Starfinder: Fortelve
Fortelve Combatant CR 5 XP 1,600
Neutral medium aberration (earth)
Init +2; Senses Darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision 120 ft., see through anything 60 ft.; Perception +11
Defense HP 70
EAC: 17; KAC: 21
Fort: +7; Ref: +7; Will: +6
Defensive Abilities: DR 5 against all slashing or piercing attacks, noxious odor, terrible taste. Immunities: Acid
Offense
Speed: 50 ft.
Melee: Horn+14 (1d6+10 P Crit knockdown and 1d4 bleed), or bite +14 (1d8+10 P) or two claws +10 (1d6+10 S Crit knockdown)
Statistics
Str +5; Dex +3; Con +3; Int -2; Wis +0; Cha +0
Skills Athletics +11, survival +16
Other Abilities: See through anything
Languages: Common (understand only)
Ecology
Environment: Plains, desert, hills
Organization: Solitary, small pack (1d4), Medium packs (2d6), large packs (4d6)
Special Abilities
Noxious odor (Ex): A slime which coats the creature’s body produces a horrific smell, which has been described as rancid cat urine mixed with the chemical concoction of a dead skunk’s glands and turds which have been baking in the sun too long. Anything which comes within 10 feet of the creature, and possesses a sense of smell must make a Fort save (DC 13) or become sickened for 1d6 rounds.
See through anything (Su): The creature has the strange ability to be able to see through anything. This allows it to see behind doors or into objects, allowing it to locate prey without any effort. It can even use this to see beneath the surface of the land, as it makes it easier to spot the prey it was designed to hunt. The special vision has a range of 60 feet.
Terrible taste (Ex): The slime coating the body of the creature tastes so horrible anything swallowing it whole will instantly regurgitate the Fortelve. This also extends to anything biting the Fortelve, as anything getting the slime in its mouth must make a Fort save (DC 15) or become sickened for 1d6 rounds.
One thing can be said for scientists anywhere – give them a problem, and they will try to solve it. On one particular world in which the Graboids and their ilk were a major issue, a group of rogue geneticists decided to recombine the DNA of these creatures with several different species. They used the Wolf as the template and combined several other animals in the mix and after numerous failures, came up with this particular creature.
The 4-12 or Fortelve as it came to be known is an excellent predator and can be used against an infestation of Graboids, Shriekers and Ass-blasters. The problem is that these creatures are tough and intelligent enough to eventually get sick of following orders and they more often than not will turn on their masters.
A Fortelve has the overall size and shape of a large timber wolf, typically standing at 3 feet in height and over 6 feet in length. The creature also weighs in excess of 200 pounds. The body is covered with thick, pebbly flesh, which has been found to provide excellent protection against piercing and slashing attacks, which is a trademark of the Graboid family of lifeforms. The flesh also exudes a slime, which is nauseating to anyone with a sense of smell and can act as a natural deterrent. There is a single horn at the top of the upper portion of the head, situated between the deeply-inset eyes, and the creature possesses a long tail.
When it engages in combat, it can ram targets with the horn, and it is also capable of biting and clawing. The slime covering the creatures body makes it not only difficult to land a solid blow on with piercing or slashing weapons, but has a smell which has to be experienced to describe adequately. This often causes those who are within the range of the scent to become sick. This provides another excellent defense, as the slime is so horrible to taste, anything swallowing the creature will instantly vomit it back up and will not attempt to swallow it again. Even biting the creature will often cause the attacker to become sickened!
They are intelligent, and can understand the common tongue spoken in the area they live. They use pack tactics and form familial bonds, much the same way Wolves do, which includes an Alpha male and female. The creatures are fully capable of mating and can produce small litters of cubs, which take approximately two years to reach maturity.
Even though they are often created specifically to hunt and kill Graboids, they will often hunt other prey – including humanoids, if their natural prey happens to be scarce. If the creatures are kept well-fed and have large tracts of land to call their own, they will leave other creatures alone. If an area is hunted out, then they need a steady influx of new prey or they will turn on their ‘masters’, or they may leave the area in order to search for more Graboids.
Chris Van Deelen is the creator and contributor to over half of the Wisdom from the Wastelands series, contributor to the Swords of Kos: Hekaton anthology. He also wrote Creatures of the Tropical Wastelands, and 100 Oddities found in a Car. As prolific as he is, Chris Van Deelen continues to write and produce material which will be in publication soon. Not only is he a prolific content creator, he also has a wide selection of fiction and stories! If you like his work, please follow his personal author page on Facebook and on Twitter to keep up with his latest news and game content.
