Tauntaun

Species: Tauntaun
Planet of Origin: Hoth

DEXTERITY 2D
PERCEPTION 3D
STRENGTH 4D

Special Abilities:
Charge attack: Does STR+1D+1 damage.
Arctic creature: Tauntauns can withstand frigid temperatures that are deadly to most other creatures (although their stamina in the cold is not unlimited)

Move: 16
Size: Adults stand 1.3-2 meters at the shoulder
Orneriness: 1D

Background: Tauntauns were a species of semi-sentient reptomammals native to the snowy plains of Hoth. Members of the Rebel Alliance used them after they domesticated some of them when they built their new headquarters on Hoth, as the extreme conditions made airspeeders unreliable.

Tauntauns’ thick skin helped them survive the icy conditions on the planet Hoth that few other creatures could. Sure-footed and furry, the tauntauns were well adapted to the daytime temperature on Hoth, although they could not handle the chilling extremes of the night, which often reached below −60°C. They had scaly skin beneath their heavy layers of fur and secreted thick, pungent oils to attract mates, as scents were one of their main methods of communication. They gave live birth to young called taunlets.

Their long claws helped them climb icy surfaces and scrape away lichen and small ice plants which often grew in glacial caves and grottos, the crevices serving as their homes due to heat from the planet’s core often coming up through the openings. Sunlight that passed through the ice of the caves allowed the small plants to grow, thus providing a source of food for the creatures. Although Tauntauns also ate plants, they were actually omnivores and were known to eat Ice Scrabblers and even Hoth Hogs.

In the wild, tauntauns often traveled in herds of 25, and could burrow into the snow for warmth. Their tails helped to keep balance while running. The herds were lead by a female matriarch.

The creatures’ odor was unpleasant to humans due to layers of fatty blubber that helped them acclimate to the temperatures of Hoth, but it was apparently nothing compared to the smell from the inside of a fresh tauntaun corpse.

Appearances: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back