Death World creature quest

[matthew badger]

You are nought but a tiny larva, slowly emerging from the safety of your cocoon.




With a mighty tug, you wrench yourself fully from the earth's clutches, sprawling lazily by the side of your old burrow. It'd been a long winter, but at last you are able to explore the surface world!



Wiggling slightly in exuberance, you flop about the floor of your new domain, in a show of dominance over acquired territory - You may be functionally blind at this point, but that won't stop you from dancing like a larva possessed!

However, your spasms are not just for show. Already, your primitive tactile mandibles have analysed the ground you stand on, determining that it is in fact...

[] Soft, fluffy and fertile soil. (Grassland biome)
[] Pale, dry and sandy soil. (Island biome)
[] Dark, moist and spongy soil. (Jungle biome)

...

...To be honest, you aren't sure what to make of that information - Can you eat it?



A quick test of this hypothesis shows that no, soil is inedible... Nevertheless, you will ensure to keep your eye out for any edible dirt in the future. You can never have too many food sources after all!

Unfortunately, before you can even attempt to analyse your surroundings further, you are hit by a strange feeling; A wondrous smell like no other you've sampled in your short lifespan, calling to you from the west. It tugs on instincts you never knew you had, beckoning you to follow in it's wake. Already, you can feel your underdeveloped leg muscles twitch in anticipation.

Could it be food?!

[] Follow the scent. You're a hungry larva!
[] No, go somewhere else. (Write-in direction)
[] Tunnel back into your burrow. This world is way too scary for such a young larva!
[] Write-in.

 

[matthew badger]

Introduction

Welcome to Death World creature quest, an art-based adventure in which you try to adapt and survive for as long as possible, until you become the 'king of the jungle' yourself!

There are many threats on this planet to be afraid of, such as venomous plants, large angry insects or even bizarre, nearly Lovecraftian horrors against nature as we know it. However, there's no need to despair! You happen to be in possession of powerful adaptive abilities; Ones that let steal aspects of the creature you eat and evolve towards the top of the food chain.

Good luck and have fun whilst you're here, it's gonna be a wild ride.


Basic game mechanics

Investigation votes:

• Votes to Investigate something allow you to look in closer detail at and examine a part of your surroundings. For example, if you spy a suspicious object in one of the pictures i post, you can vote to examine that object in the next update. doing so will provide you with a description of the object and zoomed in (As well as more clearly drawn) piece of artwork from a first person perspective. You can choose to investigate anything you want to, including your surroundings in a random direction that has not yet been shown (Such as northward-facing foliage, or the sky). You can investigate multiple objects, as well as complete an action on each turn. That way, it acts more like you look about whilst doing something else, like how an animal would naturally act.

Noise/conspicuousness checks:

• Noise - At the end of every update that involves movement from the main character, you will be required to make a noise check. To do so, you simply roll a d20 dice and try to overcome your noise stat numerically, factoring in buffs and debuffs provided by your surroundings. failing to overcome this DC will summon a creature to investigate from your own size tier (A tier three creature faling a noise check will summon a tier three creature to hunt it). However, if you roll a crit-fail, you must instead make a roll on the d100 enemy investigation chart (Noise version).
• Conspicuousness - At the end of an update where something has line of sight with your creature, you must roll a conspicuousness check. To do so, simply roll a d20 dice and try to overcome your conspicuousness stat numerically, factoring in buffs and debuffs prvided by your surroundings.

Enemy investigation chart:

• Scavenge - If a fight has just occurred and a carcass (Or parts of one) is left to rot, immediately roll on this scavenge chart. (1-49 = Nothing, 50-89 = One creature in the tier below what was killed, 90-99 = Two creatures of tier below what is killed, 100 = A creature of equal tier to what was killed)
• Noise - If you have rolled a crit-fail on your d20 noise check, roll again on this investigation chart. (1-9 = Three creatures from the tier below you, 10-49 = one creature from your tier, 50-89 = two creatures from your tier, 90-99 = three creatures from your tier, 100 = A creature from the tier above you.)

