Crawler
| Shadow Crawler | |||||||||||
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| Critter | |||||||||||
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| Role | Venomous, stealthy critter | ||||||||||
| Location | Caves Lower Underrail Under-passages Coretech Research Facility Institute of Tchort west wing | ||||||||||
| Loot | Crawler Stinger Crawler's Eye Insectoid Salivarium | ||||||||||
| Abilities | Darkvision Crawler Sting special attack Regenerates 20 hit points per round Restealths after injecting its venom Opportunist | ||||||||||
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Description
Crawlers are stealthy, evasive critters that often lurk in dark buildings and tunnels, but they also inhabit caves far from humans. Red Dream Mushrooms often grow in their cave habitats. They are known to hunt rathounds and humans. Their venomous sting applies crawler poison, which paralyzes (stuns) their prey within two turns if not removed. Crawlers are immune to poisons and the tranquilizing chemical Midazolam.
In version 0.1.13.0, they received an AI upgrade: After successfully injecting their venom, they crawl away via cavern ceilings and restealth, only to reappear when their prey is about to be paralyzed.
Even more dangerous than the common crawler are the larger Death Stalkers and the rare Black Crawler.
Fighting tactics
Carrying Antidotes to cure crawler poison before it paralyzes you is essential when facing crawlers in a defensive battle, unless you have the Thick Skull feat.
Crawlers always sneak around and thus encounters with them vary depending on what sort of character you play.
- Characters with low Detection likely won't notice crawlers before they attack, but characters with high Initiative have a chance of getting the first turn if they bump into a crawler before it attacks.
- Flares and grenades or other area of effect attacks can be used to flush them out of stealth if you have a rough idea of their location. Flares in particular are particularly economical for this purpose.
- Bear traps or electrokinetic imprints work well if you can estimate the direction crawler(s) will come from. Noise can be used to lure them into your traps.
- Because they tend to strike from melee, they are very susceptible to Tasers. Keep one handy to zap them and prevent them from running away.
- Incendiary bolts and munitions work well; like many other denizens of the tunnels, they will often panic when ignited.
- High Perception combined with Paranoia gives a good chance of noticing them before they can get into melee range and a good first strike.
- Characters with high Stealth and Detection have a fair chance of detecting crawlers first if moving carefully.
Gallery
Various crawler portraits and sprites.
Crawler
Crawler
