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Introducing Rheobatrachus volans, the Gliding Frog! This animal is based off of a combination of the recently extinct Gastric Brooding Frog and the living Wallace’s Flying Frog. Aberration is no stranger to downright weird wildlife, and what’s weirder than a combination of a frog that gives birth to live babies and a frog that can fly! If this creature was added, it’d certainly do wonders for ARK’s heavily lacking amphibian roster, along with adding something that Aberration sorely needs! The biggest part of Aberration, in my opinion, is the unique methods of transportation that are imposed on the player due to the environment. While end game choices like the Rock Drake are everything you could want and more for cave exploration, I feel like early game creatures like the Ravager and Roll Rat are lacking. Their movement abilities are interesting, but are either incredibly niche in use or aren’t really the best for the map (for example, as much as I love the Roll Rat, on Aberration it’s very prone to just rolling off a cliff, and struggles to turn in tight passageways). Rheobatrachus will be the answer to your early game transport needs and add a new, if a little goofy, way to travel in style! Let's hop into the concept! Table of Contents 1. Artwork 2. Dossier Text 3. Potential Base Stats and Spawning 4. Taming 5. Abilities and Controls - A Flying Frog? - Abilities - Controls 6. Supplementary Links Dossier Text Common Name: Gliding Frog Species: Rheobatrachus volans Time: Holocene Diet: Omnivore Temperament: Evasive Wild Apart from the size, Rheobatrachus volans bears strong resemblance to its recently extinct relatives… except for the fact that this super-charged frog can fly! Well, more like fall with style. Much like other frogs, its sticky toe pads allow it to grip a variety of surfaces with ease. However, the webbing between its digits is specifically designed to catch the air like a parachute! This allows it to leap great distances, then gently float back to earth without a scratch. An excellent adaptation for staying mobile in these twisting caverns! Somehow stranger than the gliding is its preferred method for avoiding predators… weaponised charge light! Females will produce ammunition in the form of specialised eggs, which they swallow and store in their stomach. When threatened, they burp them up, and the resulting blinding flash caused by the eggs bursting open stuns predators long enough for them to make their escape! The males aren’t defenceless either, filling their vocal sacs with charge to put foes in a trance, then croaking loudly to send them running! Domesticated While not the most adept climber, or the fastest glider, Rheobatrachus is the perfect choice for those just starting to explore the depths! The giant amphibian is especially popular thanks to its unique reproduction. Giving birth to live young means that it is far less water-dependent than its kin, making them much easier to keep in captivity. Any added mobility in these caves is invaluable, and its affinity for defending itself with charge light has saved my skin more times than I can count! Potential Base Stats and Spawning Health: 225 Stamina/Charge Capacity: 300 Charge Regeneration: 150 Food: 1500 Weight: 280 Melee Damage: See "Abilities and Controls" section for base damage values Torpidity: 175 Rheobatrachus would be found in the Fertile/Green Zones of Aberration. You may see this hybrid frog meandering along the ground, or resting in a lofty perch inside the caps of the giant fungal trees. I feel like having an animal, like the Archaeopteryx, that can be found roosting in trees would really help the map feel a lot more alive! All of the “activity” in ARK really happens at the player’s eye level, there’s rarely a reason to look upwards aside from trying to find a flyer. Having a creature that could bring some life to the tree canopy would be more than welcome! Taming While I love a good custom taming mechanic, an early game creature shouldn’t have anything too complex. Rheobatrachus would be a conventional KO tame, but I’d be open to any appropriate suggestions to spice things up! However, there are a few things to note about taming yourself a froggy friend… Diet Rheobatrachus likes to eat, in order of preference: Plant Species Z Fruit (kibble) Mutton Prime Meat I feel having it specifically require Z fruit as its kibble could make things a bit interesting. While intended to be an early game tame, if you really want to kibble tame it, you’ll have to wait till midgame to get a good one. Also, a few of its abilities would most certainly be useful for midgame and even into the lategame as a taming helper! Mobility These frogs are so fine tuned for movement, even bola-ing them down doesn’t stop them completely! I think it would add to the personality of the Rheo if it could still manage a (pitifully) slow crawl while trapped in a bola. Not the fastest or most dignified escape, but it’s all it can manage when its back legs are all tied up! Abilities and Controls A Flying Frog? First things first, lets get this out of the way. I hear you, how does this thing not invalidate creatures like Beelzebufo and Rock Drake? Simple, it has its own niche! Below is a handy dandy chart detailing how its mechanics differ from the rest of the bunch! Art also thanks to RRG! In terms of abilities: The Rheobatrachus would be a wonderful way to get around the upper regions of Aberration! While its combat prowess leaves a bit to be desired, it more than makes up for it in its utility! Both males and females can spread their webbed toes wide to catch the air below them, turning them into living parachutes! Both can also manage that awkward, but endearing, frog climb up a variety of surfaces! However, each has their own charge light themed abilities! Males Males are able to inflate their vocal sacs and fill them with charge light, turning them into a living lure that can slowly lead creatures to different locations. While the sac is inflated, you won’t be able to glide. Females Females will use their charge light stat to slowly produce ammunition, much like Rhyniognatha’s conversion of sap to resin. The ammo will be in the form of explosive eggs! These eggs can be shot out in front of them and create a flash of light, like Plant Species Z. A unique feature of this amphibian is its reproduction. It will give birth to live young when bred! In terms of controls: Left Click : A simple bite. 12 base damage. Harvests a good amount of chitin! Right Click : On males, this will do the equivalent of parasaur's scary honk. On females, it will be a small forward stomp with 20 base damage. C : Charge-based abilties! Males will glow and lure things towards them, females will shoot out a singular egg from their ammunition stockpile. Left-Control : Activates climbing mode. Being a frog, this fella can climb, just nowhere near as fast as creatures like the Rock Drake or Megalania. Really, its climbing is just enough to help you not have to take the long way round if you fall off a cliff. Spacebar : Leap! Can be aimed much like the Procoptodon's/Karkinos' jump. Holding spacebar activates the parachute. Supplementary Links Real world Gastric Brooding Frog: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gastric-brooding_frog Real world Wallace's Flying Frog: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wallace's_flying_frog Luring concept by Sophocles: