V2.0 - Threads Moved to Main Citadel · Legacy archive
Bizzare Life-Forms Challenge
-
Bizzare Life-Forms Challenge
#1A little 'theory' about life and resources
I have read somewhere, that not a hundred years ago, the bat was not believed to have any special sense, and the idea that it could produce ultra-sound waves and hear them when they return, was considered nonsense and pure fiction.
As it happens regularly in science, fiction became reality once again. You can hear from time to time about exciting discoveries, with scientists being amazed what is possible. Did you know some bacterias can feel magnetic fields? I don't know what it is useful for, but hey, who cares? :wink:
I think it is a wrong approach to be surprised again and again, how much better would it be to ask: "What IS possible?" in the widest sense, and continue from there.
Wisdom here:
If there is anything that can be considered a 'resource', Life will
sooner or later find a use for it.
What is that unclear thing called resource, you ask? Anything you want.
[*]Take all elements from that periodic table.
[*]Take all existing molecules.
[*]Take all possible wavelengths of light, and not only of it.
[*]This is fantasy, so take all those unreal things too.
[*]Take all those weird dimensions and planes.
[*]Think of several more things...
...and NOW think of all possible ways Life could use this. You can be sure the reality will be more bizzare than you can imagine. Whatever mysterious power works in your world, you can be sure moss will grow on it one day. :wink:
Whether be it simply for food, poison against other life forms, or only a source of information, unless it is much too rare, or really too hard to use, there WILL emerge a life-form able to use it.
One real world example for all:
Around 1970, a transport of freshly-mined uranium from Africa was found to be 'used' (ie having not the right amount of critical isotopes) as if it was already in a nuclear plant. Did some terrorists steal it? No, homo sapiens, the bacterias were first again! And made their own reactor...
There are many bacterias able to purify and concentrate various minerals. One type specialized on uranium, concentrated it on a certain location, where it naturally began to work like a reactor. Estimated up-time: several million years.
(From James Lovelock's Gaia.)
http://www.alamut.com/proj/98/nuclearGarden/bookTexts/Lovelock_Oklo.html
Challenge:
Think of any bizzare life-form, WHATEVER life-form that lives a not-so-standard way. Not the way common sense would expect it. Make it in some way logical or not, just forget the boring everyday logic.
To inspire:
See the World of Kerren and think what other lifeforms can that Warp dingus have attached.
Some organisms tolerate Undead. What if one begins to use that Negative energy thingy somehow, growing while everything around withers? (Free campaign idea here!)
A weird plant (or animal?) that attaches itself to the shoes of bi-pedal humanoids, removes them, and wraps around the feet. And there it stays and survives of things you step on. Right, you can walk on, and it serves as your shoes, for miles and miles. Unremovable at first, when you finally get used to it, it dies as the winter comes. Thanks for the seeds you helped to spread this way.
A minor scavenger that follows you everywhere, and consumes your excrements. Somehow a question of taste? Ewwww.... :shock:
... the strange world inside your Bag of Holding.
A thin membrane-like being that 'consumes' sound waves. Useful for separating dungeon sections, so no sound will get far. May be a simple plant that uses this 'energy' to support growth... or may trap denizens and devour them while they scream, your choice.
... it moves around the world, and sometimes stops here and there, to feed on a tiny fraction of the energy neural systems of advanced lifeforms have.DM use: try to foretell PC's actions. They meet some orcs-> they fight. Comes that strange being, and erases the short-term memory of everyone. So they walk peacefully down the corridor...
and suddenly are in a room with orcs, swords drawn, plus some fresh wounds and minus some ammo and spells. Both sides are confused. Ah, the sweet roleplaying... -
The Black Ones
#2The Black Ones are a paranoid's nightmare. They can take over any single body, or be hiding nearly anywhere. They can see as well in the dark as the light. They can hear nearly any sound, like the faintest heartbeat 10 paces away. They are totally alien, with motivations and drives that are nearly incomprehensable to humans. And the worst part is, they are here and you don't know it.
Each Black One has no eyes, ears, or mouth, yet it can perceive the electromangnetic spectrum and feel sounds and vibrations too faint for an ear to perceive. Some think they can "hear" thoughts as well, but that has yet to be proven.
A Black One is totally amorphous. It can be a fine pool of black, a mm thin, or appear as a glob of clay, a thin black wire, or even a perfect sphere. Their apparent general volume can range from a liter to a few cms square. They can appear as a liquid, flowing any direction it wills, even against gravity, or shift to a solid as they need. They can move through any porous substance, stone, wood, and a variety of other things, like any liquid. Given all these abilities, it means they can flow into a lifeform... hijack it's solid form for their own purposes... controlling the form's electromagnetics, and ooze away when they need to.
The black ones are physically a liquid- a complex suspension of conductors and non conductors. Chemically, interesting because the number of hydrocarbons (oil), but normally not considered alive or organic. In the electromagnetic or paramagnetic range, they are active. It is through these forces that they can move and shape their liquid form. If viewed in hyperdimensional ranges, they have additional "mass" and processing abilities, making them impossible to totally destroy.
These creatures are inspired by the UFO mythology.
or they could be real and here. -
Bizzare Life-Forms Challenge
#3The Hair Beast
(unique magical creature, possibly undead)
Some say that where the Cursed Lands now are, there was an orphanage with a particularly cruel caretaker. If some child would not obey its commands, he would torn their hair out, and this he would sleep on a heap of it with much delight. Some say it came alive one day from the pain and hate it contained, some say it awakened with the Curse.
The amorphous beast is composed entirely of hair. For this reason it can be practically invisible against the right background, it can creep through tiny cracks and under doors. Some claim it only strangles its victims, some say it drains life of them, as undead do. No one knows for sure, for few have escaped it, ever. It is said it does not harm children.
The Hair Beast is not harmed through common weapons, and even magical ones seem to have little effect. Fire is the only known protection, as it avoids larger fires, and a torch can harm it a bit. When it does burn (a little), it produces a horrible stench. -
Bizzare Life-Forms Challenge
#4Globs
Globs are a partially amorphous life-form of the shape-changing kind. It is not a single-celled organism, as one might think. It is rather composed out of smaller groups of cells, specialised for their purposes, like feeding, movement or neural, but the little glob is practically identical with any other within the big glob, which is composed of thousands and more.
