Watcher
After the last nuclear and anti-matter bomb was spent, the surface of Europe was a desolate wasteland. Many of the human and pure human survivors left the surface for the meager safety of the metro tunnels and sub-surface structures in order to survive the radiation and toxic environment which now plagued the surface. It was around the great ruined megapolis of Moscow, Russia that the first of the Walkers were discovered.
No. Enc: 4+1d6 or 10+5d12
Alignment: Neutral
Movement: 210’ (70’)
AC: 4
HD: 6
Attacks: 1 Bite, 2 claws or special
Damage: 2d4, 1d6/1d6
Save: L8
Morale: 8
Hoard Class: None
After the last nuclear and anti-matter bomb was spent, the surface of Europe was a desolate wasteland. Many of the human and pure human survivors left the surface for the meager safety of the metro tunnels and sub-surface structures in order to survive the radiation and toxic environment which now plagued the surface. It was around the great ruined megapolis of Moscow, Russia that the first of the Walkers were discovered.
As with several of the Moscovite mutants that had been seen shortly after the end of the final wars, it was speculated that they were in fact bio-engineered in order to survive the toxic and radioactive surface world. It is not known if they were created to be weapons of war or just an experiment, but no matter the origin of these creatures, they clearly were capable of enduring the hellish conditions on the surface.
Physically the creatures look vaguely like the cross between a timber wolf and a rat. The bodies are covered by short gray fur, mainly along the back, and the limbs and belly, but are hairless elsewhere, including the long rodent-like tail. These mutants are quite large, being about half again the size of a wolf, being around seven to eight feet in length and up to four feet in height. The average weight of one of these mutants is approximately two hundred pounds. They are also considerably longer lived than wolves before the final wars. The few that have been observed over the years have lived in excess of fifty years, and it is speculated that they can live even longer.
Many consider the creatures to be repulsive, as the heads are misshapen. The mouth when closed is small and the lips that cover the teeth are fat, giving the creature an almost comical ‘pout’. However the lower jaw can split apart and the chin is covered in sharp teeth. When the jaw opens and the creature bites, the damage can be quite significant and is painful. The eyes are small and very close together, giving the creature a nearly cyclopean appearance. Many believe that as a result, the creatures have poor eyesight, but that is far from the truth. The eyesight of these creatures is far superior to any possessed by humans. And like their ancestors, their sense of smell is greatly enhanced as well.
Like dogs, many moscovites have managed to capture these creatures as pups and were successful in raising and breeding them to be companions, guards and even attack creatures. The females go into heat once every 24 months and gestate for another six months before giving birth to a litter of 4+1d6 pups. The pups grow quickly and are considered to be fully adult within one year of birth.
If taken before their eyes open (within the first 2 weeks after birth), the pup will imprint on whoever is caring for them, becoming fiercely loyal to that person (or mutant) and automatically gaining a moral of 11 when the one with whom they bonded with.
Like the wolves that these creatures are suspected to have once been, they hunt in packs. Usually the packs are made up entirely of littermates, but often other packs that have suffered serious losses will be integrated into a new pack. Massive packs have been spotted, but this is rare. Typically when this happens they get together to find non litter-mates to take as mates, ensuring that they will not dilute the bloodline through interbreeding. When such convergences take place, the death-toll can be staggering as they are voracious carnivores and will consume anything that they can.
During combat, the creatures will bite and attempt to claw at their targets. Unlike wolves of the past, these creatures can stand and walk on their hind-legs with ease, but prefer to run down prey while on all fours. They are intelligent enough to use tactics and will do so when hunting, doing their best to use the terrain to ambush would-be prey or flank a target to ensure that they will be capable of making a kill. A favorite tactic is that one single Watcher will approach a target and then once they are within ten feet, the creature will howl at it.
This howl serves three functions. First the target must make a save versus stun or become stunned for 1d3 rounds. Secondly the target will suffer 1d8 points of sonic based damage (if the save succeeds, they take only half, rounded to nearest). Third, even if the saving throw succeeds, the howl often induces fear in the target (roll under Will Power on a d20) or be forced to flee for 1d3 rounds. If the target cannot flee, then there is no other effect.
These creatures can use this attack only once per day, and if one attack fails, others will attempt to use it. They will stay out of range of the attack because they are just as susceptible to it as their intended prey.
It should be noted that like many of the mutants discovered in and around the ruins of Moscow, these creatures are highly resistant to radiation and toxins (such as poisons), and not only receive a +4 to their saving throws, but take only half damage if the save fails, or no damage at all if the save succeeds.
Mutations: Aberrant form (xenomorphism), increased senses (hearing and vision), shriek (modified).
Source: Metro 2033
