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Introducing Hallucigenia toxicon, the Spikey Vaporizer! Tags: invertebrate, Cambrian, pve, pvp, toxic vapor, flip over, swap locomotion method, eerie spikes, color-changing, toxic vapor, cannon saddle, raiding, cave mount, travel mount, pearl collector, charge with pearls, taming helper “Welcome, survivor. You see before you the pinnacle of…” wait no, wrong line. Welcome, survivor, to our Community Creature Submission; the Bristling Toxic Thorn, also known as Hallucigenia toxicon! This submission is a collaboration between me and Interstellarpool176. What is this creature? Hallucigenia is a genus of invertebrate from rock strata dating back to the Cambrian Explosion. It isn’t technically an Arthropod, but it is closely related enough to justify calling it a “bug”. Since its discovery in 1900, Hallucigenia has received a lot of controversy on how it may have looked and behaved. Many of the abilities and features in this concept are inspired by outdated misconceptions from studies of Hallucigenia. *NOTICE* Before you look through this page, I would like to thank you for the time you took to support out passion project. I encourage you to look through this submission fully, so your final vote will be the best you can make. If you glance at the illustration and vote off that, you aren’t giving it your best thought and best decision. I would also encourage you to do the same to other submissions, so the final vote can be fair and well decided. Thank you and without further ado, I present to you the Hallucigenia toxicon. Enjoy! Dossier. Common name: HALLUCI Species: Hallucigenia toxicon Time: Early Cambrian Diet: Carnivore Temperament: Aggressive Wild: No other creature in all the ARKs is quite like the Hallucigenia toxicon. The only organism I’ve discovered so far from pre-Ordovician strata, Halluci displays some very unusual traits. The strange spikes that line this invertebrate’s body seem to be made from a silicone-like material. They glow in bizarre colors and can emit toxic vapors onto enemies. It would be most wise to keep your distance while observing Hallucis. Domesticated: Hallucis love silica pearls and eat them to “charge” their toxic spikes. Getting close enough to hand-feed one is the dangerous part, and the only possible method is to flip the Halluci over onto its spikes. The Halluci is an incredible animal as a companion. Its silica spikes allow it to release choking fumed onto your enemies. However, emitting the vapor burns up silicone rapidly, so the Halluci must be heavily fueled. Hallucis are also coveted for the valuable material that makes their spikes. In the Wild. The Halluci is an aggressive animal that always spawns solo. They can be found around and in the Lake that makes up the center of Valguero. Rarely, they can even be found in the Abyss, spawning at high levels there. Hallucis will attack many of the animals in its environment, such as fish, survivors, and any creatures a Dilo would attack. Harvesting them gives Chitin, Meat, Silica Pearls, and occasionally Black Pearls. Taming. Halluci is a creature that must be fed to tame. However, unlike normal passive feeders, Halluci required must be calmed first. When attempting to tame Halluci, you must keep your distance, as Halluci can use White Vapor (see below) when fighting in the wild. There are a few main steps to taming the Halluci. 1. If it is in the water, you must lure the Halluci onto land. They are aggressive so this isn’t too difficult. Be careful of Vapor though and using SCUBA Gear or a semi-aquatic mount it best. 2. Lure it into a trap of Spiked Walls (metal or wood). The Hallucigenia must be completely surrounded by Spiked Walls (they don’t take damage from spiked walls). 3. Through a Poison Grenade into the trap with the Halluci. Since it has no Torpor, it won’t fall unconscious. But, if it is surrounded by Spikes walls and affected by a Poison Grenade, it will temporarily calm. 4. Pick up or jump a Spiked Wall after the Poison disperses (you don’t want to be knocked out). You must then passively feed the Halluci Pearls while it is calmed. Silica Pearls or Black Pearls work, with the latter being far more effective. 5. As soon as it eats, it will lose calmness, and attack. Escape the trap and wait until it is hungry again, then throw a Poison Grenade and repeat the process. Actions. Stab: (, , ) - The primary attack of Halluci is a turn-and-stab with its spikes. This attack has a decent AOE and inflicts 30 base damage. Targeting Oysters will allow Halluci to harvest large amounts of Silica Pearls. Beaver Dams can be damaged with this attack on any game type and receiver 10x damage. If a Beaver Dam is destroyed with this stab, the Hallucigenia automatically receives everything inside the Beaver Dam other than wood. If a creature is hit by this attack, they are slowed and (in the case of a survivor) hallucinate. Bristle: (, , ) - This is the secondary attack of the Hallucigenia. The Halluci uses all of its spikes to stab targets in an area completely surrounding it. This attack inflicts 20 base damage, but damages targets on all sides. Unlike the primary attack, this secondary attack cannot harvest Pearls or destroy and gather from Beaver Dams. Vapors: Only one Vapor can be active at a time. If the Halluci does not have the required Pearls in its inventory, the