The little glob can theoretically survive alone, but more globs offer more options. Communication via the neurons can organize it, and construct a body fitting its enviroment, and move towards better food or defend from enemies. When the number is high enough, signs of intelligent behaviour start to show up, and sufficient size and time can make a glob truly intelligent.
An old glob could learn to communicate with humanoids, can slowly shape-change into any form, is practically immortal, and wounded by few things.
So why don't these creatures rule the world by now?
Little globs are ill suited for survival. Big globs have not the advantage of numerous inborn instincts basically any creature has, from little insects, through animals, up to humans. It must learn everything necessary and anew as it grows. If you loose a hand, it is terrible, but you are still the same being. A glob that has a part cut off looses a part of its memory. If it is not attached fast, some of the memories are lost as the part becomes alive in itself. Smarter blobs learn to relocate globs with important memories inside, and are not so willing to change their shape wildly.
Globs are a fleshy substance, they cannot create a skelet, hide, nails or horns. They gladly use tools for work and protection, when they learn to use them.
As for reproduction, big globs can in theory split in two at any time, but it takes a very intelligent glob and long planning to make the offspring similarly smart, a random split is likely to produce two chaotic insects, with the critical memories disconnected. A little glob is a group of cells, and reproduces as they do.
The primary sense is sight, hearing and smell is much weaker. All little globs have seeing cells, granting the big glob a complete 360 degree view, but a very shortsighted. Globs do not wear clothes, by the way. Some globs learn in time to evolve good ears, some even a voice.
As for personality, globs have no genes for it, and are so a pure chance-creation, the random product of trial and error of survival.
Globs rest often, but never sleep. -
Bizzare Life-Forms Challenge
#5Hmph - well, heres a small thing which may be useful for adventurers:
A small insect, not dissimilar to a firefly, which, as a defense mechanism, is able to warp waves of light, magnifying it and intensifying. It increases the 'Lux' value substantially, and, using these extremely bright flashes of light, is able to confuse, distract or even blind both its predators to make a hasty getaway, or to confuse its prey (smaller insects).
Now, If an adventurer were to catch several of these and place them in a transparent vial or bottle - He now has an inexhaustible, efficient light source when traversing those dark dungeons. The insects will increase the light value substantially, so even the dimmest of rooms will be lit up - of course, it wont work in pitch black, as the insects would need SOMETHING to work off.
Now, this would also be useful in brighter areas: A goblin swings a sword at an ally, you flash them with these insects, the goblin gets blinded or distracted, thus missing its foe, and hitting another goblin instead.
Probably a couple things wrong with this idea, such as: Will the insect be constantly brightening, or will it only do it at ITS will... but this is only a basic idea, anyway. Now I just gotta think up a name for it :P -
Bizzare Life-Forms Challenge
#6Something scifiish I made a bit ago:
On a world made entirely of molten rock (adaptable to volcano life?):
Beyond the psi-pattern of the doomed pilot, a free-floating packet written into the magnetics of the world, there is life. Spurred into being by the psi-pattern's very existance, there are self-replicating patterns here. Here, where lead is energized to the point where it behaves like carbon, it has taken elements from around itself to create a kind of strange, metallic RNA. The body of life here is composed of magnetic fields, directing and in turn directed by shifting lead-iron molecules, in a hellish parody of aquatic life. Like the oceans of earth, there is a food chain, ranging from the simplest creatures, free-floating bits that convert the thermal energy of the molten sea to magnetics, and a series of larger and more complex creatures that feed off the magnetics of lesser creatures.
The highest of these organisms is a wonder to behold: The purely physical portions of its body are perhaps a meter in diameter, spherical when at rest, stretching to a sort of teardrop up to a meter and a half long and three quarters of a meter wide at its maximum cruising speed, of a surprising 20 km/hr. It's internal magnetic fields are enough to put a turn of the millenium computer to shame for complexity and computing power, enough so that it can possibly be considered self-aware. With an intelligence to rival a terran dolphin, this predator literally rules the molten sea.
The Molochi have a limited perception ability, for only three things in their world mean anything: Temperature, Pressure, and thus sonics, and Magnetics. Their primitive language is a complex system of magnetics and sounds, and though it is rigid, and in an odd way, poetic, there's very few ideas for it to carry, and so they simply don't bother having expressions for them. They are ripe and ready to evolve into full sentience, but for now, there are simply no avenues for this to happen beneath the molten seas. Their ability to move through their world is limited by both the top, where the world cools too far to support the unique chemistry of their lead biology, and by the bottom, where their biology simply disintegrates under the heat. -
Bizzare Life-Forms Challenge
#7Another one :
Campfire Fuzz:
These small, luminescent creatures are a distant relative of the willowisp, little bits of orangish light that are attracted by the flames of a fire. When enough of them have gathered around a fire, the fire appears to take on a fuzzy indistinctness.
The Fuzz feeds off the warmth and light of the fire, re-radiating it to the world about it far more slowly than the fire would have. They are non-aggressive, and a Fuzzy fire can be used for everything a normal fire would be used for, though the fire will seem somewhat cooler from a distance. Should someone try to put something into or take something out of the fire, they will part to let them pass. Like other fey, they cannot bear the touch of cold iron, and will flitter away from such very quickly.
Nothing eats the Fuzz, and the Fuzz eat nothing but the warmth of the fire. They will congregate along common campsites, and will often invade homes, though few folk really mind them. -
Bizzare Life-Forms Challenge
#8Symbiotic life pair.
Leaving the two things generic because I only have the idea, not what the life forms could be. I picture something like a crocodile and the bird that it allows to climb in its mouth to clean its teeth or something similiar. A predator, and something that lives off the kill and helps at the same time.
Seperated, they are nothing more special then their forms. But when they come together, which they often do to hunt, then the benefits of the relationship come into effect.
When they come into contact (or near) each other they form a field around them that warps any sound waves they make. The warp depends on the amount of sound. Small whispers or movement sound almost normal, but as they run or growl or make any kind of larger noise the field grows in strength and stretches out the sound waves. So as they get louder, the sound seems farther away. -
From here forward are transfered
#9Slurg
A small slug like animal that is a member of the slug family. It is a parasite that attaches itself to any part of a warm blooded animal. It has small teeth on one of its ends. (the end with the eye stalks) and it uses this to open a wound into its host. Then a tongue like tentacle enters through the wound where it goes through the body and attaches itself to the host. From here it gradually grows through the eletrical impulses sent through the nerves of the host. It acts as a condutor for the eletrical impulse where it absorbs part of the impulse before sending it along its way. It does not at all effect the nerves of function of the host.
