#dessgeega
It should come as no surprise to longtime fans of this blog that I love video games just as much as I love traditional tabletop, and I love even more that that two have a long history of influencing the other, with entire genres of game in both mediums being invented to emulate each other in different ways.
Starfinder is no exception here, and it would be foolish to assume that certain elements of the system weren’t influenced by the Metroid franchise, what with it emulating the horror of the Alien franchise and having a protagonist that progressively gets stronger over time (albeit thanks to her equipment rather than “leveling up” per se.
In any case, I decided to do a monster conversion for a classic Metroid alien hailing back from the very first game!
Dessgeega CR 9
XP 6400
N Medium Animal
Init +6 ; Senses low-light vision; Perception +17;
Defense
HP 145
EAC 22 ; KAC 24
Fort +13; Ref +13; Will +8
Immunities fall damage, fire
Offense
Speed 20 ft, climb 20, personal gravity
Melee Pounce +21 2d10+13
Offensive Abilities Adhesive Spittle +18, entangle DC 16
Statistics
Str +4; Dex +6; Con +3; Int -4; Wis +2; Cha +0
Skills Acrobatics +17, Athletics +22, Survival +17
Other Abilities leaping charge
Ecology
Environment warm underground (Zebes)
Organization solitary, pair, or clan (3-4)
Special Abilities
Leaping Charge
A Dessgeega may leap as part as a charge attack, making an athletics check as part of the movement, and potentially falling after the attack resolves.
Personal Gravity
Dessgeegas have the curious ability to treat down as up and and the reverse, as if under the effects of the reverse gravity variant of a control gravity spell. While in this state, the dessgeega falls upwards, and may walk upside-down and even leap off of inverted surfaces. A dessgeega can turn this ability off or on as a full-round action.
A handful of life forms on the planet Zebes have evolved a body plan centered around a central body with a pair of powerful leaping legs, and one of the strongest is the species native to Norfair known as dessgeegas. Dessgeegas possess an insect-like head complete with mandibles and antennae, as well as armored chitin and spikes on their legs. Like many other zebesian native species sharing this body plan, not only are they powerful leapers, but also possess a curious ability to invert their personal relationship to gravity, allowing them to traverse along the ceilings of their subterranean lava tunnel homes with ease and ambush prey from above.
A hungry dessgeega will attack potential prey by pouncing upon it, often leaping upon a prey creature several times to strike with their taloned feet until they are subdued. However, vexing prey might be subjected to a spray of the silk-like adhesive that dessgeegas typically use to protect their egg sacs, immobilizing them.
The carapace of a dessgeega is extremely tough to deal with the rigors of Norfair’s volcanic environment, which warrants heavier ordinance to defend oneself from them.
While not a part of their normal biology, during the BSL incident, X Parasite-infected/mimicked dessgeegas capable of firing barbs reflexively at foes were spotted, a trait likely developed by the X combining the desgeega form with the DNA of Cacatacs, which do possess that ability.
