Name: Spran
Size: Diminutive
Hit Dice: 1d4+6 (8)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 12m
AC: 16 (+4 size, +2 Dex)
Attacks: Bite +2 melee
Damage: 1d4-2
Face/Reach: .1m x .3m / .1m
Special Attacks: Swarm
Saves: Fort –2, Ref +4, Will –2
Abilities: Str 7, Dex 14, Con 6, Int 1, Wis 6, Cha 4
Skills: Climb +2, Survival +2
Feats: None
Challenge Rating: 1/2

Thought to be the creation of Peacekeeper genetic engineers, the spran first appeared on half a dozen worlds simultaneously. They quickly destroyed the crops on those worlds, darkening the skies in massive swarms. It is not considered a coincidence that all of these planets were under siege by the Peacekeepers at the time. Because of the lack of food caused by the spran, all the worlds had to give in to Peacekeepers within a few weeks. Now the spran can occasionally be found on other worlds, because of Peacekeeper deployments or spran catching rides on spacecraft, but they are normally hunted down when found.

The spran are little more than a voracious appetite and a strong reproductive drive with wings. They usually consume three times their own weight in food per day, but they can survive on far less if need be. All spran are born male, but after eating thirty times its weight a spran will turn female and reproduce, with fifty to one hundred eggs being laid in each batch. This means most spran reproduce every ten days or so under ideal conditions, which makes it easy to see how they can easily wipe out a planet’s food.

Spran eat mainly grains and vegetables, but if they get hungry enough they will eat plant matter. Luckily, they will only eat animal matter as a last resort, though some reports of carnivorous spran have begun to surface from the Uncharted Territories. Once the spran are released on a planet they will multiply, eat and then die en mass, leaving the planet a withered husk. Thankfully, the spran are easily frightened with fire or loud noises.

Swarm: Up to 80 spran can swarm a medium sized target or 40 on a small target. When a target is swarmed by spran make one attack roll with a +10 bonus. If the attack check succeeds, each point the check succeeded by indicates one successful bite by the spran.

Name: Tuvara
Size: Tiny (5 – 6 centimeters)
Hit Dice: 1d4
Initiative: +3 (Dex)
Speed: 20, climb 10
AC: 15 (+2 size, +3 Dex)
Attacks: Bite +5 melee
Damage: Bite 1 and poison
Face/Reach: 1m x 1m / 0m
Special Attacks: Poison
Special Qualities: Vermin
Saves: Fortitude +2, Reflex +3, Will +0
Abilities: Str 3, Dex 17, Con 10, Int —, Wis 10, Cha 2
Skills: Climb +8, Hide +18, Spot +7
Feats: Weapon Finesse (bite)
Challenge Rating: 1/2

These tiny creatures are among the most toxic animals in the Uncharted Territories. With a bite able to kill its victim within seconds, the miniscule tuvara is very dangerous. Even those who survive a bite from a tuvara become very ill, experiencing hallucinations, fevers, and chills for a minimum of three solar days.

This small creature originally came from the planet Dansakat Six, on the borders of the Uncharted Territories. The planet is mostly uninhabited, and the small creatures were unnoticed by the galaxy for a very long time. When a small group of pirates established a hideout on the planet a few hundred cycles ago, a few of the group fell prey to the creatures. Rather than retreat from the planet, however, the pirates turned their tragedy into profit.

These days, tuvara can be found in black markets and on Commerce Planets throughout the galaxy, both in and out of the Uncharted Territories. Assassins in particular enjoy pet tuvaras, either harvesting their venom or actually placing the creature in a location where the victim can encounter it (such as his bed, or his sanitary-room). Tuvara venom is nearly scentless, tasteless, and colorless, and it is extremely fast-acting. In addition, within an hour of the victim’s death, the toxin is nearly undetectable. As such, most autopsies will reveal that the victim’s body merely stopped working. Tuvaras, as a result, have become a favorite of assassins everywhere. Tuvara-handlers know how to manufacture a counter-toxin for their pet’s venom, and a single injection a day keeps them protected from the deadly bite.

Poison: When a victim is infected with the tuvara’s poison, he must make a Fortitude save, DC 11. If he fails, he dies. If he succeeds, Strength, Dexterity, Wisdom, and Constitution are all reduced by half for three solar days.