Volume 1

TRAVELLER
Monstrous Creatures
 Volume 1
TRAVELLER
Monstrous Creatures
Credits Table of Contents
Creature Page
Writing, Design, and Layout Colin Dunn
Cover Art tsuneomp Vostok Tyrant Worm 1
Interior Art Warpaint
Bunch Bug 2
Christina Romero Palma
Bunch Bug Larvae 2
rosinan
Screamer 3
tsuneomp
Gann Mega-Tick 4
DM7
Leech Hound 7
Runa0410
Ghoul 8
DAleks
Scythen 5
Valentyna Chukhlyebova
Varachnae 6
Zaran Beast 9
Graphic Elements Palermo89
Ktullan 10
Death Stalker 11
Psyclomoth 12
Tellurian Rock Eater 13
Lavian Terror King 14
New Rules and Size Comparisons 15
VOSTOK TYRANT WORM
Vostok is a small world orbiting a dim star, kept warm only by a greenhouse effect that appears to be the legacy of a vanished Industrial
Age civilization. Vostok has what is referred to as a ‘devastated ecology’ where most of the ecosystem has been destroyed, leaving many
ecological niches unfilled. Most of the larger lifeform died off along with the dominant species. This event was less than 2000 years ago,
during the Long Night.
The largest remaining lifeform is the Tyrant Worm, formerly some sort of scavenger, but by virtue of survival it has become Vostok’s apex
predator. Unfortunately, as a former prey species, it has a high reproductive rate, and in the absence of major predators, most of the
young survive. The only thing that eats a tyrant worm is another tyrant worm, though only as a last resort.
In the wake of the environmental devastation, huge packs of tyrant worms are now scouring the landscape, eating everything in sight. At
their current rate of reproduction and consumption, it is estimated that it will not be long before they have consumed everything on land,
can can be consumed. Though the worms must breathe air, they can swim, and some are crossing the small seas to conquer the few
remaining islands.
None of this would be a particular problem to off-worlders; no one in their right mind would want to live on Vostok. However, SuSAG, an
Imperial megacorporation, has found valuable biologicals in the plants and bottom-dwelling organisms of the shallow seas, and are in the
process of harvesting everything they can from their floating platforms. The platforms are not safe from the tyrant worms, as at least
one has been attacked by a tyrant swarm. There may come a time soon when SuSAG needs to evacuate the planet entirely.

Armour Hits Speed Mass

+2 6 8m 10 kg
Skills Melee (natural) 1, Recon 1, Survival 1
Attacks Bite (1D3),
Small (-2), Fast Metabolism (+1), Blind Sight, Heightened Senses, Disease
Traits (Difficult, 1D, 1D days)
Behaviour Omnivore/Eater
 LOSHYN BUNCH-BUG
For most of its life cycle, the Bunch Bug appears to be an innocuous, if large, insectoid creature. There is little to differentiate it from thousands of
similar species on its homeworld. Where it differs is in its reproductive cycle. Most of the insect-like form that dominate the lower rungs of
ecosystem lay their legs by the thousands, leaving them to take their chances. The bunch bug instead invests more time and care into young. Rather
than laying eggs, the eggs develop in the back of the male bunch bug, eventually becoming a large pile of gleaming, translucent green eggs, jiggling
on their back like a horrid bunch of grapes.
Once the eggs have fully developed, the parent becomes aggressive, chasing down the larger, mammal-like creatures that share the forests and plains
of their world. Many of these creatures will, in turn, bite the bunch bug, and in the process get a mouthful of eggs. As soon as the eggs hit the warm
environment of their targets mouth, the larval burst forth, and begin to burrow into soft tissue. They will take up residence in large muscle groups,
feeding and growing until they get big enough to enter a pupal stage. Once the pupae transform into an adult, it will leave the host through the closest
possible point, even if that entails burrowing through flesh again.
Bunch-bugs will also approach potential hosts at night, and are able to release a single larva via their mouths. They will bit the host, and if they are
successful in the attack, release the larva, whcih must then make its own attack. If that succeeds, it begins to burrow in.

