Life in all it's nastiest forms are abundant down in the
wetlands of The New South. There are so many deadly
creatures lurking around every bend in the river that it's
hard to keep track of what's trying to kill you on a given day.

So to help out, we've got a simple classification system
in this section. Now when some monster is dragging you
down to suffer an agonizing death in the murky depths, you'll
at least know what kingdom it's from.

FIELD GUIDE KEY:
: ANIMALS : PLANTS
:DOMESTICATED : SENTIENT
ARMADAS : FRAGGERS : GARFS : GREEPS : MISSISSIPPI BRAINHOUNDS :
RASTAGATORS : SNAGS : STILT PALMS : STRANGLES

ARMADAS

HIT DICE: 3
THACO: 20
MOVE: 3, or Wind Speed
ARMOR CLASS: 9
M.S.: 12
ATTACKS: Special
NUMBERS: 1d4
MUTATIONS: Gas Bags, Poison Attack, "Paralytic Gas", Acid Attack

No doubt about it, the brilliant hues that this mutant species of Portugese Man-O-War comes in are a warning of extreme danger for anything that crosses it's path. Armadas
float slowly along coastal rivers and streams, supported about 6-8 feet above the surface by a natural hydrogen balloon, aided by the wind, or pulling themselves by their larger, visible tentacles if the air is still. It hunts by means of a etheral network of almost invisible stinging filaments that float in a 10 foot radius around the creature's main body, that carry an Intensity Level 16 Paralytic Poison. Only a faint, silvery shimmer in the air around the Armada betray's the filament network's presence. Once a victim is paralysed, the jellyfish pulls itself rapidly toward it's prey and attacks with it's deadly main cluster of tentacles, that combine an Acid Attack that does 2d6 per round of contact, and an Intensity Level 17 Poison. While it mainly targets smaller birds and insects, it's more than able to digest prey of any size. Armada's reproduce by budding, and most specimens encountered have 1d6 smaller hydrogen pods. These begin life as extra support balloons for the tentacle network, and split off to become independent adults when they grow large enough. One of the best ways to handle one of these creatures is to attempt to nail the hydrogen balloons from a distance, but this should be done carefully, because the gas inside has a tendency to explode, blanketing a 20 ft. area with loose filaments and tentacles segments, which usually take a couple days to lose their potency. ^TOP^

FRAGGERS

HIT DICE: 2
THACO: R18/M14
MOVE: 6
ARMOR CLASS: 8
M.S.: 12
ATTACKS: 1
NUMBERS: 1d6
MUTATIONS: Poison Spines

Just to show that you don't neccessarily have to be big to be dangerous, a Fragger can kill animals several times it's size, usually by accident. This bizarre species of toad measures only about a foot or so, and is normally quite passive. If agitated, the creature puffs itself rapidly up with air, launching it's Intensity Level 15 Poison coated spines in all directions out to 10 feet. They will repeat this attack for 1d4 rounds, until the loose spines are depleted, leaving only a sparse coat of more firmly attached, partially developed spines. If cornered, the creature will panic and explode, for 1d10 damage to all within a 5 foot radius, plus the danger of spines hitting targets out to 15 feet. Fraggers have a nasty habit of lurking under vegetation like a living land mine. Spotting a concealed Fragger suffers a +3 penalty on a Perception check. ^TOP^

GARFS

HIT DICE: 5
THACO: 12 in water/14 on land
MOVE: 6 on land/15 in water
ARMOR CLASS: 6
M.S.: 10
ATTACKS: 1
NUMBERS: 1 or schools of 1d8
MUTATIONS: Legs, Amphibious, Heightened Sense of Smell, Poison Immunity

These mutant gars have been adopted by certain communities of humans as a semi-aquatic substitute for the watchdogs of old. They are fiercely loyal to their masters, and very energetic in the defense of their territory, both above and below the waterline. While they are at a slight disadvantage on land, they more than make up for it in the water. Garfs have a vicious bite that does 1d10 damage, and can exert considerable pressure witht their jaw, such that if a Garf is really mad at you, they can lock on for 20 - the victim's Strength in rounds, doing 1d6 points of additional damage per round until killed or called off. Believe it or not, they're very good with children, if a bit damp. ^TOP^

GREEPS

HIT DICE: 6
THACO: R15/M13
MOVE: 12
ARMOR CLASS: 10
M.S.: 2d4
ATTACKS: 1
NUMBERS: 3d6+4
MUTATIONS: Crude Hands
Full Biped, Light Sensitivity (D),
Transparent Skin(D) Ultravision,
Jumping Ability, Thought Imitation.
Fear Impulse: Bright Light (D)