You can see tentacles spreading throughout the body of the host from the mian part of the slurg through the skin of the host. It is capable of sudden growth of special tentacles called barbs which it shoots out of the skin of the host and at whatever it precives as a threat to it and or its host.
It improves the reflexes of the host along with giving it fast healing. ONce it one of the tentacles reach the brain the host and the slurg become one mentally. the host can feel everything that the slurg feels. The slurg is only an animal so has no human intelligence. Conncetion of the slurg to the brain often increases the awareness of a host can causes (in the case of it attaching to a creature of human intelligence) the host to act more on instinct than on intelligence thus making the host behave more like an animal.
tarock -
Bizzare Life-Forms Challenge
#10Crevasians
... are conservative and withdrawn people living close to the mountains. There is remarkably little interesting about them, and they tend to stay together anyway. They do not travel, so few care. Oh, and just one thing: they are NOT humans.
Crevasians most probably were humans long ago, but whether it is a matter of some random mutation, or a magical incident, is not sure. Differences are several, but few were ever noticed by outsiders, except for that thing with their veins and skin.
Their skin is indeed thinner than most races have, and while it protects against dangers of outside like it should, it is considerably weaker against inside forces. If a Creavasian is in an intense emotional state, or under hard physical stress (meaning faster heart-beat), his/her veins can thus burst open through the skin, and blood freely flows out.
This is of course a major disadvantage. While adopting a careful lifestyle, Crevasians have created a number of mental exercises and techniques, for control of both emotions and body. Many are now able to close such veins quite fast with strong concentration.
Another technique is said to come from a pair of lovers, and has deeply changed the little enclave. Forbidden for a few centuries, it was used again and again, because of danger or curiosity. It is widely used now. If one is wounded or sick, they could open a vein, and a close person would open theirs, and with the flow bringing new blood and strenghtening the immune system, they could be cured of their ailment. Of course, some types of blood can react violently (even fatally) with other types. Whether they are able to discern the difference, or could have now all the same blood group, I leave to your choice. (They might very well be uncompatible with ordinary humans now, though.)
Anyway, controlling the very blood flow has become a serious need. Training combined with genes favouring the proper enzymes, created a different race. While still staying away from physical harm, very few suffer of diseases that can the immune system of anyone of them cure. Stimulating the proper organs, some can release the right hormones, vitamins and other important substances, on demand, and be so even more effective healers.
The society of Crevasians was long aware of its hidden weakness, and many indeed see them as weaklings. But recently, another view is coming into favour: they are in fact the more evolved, "higher" life form. That useless violence aside, they are much more fit for life, and who has vaccination in these primitive times anyway? Another strong side is their strong communal feeling, which _literally_ flows in their blood... -
Wallachi
#11Wallachi are bizarre beings who dwell in the primeval wilderness of Wallachia.
Little is known about them, for they do not communicate readily, and when they do, said communication takes the form of loud wailing noises that are impossible to translate.
Wallachi appear to be, at first glance, some sort of large blue pod with three tripod-style legs supporting it. However, as one gets closer, one witnesses that the frontal area of the pod has a humanoid face in it, albeit one with four eyes and no mouth.
Protruding from the top of the pod are three tentacular limbs. The first ends in a trumpet-like extrusion which sucks in food that the Wallachi is using for sustenance. They usually eat stones and dirt. The second tentacle ends in a grasping, three-toed claw. The third ends in a near-indescribable swirled, curved organ of unknown purpose. -
Transfered forwards
#12A cave dwelling crustacean that is extremely sensitive certain waves of light because it almost solely uses its eyes to find the small bits of mold that it uses to eat. The mold reflects a certain wavelength color that the crustacean can see. Bad thing is it needs light to see the mold, but the requirement for seeing the mold is having sensitive eyes.
To protect its eyes from the main force of light it has created a super reflective shell that reflects all the light away from its eyes keeping it from being in direct light. At the same time as saving its sensitive eyes, the shell also splits the light waves into a rainbow and spreads it out in front of it so that the specific wavelength light that reflects off the mold is concentrated.
The snail-like creatures can grow up to a foot long by 3/4 foot high but are very rare.
The shell is a favorite among royalty for its rainbow creating ability.
(eek. I have an idea but it won't come out in words for some reason. It is a shell that makes a rainbow OK. geesh) -
Bizzare Life-Forms Challenge
#13The Medusa Tree
*sigh* I wanted to let this idea mature, but Shadoweagle promptly developed a similar one in the mean time. And I thought it would be unique. Of course it is not...
The Medusa Tree is not called after certain mythical beings, but rather after common sea medusae. It does not look very akin to them, having numerous "tentacles", actually thin branches, covered with many fuzzy leaves, that move with the faintest gust of wind, giving the whole tree a somewhat unclear bush-like appearance. But so far, nothing special.
The actual reason why is it called after medusas, is his power to deter any hostile creatures, and to be sure, all creatures:
A) The leaves exude a chemical or biological substance that is aggressive to most living beings. Effects range from a mild rash, through paralysis up to death.
B) The tree has the power to assault visitors with electric shocks (as this is fantasy, some sort of magical shocks might be also possible), strenght depending on the contact one has with the leaves. Of course, the wood of this tree would be highly sought after for certain magic items, and hard to get.
The tree itself is not sentient, it is just a common tree that grows very slowly, and found a means to protect itself.
---
Yet another option I was toying with is to make the whole tree a metallic life-form. Growing from the depths of earth, it grows on purely rocky terrain and needs no soil. As it is connected to the planets magnetosphere (metallic roots that have hundreds of miles have the effect...), it can deliver a mighty shock to anyone willing to try. Natural lightning also strikes here often. And thus a legend of the Storm Tree may arise, grown out of a volcano, and growing one inch in a hundred years. And when its shadow covers everything, it will be the end of the world. Or something.