Stats

Spoiler: Base T1 stats

Adaptations: 2-3
Weapons: 1-2

Conspicuousness: 1
Noise: 1
Speed: 1
Strength: 1
Armour: 1
Health: 5

Hunger: 0%
Thirst: 0%

Spoiler: Base T2 stats

Adaptations: 3-4
Weapons: 2-3

Conspicuousness: 1
Noise: 1
Speed: 1
Strength: 1
Armour: 1
Health: 10

Hunger: 0%
Thirst: 0%

Spoiler: Base T3 stats

Adaptations: 4-5
Weapons: 3-4

Conspicuousness: 1
Noise: 1
Speed: 1
Strength: 1
Armour: 1
Health: 20

Hunger: 0%
Thirst: 0%

Spoiler: Base T4 stats

Adaptations: 5-6
Weapons: 4-5

Conspicuousness: 1
Noise: 1
Speed: 1
Strength: 1
Armour: 1
Health: 40

Hunger: 0%
Thirst: 0%

Spoiler: Base T5 stats

Adaptations: 6-7
Weapons: 5-6

Conspicuousness: 1
Noise: 1
Speed: 1
Strength: 1
Armour: 1
Health: 80

Hunger: 0%
Thirst: 0%

Spoiler: Base T6 stats

Adaptations: 7-8
Weapons: 6-7

Conspicuousness: 1
Noise: 1
Speed: 1
Strength: 1
Armour: 1
Health: 160

Hunger: 0%
Thirst: 0%

Spoiler: Base T7 stats

Adaptations: 8-9
Weapons: 7-8

Conspicuousness: 1
Noise: 1
Speed: 1
Strength: 1
Armour: 1
Health: 320

Hunger: 0%
Thirst: 0%

Spoiler: Base T8 stats

Adaptations: 9-10
Weapons: 8-9

Conspicuousness: 1
Noise: 1
Speed: 1
Strength: 1
Armour: 1
Health: 640

Hunger: 0%
Thirst: 0%

Spoiler: Base T9 stats

Adaptations: 10-11
Weapons: 9-10

Conspicuousness: 1
Noise: 1
Speed: 1
Strength: 1
Armour: 1
Health: 1280

Hunger: 0%
Thirst: 0%

Spoiler: Base T10 stats

Adaptations: 11-12
Weapons: 10-11

Conspicuousness: 1
Noise: 1
Speed: 1
Strength: 1
Armour: 1
Health: 3560

Hunger: 0%
Thirst: 0%

Stat descriptions:

• Conspicuousness - How visible the creature is when in line of sight of another creature. Hiding in cover grants a -1 debuf to this stat. Calculated by adding one point to the stat for every adaption listed.
• Noise - The amount of noise this creature produces when moving or interacting with it's surroundings. hiding underground or underwater provides a -1 debuf to this stat. Calculated by adding one point to the stat for every noise causing adaptation listed.
• Speed - How fast a creature can travel, measured in feet per second. moving through rough terrain (For that creature) grants a -1 debuf.
• Strength - How strong this creature is. Buffs close combat actions by the numerical total listed. (A creature with 3 strength will use it's normal attack value +3)
• Armour - Simply acts as a DC against your opponents attack, equal to your armour plus speed.
• Health - the amount of life remaining in the creature. once this stat reaches zero, the creature dies.
• Hunger - This stat tracks how much a creature has eaten and goes up by 5% for every day without food. Once the creature reaches 100%, they die.
• Thirst - This stat tracks how much a creature has drank and goes up by 20% for every day without food. Once the creature reaches 100%, they die.

Status effects:

• Hungry – Activates at 50% hunger. Hungry creature has a -1 debuff to all rolls.
• Wounded – Activates at half health or lower. Wounded creature has a -2 debuff to all rolls.
• Surprised – Activates when a creature in close proximity to you leaves stealth and attacks. Provides a -1 debuff to passive defence stat.
• Poisoned – Poisoned creature loses one health per second for every point of venom/poison inflicted over the creature's defence stat, lasting for the total number of rounds rolled by the opponent on a d10 die. (Poison and venom damage)
• Burning – Affected creature loses one health per second for every point of fire inflicted over the creature's defence stat, lasting for the total number of rounds rolled by the opponent on a d10 die. (Acid and fire damage)
  
• Drowning/Suffocating - Activates when affected creature becomes subetrged in a substance or otherwise loses the capability to breath. Take the amount of damage specified by the relevant stats of your suffocation source, once for every round this effect applies to. (if you are drowning for a round within liquid that has suffocation 3, take 3 points of drowning damage. If this status persists for the next round, take another three points of damage)
• Pinned/Grabbed - Activates when creature is physically unable to avoid an attack, due to restrictions form either the environment or nearby creatures. Remove speed bonus to defensive DC, forcing the creature to rely on just it's armour stat.
• Grabbing - you are using an appendage to keep a creature pinned. You cannot use this appendage to do any damage other than piercing or crushing. Furthermore, you cannot target other creatures with this appendage, else you release the grab. All attacks using a grab will do half damage.

