FX weilding critters

Sort of along the lines of the mutants for other settings thread, this is meant to develop ideas where mutations and mindwalking can not be used to represent the powers of certain species (or other kinds of creatures). Note that all the references are to Red Dragon's FX write up unless otherwise noted.

The grey cattle are a horror that leaves silent forests in their wake. They use both Invocation- magic fire 3 and Plant- living earth 5 (growth only) to force grow plants, reduce them to ash for consumption and then force grow the remaining seeds in the soil. It may seem funny until you see the results- weakened forests with much reduced wildlife. If a village is in their way, they don't go around and the graneries bring forth a lot of crops hidden in the new forest in their wake.

The packrat that uses Conjuration- procure 6 is the almost perfect thief. It takes what it sees (ie at range) and few can find them after losing an important item or trinket.

Blaze moths are to some worlds what fireflies are to ours. They release dust, actually Conjuration- glitterdust 3, during the mating season. Other animals tend to hate them because of the extreme light show they but on. Humans are just as vulnerable to the blinding effects and some bandits (and blind predators?) use this to their advantage.

The miru is considered a sign of evil. A black bird that feeds on fresh carrion, it uses trees to kill its prey. The branches are altered, effectively Conjuration- black tentacles 6.

The nutseeker is another bird and one considered to be a minor pest and a blessing. They steal food, preserve it and hide with Plant- morphology 3. They warp living trees to form hollows to keep the food within. People cutting firewood who find such a tree treat it as a gift as they tend to hold enough food for a family for a week.

Oasis shrubs were created to colonize deserts and convert them, slowly, from sandy wastelands to something more useful. They have Water- create water 9, which means anyone who drinks from them are supernaturally refreshed (stun and fatigue healed). The sand itself is converted to soil via Earth- transmute earth 12.

Lumpy forests are created when hill trees colonize. They use Earth- transmute earth 12 to collect nearby soil under themselves, thus forming tiny hills. As centuries pass and the soil deepens, the hills combine and become even more uneven. Cutting and flattening such forests is difficult, esp when the cores of the microhills are solid granite.

There is a predator that feeds exclusively on elementals, mainly those of earth and water. It uses Conjuration- gateway to lure them to this world so often that there is a bleedthrough and its territory starts to take on elemental traits. It could be an ape like creature, a big cat or even a swarm of insects with elemental traits of their own (opposite of their prey?).

As always, contributions are welcome.

I had something for S*D, but I'll have to dig for it. Rewriting also, since I made them with the GMG stuff, instead of Beyond Science or the Red_Dragon material.

Cool stuff Derek, I like them a lot. :yes

Thank you. I have some other ideas using spells from other sources, but it is difficult to envision how creatures would use a varient of mine seed (the kind of mine that produces ore, not explosions) and Necromancy- metasurgery (stitching creatures together). Hmm.

An alien critter that can not survive the local environment sets a GRAPH-M* seed and then goes into hibernation. The surrounding area is slowly altered over decades and some life does adapt to the new GRAPH-M setting. When the spell ends after a century, the alien awakes and starts hunting in its new home.

Like the use of density control, others in the mutations thread, metasurgery has some odd uses for the predator. When it encounters 2 or more prey animals in contact, it can, at range (unlike the spell), cause them to fuse into one (think stitching, not one big version). This makes it almost impossible for the prey to escape (and even if they do, survival isn't likely for long).

*M for magic. RD has rules on it.

Edit: Sometimes I wonder if I am addled brained. Here are the creatures that inspired me to start the thread:

The kite butterfly has a very long migration. As a catterpillar, it is tropical and uses Invocation- ice 3 to chill its surroundings. After it pupates, it travels far south, to the arctic regions and uses Invocation- fire magic 3 to rouse the animal that allows it to live this cycle. Beru birds are identicle, but live in the opposite location of their prey- the kite butterflies. They also transport the lep's eggs in their feathers.

This post has been edited by derek_holland on Aug 26 2008, 10:32

The golden sweet bee uses Alteration- transmute 12 to change sweat into a magical liquid. For the typical user, this produces a high and an extra stun point that lasts 4 hours. For adepts, it provides 2 extra FX points that also last 4 hours. The user must be the person who created the sweat.

One possible elemental cycle involves 3 species of magical critters (all 3 with Alteration- transmute 12). The whales gulp air and convert some air into freshwater. The ants convert water (usually dew drops) into soil to make their hives. And birds that convert soil into a small blast of wind to speed them along and to get airborne where they normally couldn't.

Housecats charm people with a version of Enchantment- emotion 4. It works by contact with their fur and listening to their purring. Anyone not affected by either sees through the attempt.

Forest bison use a variation of Wild Magic- unreality to pass through the plants as though by phasing. A stampede is all but impossible to hinder except with earth and stone. They have been known to walk through wooden walls into villages and ravage gardens before spooked by fire or slain by metal weapons.

Shadow lions use Illusion- shadow magic 3 to spook prey into running at them. Prides are much smaller because they don't need the numbers to hunt.

Mountain crawlers are huge caterpillars that use Earth- transmute earth to convert rock into flesh for consumption. They do eat the occasionall goat, sheep or bird, but mostly grind down the highest mountain ranges. The adult is a moth that uses the same spell to raise the mountains up again.

