Puffer

Puffers were extremely durable solitary predators that could survive in wildspace in a dormant state for several years.

Description
A dormant puffer resembled a featureless, inflated balloon. Upon encountering an air mass of at least 1 ton (910 kg), it immediately became active.

An active puffer resembled a cross between a crocodile with its sharp fangs and a scorpion with a poison stinger on its curled tail.

Behavior
While dormant, puffers slowly drifted through space by exhaling a thin stream of air. They could detect objects such as asteroids and spelljammers from a distance of up to 100 mi (160 km), then slowly moved toward them in an attempt to land. They could perform between five and ten such maneuvers before running out of air and dying.

If successful on its landing, the puffer became active and turned into a ruthless killing machine.

Combat
In combat, puffers made abundant use of their strong bites and poisonous stingers. The poison was so potent that it could instantly kill a humanoid. Puffers could only fight while in their active state.

Ecology
During their entire lives, puffers made only one successful landing, which had the purpose of reproduction. After landing successfully on a ship or asteroid, they found sufficiently large creatures to kill in order for them to serve as hosts for their eggs. A puffer laid dozens of eggs on a large enough host or several smaller ones, then floated back to wildspace to die.

The eggs hatched within three to four weeks. Newborn puffers then immediately sought for prey to kill and eat, growing rapidly. Following that, the young puffers inhaled substantial amounts of air until they reached a diameter of between 30 and 40 ft (9.1‒12 m) then propelled themselves into wildspace, where they would spend the next years or decades.

Due to their method of propulsion, puffers could not survive a fall into a large object such as a planet. Instead, they preferred to prey on ships and asteroids.

Puffers could be a valuable source of air if slain while dormant. Moreover, puffer meat was considered a savory delicacy. Crates containing puffer steaks were regularly stored in Stardock for its githyanki inhabitants in the late 15 century DR.

Appearances

 * Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage (mentioned only)