#bioconstruct

[mortasheenweekly]

Drillbaby, an oldie but a goodie. It'd be cool to see the other two sawfaces updated for the game one day!

I might make the updated Chainsaw Kid from the book eventually, as I really love the new design; the old one has stronger "mascot mon" energy, but the new one is just plain cool.

Bonus: siblings frolicking~

Mortasheen and its monsters are the property of Bogleech.

[slagworthspsite]

Harrieon

MY SINCEREST APOLOGIES FOR THE LONG WAIT! I BEEN PERFORMING SOME INTENSE RESEARCH IN THE RUNOFF, BUT AM NOW HAPPY TO BRING FORTH MY RESULTS! SAY, I HEARD THAT ONE OF THESE SPECIMENS FOUND A PERFECT, PRISTINE, FOUR-EYED TASSELWATTLE!

Cagney here. It should be noted that I haven't  found any records of the “four-eyed tasselwattle” being a known type of retrofauna. 

Spearing Avigler

Description

An avian bioconstruct with a long neck and a squat body. Their eyes are covered by a green-tinted transparent covering, and before their long, hooked beak is a brightly-colored comb. A long tongue, ending in two prongs, extends from a nostril. 

Biology

The Harrieon is an old variety of monster designed for the capture of aquatic animals, while still being able to function outside of the water. While not capable of true amphibious behavior, its shielded eyes and large lung capacity allow it to extend its head deep into the water while still being able to sense its surroundings. Its large feet are capable of gripping tightly around most surfaces, keeping it stable in the case of more belligerent prey.

The Harrieon's bill has several barbed protrusions, allowing it to keep a hold on even the slipperiest of targets. In addition, it has a long tongue –normally wrapped around the skull when not extended– that can produce a paralyzing electric shock. If it can't pursue something directly, its elaborate comb is designed to produce a psigital signal that attracts living creatures.

Behavior

While an effective monster in their native purpose, as a species Harrieon have a noted tendency for storycraft. It's known wisdom that the monster shouldn't serve as a sentry alone, as they have a seemingly ingrained habit of exaggerating their accounts. This may be a byproduct of their courtship behavior, which heavily relies on verbal accounts of their exploits.

This, however, does not explain their equal tendency to believe other's stories, even in the case of obvious implausibilities. While its origins are unknown, unearthed materials suggest that it was implemented in an attempt to ensure that the species would never be seen as more trustworthy than their metahuman masters.

Small Bioconstruct, Brawn 4/Brain 4, Scan 16

Eyes: Protective Coating: [ADAPT darkness, high pressures] [COMBINE 1] E2

Crest: Wormy Appeal: [INFLICT +1d10 taunted/brains] E1

Beak: On The Hook: [DAMAGE +1d10 physical/brawn] [APPEND ruptured:physical] [SHUNT towards] [REACH +2] E3

Tongue: Fish Prod: [DAMAGE +1d10 electrical/brawn] [APPEND fettered] E1

Legs: Waddle: [MOVE land] E1

Feet: Holdfast: [RESIST +1d10 forced movement] E3

Weakness: Sucker For A Story: [RESIST =>2d10 illusions] [ENGAGE =>2d10 recognizing deceit] 

Quirk: “It Was THIS Big!”

{{I probably should have made the feet look more suited for gripping, but only realized so by the time I was long done with the lineart.}}

{{With this entry, I'm introducing the “starter” tag. This is for monsters with a value equal to or under 8 points and 11 endurance, like the official Demishades.}}

[mortamemes]

Abcoulix

[galsheen]

'S been a while, have a Shudderbug lady

[dagazzardreviews]

Painchild: Mortasheen #004

“Like the mysterious Shades who toil in Mortasheen city's inner workings, the Demishades consist mostly of a crystalloid skeleton and organs suspended in an energy-absorbing fluid matrix, resembling beings of pitch darkness outside of their protective biofiber skins.“

Now that seems like my kind of monster! The first of the Demishades, and though my favorites among them are probably Pathocary and Emeyebee, Painchild stood out due to being the first. Also, by being a faithful starter of many trainers.

The reasons behind their name may not be apparent in their design, but they become apparent one you read more of their description.

One thing you can see right away in their design though it their bird-like feet and arms. And that’s because each demishade is connected to a different class of Mortasheen monsters, and Painchild is connected to Devil Birds. Neat!

I thought I’d probably want one if they weren’t so high maintenance!

But also...

It was around then, I think, that I read Bogleech talking about how there are also a lot of dark things in the pokedéx, even though the games are pretty light. And I was wondering how I would think of mortasheen creatures had I met them in a game. I’d probably see their designs differently, too, if I saw them with the limited color palette and less details, as I would have if it was a game boy game like Pokémon or Dragon Warrior Monsters...

So I decided to see how they would look! And that’s when I started drawing fanart of them in this style. (If you’d like to see what else I did since then, it’s all in my art blog: http://dagazzart.tumblr.com/tagged/mortasheen)

Soon that made me think of mortasheen monster through another angle, besides creativity of the concepts or biology: game mechanics. And that led to further appreciation of some of them!

Mortasheen and its monsters are the property of Bogleech.

[dagazzart]

[slagworthspsite]

AHH, THIS BEAST! IT WAS ONE OF THE FIRST BEINGS THAT I HAD RESEARCHED! IN FACT, IF YOU LOOK AROUND ON THE PSIMAGE BOARDS, YOU CAN PROBABLY FIND ME TALKING ABOUT IT… BUT DON'T TELL ANYONE!