"Watch yourself, or the Greeps'll getcha." is what parents warn their children in the swamps and bayous of The New South, and sadly it's often true. These creatures are hated for their nighttime raids on the settlements of other species, usually for the purpose of finding the weak or defenseless to bear off and devour. Greeps are barely sentient, but very devious, and their attacks are well co-ordinated and merciless. They practice no art or culture, but they have enough of a language to get by, and know how to make use of tools, especially weapons. Greeps generally carry simple weapons like knives and clubs, until such devices rust and decay into uselessness. If unarmed a Greep can bite for 1d8 damage with it's needle sharp teeth. A small percentage of the species, known as Screamin' Greeps, have developed the extra mutant ability to project Sonic Blasts for 3d6 damage. 1 in 100 creatures will posess this mutation. Greeps are terrified of bright, artifact light sources, and will flee if confronted by them. They tend to lay low during daylight hours, in carefully hidden underwater lairs. Most larger communities actively hunt Greeps, and pay a decent bounty for a Greep skull, but the creatures' cunning and rapid breeding rate helps them to remain an everpresent threat. ^TOP^

MISSISSIPPI BRAINHOUNDS

HIT DICE: 6
THACO: R18/M14
MOVE: 3
ARMOR CLASS: 7
M.S.: 18
ATTACKS: 2
NUMBERS: 1d6
MUTATIONS: Telepathy, Psychometry, Telekinetic Flight, Telekinetic Bite, Precision Telekinesis




This prized breed of mutant dog doesn't look like much, beyond being ugly in a cute kinda way. They move very slowly, if at all, on their stubby little legs, and rarely make any kind of sound short of a muffled grunt once in a while. However, what they lack in physical presence is more than made up for in their powerful mental abilities. Brainhounds are used primarily as trackers, hunting their quarry thru a special Telepathic link that can be gained from a Psychometric reading of something from the target's posessions. In other words, on a faint psionic impression from, say, an article of clothing, a Brainhound can track you out to a radius of 20 miles. An uncanny baying that echoes in the target's mind only, while the dog floats silently along in pursuit, makes them the last thing you want to be on the wrong side of. When threatened, a Brainhound will defend itself with a telekinetic "bite" at a range of 20 feet, doing 1d8 damage in an attack seemingly out of thin air. Brainhounds posess slightly above average intelligence for dogs, and make loyal, if somewhat aloof, companions. Their extensive Telepathic range makes them unbeatable watchdogs as well. ^TOP^

RASTAGATORS

HIT DICE: 14
THACO: R13/M7
MOVE: 12
ARMOR CLASS: 5
M.S.: 2d6+4
ATTACKS: 2+1d8
NUMBERS: 1d10
MUTATIONS: Crude Biped, Sophisticated Hands, Crude Vocal Chords, Heightened Physical Strength, Tentacles, Heightened Balance.

Crowned by a halo of agile tentacles, these mutant 'gators are the kings of the riverbanks and swamps where they make their lairs. Their culture is composed of very loosely organized tribes, with an ever shifting social hierarchy of dominance and deference. They pride themselves as hunters and warriors and respect strength, and specimens of both sexes are constantly vying for territory and status. The females tend to hold larger areas for the benefit of their young, which are cast out to fend for themselves when they've almost attained their full growth. In their relations with other species they are ruthless pragmatists. They avoid conflicts that they cannot win, and will readily bargain or trade to avoid a battle, but if anything stands in the way of getting what they want, they will gladly resort to violence. Rastagators prefer to deal from a position of power, and are anything but subtle, but they aren't unneccessarily cruel, and harbor no resentment against other creatures. They will make use of artifact weapons when they can get them, and guard the devices jealously as status symbols. They tend to prefer one handed weapons due to the stubbiness of their arms, and can also bite for 3d6 or strike with their tentacles for 1d8 damage and a Constricting attack. ^TOP^

SNAGS/

HIT DICE: 18 /25
THACO: M10 /M14
MOVE: 6
ARMOR CLASS: 2/4
M.S.: 15
ATTACKS: 1d10/1
NUMBERS: 1/2d12
MUTATIONS:
Taller, Multiple Body Parts (Head & Eyes),
Full Carapace.

