Monster: Sea-Dasher Octopus

Monster: Sea-Dasher Octopus

Magic: the Gathering has hundreds of interesting creatures that, unfortunately, do not have much in terms of lore or description. However, the art, flavor text, and abilities sometimes are enough of an inspiration to come up with a proper statblock. Also, the lack of lore lets you get your creative juices flowing, helping you focus on the creation of something new instead of an adaptation.

So, I went on scryfall.com, hit the random card button, and got the Sea-Dasher Octopus. I remember being excited for Ikoria as a set, but then being utterly disappointed. Regardless of that, I like a lot of the creatures from that set. Let's see - this octopus doesn't look much bigger than a normal octopus on the art. It's a sea-dasher octopus and it is shown grabbing a fish, which probably isn't that easy of a feat. Also, its coloration is similar to the surroundings, seeming to imply improved camouflage abilities. Thus, I decided to use the normal octopus as the base, increase DX and Water Move, remove Ink, add Enhanced Move 1, improve Chameleon. This way we get an octopus that relies on its camouflage and bursts of speed to catch prey and evade predators. But what about Mutate? I decided to give Chameleon the Affects Others enhancement. I can imagine the sea-dasher octopus having a symbiotic relationship with another predator that benefits from the octopus attaching itself and granting the camouflage ability.

Sea-Dasher Octopus

90 points
Attribute Modifiers: ST-4 [-40]; DX+4 [80]; IQ-6 [-120]; HT+2 [20].
Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: SM-1; Basic Move -4 [-20]; Water Move +5 [25]; Will+6 [30]; Per+4 [20].
Advantages: Amphibious [10]; Chameleon 4 (Affects Others 1, +50%) [30]; Constriction Attack [15]; Enhanced Move 1 (Water; Costs Fatigue, 1 FP, -5%) [19]; Extra Arms 6 (Extra-Flexible, +50%; Foot Manipulators, -30%) [72]; Extra-Flexible Foot Manipulators 2 [4]; Extra Legs (Eight Legs; Cannot Kick, ‑50%) [8]; Good Grip 2 [10]; Injury Tolerance (No Neck) [5]; Peripheral Vision [15]; Sharp Beak [1].
Disadvantages: Cold-Blooded (50°) [-5]; Invertebrate [-20]; Restricted Diet (Carnivore) [-10]; Short Lifespan 2 [-20]; Wild Animal (with Mute) [-40].
Perks: Polarization Detection [1].
Features: Doesn’t Breathe (Gills).
Creature Type: Animal.

Typical Stats

ST:	6	HP:	6	Speed:	6.5
DX:	14	Will:	10	Move:	2 land, 7 water
IQ:	4	Per:	8
HT:	12	FP:	12	SM:	-1
Dodge:	9	Parry:	10 (unarmed)	DR:	0

    Tentacle Grapple (27): The tentacles are not very strong, but the octopus has many of them. Wrestling at DX+1 gives the octopus a ST score of 7 for the purpose of grappling. The octopus has Constriction Attack. Effective skill 27 includes a +14 bonus for using 8 tentacles at once. Reach C. The tentacles give +4 with tasks that require a firm grip (including climbing).
    Sharp Beak (14): thrust 1d-5 large piercing (KYOS: 1d-7 large piercing), Reach C.

    Traits: Amphibious; Chameleon 4 (Affects Others 1); Cold-Blooded (50°); Constriction Attack; Doesn’t Breathe (Gills); Enhanced Move 1 (Water; Costs Fatigue, 1 FP); Extra Arms 6 (Extra-Flexible; Foot Manipulators); Extra-Flexible Foot Manipulators 2; Extra Legs (Eight Legs; Cannot Kick); Good Grip 2; Injury Tolerance (No Neck); Invertebrate; Peripheral Vision; Polarization Detection; Restricted Diet (Carnivore); Short Lifespan 2; Wild Animal (with Mute).
    Skills: Camouflage-15; Stealth-15; Wrestling-15.
    Creature Type: Animal.