Alter Physical Structure: Swamp

APS: Swamp (Major) by Senator Cybus

The strange ability to transform into a being of fetid water, fauna and flora, mud and muck; not just a thing from the swamp, but the swamp given human form! This weird change grants the following abilities.

1. Partial Invulnerability. The transformed body does have a certain amount of solidity, in the form of plant matter, soil and even the occasional animal swimming around inside it, but is mostly composed of murky water: consequently, projectiles (bullets, arrows, crossbow bolts, etc) and physical attacks (punches, kicks, weapon strikes, etc) do only 10% of their normal damage!
Heat, fire, lasers, electricity and all other forms of energy do half damage. Cold and shadow-based attacks cause full damage. Radiation, gases, poisons and disease do full damage, as do magic spells and psionics.
Explosions cause only 10% of normal damage, but any explosive damage greater than 50 points will blow the character apart. However, the super being can reform within 2D4 minutes.

2. Increased Mass and Strength. Height increases by one foot (0.3 m). Weight is four times normal. Physical strength is increased by 2D4 + 5 and is considered Extraordinary while in swamp form.
Additionally, if the character is in contact with the living earth (soil or swampland, but not sand, bare rock or man-made surfaces) or a natural body of fresh water with a diameter of at least 30 feet (9 m), his strength is further increased: P.S. becomes Superhuman while in such environments.

3. Stench. The fetid waters of the character’s alternate form constantly exude an overpowering stink. While the super being is immune to the smell, those around him find it distracting and debilitating.

Range: 5 feet (1.5 m) radius. Everybody within the radius must roll to save.

Saving throw: A roll of 14 or higher (P.E. bonuses applicable).

Effects and Penalties: A failed save means that the victim is overcome by the putrid odour. Victims are -6 on initiative, -2 to strike, parry and dodge, -20% to perform any skill and lose one attack/action per melee round due to gagging and retching.

Duration: Victims suffer the above penalties for as long as they remain within range and for one full melee round after.

Attacks Per Melee: None. This is an automatic ability; as soon as the hero transforms, this effect is active.

4. Weed Wrap. The super being can will the weeds and roots that form part of his body to wrap around his opponents, binding them tightly.
The character must first successfully grapple with an opponent, pinning them or placing them in a hold. If the opponent cannot break free on their next action, the super being can envelop his helpless foe in vegetation, making it much more difficult to escape his grasp (see Bonuses below).
If the character wishes, instead of simply disabling an opponent, he can try to draw them into the murky waters of his own body, in order to drown them! If they cannot break the hold in time (see Attacks Per Melee below), the opponent will be dragged into the character’s main body and be engulfed…

Note: A character of good alignment would never even consider this tactic, except in the most dire of circumstances.

Range: Close combat.

Damage: None, if just holding an opponent. If drowning them, opponents become dizzy within one minute, unconscious within two and suffocation occurs within 4D4x10 seconds thereafter.

Duration: A Weed Wrap can be maintained indefinitely.

Attacks Per Melee: Wrapping an opponent uses up one melee attack/action. Drawing an opponent into the main body uses up two melee attacks/actions: if the opponent can break the hold before then, they can avoid being dragged in.

They can still attempt to escape even after being drawn in, but it’s much more difficult; the super being is +3 to maintain a hold on someone trapped within his main body, in addition to the bonus already granted by the Weed Wrap.

Bonuses: Once the Weed Wrap is covering an opponent, the super being is +1 to maintain a hold, plus 1 per level of experience (+2 at first level, +3 at level two and so on).

Limitations:

The water of the super being’s swamp form is oxygenated, so the drowning attack is ineffective against opponents that can breathe underwater.

Opponents that are physically larger than the super being cannot be drowned in this way.

5. Beast Blast. As a living swamp, the super being’s body is home to a number of marshland creatures. At will, the character can summon them to combat his enemies; while not strictly under his control, they will fight to protect their “territory“. The creatures will burst out of the super being’s torso, launching themselves directly at an opponent.

Range: 5 feet (1.5 m) to actually hit an opponent with an animal; if successful, the creature/s will inflict an automatic strike, effectively a sneak attack (see below for damage). If the enemy is farther away, the animal will chase after them.

Damage: As per the natural weapons of the animals; see below.

Duration: The animals are real, flesh and blood creatures, and will live until killed or re-absorbed by the super being.

Attacks Per Melee: Summoning an animal uses up two melee attacks/actions.

Bonuses: +2 to hit an opponent with an animal.

Limitations:

The character can only use the Beast Blast ability a number of times per hour equal to twice his experience level (two times at level one, four times at level two and so on).

The hero cannot choose what kind of animal will appear when he uses this ability; the player must roll 1D4 on the following table each time the power is used, to determine the creature type:

1. Snakes. 1D4 snakes; each has the following attributes:

Size: 1 ½-6 feet (0.4 to 1.8 m) long.