Armour Hits Speed Mass

+0 3 4 800 g
Skills Recon 1, Stealth 1, Survival 1
Attacks Bite (D3)
Traits Small (-3)
Behaviour Omnivore/Grazer

BUNCH-BUG LARVAE
Armour Hits Speed Mass
+1 1 4 50 g
Skills Melee (Natural) 0
Attacks Bite (1)
Small (-4), Flesh Burrow (Formidable, 1D, 1D
Traits minutes
Behaviour Eater
 RIFT WORLDS SCREAMER

Armour Hits Speed Mass

+2 18 8 100 kg
Skills Athletics (dexterity), Melee (natural) 1, Recon 1
Attacks Bite (1D)
Echolocation, Small (-1), Fast Metabolism (+2), Sonic Attack (2D, 5m Stun),
Traits Venomous (Difficult, 3D, 1D rounds)
Behaviour Carnivore/Pouncer

Screamers are disturbingly-humanoid creatures seemingly native to several worlds around the Great Rift. Neural activity scans confirm
the bestial nature of this creature, but contact teams have been lost by equating the creature’s form with its intelligence.
Screamers get their name from their extremely-loud and harsh hunting call. Most of their head is given over to the systems that make
the call possible, and this sound generation/reception organ is very complex and versatile. Though eyeless, their sonic capabilities give
them a precision echolocation system, that can even be turned into an attack. At very close ranges, their scream can potential stun their
prey, allowing the animal to close and give their prey the Screamer’s Kiss.
The Kiss is particularly unpleasant. The creature can practically unhinge its jaw, allowing it to clamp down on their prey and then insert
their proboscis into any available orifice. The proboscis extends from the mouth, and has a sharp spike and graspers at the end that
penetrate deep in the body, assisted by copious amounts of acidic slime produced by the creatur. In addtion to lubrication, the slime has
a digestive purpose, as it starts dissolving and liquifying the prey from the inside-out. Once fully engaged in the body, the spike retracts,
and the Screamer starts to suck out the already liquifying organs.
 GANN STANK BUG

Armour Hits Speed Mass

+4 12 6 60 kg
Skills Recon
Attacks Bite (1D)
Traits Small (-1), Heightened Senses, Noxious Odour (Formidable, 1D minutes)
Behaviour Omnivore/Scavenger

Named for its noxious defensive odour, the stank bug is a scavenger, with various related species found in every biome of its homeworld.
The species represented here is one of the larger varieties. They eat just about anything, including material in advanced states of decay.
If disturbed, the stank bug can release a noxious cloud that is next to impossible to wash off with anything short of a decontamination
chamber. The sharp, acrid stench can cause temporary blindness, and is quite debilitating. Travellers who have been on the receiving end
of the stank bug describe the smell as horrific, a mix of sulfur, ammonia, urea, fecal matter, and the worst body odour possible. Targets
are often left retching, eyes burning, and throat raw.
Hivers apparently find them quite tasty.
 NIVIAN LEECH HOUND

Armour Hits Speed Mass

+0 16 18 70kg
Skills Athletics (END) 2, Melee (natural) 2, Recon 2, Stealth 1
Attacks Bite (1D)
Traits Fast Metabolism (+2), Heightened Senses
Behaviour Carnivore/HIjacker

As their name implies, scav hounds are scavengers, using their elongated heads and pharyngeal jaws to reach the rich organ meats inside a dead
animal. Though often found alone, scavs also hunt in small packs. In these packs, they gang up on solitary predators and steal their prey. They are also
not above killing animals, and their long heads enable them to penetrate deep into burrows and hives. Scav hounds are strictly diurnal, and keep to
their dens at night. They have small eyes protected behind folds of skin and a nictating membrane, and have restricted vison even in daylight. At night
they nearly blind.
If scav-hound eggs can be acquired, on hatching they will imprint on the first creature they see. This is the only way to tame one. They make excellent
tracking animals, and they have a very fearsome appearance. The slow extension of their pharyngeal jaws when growling is particularly intimidating.
 UMBRAL GHOUL

