Vath
No. Enc.: 1d8 (1d8)Alignment: Neutral
Movement: 30' (10')
—Fly: 150' (50')
Armor Class: 5
Hit Dice: 5
Attacks: 2 (2 bites)
Damage: 2d8 / 2d6 + poison
Save: L3
Morale: 9
Hoard Class: None
XP: 1,250
The twisted vath (both singular and plural) are 3' long beasts with 10' wingspans and 2 hideous heads. The left head sports wicked, hollow fangs for sucking blood, while the right head possesses bulging red eyes and slavering, venomous jaws (with Poison Class determined at random). In combat, vath always begin by Beguiling their prey [see below].
A vath's hard, rubbery skin is particularly susceptible to the cold, meaning it takes +1 extra damage per die from cryonic attacks, and slows to airspeeds of 60' (20') when the temperature drops below 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
Vath congregate in caves, abandoned sewers, and ruins, and are fully active by day and by night.
Mutations: Beguiling, Dual-Headed, Enhanced Vision (Night Vision), Epidermal Susceptibility (Cold) [D], Increased Sense (Hearing), Toxic Weapon (Venom), Vampiric Field
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New Mutation
Beguiling (Mental): Makes all characters within a 90' radius use the least powerful of their weapons and/or mutations when attacking the mutant possessing it. Every 6 combat rounds, each affected individual makes an Ability Check Versus INT; success means the influence is broken, and the target cannot be affected by this mutation again for a full 24 hours.
Not-The-Designer's Notes: The Vath first appeared in 1983's The Cleansing War Of Garik Blackhand, by Michael Price and Garry Spiegle. Illustration provided by Jim Holloway.
Not-The-Designer's Notes Addendum: The Beguiling mutation first appeared in 1983 in the 2nd edition of Gamma World by James M. Ward, Gary Jaquet, and David James Ritchie.
Not-The-Designer's Notes Addendum-To-The-Addendum: Like most original Gamma World beasties, the vath's damage output is ridiculously high in Mutant Future / Labyrinth Lord terms. But I'm fine with it, because the critters are supposed to be terrifying.
