Dawson’s World is one of the older American colonies but is still as rugged and wild of a place as the Frontier worlds. One reason for this is that the planet possesses a very inhospitable climate and only one viable resource, timber. Few people are willing to risk their lives cutting wood in hundred-degree heat on a planet renowned for possessing dangerous fauna and predatory flora. A few years in the American timber camps, however, can earn a person enough wealth to set up a farmstead on the frontier, and thus every year a new batch of loggers arrive on this hot and humid world. That few of them ever manage to save enough money before a crippling logging accident or the planet itself claims them does not deter another set of hopefuls at the start of the next logging season.
One of the most feared, yet also most beloved, lifeforms native to Dawson’s World is the Stobor, named after an alien that appeared in Robert A. Heinlien’s Tunnel in the Sky, a classic of mid-20th century science fiction. In the novel, the Stobor was an alien that made a loud barking noise and was generally tame, until during certain seasons when it would rampage across the world in a great migration. Dawson’s Stobor is not nearly so blatantly dangerous, but is dangerous nonetheless.
A Stobor is a small furred arboreal xeno-primate that feeds on insects, fruit, and nectar. It possess four limbs, a gliding membrane stretched between its upper and lower limbs, a long prehensile tail, and a face like a teddy bear. They are known to be affectionate and loyal, serve as excellent guard animals (they bark very loudly when threatened), and make great pets. They also should never, ever be taken off planet.
A trip into orbit makes the little animals irritable, but they can recover and regain their normal docile and loving temperament. Stobor can often be found on Big Tree Station, Dawson’s World’s primary orbital dock. When exposed to an interstellar jump, the little buggers go completely crazy. They become unreasonably aggressive, extremely predatory, and attack any non-Stobor they encounter. While their claws and fangs can cause nasty injuries, it is their natural defense mechanism, a poisonous spit that can projected up to 20 feet and incapacitate a grown man, that proves the most deadly. Wild Stobor defend themselves using their toxin, communal watching, and agile movements. Most Stobor kept as pets have their poison sacks surgically removed, however this is not always the case.
Today it is illegal to take a Stobor out of its native system. Before the effects of jump travel were fully understood, however, several Stobor managed to not be killed by their surprised owners and make it off ship. Some of the inner colonies, and a few of the frontier colonies, host a small population of these aggressive, poisonous, and fecund little aliens. A Stobor infestation is not as dangerous as a Balthusian Bilge Rat infestation (see "Things That Go Bump in the Spaceship" in d-Infinity Volume #3: Children of the Night), but can wreak havoc on the local environment and pose a danger to colonists and explorers.
Dawson’s Stobor
Small Animal
Hit Dice: 1d4+1 (3 hp)
Initiative: +7
Speed: 15 ft., Climb 20 ft., Fly (glide) 20 ft.
AC: 17 (+1 size, +3 dex, defensive bonus +3), Flat Footed: 10, Touch: 17
Armor DR: 0
Attacks: bite +0, claw +0, poison spit +3
Damage: bite 1d4 -1, claw 1d4-1, poison spit 1d4 Con damage (DC 12)
Face/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Poison Spit
Special Qualities: low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +3, Ref +5, Will +1
Abilities: Str 8, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 12
Skills: Athletics +10, Perception +4, Stealth +5
Feats: Improved Initiative
Climate/Terrain: Tropical Forest, any human habitat
Organization: Solitary or Troop (6-16)
Challenge Rating: 1/2
Motivation: defensive, aggressive if jump mad
Advancement: none
A Stobor normally makes an excellent pet or guard animal, and those kept as pets may be trained to do tricks, but the jump-maddened Stobor is a threat (and may or may not have poison sacs, which may have been removed for those intended as pets).
COMBAT
Under normal conditions, domesticated Stobors will avoid combat, unless cornered or defending loved ones (e.g., mate, troop member, child, master). Jump-maddened Stobor are extremely aggressive and will attack non-Stobors on sight and fight to the death.
Special Attacks or Qualities
Poison Spit: Stobors possess dangerous poisonous spittle that causes vascular damage. The spittle has a range of 20 ft., causes 1d4 Con (DC 12) primary damage, and 1d4 Con (DC 12) secondary damage a minute later. On a critical hit the spittle has struck the target's eyes, causing blindness until the Con damage is healed.
