Esher: Creepy Crawlies

Back to Esher Chronicles

This page serves as the basic information for the kinds of critters that can be found in the hives, as well as those that might hang around certain character types. Additionally, I'll record all NPCs here as they become relevant to the game.

Humans

Juves: these are inexperienced young gangers, and as such, they're not that good at what they do. Still, they can be useful to have around, especially when expertise matters less than numbers.

Move 4m (8m running or charging), WS 2, BS 2, S 3, T 3, W 1, I 3, A 1, Ld 6, armed with 1 Knife and 1 Stub Gun

-Advancement: May be given a Bludgeoning weapon, Frag Grenades or an Autopistol, or have one Combat/Agility skill.

Gangers: generated as player characters.

Death Cultists: generated as player characters.

Enforcers: generated as player characters.

Planetary Defence/Imperial Guard: sometimes you might run into groups of these. If you do, there's likely to be trouble.

Move 4m (8m running or charging), WS 3, BS 3, S 3, T 3, W 1, I 3, A 1, Ld 7, armed with 1 Knife, 1 Lasgun and Flak Armour 6+

-Advancement: May be given a Chainsword and Laspistol, Mesh Armour, Frag and Krak Grenades or have one Stealth/Shooting skill.

-Cowardly: If ever captured, it's easy to convert them to your cause: roll 1d6, and on a 4+ you succeed. Otherwise they show uncommon bravery and would prefer death/slavery in the pits.

Commissar: where there's guard, there's these guys. If you run into a commissar, be very very afraid.

Move 4m (8m running or charging), WS 4, BS 4, S 3, T 3, W 2, I 4, A 2 (3), Ld 8, armed with 1 Knife, 1 Bolt Pistol, 1 Power Fist or Power Sword and Flak Armour 6+, is Fearless and will instantly execute any Guardsman who breaks within 12m.

-Advancement: May be given Mesh armour 5+ or have one Ferocity/Shooting/Tech skill.

-Nerves of Steel: A commissar will never surrender if captured, short of psychic control.

Xenos:

Half-Gene Stealers: generated as player characters.

Primarch: as Half-Gene Stealers, with all 6 Mutations, Shadow in the Warp and Brood Telepathy. Usually equipped with a one-in-a-million pistol or basic weapon and sometimes has a small vehicle (each side has Toughness 5, 3 Wounds, 5+ armour)

Genestealer: these creatures are the ferocious killers of the depths.

Move 6m (18m running or charging), WS 6, BS 0, S 4, T 4, W 1, I 6, A 2, Ld 7, armed with Rending Claws, Scything Talons, Flesh Hooks and Acid Spit, with a natural Carapace of 5+.

-Advancement: may take Stealth and Ferocity skills, or Extended Carapace (4+ save), Implant Attack (hand-to-hand attacks deal +1 Wound) or Toxin Sacs (+1 Strength).

Lictor: more powerful than Genestealers, Lictors hide in plain view, taking out important targets and helping lead the way for other creatures of their kind.

Move 6m (12m running or charging), WS 6, BS 0, S 6, T 4, W 2, I 6, A 2, Ld 10, armed with Rending Claws and Scything Talons. Also has feeder tendrils, a scent that helps any infiltrating or deep-striking tyranids to arrive, a thick carapace offering a 5+ armour save, and a natural chameleon ability, offering a 5+ save out in the open, and improving any other cover save by 2 (down to 2+).

-Advancement: may take Stealth, Muscle and Combat skills.

Broodlord: these fierce brutes are the leaders of the genestealers, and killing them would be doing a great service for humanity.

Move 6m (12m running or charging), WS 6, BS 3, S 5, T 5, W 3, I 7, A 3, Ld 10, with a heavy carapace offering a 4+ armour save. Armed with Supernaturally Strong Rending Claws (count as Strength 5 Power Swords), Scything Talons, and one of the following: Flesh Hooks, Acid Spit, Implant Attack, Adrenal Glands (+1 Initiative), Toxin Sacs (+1 Strength), Extended Carapace (3+). Has Brood Telepathy, Infiltrate and Iron Will.

