Despite The Ancients' rapacious gobbling of unhealthy, processed, food-like products, they were always searching for a miracle food—a perfect food—that was nutritious, delicious, and painless to prepare...
...and they believed they found it upon unearthing The Stuff. They began devouring it by the bucketful, but as they discovered far too late..
..it wasn't they who were eating The Stuff...
...IT WAS THE STUFF WHO WAS EATING THEM!!!
The subterranean substance known as stuffsludge is a collective microorganism that bubbles up from beneath the earth in non-desert and non-urban environments. It appears as a gurgling puddle of viscous white liquid, and any mammal who stumbles upon it must make an Ability Check Versus WIL at a -2 penalty. Those that fail are compelled to lean down and taste the substance...and the sweet, euphoria-inducing flavor makes them settle in and shovel mass quantities into their mouths.
...and they believed they found it upon unearthing The Stuff. They began devouring it by the bucketful, but as they discovered far too late..
..it wasn't they who were eating The Stuff...
...IT WAS THE STUFF WHO WAS EATING THEM!!!
The subterranean substance known as stuffsludge is a collective microorganism that bubbles up from beneath the earth in non-desert and non-urban environments. It appears as a gurgling puddle of viscous white liquid, and any mammal who stumbles upon it must make an Ability Check Versus WIL at a -2 penalty. Those that fail are compelled to lean down and taste the substance...and the sweet, euphoria-inducing flavor makes them settle in and shovel mass quantities into their mouths.
Unless dragged away by those not under the stuffsludge's influence, the eater will gorge themselves for 2d6 turns. At the end of that period, they must make a Saving Throw Versus Stun at a -3 penalty, or become infected with stuffsickness (see below).
While stuffsludge typically appears topside in small pools, its mere presence often indicates massive deposits deeper beneath the site. In fact, vast subterranean lakes of stuffsludge lurk in the bowels of the earth....
Disease: Stuffsickness
Save Modifier: -3
Infection Duration: See Below
Affected Stats: STR +2, DEX +2, CON +5, WIL -7
Damage Per Day: none (See Below)
Stuffsickness is the term describing infection by the parasitic stuffsludge microorganism, which literally devours its host alive. Those thus infected are nicknamed stuffies.
Victims of stuffsickness initially experience numerous positive effects: elation and increased sense of well-being, beneficial weight loss, heightened energy levels, and an elimination of the need for sleep. They look and feel better than at any other time in their lives.
Personality changes set in 2d4 days later, however. The infected become militant advocates of stuffsludge and the consumption thereof, and foist the substance on others at every opportunity. Before long, they give up other comestibles entirely, and eat only stuffsludge at each and every meal...and, ultimately, they cease all other activities but eating. They just consume serving after serving after serving...
...unless directed by the parasite—which has an intelligent will of its own—to unearth and distribute more quantities of stuffsludge for mass distribution. These automatons are allowed to perform more complex tasks like digging, drilling, pumping, packaging, and driving in order to spread stuffsludge far and wide.
The parasite systematically digests the host's innards, and at the end of the 2d4 day period, the infected effectively gain both the Pain Insensitivity and Pain Sensitivity Physical Mutation Drawbacks. The bizarre combination means that the infected have no awareness or regard of injury to their persons, but also suffer double damage from all attacks due to the hollowing-out of their bodies. Stuffies also gain the Metaconcert Mental Mutation. They can speak, act, and coordinate attacks as one over long distances.
The most horrifying aspect of stuffsickness is that once the mutations are acquired, the host is little more than a skin-husk...and at this point, the accumulated stuffsludge can burst forth from the mouth as a fully-formed stuffiend. The host must make a Saving Throw Versus Death when the stuffiend erupts, with success indicating that their body lies dormant until the creature slithers back inside to resume control and activity...and explosive, gory death upon failure.
Any mammalian Pure Human, Mutant Human, Mutant Animal, wildlife, and/or monster is susceptible to stuffsickness. The only cure is forced withdrawal through diet change (which takes 2d6+2 weeks), powerful Ancient antivirals, or immersion in a regeneration tank [see p. 126 of the Mutant Future Core Rules].