---
But it is only a question of time, until something adapts, and lives with the Tree. Maybe becoming immune to the effect, or adapting so much to the Tree, that it won't get attacked (won't be recognised as a harmful element). The protection this offers is sure to be used by someone. -
Bizzare Life-Forms Challenge
#14I have a favorite tree I first made up in Dragonstorm (anyone ever play that?) I took the warped plant card, put a Spike tail card on it and birthed the Devil's thorns
A tree that appears oaklike, but has a good number of large spikes growing on it. The spikes are an average of 9 inches long, some larger, and have a bulbous burl at the base. The spikes are actually the seeds of the Devil's Thorns. In much the same way ferns reach for the sun and soem desert plants swell up and launch thier seeds in rain, the Devil's Thorns searches for the heat living creatures give off.
When it is strong enough to indicate the creature is in range, a rush of sap swells the burl and fires the thorn at the target, with intent to kill. The bark is posionous and micro barbed like a porqupine quill, so even a shallow hit can be dangerous. The posion isn't abnormally strong, but will wear on the creature's health.
If or when the creature is killed, the seed now has a lovely decomposing body to provide fertalizer for it's new life. And the cycle begins anew, and if left unchecked, a whole forest could be thickly mixed with these deadly plants. -
Draconian parasites
#15Dragons, being huge and meaty, are the ideal habitat for countless unpleasant parasites.
Wyrm worms. These giant bowel slugs live inside dragons. They do not kill, but merely sap the dragon's strength.
Hackmandibles. These are like fleas the size of your fist with a bite like a vice (they need it to penetrate the thick scales of their host). Enterprising but naive wizards think to use them as a source of dragons' blood. In fact it's harder to kill one of these than a Great Red: their exoskeleton is impenetrable to most blades and they jump up to twenty metres at a hop.
Scalefly. These are flies which colonise the epidermis behind the belly scales (the dorsal scales are too tough). They live long enough to lay hatches of maggots, which lay dormant for a few years, then continue the line. The maggots secrete juices which dissolve the scales and then they reabsorb it as food. When a scale is sufficiently rotted it will flake off. These are the main source of the infamous "weak spots" on a dragon's belly which are penetrable to arrows.
Firetooth beetles. These are not really parasites, rather they have a symbiotic relationship with the dragon. When a dragon breathes fire it melts and burns the enamel on its teeth. The firetooth beetle eats this residue (the dragon grows more to replace it) and thus prevents the dragon's teeth from becoming blunt and black.
ephe! -
Bizzare Life-Forms Challenge
#16If you kill a dragon you might then get swarmed by all these parasites such as hackmandibles etc. After all, their host is dead and another dragon is far away, so they will presumably be after the closest source of fresh blood: i.e. you. -
Bizzare Life-Forms Challenge
#17Voon!
Time to make one up on the spot.
Charyn Slug
Found mainly in dense forests, the Charyn slug is a most irritating creature to the average adventurer. Not because it is dangerous in any way, but that it tends to disturb their sleep.
The slug is nocturnal and burrows into the moist soil during the daytime, because it is extremely fragile, and in contact with sunlight or much heat, the slug would instantly dry up. However, it does arise at night to feed. As it is awake, it creates a fairly loud sound - similar to a cicada's chirring - to make its presence known to other slugs out there for mating (which is all year round). The slug feeds on any type of fauna it can reach - often moist leaves of the forest floor, or small shrubs or patches of grass - and its rapid, acidic digestive process causes this food to be processed within minutes. The slug releases the biproduct of its feeding, mainly methane gas.
Another curious aspect of the slug is that it is drawn to light, simply because it cannot see daylight and it is a curious thing to it. Hundreds of these slugs often surround the rim of a campfire of a party, just outside the range of the light and heat which would kill them. There, they chirr, eat and mate whilst looking on to the curious light before them. Adventurers who are furiously attempting to sleep for another weary day travel, find themselves assaulted with pungent odours and loud chirring noises just around their campsite. All it would take is for one person to get out of their sleeping rolls, walk over to the campfire and throw a burning stick at the rim of the camp (the flames and heat will cause the methane to combust, and will cause a chain reaction, exploding the slugs around with a ring of fire about the campsite), but truly, when you are almost asleep, who can bother getting up and fully waking yourself to do that anyway?
If someone DOES manage to do this, it would be about 10 minutes of silence before more of these pests are drawn to the fire.
Truly distruptive. A tired adventurer is a dead adventurer :)
The slugs are worthless in any way. They cannot be eaten due to their acidic nature. They cant even be kept as pets, because they die and explode at the hint of heat and light. -
Spoilbugs
#18Spoilbugs are fist sized black beetles which normally burrow through the earth like moles and live on all kinds of rock which they chew up with razor-sharp mandibles. Whilst they eat all rocks, their favorite food is gold, silver and jewels. There have been cases where tomb robbers have broken into a tomb, dealt with any traps/Undead within it, and then found that the beetles have eaten all the treasure!
They can give a nasty bite with their mandibles, although they only ever bite living things in self-defence, and their bodies are so hard that when attacked, they roll into a ball and can survive being stomped on, being struck with swords, and being thrown around. High magical levels found in enchanted items normally repel them. -
Bizzare Life-Forms Challenge
#19Stone Leech
This creatuer lives in the dark southern jungles, but has found its way to the civilised north. Often hiding in fruit trees or on shrubs favoured by local fauna, it bites its host, injecting a strong paralytic poison, and finds a good spot to stay attached for years, which its host often survives. (Note that it is mindless, and acts only by instinct.)
The size of a woman's hand, it has a hard carapace (hence its name in some parts), and is still harder to remove. It feeds mainly on the host's blood plasma, and though it does weaken its host, it doesn't kill him. It returns what it does not consume.
What's more, it filters its host's blood, removing unusual chemicals, making the wearer in a way immune to poison (or at least helps to recover faster). The natives use it mostly for their shamen, that have to consume strange things to get into contact with the spirits, etc.
More use was found in the civilised north; where there is politicking and treachery, and poisoning quite common. Some noble men and their advisors, and especially their food tasters have chosen to be hosts for the leech... and there is yet a poison to be found against it. Only a few fast poisons are able to kill the host, if lucky. Thanks to the leech, the good old dagger is coming back into fashion. -
Bizzare Life-Forms Challenge
#20The Invisible Lake Beast
(This is a unique product of a magical catastrophe, and it was actually a bear before.)
