Tidal Blades
Spinesquids are large deep-sea creatures with soft bodies, multiple tentacles and arms loaded with retractable spikes, and the ability to damage even the strongest watercrafts. They're often hunted by Trawlers for their meat, and lorehunters seek them out for study, hoping to learn more about them for the Citadel.
They are dangerously fast and have excellent hearing and eyesight, often lying in wait far below the surface until the perfect moment to attack a creature or watercraft. Older specimens can become quite large and aggressive, using the retractable bony spikes on their tentacles to tear watercrafts to pieces.
Spinesquids can change their colors for camouflage and communication with each other. Trawlers and lorehunters often keep detailed records on what they think each color combination means, attempting to crack the code.
Motive: Unknowable
Environment: Deep sea, particularly the Howling Sea
Health: 18
Damage Inflicted: Moderate wound (6 points)
Movement: Very long when swimming
Modifications: Perception and camouflage as level 7
Combat: Spinesquids use their long tentacles and arms to grab and squeeze their prey while extending their retractable bony spikes. They can squeeze and pierce up to three human-sized or smaller creatures (or one large object, like a watercraft) at a time. Held creatures and objects suffer 6 points of piercing and crushing damage (ignores Armor)
each round.
While the spinesquid is holding creatures or an object, it can also use its beak to make a bite attack against a held target that inflicts a moderate wound (6 points).
If a spinesquid feels like it's losing a fight, it may eject a large cloud of dark blue-black ink and attempt to escape or move into a more advantageous position. All characters caught in the ink cloud are blinded until they can swim out of it or until it dissipates (about hree rounds).
Interaction: Spinesquids cannot be interacted with in any meaningful way.
Use: Trawlers, lorehunters, and others regularly hunt or study spinesquids.
Restaurants pay for meat, and the Citadel is always interested in learning new information about he creatures.
Loot: Meat, information, and possibly an ink sac, which can be used for writing.
GM Intrusion: An injured spinesquid begins to retreat (usually into deeper water), taking one or more of its grabbed targets with it.