| Shovelmouth | |
| |
| Type: | Medium Herbivore |
| Number: | 2-20 |
| Move: | Medium |
| IM/RS: | +3/25 |
| Stamina: | 60 |
| Attack: | 45 |
| Damage: | 1d10 bite |
| Special Attack: | Stampede for 2d10 per shovelmouth |
| Special Defense: | None |
| Native World: | Volturnus – caverns |
Shovelmouths are a sentient reptilian species native to Volturnus, in the Zebulon System.
Description
The shovelmouth is a four-legged reptile with a long, flat snout resembling a shovel. It uses this snout to scrape moss and fungi off the walls and floors of the caverns it inhabits. Shovelmouths breed in great numbers, but their population is kept in check by Rasties, which prefer them as food.
Shovelmouths are normally quite harmless, but if a herd panics, they will stampede. If a character is unfortunate enough to be caught in a stampede, he will take 2d10 damage from every shovelmouth that tramples him. You must use your discretion to determine the number of shovelmouths that may trample a character. In narrow, confined areas, the panicked shovelmouths will have a difficult time avoiding characters, while in a more open area, they will attempt to run around an object as large as a man.
A shovelmouth stampede may be diverted or stopped by a 1 meter high barricade, as long as the barricade blocks the entire corridor. A blockade that is too low or has a breach in it will not stop the stampede. The shovelmouths will destroy the barricade as they rush past or over it.
Despite their tendency to stampede at awkward times, shovelmouths are generally quite docile, and even affectionate. When a character meets a herd of shovelmouths, one of the reptiles will follow the character for several miles. If confronted, the creature will gaze at the character with its soulful, reptilian eyes and wag its scaly tail. It will not leave until force is used to chase it away.