Loosing much of its cellular structure, it still roughly keeps its original shape. However, it is not only semi-tranparent, but also much lighter, up to the point that strong winds threaten to pick it up and dump somewhere else... likely killing it. The bear has learned to stay on the large lake it lived at, light enough to walk it, and holding to the water at the same time. It feeds on fish, as it did before, and occassionaly drowns an unlucky swimmer, giving rise to legends of a terrible invisible beast eating anyone approaching its lake. Be warned that it can move quickly on the lake's surface, half-running, half-gliding toward its prey...
The only luck is, that it lost much of its strength along with its weight and muscles. It is also now a soft, squishy thing, dangerous only if allowed to attack. If facing strong opposition, it will withdraw as fast as it came. -
Observers
#21This is adopted from Element Masters/ GateWar RPGs
Observers are three and a half feet (1.2 meters) tall humanoids. Their skin is milky white and very smooth (except around the joints, where it is slightly wrinkled). They have no visible or known sexual organs. There feet are fairly oversized. Their hands are normally clasped behind their back.
Their flatish heads are dominated by two huge eyes (which can see in the entire electromagnetic specturm, and can do spectral anaylsis). They have tiny slit noses and no real mouth. They can hear, but have no observable ears (perhaps their eyes pick up the vibrations?)
They communicate with each other, when that happens, by staring in each others eyes. Sometimes small flashes of light are seen.
Observers do not eat, sleep, nor excrete. Breathing seems to be an optional behavior. They generate a nearly impenetrable forceshield. Perhaps they are absorbing ambient energies and focusing them. The theories vary.
Observers do nothing but observe. They waunder the world watching. Sometimes they will stay in one area of interest or following an interesting individual or group. They seem to witness history and remember it. People often take great pride in the fact that Observers find them interesting enough to watch.
Observers were obviously made for this task. Who made them and who is record of history is currently unknown. -
Stone Lizards
#22Large lizards about 5 feet long,nothing about them seems to stand out. As drab and colorless as the parched brown stone of the dessert,these things come across as your average reptile residents. But what most wouldn't know is that these scaly things are virtually unkillable,thanks to a unique gift that they possess.
When a stone lizard finds itself under attack by a predator,it does what comes naturally to it. It turns into stone,quite literally,leaving the attacking predator finding itself grappling with a stone lizard. This transformation from flesh to stone also occurs when the lizard finds itself dying from a lack of food and water. This keeps the lizard safe until it feels ready to come out again. After all,stone lizards don't need food or water.
To the lizard,this process is hardly unsettling and is merely a state of hibernation and safety that it escapes too until some part of it's mind tells it that it is ready to revert back to a living animal again. -
More on the Stone Lizard
#23- Tourists pick up a stone lizard and take it home thinking it a cunning tribal statue. A week or so later, sensing more water, the lizard turns back into meat and goes wandering around, frightening the house help, eating plants and such. Not so much a menace, but certainly worth a few laughs
- Finding an area full of these stone lizards gives rise to rabid rumormongering of a basilisk, or medusa in the area. Pranksters drop off a stone statue of a person, and reap the rewards later when they return with the 'head' of the monster. What happens when a real basilisk comes into the area?
- Do they taste like chicken?
- Painting the stone lizards while they are stone, just for fun. -
Bizzare Life-Forms Challenge
#24Now there are some interesting ideas for the Stone Lizards. :)And yes,they are good to eat if you can manage to slay them before they can turn into stone. -
Transfered from this point forward
#25I've had this idea floating about for a few years, but have not yet fully fleshed it out.
(Yes, another insect)
There are several different species of Black Leaf Bugs, each resembling the shed leaves of various deciduous trees. They all share a few traits in common: swarm behaviour, poor flight, behavioural mimicry of leaves blown by the wind, defenses, feeding modes, and means of reproduction.
In appearance, Black Leaf Bugs resemble a cluster of fallen leaves, blown about by the breeze. It is not uncommon to see more than one species represented within a swarm. When they encounter a large animal however, they quickly swarm and paralyze it. Individually, their bites are small, and their paralytic venom weak. However, in a swarm, the collective toxin can quickly subdue even a cow, and keep it paralyzed until the larvae have devoured it. The adult females feed on animal blood, leaving pinprick sized holes on the paralyzed victim, barely noticable even under scruitiny. Adult males, ironically, feed on dead vegetable matter. All however, swarm and inject their paralyzing toxin.
The eggs hatch within a few hours, and the tiny larvae burrow their way deep inside the victim's flesh. The paralyzed victim is eaten from the inside-out, while it is still alive and conscious for the early stages. The skin & bones are not consumed by the developing larvae, but muscle & soft tissues are. This leaves (pun unintended) the victim in the latter stages resembling a horrific type of scarecrow--the frame & skin are stuffed with wriggling vile leaves. These burst out from the victim, and become a new swarm.
It is whispered at harvest bonfires that sometimes these smaller swarms will combine (which is something that has been observed several times before), but into a monstrously huge pile of Black Leaf Bugs, able to instantly devour and destroy anything it comes across. -
Unknown Death
#26Your players can name this one, if they survive.
In a region known for hundreds of deep narrow canyons and a high magical energy, few have investigated it and come back alive. Some say there are monsters here... and they might be right.
Your players will probably not be trying to make too much noise, as there is a great echo here and they don't want to alert the monsters.
As you preceed into the canyons, the walls are cooler than you would expect for being exposed to the sun... perhaps the nights here are really cold.
Your players hear an odd "ppppooockt-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t" noise that seems to echo around the area. It is like something is bouncing off the rocks. The echo will occur for a while then go away.
If the players are around their campfire....they will hear dozens of pppooockt-t-t-t-t-t-t" noises, like three dozen handball games. It is terribly loud. If they scream at each other (or make a sudden loud noise) the sound will intensify in both volume and tempo.
Someone might feel something bounce off them. It feels like the vibration in your chest when you are standing next to a big drum being banged. Their sword or a metal item vibrates like a tuning fork... or they banged it against metal.
They will eventually go away... and the preternatural silence occurs (actually it is normal silence... but it seems so loud and so still after all that noise and vibration.
If they players travel deeper into the canyons (i.e. don't get the hint), it will begin again. But this time louder and more dangerous. Now people will begin to pop ear drums. They will take damage from the vibration. Things that are crystal or glass or ceramic will break. If the players are not fairly quiet and beat a hasty retreat, they will soon die from ruptured ears, eyes, and black and blue marks all over their entire body.