When you hit a Snag in the river, you know you've really got problems. Actually there are two varieties of this giant mutant turtle species. Hardshell or Wild Snags can get anywhere up to 20 feet long, and are as mindlessly aggressive as they come, with only a single tiny brain to share among all those gnashing heads that sprout from under their rock like carapace. In addition to the brainless secondary heads, Snags have a tendency to grow eyes in random places, making them very hard to sneak up on.The main head can bite for 5d10 damage, with each secondary head biting for 1d4 d10 damage, depending on how big it's grown. Hardshell Snags are carnivorous, and feed on fish and other living creatures in the water. They can sometimes be mistaken for islands or sandbars, and should be avoided if at all possible, because it takes very little to whip a Snag up into a berserk frenzy. An angry Snag never checks for Morale.

The other variety of Snag is the Softshell, or Domestic Snag. While capable of growing much larger than their wild cousins (up to 35 feet in diameter) these creatures carapace is more of a flattened, leathery pad. Entire communities of swamp nomads make their living herding the huge reptiles, raising them for their meat and eggs, and even building their dwellings on their broad backs. The Softshell Snag's carapace is ideal for making fine leather armor. These creatures are herbivores, and the growth of extra heads is actively discoraged by their herders with the use of surgery and cauterization, so it's usually necessary for a Snag villiage to keep schools of Garfs around for the huge beasts' protection. If pressed, a Softshell Snag can bite for 4d10 points of damage. Occasionally a specimen will have 1d4-2 small extra heads growing if it's keepers haven't been paying attention, but at most they'll only do 2d10 damage per bite. ^TOP^

STILT PALMS/

HIT DICE: 8
THACO: M18
MOVE: 10
ARMOR CLASS: 6
M.S.: 8
ATTACKS: 2
NUMBERS: 1d8
MUTATIONS: Mobility, Increased Hearing, Chemical Sense.

These mutant palm trees are largely innocuous. They spend their day slowly wandering along rivers and streams, following the sun and searching for patches of nutrient rich mud with their innate Chemical Sense. At night they fold their legs up into a defensive wall around their core bodies and touching their roots down into the water. One thing that makes them handy to sentient beings is their use as mounts, since their 10 -15 foot height makes them a great platform to keep a lookout for trouble, and they can be loosely controlled using an umbrella, since the plant moves instinctively away from shade. Once a year, during the rainy season, Stilt Palms develop a cone of seed pods that take roughly 1d4 weeks to mature and drop off. During this time, the plants are very dangerous to approach, and will rear up in threat against any being that they sense coming near. If pressed they are capable of attacking with their spear like limbs for 1d10 damage. This risk can be worth it, as the pods, if eaten unripe, have the benefit of counteracting Poisons of up to Intensity Level 14. Stilt Palm seed pods make a delicious snack when ripe. If uneaten, the seeds grow into adult Stilt Palms after 1d4 years, depending on what soil they're dropped into, starting life as stationary plants and uprooting when their legs develop. The only other threat that can arise from Stilt Palms is a tendency for other, more dangerous varieties of mutant plants to take up residence atop the legs, which can remain mobile for up to a year after the main plant has died. ^TOP^

STRANGLES

HIT DICE: 10
THACO: M10
MOVE: 12
ARMOR CLASS: 8
M.S.: 12
ATTACKS: 2d6
NUMBERS: 1d10
MUTATIONS: Squeeze Vines, Mobility, Boring Tendrils, Increased Vision.

This mutant form of kelp is extremely dangerous to swimmers and boat crews alike. These plants lurk near the bottom among dense vegetation, watching above them for anything that moves into their territory. If a likely target comes into veiw they will swim rapidly upward towards them, in a motion very similar to that of an octopus or jellyfish. They will then attempt to Constrict the victim in their muscular fronds, for 2d6 points of damage per round. When all the life is squeezed out of their prey, a Strangle will drag the body to the bottom and feed off of the decomposing corpse for several weeks with it's root tendrils. The central core body of a Strangle is roughly 1-2 feet in diameter, but the tendrils can extend out to 8 feet on larger specimens, and size is never an issue when it comes to their attacks. Since they operate in groups, several of these plants can benefit from a large kill, although theres no real communication or co-operation going on among them. Strangles have been known to attack boats, often jamming the propellers or intakes of motorized ones. While this may kill one or two, the remainder of what could loosely be called "the pack" become a serious threat to any hapless sailor sent down to clear the obstruction. ^TOP^

ARMADAS : FRAGGERS : GARFS : GREEPS : MISSISSIPPI BRAINHOUNDS :
RASTAGATORS : SNAGS : STILT PALMS : STRANGLES

BESTIARY : CYBORGS : HYDRAULICS

THE NEW SOUTH HARBOUR