Thieves from the Ends of Time: the Anachron

    Laymen say that time is like a tree: branching off infinitely, possibilities ever-multiplying whenever chance could split, an infinite number of infinite timelines traceable back to a singular origin point. Philosophers say that time is like a brontosaurus: narrow at one end, broad in the middle, and narrow again at the other end.

An anachron. Drawing by the author.

Anachron
Number appearing: 1, or rarely 1d4
HD: 2*
AC: as leather
Attack: 6 tentacles (1d2 or steal item), max 3/round against any single target
MV: 150' (50') or 1d6 hours
Save as: Thf 2
Morale: 5

    Anachrons are time-walking creatures resembling a fleshy sphere, four feet in diameter. Their stumpy legs end in cephalopod-like suckers, but their writhing tendril 'arms' are free from such protuberances. The only distinguishable feature on their body itself is their thick-lipped, toothless mouth. Their gums are too soft to bite offensively, and their habits mean they are unlikely to do so in any case.
    Like magpies, anachrons are covetous and steal items to decorate their nests, or possibly entertain their young. They grab whatever catches their attention with their tentacular arms, then cram them into their mouth for safekeeping. The precise nature of these nests are unknown, but scholars hypothesize that they are located at the two 'poles' of time - the first and last moment of existence. They can move unimpeded through time as easily as we may move through normal space, but they must pass through each intervening moment to do so rather than jumping directly to their destination. Thus, though their appearances are unpredictable, they are highly prized by historians, archaeologists, alchemists, and other persons interested in the possibility of retrieving artifacts from the past or future.
    Any given anachron encountered by the party has an 80% chance of already carrying something in its mouth. Roll below to see what manner of object it might contain, and optionally to see what point in time it might be from. If an anachron is not already bearing a time-displaced object, it will be seeking to take one, most likely from the players, and then flee. They are not typically aggressive unless somehow cornered in both space and time. Rather than a combat challenge for the players, referees should consider these creatures an opportunity to introduce time-displaced objects into their adventure or world, or possibly as the inciting incident in an expedition through time to retrieve the party's stolen treasures.

This Anachron has an object from (x) in the past/future (1d6, flip a coin to determine direction):
1: 3d8 hours
2: 1d4 weeks
3: 2d6 months
4: 1d10 years
5: 4d4 x 10 years
6: 3d10 x 100 years
(For more specific and esoteric alternatives, consider the excellent Epochrypha by Skerples.)

This Anachron wants something... (1d10):
1: Violent (Flint handaxe, recently missing heirloom shortsword, laser pistol w/ 2d4-1 charges)
2: Written (Fired clay tablet of obscure succession laws, wanted poster for a PC, Cybernetics Fancier magazine)
3: Alive (Skittish proto-mammal, nervous badger, bio-engineered designer pet)
4: Liquid (Bubbling pit tar, potion of ice resistance, XCISE(TM) Energy Slurry (Neon Mango flavor))
5: Worthless (Ceramic shard, mismatched socks, empty sauce packet)
6: Mystical (Wand of the White Ape, Ring of Perfect Pitch, AAA thaumic battery)
7: Morbid (Bone headdress, half a tombstone, radical skeleton poster)
8: Wearable (Mostly-tanned sabertooth fur, pitted hauberk, excessively tight heat-resistant suit)
9: Musical (Old hardwood syrinx, masterwork sitar, wicked theremin)
10: Multifarious (Handful of giant bug eggs, sack of caltrops, collector's case of M.E.T.T.L.E.(TM) rubber figures)