Starfinder: Zugaikotsu
Zugaikotsu Combatant CR 2 XP 600
Neutral Medium monstrous humanoid
Init +0; Senses Darkvision 60 ft..; Perception +12
Defense HP 25
EAC: 13; KAC: 18
Fort: +4; Ref: +6; Will: +3
Defensive Abilities: DR 3 against all physical attacks, spiked body
Offense
Speed: 30 ft.
Melee: Bite +11 (1d4+5 P Crit bleed 1d3), or two claws +7 (1d6+5 S Crit bleed 1d4)
Statistics
Str +3; Dex +0; Con +4; Int -4; Wis +0; Cha +0
Skills: Athletics +12
Other Abilities: Fresh meat, infection
Languages: None
Ecology
Environment: Anywhere
Organization: Solitary, small groups (1d4), medium groups (2d6), large groups (4d10) or hoards (10d12)
Special Abilities
Fresh meat (Ex): As a full round action, the Zugaikotsu’s can emit a piercing scream which is for all intent and purposes a dinner bell. Any Zugaikotsu’s within 1 mile will come running towards the location at their full movement speed.
Infection (Ex): The Zugaikotsu’s body is filled with a genetically engineered virus. Any time a victim takes physical damage from the creature, they must make a Fort save (DC 11) or become infected with the virus. The virus works quickly. Each hour the victim will lose 1d3 points of Wisdom and once the score reaches zero, they will become savage animals with minimal intellect. They will only seek to infect others and feed. Also after infection has set in, the body of the victim will begin to show abnormal bone growth, with the bones coming out from the flesh of the victim. In 48 hours the victim will be covered from head to foot in the growths, gaining a natural damage reduction against all physical attacks, and a significant armor casing. If the victim is treated with any type of medicine or magic which cures disease, the virus will be destroyed and the lost Wisdom will return at the standard rate.
Spiked Body (Ex): The creature has jagged bone spurs covering its body, and as such anything attempting to attack it with natural weapons will suffer 1d4+2 points of damage with each attack, and the attacker might contract the virus which will turn it into Zugaikotsu as well.
Taking a page from the virus which has created so many different types of zombies, scientists with less than strong morals came up with this particular virus. It does not kill the victim, but instead turns them into a self-replicating weapon, which if left unchecked can inflict heavy civilian losses in a short period of time.
Looking upon one of the creatures, the viewer would swear they are dealing with some sort of primitive tribal, who happens to have a thing for armor made out of bone. The chest and stomach is completely encased in hard bone, as well as the neck and the head. Only the face remains clear of bone. The arms and legs have plates of bone as well as spikes growing out in random directions. The teeth are longer and jagged compared to that of a normal humanoid. The finger and Toe bones have grown so long and sharp they jut from the tips of the appendages.
Like many of the undead monsters, these creatures have only one desire – to feed. The difference is these creatures are not dead, and need food to survive. As such these beings are constantly on the search for food and will attack anything they find, but prefer humanoids above all other prey - after all it is part of the virus to spread and infect.
They are still living, breathing monstrosities and as such are fully vulnerable to toxins, poisons and radiation, but due to the thick growth of bone, they are difficult to harm with most physical weapons. When they find suitable prey or if they are simply hungry, the creatures will attack without thought to personal safety or any sort of tactics. They will choose one target and attack until the target is down, and then they will move onto the next target and so forth until all potential targets have been dispatched. Only at this time will the infected creature stop to feed.
If it turns out prey is plentiful, the creatures will often let out piercing screams, which has the effect of calling any nearby Zugaikotsu’s to their location, with the foreknowledge that food is readily available.
In combat the creature will bite and claw at targets, gaining up to three attacks per round. If the creature desires, it can only use one attack at a +11 to hit. If any of the attacks break the skin, the target has a chance of becoming infected with the virus. Anyone attacking these creatures with natural weaponry will quickly discover it was a bad mistake, as the spikes on their bodies can inflict wounds without any effort from the Zugaikotsu’s – and there is a chance the victim could contract the virus as well.
They have no sense of self; they have no sense of community or tribe. They will hunt together in loose packs where prey is plentiful, but otherwise will have no interaction with one another. All they want is food and to spread the virus. As such they will continue to attack until either all targets have been destroyed, or they have been killed.
Note: Based on the Skulls created via the Oni virus from the series of novels 'The Tide' by Anthony Melchiorri. Furthermore, the image I used was the only thing I could find! Sorry about that.
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.
