From the Stars Without Number Compatible – Alien Database
Bite. The bite of a whirlfish inflicts 5d4 piercing damage. If the whirlfish inflicts more than 15 damage or scores a successful hit roll by 5 points or more, then it can attempt to swallow the target. See Swallow below for more details.
Flipper. The flipper inflicts 3d4 bludgeoning damage. If the whirlfish employs the flipper to attack whilst underwater, then the target must make an Exert/Dexterity skill check with a DC equal to the damage suffered or be knocked prone.
Swallow. The whirlfish can swallow a creature of 1 meter in a single round of combat. A creature larger than one meter requires an extra successful hit roll to be swallowed completely. The maximum size of a creature the whirlfish can swallow is 2 meters. Swallowed targets suffer 1d4 crushing damage per round and are not able to move their limbs.
Whirlpool. The whirlfish can create a whirlpool around the target to drag it underwater. The whirlfish employs this technique when hunting in waters 3 meters deep at least, where the attack with the flipper would not be able to knock the target prone. The target must make a successful DC 8 Exert/Strength skill
check. If the skill check fails, then the target is dragged 1d4 meters below the water surface. The whirlfish requires two rounds to create the whirlpool and can employ this special attack once per scene.
COMBAT & TACTICS
The whirlfish is an animal with an intelligence above the average, which explains why its hunting techniques are sophisticated and adapt to ever-changing circumstances. The whirlfish is capable of evaluating the strength of prey by observation and usually waits for favorable circumstances before attacking, especially
when having to deal with intelligent humanoids. If the whirlfish is hunting in low waters, then it first attacks with the flipper to knock the target prone, and then with the bite drag the victim away in higher waters to finish it. In case the first surprise attack with the flipper fails, the whirlfish will not insist, preferring to save energy for a later assault. The whirlpool attack is employed when hunting in deeper waters, especially with large targets, in such a case the whirlfish attempts to drown the prey before engaging.
DESCRIPTION
Whirlfishes measure around three meters at their full stage of maturity. The head, compared to the body, is large and measures something less than one meter. The dorsal fin starts from the head and extends for the whole length of the fish, with its color ranging from gray to deep green to blend with the local flora. The body is deep gray and covered by sticky mucus. The lateral flippers are also oversized, measuring around one meter and protected by bony plates. The caudal fin is horizontal, like those of cetaceans.
HABITAT
The whirlfish thrives in shallow liquid masses like lagoons, bogs, swamps, marshes, and in some seashores. They prefer a warm, very warm, and rainy environment. They tend to evolve on tidally-locked planets, in those regions where there is a constant dawn-dusk day cycle. Local tribes still in their stone-age, have learned to train these creatures and employ them as draft animals to cross marshes and swamps by attaching a raft to the animal. The whirlfish is intelligent enough to understand the benefit of good cooperation with more intelligent beings.
BIOLOGY
The whirlfish has entered the initial stage of evolution to colonize the dry land. The mucus that covers its body has already adapted to breathe and filter gaseous atmosphere quite efficiently, allowing the creature to survive outside of liquids for several hours. The whirlfish has poor sight and has to rely on its smell
and its biological sensors located in the dorsal fin, which are capable of detecting electric impulses and variation in air density. The dorsal fin bestows the whirlfish lifesense and tremorsense. The mucus on its body, besides its function as a breathing organ, bestows the creature with a very sensitive sense of smell.