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A Space swine is a flying boar from the Spelljammer campaign setting.[1]

“... dependable mounts, strong beasts of burden, and they make a tasty mid-afternoon snack”
- Dohwar promotional blurb.[1]

Overview[]

Space swine are a species of winged boar specially bred by the mercantile dohwar for a variety of purposes. They serve primarily as trackers, since they have an uncanny sense of smell.[1]

Description[]

Space swine stand three feet tall at the shoulder and are six feet long. They also sport a pair of huge grey wings, similar to that of a pigeon, with a span of about eight-feet. A single blunt horn juts out about six inches from the creatures thick skull. A space swine is normally a dirty or mottled brown, though certain prestigious bloodlines may be pure white or black. Space swine grunt like pigs and sometimes coo like pigeons, though judging by the dohwar's reaction, its possible that the pigs are not supposed to coo.[1]

Combat[]

Space swine are as fierce, and as ill tempered, as any wild boar, and rely on their tusks in battle. Space swine trained as war mounts can also charge an opponent with their single horn. If a space swine and its dohwar rider are at least 120-feet from their target, the space swine can perform a high-speed attack (usually diving down on their foe), all the while emitting a piercing war-squeal that rises in pitch as it nears its target. If a space swine hits its target, it impales them with its horn, while its 500-pound bulk crushes them. At impact, the space swine may be knocked unconscious for up to 4 minutes with a light concussion, while its rider is of course thrown.

A space swine war mount can be trained to follow up to a dozen commands. These commands can be given using signs or simple phrases. Though a space swine cannot speak, it recognizes its given name and its rider. If a space swine throws its rider in battle but has a chance to rescue them, the pig will fly away as fast as possible (though it will feel really bad about this, and will miss its rider terribly).[1]

Deathsquealers[]

The dohwar have formed elite air-borne cavalry units, known as Deathsquealers, which are mounted on space swine. These cavalry units are organized into squads of four mounted riders, each of which are equipped with weega (beak-mounted swords) and light lances. Against all logic, Deathsquealers wear heavy, unwieldy plate armor which is so bulky that it slows down their reaction time. Fortunately, similar barding hasn't been developed for their space swine mounts.[2]

Society[]

Space swine are raised in herds, with litters consisting of up to 12 sucklings. All space swine are fairly good-natured, and do not squabble amongst each other, though adult space swine band together to defend sucklings from predators. They are also clean animals, preening their wings to keep them in good shape and airworthy. On hot planets, space swine enjoy rolling around in mud to cool off.

Space swine are muscular animals, and can bear loads of up to 400 pounds without noticeably slowing down. Despite their bulk, they are sure-footed. A space swine retains enough air for itself for 24 hours, or 18 hours with a rider. Space swine can eat almost anything, and have been known to gobble up garbage tossed out by passing ships.

Space swine are uncanny trackers. If allowed to sniff a piece of clothing, or a sample of some sort of material (which can be anything from gold to silver to water to truffles), a space swine can track the person or material in question without fault. Once on the scent, a space swine is relentless and will continue without rest, unless prevented by fatigue, injury, or trickery.

In wildspace, a space swine can find a scent up to 48,000 miles away. This distance drops by 2,000 miles for every hour that has passed since the scent was left. Thus, if a dohwar wishes to track down a particular vessel that passed within 10,000 miles of them 12 hours ago, a space swine would be able to pick up the scent.[2]

Uses[]

Besides tracking, space swine also serve as beasts of burden, mounts, and food (they taste delicious roasted, with applesauce on the side). Though the dohwar are proud of their porcine creations, other spacefaring races consider the flying pigs an insane idea and have nicknamed them “star pork”.

The dohwar try to market space swine as an all-in-one animal for the knowledgeable explorer, but apparently those same explorers know enough not to believe them. The only ones who purchase space swine in great numbers are the tinker gnomes, who think the creatures are “a brilliant idea”.

In desperation, the dohwar have also tried to sell space swine to spacefaring halflings, billing them as “dependable mounts, strong beasts of burden, and they make a tasty mid-afternoon snack”, though without any notable success.[2]

Signature Spelljammers[]

The dohwar have developed their own ship design, known as an Uspo, which can carry up to 48 space swine and their Deathsquealer riders.[2]

Appendix[]

Gallery[]

External Links[]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 John Terra, MC9 Monstrous Compendium Spelljammer Appendix II, 1991, (TSR Inc.), Space Swine entry
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 John Terra, MC9 Monstrous Compendium Spelljammer Appendix II, 1991, (TSR Inc.), Dohwar entry
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