Four More Mass Effect Foes for Stars Without Number

These four creatures wrap up my series on Mass effect foes for my SWN hack.

Once again, the descriptions are lifted from the excellent Mass Effect Wiki.

Adjutant

AC 14
HD 5
AB +7
Dmg 1d8 + Special energy blast or 1d8 claws
Skill +2
Group 1d6
Save 13+
Move 40’, Leap 50’
Morale 10

Adjutants are a terror created by the terrorist organization known as Cerberus based seemingly on technology gathered somehow from the Nano-Terrors or Collectors.

Adjutants are deadly pack hunters. They initially remain hidden, observing potential victims and distracting them with subtle whispers. When they select a target, adjutants ambush them with charged projectiles that cause severe disorientation and render the target helpless. Enhanced muscle tissue gives adjutants the ability to leap surprising distances, allowing them to close in and infect their target quickly via nano-injectors in their claws.

Any living humanoid that takes damage from an adjutant claw attack must make a Physical Effect save with a -4 penalty to the roll due to the sheer effectiveness of the nanites to overpower the victim’s systems. Failure results in extreme pain that causes the victim to crumple and writhe in agony as their genetic structure is totally re-written. This process takes at least an hour to complete, but once it has begun, there is nothing that can be done for the victim other than grant them death before the process completes. Adjutants can choose whether or not to release the nanites with their attacks, usually dependent on what their Cerberus masters decide.

Adjutant energy blasts not only cause damage, but forces the victim to make a Physical Effect save or become paralyzed for 1d3 rounds as their muscles seize up.

Adjutants have access to the Stealth skill.


Klixen

AC 15
HD 4
AB +4
Dmg 2d8 fire breath
Group 1d4+2
Save 13+
Move 20’
Morale 9

Klixen are a species of crab-like insectoids from the Krogan homeworld of Tuchanka, but the Krogan and xeno-merchants have caused them to be transplanted to other worlds as well. They are large, standing around 8 feet tall with a diameter of about 10 feet. Their shells are tough, but quickly become brittle once the creature is slain.

Klixen move slowly. Even though they sport nasty looking pinchers, they only use their fire breath (range of 15’) to bring foes down and then tear apart the fallen prey afterwards. They attack en masse and seek to overwhelm foes. Once slain, the chemical sacks in their bodies explode, dealing 3d6 damage to all within 10’ of the slain Klixen. Klixen themselves take only half damage from fire attacks.

If one can freeze a Klixen before it dies, and therefore explodes, the meat to be gained from such a creature is known to be very delicious and can be sold for a premium in many starports throughout the Concord and even the Krogan DMZ.


Thresher Maw

AC 20
HD 17
AB +17/+17
Dmg 5d12 bite or 3d6 acid spit or Special
Group 1
Save 7+
Move 50’ br.
Morale 12

Thresher maws are subterranean carnivores that spend their entire lives eating or searching for something to eat. Threshers reproduce via spores that lie dormant for millennia, yet are robust enough to survive prolonged periods in deep space and atmospheric re-entry. As a result, thresher spores appear on many worlds, spread by previous generations of space travelers.

The body of a thresher never entirely leaves the ground; only the head and tentacles erupt from the earth to attack. In addition to physical attacks, threshers have the ability to project toxic chemicals and emit bursts of infrasound as a shockwave weapon.

The sonic shockwave attack can be made once every 5 rounds. It does 2d6 damage to anyone within 50’ of the Thresher Maw, and those affected must make a Physical Effect save or be dazed for 1d4 rounds. Ear plugs or other protection negates both the damage and the dazing effect.

Thresher Maws are so massive that they are considered to have 5 points of armor against non-heavy weapon attacks.


Varren

AC 13
HD 4
AB +4
Dmg 1d8 (bite)
Group 1d6
Save 13+
Move 40’
Morale 9

Varren are omnivores with a preference for living prey. Originally native to the krogan homeworld of Tuchanka, they are, like most life from Tuchanka, savage, clannish, and consummate survivors. They are pack hunters when vulnerable prey is readily available and become scavengers when outnumbered or outclassed.

Their supreme adaptability, vicious demeanor, and rapid breeding cycle have made them ubiquitous and dangerous pests on many worlds. Virtually everywhere the krogan have been, varren infestations have followed, wreaking havoc with the native ecology.

The krogan have had a love-hate relationship with varren for millennia, alternately fighting them for territory and embracing them as treasured companions. To this day, krogan raise them as beasts of war. A common subgenus of varren has metallic silver scales, leading to the rather unusual nickname 'fishdogs'.


I hope you enjoyed these creatures and find a use for them in your games. Up next will be more background information on the setting and possibly a look at another Sci-Fi Rpg that I've really come to like: Rogue Space.