Vapor deactivates and cannot be used, but there is otherwise no cooldown to the Vapor. Flipping over onto its spikes will also automatically deactivate the Vapor, until it is flipped onto its legs and the controls are used again. You can use a Gas Mask or Tek Helmet to block either Vapor, or a Scuba Tank to block the Health drain of Tahitian Vapor, but those item will slowly lose durability while in the Vapor. White Vapor: ([C], , ) - Using this action will automatically turn on or off the White Vapor. The Halluci’s spikes stop changing color and turn white, and a cloud of white vapor appears in a 5-foundation radius around the Halluci. Every 10 seconds while the Vapor is active, 5 Silica Pearls are automatically consumed in the Halluci’s inventory. Enemy creatures in the radius are affected with the White Vapor condition. This condition lasts for 1 minute and will keep refreshing as long as the creature is in the Vapor. The Vapor clouds the lungs of victims and attacks their nerves, draining their strength rapidly. While under effect from this condition, victims: move at half speed (can still jump) inflict half melee damage rapidly lose Stamina (at the same rate as Titanboa venom raises Torpor) White Vapor is used by wild and unmounted Hallucis when near a creature they are aggroed onto. Tamed Hallucis will still require the Silica Pearls, but wild ones do not. You can also activate or deactivate White Vapor manually on a tamed Halluci via control wheel. Hallucinogenic (Black) Vapor: ([Left Ctrl], , ) - Using this action will automatically turn on or off the Hallucinogenic Vapor. The Halluci’s spikes stop changing color and turn black, and a cloud of black vapor appears in a 5-foundation radius around the Halluci, spreading even through structures. Every 15 seconds while the vapor is active, 1 Black Pearl is automatically consumed in the Halluci’s inventory. Enemy creatures in the radius are affected with the Hallucinogenic Vapor condition. This condition lasts for 30 seconds and will keep refreshing as long as the creature is in the Vapor. The Vapor clouds the heart of victims and attacks their life, draining it rapidly. While under effect from this condition, victims: are slowed to quarter speed (can jump) inflict half melee damage are affected by a condition similar to the Hallucinogenic Spores, but your vision is darker and suffocation is slower – you lose 1% of max health every second while affected writhe in pain and constantly turn in random directions, making aiming difficult Hallucinogenic Vapor is not used by wild Hallucis or unmounted ones. Flip Sides: ([Space], , ) - Instead of jumping, the Halluci will flip over from its legs and onto its back spikes, or vice versa. While on its spikes, the Halluci can run or swim faster and gains a 25% damage resistance but is unable to use Vapor or attack. Dismounting will not cause the Halluci to flip; it will stay on whatever side it was on when dismounted. Also, hitting the spikes doesn’t deal damage to the Halluci, so while flipped over smaller creatures may not be able to reach it and do any damage at all. Features. Size. So how big is this creature? The Halluci is a small-medium mount. It can fit in most places a Thylacoleo could. They can be picked up by Argys and up. Bolas do NOT work on Hallucigenia. Eerie Spike Colors. The spikes of wild and tamed Hallucis constantly switch color, and glow brightly. The only exception is when Vapor is used, in which case the spikes turn black or white. The default color patterns of the spikes are always red, green, and blue. All three colors alternate with each other, changing the spikes’ color every few seconds. Example: All spikes are blue. They all turn red. They all turn green. They all turn red again. This color swapping is similar to the Eerie creatures in mobile version of ARK. The three colors of the spikes are all color regions and can be mutated to change the colors the Halluci swaps between. Pearls. Using its primary attack, Halluci can harvest Silica Pearls quite efficiently. Also, if the Halluci finishes (harvests) a corpse, it has a 2% chance of recovering a Black Pearl from the corpse’s innards. Hallucigenia has a 75% weight reduction on Silica Pearls and Black Pearls. Eating. Although Halluci requires pearls to tame, it can eat meat or fish meat as normal once tamed. It does NOT eat Pearls when tamed, in fact, yet it does consume them when emitting one of its Vapors (see above). Feces. The Hallucigenia does not generate feces like other animals. Instead, for about 5 seconds, it releases a small cloud of vapor that works the same as White Vapor, but only affecting any creatures directly behind and next to it. Vapor Immunity. Wild and tamed Hallucis, as well as their riders, are immune to the Vapor of other Hallucis, as well as negative effects from toxins like mushroom spores and the Swamp Cave. Saddle. The Hallucigenia requires a saddle to ride. The saddle is unlocked at level 50 and requires 100 Hide, 150 Silica Pearls, and 85 Fiber to craft. Cannon Saddle. The Hallucigenia Cannon Saddle can be unlocked at level 71 and must be crafted in a Fabricator. It requires 70 Polymer, 150 Silica Pearls, 5 Black pearls, 150 Hide, and 110 Fiber to craft. Once equipped, it works much like a normal Halluci saddle, but attached two guns to the front spikes, one on each side. The left gun is