Silver gliders (Creature)

The Silver Glider is a small flying reptile originating from the lush jungles of the planet Calliste.

Mature Silver Gliders can reach a wingspan of 53 inches (130 cm), for a weight of 3 lbs (1.3 kg).

Silver Glider are omnivores, feeding mostly on insects, grubs and tree bark.

They are famous for their bright chromium color, caused by their constant nibbling of the Shine tree’s bark, a plant that extracts metals from the soil, to store it in its bark, as a barrier against ravagers.

A swarm of Silver Glider is almost impossible to look at directly in sunny conditions. They have an uncanny ability to reflect light, and use it a defense mechanism against their predators. That is why a group of Silver Gliders is known as a "dazzle". Adults Gliders have no natural predator, because their metallic skin contains lethal amounts of toxic metals like mercury, that will poison anything trying prey on them. Only the Boomvox, a small, weasel-like creature, is able to prey on the Glider’s eggs and hatchlings, that don’t possess the toxicity of their parents.

The only real danger for adult Silver Gliders, besides getting hit by colonist vehicles, lies in the rare thunderstorms of Calliste. Even if they try to hide in the undergrowth, entire dazzles of Silver Gliders, carried away by a hurricane, can be killed by lightning strike, as their metallic skin makes an excellent electricity conduit.

Colonists are advised not to disturb the nesting area of the Silver Gliders, because of the reported incidents concerning missing hikers, found lost deep in the wood after losing their sense of direction when they fell victim to the blinding aerobatics of a dazzle of Silver Gliders.

The reptiles are territorial, and will not go out of their way to harass people who keep out of their nesting area. They always emit loud Distress Calls as a warning before attacking trespassers.

Recently, Human teenagers took the nasty habit of breaking into the Glider’s nature preserves at night, in order to disturb the nests, for the sole purpose of using the reflective reptiles as living light shows during illegal rave parties. Such behavior is considered to be a felony on Calliste.

Dazzle of Silver Gliders (Level 2) group of small, flying reptiles

**Armor:** 1

**Melee Dodge:** 2, **Ranged Dodge:** 5

**Movement:** 3 (6 flying)

**Attributes:** Strength 2, Stamina 5, Reflexes 5, Concentration 4, Logic 1, Influence 1

**Actions:**

Blinding Light: Range Attack = 6, there is 3 in 6 chance to be Blinded for the round, and if any 1’s were rolled, the target is also Dazed. The target has an automatic penalty of -3 in Stealth check related to sight. This ability works only when a visible light source (like the sun, or a projector) is available.

Distress calls: The target has an automatic penalty of -3 in Stealth related to sound.

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

**Reactions:**

Blur: Moves 1 square in reaction to an attack and gain +1 Dodge until end of turn.

Reflective: If hit with an energy weapon, the Glider acts like a reflective surface. Assign a number to each of the players, and roll to know which one is now affected by the shot. The Ricochet ignores 1 point the opponent's cover and the Armor Penetration is reduced by 1. Characters who possess the Ricochet Shot Talent can bounce off their shots on a flying Glider with a penalty on -2.

**Weakness:**

Conductive: Electricity-based attacks inflict double damages.

**Other Skills:** Awareness 4, Endurance 5, Athletics 5