The Strange
These monstrous, genetic abnormalities are the size of small vehicles and look a bit like creatures that evolved from something that started life underwater. Marroids (also called marrow seekers) constantly produce dribbles of enzymatic fluid, even when they're not engaged in feeding.
Marroids began existence as a genetically engineered tool. Designed for passively sampling the environment for genetic code, marroids experienced mutation and neglect that gave rise to a whole new class of creature, one that sometimes appears where damage to Ruk's physical structure has occurred, but one that is always looking for fresh marrow to sample.
Motive: Hungers for themarrow of living creatures
Environment (Ruk | Weird Science): Anywhere in Ruk that has seen a recent disturbance
Health 23
Damage Inflicted: Moderate wound (6 points)
Armor: 1
Movement: Short; can burrow into solid Ruk foundation as an action. When it burrows into the ground, the tunnel closes up after it like a quickly healing wound.
Modifications: Speed defense as level 5 due to size.
Combat: A marroid can attack with its battering tail. It can also launch enzyme orbs from its body, targeting any point within long range, at a rate of one orb per round. The orb explodes in immediate range. The marrow seeker can choose to launch different kinds of orbs with each attack.
Acidic: Targets who fail a Might defense roll take 6 points of damage. Those who succeed still take 1 point of damage from the spray of acid.
Numbing: Targets who fail a Speed defense roll are partly anesthetized for one minute. During that period, they have a hard time holding objects because of numb fingers. Any time a creature uses a held object, it must first succeed on a Speed-based task or drop the item.
Brain Fog: Targets who fail an Intellect defense roll experience neurological impairment for one minute, which affects characters like blindness.
A marroid, once it downs at least one foe, is happy to leave a conflict so it can break open its prey's bones with repeated tail bashes, then suck out the marrow.
Interaction: Some marroids who've obtained themarrow of intelligent Ruk natives can access bits of their victims' knowledge. If approached with fresh marrow, a marroid may deign to transfer memories through a carefully crafted enzyme orb.
Use: The Church of the Embodiment believes that a particular marroid may possess hints of the True Code that can be had nowhere else. The Church is looking for contractors to find and capture this particular marroid for further study.
Loot: Sometimes one or two enzyme orbs can be salvaged from the body of a slain marroid. Salvaged orbs can be thrown to create effects like those described under Combat. Salvaged enzyme orbs have a shelf life of a couple of days before they decay.
GM Intrusion: The PC has an allergic reaction to an enzyme orb attack. In addition to the indicated effect, the PC is affected as if by a disease, the symptoms of which include an inflamed, itchy rash over her body that seeps fluid. The fluid draws another marroid to investigate after three days if the rash isn't treated.