VG Meet DnD: The Crawler from the Dead Space Series

[Necromorphs are the reanimated corpses of the dead, reshaped into horrifying new forms by a mysterious curse.]

Crawler

What appears to be a large infant slides forward on two arms and a single burly leg. Its head, which has been twisted backwards, stares vacantly ahead as it pushes its bulbous torso skyward, a torso that pulsates with a sickening yellow light.

Adults aren’t the only ones affected by the curse, children and even infants can be affected as well. The Crawler is an example of what happens when very young children or babies are infected by the curse. Their bodies are too small and weak to be of much use in combat. To offset this they transform into living bombs.

Strategies and Tactics

Crawlers have only one attack to make from the time they are created. They swarm opponents ahead of other necromorphs in a desperate suicide attack to weaken living foes or destroy them outright. They often do this by attacking in cramped quarters where there is less room for their prey to escape.

Ecology

Environment: These undead can technically be found anywhere. However due to the nature of their slow speed they are usually not found far from the site of their infection. Large concentrations of crawlers can be found in schools or nurseries.

Typical Physical Characteristics: A crawler resembles a bloated human child with ash gray skin offset with red or brown blood vessels. They are covered with dried blood and unknown ichor. Their heads have been twisted in a 180 degree angle and their back legs have fused into one single limb which they use to propel themselves forward in the manner of a caterpillar. Perhaps the most distinguishing feature is their torso, which has been twisted skyward and pulsates with a pale yellow light. The belly itself is the source of their exploding compounds.

Alignment: Crawlers are always neutral evil.

Typical Treasure

Crawlers do not keep treasure, they are usually too young to be adorned with jewelry or magical clothing. Such items, invariably, are destroyed when the creature explodes anyway. Occasionally, that is 5% of the time, they can be found with 1/10th of standard treasure in assorted coins from belt pouches or pockets they had on them before their infection. A crawler with such treasure which explodes invariably scatters the wealth across the combat area. 

For Player Characters

A player can summon a crawler to his service with the summon undead I spell. 


Also the crawler's explosive sac can be removed using the Survival skill and then used as a weapon

Crawler                                CR 1/6
Always NE Tiny undead
Init +3; Senses darkvision 60ft; Listen +1, Spot +1
Languages understands creator's orders; understands telepathic commands

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AC 15, touch 15, flat-footed 12
    (+2 size, +3 Dex)
hp 3 (1/2 HD) see kamikaze burst
Immune undead immunities
Fort +0, Ref +3, Will +0

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Speed 10 ft (2 squares)
Melee --
Space 2 ½ ft; Reach 0 ft
Base Atk +0; Grp -2

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Abilities Str 6, Dex 17, Con --, Int 2, Wis 6, Cha 12
SA kamikaze burst
SQ strategic dismemberment, undead traits
Feats Ability Focus (kamikaze burst)
Skills Hide +13, Listen +1, Spot +1
Advancement none

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Kamikaze Burst (Ex) As a standard action a crawler can generate an explosion which effects its squares and every square adjacent to the crawler. Creatures struck by the explosion take 1d6 damage (DC 13 half). The crawler drops to 0 hit points and is destroyed as part of this attack. If a crawler is destroyed through damage other than strategic dismemberment it will automatically initiate a kamikaze burst as a free action.

Strategic Dismemberment (Ex) A crawler can be destroyed without activating its kamikaze burst by decapitating the head or leg (AC 17). If this is done then the sac can be salvaged with a DC 15 survival check. A failed survival check results in the detonation of the sac.


Crawler Lore
Characters who have ranks in Knowledge (religion) can learn more about crawlers. When a character makes a successful skill check, the following lore is revealed, including the information from the lower DCs.