Armour Hits Speed Mass

+2 18 10 100 kg
Skills Melee (natural) 2, Recon 1, Stealth 2,
Attacks Bite (2D)
Clever, Camouflaged, Echolocation, Fast Metabolism (+2), Heightened Senses,
Traits Strange
Behaviour Carnivore/Killer

Many worlds of the Imperium have creatures that appear to be some sort of degenerate humanoid. The Screamers of the Great Rift are
an example, as are the so-called Ghouls of the Dark Nebula. Their homeworld, Umbral, is tidally-locked to a rogue brown dwarf, drifting
between the stars. The heat radiated by the super-Jovian object grants the nearside of the planet warmth, but very little light. The
farside is a frozen wasteland, while the twilight region between the two is a zone of perpetual storms. The creatures that evolved under
these extreme conditions have compensated for the near-darkness by developing thermal vision, giving them the ability to sense heat
sources and either attack or hide. The most successful creatures are the ones that mask or blend their heat signatures, a kind of
thermal camouflage. Visual light is of little importance.
The ghoul is a thin, two-metre humanoid. It appears to be skinless but the striated reds are camouflage, and blends well on their dim
world, making the ghoul one of the few creatures that has some level of visual camouflage as well as thermal. The thermal vision that
characterizes most denizens of their world has atrophied as the ghouls evolved an echolocation ability, which makes it much easier for
them to find their prey. Though not the largest carnivore on their world, they are the most successful.
Ghouls hunt in packs, which, along with their near-invisibility in normal light, makes them extremely dangerous. A lone ghoul, once
spotted, is easy to kill or avoid. However, if you only see one, there are likely a dozen more hidden nearby.
 JONKEREEN SCYTHEN

Armour Hits Speed Mass

+8 44 6 400 kg
Skills Melee (natural) 3, Recon 2, Survival 1
Attacks Bite (3D), Scythe Claws (3D AP3)
Traits Large (+2), Fast Metabolism (+1), IR/UV Vision, Heightened Senses,
Behaviour Carnivore/Pouncer

Scythens are desert-dwelling beasts native to Jonkeer, but have been exported elsewhere as guard and tracking animals. The shape of
their legs and feet restricts them to hard-packed ground and sand. They seem to a have a sort of sixth sense for terrain, and will
always choose the safest path. For this reason, desert dwellers know to follow a scythen (at a safe distance) for a safe route.
In the wild, scythen usually feed on smaller ground-dwelling creatures, many of which bury themselves for protection, or otherwise
have heavy carapaces or shell. The scythen’s sharp, curved legs, from which it takes its name, can stab deep into sandy soil to pull out
prey, and can slash and stab their way into more protected creatures as well.
The scythen is not a fast creature, and if cornered it will lash out with its stabbing, slicing limbs. When panicking, it has been known to
cut through battledress.
 HARVEST VARACHNAE

Armour Hits Speed Mass

+8 32 12 250 kg
Skills Melee (natural) 1, Recon 1, Stealth 2
Attacks Bite (2D)
Traits Large (+1), Fast Metabolism (+1), IR/UV Vision, Heightened Senses, Web
Behaviour Carnivore/Trapper

The Varachnae closely resemble a giant terran spider, but this is an example of convergent evolution. While it has a tough outer
covering similar to an exoskeleton, it is a vertebrate, with a strong internal skeleton. Like its terrestrial look-alike, it is a web-spinner,
but it is not venomous. Once prey is caught in its web, it uses the sharp chelicerae around its mouth to stab and quickly kill the prey. It
then cocoons them up and waits for them to rot for awhile before it eats them. It is a fierce defender of its web and territory. Males
only approach during the yearly mating season, and until it is ready, it will kill and eat any that come near.
After six local years, (4.2 standard years), it changes its behaviour. It will now welcome males, though it will still eat them after
mating. Instead of killing prey, it cocoons them up, then lays eggs in the cocoon. It will continue this behaviour for several (2D) days.
Once the eggs hatch, the young will devour the victim. On the final day, the creature will lay a last bunch of eggs and lay down beside
them, giving itself as a meal for its last brood.
DEBOLUAN ZARAN BEAST

