“Why are you running? Come back, please!”
The pleading cry rang out as the rogue huddled tighter beneath the hollow of the desk, tightening her grip on her dagger. Above her, the strange creature took faltering, uneven steps as it called out for her from the head hanging from its shoulder, its voice free of guile. But while its tone suggested it meant no harm, the rotating blades of its arm smashed through another desk within the abandoned sheriff’s office. As the human head continued to speak, seemingly ignorant of its situation, the vast maw that grew from its thick, trunk-like neck slobbered and drooled noisily. The rogue held her breath as she watched the creature stomp by on its stunted legs and waited for it to turn before she drew up her dagger and streaked out from her hiding place.
Working on more monsters from games that I have never played, the scagdead is a bizarre creature from the Resident Evil series that has developed impressive mutations in an organic buzzsaw and bear traps that it can regurgitate. As with most t-virus creatures, I had intended to design him as an undead, but others more familiar with the series suggested aberration for its creature type. Reading up on the fact that the scagdead is the result of a particularly resistant individual becoming infected with the t-virus. While I didn't include it in my last RE creature, I wanted to make sure that the scagdead had the ability to spread the t-virus with its bite. I wasn't sure how I wanted to include its bear traps and settled on the snaptraps for a ranged attack that can also trap people, slowing them down to allow the scagdead to catch up to them. For instances where its traps have been left on the ground, either due to preparing them ahead of time or during the fight, it uses its Improved Bull Rush to push foes into them.
Pathfinder 1e:
With the 2e version, I wanted to add Maim to reflect its killing attack when it has a creature at its mercy and brutally saws into them. Other than that, there isn't too much different from the 1e version
Pathfinder 2e:
Blue's D&D 5e:
ENCOUNTER HOOKS
Scenario 1: A t-virus outbreak has taken root in an asylum and the heroes are approached to venture in and rescue as many people as they can. Whether the heroes are supplied with antiplague and droughts to stave off the disease or have a resistance to it, they are soon prepared to set on their way and find the asylum overrun with zombies, lickers, and other unfortunate victims of the t-virus. When passing through the courtyard to access other parts of the compound, the heroes run across a scagdead that has filled the area with its snaptraps. While it has little interest in pursuing victims pass the domain it has claimed, it fiercely defends it and failing to deal with it early results in it making a small cadre of zombies that linger about it.
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Until next time, have a Monstrous Monday!
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