Creepjoiner

Creepjoiner

Base Stats

Type

Animal – Human

Containment

Knowledge Gain

2 Advanced

Study Interval

120,000 ticks (2 in-game days)

Creepjoiners are a phenomenon added by the Anomaly DLC. They are humans who will randomly arrive at your colony offering to join, typically providing great benefits but often concealing downsides that can range from minor annoyances to debilitatingly dangerous. Creepjoiners can be encountered even before activating the void monolith.

Summary

Creepjoiners always request to join the colony. They will appear on the edge of the map and make their way to a nearby location - similar to a trader - where they will linger and wait for someone to be sent to talk to them. Upon doing so, three options are presented: to accept the request to join, to arrest the creepjoiner, or to refuse the creepjoiner's request.

If rejected or if ignored for 60,000 ticks (1 in-game day), creepjoiners have an equal chance to either depart peacefully or to immediately become hostile and attack.

Every creepjoiner has a unique upside and a unique downside. Potential options for each of these can found in the Benefits and Drawback sections.

All creepjoiners are initially unwaveringly loyal. This condition is permanently removed if they are allowed to join the colony. If arrested before joining, such as by choosing the "Send <PAWN NAME> to capture <CREEPJOINER NAME>" option when first speaking to them, they can only be recruited by removing their unwavering status using the Brainwipe ritual. Creepjoiners can also be enslaved, although their extremely high will of 80-90 makes this very tedious.

Creepjoiners can be studied for Advanced void research if taken prisoner. They give 2 Advanced research with a cooldown of 2 days. The creepjoiner must be walking to be able to be studied.

Creepjoiners cannot be duplicated by the corrupted obelisk.

Creepjoiners are unable to romance ordinary pawns, but they can romance other creepjoiners or form relationships with pawns with the psychic bonding gene. Creepjoiners can become pregnant however their children will be normal humans, and not inherit any of the unique mechanics of creepjoiners.

A marriage ceremony between two creepjoiners. Other pawns from the colony are participating.

Types

Each creepjoiner type comes with preset equipment, traits, and possible benefits. A brief summary of each possible type's notable properties is provided here:

• Leathery stranger: No unique effects.
• Dark scholar: Has the Psychopath trait, 14-20 in the Intellectual skill, and several surgical scars.
• Deal maker: Has the Beautiful trait and 14-20 in the Shooting and Social skills.
• Drifter: No unique effects.
• Blind healer: Always spawns missing both eyes, which can be replaced with full functionality by the usual methods. Guaranteed to have the unnatural healing benefit.
• Timeless one: Always between 13 and 16 years old.
• Cult escapee: Usually has many surgical scars and/or removed body parts. 50% chance to spawn with a flesh tentacle on either arm.
• Lone genius: Has the Too smart and Abrasive traits, as well as 13-18 in the Intellectual skill.

Benefits

Every creepjoiner has a single benefit, chosen at random. Most creepjoiner types have a specific list of possible benefits that they are restricted to; for more information, consult the Pawn Kinds table at the bottom of the page.

• Perfect human: Has the Industrious trait and 14 to 18 in all skills. Also has the unique Perfect memory trait, which entirely disables skill decay.
• Occultist: Has the unique Occultist trait.
• Unnatural healing: Has the unnatural healing ability (see below).
  • This benefit has a weight of 0.5 (compared to the the weight of 1 for every other benefit), making it less likely to be chosen on its own.
• Shambler overlord: Has the release deadlife dust ability.
• Fleshcrafter: Has the shape flesh ability.
• Alchemist: Has the transmute steel ability.
• Joybringer: Has the unique Joyous trait, which grants +20 opinion from all other pawns and a +3 Joyous presence mood to all colonists on the map.
• Death refusal: Starts with four uses of death refusal.
• Body mastery: Has the unique Body mastery trait, which completely removes the pawn's need for food, sleep, and comfort.
• Psychic butcher: Has the psychic slaughter ability.

