Giant Starfish

This oversized relative of the common sea star has ten or 12 rays spreading from a central disk, each one coated underneath with sticky suckers. Specimens come in tan, orange, yellow, pink, or red, from faint pastels to shades so vivid they almost glow. They turn up in large oceans on many different worlds, and rumor speaks of a freshwater variety in big inland lakes.

A giant starfish stalks ships from beneath, since a smooth, curved hull gives it a good surface to grab and hides its approach. It may shadow a ship for miles, or swing far off course, to line up its run before striking. A hit means it has grappled the hull, and there is a 50% chance of serious damage; roll 1d6: 1 hole in the deck, 2 hole in the hull above the waterline, 3 hole below the waterline, 4 a random mast snaps, 5 the ship lurches and anyone not seated or lashed down must pass a Dexterity check or fall, 6 1d4 crew go overboard.

Once attached, every ray tears at the planking in search of the food inside. The DM tracks the damage each ray deals; any ray that piles up cumulative damage produces another roll on the same 1d6 table. Starfish also snatch people from the deck, and sometimes one rises without attacking the hull at all, simply grabbing as many sailors as it can and leaving.

The rubbery rays take normal damage from everything except blunt weapons, which do only half. A ten-ray starfish has 11 HD and a twelve-ray one 13 HD, one per ray plus one for the disk, and hit points are recorded separately for each. A character who announces he is chopping at a ray and wields a suitable slashing weapon cuts it off once its hit points are gone; arrows and blunt weapons can never sever a ray. Untargeted attacks land randomly on the disk or a ray, and a ray drained of hit points without being cut off goes limp and stops attacking.

A ten-ray starfish flees after losing four rays, a twelve-ray after five. It takes its meals along when it goes, one victim for each ray still working.

These wanderers eat many things but have learned that ships are floating buffets almost always worth the effort, so they favor hull-raiding above all other hunting. They lair in big sea caves and deep trenches, tucking treasure and spare food into cracks and niches, and other sea creatures give these lairs a wide berth.

The ten-ray and twelve-ray kinds never interbreed. A lost ray grows back in 1d4 months; other wounds heal at the normal rate.