Welcome to the HoloNet Uplink, citizen. This series focuses on Fantasy Flight Games’ Star Wars Roleplaying Game, with content aimed mostly at the Gamemaster. Threats, adventure seeds, rules supplements, and more are all to come for those who access The HoloNet Uplink.
Taking a pause from my The Last Jedi spree, I return to The Old Republic related content. I’ve tackled ships, spies, and locales, but it has been ages since I’ve done a write up on a beast. Taking inspiration from my Ziost Gazeteer, I present today for you the Ziost Vine Cat. Hilariously enough, this a species found more commonly off than on its namesake world.
Once you’ve had enough of this reptomammal, you should check out my old Beasts of Moraband sub-series:
- Beasts of Moraband I – Tuk’ata and Shyrack
- Beasts of Moraband II – Hssiss
- Beasts of Moraband III – Terentatek
Ziost Vine Cat [Rival]
Fierce reptomammals native to the planet Ziost, these leathery brutes are found on planets throughout Sith space. Vine cats evolved in the thick forests of old Ziost, adapting into an ambush predator niche. The animals hunt in small packs forming around one adult and several juveniles. Four powerful legs and an articulating tail allow the beast to leap from tree to tree. Vine cats will hide above and away from their prey before leaping into an all out attack. These beasts will fully commit to their kill, fighting ferociously until either the predator or prey is killed. Kills are dragged into brush, or up into the trees, to be consumed in relative safety.
Radical deforestation stripped the vine cat of its natural habitat on Ziost. While vine cats thrive on Sith worlds like Dromund Kaas and Taral V, those remaining on the homeworld struggle to survive. Ziost’s ever diminishing vine cat population rove the barren plains and rocky crags outside settlements such as New Adasta. With their natural environment destroyed and few prey animals remaining, these vine cats scrounge for scraps left in garbage dumps and will turn on each other should their hunger overwhelm them. Increasingly desperate vine cats will opportunistically attack sentients. Some vine cats have found their way into the maintenance tunnels below New Adasta, and a few smugglers, presumably using the tunnels to move contraband, have been found eaten. Rumour has it that the Imperials will leave these vine cats to the tunnels, adding another layer of security.
Br 3, Ag 3, Int 1, Cun 2, Wp 1, Pres 1
Soak 6, W. Threshold 15
Skills: Athletics 2, Brawl 3, Cool 2, Stealth 1
Talents: None.
Abilities: Leaper (once per turn as a maneuver may leap horizontally to any location within short range, leaping over obstacles or impassable terrain, cannot leap vertically).
Equipment: Razor claws (Brawl; Damage 5, Critical 2, Range [Engaged]; Pierce 2, Vicious 1), bite (Brawl; Damage 4; Critical 4; Ensare 1).
Christopher Hunt
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