Name	Description	Effects	Target	Range	Warmup Time	Cooldown	Charges
Unnatural healing	Use dark psychic influence to heal someone. The process will stop bleeding, restore blood loss, and can even heal significant injuries. However, it may also have unexpected side effects. Has ability: Unnatural healing	Replicates the effect of a healer mech serum. 25% chance to also replace one of the pawn's arms with a flesh tentacle.	Single non-mechanoid pawn. Cannot target self.	Touch	270 ticks (4.5 secs)	360,000 ticks (6 in-game days)	1
Psychic slaughter	Use dark psychic power to induce chaotic reconfiguration of flesh. This kills a flesh creature in seconds and converts its body into a pile of twisted flesh. Has ability: Psychic slaughter	On cast, instantly kills target. If used on a human: Any worn clothing is destroyed outright. Inventory items or equipped weapons are dropped. If used on an animal: Any carried items are dropped. Generates twisted meat where the target once stood, yielding an amount roughly equal to the target's meat amount stat. Strangely, does not count as a hostile action when used on allies.	Single non-mechanoid pawn. Maximum body size of 2.5. Cannot target self.	4.9 tiles	120 ticks (2 secs)	60,000 ticks (24 in-game hours)	1
Transmute steel	Reconfigure steel at the atomic level, turning it into a random valuable material. Can target a stack of steel or a steel slag chunk. Has ability: Transmute steel	Transforms any stack of steel into an equivalent amount of twisted meat, gold, plasteel, bioferrite, or uranium, chosen at random. Can also target steel slag chunks (but not mechanoid slag chunks), yielding 15 of one of the aforementioned resources. Can also target any stuffable steel item or building, which randomly changes its stuff type to one of the aforementioned resources (excluding twisted meat).	1-75 steel; steel slag chunks; steel items or buildings	Touch	120 ticks (2 secs)	50,000 ticks (20 in-game hours)	1
Release deadlife dust	Release a cloud of dust-like substance that will settle on nearby corpses and raise them as shamblers. The shamblers will only attack your enemies. Deadlife dust is made of nano-scale archites that penetrate and reanimate dead tissue at the cellular level. Has ability: Release deadlife dust	Releases a deadlife dust cloud centered on the caster that reanimates any non-mechanoid corpse within about a 5-tile radius as a friendly shambler for 15,000 ticks (6 in-game hours). Once the ability wears off, shamblers drop to the ground as corpses again and can be reanimated. Walls and other structures block the dust cloud. Blocked dust clouds will instead spread out in other directions.	All non-mechanoid corpses in range	~5 tiles	30 ticks (0.5 secs)	60,000 ticks (24 in-game hours)	1
Shape flesh	Induce a dark archotech to reconfigure a corpse into a horrendous fleshbeast. The fleshbeast will be hostile to all humans, including the one who created it. Has ability: Shape flesh	Transforms any non-mechanoid corpse into a hostile fleshbeast. Resultant fleshbeast corresponds to the body size of the targeted corpse: Between 0 to 0.74: Fingerspike. Between 0.75 to 3: Toughspike or Trispike. Above 3: Bulbfreak.	Single non-mechanoid corpse	25 tiles	120 ticks (2 secs)	2,500 ticks (1 in-game hour)	1

Drawbacks

Creepjoiners typically have one downside applied to them upon spawning. These downsides are almost always hidden from the player, and only become revealed when their effects first manifest. A list of possible drawbacks includes:

• Nothing.
• Desertion: After 9-30 days in the colony, the creepjoiner will suddenly depart. They will immediately attempt to exit the map, abandoning any work they were doing in the process.
  • This drawback has a weight of 3 (compared to the the weight of 1 for every other downside), making it more likely to be chosen than any other drawback.
  • Imprisoned or enslaved creepjoiners will wait until they are freed to desert.
  • A creepjoiner captured while deserting and subsequently recruited or enslaved will not attempt to desert again.
  • Creepjoiners can desert even when they are currently downed.

 <PAWN NAME> departure: <PAWN NAME> thanks you for your hospitality, but says that it is time for <PAWN'S PRONOUN> to move on. 

