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Introduction The Kunpengopterus, or the "Monkeydactylus", will be the prime stealth bomber of Aberration, and a raider's best aerial friend. Using its corrosive Gel bombs and excellent climbing and gliding abilities to its advantage, survivors bold enough to tame this vibrant pterosaur will possess a lethal weapons valet and explorative superiority over the caves and caverns of Aberration. (more pretty pictures are in the comments section) Table of Contents: Artwork and Introduction Dossier Potential Base Stats and Spawn locations Taming Before the Jump Leap of Faith Abilities and Controls Abilities Climbing Gels Mobile Chemistry Bench Other Bombs/Throwables Other Notes Controls Dossier Common Name: "Monkeydactylus" Species: Kunpengopterus Fortisarmis Time: Mid-Jurassic Diet: Insectivore/Piscivore Temperament: Docile until Provoked Wild The towering luminous trees and cavern cliffs on this ark harbor a strange Pterosaur that resembles Kunpengopterus. The colloquially named 'Monkeydactylus' make themselves at home in this subterranean world. Similar to the Pteranodon in size, the Monkeydactylus have large forelimbs equipped with proportionally larger hands and opposable thumbs that come in handy when climbing and eating small animals. I've noticed that due to the lack of any real 'sky', the air here is far thinner, resulting in large creatures such as Monkeydactylus being unable to fly. However, its arms and wings are still strong enough to maneuver the rocky terrain with ease. Interestingly, I've had the privilege to watch some of the more daring tribespeople attempt to lasso and ride Monkeydactylus straight off seering high cliffs to tame them. Domesticated When tamed, the Monkeydactylus becomes a deadly effective weapons valet for the adventurous survivors of this ark. After eating a sufficient amount of food, Monkeydactylus regurgitates basic saliva that it can spit on foes below. Clever tribespeople has crafted saddles that utilize 'Monkeydactylus Gel' to their maximum potential. 'Pure Gel' acts as a severe narcotic that deals catastrophic damage to unaware or unprepared adversaries below. Meanwhile, 'Diluted Gel' has various defensive properties, like resistance to spores and acids. I thought I saw everything until I witnessed a group of Monkeydactylus dive bomb from the cavern walls, turning the land a putrid purple with goo and smoke! Potential Base Stats and Spawning Health: 350 Stamina: 550 Oxygen: 200 Food: 1000 Weight: 320 Melee Damage: See "Abilities and Controls" for base damage values for the differing attacks Torpidity: 1000 Monkeydactylus would spawn within the luminescent Region (blue zone) in groups of 5-6. In the wild, these gregarious groups of pterosaurs would be seen walking or climbing near high cliffs and plateaus across Aberration. With their wildly vibrant color schemes, they would fit right into the lush background of massive mushroom trees and crystalline cliffs. Taming Taming a Monkeydactylus is all about timing and placement. The unique method of lassoing a Monkeydactylus and hunting with them cowboy-style is dangerous, exhilarating, and the prime opportunity to gain a valuable mid-game ally. Before the jump To approach Monkeydactylus to tame them, survivors need to be wearing a full ghillie suit and have a Monkeydactylus lasso (Above) equipped with them as well. A Monkeydactylus lasso can be crafted by killing a Monkeydactylus (one from a different group beforehand) and harvesting the "Monkeydactylus tail". Which when combined with some fiber and thatch, makes for a strong enough lasso to ride a Monkeydactylus (see "Abilities and Controls" for more on the Monkeydactylus Lasso) *If survivors walk towards a group of Monkeydactylus without both or only one item equipped, the Monkeydactylus will stay neutral towards them. However, they will display that they know of your presence, not allowing you to start the taming process. When close enough, survivors need to lasso the Monkeydactylus! This initiates the next phase of taming. Leap of Faith Upon lassoing your target Monkeydactylus, it'll let out an ear-piercing screech as it runs in panic to jump off the nearest cliff! Here, survivors will have 3-4 minutes to catch as many small animals as humanly possible by hunting across the terrain below! Fish and insects are more effective in taming than other small animals since it's their favorite food! Monkeydactylus' favorite prey: Achatina Araneo Arthropluera Coelacanth Dung beetle Meganuera Piranha Sabertooth Salmon Trilobite While hunting during the 3-4 minute period, survivors can utilize the Monkeydactylus' abilities to climb, soar, and skim-feed to tame it. *Skim-feeding is the action of gliding across bodies of water and having the Monkeydactylus open its mouth until it snaps up a fish. A skim-feeding animation would initiate when you attack the surface of the water, and after a couple of seconds, the Monkeydactylus would be seen snatching up fish to add to its taming bar. If survivors fail to gather enough food to befriend the Monkeydactylus or if it takes too much damage, It'll buck you off and begin to attack you! So, be careful when figuring out where and when you want to tame a Monkeydactylus! Abilities and Controls The Monkeydactylus has multiple abilities that allow survivors to maximize both their PvE and PvP potential. *All the following potential abilities and values could be subject to change to whatever WildCard sees as fit and balanced.