The Strange Bestiary
A deep and abiding interest in other recursions impels the AI that rules Singularitan to dispatch servants through matter gates to gather intelligence about far-flung realities and the people populating them. The AI (known as Singularitar) does this not for enlightenment, but to make ready the armies of conquest it will one day send out to extend its intellect across the whole of the Chaosphere, assimilating all things into its vast and perfect mind.
Imposters serve as disposable eyes and ears for Singularitar. Created and shaped to blend in with the people populating the recursions, imposters pass through the matter gates to explore. The natural destabilization that afflicts those traveling from one recursion to another also afflicts imposters, and eventually their bodies break down to the point where they can no longer function. When this occurs, they are programmed to detonate, eradicating all trace of themselves and a wide swath of territory around them. Before they do so, they try to move to within a few hundred feet of a matter gate so they transmit everything they learned back to their creator.
Motive: Exploration
Environment (Singularitan | Weird Science): Anywhere, in any recursion
Health: 18
Damage Inflicted: Moderate wound (6 points)
Movement: Short
Modifications: Disguise as level 7.
Combat: Imposters blend in and prefer not to enter combat. Since destruction is not their principal goal, they avoid confrontation. If, however, something threatens their mission, they defend themselves to the best of their ability. From one of its appendages, an imposter releases a prehensile, segmented data tendril that terminates at a pair of pincers, which the imposter can use to attack at short range.
An imposter might also use weaponry common to the recursion it explores to better fit into its
Environment and prevent accidental discovery.
The imposter poses the greatest danger when its physical form begins to fail through natural degradation or violence. When reduced to 0 points of health, the imposter explodes, inflicting 10 points of damage to everything in long range.
Interaction: Singularitar designs imposters to infiltrate societies. An imposter can communicate with other creatures in whatever languages they speak and can quickly adapt to customs and vernacular. Every now and then, an imposter gets something wrong and says inappropriate things or exhibits strange mannerisms.
Use: One of the character's contacts is secretly an imposter. It has survived longer than expected, and its connection to Singularitar has weakened enough that it has gained some independence and strong emotional connections to the PC. It knows its time is running out and may turn to the character for help.
An imposter's data tendrils are normally used for gathering information. Tendrils are inserted into an organic object to collect data about it and transmit that data back to Singularitar so the AI can reproduce the object if needed. However, these tendrils have combat functionality, too.
GM Intrusion: When an imposter uses its data tendril to damage a character, it gains a deep insight into the PC's capabilities. The difficulty of the character's attack and defense rolls against the imposter is increased by two steps.