HARVESTERS

Type Mammalian Omnivore Habitat Tartarus and several mining colonies. Size 6 meters or more Traits Erupts from ground, stampedes when threatened, charges when cornered. Doesn't know when to retreat.
Behemoth subterranean land animals, Harvesters are six-legged Ankylosaurus-sized nightmares that are famous for destroying the colony on Tartarus. These large, fast moving burrowers have tiny, useless eyes, instead utilizing sonar to navigate. They have massive front claws and a mouth with a unique shredding mechanism that grinds organic materials and stores it in one of six stomachs. This mouth acts like a rotating circular meat grinder, crushing and pulping flesh, bone, plants, wood, rock and most metals. Only the strongest of materials will resist destruction, causing the Harvester to choke until the offending item is removed.
Typical targets of opportunity include farmlands, graveyards, food stores, or a gathering of people or animals. While Harvesters don’t actually hunt living things, any creatures unlucky enough to be in their feeding zone are fodder. As the air in their natural habitat is higher in carbon dioxide than the human norm, Harvesters are capable of breathing in otherwise poisonous atmospheres. They carry their young beneath the folds of their armored shell—boar-sized creatures that will detach themselves and attack if their mother is overwhelmed.
While native to Tartarus, some corporate exec at Bionational got it in his head that the Harvesters could be used to tunnel out mines on other metal rich worlds. They were transported to several mining planets and moons on the Frontier and did so—before escaping into the wild and disrupting those colonies as well.

HIDDEN BEHEMOTH

When at rest the Harvester often sleeps just under the surface, with a thin crust of ground above it. If someone walks across this ground they get an OBSERVATION roll to spot the weakened earth, but if not it will collapse under them and the startled Harvester will get a free attack.

HARVESTER JUVENILES

A mother Harvester will carry up to 2D6 young safely under her armor plating. If she comes under attack and is in genuine danger these young will leap to her defense and attack too, rolling four Base Dice, Damage 1.

CONTAINMENT AND TERMINATION PROTOCOL

These things are large-scale destroyers. The inhabitants of Tartarus Colony lured the creatures to the surface and attacked them with aircraft with limited success before the beasts learned to avoid such traps. The best way to kill a rampaging Harvester is to attack its soft, unprotected underbelly—but good luck getting close enough to do so without being crushed or ground up.

Scientific Name

Terratyrus destructor