* Climbing/Gliding Firstly, the Monkeydactylus would join the Rock Drake as the only other climber in ARK Aberration! The Monkeydactylus would be able to climb all surfaces in Aberration, and combined with its great stamina, allows for long ranged exploration into the caverns of the ARK. Whilst they can both climb effectively, the Monkeydactylus is more fragile and maneuverable in the air, having a dive-bomb akin to the Griffin. The ability to climb and glide across far distances perfectly segways into its truly lethal component, the Gel. Gels The primary thing that sets the Monkeydactylus apart from everything in Aberration is its role as a deadly Bomb valet. Over time, a tamed Monkeydactylus passively produces "Pure Monkeydactylus Gel", a corrosive substance that can be used to severely damage unwary survivors and tames. Using bombs and blasts made from the Gel provide a variety of attacks to utilize while gliding. However, when this Pure Gel is chemically diluted with water (cooking it with water), it turns into "Diluted Monkeydactylus Gel", a substance that provides more defensive properties. Pure Gel (Purple Goo) (the Grimace Shake 😮) Monkeydactylus will produce Pure Gel passively over time as long as they have sufficient amounts of food in their inventory. 5 Pure Gel = 1 Jar of Gel Pure Gel and Jars of Gel can be made for different things (see “Other bombs” section for more) Fish meat and Chitin boost Pure Gel production whilst standard meats and other foodstuffs give no boost. The Monkeydactylus' special attack consists of a Pure Gel blast, dealing heavy damage and decent torpor (though not as concentrated as the bomb)(appears as a large, purple ball of saliva that splats on a large radius on the ground). While most creatures use the stamina stat for their attacks, the Monkeydactylus will use up its food stat when it attacks with its Gel. So, it's crucial to keep the Monkeydactylus supplied with its favored food to replenish lost hunger and recharge for more Gel Blasts. Pure Gel can also be crafted into a throwable smoke bomb that deals heavy torpor, decent damage(not as concentrated as the Pure Gel Blast), and induces temporary blindness in a small radius (appears in the form of a purple cloud) Diluted Gel (Teal Goo) Diluted Gel yields various resistances to different hazards survivors face across the ARK. 5 Diluted Gel = 1 Jar of Diluted Gel When Diluted Gel is applied to armor, it provides a perfect counter against the acidic venom of the Arthropleura and other arthropods (it also makes your armor look slick and shiny as a byproduct) All armor types are available to craft with Diluted Gel within the Monkeydactylus' crafting modules (more on that in the "Mobile Chemistry Bench" section) When Diluted Gel is consumed, it grants you extra resistance against Torpor, Spores, Diseases, and some slight health regeneration, at the price of some of your food stat. Mobile Chemistry Bench The Monkeydactylus saddle comes equipped with a mobile chemistry bench along with a few other craftable items: Other Bombs/throwables When combined with different resources, Monkeydactylus Gel can be crafted into different types of items, all having varying effects. Jar of Pure Gel + Basilisk Scales = Poison Grenade Jar of Diluted Gel + Chitin = Regular Antidote (usable on both tames and survivor, heals diseases) Jar of Pure Gel + Narcoberries/ascerabic Mushrooms = Narcotic Bomb (throwable bomb; deals high amounts of torpor, very little damage) Plant Species Z has good synergy with the other throwable bombs Monkeydactylus have, so it's worth equipping them here. Other notes As an overview, a combination of climbing/gliding, the Gels, and the various throwables the chemistry bench provides, the Monkeydactylus is a versatile explorer and fighter that can be deadly to any foe unprepared to fight it. The Monkeydactylus carves out a niche as the prime stealth bomber of Aberration, using the plethora of bombs it has to wreak havoc on everything below. However, riders need to be careful. The Gliding, while flexible, can leave survivors in vulnerable positions when they finally land on the ground. Because the base movement speed of the Monkeydactylus is average at best(becoming exponentially faster when climbing), Survivors need to accurately aim for where they're going to land when in combat. Monkeydactylus Lasso: Another possible item the Monkeydactylus can be used for is the aforementioned "Monkeydactylus Lasso". While it is required to tame the Monkeydactylus, there are a few options on how the lasso should be handled. Option 1: If only a Survivor is carrying it, the lasso would only be able to be used to tame a Monkeydactylus, and would become more useful while riding a tamed one. While Riding a Monkeydactylus, the lasso could be used to wrangle creatures, just the same as the lasso made from the Equus. Option 2: The Survivor can only use the Lasso strictly for taming the Monkeydactylus Option 1 is a lot more fun, We weren't sure if it would be balanced or not, so this one is in the air. If the Monkeydactylus were integrated into the game, I'd be keener on seeing option 1 become a reality. Controls Space (on the ground near a wall) -> Jump on the nearest surface, if you aren't near a climbable surface, this initiates a standard jump-glide like a Deinonychus Space (whilst climbing) -> Detach off of the attached surface (if high enough, the Monkeydactylus will glide off) W+shift (camera pan down mid-air) -> Dive-bomb for acceleration (remember: you can't fly, use this sparingly and with a far distance between you and the ground) Lmb -> Standard Bite; The Monkeydactylus lunges forward to bite its enemies! Damage dealt: 20 Rmb -> Gel Blast; The Monkeydactylus hawks up a giant Gel blast from its gular pouch! Damage dealt: 45 (uses 150 food)(can be aimed from the player POV) X -> Roar/Taunt -> The Monkeydactylus unleashes a loud screech while having its wings fully stretched out in an intimidating display! With all of that being said, thank you so much for taking the time to read through this! We believe that the Monkeydactylus truly fits right in with the colorful and bizarre world of aberration, and we hope you do too! Special thanks to my good friend @Pine.warbler.paleoart on Instagram for helping make this vision a reality.