Version 1.0

SpikebackDefense Value: -30 (enraged -0)Endurance: 80+2d20Movement: 8m Initiative: +3Attacks: 3 on separate targets (bite and 2 claws)/ or 1 combined maul for 1 attack Strike Value: 3 separate attacks 01-70/ or 1 combined maul attack 01-95 (or enraged maul 01-110)Damage: Bite and claws d10+8 each/ Maul 2d20+16 (or enraged maul 3d20+16) Strength: 74 (+8)Agility: 88Accuracy: 78Intelligence: 11Willpower: 69Perception: 108Valuables: nilExperience Factors: 95Morale: ExcellentSize: 2.4m tallWeight: 100+1kg per point of enduranceMutations: 15% chance of 1 (See Spikeback mutation list, page 5)Relics: nilImplants: Rare

Spikebacks are large, hunched animal-like hu-manoids of low intel-ligence and wicked dispo-sition. When standing fully erect they are well over two meters tall, although they pre-fer to scuttle about on all fours like a chimp or bear. They are so named for a series of black, lethally sharp bone spikes growing from their backs, with some specimens bearing me-ter long protrusions. While impressive looking and remarkably effective in

dissuading larger beasts from feeding on them, these vaguely human monsters do not employ their spikes when hunting. Should a large predator try to bite a spike-back, or anybody leap upon one a these mutants, the deviant’s horns will automatically serve as a counter attack on the attacker at strike value 01-80 and inflict 2d20 damage. This counter attack is made on the ag-gressor’s turn and merely a passive protective measure on the spikeback’s part. These creatures are thought to be genetically engi-neered combat beasts which have changed little since their creation centuries before. The common belief is that they live as long as an average human, grow to adulthood in about 6 years, have a gender division of about 55 percent male to 20 percent female, with another 25 per- cent being either sexless, her-maphrod i tes , or of rotating, seasonal gender. While having human DNA, they don’t see fellow

SPIKEBACK Free Creature for The Mutant Epoch RPG Page 2 of 5

humanoids as anything other than food. Their diet is entirely carnivorous, and even when well fed, spike-backs are known to kill and mutilate other living things for mere sport. These creatures exhibit a camouflage skin pattern and coloration that is best suited to their surroundings, yet if migrating to a new terrain type, switching pigmenta-tion after six months. They come in woodland green and brown camo when found in forests and swamps, mottled tan and gray in desert and scrub areas, or mingled grays, rust brown and concrete dust white when encountered in the ruins. This camouflage allows them to remain con-cealed when either hunting or evading larger predators. On account of their ability to hide and remain out of sight until desired, they are prone to ambush tactics, and if winning the initiative (+3), are considered to have been spotted too late and met in melee range, with one or more spikebacks leaping from concealment within three meters range. When attacking, these monsters use a series of two frontal claw slashes and one bite, either directing their attacks on three separate adversaries if the prey animals are in a group, or instead, combining all their attacks into one furious maul against foes larger than themselves, or when multiple targets are not closely packed.

The spikeback is known to have an incredibly bad temper. If struck by a single, identifiable opponent and the hit does 10 or more damage to the spikeback, then the beast will go berserk and direct subsequent attacks as maul attacks solely on the person who struck it until killing it or being killed. These enraged maul attacks are enhanced and delivered with extra aim (+15 SV to total SV 01-110) and additional strength and inflicts an extra d20 damage (new total maul damage while enraged is 3d20+16). However, while enraged, it completely throws caution to the wind and neglects to dodge, sidestep or wheel about while focused on the subject of its rage, and is reduced to DV -0 instead of -30. Even those us-ing missile weapons are able to take advantage of the spikeback’s inattention, and fire on the thing as if it were unmoving and unarmored. Once the beast’s victim is killed or unreachable, it will shake off its blind rage and either flee the scene, or engage another target. Although its claws and bite are terrible in themselves, the bite of a spikeback often coats the victim’s wound with a rare, terrible disease. Anyone bit by and survives the encounter is potentially infected by ‘meat-rot’, a sort of necrotizing fasciitis or flesh eating disease, around the afflicted wound. Each successful bite on an organic limb

SPIKEBACK Free Creature for The Mutant Epoch RPG Page 3 of 5

Life Form Anti-Toxin Injector Cure Tab* Medi-Bot Field Medical Kit

Human, pure stock 95% 97% 96% 99%Human, clone 91% 93% 95% 97%

Human, trans-human 94% 96% 95% 98%Human, bioreplicant 90% 93% 94% 95%

Human, ghost mutant 82% 89% 88% 90%Human, mutant, mild 78% 84% 81% 85%

Human, mutant, typical 74% 81% 79% 83%Human, mutant, severe 62% 67% 65% 76%

Human, mutant, freakish 35% 41% 52% 69%Beastial human, chimp 48% 59% 56% 73%

Beastial human, mammal 32% 39% 44% 61%Beastial human, bird or reptile 26% 35% 41% 59%

