There are several special rules available to NPCs and creatures that should be used for exceptionally different or alien adversaries.
The Difficulty of any task to locate the being is increased by X. The range should be between 1 and 3.
A group of these creatures can cooperate through communications of some sort, be it sound, sight, or even pheromones. These creatures can create advantages for themselves (complications toward the characters), representing more complex problem-solving and tactics.
One or more of the creature’s attributes are far beyond the normal range for humanoids. This is indicated by a number, which is added as automatic successes on tasks using that attribute. For example, a creature with Extraordinary Reason 1 gains one success on all tasks using Reason. Extraordinary attributes will be noted next to the attribute as an extra value in parentheses.
The creature recovers from stress and injury quickly. At the start of each of its turns, if the creature has one or more Injuries, roll a d20. If you roll equal to or under the creature’s Fitness, the NPC immediately removes an Injury. If the NPC has no more Injuries, it immediately ceases to be Defeated.
The Difficulty to hit the creature with a ranged attack is increased by 1.
The creature is unperturbed by conditions and effects caused by one of a number of sources of difficulty or hindrance, such as vacuum, extremes of temperature, poison, disease, etc. The most common sources of conditions are described below:
The creature is fast enough to act more than once per round. Unless otherwise noted, creatures have Initiative 1; if they have a higher number, they may take X turns each round.
Members of this group are given considerable training in a wide range of fields. They have a minimum of 1 in all departments; when creating an NPC with this ability, increase any skill with a rating of 0 to 1.
The creature is impervious to harm and cannot be Injured in any way; Attacks can be attempted, but it cannot suffer Injuries. This can take different forms, as described below. These variations can be combined.
Specific Weakness: The creature has a specific weakness—a weak spot, a certain frequency of energy, a certain material—which can overcome its invulnerability. If this weakness is discovered and employed, then the creature can be Injured by Attacks which exploit that weakness (this also bypasses the effects of the other Invulnerable variations). The gamemaster’s discretion applies as to how the weakness may be discovered.
Staggered: The creature cannot be Injured, but it can be slowed down. If the creature would ever suffer an Injury, it instead loses the ability to perform any actions on its next turn. This effect is not cumulative.
Wrathful: The creature grows angry when challenged; each time the creature would be Injured, it instead adds 2 Threat.
The creature is not a living being, but a machine, or some form of cybernetic organism. It is highly resistant to environmental conditions, reducing the Difficulty of tasks to resist extremes of heat and cold by 2, and it is immune to the effects of suffocation, hard vacuum, starvation, and thirst.
When a creature with this rule enters a scene, immediately add X Threat. This applies whether the NPC is an adversary or an ally.
The creature has the capability to mimic a certain sense that it has experienced, such as a parrot mimicking speech, or perhaps a shape-shifting creature appearing as a humanoid they’ve encountered before.
The creature has more than two limbs that it can attack with at once effectively. If it succeeds at an attack, it adds 1 Threat.
The creature has X Protection.
The creature is unaffected by any traits which represent darkness or poor lighting.
A creature may improve attacks with its horns, claws, or tail to represent gaining momentum through charging forward, spinning, or otherwise putting all it can into the attack. The creature may add the Intense quality to its melee attacks by taking the Prepare minor action before attacking.
Whenever the creature suffers an Injury, roll a d20. If you roll equal to or under the creature’s Fitness, that Injury is not inflicted. Do this before deciding to Avoid Injury.
These creatures may “see” with X-rays, or hear sounds far too high-pitched to often be considered useful. They may “smell” by sensing subspace particles, or even feel where their prey is through detecting the pattern of time surrounding its target.
This creature cannot be knocked prone.
The creature can suddenly rear up on its hind legs and tower over its prey, bellow an intimidating roar, suddenly display brightly colored spines, or even spray noxious juices in defense of itself. Once per encounter, the creature may make an opposed task of Presence + Leadership or Combat. Characters that tie or fail that task are knocked prone as they backpedal, are startled, or otherwise pause due to a flight-or-fight response.
While not sentient or self-aware, these creatures have a nervous system advanced enough to be able to manipulate the environment somehow in their favor. These creatures can be taught how to use simple devices or tools, or perhaps can learn through observation.
Creatures that by their inherent nature can cause harm to other creatures through toxins they naturally produce or via microorganisms they symbiotically exist with are Toxic or Poisonous. Creatures that have venom sacks like snakes, or creatures that deliver toxins with an attack, are considered Venomous. Regardless of this distinction, a gamemaster can determine what is toxic or venomous about a creature. Any attack against, or by, the creature can have this as an additional trait.