Armour Hits Speed Mass

+10 42 6 450 kg
Skills Melee (natural) 1, Recon 2, Survival 1
Attacks Claws (3D), Bite (1D)
Traits Large (+2), IR/UV Vision, Multi-Attack (2) , Venomous Bite (Difficult, 1D, 1D minutes)
Behaviour Omnivore/Hunter

The insect-appearing zaran beast is actually a vertebrate, with an interior skeleton along with the exterior protective plating. They
are closer to mammals in most respects, warm-blooded, oviparous, and with specially developed external organs for feeding young.
They have three sexes, like all other creatures on their homeworld, and Imperial ecologists have placed much of the planet off-
limits.
On a neural activity scan, Zaran beasts (named after their discoverer, Elizabeth Zaran), come up just short of the level of activity
required to be recognized as a sophont, putting them into the same general category as terran great apes. Unfortunately, an extract
from what has been dubbed their ‘para-pineal’ gland has been found to act similar to combat drug, and there is a significant black
market. While it is possible to safely extract para-pineal fluid, it is much easier and quicker to simply kill the beast and cut its head
off.
 RYLEHAN KTULLAN
Armour Hits Speed Mass
+4 40 6 500 kg
Skills Melee (natural) 1, Recon 1, (Telepathy 3, Clairvoyance 2, Awareness 1)
Attacks Tentacle Strike (3D), Telepathic Assault (effect x 3)
Traits Clever, Large (+2), IR/UV Vision, Psionic (9), Strange
Behaviour Carnivore/Killer

Some sophontologists argue that the Ktullans are

sapient, people rather than animals. They point to the
evidence from neural activity scans as proof. However,
is should be noted that neural activity scans appear to
enrage them, prompting them to attack the source of
the scan. Most available records therefore come either
from remote telemetry or from what’s left after they
attack.
The Ktullans are large, vaguely cephalopod creatures
that can mass up to 300 kg. They are amphibious and
can be found either in water or on land, using vascular
pressure in their tentacles to give them structural
strength in the latter case.
In any environment, they are fast and vicious. All
attempts at contact have failed and have usually
resulted in the death of either the contact agent or the
Ktullan. Most of the time, though, the Ktullan is the
victor.
Their homeworld of Ryleha is an Amber Zone, and the
IISS is moving to declare it a Red Zone. The rumour mill
alleges that the scouts discovered that the Ktullans are
psionic, and moreover, that some of their endocrine
secretions can act as a potent psi-booster. The Scouts
deny all such allegations, and instead state that the Red
Zone will give the violent and hostile creatures space,
and reduce the casualties on both sides.
 HARRISON’S WORLD DEATH STALKER

Armour Hits Speed Mass

+8 65 8 500 kg
Skills Athletics (STR) 2, Melee (natural) 2, Recon 2, Stealth 1
Attacks Bite (4D), Stinger (2D + venom)
Traits Large (+3), Venomous (difficult, 3D, 1D minutes), Multi-Attack (2)
Behaviour Carnivore/Pouncer

The Death Stalker is a puzzle. While a capable predator, at least in suitable environments, it is not an overly intelligent beast. It relies on
speed and aggression to catch its prey, along with the stinger in its tail. It is not suited for long chases. The real puzzle is that this
creature is scattered across dozens, if not hundreds of worlds in the Trailing sectors of the Imperium and space beyond. K’kree will go out
of their way to kill this creature, including using saturation bombing to destroy habitat. Yet it not only survives, but prospers, and is slowly
spreading. As previously noted, it is not a bright beast, and certainly not star-faring. Which means that someone must be spreading it
deliberately. The K’kree have blamed the Hivers, but for their part the Hivers deny it is one of their manipulations. The Ithklur, with their
penchant for violent pranks, have very little to say on the subject.
 VANZHKEAN PSYCLOMOTH