Beastial human, spider or scorpion 13% 18% 32% 41%Beastial human, cockroach, mantis 14% 20% 36% 45%

Humanoid, skullock, etc. 59% 64% 61% 72%Animal, mammal 29% 36% 41% 58%

Animal, bird or reptile 24% 31% 37% 56%Animal, insect 11% 13% 16% 26%

* Downloadable relic for Society of Excavator members, available at http://www.outlandarts.com/membersonly/TME-SOE-relics.htm

Meat-Rot Cure TablePercentage chance treatment or dosage cures subject, one attempt per day

is 8% likely to result in the rot. This rot will begin to ap-pear 12 hours after the initial bite, and turn the afflicted area into a pus weeping, purple, throbbing sore. Not only does the wound ache pitifully, but becomes swollen and extremely painful to the touch. Worse, twenty four hours after the meat-rot appears, the tissues surrounding the injury begin to corrupt, turn black and decay. The subject suffers 3 points of damage per day, per wound, plus, permanently loses 1 point each of endurance, strength and appearance per rotting wound, per day. The mutation of heal touch can be applied to this wound, and will repair the damage and hold off further rot, if the mutation is used each day. Unfortunately, heal touch will not cure the ailment, which will commence to eat the subject once the daily use of the mutation is not applied. Deviants exhibiting the mutations of body regeneration, limb regeneration and disease immunity (immunity mutation, roll 3,4) are immune to meat-rot.

Relic medical devices, such as an anti-toxin injec-tor, field medical kit or treatments from a medi-bot, are the best bet for a cure, but the outcomes of their use de-pend on the sort of patient treated. As most relics were designed for pure stock human physiology, the odds of a medical relic being able to cure a person of meat-rot varies. The table, shown at the bottom of the previous page, shows the percentage chance of a success cure based on the patient’s species. If the treatment is unsuc-cessful, the meat rot will continue until either another at-tempt can be made, with one attempt allowable per day, or the victim is consumed the meat rot illness.

Spikebacks hunt either alone or in small packs of up to twelve members. While highly territorial toward other animals and humanoids, they are strangely tolerant to other, unfamiliar spikebacks, overlap their territories and even exchange pack mates when two groups tem-porarily merge together. Another aspect of these ferocious beasts, which is both bizarre and troubling, are the rumors of them serving as attack-patrol beasts for mysterious, high tech enclaves. Specimens have been found fitted with cybernetic control collars, eye pieces, headcams and brain augmentation and control-chip insertion, as well as submachine guns and assorted mutational enhancements. Just who might be using these grizzly sized mutants as guardians, and to what extent they direct the monsters, is yet unknown. Beyond their meat-rot contaminated mouths, mul-tiple or single maul attacks and defensive spikes, 15% of these creatures can also appear on the scene boast-ing a mutation or other cybernetic implant. The following table offers a random list of potential add-ons, however, the GM can easily pre-create unique spikebacks with implants by using table TME-1-62, page 84, using crea-tures set 1, or add a mutation or two from table TME-1-58, page 59 of the TME Hub Rules.

Spikeback Mutations and Unique Features Table Roll d10001-12. Cybernetic implant: Video camera and transmit-ter fitted onto side of spikeback’s head. Who or what is viewing what the creature sees and hears, is not imme-diately known. By Killing this spikeback, the characters might anger unseen, and powerful controllers such as a Mecha robotic cell, holdover bunker dwelling corporate sleepers, or worse.13-22. Cybernetic implant: subcutaneous alloy plating. This specimen is slow and moves only 5 meters per round, but it is sheathed in relic body plating and has a defense value bonus of -30 (now -60 total).23-29. Cybernetic implant: Somebody, or something, has fitted this specimen with a shoulder mounted sub-machine gun turret. The weapon will be empty 36% of the time, otherwise loaded with 10+2d20 rounds of belt fed standard pistol ammo. This freak will hang back and use a built in optic enhancement to target and shoot apart its adversaries. If dispatched, looters can salvage any remaining ammo as well as the parts to assemble a handheld submachine gun. Anybody with the gunsmith skill, or, has the junk crafting or me-chanical technician skill of 3 points or higher, can do this modification in the field with minimal tools within d3 hours.30-41. Spike thrower: This beast has five rows of meter long, thin black spines on its back instead of the usual large, fixed spikes. With these, the specimen can whirl about and using muscle contraction, shoot one spike per round, with up to 6+d6 such spikes available to it per day. These organic javelins have a range of 24 meters, a strike value of 01-70, and inflict d20 damage each.42-47. Elongated neck: This bizarre mutant has a neck that is three meters long, and like a giraffe, can thrust it about with remarkable ease and allow it to peer around corners, over walls, into small openings and gener-ally stretch out and bite at things it wouldn’t normally reach. This specimen has an improved initiative of +2 (now +5).48-54. Multi-headed: This spikeback’s chest sprouts d3 extra heads. Each head will add one more bite attack, complete with the extra potential of infecting a victim with meat-rot (8% chance per wound inflicted). When adding these bites to its maul attack, simply make extra bite attacks as normal in conjunction with the maul. Due to its many heads, it is very alert, hard to surprise and gains +1 initiative (now +4)55-61. Winged: Growing from this mutant’s shoulders are massive, leathery bat wings. While half speed when moving about in cramped hallways and other narrow spaces, this spikeback can fly at a rate of 15 meters per round, plus, in melee, adds two buffeting, club like attacks that do stun damage (SV 01-70 each, damage d12+8 stun each)