-Advancement: may take Stealth, Muscle, Ferocity and Combat skills, or mutations that it did not previously take from the above list.

Daemons:

Warp Beast: Vicious creatures, no two of these are ever that similar. Spawned from chaos, they hunger for the flesh of the living. Hey, that includes you, doesn't it?

Move 6m, WS 5, BS -, S 6, T 4, W 1, I 2, A 2, Ld 5, Chitin 6+ Armour

-Agony: Anyone successfully Wounded by a Warp Beast has their Weapon Skill reduced to half (round down) on the next turn.

Nurgling: Usually found in swarms, these pot-bellied terrors spread disease and smell awful, despite being under a foot tall.

Move 3m, WS 3, BS -, S 3, T 4, W 1, I 3, A 1, Ld 7, 6+ Invulnerable Save

-Spreads Disease: anyone who goes Out to a hit from one of these rolls on the following table after the battle: 1 Dead! 2-4 Infected, 5-6 Survived. Anyone infected must roll 1d6 each time they head out for any major undertaking, or at the start of a battle. On a 5+ they are fine, on a 4 their Toughness and Wounds each count as one lower, on a 2-3 they are too sick to participate, and on a 1 they lapse into a critical condition and are likely to die. A doctor or skilled medic can, with the right equipment, cure them, though this succeeds on the roll of a 3+, leaves them out of action for 1d3 weeks and costs 250 credits.

-Always increase Cover saves by +2

Swarm: Move 3m, WS 3, BS -, S 4, T 5, W 3, I 3, A 3, Ld 10 (Fearless), 5+ Invulnerable Save

-Spreads Disease, as above

-Always increase Cover saves by +1

-Fever Cloud: Swarms of these smell even worse, and let off visible clouds of stench and toxic fumes. WS is lowered by 1 when assaulting or assaulted by these (unless wearing a gas mask). Additionally, when killed they burst open into a large blast of Choke Gas.

Pink Horror: These are very jolly creatures that dance along, skipping about as they tear the arms off people.

Move 4m, WS 4, BS 1, S 4, T 4, W 2, I 2, A 1, Ld 9, 5+ Invulnerable Save

-Occasionally they can be found wielding Pistols, but they're just as likely to eat them as to fire them.

-If killed, they split into two Blue Horrors.

Blue Horror: These creatures are always angry and miserable, and constantly complain and argue. Kill them just to shut them up.

Move 4m, WS 3, BS -, S 3, T 4, W 1, I 3, A 1, Ld 6, 6+ Invulnerable Save

-Both must always stay within 6m of each other if possible.

Daemonette: Sure, they might look sexy to begin with, but their forms can turn monstrous, and their claws can shred people horribly.

Move 6m, WS 4, BS -, S 3, T 3, W 1, I 4, A 3, Ld 9, 6+ Invulnerable Save

-Rending Claws: -2 Armour Modifier, causes 1d3 Wounds. If a 6 is rolled to Wound, it causes 3 Wounds with no Armour Save allowed.

Narco Beasts: They look like neon-coloured nurglings, and seem to always be coughing up white powder. They smell strongly of chemicals, and some people have been known to try keeping them locked up to extract street drugs from them.

Move 3m, WS 3, BS -, S 3, T 4, W 1, I 3, A 1, Ld 7, 6+ Invulnerable Save

-Fumes: Anyone attacking these in hand-to-hand counts their own Initiative as 1 if they lack a gas mask. Additionally, when killed they burst into a cloud of Hallucinogen Gas, only creating a small "Blast" however.

-Poison: Their melee attacks count as poisoned weapons.

Creatures:

Ripper Jack: These are large, winged creatures similar to giant bats. They fly about in search of food, which turns out to be pretty much anything that has at one point been alive, and have very sharp fangs, though their main method of attacking is to wrap their wings around the target and strangle them.

