Savage Menagerie: Pfrzt

No. Enc.: 1d4
Alignment: Neutral
Movement: 60' (20')
Armor Class: 7
Hit Dice: 4
Attacks: 1
Damage: Special
Save: L2
Morale: None
Hoard Class: None

The bane of androids and robots is the energy-draining entity known as a Pfrzt (pronounced "fritz"). A Pfrzt looks like a basketball-sized floating orb, bluish-black in color, crackling with energy over its surface. It could be mistaken for ball lightning at a distance. The Pfrzt was developed in Ancient Days as a way to safely absorb and discharge massive amounts of dangerous energy, for example, from a malfunctioning reactor or rogue combat AI.  In the Mutant Future, these energy absorbers float aimlessly across the wastelands, homing in on the strongest energy signatures it can detect.

When it encounters something with a strong energy signature (vehicles, generators, and 'bots are a favored target), the Pfrzt will approach the target, attempting to make contact with it. If a Pfrzt successfully makes contact, it will instantly drain a device of all of its power. A vehicle's power cell will be emptied, or a power generator will cease to function. If an android or similar artificial life form makes contact with a Pfrzt, it should make a save versus Energy Attacks. If unsuccessful, the android will take 3d6 hit points of damage (as its power is drained away). A successful save results in half-damage. A Pfrzt will ignore all organic lifeforms, as the energy produced by a biological lifeform is too small to be recognized.

Attacking a Pfrzt is also difficult, as it takes no damage from energy-based weapon attacks, simply absorbing the energy. The only way a Pfrzt can be injured is by unpowered and/or hand-held melee weapons. However, because of the nature of a Pfrzt, it discharges 3d6 hit points of electrical damage from its energy-retaining cell structure when struck. Non-conductive weapons made of wood or plastic, or ranged "slug-throwing" weapons such as pistols and rifles are the only ways to avoid this discharge.

A Pfrzt will consider its mission as "complete" once it has absorbed 50 points of energy. Because it is single-minded of purpose once it has homed onto a target, the best way to deal with it is to somehow "feed" it via energy weapon discharges or by tossing charged power cells and batteries at it until it has taken in its fill of power.

Mutations: energy absorption (electric), energy-retaining cell structure