• Aggressive: After 9-30 days in the colony, the creepjoiner suddenly becomes hostile and attacks.
• Metalhorror: The creepjoiner is secretly infected with a metalhorror.
  • Creepjoiners with this downside will always become hostile if not accepted by the colony.
  • This downside does not appear under normal conditions. Instead, creepjoiners with a metalhorror can only appear as part of a unique incident that appears identical to a regular arrival. It is naturally 5% as likely to appear as a regular creepjoiner, but is one possible outcome of void provocation.
  • Outside of the ambient horror storyteller option, the monolith must be at least level 2 for this downside to occur.
• Crumbling mind: After 1-3 days, the creepjoiner is revealed to be suffering from a crumbling mind.
  • Can be diagnosed early with a surgical inspection: <CREEPJOINER NAME> is showing early signs of a severe condition which will soon cause severe mental degradation. <PAWN NAME> can't yet tell exactly what is causing this, but they will become very ill within the next few days.
• Void fascination: Guaranteed to have the unique Void fascination trait. Immediately apparent.
• Psychic agony: The creepjoiner periodically emits an agony pulse, affecting all pawns within 14.9 tiles including the creepjoiner themselves. This happens once every 30 days on average, with a minimum time of 5 days between each occurrence.
  • Can be diagnosed early with a surgical inspection: "<PAWN NAME> detected a faint but painful psychic presence emanating from <CREEPJOINER NAME> but failed to understand what was causing it."
  • Affected targets receive +100% pain, which is enough to instantly down all pawns without a source of pain reduction. After 600 ticks (10 secs) to 900 ticks (15 secs), this is reduced to a milder +25% pain that lasts between 120,000 ticks (2 in-game days) and 240,000 ticks (4 in-game days).
  • The agony pulse is not modulated by psychic sensitivity; even psychically deaf pawns will suffer its effects.
• Organ decay: After 3-5 days, the creepjoiner will reveal that they are suffering from organ decay in 3-5 internal organs. This uses a unique variant of organ decay that progresses three times faster than normal, allowing only 10-20 days to treat each instance.
  • Can be diagnosed early with a surgical inspection: "<CREEPJOINER NAME> is showing early signs of a severe condition which will cause their organs to rapidly deteriorate. <PAWN NAME> can't yet tell exactly what is causing this, but <CREEPJOINER NAME> will become very ill within the next few days."
• Disturbing: Guaranteed to have the unique Disturbing trait. Immediately apparent.

Hostility

Regardless of whether they are recruited, all creepjoiners will immediately become hostile the first time they receive friendly fire damage or a colonist attempts to enslave them once their will reaches 0. This can only happen once for each creepjoiner.

Each creepjoiner has a special effect, chosen randomly, that will activate when they become hostile:

• Basic assault: No special effects.
  • It has weight of 3, meaning it's 3 times more likely to be chosen than other hostility responses.
• Fleshbeast emergence: The creepjoiner transforms into a fleshbeast (chosen randomly between fingerspike, toughspike, and trispike). This destroys the creepjoiner's body outright, rendering them permanently dead even if they had death refusal or deathless .
• Sightstealer attack: The creepjoiner will scream and summon sightstealers to attack the colony.

 <PAWN NAME>'s howl: <PAWN NAME> has let out a twisted half-human scream. In the distance, you can hear other screams answering the call. They are coming... 

These effects also trigger if the creepjoiner dies by any means.

Analysis

The abilities possessed by creepjoiners range from modestly useful to potentially colony-changing. Evaluate the possible tradeoffs above, and be prepared to deal with sudden turncoat behavior. Carefully inspect the pawn's entire Bio and Health tab before recruiting them. One must decide whether the potential risks a creepjoiner brings are worth it, but also weigh the downsides of not recruiting them (such as an aggressive response).

Performing a surgical inspection can reveal some potential downsides early - making it a useful habit to practice with new creepjoiners - but not all of them. Vigilance is still necessary even when the inspection finds nothing.

Placing a creepjoiner with time-based downsides (such as organ decay or crumbling mind) can be halted by placing them inside a cryptosleep casket until treatment is available. This will naturally disable the creepjoiner until they're removed from the casket, so prepare to survive without their skills and abilities for what could potentially be an extended period of time.

If a creepjoiner's downsides cannot immediately be determined then it may be useful to keep them physically isolated. Allowed areas and scheduling can be used to mitigate their proximity to other colonists until their downside is revealed for what it is.

Before you have ruled out the possibility of desertion, you may want to consider whether or not it is worth giving them expensive or rare items (such as high-quality armor, weapons, or bionic parts). While this equipment can be recovered if the deserting creepjoiner is arrested, there is always the risk that your colonists will not be able to catch them and you will consequently lose the equipment. To catch a deserting creepjoiner, it is advised to attack them to slow them down, and then capture them. Successfully arresting the deserter and then recruiting them again will make them join the colony permanently, without wanting to desert again.