Victims of stuffsickness initially experience numerous positive effects: elation and increased sense of well-being, beneficial weight loss, heightened energy levels, and an elimination of the need for sleep. They look and feel better than at any other time in their lives.
Personality changes set in 2d4 days later, however. The infected become militant advocates of stuffsludge and the consumption thereof, and foist the substance on others at every opportunity. Before long, they give up other comestibles entirely, and eat only stuffsludge at each and every meal...and, ultimately, they cease all other activities but eating. They just consume serving after serving after serving...
...unless directed by the parasite—which has an intelligent will of its own—to unearth and distribute more quantities of stuffsludge for mass distribution. These automatons are allowed to perform more complex tasks like digging, drilling, pumping, packaging, and driving in order to spread stuffsludge far and wide.
The parasite systematically digests the host's innards, and at the end of the 2d4 day period, the infected effectively gain both the Pain Insensitivity and Pain Sensitivity Physical Mutation Drawbacks. The bizarre combination means that the infected have no awareness or regard of injury to their persons, but also suffer double damage from all attacks due to the hollowing-out of their bodies. Stuffies also gain the Metaconcert Mental Mutation. They can speak, act, and coordinate attacks as one over long distances.
The most horrifying aspect of stuffsickness is that once the mutations are acquired, the host is little more than a skin-husk...and at this point, the accumulated stuffsludge can burst forth from the mouth as a fully-formed stuffiend. The host must make a Saving Throw Versus Death when the stuffiend erupts, with success indicating that their body lies dormant until the creature slithers back inside to resume control and activity...and explosive, gory death upon failure.
Any mammalian Pure Human, Mutant Human, Mutant Animal, wildlife, and/or monster is susceptible to stuffsickness. The only cure is forced withdrawal through diet change (which takes 2d6+2 weeks), powerful Ancient antivirals, or immersion in a regeneration tank [see p. 126 of the Mutant Future Core Rules].
No. Enc.: 1 (1d4)
Alignment: Chaotic
Movement: 60' (20')
Armor Class: 6
Hit Dice: 10
Attacks: 1d4, or 1 (1d4 tendrils, or immersion)
Damage: 1d10 per tendril, or special
Save: L5
Morale: 10
Hoard Class: XII + 2d6 foodstuffs
XP: 5,900
Stuffiends are masses of stuffsludge grown large and strong enough to escape their host bodies. They appear as creeping white, gooey masses that resemble nothing less than Ancient dairy desserts.
Stuffiends are intelligent, and desire nothing less than the infection of every living mammal in the Mutant Future. so as to unite all creatures under one giant collective hive-mind.
In combat, stuffiends lash out with acidic tendrils. If they successfully strike twice in the same round, their target is force-fed a gullet-full of stuffsludge, causing an additional 2d6 suffocation damage and a stuffsickness infection with a failed Saving Throw Versus Stun. They also use their Empathy and Fragrance Development Mutations to force oppoents to cease their attacks and instead start gulping down parts of the stuffiend's own mass....
Stuffiends actually try not to kill those they encounter, as they appreciate the need for living hosts. They only destroy those deemed dangerous enough to foil their plans for domination.
Stuffiends are completely immune to most physical attacks. Conventional melee weapons and firearms have no effect, and explosives just scatter them for 2d6 rounds. Stuffiends can only be physically harmed by fire, electricity, chemical contaminants, and energy weapons. For Mental Combat, stuffiends possess WIL scores of 14-21 (13 +1d8).
Terrifyingly, individual stuffiends can merge into one gigantic composite entity. This veritable tidal wave of stuffsludge can shatter barriers and containment units, and wreak havoc against many targets at once. [It is up to the Mutant Lord to determine the exact Movement, Hit Dice, Attacks, Damage, and Experience Points of such a massive creature.]
There are rumors that stuffiends and fizzfiends have formed an alliance...and may even be hybridizing into a new species. These floatfiends could very well be amassing in the wreckage of Ancient factories and bottling plants, just waiting for hapless—and hungry—adventurers to discover them....
Mutations: Empathy, Fragrance Development, Metaconcert, Reflective Epidermis (Cold)