Armour Hits Speed Mass

+2 32 12 350 kg
Skills Melee (natural) 1, Recon 1, (Telepathy 3)
Attacks Bite (3D),
Traits Large (+2), Fast Metabolism (+1), IR/UV Vision, Psionic (8), Strange
Behaviour Carnivore/Pouncer

The beautiful and terrifying psyclomoth uses the intricately shifting patterns of its wings and its own psionic power to mesmerize and trap its prey.
Once they are immobile, the psyclomoth will wrap itself around them, and then begin feeding by consuming its prey’s head.
The psyclomoths homeworld of Perdido is under Navy interdiction, as the creatures are not the only native lifeform that utilizes psionic power to hunt.
There are also rumours of strange structures on the surface right where the psyclomoths are the most numerous.
Psyclomoths do not present as sophonts to a neural activity scan. Unlike most psionic creatures, they show no abnormalities in their scans, and do
not show activity in the regions where even the other psionic animals on their world show spikes.
TELLURIAN ROCK EATER

Armour Hits Speed Mass

+10 85 8 4000 kg
Skills Melee (natural) 0, Recon 1, Survival 1
Attacks Thagomizer (5D)
Traits Large (+4), Heightened Senses
Behaviour Herbivore/Intermittent

The large Tellurian rock eater is equipped with a massive beak, that along with their strong, dense jaw muscles are able to crack
open the rock-like bark of the stone-heart tree, and get at the pulpy flesh underneath. These beasts wander in herds of 20-40
individuals, with their eight-legged larvae sheltered at the centre of the herd. When the larva have their fifth moult, after about a
year, they lose the extra two pairs of legs and start to grow the characteristic beak.
Despite the power of their jaws, their chewing action is slow. For defence, they rely on their thagomizer-equipped tails. Large
adults can puncture battledress with the reinforced spikes.
 LAVIAN MONSTER KING

