Tuesday Terror: Rasties
Back when I was in high school, TSR published Star Frontiers. It wasn’t the first sci-fi game we played. That would be Gamma World. It wasn’t even the second, which would be Traveller. (N.B. That’s an affiliate link.)
But, man, did we play the heck out of Star Frontiers, and, as usual, our characters were a possee of shady mercenaries out to get rich and probably die young in the process. If memory serves, our characters’ last adventure involved trying to steal a prototype military robot in order to sell it on the black market. The mission did not succeed, and I’m pretty sure we moved on to another game.
Anyhoo, here’s a new monster adapted from the creature of the same name found in Crash on Volturnus:
Rasties are vicious mammals of medium size that prey upon hapless shovelmouths and other gentle prey living in the caverns of Volturnus. [They] look like a cross between a rat and a small monkey. They have four legs, but can sit upright and use their forelimbs to grasp meat or small prey. Rasties are usually hungry, and will attack anything that looks edible to them.
Rasties
Small monstrosity, neutral evil
Armor Class 14 (natural armor)
Hit Points 27 (6d6+6)
Speed 30 ft.
STR 8 (-1), DEX 16 (+3), CON 13 (+1), INT 6 (-2), WIS 12 (+1), CHA 7 (-2)
Skills Perception +3, Stealth +5
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 13
Languages Rasties
Challenge 1 (200 XP)
Blood Rampage. As a bonus action, the rasties can move up to half its speed toward a hostile creature that doesn’t have all its hit points and then make a bite attack against that creature. The rasties must be able to see the creature.
Keen Smell. The rasties has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on smell.
Pack Tactics. The rasties has advantage on an attack roll against a creature if at least one of the rasties’s allies is within 5 feet of the creature and the ally isn’t incapacitated.
Actions
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d4+2) piercing damage, and the target is grappled (escape DC 13). Until the grapple ends, the target is restrained, and the rasties cannot bite another target.
