The Strange Bestiary
Those who opt to be housed in Apoptosis-class battle chrysalides are in never-ending pain. The severity of the transformation their bodies endured means their nerves never stop screaming. It's like crisping in a fire. That agony is held mostly at bay thanks to amazingly potent painkilling drugs constantly pumping through their tissues (the tissues that haven't been replaced). These same drugs keep the chrysalides safe from the cell-destroying radiation that they generate.
Motive: Follow programming of battle commander
Environment (Ruk | Weird Science): Anywhere
Health: 60
Damage Inflicted: Major (8)
Armor: 2
Movement: Short
Combat: Apoptosis-class battle chrysalides can attack foes they can see up to about 1,000 feet (305 m) away with beams of cell-destroying radiation, inflicting damage on a living target and everything in immediate range of the target. Those caught in the beam who succeed on a Speed defense roll suffer a minor wound instead of a maajor wound. Against nonliving targets, the energy beam inflicts only moderate damage.
In melee, the chrysalides attack three times as a single action with arm spines and extruded tail segments (also tipped with spines). They can also release a pulse of cell-destroying radiation that deals damage to all creatures within immediate range, but they can't use this attack two rounds in a row.
An Apoptosis-class battle chrysalid regenerates 2 points of health per round while its health is above 0.
Interaction: It's hard to get an Apoptosis-class chrysalid to deviate from its orders, and attempting to hack into one to set up communication (as described for Vengeance-class chrysalides) usually fails because the hacker suffers the same mind-bending pain the chrysalid feels, but without the benefit of the painkillers.
Use: An Apoptosis-class battle chrysalid has gone rogue and is heading for Harmonious. If it penetrates the city, the death toll will be staggering.
Loot: PCs who investigate the inert remains of the creature discover that 1d6 cyphers have been worked into the mechanism and can be salvaged with a successful difficulty 4 Intellect-based task.
GM Intrusion: A character damaged by the Apoptosis-class battle chrysalid must succeed on a Might defense roll or a genetically inserted virus activates, and the victim's body begins experiencing programmed cell death. As the PC's cellular machinery kills itself, the character descends one step on the damage track each round that he fails an additional Might defense roll.