Water Bear (AKA, Fat Bug Tank)

Game Talk The Lab
1

There was a suggestion a while ago for a Water Bear creature in the game. This is my interpretation of that creature.

Because I was using an outdated version of the game, I’ll simply add the changes that I made to the code and where I made them below.

[spoiler]The changes to code are all as follows:

Additional code inserted into monsters.json:

{
“type” : “MONSTER”,
“id” : “mon_water_bear”,
“name”: “water bear”,
“species”:“INSECT”,
“default_faction”:“herbivore”,
“symbol”:“W”,
“color”:“white”,
“size”:“LARGE”,
“material”:“flesh”,
“diff”:10,
“aggression”:-99,
“morale”:100,
“speed”:10,
“melee_skill”:0,
“melee_dice”:1,
“melee_dice_sides”:1,
“melee_cut”:1,
“dodge”:0,
“armor_bash”:50,
“armor_cut”:55,
“vision_day”:1,
“vision_night”:1,
“hp”:500,
“death_function”:“MELT”,
“death_drops”: “mon_water_bear_drops”,
“description”:“Once too small to be seen, this ridiculously oversized Water Bear stands as tall as the average human and as long as a small car. Its vaguely barrel-shaped segmented body is carried atop eight stubby legs, each tipped with four gangly claws reminiscent of thick strands of pasta. Its thick chitinous armor audibly crackles and pops as it waddles sluggishly about.”,
“flags”:[“SWIMS”, “ANIMAL”, “ACIDPROOF”, “FIREPROOF”, “FAT”, “NO_BREATHE”,“CHITIN”, “ARTHROPOD_BLOOD”]
}

Code inserted into monster group “GROUP_FOREST” in monstergroups.json:

{ “monster” : “mon_water_bear”, “freq” : 3, “cost_multiplier” : 1 }

Code inserted into monster group “GROUP_RIVER” in monstergroups.json:

{ “monster” : “mon_water_bear”, “freq” : 10, “cost_multiplier” : 1 }

Code inserted into monster group “GROUP_SWAMP” in monstergroups.json:

{ “monster” : “mon_water_bear”, “freq” : 10, “cost_multiplier” : 1 },

Item group for the Water Bear added to monster_drops.json:

[spoiler]

{
“type” : “item_group”,
“subtype”: “collection”,
“id”: “mon_water_bear_drops”,
“comment”:“the water bear melts away on death and drops a large assortment of chitin pieces”,
“entries”:
[
{“item”: “chitin_piece”, “count-min”: 15, “count-max”: 25, “prob”: 100}

    ]
}</blockquote>[/spoiler][/spoiler]

If you noticed that the armor values are ridiculously high, this is intentional. Water Bears today are environmental hardcore badasses, and something on a larger scale would be that, plus a living block of solid armor. I’ve tested for balance and can confirm that most small arms fire and medium arms fire are totally useless and requires slightly higher-end weaponry applied point-blank repeatedly, or mid to high-yield explosives. A mini-nuke is overkill but will in fact totally destroy it. May take several smaller explosives, but grenades are probably useless. Shrapnel damage in general is useless.

They appear rarely out and about anywhere, but are found near rivers and more frequently in swamps, given that they are normally aquatic.

Currently, anything that would pick on anything else will distract themselves forever trying to kill the Water Bear. This may need to be changed later if it proves problematic to the game balance. Otherwise it is fully functional and no bugs should be found, assuming the code was inserted correctly.

Additionally, the description might be a little long and go past the boundaries of the description boxes. I personally am not familiar on how to scroll in those, so that might be a problem. I can fiddle with the descriptions if need be.

Also, they might get hurt by lava. This technically shouldn’t happen but also is kind of unlikely, considering they barely move around anyway.

2

Chitin yield from butchery depends on monsters size. To make them spawn, I suggest to stick them into GROUP_SWAMP and give them low frequency (found in monstergroups.json), they’ll spawn in swamps.

3

You could have it drop chitin and meat on death and give it DISSOLVES for death_function. As if it lost all cohesion after it died, dissolving into piles of meat and bugarmor.

4

Updated! The Water Bear now spawns naturally in the wild and melts on death, providing a big pile of chitin for all that work killing it. Survivors can now choose between kicking a giant ant or giant bee nest, or hunting and killing a couple of Water Bears as a non-lethal but slightly more troublesome alternative to collecting chitin.

They don’t drop meat or fat, but those aren’t exactly hard to come by anyway and probably not a concern if you decide to tackle these fatties.

5

How 'bout an even bigger water bear for the monster evolution feature?

MwnyIri.jpg1920×1200

I’m kinda joking, although that would be awesome.

6

I think I know who made the suggestion first. I was looking forward to my Gods RPG secret character killing off some of his waterbears in that game. Shame game-master had to go.

Sup Rhodri? I am disappointed in not having gotten to kill your god too.

7

Im so glad we added this guy. Remind me to add him in my games, even if I dont plan to murder for profit :o

8

whats up in the role playing forums now days? anything good? I’ve not even really checked since that godsRNG dried up

9

over at Bay12?

I dont usually stop by the FR&P except for the silly 1-liner games, like ‘word association’.

10

No not the other forum, any forum Role playing going on on THIS forum. Or is it completely gone now? Purged to the void?

11

I was inspired to actually make my own :>

Tardigrade gives no cares about your zombies.

HvejmFi.png692×570

It took a fire axe to piss him off, and hes not very good at fistcuffs or very fast, but he can defend himself.