bright silver, and the right gun is black silver. While the Cannon Saddle is equipped, the keys to activate the Halluci’s Vapor can be held down (one Vapor at a time). While the key is being held down, a crosshair appears, showing where it is aiming. After 5 seconds, the cannon is charged and the appropriate Vapor fires out of the corresponding-colored cannon. Each shot consumes the appropriate pearls (5 Silica Pearls for each White Vapor Shot, 1 Black Pearl for each Hallucinogenic Vapor shot). The shot will continue until it hits a solid surface or creature, after which it will explode into a cloud of the Vapor. These Vapor clouds last for 20 seconds, and have the exact same effects as normal, except they are centered on the shot and not the Halluci. Like with normal attacks, you cannot shoot Vapor with a Cannon Saddle if the Halluci is upside-down. Stats & Breeding. Health: 195 Stamina: 280 Oxygen: X Food: 900 Weight: 150 Movement Speed: On Legs: similar speed and turn radius to Parasaur (on land or water) / On Spikes: similar speed to Gallimimus (on land) or Ichthyosaur (in water), but with better turn radius Torpidity: X Breeding. Hallucigenia do not lay unfertilized eggs. When breeding, they will lay fertilized eggs to hatch offspring. Hatching the egg requires it to be inside of White Vapor from an adult Halluci. You will need to stand by and make sure the adult Halluci keeps spraying Vapor. Young Hallucigenia do not harvest pearls, emit Vapor, or emit gas/feces (see above). Young Hallucis can eat meat just like any other young carnivore. The Hallucigenia has 6 Color Regions, which can be changed. 3 of these Color Regions are its three spike colors, the colors it will alternate between like an Eerie dino from ARK Mobile. The default colors are blue, red, and green (the 3 ARK colors). Utility. And now, here are the overall utilities the Halluci could serve with its features. The Halluci is designed to fit any style of gameplay, from PvP to PvE, and be more than just a better version/replacement of an existing creature. Pearl Collector. This is the most obvious utility of Hallucigenia. It can use its spikes to harvest Silica Pearls efficiently from Oysters or Beaver Dams. It can also collect Black Pearls from corpses, but extremely rarely. Using its weight reduction, it can gather and hold massive amounts of these resources. Raiding. The Halluci’s toxic vapor can be extremely useful when raiding enemies to potentially immediately knock a player out of the fight. However, the Halluci’s moderate speed and low health could become a disadvantage. One idea would be to activate one of the Halluci’s vapors and then carry it on an Argentavis to the preferred target. Once the Cannon Saddle is unlocked, the Halluci can be used to attack with Vapor from a distance. Cave Mount. The Hallucigenia is small enough to fit into most caves and makes for an efficient caving mount. Its powerful attacks and vapor can easily subdue enemy creatures. Travel Mount. Using the Hallucigenia’s spike side, you can move extremely fast and traverse rocky terrain. Despite being unable to attack or excrete Vapor while on its spikes, the Halluci can move at about the speed of a Gallimimus (but with a better turn radius) on land, as well as scale moderately sized obstacles like a Titanboa. In the water, Halluci can swim at about the speed of an Ichthyosaurus while its spikes face downward. Taming Helper. Using its Vapor, the Halluci can aid you while taming a creature, passively or KO. When the creature is knocked out, “White” Vapor can be used to gain slight protection from wild dinosaurs who want to ruin Taming Effectiveness. Also, using Vapor to slow down escaping creatures will help with certain tames. Using “Black” Vapor is unwise, as the creature you are taming will suffocate. Some reference images to give you an idea of this creature's composition. Why this creature? - Hallucigenia would be a wonderful addition to the game we love. While much of the focus is on dinosaurs and other Mesozoic giants, we mustn’t forget the spectacular miraculous critters of the worlds beyond the dinosaurs. Hallucigenia would be a quite useful creature in ARK, whether for battling enemies in PvP or caving and breeding in PvE. I’m sure plenty of players would have a grand time mutating Halluci’s glowing spikes, choking enemies to death in vapor, flipping over, over and over again (don’t you lie, you would do it), and overall, just shining with our spikey friend. This creature is probably the most popular of all the bizarre Cambrian invertebrates (alongside Anomalocaris). If it made it into ARK, Hallucigenia would be the oldest animal taxon in the entire game. ARK, like any good game, is meant to be fun. And Hallucigenia could offer a great new experience unique from the big battle reptiles we’ve recently received (they are decent, don’t get me wrong). It is powerful and fun, but balanced. Please consider supporting our mighty friend. Every player counts. And if you have any ideas to make it even more fun, share your thoughts! Enjoy! Credits. Thanks to Interstellarpool176 for helping with the Halluci’s model. I would also like to thank those who aided me with some ideas, material, and inspiration for this design: Ashgcy, DILONG, John Zhenyualong, Arkenor, and Interstellarpool176. And thanks to you, dear reader, for supporting our spikey critter.