The Kukarachans
by Jeff Daly and Geoff GanderCenturies ago, during the initial colonisation of Esterhold, the Alphatians sought a means of cleansing large swaths of what is now Esterhold of its indigenous Jennite population, who refused to accept Alphatian suzerainty over their tribal lands. A wide variety of magicks were used against them, with the result being the devastation of much of the interior of the Esterhold peninsula, which became almost saturated with magic for a time. The Alphatians gave little, if any, thought to the potential consequences of their actions during those years, and subsequently founded their Skotharian colony, thinking that they were truly masters of the land. They were quite wrong; while they had gained dominion over the Jennites living in Esterhold, they could not control that which arose from the magic-seared interior of the peninsula - the kukarachans.
The kukarachans are a race of large, semi-intelligent insects descended from cockroaches, who had been exposed to high levels of Alphatian magic during the early years of the conquest of Esterhold. Over the following centuries, they continued to mutate, slowly becoming more intelligent, more resourceful, and more adaptable. Finally, they had reached a stage where they began to leave their own imprint on the lands around them, and they began to spread outwards from their original breeding grounds in central Esterhold. What makes these creatures so formidable is their adaptability - kukarachans can eat almost anything, and, when attacked with magic, they are capable of adapting to that form of magic, with often horrific results.
The kukarachans have been kept in relative check historically by repeated Alphatian forays into Esterhold's interior, which served to reduce the risk to interior communities and mining operations - at least, those that were populated largely by Alphatians. Free Jennite tribes living in central Esterhold had to fend for themselves - a policy that also reduced the number of free Jennites roaming the interior. If Alphatian authority were ever to falter in central Esterhold (as it did in the years following the Wrath of the Immortals scenario), the kukarachans would likely multiply greatly, and place even greater pressures on the cultures and communities surrounding them.
Kukarachan Warrior
Armour Class: 2
Hit Dice: 1*
Move: 120' (40')
Attacks: 2 weapons
Damage: By weapon +2
No. Appearing: 2-20 (up to 100 per nest)
Save As: F 1
Morale: 9
Intelligence: 6
Treasure Type: None
Alignment: Neutral
XP Value: 13
This creature is the most common variant of the kukarachans. Standing about 7' tall, the kukarachan warrior is a powerful (+2 hit and damage) adversary capable of wielding a weapon in either hand. Its carapace provides excellent natural armour.
It communicates with its hideous brethren through chemicals emitted into the air from its antennae. These organs also receive such messages from other kukarachans, with an individual kukarachan being capable of sustaining several such "conversations" at once. These chemicals are also used to manipulate magical fields around its body.
When a group of kukarachan warriors are affected by a given spell, and survive, they transmit chemical messages to all other kukarachans in the immediate vicinity (100' radius), providing information on how to defend against that particular spell. Those who receive this message will become immune to that particular spell for the remainder of their lives. Further attacks have a 1 in 10 chance of causing a transformation, which takes three rounds to complete, and which will result in the creature turning into another form of kukarachan. The immunity lasts for one generation, being passed on to the offspring of the affected kukarachan, but successive generations are not immune.
Kukarachan Mentor
Armour Class: 5
Hit Dice: 5*
Move: 120' (40')
Attacks: by weapon or by spell
Damage: By weapon +1
No. Appearing: 2-12 (up to 30 per nest)
Save As: MU 5
Morale: 9
Intelligence: 11
Treasure Type: None
Alignment: Neutral
XP Value: 300
Kukarachan mentors are created when a member of the warrior caste is targeted by a thought-based spell, such as charm, ESP, and fear, according to the guidelines given above under the kukarachan warrior description. During the transformation, the warrior's head grows larger, its armoured exoskeleton softens slightly (reducing AC by 3), it becomes more intelligent, and it becomes tougher overall.
Any further magical attacks against the kukarachan mentor allow it to make the same magical attack in return. Provided it survives the attack, it can store the magical energies from the spell in its chemical field and release it at a time of its choosing. Any spell may be captured in this way, and the relevant characteristics (such as range, damage, and duration) are identical to those of the original caster's spell.
Kukarachan Terror
Armour Class: 9
Hit Dice: 12
Move: 90' (30')
Attacks: 1 bite
Damage: 3d6
No. Appearing: 1-10 (up to 20 per nest)
Save As: F 12
Morale: 8
Intelligence: 2
Treasure Type: None
Alignment: Neutral
XP Value: 1,250
If a kukarachan warrior is struck by a matter-based spell, such as meteor swarm, or ice storm, and it transforms as a result, it becomes a huge four-legged beast, resembling a 30' long, 12' tall cockroach with a huge set of mandibles. Its armour class drops to 9 due to its sheer bulk, but it becomes extraordinarily tough. Its intelligence also drops, and therefore it must be guided by more intelligent kukarachans or it will react in fear to everything that moves (50% chance each round that it will attack the nearest living creature - friend or foe).
Kukarachan Dragon
Armour Class: 6
Hit Dice: 10*
Move: 120' (40')
Flying: 240' (80')
Attacks: 1 bite or 1 breath
Damage: 2d8 (bite) or 3d8 (breath)
No. Appearing: 1-10 (up to 20 per nest)
Save As: F 10
Morale: 9
Intelligence: 3
Treasure Type: None
Alignment: Neutral
XP Value: 1,750
When a kukarachan warrior is hit by a fireball or lightning bolt spell, and transforms, it becomes a kukarachan dragon. In form, these creatures strongly resemble kukarachan terrors, except that they are slightly smaller, and they possess wings. In addition to its vicious bite, a kukarachan dragon may breathe either a line of lightning (3' wide x 30' long) or a cone of fire (30' long and 30' wide it is end), depending on what spell affected it originally.
Kukarachan Zealot
Armour Class: 2
Hit Dice: 3*
Move: 120' (40')
Attacks: 2 weapons
Damage: By weapon +2
No. Appearing: 2-20 (up to 100 per nest)
Save As: C 3
Morale: 9
Intelligence: 9
Treasure Type: None
Alignment: Neutral
XP Value: 50
Kukarachan zealots are created when warriors are affected by reversed clerical spells, such as cause critical wounds, curse, and the like. In all respects they are identical to the typical member of the warrior caste, except that they can manipulate their chemical fields to heal other kukarachans within ten feet of themselves. This healing ability can be used up to five times per day, and each use restores 1d10 hit points to all kukarachans within ten feet of the zealot.
Kukarachan Lich
Armour Class: -2
Hit Dice: 10*
Move: 120' (40')
Attacks: 2 weapons or 1 Death Ray
Damage: By weapon +2 or special
No. Appearing: 1-6 (up to 12 per nest)
Save As: MU 10
Morale: 11
Intelligence: 9
Treasure Type: None
Alignment: Neutral
XP Value: 1,750
Kukarachan liches are created whenever warriors are hit by entropic spells,
such as finger of death. They resemble their common warrior counterparts
from a distance, except that they are pale white in colour. When
approached, however, it soon becomes apparent that they are quite different.
Their carapaces, although tough, look as though they are crumbling, and
their heads sport empty sockets where their multifaceted eyes once were.
Nevertheless, they are just as quick, and even tougher, than their living
counterparts. In combat, kukarachan liches may either attack twice per
round with melee weapons, or they may cast a death ray, which functions in
an identical manner to the finger of death spell, once per round. This type
of kukarachan is the only one that cannot reproduce, for obvious reasons,
and they are almost as likely to start eating their fellow kukarachans as
other creatures.