Deviation Actions
Description
Hey DA & SPLICERS (“Spliceheads”) Fam,
Here is a critter from the SPLICERS RPG (pen and paper tabletop) game published by Palladiumbooks, that was featured in Rifter#66 article “Splicers: Bestiary” created and written by Edward Sauerland.
Excerpt from the article:
“Locked in a life or death struggle against the endless legions of the Machine, it’s easy to forget that there are other dangers in the Splicers universe. Disease, hunger, the terrain, even the weather can kill a man just as easily as a rail gun blast. Even teetering on the brink of extinction, humankind still tears at itself. Waste Crawlers and other brigands strike in the open while the Librarians, power hungry rivals, and other upstarts and madmen plot from the shadows. But what of the dangers that have only been hinted at? The Splicers RPG teases us with warnings of terrible creatures that roam the Wastelands and serve as de facto guardians of the Nature Preserves. Some will be extinct animals reconstituted by Gaia from DNA samples. Others may be all new, possibly alien species from offworld, or cobbled together by some mad scientist. Each will present the players with new challenges (and opportunities) during their struggle to take back the planet.
The NEXUS Artificial Intelligence known as “Gaia” is madly in love with all the many wondrous (and often times monstrous) creatures in her Nature Preserves. When she does employ robots near the fringes of these parks, it is usually to catch any human interlopers defiling her sacred Preserves. Occasionally, she will send a few robots on scouting missions to study some new species or even capture one for study, preservation (in a Cryo-Zoo), or to breed/clone the specimen, often to seed it in a new area of the globe outside of its natural habitat.
Gut Ripper
The Gut Ripper is one of the most dangerous and feared creatures that stalk the landscape. The name is derived from the creature’s signature killing move: a slash across the abdomen to get at the soft, tasty innards of their prey. Resembling a huge horned wolverine (gulo (though one that walks upright, as a human), Gut Rippers possess supernatural strength as well as several built in biological weapons akin to Splicer bio-tech. Even an experienced Dreadguard suited up in Host Armor can be slain with ease if he is caught unawares by a one of these monsters. Luckily, Gut Rippers seldom stray from their normal hunting grounds, and rarely travel in groups larger than two (usually a mating pair).
Gut Rippers are as cunning as they are powerful. They are highly skilled at tracking prey and setting up ambushes. They are aided in this by their natural ability to mimic animal sounds. A typical ploy is for a Gut Ripper to hide under some brush or in a cave, then impersonate some other animal (the preferred sounds for these traps are mating calls of other animals) to lure the victim to their death. Thankfully, the Gut Ripper cannot impersonate human voices, though there are other ways to entice humans into a trap. Sounds of a horse, dog/Gorehound or other War Mount in distress will often bring a human rushing in to investigate. The training of Splicers is geared toward Machine threats, so they don’t expect a Gut Ripper to be waiting for them.
The Gut Ripper’s combination of weapons and intelligence have lead some Engineers and Librarians to theorize that they are not “natural”, but are in fact creations of the Machine, bred to hunt and kill humans. Of course, there’s no way to prove this (or is there? Possible adventure idea, G.M,’s!)
Type: Predatory animal
Alignment: Miscreant, lives to hunt and kill. Usually kills to eat, but sometimes kills for pleasure.
Attributes: I.Q. 1D4+4 (medium animal intelligence), M.E. 1D6+2, M.A. 1D4, P.S. 2D6+20 (Supernatural P.S.), P.E. 2D4 +10, P.P. 1D8+12, Spd (see below)
Speed: Running: 40 mph (64km), Leaping: 20 feet (6.1 m) high or across, Digging: 10 mph (16 km) through dirt, half through rock and concrete, Swimming: 20 mph (32 km), Flying: not possible
Horror Factor: 14 to humans, none to machines
Size: 7 feet, plus 4D6 inches (2.1 to 2.74 m) tall when standing fully erect
Weight: 400 to 600 pounds (180 to 270 kg)
Average Life Span: 30 to 45 years
Bio-Regeneration: Heals 2D4 M.D.C. per melee round for the main body and 1D4 M.D. per melee round to all other locations.
Feeding: Gut Rippers are carnivores that consume 25 pounds (11.25 kg) of meat or carrion per day, but may gorge on up to three times that amount. After gorging, can go for 2D4 days without eating.
Natural Abilities: Immune to normal (S.D.C.) weapons and attacks as well as normal heat and cold (can withstand temperatures of –55 degrees to 185 degrees Fahrenheit.) Partially resistant to physical attacks (punches, kicks, etc): reduce damage by 25%. Keen color vision nearly equal to a hawk or Host Armor (perfect vision with a range of half a mile/.8 km.) Can also see in total darkness without the need for ambient light. Range: 100 feet (30.5 m.) Enhanced sense of smell equal to a Gore Hound. Also has the ability to mimic animal sounds (roughly equal to the Imitate Voices skill), at 85%.
Skills: Camouflage (hiding) 75%, Climb 80%, Land Navigation 55%, Prowl 65%, Tracking (animals and humans) 80%, Track by scent 65%, Track by scent of blood 85%
Vulnerabilities: Vulnerable to ordinary poisons, disease, and Mega-Damage weapons.
Attacks: Five
Damage: Punches and kicks as per Supernatural P.S. Claw strike: 4D6 M.D. plus punch damage. Horns: 2D6 M.D. plus punch damage. Grow a set of horns for every 8 to 10 years of life, so elder Gut Rippers often have a 'crown' of devil horns.
Bonuses: +2 to initiative, +4 to strike, +1 to parry, +2 to dodge, +2 to save vs. poison and disease, immune to Horror Factor, possession, and mind control.
Weapons: The Gut Ripper possesses a crude gore cannon. There is no barrel or appendage like standard Splicer weapons mounted on Host Armor or War Mounts. Instead, the energized gore/slime is regurgitated directly from the monster’s stomach and spat out through the mouth. This only adds to the shock and horror of the attack.
Mega-Damage: 4D8 M.D.
Rate of Fire: Each use counts as one melee attack.
Maximum Effective Range: 250 feet (76.2 m)
Payload: 10 blasts per 24 hours, double if the beast gorges itself first.
Habitat: Tend to be found most often in temperate climates, but can be found periodically anywhere. Likes forests and mountainous areas (many natural hiding places).