The potential for fleshbeast emergence should also be ruled out before equipping a creepjoiner with powerful gear or genes . Because it destroys the body outright, any equipped gear or installed parts are destroyed with no chance for recovery. This ignores (and negates!) death refusal and deathless , so it is important to either rule out the possibility of fleshbeast emergence before applying these powerful effects, or to simply accept the risk that they may be wasted.

Pawn Kinds

Leathery stranger

• Letter Label: A ragged stranger with leathery skin is approaching your colony.
• Letter Prompt:

  The leathery stranger stares into space and speaks in a monotone, as though {PAWN_pronoun} hardly sees anyone or anything. {PAWN_pronoun} refuses to leave, insisting {PAWN_pronoun} is only interested in your colony. {PAWN_pronoun} says that {PAWN_pronoun} can help.

Dark scholar

• Letter Label: A dark scholar covered with twisted scars is approaching the colony.
• Letter Prompt:

  The dark scholar slouches in place, lifeless and silent. Only {PAWN_possessive} eyes seem alive, as if {PAWN_pronoun} could look inside you.
  
  {PAWN_pronoun} says that this is where {PAWN_pronoun} belongs and asks to stay for a while. {PAWN_possessive} tone indicates that {PAWN_pronoun} will not take 'no' for an answer.

Deal maker

• Letter Label: A stunningly good-looking stranger is approaching the colony.
• Letter Prompt:

  A stunningly good-looking stranger stands in front of you. {PAWN_possessive} face beams with confidence as {PAWN_pronoun} opens {PAWN_possessive} hands in a gesture of fellowship.
  
  {PAWN_pronoun} says {PAWN_pronoun} is here to make a deal and will help you in exchange for simple hospitality. This is {PAWN_possessive} purpose and {PAWN_pronoun} always fulfills {PAWN_possessive} purpose.

Drifter

• Letter Label: A visitor is approaching the colony.
• Letter Prompt:

  The weary-looking drifter stretches {PAWN_possessive} legs. {PAWN_pronoun} seems very tired.
  
  {PAWN_pronoun} asks to stay in your colony for a while - at least until {PAWN_pronoun} has recovered {PAWN_possessive} strength.

Blind healer

• Letter Label: A blind healer is approaching the colony.
• Letter Prompt:

  A small, withered {PAWN_genderNoun} stands in front of you. Where {PAWN_possessive} eyes should be, there are only scar-crusted holes in {PAWN_possessive} flesh. Yet, even without eyes, {PAWN_pronoun} somehow looks at you with kindness. {PAWN_pronoun} says that {PAWN_pronoun} knows that {PAWN_possessive} skills are needed here and wants to stay for a while.

Timeless one

• Letter Label: A teenager is approaching the colony. {PAWN_pronoun} has a strange air of confidence around {PAWN_objective}.
• Letter Prompt:

  {PAWN_nameDef} is barely more than a child but in {PAWN_possessive} thoughtful eyes you sense an ancient wisdom. When {PAWN_pronoun} speaks, the words seem to come from an unnatural knowledge of endless time. {PAWN_pronoun} says that the stars brought {PAWN_objective} here to fulfill {PAWN_possessive} destiny. {PAWN_pronoun} wants to stay with you and help.

Cult escapee

• Letter Label: A mangled figure is approaching the colony.
• Letter Prompt:

  The mangled stranger stares at you with empty eyes and speaks in a broken voice. {PAWN_pronoun} claims to have escaped from a terrible cult and begs to join your colony.

Lone genius

• Letter Label: A lone figure is approaching the colony.
• Letter Prompt:

  The strange figure keeps muttering about some scientific breakthrough. All {PAWN_pronoun} needs is a laboratory. If you let {PAWN_objective} stay, {PAWN_pronoun} will share {PAWN_possessive} vast knowledge with you. It's hard to tell whether {PAWN_pronoun}'s insane or a genius - or both.