The Living Echos of the canyons are living sounds, much the way an elemental is living fire/ earth/ air/ water. They are somewhat intelligent pack animals (akin to wolves). They bounce around the canyons absorbing heat from the rocks (as food). Fires and the warm blooded bodies of animals are also "food". In fact, fire will create a feeding frenzie.
Certain common sounds create "disharmony" / "discordance" in their bodies causing them a bit of discomfort. They will put up with this as the character bring new heat for their pack to absorb.
Silence spells are the equivalent of walls of flames to paper golems - that is to say, very deadily. Once they encounter this phenomena once, they will avoid it and the casters like the plague... though they may cause rockslides to indirectly attack said caster/ group. -
Winged Geomorphs - A type of Gargoyle
#27There are seven or so types of lifeforms considered Gargoyles by the less informed. This is one.
Geomorphs are related to Earth Elementals in structure and form, but these creatures have more in common with ectomorphs (spirit forms) than true Fey or Elementals. They may be a distant offshoot of spirit dragons.
In reality, they are actually an energy matrix, that soft glowing orb similar to all true Fey. Unlike most Fey, this orb can not shapeshift and become solid into traditional patterns. These matrices find there way into stone, embedding themselves into it, shaping and animating it. The form is normally based on the gente/ bloodline of the GeoMorph, but is normally a winged humanoid with a monsterous face and general human proportions. The form is clawed and the wings are similar to a bats or dragons rather than a feathered form. ). Some gentes/ bloodlines will be sphynx like, or one appears to be a pile of small rocks in a humanoid form.
Though nocturnal, they can function perfectly well during the day. (There is a theory that sunshine interferes with their control of the stone, which seems to be played out by their reduced speed, dexterity, and strength during the day).
They often appear as statues, which is how they camoflauge themselves in urban environments, however they have other ways. They will often choose perches that match their stone color and pattern, so at a distance they are lost in stone. Some have ways to alter themselves to better match their background, while others can offuscate themselves to appear as a stone outcroping. A prized ability is the one to become invisible.
While totally intelligent, they are alien in their mindset. Their view of time is more geologic, rather than human. This gives them inhuman patience. They also do not see the requirement of movement for actually doing something. Thinking is considered an action for them, and they are logical and highly intelligent thinkers. They are masters of philosophy, astronomy, and mathematics. They are regionally orriented, territorial. The troupe (one to twelve) claims a good sized region which they will share with wet creatures but not other troupes or dragons. They will perfer the highest position in a region and will watch it. Though they appear to have eyes and ears and touch, their sensory abilities are "cosmic"/ nearly clairsentient. They can see, hear, smell, taste, nearly anything within a nearly unlimited line (of sight). Note: Some can bend their sensory perception slight, going around corners or through windows.
While not prone to action, they will protect and defend the integrity of their territory. They tend to attack those with negative affilitations or intents.
There are several ways they "feed". They seem to absorb energy forms. Hunting and consuming gems is a favored past time (where they absorb the gem's mystical energy). They can absorb the geomatic spirit energy of their region, taking in the energy of the place. This "grazing" often explains their settling into city areas, staking out temples, schools, and museums as prime spots. Some troupes have taken to absorbing energies directly, hunting down "sinners"/ those charged with negative energies and ripping energies out of them (frequently killing the target). Troupes with this habit seem to favor churches of the light as their primary habitat.
Geomorphs give birth by two or more of them sharing energies together and then embedding those energies into an egg shaped stone (usually six inches across). As those energies develop, it eventually becomes a full GeoMorph, absorbing stone to make a larger body as it can control more and more stone. Eventually it will merge into a large stone, taking that on as its proper body. Note: They are insanely protective of their eggs (given that they only reproduce once every few decades). -
Bizzare Life-Forms Challenge
#28Crystrees
Tall and strangely thin, Crystrees are oddly unremarkable in appearence. They usually resemble other trees within the vicinity, but are always taller and more slim. Crystrees have a tendency to sway heavily in the wind, and make a distinctive crackling noise when they do so.
The reason for this is because the heartwood of the tree is a thin strand of carbon-crystal, similar to quartz. When the crystal is bent, such as in the presence of wind, electricity is generated along fault lines. It is then stored in the heartwood, where it is used to power major functions of the tree.
Due to this natural advantage, Crystrees are capable of performing actions that other trees cannot. With a burst of stored power, the tree can modify its external appearence, move a branch, or grow sporadically. They tend to be very tough and fast-growing, due to their curious natural advatage.
Ghans:
The Ghans (for there is really only one) is a massive, collective mind that sprawls for miles. Each section of the Ghan is a freethinking protoplasmic cell roughly a foot in diameter. Ghan cells are intelligent and capable of speech, but have no skeletal or muscular structure. They resemble enormous cells, and feed by pumping water molecules directly out of the air and into their bodies. Cells move by slowly oozing over ground.
When two cells are located side by side, they fuse into a single, larger cell. Because it contains the collective conciense and intelligence of two Ghan, its awareness grows exponentially. As such, large clusters of Ghan can be very, very intelligent. -
Grolen - A type of Winged Gargoyles
#29Grolen are another semi-sentient creature which is called a Gargoyle in popular parlance.
Grolens are reminicent of frogs or toads. They are thin winged humanoids, approximately 4 feet tall (1.2M) with a 10 foot wingspan (2.5M). Their skin is greenish grey and is bumpy. In the wrong light, it could be a stone camoflauge pattern. Their broad feet and hands are webbed. The webbing is not used for swimming, but for creating suction to stick to smooth rocks. Each finger or toe has a sharp talon, good for ripping flesh or hooking onto rocks. Their eyes are wide and bulgy. Their mouth is broad and unlike a frog's, filled with two rows of razor sharp teeth. They have a forked tongue. Their wing appear to be batlike, long membranes between thing fingers.
Grolens are better gliders and flyers. Their territorial and pack mentality (4-6) make them dangerous ambush predators in mountain passes.