Weight: 2 to 8 pounds (1 to 4 kg).

A.R.: Not applicable.

Hit Points: 2D6

S.D.C.: 1D6

Horror Factor: 12

Attacks Per Melee: 1

Damage: Bite does 1D4 damage, plus 1D6 additional poison damage unless the opponent successfully saves against it (14 or higher; P.E. bonuses applicable).

Bonuses: +2 on initiative, +4 to strike, +1 to dodge.

Natural Abilities: Prowl 80%, swim 80%, climb trees 40%, night vision 30 feet (9 m), heat sensor in its “pit” organs enables the snake to see the heat signature of its prey (+2 to strike) even in total darkness or if the target is invisible.

Speed: 7 on land, 5 in water.

2. Leeches. 5D6+10 leeches will explode outwards and attempt to latch onto any opponent they can reach. They have the following attributes:

Size: Up to 3 inches (0.08 m).

Weight: A few ounces.

A.R.: Not applicable.

Hit Points: 1

S.D.C.: None.

Horror Factor: 8

'Attacks Per Melee: Effectively none, as the leech will do nothing but hold onto opponents and drain their blood. After 1D4 minutes, a leech will be completely full and will drop off and attempt to swim/slither away.

Damage: An attached leech will drain away 1 S.D.C. every melee round.

Bonuses: +2 to strike if in water.

Natural Abilities:

Sensitivity to heat and motion allows the leech to “see” its prey in total darkness or even if the target is invisible.

The powerful jaws of the leech allow it to hang on if the prey is thrashing about and trying to shake it off. The best way to remove it is to either burn it, forcing it to let go, or simply allow it to drink its fill and then drop off, if you can spare the blood.

If a leech is ripped off, its head will remain attached and the wound may become infected; the victim must save vs. disease (11 or better; P.E. bonuses applicable), or 1D4 hours later he/she will break into a fever. Victims start to burn up, feel dizzy and weak, vision becomes blurred, the body aches and it is difficult to concentrate. Reduce combat bonuses, speed and initiative by half, skills suffer a -30% penalty and the number of attacks/actions per melee round is reduced by two. Symptoms persist for 1D4x12 hours.

Speed: 2 on land, 6 in water.

3. Frogs. 3D6 frogs with the following attributes:

Size: Up to 6 inches (0.15 m).

Weight: Up to ½ pound (0.25 kg).

A.R.: Not applicable.

Hit Points: 1

S.D.C.: None.

Horror Factor: None.

Attacks Per Melee: No attacks against humanoids or large animals; three melee actions (leap about, swim).

Damage: None; useful only as a distraction.

Bonuses: +1 on initiative and +4 to dodge.

Natural Abilities: Swim 95%, prowl 75%, night vision 25 feet (7.6 m) and can hold breath for 1D4+1 minutes.

Speed: 16 on land, 12 in the water.

4. Alligator. A single ’gator, with the following attributes:

Size: 10-25 feet (3 to 7.5 m) long.

Weight: 800-1500 pounds (363 to 680 kg).

A.R.: 8

Attribute Note: Alligators are very strong with incredibly powerful jaws. The P.S. of a ‘gator is 1D6+20.

Hit Points: 4D6+10

S.D.C.: 3D6+20

Horror Factor: 14

Attacks Per Melee: 2

Damage: Tail slash does 1D6 + P.S. damage, claws do 1D4 + P.S. damage, while a bite does 2D6 + P.S. damage. A P.S. at least equal to the alligator’s is needed to pry its jaws open, but only half that to hold them shut.

Bonuses: +2 on initiative, +3 to strike, +2 to dodge underwater.

Natural Abilities: Swim 90%, Prowl (in water) 70%.

Speed: 6 on land, but can run at speed 44 (about 30 mph/48 km) in brief bursts of one minute. Speed in the water is 18.

6. Bonuses.

+250 S.D.C. in swamp form. S.D.C. recovers at four times the normal rate, or ten times normal rate if in contact with living earth or a body of fresh water.

The hero can walk or swim through marshland and swamps at twice his normal, non-transformed speed.

The character does not need to breathe in swamp form, as the water of his body is oxygenated.

The super being automatically possesses the skills of Land Navigation, Prowl, Track Animals and Wilderness Survival, all at 80% +2% per level, but this innate knowledge only applies to swamp or marshland environments. The character may use these skills in either his normal or transformed state.

Horror Factor: 12 (optional).

7. Disadvantages and Limitations:

-2 to save vs. poison and gas attack.

Speed is reduced to one half of normal.

As the super being stinks and leaves a trail of silt and muck wherever he goes, attempts to track him enjoy a bonus of +40%.