Rescued Aliens: Bogey and Hawk-bat
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 first 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 bogey and the hawk-bat.

Bogey

The bogey is a strange creature -- its very existence was debated for many years. Its body consists of dozens of bright lights that hum and spark. The creature flies constantly, moving about like a small comet or electric surge. So far, the only confirmed sightings of bogeys come from the spice mines of Kessel, but legends and rumors of similar energy beings persist on dozens of worlds.

Bogeys are creatures of energy that consume glitterstim, a substance only found in Kessel's soil. Bogeys have been found zooming through the planet's deep natural caverns, but have never been spotted in artificially created caverns or anywhere near the surface. When encountering an area rich with glitterstim, the bogey bounces from wall to wall, chittering and shooting off sparks as it absorbs the material. Upon reaching a rock face with no glitterstim, the bogey dives into the rock, disappearing without a trace. Bogeys do not seem to fear other living things, although spice spiders prey upon them. A bogey ignores other creatures entirely, but if it rams into one, electrical discharge may accidentally cause harm.

Bogey: Scavenger 1; Init +5; Def 15 (+5 Dex); Spd 10m fly (good); VP/WP 6/10; Atk +0 melee (special, burn attack) or +5 ranged; SQ Burn attack, darkvision, electrical discharge, intangible; SV Fort +2, Ref +5, Will -4; SZ M; Str 0, Dex 20, Con 10, Int 1, Wis 2, Cha 2; Challenge Code: A.
Skills: Search +2, Spot +2.
Special Qualities: Intangible -- A bogey has no physical form, and therefore ignores all physical attacks (except those of the spice spider, its only natural predator). Energy attacks have a 50% chance of affecting a bogey. Force powers always affect a bogey normally. The creature also ignores defense bonuses from armor when making an attack. It is capable of passing through physical objects, such as stone, without difficulty.
   Electrical Discharge -- Although bogeys do not go out of their way to attack any being, it is possible for them to burn someone as they fly by. This is unusual, but not malicious. Anytime the bogey flies past a possible target, the Gamemaster should make an attack roll with a +0 attack bonus as a free action for the bogey. On a successful hit, the bogey inflicts 2d4 points of electrical burn damage.

Basic information on the bogey's appearance and habits is taken from the Jedi Academy Sourcebook. All other information is new.



Hawk-Bat

Hawk-bats are flying predators native to Coruscant with a wingspan averaging 1.5 meters. Their avian features include a sharp beak and powerful talons, but they are largely featherless. A hawk-bat's reptilian wings consist of a thin membrane stretched over a series of thin wing-bones. Hawk-bats use their keen eyesight and echolocation to navigate and find prey.

Hawk-bats travel in large flocks (3d6+6 creatures) through the pipes and corridors of the lower city levels. They migrate every few standard months, despite the complete lack of seasons in Coruscant's lower levels. This may suggest that hawk-bats evolved during Coruscant's ancient past. No doubt their instinct to escape cold climates by migration still drives them. Hawk-bats dislike cold and stay away from cooling ducts. They often roost among power cables and heating vents, hanging upside-down in the warm shafts and pipes just below inhabited buildings.

Hawk-bats almost always act with the whole flock, attacking and hunting together. Flocks feed off any creature they can find, managing to bring even large opponents down by swarming over them. If a single hawk-bat is disturbed in its roost, several dozen of its companions are likely to attack the intruder.

Hawk-bat eggs are a delicacy to many creatures, sought out by native predators and scavengers in Coruscant's forgotten labyrinths. Sentient beings also enjoy the taste, and many of the finest restaurants on Coruscant pride themselves on hawk-bat entrees. Off-planet, the eggs are so rare that only the wealthiest individuals can possibly afford them.

Hawk-bats do not respond well to captivity, and no viable method for hawk-bat farming has yet to be found. As a result, there is a small industry for egg poaching on Coruscant. Hardy individuals seek out hawk-bat roosts and attempt to steal eggs while the hawk-bats sleep. This is a tricky operation -- more than one poacher has lost his life by waking a single hawk-bat and then being swarmed by a dozen of the angry creatures.

The hawk-bat's strong flock instinct, ability to fly through darkness, and association with the center of galactic government make it a common symbol for the strength and tenacity of the common citizen. It is a particularly popular icon for swoop gangs and pirates, both of which also have reputations for attacking in large numbers when a single member is threatened.

When fighting, hawk-bats swoop by opponents to rake them with their claws. A downed opponent may be overwhelmed by hawk-bats landing on its prone body and pecking with their sharp beaks. Although a single hawk-bat is not a great threat, an entire flock can be ruthless.

Hawk-Bat: Airborne subterranean predator 3; Init +6; Def 14 (+1 size, +3 Dex); Spd 2 m, 16 m fly (Good); VP/WP 13/10; Atk +4 melee (1d4, 2 claws) or +4 melee (1d6, bite) or +8 ranged; SQ Darkvision; SV Fort +3, Ref +6, Will +1; SZ S; Rep 4; Str 10, Dex 18, Con 10, Int 2, Wis 10, Cha 9; Challenge Code: B.
Skills: Listen +9, Spot +7, Survival +6.
Feats: Flyby Attack, Weapon Finesse (claws).