Combat buffs

Adaptations:

• Silence - Reduce noise produced by the numerical total shown.
• Deflection - Reduce damage from the types of physical attack described inside brackets by the numerical total shown. (Deflection 1 (Piercing) would reduce damage gained from piercing attacks by 1 point)
• Protection - Reduce damage from the types of chemical attack described inside brackets by the numerical total shown. (Protection 2 (Acid) would reduce damage gained from acid attacks by 2)
• Poison - When your health is reduced by an opponent that makes mouth contact, Take your poison stat and then reduce it by your opponent's defence DC. Next, take this result and damage the opponent with it repeatedly for a number of rounds calculated by a d10 die roll.
• Regeneration - For every round after the first, heal a number of health points equal to your regeneration stat.
• Travel - When taking part in an action listed under your travel stat (Aquatic, for example), substitute your speed stat for the number specified.

Weapons:

Spoiler

Depending on how you choose to attack, multiple Weapon buffs can be applied to one roll.

• Piercing - Attacking in this way increases your attack modifier by the numerical value shown under your piercing stat.
• Slicing - Attacking in this way increases your attack modifier by the numerical value shown under your slicing stat.
• Crushing - Attacking in this way increases your attack modifier by the numerical value shown under your crushing stat.
• Ranged - Attacking in this way increases your attack modifier by the numerical value shown under your crushing stat, however you cannot use your strength or speed stats as modifiers.
• Venom - Take your venom stat and then reduce it by your opponent's defence DC. Next, take this result and damage the opponent by it repeatedly for a number of rounds calculated by a d10 die roll.
• Acid - Take your acid stat and then reduce it by your opponent's defence DC. Next, take this result and damage the opponent by it repeatedly for a number of rounds calculated by a d10 die roll.
• Fire - Take your fire stat and then reduce it by your opponent's defence DC. Next, take this result and damage the opponent by it repeatedly for a number of rounds calculated by a d10 die roll.
• Grab - Activates when attempting a grabbing action against the opponent. Increase your attack modifier for this action by the numerical value shown.

 

[matthew badger]

Tier: 1

Adaptations:

• Larval stage - Conspicuousness 3, Burrow 1, Health 5. (TO BE REMOVED AFTER 24 IN-GAME HOURS)
• Smooth armoured carapace – Armour 3, Health 2, deflection 1 (Slicing), silence 1.
• Stomping legs – Speed 3, strength 2.

Weapons:

• Pincers - Piercing 1, Slicing 1.

Conspicuousness: 7 (+1 Tier, +3 Adaptation, +3 Conspicuousness)
Noise: 1 (+1 Tier, +1 Adaptation, -1 Silence)
Speed: 4 (+1 Tier, +3 speed)
Strength: 3 (+1 Tier, +2 strength)
Armour: 4 (+1 Tier, +3 armour)
Health: 12 (+5 Tier, +5 Health, +2 health)

Spoiler: Previous:

Tier: 1

Adaptations:

• Larval stage - Conspicuousness 3, Burrow 1, Health 5.

Weapons:

• Pincers - Piercing 1, Slicing 1.

Conspicuousness: 5 (+1 Tier, +1 Adaptation, +3 Conspicuousness)
Noise: 1 (+1 Tier)
Speed: 1 (+1 Tier)
Strength: 1 (+1 Tier)
Armour: 1 (+1 Tier)
Health: 10 (+5 Tier, +5 Health)

Hunger: 0%
Thirst: 10%

Map:

Spoiler

 

[matthew badger]

[X] Follow the scent. You're a hungry larva!

Decision made, you advance eastward post-haste, undulating forward like no larva has done before!



Before long, you can make out what looks like rotting detritus and leaves littering the jungle floor. Amidst them grow green and vibrant plant life, reaching toward the sky with their primitive plant stalks.

