New Mutant Monday # 74 - Skull Spider

At first glance, these creatures appear as some sort of unusual skull, typically on top of what look like a pile of finger-bones. When approached, it becomes apparent that this creature is not merely discarded bones after all.

These creatures are typically found in ruins, buildings, mountains and forested locations, and always build their lairs in massive piles of bones (when possible), to use as camouflage. If they cannot do this, they will hide in rocks, piles of rubble or branches or wherever they are capable of staying out of sight. When it bones, these creatures will gain surprise on a 1-4, whereas any other location, they will only gain surprise on a 1-2.

As if the common Mire Lurker was not bad enough, it turns out that there are massive armored monsters who are the mother of all these creatures. The Queen is so large it can easily strike fear into the most stalwart explorers of the wastelands and can easily rip through most creatures it encounters.

The monster is easily thirty feet in height and weighs in at around 20 tons, all of it nearly impenetrable armor. When engaged in combat, the creature is completely immune to all non-energy based attacks, shrugging off hits with the ease, which often causes foes to flee, as it seems to be a nearly impossible to stop killing machine. Even those who run away find that the creature is still deadly, being able to shoot a caustic poison up to five hundred feet. The poison is class six and has a deadly added component – it is acid. The acid burns for 4d8 points of damage a round, reducing by 1d8 per round until it no longer affects the target. Anything caught in the acid must make a saving throw each round against acid or suffer 1d3 points of condition levels of damage.

Anyone unlucky enough to be in the creatures bite distance will be swallowed whole on a 16-20. When this happens, the hapless creature suffers 6d6 points of damage per round from acid (and items must save, see above). The only way to escape is to cut through the incredibly tough stomach lining and to freedom. This requires at least 100 points of damage and an edged weapon. It is the only time that such weapons will work against the creature.

To make matters worse, the creature is always attended by 4d6 hatchlings. These have only 1 hit dice, AC of 6 and can bite for 1d4 points of damage. They are much faster than the queen, moving at 150’ (50’) and can easily chase down prey that has somehow managed to elude the queen.

The creature is likewise immune to all poisons of class six and lower, and cannot be harmed by sonic-based attacks. Any sonic attacks are automatically re-directed in a random direction, which can make it very dangerous to anyone nearby.

The best way to deal with the creature if the victim is incapable of running (or foolhardy enough to fight), is explosives, energy weapons, and toxic weapons (except poison, see above).

Explosives will damage the creature’s shell, and for every 25 points of damage, the creature’s AC drops by +1. Once the shell has been damaged to the point it is considered AC 5 or worse, then physical attacks will actually harm the monster.

Mutations Aberrant form (natural weapons), gigantism, immunity (physical attacks, sonics), toxic weapon.

Source: Fallout 4 (2015)

No. Enc: 1
Alignment:  Neutral
Movement: 90’ (30’)
AC: 0
HD: 50
Attacks: 2 claws, 1 bite, poison / acid spit.
Damage: 6d6 / 6d6, 8d10, class 6 & 4d8
Save: L20
Morale: 11
Hoard Class: None

No. Enc: 3d10
Alignment: Neutral
Movement: 60’ (20’)
AC: 6
HD: 4 hit points
Attack: 1 bite
Damage: 1d4
Save: L1
Morale: 6
Hoard Class: Incidental

No. Enc: 1d6
Alignment: Neutral
Movement: 90’ (30’)
Armor Class: 1
Hit Dice: 2
Attacks: 1 claw, 1 bite
Damage: 1d4+4 / 1d4 & class 11 poison
Save: L2
Morale: 11
Hoard Class: Incidental