New Monster! Thunderhorn

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Thanks again for subscribing to The After newsletter. As a special gift for you subscribers - here’s a new monster from the world of The After - written up by Sean Nokes with art by Jon Gibbons and ready for your gaming table.

Thunderhorn

Descended from the elk of Wind River Valley, these Changed quadrupeds now roam Wind River Valley, usually congregating in groups of three to five.  While their diet is herbivorous, they are also attracted to metal, coal, and even ash, which they will gobble down to fuel their warped metabolism.  Their innards are capable of grinding and rendering this material, which is used to reinforce their protective hide as well as manufacturing a dangerous weapon -- the racks of Butchertech micro-missiles embedded in their antlers.

While they are most often found in or near the Verdant, thunderhorns can wander miles in search of the ferrous materials they crave.  Thunderhorns often come into conflict with travelers, brazenly marching into their campsites to devour weapons, tools, Salvage, and even the ashes of a campfire.  Bullets are a special favorite of the creatures, being bite-sized and laced with the explosive materials needed to renew the thunderhorn’s weaponry.

Though the thunderhorn is not as vicious as a carnivore might be, they have no qualms about attacking nearby creatures to drive them away from a desired food source.  More than one wanderer has been trampled so that a thunderhorn could carefully nibble away his pistol and belt buckle!  A hungry thunderhorn will kick down doors, pry open cabin walls, and tip over wagons in order to get what they desire.

A formidable hunter might be able to get a great deal of Salvage from the thunderhorn’s antler-based weaponry.  Depending on how the creature was defeated, it might be possible to craft high-quality armor from its hide.  

Thunderhorn

Attributes:  Agility d6, Smarts d4 (A), Spirit d8, Strength d12+2, Vigor d12

Skills:  Athletics d10, Fighting d8, Notice d8, Shooting d10

Pace: 6; Parry: 0; Toughness: 15(4)

Edges: -

Special Abilities

• Armor +4:  A thunderhorn’s hide is laced with exotic Butchertech metals.

• Grinding Hooves:  Str+d6, AP 2.  The thunderhorn’s hooves are specialized in cracking metal objects into small pieces.  If the hoof attack hits a metal object or a creature wearing metal armor, the item immediately gains a Stress Tag:  Corroded.

• Size 3:  Thunderhorns are five feet tall at the shoulder, ten feet long, and weigh nearly a ton.

• Resilient:  Their incredible Changed physiology allows thunderhorns to suffer a single Wound without being Incapacitated.

• Salvo:  Range 15/30/60, Damage 3d6, MBT, Heavy Weapon, Ammo 4.  The thunderhorn’s signature attack is a volley of micro-missiles launched from its antlers.  It uses a Shooting roll to target the blast template, which deviates if the roll is missed.  Expended ammo is replenished after 1d6 hours of rest.