However, you give them no heed - The scent you detected is getting stronger, calling to you like a long-lost larva lover (Not that you even know if those exist). As you pass them, you give them the tiniest of hisses. Whatever this is will be yours for the taking, not some two-bit grass thingies!

Dominance established, you look up at what has drawn you so far, taking in the view with your half-blind eyes.



A large (By your standards) forest clearing greets you, hosting at it's centre the corpse of an insect. Distantly you hear a soft tapping sound from behind you, like a tiny drum hit quickly and repetitively. What could this mean?

---

What do?

[] Nom the corpse.
[] Run away!
[] Investigate the... (Write-in)
[] Write-in.

Spoiler

(AN: The results of your roll can strike at any time, not just in the next update.)

 

[matthew badger]

Investigation free action:

Spoiler: Investigation

[X] Investigate the beetle corpse.

It appears to be a simple dead, armoured beetle. From this angle, you can't see any injures, implying that whatever killed it was non-physical.

[X] Investigate the pebble-looking thing on the right.

A regular stone pebble, half buried under soil.

[X] Investigate the hanging fern-looking things near the top.

Unremarkable fern leaves, hanging from a branch. They could be dangerous, but from this distance you can't tell.

[X] Investigate the weird spider-looking thing on the other side of the clearing.

A weird, orange coloured plant with a white bulb at it's centre. You aren't sure what to make of it, other than that it's pretty.

---

[X] Turn around, see what's making that noise. And be ready to flee.

Taking heed of your impressive survival instincts, you attempt to locate the source of all that noise. Undulating slightly, you change positions so that your head touches the floor, enabling you to read the earth's vibrations!

Immediately, you are hit by clearly audible shock-waves, as though something is striking the ground quickly and repetitively... Whilst slightly unnerving, this new development has revealed to you the noise's direction, making it a success in your opinion.

Now, all you need to do is look.

Keeping the rear of your abdomen in prime position for a strategic retreat, you turn your face towards the west, looking behind you at where you arrived from...



Oh no...

...

...



---

What do?

[X] Panic!
[X] Flee!
[X] Burrow.
[X] Write-in.

Spoiler: AN

Tfw you draw the same background image twice in a row, freehand.

 

[matthew badger]

Investigation free action:

Spoiler

[X] Investigate: The thing that wants to eat us.

What hunts you seems to be a long-bodied insect wielding pincers and large fangs. It's mostly pale brown in colour and it's chitinous armour gleams as though polished. Most likely, it captures prey by grabbing it with it's pincers and mandibles before injecting it with venom.


Beneath it's fangs is also a cavernous maw, lined with razor sharp teeth. Perhaps it could use these to shred victims which are paralysed by the fang's toxins, dealing lots of damage?

Size comparison:

---

[X] Burrow.

You're struck frozen for a second by the sight that greets you, subconsciously recoiling in pure fear. It is only momentarily, but in that time-frame you catch a glimpse of more movement across the clearing, behind the centipede monster.



A massive, six legged toad emerges from the foliage, before jumping down to challenge it's apparent rival...



Terrified out of your wits at this development and needing to escape before you are spotted, only one action springs to mind; Burrowing to freedom with your stubby larva-legs!

Instantly, you get to work, bending forward where you sit and tearing at the ground beneath your feet as though it'd wronged you in some way. Already, you are half way submerged and it's barely been a second of work!



With reckless abandon, you claw at the earthen soil that blocks you, desperate to escape detection.



At last, you're safe from harm, secreted away beneath the soil and you're glad for it - Those ominous vibrations coming from above you seem pretty dangerous, to be perfectly honest.



What do?

[X] Write in.

Spoiler: AN

Normally i would've forced you to make another conspicuousness check, to see if the toad notices you. However, due to the natural 20 you rolled earlier, i decided to temporarily ignore that rule. You are now hidden from both creatures.

 

[matthew badger]

Main rules (Subject to change):

Defence

• All creatures have a defence rating which works via DC, made up of speed, armour and health all added together. In order for you to be injured, a creature must roll over your defence score. The amount of damage you take is equal to the attack result of your enemy minus your defence DC. (For example, if an attacking creature rolled 22 with modifiers against your defence DC of 19, you would take 3 points of health damage)
• If your enemy attacks with a form of damage you have deflection against (they attack with a crushing attack whilst you have 'deflection crushing', for example), you are able to add the relevant deflection stat onto your defence DC.
• If your enemy attacks with a chemical weapon (Poison, venom, acid, fire) you may add the relevant defence stat onto your defence DC (If you have it).

