The Strange Bestiary
A vertebroid spends most of its time burrowing beneath the surface of Ruk. When it does emerge aboveground or in a tunnel of the Veritex, often only a few spines are visible, which the creature uses to detect activity outside the solid realm it prefers.
Although vertebroids normally ignore other creatures or characters, sometimes one gets hungry for the kind of energy in batteries, electrical devices, or other technological sources of power. When that happens, any creature carrying (or integrated with) such items becomes a target.
Motive: Hungers for electromagnetic energy
Environment (Ruk | Weird Science): Anywhere near solid ground
Health: 15
Damage Inflicted: Moderate wound (5 points)
Armor: None; 4 if burrowing (see Combat)
Movement: Immediate; short when burrowing
Modifications: Stealth as level 6 when burrowing; sometimes defends and attacks as level 4 (see Combat).
Combat: A vertebroid fights with its organimer claws and sparlike spines. When it hits, either it deals damage to the target, or it chooses to touch a technological item carried by the target (which could include a cypher or an artifact). The touched item is drained of power, becoming useless, and the vertebroid regains 6 points of health. At the beginning or the end of its turn, a vertebroid can choose to remain on the surface or burrow so that it is partially or completely underground. Once its position is determined, it remains there until its next turn. (When a vertebroid burrows, it doesn't leave a tunnel behind; the material of Ruk seems to slide around the creature like syrupy liquid. It can burrow through most solid matter without hindrance, but it is blocked by energy barriers and matter whose level is 6 or higher.)
While a vertebroid is fully submerged (possibly with a spine tip or two peeking out to keep an eye on things), it's nearly impossible to affect the creature. Of course, it can't attack prey while fully submerged, either.
While partially submerged with only its upper body revealed, the vertebroid has +4 to Armor, but its attacks and defenses are as level 4. Interaction: Vertebroids are sapient creatures for a few hours after eating, but this intelligence lapses soon enough, returning after their next meal.
Use: A community has been losing power in various homes and businesses, and strange 'fins' have been seen swimming through the ground beyond the edge of the location. While investigating, the PCs discover that a Ruk faction has a secret facility under the community that does high-energy research. Several vertebroids have been drawn to the location, looking for a way past the defenses.
Loot: The creature's vertebrae are valuable because they act like miniature batteries. The body of a dead vertebroid yields 1d6 useful vertebrae, each worth 100 bits in Ruk.
Vertebroid vertebrae are miniature batteries. They can be used to recharge a piece of technological equipment that's become defunct due to lack of power. Someone who succeeds on a difficulty 4 Intellect-based task could repower a depleted artifact with three such vertebrae.
GM Intrusion: The PC hit by the vertebroid doesn't take damage but is instead dragged partly under the ground, as if the material were liquid. A moment later, the ground becomes solid once more, and the PC must succeed on a difficulty 6 Mightbased task to break free.