Move 8m, WS 2, BS 0, S 1, T 2, W 1, I 4, A 1, Ld 4

Fly: Ripper Jacks can move in any direction thanks to their flight. They cannot be attacked in hand to hand.

Engulf: In the hand to hand phase, a Ripper Jack may engulf a foe. Roll 1d6 and compare to the target's Initiative. If it is higher than their Initiative, or a 6, then it has engulfed them. They fall prone and disabled, counting as having a WS of 0. Every round, in the recovery phase, they may attempt to break out by rolling under their Strength on 2d6. An ally may assist if adjacent, adding their own Strength to the check. Every turn the Ripper Jack has, it automatically makes a Strength 4 hit, with no armour saves allowed. If they are taken out of action, they use a special roll to determine their fate.

Milliasaur: These giant centipede-like creatures can grow up to 2m in length, and their pincers are coated with a paralytic venom. Many people fall prey to these things every year, though a lucrative business can be made harvesting their venom.

Move 4m, WS 4, BS 0, S 1, T 3, W 1, I 4, A 1, Ld 4

Scuttlers: Milliasaurs can cling to any surface.

Poison: Every hit a Milliasaur delivers in hand to hand combat deals an automatic wound, with armour saves allowed as normal. If their final wound is taken away, roll 1d6. On a 1-2, they may act as normal, but on a 3-6 they go Out, paralysed and possibly killed by the poison.

Giant Lizard: Thankfully not as common as some of the other fauna of the underhives, nevertheless giant lizards do flourish, especially in the warmer locations close to reactors or magma pits.

Move 4m, WS 4, BS 0, S 3, T 3, W 1, I 3, A 1, Ld 4

Cold Blooded: Lizards ignore the effects of Flesh Wounds, and are immune to Psychology. However if cold, they reduce their Initiative to 1 and their Weapon Skill to 2.

Scales: Lizards have very thick scales, granting them a 5+ armour save.

One random ability of the following: Razor sharp teeth (re-roll failed "To Wound" results), Defensive Thorns (charging foes take one automatic hit), Poison (as the Milliasaur).

Carnasaur: These are giant dinosaurs, somehow living in the lowest levels and always seeking out new prey in a futile attempt to appease their eternal appetites. The standard procedure for dealing with these is to fire all weapons immediately and hope it dies.

Move 6m, WS 4, BS 0, S 6, T 5, W 2, I 4, A 2, Ld 4

Cold Blooded: as the Giant Lizard

Scales: Carnasaurs enjoy a 3+ armour save from their scales

Grab Attack: The Carnasaur may attempt to grab hold of prey up to 2m away, succeeding if they fail an Initiative test. In the hand to hand phase, they may try to free themselves by rolling 1d6 plus their Strength and comparing it to 2drop1d6 plus the Carnasaur's Strength. If they fail, it automatically hits with both attacks.

Terror: Carnasaurs cause Terror

Severe Injury: If the Carnasaur takes somebody Out, they instead roll on the Severe Injury chart (the same as being taken Out by a Ripper Jack).

11-16: Dead, 21-23: Head Injury, 24-26: Lose One Eye, 31-36: Old Wound, 41-46: Full Recovery, 51-56: Impressive Scars, 61-66: Horrific Scars

Giant Rat: Giant rats exist in plague proportions in the lower levels, and all too frequently, vile toxins are poured through to help keep them under control so they don't reach the top. This just makes the next generation even tougher, of course.

Move 6m, WS 4, BS 0, S 3, T 2, W 1, I 3, A 1, Ld 4

Dodge: Giant Rats have a 4+ Dodge save, though this does not apply against attacks which do not allow armour saves or that ignore cover.

Titan Spider: These spiders range from a mere 6m across to being able to dwarf entire settlements. The only good news is that they are found on the very lowest levels.

Move 8m, WS 5, BS 0, S 5, T 5, W 4, I 5, A 3, Ld 4

Immune to Psychology, Terror, Armoured Carapace granting a 5+ armour save, Entangling Web, Ignore Terrain, Plague-Ridden