Shared Parameters:

• Race: CreepJoiner
• Backstories: Unknown (Childhood) and Unknown (Adulthood)
• Is Fighter: false
• Pregnancy Chance: 0%
• Initial Will Range: 80~90
• Initial Resistance Range: 0~0
• Can Be Scattered: false
• Studiable As Prisoner: true
• Accept Arrest Chance Factor: 80%
• Base Prison Break MTB Days: 30
• Show In Debug Spawner: false
• Weight: 1

Pawn Kind	Combat Power	Gear	Apparel	Weapons	Tech	Inventory	Additional Info [edit]
Leathery stranger	55	Quality: Always Normal	Fixed: Poor Bison wool; Duster, T-shirt, Pants Allow Headgear Chance: 0% Ignore Seasons: false Ignore Pollution true Body Type: Leathery Head Type: Leathery BeardTags: NoBeard	Fixed: Bolt action rifle	-	10 Nutrition	Age Range: 35~70
Dark scholar	55	Forced Quality: Poor	Color: Ignore Ideo Apparel Colors: true Required: Robe Allow Headgear Chance: 0% Available: None Ignore Seasons: false Ignore Pollution true Head Type: Dark Scholar BeardTags: NoBeard	-	-	10 Nutrition	Age Range: 40~70 Forced Skills: 14~20 Intellectual Existing Damage: Damage; SurgicalCut, Groups; Legs, Arms, FullHead Forced Traits: Psychopath Favorite Color: Requires: Occultist, DeathRefusal, ShamblerOverlord, Fleshcrafter, PsychicButcher Excludes: Metalhorror, OrganDecay, Assault
Deal maker	55	Forced Quality: Good	Color: Ignore Ideo Apparel Colors: true Required: Top hat , Jacket, T-shirt, Pants Allow Headgear Chance: 0% Available: None Ignore Seasons: false Ignore Pollution true BeardTags:	Fixed: Revolver	-	10 Nutrition	Age Range: 20~40 Forced Skills: 14~20 Social, 14~20 Shooting Forced Traits: Beautiful Favorite Color: Requires: Joybringer, PerfectHuman, BodyMastery
Drifter	55	HP: 20~60% Quality: Poor	Budget: 90~280 Allow Headgear Chance: 20% Available: Tuque, Cowboy hat, Bowler hat, Gas mask , Parka, Button-down shirt, Pants, T-shirt Ignore Seasons: false Ignore Pollution true BeardTags:	Budget: 60~200 Available: Knife, Club	Budget: 50~50 Available: 15% chance of 1x: Denture, Peg leg, Wooden hand, Wooden foot	0 Nutrition 10% chance of: 1x Herbal medicine	Age Range: 20~60
Blind healer	55	Quality: Always Normal	Fixed: Poor Patchleather; T-shirt, Pants Allow Headgear Chance: 0% Ignore Seasons: false Ignore Pollution true Hair: Bald	Fixed: Poor Steel Knife	-	10 Nutrition	Age Range: 55~80 Missing Parts: 2x Eyes Requires: UnnaturalHealing
Timeless one	55	Forced Quality: Good	Color: Ignore Ideo Apparel Colors: true Required: T-shirt, Pants Allow Headgear Chance: 0% Available: Flak jacket, Duster, Jacket Ignore Seasons: false Ignore Pollution true Head Type: TimelessOne BeardTags: NoBeard	-	-	10 Nutrition	Age Range: 13~16
Cult escapee	55	Quality: Always Normal	Fixed: Poor Cloth; Robe, T-shirt, Pants Allow Headgear Chance: 0% Ignore Seasons: false Ignore Pollution true Body Type: Cult Escapee Head Type: Cult Escapee HairTags: Bald BeardTags: NoBeard	-	Starting Hediffs: 50% chance: Flesh tentacle	10 Nutrition	Age Range: 18~70 Missing Parts: 50% chance for each: Arm, Eye, Eye Existing Damage: Damage; SurgicalCut, Chance Per Group; 50%, Groups; Arms, Legs Requires: DeathRefusal, Occultist, ShamblerOverlord, Fleshcrafter, PsychicButcher Excludes: Joybringer
Lone genius	55	Quality: Always Normal	Fixed: Good; Cloth; Lab coat, Button-down shirt, Synthread; Pants Allow Headgear Chance: 0% Ignore Seasons: false Ignore Pollution true	Fixed: Charge lance	-	10 Nutrition	Age Range: 30~80 Forced Skills: 13~18 Intellectual Forced Traits: Too smart, Abrasive Requires: UnnaturalHealing, Alchemist, Occultist