Creature Feature (Starfinder): Mamemaw

Mamemaw CR 12

This obese figure hobbles forward on long gangly limbs, its wide mouth gaping open to reveal shards of glass, metal, and bone in place of teeth.

CE Huge fey
Init +4; Senses low-light vision, blindsense (scent) 10 ft.; Perception +22

DEFENSE HP 200

EAC 26; KAC 28
Fort +16; Ref +16; Will +11
Defensive Abilities carrion glutton

OFFENSE

Speed 25 ft., climb 10ft.
Melee bite +21 (8d6+22 P, critical 1d6 bleed), claws +21 (5d6+20 S)
Ranged spit tooth +21 (3d12+18 P)
Space 15 ft.; Reach 15 ft.
Offensive Abilities scrapyard fangs, swallow whole
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 12th)

1/day—control atmosphere, synaptic pulse (DC 15), slow (DC 15)

STATISTICS

Str +8; Dex +4; Con +5; Int -2; Wis +2; Cha +0
Skills Athletics +22, Stealth +22, Survival +27
Languages Sylvan

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Carrion Glutton (Su)

A mamemaw can replace its own damaged flesh with meat it consumes. By taking a standard action to swallow the body of an organic creature Large or smaller, it can heal 1d12 hit points every round for a number of rounds equal to the hit die of the creature it swallowed. The swallowed creature takes up space in its stomach as per its swallow whole ability until the mamemaw uses up all the body’s hit die and it is fully dissolved. This ability also allows it to heal for half of the damage dealt to creatures harmed by its swallow whole ability.

Scrapyard Fangs (Ex)

A mamemaw’s teeth are made from an eclectic collection of materials. Certain materials such as particular metals, woods, stone, glass, and bone can penetrate damage resistances, cancel fast healing, take advantage of vulnerabilities, or fulfill specific weaknesses. When a mamemaw first encounters a creature with any of those weaknesses, roll a percentile die. On 50% or higher, its bite counts as that material and any of its spit teeth have a 25% chance to count as well.

Swallow Whole (Ex)

If the mamemaw’s roll for its bite attack exceeds the target’s KAC by at least 4, the target is automatically grappled. As a standard action, the mamemaw can make a combat maneuver check against any target it’s currently grappling. On a success, so long as the target is Large or smaller, it can swallow them whole. It can hold up to three Large or smaller creatures in its stomach at once. All swallowed creatures are considered grappled and take 6d4 acid damage each round, with a DC 19 Fortitude save to halve the damage. A swallowed creature can cut its way out by dealing at least 50 points of damage to the stomach, which has a KAC of 24 and an EAC of 26, though this damage is not applied to the mamemaw itself. Alternately, they can climb out with a DC 28 Athletics check.

ECOLOGY

Environment Any fey world, forests, mountains
Organization Single, feast (2-4)

When fey are mentioned, most think of the fair folk, unearthly beings of grace and beauty to all who behold them. Mamemaws are living testaments that such stereotypes are not to be trusted. Those who encounter them tell of their cruel and petty hatred for other creatures, their minds as horrific as their bodies.

A mamemaw’s body is bloated and fat, with limbs far too long and thin to match. Because of this, a mamemaw can never stand up without their knees buckling beneath them. They must either sit or crawl on all fours, dragging their swollen body against the ground. Despite this it is clear from examining their skeletons that they are bipedal and only the dissonance in deformity between their body and limbs prevents them from moving as such. Their faces aren’t much better, with bulging eyes that don’t seem to sit symmetrically on their faces, distorted ears and noses, and wide mouths that stretch from ear to ear. But by far their most notable feature is their teeth. Or more accurately, their lack thereof. Mamemaws are completely toothless, from birth to death.

Myth among the people of the First World is that the mamemaws were once horribly tyrants who enjoyed breaking and eating those who stood against them until a god took notice of their evil and cursed them as punishment. According to this myth, their bodies were left feeble wrecks compared to what they once were, while they were left literally toothless to match their new status as helpless wretches. If this is accurate, it can be argued that it wasn’t very effective. Despite their deformities, mamemaws are still powerful combatants and their toothless status seems to have only made them more vicious rather than quell their hatred. Indeed, it’s possible that this merely made them even more hateful in an attempt to get back at the world that made them into what they are today.

To make up for their toothless nature, mamemaws collect things to serve as artificial fangs. Suitable materials are sharpened and shoved into their gums, slowly creating a set of jagged fangs as they grow. These “teeth” can be shards of metal, broken glass, jagged wood, sharpened bones, or even particularly pointy rocks. these teeth do not fall out as the mamemaw grows, forcing it to cram new teeth in alongside the others as its older teeth become too small for it. Removing an undersized or broken tooth is something that would simply never occur to them, as doing so would be a step back to their toothless origins. Suggesting such a course of action is the greatest insult they can receive. Because of the effort needed to fill their mouths, their teeth are their most prized feature. Complimenting them is an easy way to get on a mamemaw’s good side and clever individuals have managed to get out of trouble by offering things like knives or specially crafted items as new teeth. Though few have the patience, some mamemaws will plan out their teeth to ensure they look orderly once they’re done growing or even use only a specific material to give themselves a more orderly appearance.

While mamemaws are vicious and cruel, they are also stupid. Riddles or word games tend to leave them more confused than angry while suggesting that another mamemaw plans to kill them and steal their teeth is an almost certain way to incite them to a murderous fury against the indicated party. But should a mamemaw be incited to violence, it’s never a pretty sight. They rely almost exclusively on their bite to deal damage, ripping foes to shreds with their fangs and swallowing them whole if given half a chance. A throat pouch contains pieces they deemed nearly but not quite suitable to serve as teeth, allowing them to spit such things as projectiles against distant enemies. Control atmosphere and slow are used to hamper and restrict the movement of others, while they typically use synaptic pulse to stun enemies long enough for them to swallow one. Should it swallow an enemy they tend to become more reckless, relying on their carrion glutton ability to keep them alive at the expense of their snacks.



About nwright

A freelance writer for the Open Gaming website who looks forward to building plots out of monster entries for you to enjoy as a player or DM.

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