Floater (Fallout 76)

Floaters are creatures found in Appalachia in 2103.

Background
Flatworms mutated as an offshoot of the West Tek FEV experiments, Floaters are a unique mutant, unseen elsewhere on the East Coast altogether.

They are known to be friendly with super mutants, behaving almost as pets, similarly to the role of a mutant hound. They were first encountered by the mutants in a very mysterious way, when they were just seen following roving gangs of mutants around. They did not attack the mutants, and so the mutants did not attack the floaters back. The mutants keep them around as attack dogs and pets, and find them to be cute. The floaters provide extra protection to the mutants, and the mutants feed the floaters, functioning together in a perfect symbiotic relationship.

Biology
The floater is a large, soft-bodied invertebrate, named after the flotation sacs that allows it to hover and float in the air. Noxious, flammable gases are generated by the creature's tissues, then stored in large bladders atop their heads, giving it its distinctive appearance.

Floaters in general are large, top-heavy creatures with an inflated head, two "arms," and a multi-tentacled bottom. Their many eyes are small, save for the one large eye in the center of their "face." Their mouth is divided into three distinct jaws, with two of them closing horizontally, and a third closing vertically on top of the already shut horizontal jaws. Held within these jaws is a gaping maw and a remarkably long tongue; easily the same length as the rest of floater's body combined. Atop their head is a balloon-shaped flotation bladder, with a hard ridge running down the middle. The insides are veiny and bright, emitting a glowing radiance, especially visible in the dark. Their main body is conical, with the thick "torso" tapering down to the many tentacles dangling off of the bottom. They also possess two arm-like tentacles, which are positioned much higher on the body than the main tentacle mass. However, these are incapable of picking anything up, nor holding anything, and appear as nothing more than vestigial limbs, though they will sometimes use them to swipe at enemies.

When floaters are killed, they will bring their arm tentacles to their head and emit a loud pained shriek, before exploding. This explosion spreads the contents of their bodies across a large circular radius, and leaves a lingering pool of pus that will continue to affect anyone that wanders into it.

Floaters hunt primarily using ambush tactics, burying themselves beneath the ground and lying in wait for prey to wander over. They leave their long tongues sticking out of the dirt, and emit a colourful mist to attract curious herbivores.

Unlike their West Coast brethren, Appalachian floaters have developed elemental abilities. Floaters have gained acidic, pyrotechnic and cryogenic based capabilities, which are stored in pus sacs lining their bodies and arms. This pus can be harvested, and turned into powerful volatile grenades, which, when thrown, emulate the dying explosion of a critically wounded floater.

Floaters come in three distinct variants: flamers, freezers and gnashers.

Flamers are capable of fire-based attack, and come in an orange color scheme, and their pupils are vertical slits. They have such a high idle heat that anything that gets within a certain radius of a live flamer will instantly be set on fire.

Freezers are specialized in cryogenic attacks, and are bright blue, with horizontal slits for eyes. Their pus is kept at sub-zero temperatures, and can be sprayed at will in a large radius, causing immense damage to any technological parts it comes into contact with, mainly fusion cores.

Gnashers use primarily acid-based attacks, releasing standard, uncooled, unignited pus with highly corrosive properties alongside every bite. Their eyes are plus-shaped. Gnashers cannot utilize ranged attacks, instead opting for melee attacks.

Floater flamer
A glowing, bright red variant with pyrotechnic capabilities.

Floater freezer
A glowing, bright blue variant with cryogenic capabilities.

Floater gnasher
A glowing, bright green variant with acidic capabilities.

Locations

 * Three can be found at Darling sister's lab.
 * Three can be found at the Red Rocket filling station.
 * Three can be found next to Nicholson's End.
 * Six can be found at Solomon's pond.
 * Three can be found in Grafton.
 * They can often be found alongside super mutants.
 * One may be found in Eastern Regional Penitentiary in Cell Block D.
 * Six can be found at Lake Eloise
 * Three can be found near Hornwright air purifier site 03 and The Sludge Works.

Appearances
Floaters appear in the Fallout 76 add-on Wastelanders.