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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mutant Lord" data-source="post: 6307142" data-attributes="member: 56487">The Back Hatcher is waiting for you<a href="http://s1311.photobucket.com/user/mutantlord/media/Mutant%20Monsters%20Collection/Back_Hatcher-COTA7-TME-Goeringer-COVER_ART-8x10_zps9c79c226.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1311.photobucket.com/albums/s668/mutantlord/Mutant%20Monsters%20Collection/Back_Hatcher-COTA7-TME-Goeringer-COVER_ART-8x10_zps9c79c226.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" /></a>The moment that an excavator realizes that he’s encountered the dreaded Back Hatcher he instantly knows that he took a wrong step. Found in marshes, bogs, swamps and other muddy foliage covered quagmires, the Back Hatcher is a nasty surprise for anyone that is not watching where they’re going.         This giant green or brown, flat frog-like creature uses its legs to cover itself in mud, sludge and reeds. Once concealed, it remains motionless, its exposed, large lidded eyes are barely open as it watches for predator or prey alike. A wide maw of sharp teeth is its main weapon but is often not needed to kill; that sloppy work is often taken care of by its young. Upon its large flat back are d12+8 fleshy holes of skin, 30cm deep. Inside these holes rests an equal amount of hatchling young that are normally dormant and waiting for a meal. When someone steps on the Spawner’s back, receptor’s in the parents skin trigger a reflex that sends a slight electric jolt to the brood in the location stepped on, immediately the eyes of d6+3 of the young pop open, locate the offender, and with the aid of their back legs, jump up to 80 cm in the air, attacking the potential meal with their sharp toothy mouths. These ‘clingers’ attack like piranhas, biting and trying to grab on with their small legs, rending flesh with incredibly voracious appetites.         Any other movement by the unlucky soul, other than to jump off of the Back Hatcher, will trigger another clutch of young to join the frenzy. Whatever meat is torn off is quickly devoured by the brood while larger parts of a slain victim are consumed by the adult. The parent allows its children to feed first, only eating after they have had their fill. The parent will attack if it takes more than 10 endurance points of damage itself, or if half its young are killed. It has no use for valuables and any on a victim are discarded, left in the mud or in dung. These unconsumed articles are often a sign that the predator could be in the area.           Spawner’s have 2 Stealth skill points and an 11% chance of a mutation that only develops fully after it has left its parent, usually after a year from birth.        Though their origin is only speculated at, a Back Hatcher’s zoology is known to a few excavators who are curious enough to study its behavior. Shockingly the Spawner is actually a male specimen of its species and female versions take no part in young rearing. Females are identical to males in terms of physiology but their manner of breeding with males is most unique. After normal copulation, the female jumps and flips over a receptive male and drops her fertilized eggs into the male’s back holes. Therein, the eggs hatch and the young are cared for by the male while the female looks for another mate.Create by Brandon Goeringer    Illustrated by William McAusland A free PDF Post-Apocalyptic monster for The Mutant Epoch RPG:  <a href="http://www.rpgnow.com/product/130272/Back-Hatcher-Creatures-of-the-Apocalypse-7" target="_blank">http://www.rpgnow.com/product/130272/Back-Hatcher-Creatures-of-the-Apocalypse-7</a></blockquote>

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