SPIKEBACK Free Creature for The Mutant Epoch RPG Page 4 of 5

H

Free downloadable PDF for SOE (Society of Excavators) members and the gaming public. Learn more at www.mutantepoch.com . Created By William McAusland © Copyright 2013 Outland Arts.com All Rights Reserved. For personal use only.

From the PublisherThank you for downloading this free PDF. This is the third publicly acces-sible free supplement for The Mutant Epoch (TME) role playing game, and we have more post-apocalyptic weirdness on the way. Purchasers of the TME hub rules, who register with Outland Arts, get free member-ship in the Society of Excavators and access to the huge member’s only

area of our website. Therein, dozens of downloads are freely available, as well as new relics, pre-gen characters, an adventure, the Pitford Lite book and tons of new creatures. Many of the resources can easily be ported over to another game system, too. Learn more at http://www.outlandarts.com/TME-SOE-preview.htm and at these fine sites:

62-68. Poisonous bite: Any bite attack or successful maul attack allows this spikeback to inject a dose of paralysis venom into its prey. Those failing a type C endurance based hazard check will collapse and lose all physical abilities. The subject will of course feel everything nor-mally, including being eaten alive, yet, if able could em-ploy any mental mutations. The duration of the paralysis is 10+d20 minutes.69-76. Hulking brute: This specimen is over-muscled, hunched, and stands a meter taller than regular spike-backs. Due to its impressive size, it has an extra 50+d100 endurance, and a strength score of 115 (+18 damage). If making multiple attacks, add 10 (for a total of d10+18 each) to the damage of each strike, while add 15 to the maul attack damage (now 2d20+21).77-86. Ballistic skin: Genetically engineered to have bal-listic cloth-like skin, this spikeback is hard to puncture with bullets, thus having a DV -20 extra against gunfire (total -50 DV vs. bullets).87-92. Screaming Summoner: Having a much deeper chest, sagging, sac-like neck and wide mouth, this freak can call upon others of its kind. If entering a fight against challenging prey or intruders, this spike-back will spend a round hanging back from melee and instead puff itself up to three times its normal girth. If not shot or otherwise struck, it will spend the next turn screaming out a deafening, deep howl. This summons can be heard for many kilometers, and is 78% likely to bring 2d6 other spikebacks to the vicin-ity within 4d6 minutes. If victorious characters have defeated the summoner and other spikebacks with it, any reinforcement beasts will easily pick of the scent of the humans and commence to hunt them down, going as far as 20 kilometers from their lair before calling off a chase.

SPIKEBACK Free Creature for The Mutant Epoch RPG Page 5 of 5

As an attack mode, the screamer can direct its mouth toward oncoming attackers or prey and blast them with a sonic attack. Those not protected by some sort of sonic screen or other defenses, are assaulted and must make an agility based type C hazard check to leap aside or suf-fer d10 minutes deafness plus d20 stun damage. This screaming summoner can unleash 6 bellows per hour, range 15 meters93-00. Brain: Having a massive, almond shaped skull, this odd looking spikeback will hang back when encoun-tering intruders and use a series of mental attacks to weaken or distract enemies. Other spikebacks that might be with this deviant will busy themselves in normal me-lee attacks. For every turn the brain spike back gets, roll d6 to see what random mental mutation it unleashes on a random target. It cannot, however, use a mutational power if engaged in melee range combat. Consider the brain spikeback to have 30 intelligence and 90 willpow-er. The mutations can be found in The Mutant Epoch hub rules book: roll d6

1. Coma Inducement, page 63 2. Electrical Pulse, page 653,4. Mind Crush, page 705. Stun Ray, page 746. Telekinesis, page 75