Creature Feature: Messenger Pollen – CR 1

Welcome to Creature Feature: Starjammer Edition. Today we present the messenger pollen, the remaining signs of a long dead or long distant plant that now scours the galaxy trying to deliver its message.

Messenger Pollen CR 1

This cloud of yellow dust twists and roils in the sunlight.

XP 400
Neutral Diminutive plant (swarm)
Init +3; Senses blindsense 30 ft.; Perception +0

DEFENSE

AC 17, touch 17, flat-footed 14 (+3 Dex, +4 size)
hp 12 (2d8+0);
Fort +3, Ref +3, Will +0
Defensive Abilities swarm immunities;
Weaknesses fire

OFFENSE

Speed 5 ft., fly 10 ft. (good), minimal starflight
Melee swarm (1d6 acid and distraction)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 0 ft.
Special Attacks distraction (DC 11)

STATISTICS

Str 1, Dex 17, Con 10, Int -, Wis 10, Cha 3
Base Atk +1; CMB -; CMD
SQ budding, mindless, voidborn

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Budding (Ex)

If a messenger pollen does more damage in an encounter than its maximum hit points to living creatures, it will attempt to bud and split into a second messenger pollen swarm on its next turn. Budding is a full-round action, and can only be attempted if a messenger ooze has 7 or more hit points.

If successful the messenger pollen splits into two identical swarms, each with half of the original’s current hit points (round down). An individual swarm, and any resulting children can only bud a single time per day.

ECOLOGY

Environment void of space
Organization solitary or cluster (2-5 swarms)
Treasure none

Messenger pollen is relatively harmless when detected early, but if detected too late can scour worlds clean of all life. Studied extensively by ecologists and weapons manufacturers alike, messenger pollen is actually a pollen, the individual particles each containing gametes and biological information.

What makes the messenger pollen unique, is that it is self-replicating. Each piece of pollen is capable of both absorbing energy from sunlight as well as digesting nearby organic material to use both to stay alive and to eventually bud and copy itself. The resulting copies are identical clones of the pollen that created it.

While the messenger pollen has managed to spread across the galaxy, and individual strains of the pollen are effectively thousands of years old, the source plant for the pollen, nor the intended recipient has never been found. The original plant structure that made the pollen may have gone extinct millennia ago or the pollen has just now drifted across such a vast distance beyond the range of the original plant.

While attempts to directly control or command the swarms of pollen have thus far been unsuccessful, researchers have found ways to change the codes stored inside the plant, replacing whatever original information was stored there with coded messages. While this has had some use in sending clandestine communications throughout the galaxy, the volatile and dangerous nature of the messenger pollen makes it more used for another form of communication; demands of surrender.



About Kevin Bryan

Kevin Bryan is a monster writer for the Open Gaming Network, and is looking forward to bringing all sorts of strange and bizarre creatures to life. His personal website is Kevinswriting.com.

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