Rescued Aliens: Rancor and Scurrier
By Owen K.C. Stephens and Steve Miller

You can never have too many aliens. At least, that's what the designers of Alien Anthology believe. Once they put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard), they just couldn't stop, and before long, they had more aliens than they could fit into the Anthology. Some of them, sadly, had to go - but they didn't go far. In fact, we've got two of them for you right here!

Presenting the second in a series of four special articles featuring material that just couldn't be crammed into Alien Anthology. In this installment, we give you the rancor and the scurrier.

Rancor

While there are certainly larger and more vicious creatures in the galaxy, the rancor is among the most feared of predators. Rancors are very rare, and for years, no one knew where they came from. Today, rancors (and rancor-like creatures) live on many untamed worlds. Dozens of varieties of rancor are suspected to exist. Most breeds of these creatures are between 6 and 10 meters tall and not particularly intelligent.

It is believed that rancors were spread to many worlds in ages past by colonists who used them as war beasts and transportation. On a few worlds, such as Dathomir, a somewhat larger and more cunning breed of rancor survives. Rumors persist of even larger giant rancors, which would be among the most dangerous creatures in the galaxy. All breeds of rancors, of course, are dangerous predators, bringing down creatures up to twice their size with startling ferocity. Though not extremely territorial, rancors have also been known to attack one another, especially during the mating season.

Technically a reptile, a rancor is covered in a thick armored hide, often green or grayish-green in color. As a cold-blooded creature, a rancor prefers to be most active during the day, but is admirably suited for tracking during the night as well. Its forearms are almost comically long, enabling the beast to climb particularly well. When running on all fours, it can cover ground surprisingly quickly -- a feat few beings want to witness. Rancors lay eggs in sandy areas, and both parents watch over the nest. A newborn rancor is treated gently by its parents until it reaches its full size four to six standard months later. Commonly, rancors live a little more than 20 standard years. Larger varieties live up to a decade longer.

Rancors are periodically captured by big game hunters and shipped to new worlds as exotic pets. Because they are not easily trained, raising one requires a dedicated and skilled handler. Usually only the wealthiest of the galaxy's elite can afford to keep a rancor. If not fed frequently, rancors have a distressing habit of smashing through the bars of their cages to devour whatever is at hand -- including unwise owners. There is some evidence that if fed regularly and treated well, a rancor can become a manageable and even loyal pet.

While the rancor's bite is its best weapon, its body is not particularly adapted to attacking with its teeth. Instead, the rancor generally uses its long reach to claw opponents its own size or larger, slashing at them until they stop moving. With a smaller opponent, the rancor frequently grasps its prey in one or both claws and then draws it in for a bite a few moments later. (In game terms, this requires two separate melee attacks; once grasped, the victim cannot add his Dexterity bonus to his Defense.)

Rancor: Predator 5; Init -1; Def 22 (+13 natural, -2 size, +1 Dex); Spd 20 m; VP/WP 52/42; Atk +11 melee (1d6+8, claw) or +11 melee (2d6+8, bite) or +2 ranged; SQ Fast healing 2, low-light vision, terrifying presence; SV Fort +9, Ref +3, Will -1; SZ H; Str 26, Dex 9, Con 21, Int 4, Wis 7, Cha 4; Challenge Code: D.
Skills: Climb +14, Intimidate +5, Spot +2.
Feats: Power Attack, Track.

Dathomiri Rancor: Predator 6; Init -1; Def 24 (+15 natural, -2 size, +1 Dex); Spd 24 m; VP/WP 63/42; Atk +13 melee (1d6+9, claw) or +13 melee (2d6+9, bite) or +3 ranged; SQ Fast healing 2, low-light vision, terrifying presence; SV Fort +10, Ref +4, Will +3; SZ H; Str 28, Dex 9, Con 21, Int 5, Wis 13, Cha 9; Challenge Code: E.
Skills: Climb +15, Intimidate +7, Spot +5.
Feats: Power Attack, Track.

Giant Rancor: Predator 7; Init -1; Def 25 (+18 natural, -4 size, +1 Dex); Spd 30 m; VP/WP 73/84; Atk +13 melee (1d6+10, claw) or +13 melee (2d6+10, bite) or +2 ranged; SQ Fast healing 2, low-light vision, terrifying presence; SV Fort +10, Ref +4, Will +0; SZ G; Rep 5; Str 30, Dex 8, Con 21, Int 4, Wis 7, Cha 4; Challenge Code: F.
Skills: Climb +14, Intimidate +5, Spot +2.
Feats: Power Attack, Track.



Scurrier

Scurriers are small vermin that stand on a pair of broad, sturdy hooves, making them surefooted on most terrain. Their coats of coarse hair become shaggy in cold environments, but shorten considerably in warmer climates. Dexterous forepaws allow them to manipulate small objects. Males possess a set of curved horns they normally only use in mating rituals, but which they can also use to attack. Scurriers are usually heard before they are seen, as they emit loud snorts and high-pitched squeals to frighten away predators and other vermin.

Scurriers are the urban vermin of spaceport towns throughout the galaxy. Their original homeworld is unknown, but some xenobiologists believe that the creatures evolved from the intermingling of several different mutated varieties of the same freighter-hopping vermin. Persistent scavengers, scurriers dart from trash heap to trash heap in search of food and material for their nests. Sometimes, they find their way into the cargo holds of docked ships, spreading like a plague from port to port. Their most frustrating tendency is that they constantly pick apart objects -- including machinery -- searching for material for their nests. Thus, they have been known to disable vital systems in their quest for scraps.

Fortunately, scurriers are more annoying than dangerous. They flee at the first sign of a threat, although they can be fierce when defending their breeding grounds. Scurriers are most likely to pose a threat if they set up a nest on a large starship, such as a bulk freighter. On starships, they not only become more hostile when defending their nests, but may also disable vital machinery while it's being used. To prevent such problems, many spaceports offer pest control services to find and remove scurriers.

In their nests, scurriers can be encountered in packs of 3d6+6. Away from their nests, they hunt in much smaller groups of 2d4+4 beasts.

Scurrier: Scavenger 1; Init +1; Def 12 (+1 size, +1 Dex); Spd 15m; VP/WP 2/7; Atk +0 melee (1d3-1, bite) or +0 melee (1d4, horns) or +2 ranged; SQ Disease; SV Fort +0, Ref +1, Will -1; SZ S; Str 8, Dex 12, Con 7, Int 2, Wis 8, Cha 2; Challenge Code: A.
Skills: Hide +5, Search -2, Survival +2.
Special Qualities: Disease -- Any scurrier has a 10% chance of carrying scurrier disease, a dangerous affliction to which the scurrier itself is immune. Individuals bitten by an infected scurrier can automatically catch the disease. (The details can be found on page 219 of the Star Wars Roleplaying Game core rulebook.)