Harpooneer

The harpooneer is a deadly form of plant-life. It dwells on large rocks and asteroids in wildspace. It has large purple leaves and pseudo-flower petals that have a faint blue phosphorescent glow. This glow is used to attract creatures looking to feed off glowmoss or similar plants. However, creatures that get too close will find that the pseudo-flowers actually contain bone-white spikes that shoot out with blinding speed to impale the unfortunate victim.

Combat: The harpooneer relies on its spikes to catch prey. It will have 1-10 of these pseudo-flower spikes, depending on the size of the plant and current availability. As many as 5 of these spikes may strike out at one target. These spikes are launched with blinding speed. The harpooneer has a -2 bonus to initiative and will surprise unwary creatures (those who do not recognize the plant for what it is) 5 in 6!

Each of the spikes contains a paralytic agent that progressively destroys the victim's nervous system. If the victim fails a save vs. poison at -4, their Dexterity will be cut in half each round (rounding down) until it Falls below 1 at which point the victim is fully paralyzed. In addition, the victim's Strength and Constitution will be reduced by 3 points each round until Constitution reaches 0 and the victim is dead. [For quick resolution for creatures without Attributes, subtract 1 Hit die per round until the creature is dead. Modify this by size: Tiny=-1 rounds, Small=0 rnd, Medium=+1, Large=+2, Huge=+4, and Gargantuan=+6. Paralyzation takes effect immediately unless the creature makes a second save.]

Each of the spikes is connected to the harpooneer by a tendril that is as tough as steel. The plant reels in speared prey to its digestive cavity. Each of the spike tendrils has a range of 30 feet. The harpooneer can detect potential prey up to 100 feet away by detecting motion, heat, and changes in light. Attacks against the harpooneer may be reduced in damage depending on weapon type. Small piercing weapons (such as arrows and knives) do only 1 point of damage. Blunt and other piercing weapons do -2 points of damage per die. Piercing weapons cannot be reduced below 1 point of damage, but blunt weapons can be rendered ineffective by damage reduction.

Habitat/Society: The harpooneer is highly similar to a plant found on certain tropical worlds. No one is sure which developed first, but the harpooneer of wildspace is dreaded by ship crews. It can move about 2 feet every hour, but rarely does so except to seek a better location to catch prey. It will then drill its roots into rocky surfaces, typically on asteroids or boulder-size rocks. It tends to grow where it is shielded on one or more sides. This enables it to surprise creatures. More than one spacer has rounded a rock on an asteroid only to see too late the blur of a spike tendril shooting towards them. Fortunately, harpooneers are only found in warmer regions of wildspace (within a range of 60-90 degrees Fahrenheit).

Ecology: These plants eat smaller prey. However, they will strike out at anything that comes within range. Larger creatures (over 150 pounds) that cannot be reeled in are typically left for scavenging creatures to feed upon. This makes the harpooneer doubly dangerous as scavvers and their ilk have learned to lurk near these plants waiting for a potential meal. There are no known creatures that prey upon the harpooneer.