Notes:
a) Their vision is deep into heat spectrum. That is how they can spot so many targets against the cold stone.
b) They will utilize tools they find (spears knives and such), but they can't make anything.
c) They are warm blooded, but they conserve energy by being lathargic in thecold and sunning their wings to warm themselves.
d) They can hybernate at the drop of a hat. The troop will often goto sleep in an ambush position, to be awakened at a moment's notice.
There are more frog-like variations of this species. They are perfectly amphibeous, using their wings to "swim" as well as fly (limitedly). -
Magma Borers
#30The Magma Borer is a large creature native to the extreme world of Crematoria. Scientists and planetologists have yet to be able to explain the fact that despite have a wildly violent atmosphere, Crematoria has a breathable oxygen atmosphere. The planet swings from 700 degrees F on the day side down to a chilly -100 degrees on the night side. Spontaneous combustion follows the night terminator, eliminating the oxygen supply from the air. The rich mixture of sulfate and carbon compounds in the air further fuels the combustion wave that circles the planet.
Planetologists discovered some of the geothermal vents that dot the savage and broken landscape of the planet do not exhale the typical mixture of carbon gases, vaporized sulfer and other volatile chemicals. Quite amazingly they found geysers of O2 gas. The emission rate was very steady from the vents, and measurements from the vents remained at a constant rate, whereas the emission from the other poisonous vents changed with each passage of the combustion wave.
Robot exploration devices repeatedly penetrated these O2 chimneys and found something extrodinary. Deep under the crust, usually 1500 to 2500 feet beneath the rock there are living creatures. They resemble terrestrial baranacles with thick, dense shells that seem impervious to heat and the pressure found at such depths. The creature inside is a composite organism, a synthesis of a silicone based life form that refines the gases and minerals of the sub-crust into digestable matter for the larger carbon based creature. The entire beast is at least 15 feet wide, and weighs an estimated 5 to 8 tons.
The creature exhales oxygen, nitrogen, and other trace gases as it metabolizes the excretions of the silicate creatures that line it's shell. Little more is known about the creatures, as the violent climate doesnt lend itself to research, and no way has been found to extract such a large animal from its burrow without killing it.
*****
thought of this beastie after watching Chronicles of Riddick and wondering how in the hell did Crematoria have a breathable atmosphere with no O2 generating plants or other primitive life. Voila, the Magma Borers. -
The Stayers - a type of Gargoyle
#31Stayers are the defenders of Wizardry - Great Magics.
The Stayers are the first of what some scholars call Magichena, magically animated things that are "alive". Unlike many things, they know their history. The Stayers started existance as Guardian Statues, protecting the home of The Last Archwizard. They are of the classic Gargoyle mold, winged deformed humanoids. In an attempt to improve upon the basic guardian statue, the Archwizard gave them the ability to actually cast spells, so they could fly and project magic missiles. The first saw him create the second, those two saw him create the third, until all five original Stayers had been made.
The Stayers were somewhat intelligent and helpful. In addition to being powerful guardian statues, they became assistants... first of the tote and carry kind, but eventually doing a number of mundane and wizardly things for the ArchWizard.
They protected the ArchWizard and his library for nearly two centuries, until his death. The Stayers realized they would continue to protect the ArchWizard and the powerful magics his library contained. It was more than it was just what they were created for, it was their duty. The world could not safely utilize the ArchWizards magics until a new Archwizard was born.
(Just to make sure, they called back the spirit of the ArchWizard just to confer with him. They await his next incarnation when he will retake the ArchWizard mantle.)
So they Stayers found the old notes and made more of themselves. The hardest part of the process was carving new models. Many stayed to protect the Great Library. A few started to make a new archive, as the library was not very defensible. Others went out into the world, searching for dangerous Wizardry to neutralize (or contain until the coming of the next ArchWizard) , wizardly tomes to keep from people who might misuse them, and other odds and ends.
A number of Stayers search for new wizards, to train them in the basics, just in case they might be the next ArchWizard. After a few centuries of this, a few have started a school for wizardry. They even teach a few common mages as well, as even they need a good education.
Stayers are classic stone gargoyles, big gothic, bat wings, claws, fang, and so on. They have good speed and the strength of stone. With their magic, they can fly, repair themselves, and cast other spells. They have mage sight, so they can see in low light by seeing the spirits of things.
If you want to know about Go-ers
http://www.strolen.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=35013#35013 -
Gharjoy - A type of Gargoyle
#32Gharjoy are one of the seven types of Gargoyle and may be the origin of all things Gargoyle.
Gharjoy are astromorphs, astreal creatures. They are powerful hunting creatures who are "territorial", patroling their regions for things that pollute their territory. Their "visage" is quite horrific to those who can see them. Gharjoy consume pawns (bundles) of negative energies. Each pawn is a combination of negative emotions, memories, and power- a sin in some parlances- Evil in others. They hunt any negative astromorph or pawn in their region.
Gharjoys, being positive energy creatures who fuze negative energy, have more "weight" than most astromorphs. They utilize the destructive energies to hunt and destroy other pawns and negative astromorphs. This balance of polarities allows them to focus upon the physical realm. Like all astreal things, unless they are anchored to the material in some way, they can only limitedly sense and interact with the physical. After finding a suitable anchor, they can bind themselves to the material and hunt there.
What constitutes an anchor? They are stone statues that have horrific visages - grotesques. Such an appearance (and associated primal archetypes) has resonence for them, making it suitable. It is unclear if someone seeing a Gharjoy in the astreal was the reason for carving a grotesque, or a Gharjoy simply came to anchor in such a statue because it was there. It is also unclear if the number of gargoyles/ grotesques on certain churches was done to attract Gharjoys, or if just the Gharjoys came to them.
A Gharjoy's region is any bounded area, be it a building, a walled enclave, or ley bounded zones. They are creatures of habit and will not exceed their region.
Gharjoys hunt at night, searching for sources of negative energy in their region. They will attack as a violent spectre or poltergiest, generating fear (which generates lesser pawns) and taking the energy of sin/evil from the target (which has the side effects of injury the target's mind and body). -
Midarans
#33Midarans come from a middle island in the far sea. They have become well known for being traders and merchants. They are also know for being quite magical. Then there is their appearance.
Midarans have milky white skin, alabaster smooth. Literally. They are stone, a perfect white marble. Their eyes are usually lapis, but other colors are inlayed. Some of the females have lips that are inlayed of other colors. The males and females both have "hair", stone that is a different color and texture than their normal stone. This hair will move and flow mimicing real hair. They often go without clothing, showing off their Grecianly perfect bodies. However, they will often wear clothing that fits the local norms.
