Sheepsquatch

Sheepsquatches are large, woolly-haired cryptids with quills, mangy white fur and large horns found in Appalachia in 2102.

Background
A mythical creature stalking Appalachian hills and mountains, the sheepsquatch was allegedly a bipedal, highly aggressive ram-like creature interested in sheep. Whether existing or not, the sheepsquatch myth was an obsession for a cryptid hunter named Calvin van Lowe, who devoted his life to hunting it down.

While Calvin could never prove it himself, the sheepsquatch was a very real thing, even before the Great War. How it came to be is unknown, though a sheepsquatch was responsible for the deaths of two teenagers near Toxic Larry's Meat 'n Go before presumably being hunted down by Toxic Larry himself.

Although the exact nature of how they were created is an enigma, one of the more popular theories among wastelanders is that an ordinary farm animal was mutated into a sheepsquatch through the power of radiation. However, such an idea is seen as too basic to some, with radical theorists going so far as to say that they are the unholy result of fornication between a man and a sheep. Some even say it is a hoax, created by a thief in order to hide his identity and easily rob gullible travelers, though that is clearly not the case.

Biology
Standing approximately ten feet tall, the sheepsquatch is a huge cryptid bearing a strong resemblance to sheep. Sheepsquatches possess a set of large horns protruding directly from the sides of their heads. Their skin is pink and raw, with large quills poking out from their upper back. Despite their resemblance to sheep, their wool is stiff and gray, with only meager patches visible on the animal. Their faces appear almost skeletal, especially around the nose area. Their eyes are large and fish-like, with rectangular pupils typical of normal sheep and goats. They have small ears, with a tracking tag embedded in the right ear. The ears are dwarfed by their massive horns. They have large jowls, prominent especially when howling. Their teeth are small and flat, like that of a herbivore. However, sheepsquatches are carnivores, as evidenced by the numerous brahmin corpses found embedded with quills. They have a potbelly and three large claws on each hand. They stand on two legs, on large hooves. Their legs have inverted knees, similar to that of a dog's legs, and they have a short tail. If they are legendary, they will have a red glow throughout the chest area after the regeneration effect is complete. In the wild, they can be found sleeping in their nests, surrounded by dead brahmin and bones. Sometimes, they will be found with their head surrounded by a swarm of flies.

Sheepsquatches communicate through howls and groans, with long, somber, drawn-out moans. This noise appears to come from the unique way that they vibrate their jowls when calling out. This method of calling allows them to change the pitch quickly and easily, in order to convey what they want to. They appear to be solitary, however during Free Range, more than one can appear at the end of the event.

Gameplay attributes
 Sheepsquatches have an inordinately high amount of Hit Points, even compared to creatures that are many levels higher than theirs, such as scorchbeasts. This high health pool, coupled with the fact that sheepsquatches are often legendary, can make them very difficult to take out if fought one-on-one.

When encountered towards the end of the Free Range event, they will dig themselves out of the ground, similarly to the deathclaw at deathclaw island. They will howl before initiating combat, giving ample time to prepare for the challenging fight ahead. They will also howl at random intervals during combat, allowing the player character a few precious moments to heal.

They will often perform a basic swipe and headbutt attack at nearby enemies. This does not do significant damage, but if they manage to stagger the player character, it can make it quite difficult to survive a repeated bombardment of hits. They can also jump and launch their quills in a powerful area of effect attack.

If their opponent is out of melee range, they will rip out a handful of urine-soaked fur and throw it, dealing poison damage. They will also perform a ram attack that allows them to close the distance between themselves and attackers very quickly.

They will consistently perform a jump attack that staggers the player character, resulting in a temporary debuff of 50% to movement speed and a cut to ranged accuracy. Due to their ability to utilize ranged attacks, they will never flee from the player character, even if the player character is attacking from high ground.

Sheepsquatches are unable to be permanently crippled. If both of their legs are fully damaged, they will collapse momentarily, but get back up again and resume combat.

Sheepsquatch
A base variant of the creature, with the attributes mentioned above.

Toxic sheepsquatch
The toxic sheepsquatch is a step above its predecessor, at level 65.

Noxious sheepsquatch
The noxious sheepsquatch is the second most powerful variant, at level 80. Its prefix indicates that it is poisonous or poisoned in some way.

Necrotic sheepsquatch
These sheepsquatches are described as suffering from necrosis, the death of cells or tissues. However, it does not vary in appearance from the normal sheepsquatch. It is the strongest sheepsquatch variant, at level 100.

Alpha sheepsquatch
This variant is encountered only during the Project Paradise event.

Prime sheepsquatch
This variant is encountered only during the Primal Cuts event.

Locations

 * One sheepsquatch may appear at the Creekside sundew grove.
 * Outside Vault 96, to the southwest, down on the edge of the cliff.
 * One sheepsquatch may appear to the southwest of Welch when leaving town via the road, next to a house containing an overseer holotape, often fighting other creatures.
 * Up to two sheepsquatches will appear as a boss fight during the Free Range event.
 * One sheepsquatch may appear at Braxson's Quality Medical Supplies.
 * A prime variant will appear as the final boss of the Primal Cuts event in the Ash Heap.
 * An alpha variant can appear as a boss at the end of the Project Paradise event.
 * A sheepsquatch can spawn in a random encounter hotspot.

Appearances
Sheepsquatches appear only in Fallout 76, introduced in the Wild Appalachia update.

Behind the scenes

 * The sheepsquatch is a woolly-haired cryptid reported across numerous counties in West Virginia, predominantly within the southwestern region of the state.
 * Ian Olsen created the character model for the sheepsquatch, in addition to providing sculpting tips for its related weapons, including the sheepsquatch club and staff.