Berg Hopper

Berg hoppers are unusual arctic creatures that, at first glance, resemble frogs on stilts with banana-peel feet and large, mirror-bright eyes. Their bodies and heads are fused into one central body mass, but their hyperflexible limbs enable a full 180° rotation to either side without moving the feet from their positions. They stand around 4' high and move in a slow-motion skating gait, rarely if ever lifting more than one foot at a time from surface. Their asymmetrical toes are equipped with a cat's-tongue layer of barbs for traction on smooth ice, making them one of the arctic's more surefooted denizens despite their low speed. Some theorize that hoppers are the larval form of larger arctic monsters like the frostworm, but they have never been observed metamorphosing into a later stage of life.

Behavior: Asocial, Fearless, Curious

Hoppers are inquisitive but far from intelligent, prone to exploring new objects with their flappy toes in case something may be edible. They are oddly fearless, even when confronted with loud or sudden movements from other creatures, and will typically ignore anything but an outright attack when rummaging around in whatever they're inspecting. This nonchalance may be due to their own ill-suitedness to being prey--most other creatures do not try to hunt and eat them, so would do little aside from try to drive the hoppers away from a recent kill or food source.
For creatures barely scraping a living out of a sea of ice and snow, hoppers are remarkably ambivalent about their own kind. They do not hold to territories and do not care if other hoppers are nearby; they are single-minded in pursuit of their own scavenged goods. Hoppers have not been seen to fight amongst each other for scraps or for mates. Rather, they ignore each other as readily as they ignore other animals that are not trying to kill them. When threatened, they display no cooperative or pack-protective behaviors, simply scattering in the face of danger. Hoppers will also scavenge dead hoppers if the opportunity presents itself.

Diet: Omnivorous Scavengers

Hoppers are primarily protein-focused scavengers, though some seem to have adapted to be egg-snatchers and fishers in different areas. They are ill-equipped to be active hunters, but they've proven to be quite adept at climbing sheer cliffs to steal eggs or dangling a limb in the water until a fish brushes past their toes. They are capable of consuming eggshell and smaller bones without issue, though thick carapace or larger bones are avoided. Their muscular barbed toes help them strip every bit of edible flesh from any object.
Hoppers have unexpectedly large mouths but little in terms of chewing ability or separate teeth; their jaws are filled with bony ridges that provide minimal food breakdown beyond crushing larger pieces. Even so, their bite force is weak compared to any similarly-sized mammal or reptile. Their digestive acids are particularly potent, since they have very little space in which to store food while it's being broken down into nutrients and waste, and one of their self-defense mechanisms is to jettison a stream of caustic spittle in the direction of would-be predators.

Threat Level: Low

Hoppers are no danger to travelers, though their nosiness can scatter or destroy expedition supplies much like a hungry bear or raccoon might in a more temperate campsite. Travelers are advised to place any edible supplies inside hardwood or metal containers, as hoppers can easily shred a fabric or leather container to inspect the contents.
While it may be tempting to harvest a hopper for fresh meat, it is not advised, as the acidity of their internal constitution renders most of their organs toxic. While the lobster meat of their spindly legs might seem promising, their blood is mixed with an oily substance (theorized to help avoid ice crystals in their circulatory system) that produces a bitterly chemical taste that most creatures cannot stomach, even if starving. The only documented use of hopper flesh is to bleed it dry, smoke it, soak it in saltwater to eradicate enough of the blood's antifreeze to consume the meat safely, and smoke it a second time. The taste was noted to be bland, stringy, tough, and "too salty to be worth it."

BERG HOPPER
Medium monstrosity, unaligned.
Hit Points: 26 (4d6 + 10)
Speed: 30 ft., climb 30 ft.

STR
10
+0

DEX
13
+1

CON
16
+3

INT
4
-3

WIS
12
+1

CHA
4
-3

Saving Throws: Con +5, Wis +3
Damage Vulnerabilities: fire
Damage Resistances: cold
Senses: passive Perception 14
Challenge Rating: 1
Spider Climb. The hopper can scale difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.
Toxic. Hopper flesh is generally inedible. If consumed, make a Constitution saving throw (DC 20). If the saving roll was between 10 and 19, the target is Poisoned for 2d4 hours; if the saving roll was less than 10, the target takes 1d12 Poison damage and is Poisoned for 24 hours.
ACTIONS
Slap. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d4 + 1) slashing damage plus 2 (1d4) cold damage.
Spew. Ranged Weapon Attack in a line 20 feet long and 1 foot wide. Each creature in the line must make a Dexterity saving throw against a DC of 13 or take 3d4 acid damage.