Theiranthropes (sp?) are some of the most dangerous critters with FX powers. Most use Alteration- physical might (see magic thread in a bit) and at higher ranks can be all but unstoppable. Others can use just about any spell, including ones that transmit their disease at range, cure it and charm and lure their animal kin.

Pinata goblins use a varient of Plant- morphology that only affects their flesh. They hide treasure within their own bodies. Best used as a suprise for the players. :D

Twilight rats use Black Magic- curse 2, scourge 4 to defile locations and poison food. They are common in fields of grain, graneries and abandoned temples (or those under extreme stress and bad times).

Deathspawn are fungal beasts that use their spores (ala Enchantment- lure 8) to draw all kinds of diseased pests to feed on. They are blobby with tentacles, about 10-100 cm in diameter and grey with yellow spots.

Skeletal whales ply the seas using Black Magic- curse 12 to hex those who slay them and their kin. The typical hex is to drown the next time the person goes fishing ot hunting on the water. Much brainer than most skeletons, they have been able to kill off whole villages of whalers.

Grendel are alligators with Alteration- continuance 12 and a triple movement rate while affected.

Some tribes of monkeys have elders able to cast rope trick (note to self, find where rope trick is) using vines. The whole tribe sleeps in the space and hide from predators there.

Cats of fear and flame use Enchantment- lure 10 to draw humans and Invocation- magic fire 6 to cook their food before eating it. They are the size of leopards.

This is more or less what the mediaeval bestiary writers thought the hyaena could do. It doesn't have to be the slightest bit cute.

Sounds a little more plausible than tribbles too.

Clockwork robots that are powered by and use Rune Magic. They have to have a lot of surface area for the runes to be inscribed on and some creators hide the evil or powerful runes within the machine.

Lightweavers look a bit like mammalian centipedes mixed with spiders. The magic they use light for is Invocation- magic hand 6, force field 6, magic fire 2 and magic missile 10. At night, they have qualms burning everything in sight to provide light if they are under threat. Otherwise they are quiet, if odd, neighbors that herd goats or similar animals for their carnivorous diet.

Cloud crystals, or storm seeds, are just that- flying crystals about 1/4 meter in diameter. They use Weather- call the sky father to create the fog and clouds they need to live within. The only ways to annoy them are weather control magic to eliminate the clouds (or wring the water from them) and air pollution (usually lots of smoke from cities or forest fires).

Among the most expensive horses are those that cast Alteration- adaptation 6 on themselves and their rider. This means they can go almost anywhere they can walk.

Spark slugs are a danger to those that hunt them for their metal laced shells. They are about 5 cm long and use Invocation- lightning 3 to throw sparks at anyone that moves with a meter of them. Because of their poor senses, they throw sparks a lot and a lucky hunter may find one low on FX points.

One animal that seems to have unlimited FX points is the great bog turtle. Its shell is constantly shedding water ala Water- create water 3. In large numbers, they expand the swamps they live in. After hunting them to extinction, some have found they were the only source of water and the swamps turn to desert in less than a decade.

6 armed monkeys are a bane to those people who try to travel through their forest. They are quick thieves that steal anything shiney they get their hands on and then escape via Plant- passage 6.

There are many different FX using oozes:

The alchemical ooze that was created with Alteration- transmute 12. It obeyed its master until he died and now randomly change one thing into another. Fortunately it can't reproduce, but its decades long reign of terror still haunts the city it lives in.

The hunter in the dark uses Black Magic- darkness 8 and scourge 4 to hide in sewers and corrupt the flesh it consumes.

Skeletal tar uses Black Magic- embellish undead 6 and undead mastery 5 to animate skeletons to travel around on.

Blood slimes are nasty little critters that few see. The pass through skin as if it wasn't there and cast Necromancy- blood magic 5 and bones 2 on its host. The ooze in unintelligent and uses its FX points quickly to kill so that it can feed on the thickening blood.

Those predators that feed on elemetals I mentioned upthread have had a major impact on the other wildlife near the gates. In areas that have been affected most, some animals gain the environmental adapatation mutation and Earth, Fire, Water or Wind- aura 6.

There was a country believer (RD's term for divine caster) who had some trouble with ghouls in the cemetary. His solution, after several failures, was dawn mice. These otherwise normal looking rodents emit a field equal to Cosmos- quell undead 8. Though they are a pest, many communities would rather have the mice than zombies and vampires.

Spontaneous elementals are not true elementals. They are a version of living spells* combined with some material. When an adept casts a spell above rank 9 and gets a Critical Failure, there is a chance (whatever the GM deems) that a nearby object shatters and reforms in the shape of an animal. It is initially confused, but not violently so (even those based on evil or combat spells). SEs can be trained and over the years become more and more intelligent (1 point per century). Some of the oldest, esp those based on Divination spells, are leaders or advisors in human communities. Whatever their source, most look like dogs, dragonflies or octopi and can cast their spell once per round without FX point limits.

Living spells based on Numerology are called living equations. They are no more intelligent than any other living spell, but tend to be the most dangerous because they warp time and space around them.


* http://alternityrpg.net/onlineforums/index...?showtopic=2203