Hopper
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Size/Type | Medium Vermin |
| Hit Dice | 3d8 |
| Initiative | +3 |
| Speed | 30 ft. (6 squares) |
| Armor Class | 15 (+3 Dex, +2 natural), touch 13, flat-footed 12 |
| Base Attack/Grapple | +2/+4 |
| Attack | Kick +5 melee (1d4+1) |
| Full Attack | Kick +5 melee (1d4+1), Bite +2 melee (1d6), Sting +3 melee (1d6 plus poison) |
| Space/Reach | 5 ft./5 ft. |
| Special Attacks | Superior leap, poison |
| Special Qualities | Darkvision 60 ft., vermin traits |
| Saves | Fort +4, Ref +4, Will +2 |
| Abilities | Str 12, Dex 17, Con 12, Int 6, Wis 12, Cha 2 |
| Skills | Jump +10*, Listen +2, Spot +2 |
| Feats | Multiattack, Weapon Finesse, Weapon FocusB (sting) |
| Environment | Warm desert |
| Organization | Pack (2–12) |
| Challenge Rating | 2 |
| Treasure | Standard |
| Alignment | Neutral |
| Advancement | 3–4 HD (Medium) |
| Level Adjustment | ― |
Description
This insectoid race evolved on a low-gravity world similar to Mars, but with a thicker atmosphere. They bear a slight resemblance to a giant cricket, although they only have two legs and they stand upright. The hopper has an alien physiology that permits it to leap for astonishing distances. It has a strong exoskeleton that is a silicon and titanium-infused living tissue with an orange hue that resembles rust.
Hoppers often travel in packs of up to a dozen, consuming all in their path. They are migratory creatures that follow a long tribal path requiring several years to traverse. They breed when they cross paths with other hopper tribes, and leave their egg sacks in concealed niches in the rocks. When they return to their nest sites, the journey is carefully timed to arrive just as the eggs are hatching. They carry their young on their backs until they are fully matured.
Combat
A hopper typically attacks by leaping upon a foe with remarkable accuracy, and inflicting a painful kick with its spiked appendages. It then bites with its mandibles and delivers a debilitating poison with a stinger at the end of the flexible thorax.
Superior Leap (Ex): On a world with gravity less than half the Earth's, a hopper can leap ten times as far as would be normal for a particular Jump skill check. It can employ this leap as a charge attack as long as the leap is at least 10 feet distant.
Poison (Ex): Injury, Fortitude DC 14, initial and secondary damage 1d8 Str. The save DC is Constitution-based and includes a +2 racial bonus.
Skills: A hopper gains a +8 racial bonus on Jump checks.
Also in this section of the source
Immortal
Author: Robert J. Hall.
On very rare occasions an unusual combination of mutations can occur that will render a normally mortal creature ageless. This being will fully recover from seemingly fatal wounds, and will not die even from an otherwise deadly disease or poison. An immortal maintains the characteristics of its racial form, but is rendered completely sterile due to their mutations, and can only reproduce through cloning.
Depending on the species, an immortal will often choose to hide its unusual nature. It will change its identify, move about, and find new relations―at least until those it once knew have all expired. After many lifetimes have passed, this continuing exposure to different circumstances, and the many opportunities for advancement, will often produce an immortal who is highly experienced, worldly wise, and quite wealthy. An immortal can come to possess many useful skills and the knowledge of untold generations.
Note that certain creatures are always immortal, and possess their own innate qualities that render them ageless. These include certain aberrations, fey, ooze, outsiders, and undead.
Sample Immortal
This example uses a human 9th-level fighter/3rd-level expert as the base creature.