Treesquid (Creature)

The treesquid is an arboreal herbivore cephalopod, the size of a small dog. This animal lives in the canopy of the tropical forests on the planet Calliste. As a distant relative of his aquatic cousins that still live in the oceans of that world, the treesquid kept a lot of their basic characteristics. They have a tubular body, two eyes mounted on stalks, and eight tentacles ending with chitinous pincers.

The treesquids are vital to numerous species of trees on Calliste, as they are the only creature able to ensure the germination and dispersion of their heavy seedpods. This creature evolved a unique digestive system, know as a tubular pseudo-stomach. They can store big quantities of seeds in a kind of pouch that opens at both ends of the body on two extensible beaked mouths. This pouch is only the antechamber of the digestive tract, and the animal uses it for all kind of things, including as a nursery for their babies, when they need to transport them between two water-filled plants in the forest canopy.
Because of this unique adaptation, the treesquids often use whatever they have stored in their pouches as a defense against predators. They are quite nimble and can fling themselves between branches with some of their arms, while at the same time hurling seedpods or even rocks at their assailants with their free limbs.

Treesquids have a limited camouflage ability, that they use when they attempt the digestion of huge fruit clusters. In that situation, they just enlarge their lower mouth to swallow the whole cluster, and remain immobile for a week, digesting with their tentacles retracted, while imitating the color and texture of the fruits. Many early explorers of Calliste lost a finger or two trying to pick up those strange looking fruits !
Most of the year, treesquids are solitary creatures, but during the mating season and to care for the babies, couples form that will last several months. During this time, the treesquids communicate by altering the color patterns of their skin, and studies have shown that they even transmit a proto-culture to their offspring, by teaching them how to crack open edible seedpods using rocks, or which medicinal plant to eat as a purge when they have parasites.

Treesquid are not a threat for most of the colonists on Calliste, usually they keep to the canopy of the forest, while being quite curious about civilization. Some of them are known to steal shiny objects in remote cabins and play with gardening tools. The only known attacks from treesquids date back from the days before the creation of the nature preserves on Calliste. Lumberjacks were knocked out cold by groups of panicked treesquids that gathered to protect their forest. Some of them were able to hit human workers with rocks right between the eyes at distances of more than a 100 feet.

The logging on Calliste lasted long enough to threaten some major endemic species, including the treesquid. But after negotiations between the ISU and the local government, a green trade agreement was passed that allowed the forest and the animal populations to regenerate.

Since the delimitation of the preserves, no other incident was reported.

Recently, efforts to educate the colonists to the importance of their indigenous fauna were made.
Each citizen on Calliste has to volunteer at least once in a nature care center. It was during one of those mandatory internships that a brood of orphaned treesquids were entrusted to an Archaeloid citizen named Oolaqa.

The results were totally unexpected : after a year, the feral treesquids were almost domesticated, and by using her language chromatophores, Oolaqa had managed to communicate with the babies, teaching them all kind of tricks. Thinking of Oolaqa as their mother, they used to climb on her back and play with every object she gave them, even learning to produce them on command. This brood became the first generation of pet treesquids, and Oolaqa now owns a popular kennel on Calliste the "Obedient Squid Friend" where Archaeloids can obtain faithful companions.

**Treesquid** (Level 8) medium, herbivore cephalopod

**Armor:** 1

**Melee Dodge:** 5, **Ranged Dodge:** 5

**Movement:** 6 (suspended and forest) or 3 (on the ground)

**Attributes:** Strength 3, Stamina 4, Reflexes 5, Concentration 2, Logic 2, Influence 2

**Special:**

Racial Pet : Archaeloids can purchase pet Treesquids and use them as living backpacks (works as a normal-sized backpack). A trained Treesquid can produce (or drop) any object in his inventory at the cost of his master Free Action. This animal grants the Talent "Well Organized Backpack". To make the Treesquid perform an Attack (listed below), his master must use his persuasion skill. A miss means that the Treesquid will not attack (or will attack the wrong person) at the discretion of the MC. It is impossible to loot the inventory of a living Treesquid. If a character with the "Sleight of hand" Talent tries to do so, he will endure a Bite attack. If any 1’s are rolled, his hand is now part of the Treesquid inventory !

**Actions:**

Slingshot (2): Range Attack = 5, damage 2 bludgeoning, Effect: The Treesquid hurls seedpods or stones with great accuracy (when used as a backpack, if 1’s are rolled on a Persuasion fail, a random small object in the inventory is thrown instead of the right projectile)

Bite: Melee Attack = 4, damage 2 (AP 1) piercing

**Reactions:**

Give: Produces 1 item from his inventory list at the cost of his master Free Action.

Drop: Drops 1 item from his inventory list at the cost of his master Free Action.

Hide: Moves 1 square away from danger and uses his camouflage ability (Stealth +2)at the cost of his master Free Action (When used as a backpack, this means the Treesquid detaches from his master and is now controlled by the MC) usually the animal will try to reach his master when there is no apparent threat.

**Other Abilities:**

Agile Climber: May move full movement (but may not Sprint) across vertical surfaces or while upside down, as long as 4 of its 8 feet are in contact with the surface.

**Other Skills:** Awareness 4, Stealth 6, Athletics 4, Simple Ranged Weapons 5, Persuasion 2