Thursday, December 9, 2010

"B" is for "Brainwhale"

Brainwhale

No. Enc.:  0 (1d4)
Alignment:  Any (Lawful, Neutral, or Chaotic)
Movement:  180' (60')
Armor Class:  5
Hit Dice:  20
Attacks:  1 (bite)
Damage:  4d10
Save:  L12
Morale:  9
Hoard Class:  XXII
XP:  12,250 (+1,000 per additional Mental Mutation)

Brainwhales are enormous creatures that reach sizes of 40'-50' long, and weigh up to 25 tons.  They traverse the world's oceans, but prefer warm tropical seas to cold polar waters.

Words like "smart" or "gifted" or "ingenious" fail to do the creatures justice—they are perhaps the most brilliant race (average INT and WIL of 18+)  in the Mutant Future.  Their oversized lobes distend from their skulls, constantly throbbing, glowing, and sparking with powerful neuro-electric impulses.  Brainwhales all possess a wide array of Mental Mutations, and each has 1d4 extra that set them apart from their fellows.

They prefer attacking with their vast mental powers (particularly Mind Thrust and Neural Telekinesis) instead of physically, and while carnivores, Brainwhales disdain devouring fellow sentient beings...but they will do so when necessary (or when sufficiently annoyed).  They Swallow any creature equal to or lesser than human size on any attack roll least 4 higher than the number needed to strike, and those Swallowed suffer 2d8 damage each round thereafter until digested and drowned at the end of 4 rounds.

Like all sentients, Brainwhales have distinct personalities and agendas.  Some are pacifists prone to introspection and the quest for enlightenment, while others are adventurous and mercenary...but there is rumored to be a growing segment of their race that seeks to redressin the most brutal manner possiblethe slaughter of their ancestors by The Ancients.  These "Warwhales" may be involved in all manner of schemes:  those with Possession using it to infiltrate land-dweller cities so as to sabotage from within (through blatant acts of terrorism, or subtle, long-term political machinations), or enslaving lesser species to rebuild Doomsday Artifacts, or uniting various disparate species into a mighty undersea army...or even fashioning mighty vehicles so as to let them leave the water and roam the surface world with impunity.  This faction naturally lacks any compunction against devouring lesser beings....

Some Brainwhales have been seen in the company of squalruses; whether they view them as equals, allies, servants, or pets is unknown.  And they find the Killgrim to be ridiculously naive irritants (as many of the zealots who follow The Ingestion Gospels make pilgrimages to known Brainwhale territories, begging to be eaten alive).

Mutations:  Echolocation, Energy Ray (Electricity), Force Screen (Greater), Increased Sense (Hearing), Mental Barrier, Metaconcert, Mind Thrust, Neural Telekinesis, Neural Telepathy, Shriek (Greater)