Demon Slug, Devil S Spittle

Chaos Slug

Limax chaotus

Image Credit: http://blog.oregonlive.com/kympokorny/large_slug.JPG

Also Known As Demon Slug, Devil’s Spittle

Description Whether these giant slug-like creatures are descended from once normal slugs horribly corrupted by chaos, or whether, as folk tales tell, they are beads of spittle straight from the Devil’s mouth come to life is unknown. What is certain is that they are voracious predators with a taste for human flesh.

A full grown chaos slug can measure up to 6 metres long and about one metre thick. As with other slugs, the head has four tentacles on their head. The upper pair, which is usually longer, holds eyes, while the lower pair provides a sense of smell. The sensory tentacles are retractable and can be regrown if lost.

The mouth is located between the lower pair and contains the radula, a tongue like protrusion covered with small teeth. The radula is slowly extended out and retracted, like a slow lick, allowing the teeth to rasp flesh from the prey.

Due to their chaotic nature, there can be significant variation in colouration, but the majority are brown with white spots. Their eye stalks are typically black, while the lower pair is whitish. There are persistent rumours of some chaos slugs possessing a chameleon like ability, but this is unconfirmed.

Unlike real slugs however, chaos slugs are capable of extending a long tentacle from the area behind their head (known as the mantle), which they can flick forward at great speed, striking their victim and causing terrible wounds. Ecology Chaos slugs die if they dry out too much, so they prefer moist locations such as swamps, damp caves or dank forests. Though several may inhabit the same location, they do not work together in any coordinated way.

They are very poor swimmers and cannot breathe water, so usually avoid rivers and die in salt water. These chaos horrors can eat almost any organic material, but prefer flesh especially human flesh.

Though they are found throughout much of the world, they are generally rare. But, as with other chaos monsters, certain localities are strongly imbued with chaos and naturally these slugs are more common in such places.

Statistics Characteristics Average Attributes STR 6D6+18 39 Move: 1 CON 4D6+12 26 HP: 33 SIZ 6D6 + 18 39 Fat: 65 INT 2 2 MP: 10-11 POW 3D6 10-11 Dex SR: 4 DEX 2D6 7 Dodge: 0

Location D20 Points tail 01-06 4+/11 (.33) body 07-14 4+/14 (.40) head 15-20 4+/11 (.33)

Weapon SR A% Damage Tentacle 4 65+7 1D8+special Bite 7 90+7 1

Notes: Notes: Due to its length (typically 4m+), the tentacle is a 0 Strike Rank weapon. If used at its normal SR and attack chance, the tentacle does not have a damage bonus.

Chaos Slugs can alter the characteristics of their attacking tentacle. A thicker tentacle is stronger, inflicting more damage but is slower and easier to avoid. In game terms, SRs and Skill can be traded for damage. Each round, the slug can choose how powerful to make the tentacle by choosing the damage bonus. Unlike standard Damage Bonus ratings, these have increments of 1D3.

Calculate the creatures maximum DB normally.

For the sample creature, the STR of 39 and SIZ of 39 gives a DB of +4D6. An attack by this creature using its normal skill of 72% (65+7) would occur on SR 4 and have a DB of 0.

If the slug used a DB of +1D3, the SR would be increased by one (to 5), and the attack chance decreased by 10% to 62%.

If the slug used a DB of +2D3, the SR would be increased by 2 (to 6), and the attack chance decreased by 20% to 52%.

The maximum manipulation the slug can perform is limited by SR, maximum DB or attack skill, whichever is more limiting.

For the sample creature:

SR would limit the manipulations to 6, as 10 is the maximum allowable SR.

The DB according to the standard tables is 4D6, which will be considered to be 8D3. This would allow up to 8 manipulations.

Seven manipulations would reduce the attack chance from 72% to just 2%, which while perhaps not sensible (unless there were situational modifiers such as surprise) is allowable, so 7 manipulations is the limit.

Strike Rank is the aspect which allows the least manipulations, so the highest damage bonus the slug could use is 6D3. This attack would take place on SR 10, with an attack chance of 12%.

Chaos Slugs have a rasping bite that can only be used on creatures not capable of evading it. Typically this means that the creature must be immobilised in some was, unconscious or dead.

Skills Agility (+5) Climb 75 Stealth (-4) Hide 75, Sneak 75, Perception (3) Listen 50, Scent 50 Armour As part of their chaotic nature, these creatures have bizarre natural armour. In the first round of combat, the slug’s thick rubbery skin has an armour rating of 4.

At the start of each subsequent round, roll 1D10. If the roll is higher than the current armour rating for the slug, then increase the armour rating by 1. If a 10 is rolled, increase the armour by 1, regardless of its current value.

After combat, assuming that the Chaos Slug is still alive, its armour reduces by one point every full turn until it reaches its initial value of 4.

Chaos Features A chaos slug has 1D3 random chaos features