The Lavian Monster King is reminiscent

of the terran Tyrannosuarus Rex of the
late Cretaceous period. It is a ferocious
predator, with much of its prey being
equally large and violent. It’s homeworld
of Dawkins is under an Amber Zone
restriction because of the dominant
mega-fauna. However, the various
creatures are among the best living
examples of dinosaur-like creatures yet
discovered, and so the world is a popular
tourist and scientific destination.
However, at least 50 people die violently
each year after disregarding warnings
about the wildlife. Armour Hits Speed Mass
The Monster King uses its serrated mid- +8 110 10 6000 kg
arms to arm and impale prey, after which Skills Athletics (strength) 4, Melee (natural) 3, Recon 1
it uses the small clawed pedipalps on the Attacks Bite (6D), Claws (4D)
side of its mouth to tear prey from the
Traits Large (+5), Heightened Senses, Multi-Attack (2)
arms and shove it into the beast’s maw.
Behaviour Carnivore/Killer
 NEW RULES
Lethal Flesh Burrow
NEW ANIMAL BEHAVIOURS Like ‘normal’ flesh burrow, but lethal flesh burrow will not stop until the
host is dead. Instead of finding a place to live and feed, the parasite will
continue chewing through its host until it hits the heart or brain.
Trapper
A trapper is a creature that sets traps for its prey, and hides until they Multi-Attack (x)
have sprung the trap. It then rushes out to deal with them, often by A creature with multi-attack can attack more than once in a combat
poisoning them, wrapping them up, and setting them aside to eat later. round. The number after the Trait indicates how many attacks it gets in a
Some trappers also have ovipositors, to turn their victims into food for combat round
the next generation. Trappers have Stealth.
Noxious Odour (Difficulty, Interval)
NEW ANIMAL TRAITS Similar to a poison, the Noxious Odour requires an Endurance check to
avoid the worst effects. While it does not cause physical damage, it can
be incapacitating. If the Endurance check is failed, the Effect becomes the
Clever (from the Traveller Companion p. 87) negative DM for all subsequent skill checks, including combat.
Clever animals can learn to operate simple devices. They will know what
effect they are trying to achieve but have no clear understanding of the
principles behind it. A clever animal can figure out how to operate
Ovipositor (x, Difficulty)
An ovipositor is an organ that a creature uses to place eggs into a host,
simple device or control such as a door panel or latch on a 2D roll of usually after the host is incapacitated in some way. The value after the
10+, made each time it sees someone perform the task. Trait indicates how many eggs are laid, and the END check is to see if the
body’s defences somehow manage to kill the eggs before they hatch. Even
Flesh Burrow (Burrow Damage) (Difficulty, Damage, Interval) at that, the eggs will still have to be surgically removed. If the eggs hatch,
Flesh Burrow is a Trait common to some parasites. They will attack the they are treated as lethal flesh burrowers.
target, and if successful, will burrow into the flesh. The will continue to
burrow for 1D minutes, until they find a good place to step and grow. At
this point, the damage stops, and it is treated as a disease. Poisonous (Difficulty, Damage, Interval)
A poisonous animal is dangerous to eat, and sometimes even touch. It is a
However,the END roll is not to resist the effects, but to be able to cut defensive measure, rather than a part of their attack. The poisonous Trait
into yourself or another to get the parasite. On success, the target takes only comes into effect if the creature is touched with bare skin, bitten, or
1D damage, but the parasite is killed. It will still take an Average (8+) clawed.
Medic check (EDU, 1D minutes) to remove the dead parasite. If not
removed, it will cause an infection. Scything Claws (+x)
Scything claws are made of very sharp and durable material, and can cut
Any infection is treated as a disease: Parasite sepsis, Difficult (10+), through skin and bone with ease. The value listed after the Trait is both
1D, 1D hours the AP value of the attack, and the additional damage done on a strike.
Flesh burrow will have two characteristics: the burrowing itself, and the Sonic Attack (Damage, Range)
disease that sets in after it stops. Some animals that use echolocation can focus that ability to cause
disorientation or even damage to Travellers. All damage is Stun.

SIZE COMPARISON
3m
2m
1m
Strange (from the Traveller Companion p. 88) Web
Strange creatures are disturbing to humans and most other sophonts The creature can create a web or similiar sticky strucutre for the purpose of
who see or hear them. They may make sounds or project a low-level catching prey. Escaping from a web is a Routine (6+) Athletics (strength, 1D
telepathic field that causes unease, or simply looking ‘wrong’ in a way rounds) check, with a DM based on the inverse of the animal’s Size modifier.
that inspires fear or even madness. Any Traveller encountering a Strange See Web table below. For a Small (-4) animal, there would be a DM+4 for any
creature must make a Difficult (10+) END check. If it is failed, roll 2D on attempt to escape their web.
the Strange Animal table, and apply the Effect of the failed check.
Web
Creature Size and Modifer Escape DM
Strange Animal Small (-4) +4
2D + Result Small (-3) +3
Effect
0 or The Traveller panics or faints, and is out of Small (-2) +2
less action for 3D rounds Small (-1) +1
1-3 The Traveller recolis in horror and must flee
for 1D rounds 0 0
4-6 The Traveller is shocked and confused by the Large (+1) -1
creature’s appearance and freezes for 1D Large (+2) -2
rounds
7-9 The Traveller is shocked or confused, and is Large (+3) -3
unable to act for 1 round Large (+4) -4
10+ The Traveller is momentarily shocked, and Large (+5) -5
suffers a DM-4 on Initiative checks.
Large (+6) -6
Venomous (Difficulty, Damage, Interval)
Venomous animals use their venom as part of their attack, either in
stingers, venom glands or some other method. Venomous animals are not
neccessarily dangerous to touch or bite, though getting that close to one
is ill-advised.

SIZE COMPARISON
5m
4m
3m
2m
1m