…EH? I CAN HEAR SOME KID CRYING IN THE HALLWAY? WELL, TIME TO GO– IT WOULD BE A SHAME TO LEAVE A CHILD IN DANGER!

Lupine Retromimic

Tlelitred

Description

This monster looks like a cloaked, childish humanoid, with large eyes peering out of a wrinkled face.

…at least, until that face unfurls into three hairy lobes, filled with teeth and claws. 

Biology

Small pores on the surface of the Tlelitred's “cloak” produce a perception-distorting gas similar to that of the Loid, though the monsters appear to have been made at different times. Similarity, it is designed to look harmless, resembling a juvenile retrohuman in proportions. 

However, where the Loid and most related monsters are designed for undercover research, the Tlelitred seems to have been made for a more grim purpose. Its “face” is actually formed from three boneless limbs, which can tightly fold into themselves. These limbs have a flexible outer covering, allowing them to not be harmed by their own teeth when retracted.  

Similarly to the Loid, Tlelitred reproduce by shedding a stemcell-filled outer layer of skin.

Behavior

Despite its features being more suited for combat than other human-mimicking monsters, the Tlelitred has a similar propensity for trickery. As a species, they generally show a smug satisfaction in targeting those that aren't able to see through the disguise, especially if the others were the initial aggressors. 

Compared to its “adult” predecessors, Tillitred tend to be more disobedient, reveling in childlike mischief and particularness even outside of their disguise …to the point where there have been sustained debates on whether the physical harm of its jaw-claws is actually worse than having to find yet another brand of monsterfeed for it to not reject. However, they seem to naturally get along with their fellow retromimics, who seem to think that their appearance is especially adorable. 

Stats:

Large Bioconstruct, Brawn 7/Brain 4, Scan 22

Eyes: What Big Eyes I Have: [PERCEIVE +1d10 sight/brains] E2

Brain: Everyone's Kid: [CORRAL +1d10 retromimics]

Jawrms: Wolf In Sheep's Clothing: [DAMAGE +2d10 physical, chemical/brawn] [COMBINE 1] [CLING 1] E4

Claws: Rip and Tear: [DAMAGE +1d10 physical/brawn] [APPEND ruptured physical] E4

Skin: Just a Baby!: [VANISH looks like a kid, same rules as Loid] [SQUEEZE 2] E3

Feet: Toddle: [MOVE land] E2

Weakness: Little Brat: [RESIST +1d10 obedience]

Quirk: “I'm Just a Baby!”

{{So, as the introductory text implies, this is actually the first monster I statted out… though obviously there’s been some changes as I’ve learned the formatting better.}}

[slagworthspsite]

Angulp

DON'T TELL ANYONE ABOUT THIS, BUT PART OF THE REASON FOR MY ABSENCE MAY HAVE JUST BEEN ME GETTING STUCK IN ONE OF THESE FELLAS FOR AN INORDINATE AMOUNT OF TIME. IT TURNS OUT THAT FERAL ONES DON'T COME UP FOR AIR THAT OFTEN. GOOD CONVERSATION PARTNER, THOUGH.

Dredging Avigler

Description:

A massive avian with large flippers and stunted legs, resembling a mix of a penguin and a whale. Its lower beak splits into two, and bright dots are visible inside its mouth. 

Biology:

Like the Harrieon, the Angulp is a monster designed to act as an assistant to the various fishermen and ichthyologists of Mortasheen. Compared to its smaller cousin, the monster is designed for an entirely underwater lifestyle. Its legs are atrophied, leaving it to pursue a feeding style similar to retrofaunal cetaceans. This is amplified by the bioluminescent patches located on their beak membranes, which attract the dimmer sorts of creatures.

The Angulp's crop is considerably enlarged and reinforced with layers of tissue, allowing it to swallow and store large amounts of material without damaging prey or predator. A valve between the crop and the rest of the digestive system allows it to engage in proper digestion after all unwanted foodstuffs have been expelled.

Behavior:

At first, the Angulp may seem decidedly more sluggish in demeanor than its spearing counterpart. However, it retains the memory of every object it consumes, and will happily talk about the subtle differences between the taste of a two-mouthed herring at the surface, as opposed to one that lives between the biting snakeweeds. It is by no means picky, however, and will often respond to the sight of a new entity by eating it.

While otherwise undeveloped, the monster's eyes are tuned to be able to see the lights emitted from their “lure-patches”, which are unique to each Angulp. This allows the species to identify each other even within the darkest depths. Courtship often involves one gifting the other with a crop-stored collection of food, and the females give live birth to one or two children at a time. 

Large Bioconstruct, Brawn 8/Brain 4, Scan

Beak: Ocean Ram: [DAMAGE +2d10 physical] [APPEND gobsmacked] [TRAMPLE] E2

Membranes: Guiding Lights: [INFLICT +1d10 taunted/brains] E1

Crop: Trawlmouth: [ENGULF +3d10] [DISCRIMINATE target is already engulfed (INFLICT +4d10 eroding:chemical/brawn)] E3

Guts: Thalassic: [ADAPT water, high pressures] [COMBINE 1] E4

Flippers: Swimmer: [MOVE swim] [DASH +1] E2

Quirk: “Eat First, Ask Questions Later”

{{This is another monster that I’m not entirely pleased with the color scheme of, but eventually I decided this “reverse orca” look was good enough. I’ve also released that creating a whale-like monster with a three-lobed mouth is probably stepping on the toes of the Vampiathan a bit, but oh well.}}