horror” is a large ambush predator found on the dark world of Eightball. The animal is solitary, territorial, and scientists are split about its level of intelligence but no one can deny it is extremely curious, cunning, and highly dangerous to stumble upon one while it is lurking in its burrow or creeping about the dark forests of Eightball.
The Puppeteer is a warm-blooded animal with some characteristics found in reptiles (scales, R-strategy egg-layer), mammals (warm blooded, high metabolism), and yet it is not classifiable as either. Nor is it a monotreme or mammal-like reptile. The animal even has characteristics found in arthropods and cephalopods. The animal has both an internal skeleton and external cuticle layer where it is not scaled or covered with a leathery hide. It is truly alien and highly advanced for its evolutionary development.
A Puppeteer is a long (2m average, but some have reached 3m), bilaterally symmetrical animal with what appear to be (but not actually, only in appearance) three segments. The head is spherical and has two pairs of 1.2-1.5m spined tentacles on either side at the edges of the mouthparts. The mouth is jawed, but with the addition of two pairs of jointed mandibles, resembling large chelicerae similar to those found on some arthropods. Four protruding, globular black complex eyes are stacked in two pairs above the mouth and situated for excellent vision forward and above the animal. Ears are present on either side of the head behind the tentacle base, but are well protected under a thin but tough layer of membrane. Overall, the head is covered by a smooth layer of leathery dermis colored tan with brown and black banding.
The head swivels around on a gristly base of heavy muscled neck protected by a ring of dark cuticle layers. The neck is more flexible than it appears and allows the animal to bite down on a prey animal that might thrash around and otherwise strain the Puppeteer’s neck enough to cause it to have to either leave its burrow or release the prey without having to do either. It cannot survive a full 360-degree twisting, but it can come close to that amount of swiveling.
Around the base of the neck, there is a fleshy collar that wraps around the back of the neck and provides a sheath for the two dozen fine fronds that the animal extends or retracts to both sample and expel scent in the air. The fronds can retract to about .5m and extend as far as 1.2m. They are very thin, yet tough and flexible enough to resist damage. The very tips are brightly bioluminescent and range from yellow to yellow-green.
Behind the head and neck is the second “segment”: this contains the vital organs and is sheathed in a thick cuticle layer for protection. Puppeteers breathe with lungs and make a wide range of vocalizations, both for communication with other Puppeteers, and for mimicking prey animals. This section has two pairs of legs for locomotion that have the same leathery hide that the head does. Each thick, heavily muscled leg ends in a sharp bony spur that is used for the foot. The Puppeteer uses these legs for movement and digging, plus, by sinking the sharp foot into the soil around it the animal can resist being pulled from its burrow. The midsection is a darker tan color with black banding.
The last section is a long, fat cylindrical tail that tapers to a blunt tip. Large amounts of fats are stored here and used for surviving the planet’s period of bright sunlight when the Puppeteer buries itself in its burrow and hibernates. The tail is strong but not used as a weapon. When the animal moves along the surface the tail is dragged along behind it, protected by fine scales along the upper half, and wide, smooth ones with a thicker cuticle on the bottom surface
To understand and appreciate the Puppeteer one must also take into account the unique environment of the world it evolved on and the biome it lives in.
Eightball (UPP= E787100-0)
Eightball is so named for having a north polar cap that is the only readily seen feature on an otherwise dark gray world when approached in space. For most of the year, the dense atmosphere hides the two major landmasses. The average temperature is 21 degrees Celsius, though the high humidity makes it seem half again that. Violent storms frequent the vast oceans and impressive lightning storms rage over the northern, larger landmass’ mountainous north region. The heavy, damp heat is relieved during half of the planet’s 300-day year by rains ranging from monsoon to a steady, warm drizzle.
Because of the dense atmosphere the level of light during the daytime hours (averaging 10) is the equivalent of the urban limit of twilight (3-4 Lux), while the night hours (averaging 12) are so dark that it has been described as having substance. There is a brief period of the year, between the wet and less-wet periods, when the daytime light reaches as much as 40 Lux for 90 days. During this time, there is explosive growth among the flowering plants and most of the animal life seeks shelter by hibernating or only moving about in the night even if of an otherwise diurnal habit. Molds and fungi of all types abound on Eightball, and the oceans have vast mats of mosses covered in various molds, and fungus clusters like islands drift across the surface.
Due to the rapid growth and dense clouds of spores, pollen, and seeds expelled by all types of plants during the brightest season of the year, the atmosphere becomes hazardous to breathe unless anti-allergens are taken regularly. Filter masks and respirators are mandatory in addition to the anti-allergens, and the filters must be changed every day. During the rest of the year, anti-allergens are advisable, but masks are not needed.