They are wiley traders. They are also known to be excellent mages, though they will seldom show off their powers except in dire emergencies.
They have a taboo about speaking of their origins or their families, though they claim to have families. No one actually knows their origins, but the speculations abound. It is assumed that they are Magichena, magically constructed lifeforms... golems that can animate each other. However, their source is unknown. They have been trading in the known world for a few centuries now, and are part of the local social fabric in a number of places.
Unknown by most, they are related to others: They are Go-ers. Their is no anamosity either way between the two groups, though relations are a bit "stiff".
http://www.strolen.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=34557#34557 -
Balisk Lichen
#34Though it is called Balisk Lichen, it can be found in any region frequented by a stone transforming lifeform (Balisk, Medusa, etc). It is a strong (nearly impossible to remove) green lichen that is "fuzzy", like a short green grassy fur. It only grows upon organic materials that have been turned to stone. The lichen will break down transformed lifeforms into rubble. It then expands and grows upon the rubble. Eventually it breaks the rubble down completely, converts into spoors and joins the wind.
The lichen is very toxic when "alive". Nothing eats it. (It can not be made into a poison because the compound goes innert if it dies (which it does within minutes of being pulled from a rock). Well that is not true. Balisks and other stone transforming creatures have been known to lick and eat the lichen off the rubble. Their salivia seems to disolve the connection between the lichen and the rock. The lichen seems to be the digestive medium for the Stoners. It is concentrated nutrition pulled from the previously organic material. -
Ocadian PitFiend
#35The ochre sands stretch for miles around. Something kicks up the dust. It's a yak. A desert-yak. It ambles slowly, nuzzling the ground for the low-growing shrubs. The ranger freezes. "Stay very still," he warns. "Don't move at all." "What is it?" you ask, breathlessly. "It's the most dangerous creature in the whole Ocadian desert. And it's about to eat that yak..."
The Ocadian PitFiend is a colony creature, where several different lifeforms combine together.
1) On the surface there are what appears to be shrubs. They are actually two different plants living together. One is Brycanthis, which produces a low woody shrub, the other Sochrin Vines, primative relatives to Treller Vines. Combined, they make a low woody shrub with green leaves and small red flowers. Neither of these plants should be able to survive in this environment due to soil and water requirements, but as part of the colony, they can.
2) Deeply, there is Ocadian Fungi. There giant subsand relatives to mushshooms can grow to huge sizes, encompassing several acres underground. They are just under the heat level (where the sun's warmth no longer warms the sand/ soil). They provide liquid and stability for the PitFiend.
3) In the Middle combines three creatures. Ocadian SandCoral (or a variation of) is the backbone of the creature. These small creatures eat organics in the sand, protecting themselves from heat and preditors by creating small shells of silicon... thus creating a coral. They create the stable foundation for the plants to root to and the Pitfiend to grow from. It is unclear if it is two or three kinds of microplants that make up the Fiend Proper. One plant produces "spoors" that stun and can immobilize creatures once stimulated (stepped on or agitated by chemical signals produced by the bush plants being disturbed). In addition the spoors begin the digestive properties. They grow on the surface out of the SandCoral. The colonies of Sand Anemones will shoot their "once in a lifecycle" tenticle... drawing the creature into the pit. (they will then reproduce, drawing upon nutrients from the caustic goo inside the bulb). Inside the bulb of the fiend (held together by coral and the plant roots) is a number of microplants and animals that digest flesh quickly and even can break down bone and metals. The goo inside the bulb can completely digest a human in about four hours, passing nutrients and water out of the bulb to the rest of the colony. In fact they are so acidic that they must remove the water quicly less it becomes so unacidic that they die. One of the microcolonies of the goo does nothing but that.
Something comes grazing along attracted to really nice looking plants that should not be able to survive here. They are slowed and stunned by breathing in spoors.Then tenticles shoot out, drawing the prey underground. If small enough, it disappears completely under the sand... if not the animal appears to slowly sink into the sand amond the nice bushy plants.
Even if you rescue someone from the bulb, part of their body will be disolved, and it will be infected by a number of microbes that will continue to try and digest the victim. Even being near the plant is dangerous, as inhalation of the spoors will lead to tiredness, fatigue, paralysis, and begin to break down the lungs and wet tissues they touched, causing bleeding from the eyes, nose, and lung... as they are slowly digested by the spoors.
In fact, the rizone (mushroom) element counts on things getting away... they will then decompose and feed it and the PitFied.
Spoors will be an issue for people, but by the time people realize someone has been infected, not only all of you have been effected but much damage has already been done. The PitFiend wound (swallowed) can be stopped by the "Old Ranger Trick" of swabbing the wound with a honey and water mixture. Magic can resolve some of it, but there will be 1-6 "diseases"/ parasites that will need to be removed. Also one of the microflora put out a strong anti-magic field (for a microanimal) so it is difficult to resolve anyways. After all, it is the most dangerous creature in the desert. It can kill from a distance, it can kill you if you escape, and it will make you "gone" if you stray near it.
The only thing that gives this creature away are the innocent shrubs that are somewhat out of place and the caustic smell that bubbles up if it is digesting something. -
Add Me
#36Blue Fires MoonHunter
« Details
Main Cat:Lifeforms
Cat 1:Ethereal
Cat 2: Tundra/ Arctic
Submitted: Oct 28, 2005 23:59
Updated: Oct 28, 2005 23:59
Comments: 0
Views: 0
XP Earned: 3
HoH Earned: 0
ID: 1213
Votes / Rating: 0 / 0
No votes
The Dancing Lights of the Ice Wind are one of the great dangerous in the Land of Snow and Ice.
Transfer Every File! Transfer Every File! Transfer Every File! Transfer Every File! Transfer Every File! Transfer Every File! Transfer Every File! Transfer Every File! Transfer Every File! Transfer Every File! Transfer Every File! -
Re: Bizzare Life-Forms Challenge
#37Thread moved to main Citadel.
Closed only in terms of the forum but very much open for more ideas and submissions!!!
GO HERE
http://www.strolen.com/content.php?node=1236
V2.0 - Threads Moved to Main Citadel · All categories · Guildhall