Combat rolls

• For combat, Simply choose a method of attack (for example, biting the opponent's side), add modifiers of the necessary weapon (As well as the most applicable buff for the type of attack enacted), add strength and speed stats, before rolling a d20 die and adding the number received to the total. (Tl;dr: add speed, strength and weapon buffs to the number you roll on a d20)
• When attacking with a ranged weapon, add the relevant modifiers from the weapon onto your roll, minus your strength and speed stats.
• If you want to pin an opponent in place, you can try to grab them with one of your limbs. In that case, minus your rolled attack total by 4 and upon success, activate the 'grabbing' status effect.
• Nat 20s allow an automatic extra injury roll to be made, separate from the normal injury roll rules.

Injury rolls

• A simple chart that serves to calculate how an injury manifests, based on what number is rolled on a d100 die. (1-49 is a flesh-wound, 50-89 is non-vital tissue removed with +2 damage, 90-99 is a weapon damaged and rendered useless (Not irreparably) with +4 damage, 100 is double damage, crippling of all weapons, and activation of the 'wounded' status effect.)

 

[matthew badger]

[X] patient one gets the feast

Now safe and drawn by the promise of food in the future, you decide to stick around for a while in the hopes that you can scavenge off of this fight.

Digging steadily all the while, you reorient yourself to face eastward, towards the source of vibrations.





At last, you are close enough to the action that you can tell what's going on.




It seems the two creatures have been staring each other down, but not for long - In but a flash, the facade breaks and they charge each other's positions with reckless, terrifying aggression.

The two titans clash with one mighty impact, shaking the very ground through it's sheer power and rumbling the surrounding foliage.



For but a moment, they are locked in a desperate grapple, vying for control over their opponent's momentum. However, it does not last...



Having wrenched their opponent to the side with pure strength alone, the giant toad takes a bite out of it's rival's side, yet the giant insect looks barely affected.

The fight is not over, it seems.

Spoiler: AN

Christ, that took way too long to draw.

 

[matthew badger]

Holding it's prey upwards, the toad attempts to inflict further damage by grinding it's teeth, but the insect is having none of it; Lurching violently against it's captor's grasp, the creature swipes sharply to the side with it's mandibles and barely escapes the Toad's solid grip.

You suddenly realise just how how tricky these jungle monsters are, always doing what a larva least expects... It makes you wiggle slightly in discomfort.



You can practically feel the bug's frustration when nothing is revealed to have happened at all, besides a tiny cut on the Toad's chest.



In angry retaliation, the Toad creature lunges forwards, ripping a chunk out of it's opponent's side. This thing's ferocity if frightening even to you, a mere observer.




The giant insect dies an ignominious death, clawing at the air with desperate flailing, before curling inwards pathetically.

Deed done, the multi-legged toad grasps it's enemies tail, dragging it out of the clearing for private feasting. It radiates contentment all the while, casually moving the beast like it weighs nothing and hopping at great speed into the distance.

You let out a tiny whimper at the display.




The toad is now gone and so is it's meal, leaving behind chunks of meat and lost tissues. C-could you eat them!?

What do?

[X] Write-in.

 

[matthew badger]

[x] burrow up to chunks and drag them down from beneath eat them in safety before other scavengers show up.



Now that all the scary predators are gone, you decide to capitalise by stealing some meat! Using your powerful little leg muscles, you tunnel upwards towards the main battlefield, intent on stealing some food before scavengers arrive.




At last, tasty goodies are in your grasp!



With a hefty tug, you bring the meat further underground.




Distracted as you are by the food you are busy dragging, you almost miss the arrival of a newcomer - It looks like some kind of wormy thing with a puckered mouth-part, intent on stealing the food lying around you.




Well, you definitely aren't happy with them at all!

In fact, you feel a sudden raging urge to fight them, and wipe that smug look from it's... face. Only you are allowed to steal this food from that weird toad creature!!

[X] Abandon the food and attack!
[X] Continue dragging the food.
[X] Write in.