OCTOPUS
Original Animal Characteristics
Description: Octopuses are characterized by their eight arms (not tentacles), usually bearing suction cups. Unlike most other cephalopods, the majority of octopuses have almost entirely soft bodies with no internal skeleton. They have neither
a protective outer shell like the nautilus, nor any vestige of an internal shell or bones, like cuttlefish or squids. This enables them to squeeze through very narrow slits between underwater rocks, which is very helpful when they are fleeing from
morays or other predatory fish.
Three defensive mechanisms are typical of octopuses: ink sacs, camouflage, and autotomising limbs. This ink cloud dulls smell, which is particularly useful for evading predators that are dependent on smell for hunting, such as sharks. When
under attack, some octopuses can detach their own limbs, in a similar manner to the way skinks and other lizards detach their tails. They have also been observed changing the texture of their mantle in order to achieve a greater camouflage.
The mantle can take on the spiky appearance of seaweed, or the scraggly, bumpy texture of a rock, among other disguises. The primary prey of octopuses are molluscs and crustaceans, occasionally fish. They have also been known to catch
and kill some species of sharks.
Size Level: Large SL 9 Common SL 5 Blue-Ringed SL 1
Height: Large 14-30 feet (4.3-9 m). Common up to 3 feet (1.2 m). Blue-Ringed up to 8 inches (20 cm).
Weight: Large 33-165 pounds (15-75 kg). Common 7-22 pounds (3-10 kg). Blue-Ringed up to 4 ounces (10-100 g).
Build: Medium
Mutant Changes & Costs
Total BIO-E: Large 40 Common 60 Blue-Ringed 80
Note: Large Octopus applies to the Seven-Armed Octopus, North Pacific Giant Octopus, Southern Giant Octopus, other members of the Enteroctopus genus, and Cirroteuthis mülleri. Except for the Blue-Ringed Octopus, all other octopi use the
common octopus size.
Attribute Bonuses: +2 to I.Q., +3 to P.S., Brute Strength
Human Features
Hands: Partial hands are automatic, because the arms are the equivalent of partial hands.
5 BIO-E for Full. The arms have developed three branches at the end of each which serve as two fingers and a thumb.
15 BIO-E for Full Humanoid arms and Hands (MiO, page 42) Note: must be bought for EACH Extra Pair of Arms for full use.
Biped: None; Crawls along with arms.
2 BIO-E for Four legs for walking (MiO, page 42).
5 BIO-E for Four legs for running (MiO, page 42).
5 BIO-E for Two-legged Biped (MiO, page 42).
10 BIO-E for Two-legged Biped with a second pair of partial limbs used as both arms and legs (MiO, page 42).
15 BIO-E for Two-legged Biped with a third pair of partial limbs used both as arms and legs (MiO, page 42).
Speech : 5 BIO-E for Partial or 10 BIO-E for Full.
Looks: None; huge head with loose, bulbous back (see picture); large eyes; gray, leathery skin.
5 BIO-E for Partial; Huge head and thick neck; long, flexible body; multiple arms protrude from upper torso, humanoid legs and body form; clearly not human!
Full Human Looks are NOT available.
Natural Weapons:
5 BIO-E for 1D6 Beak.
40 BIO-E for Lethal Poison (Tetradotoxin): Found in Pufferfish species and the Blue-Ringed Octopus. Blue-Ringed Octopi require a successful bite attack (1D4 damage), and the poison does 5D8 damage, direct to hit points, each melee round for 1D10 melee rounds. In either case, the poison is so toxic that the character must roll to save vs lethal poison each melee he/she is affected. A successful save means that no damage occurs that melee.
Mutant Animal Powers:
Automatically gets Breathing: Gills and Swimming: Basic.
5 BIO-E for Advanced Vision
5 BIO-E for Brute Strength
10 BIO-E for Swimming: Master
5 BIO-E for Extra Physical Endurance
5 BIO-E for Extra Physical Prowess
5 BIO-E for Extra Intelligence Quotient
5 BIO-E for Powerful Suction Cups per pair of arms. (RH, 10)
5 BIO-E for Hold Breath (in the air)
10 BIO-E for Breathing: Lungs
10 BIO-E for Black Ink Spray. (RH, 10)
10 BIO-E for Extra Mental Endurance
10 BIO-E for Beastly Strength (and must be at least Size Level 4).
10 BIO-E for Predator Burst
10 BIO-E for Advanced Touch
10 BIO-E for Neutral Buoyancy (Tuberculate Pelagic Octopus only)
15 BIO-E for Multi-Limb Coordination. (RH, 10)
20 BIO-E for Crushing Strength (and must be at least Size Level 6).
20 BIO-E for Poison Immunity (Portuguese Man-O-War; Blanket Octopus only)
20 BIO-E for Breathing: Dual Breathing
20 BIO-E for Chameleon Camouflage Power. (RH, 10)
20 BIO-E for Jet Propulsion
25 BIO-E for Squeeze Through Small Spaces (not combinable with Defensive Shell and requires Soft Body)
25 BIO-E for Transparency (Glass Octopus only) (131)
30 BIO-E Mimic Other Predator (Mimic Octopus only )
30 BIO-E for Autotomising limbs
35 BIO-E for Defensive Shell (A.R. 9, 25 S.D.C.; Argonauta octopi only)
40 BIO-E for Lethal Poison (Blue-Ringed Octopus only)
Vestigial Disadvantages:
-5 BIO-E for Reptile Brain: Prey
-5 BIO-E for Color Blindness
-5 BIO-E for No Gills
-5 BIO-E for Limited Buoyancy
-10 BIO-E for Diet: Carnivore.
-10 BIO-E for Prey Eyes
-10 BIO-E for Nocturnal
-10 BIO-E for Light Sensitive
-10 BIO-E for Poison Susceptibility (Copper)
-10 BIO-E for Vestigial Arms (per pair of arms)
-10 BIO-E for Webbed Hands and Feet (suborder Cirrina only)
-15 BIO-E for Deafness
-15 BIO-E for Total Blindness (Cirrothauma murrayi only)
-15 BIO-E for No Sense of Motion (they can't tell they're moving)
-20 BIO-E for Dehydration: Extreme
-20 BIO-E for Diet: Cannibalism
-20 BIO-E for Soft Body (� normal S.D.C.)
Notes: