Lobster Man

General Information

Lobsterman

This is a staggering creature, taller than a man and boasting six limbs, it resembles nothing more than an aquatic Demon. The similarities between this creature and the Earth lobster have earned it the nickname of Lobsterman with the X-Com troops. This is a behemoth of the deep. A carefully designed fighting creature of incredible strength and practically invulnerable to missile fire. Its pincers alone can crush steel.

Source: Terror From The Deep Ufopaedia

Lobsterman Autopsy

Once past its virtually indestructible shell the creature is an amazing construction. Powerful muscles ripple around a titanium skeleton, a sophisticated targeting system with multi-band scanning ability is hooked directly into the creature's brain. Its multiple eyes are protected by harder than steel plastics and it is clear that when well deployed by their masters these creatures are all but unstoppable. Buried deep in its body are devices of unknown construction and function.

Source: Terror From The Deep Ufopaedia

Lobsterman
Time Units		56 - 112
Health		90 - 125
Energy		90 - 148
Reactions		60 - 108
Strength		70 - 86
Bravery		80 - 90
Firing Accuracy		21-87
Throwing Accuracy		62
MC Skill		0
MC Strength		35 - 62
Front Armour		8 - 26
Left Armour		8 - 26
Right Armour		8 - 26
Back Armour		6 - 24
Under Armour		4 - 14
Hidden Attributes
Melee Accuracy		78 - 115
Energy Recharge		35 - 40
Victory Points		20 - 40
Standing Height		?
Kneeling Height		?
Intelligence		2 - 8
Aggression		1 & 2
Other information
Armour category		Lobsterman
Possible Ranks		Soldier, Squad Leader, Technician, Navigator, Commander
Unique Attributes		Has melee attack

The Lobsterman is a formidable opponent. Lobstermen form the shock troopers of the deep and also hold very high positions amongst the alien hierarchy.

The Lobsterman, in addition to using standard alien weaponry, has big meaty claws that allow it to viciously strike aquanauts when in close quarters. This means that whether or not it is carrying firearms, a Lobsterman is a constant threat until it is incapacitated.

The Lobsterman's other - and perhaps most - distinguishing feature is its thick carapace that makes it nearly invulnerable. Their actual protective plating is very light, but the Lobsterman's extreme damage resistance greatly reduces the effectiveness of most weapons. Low powered weapons are rendered ineffective.

While seemingly unstoppable, they are not without weakness. They have a vulnerability for freezing weapons and drills. They are also weak against Molecular Control, and have no MC abilities of their own. They also have a habit of wearing themselves out. Just turning consumes energy, so they potentially use more energy per turn than they can recover.

While not a weakness per-se, they do sustain more damage from their own Sonic weapons than any other other non-area-effect ranged weapons.

In Enemy Unknown, the Lobsterman is comparable to the Muton in function. Their resilience is best associated with the Sectopod, though from a slightly different approach.

Tactics

When first facing Lobstermen, it may seem that no weapon in the X-Com arsenal can deal with them. The Lobsterman threat was finally countered by a desperate but highly effective strategy: melee combat with alien power tools.

• Melee with Thermal Tazer. Prior to acquiring alien drill technology, the humble freeze rod (Thermal Tazer), since it is a freezing (stun) weapon, is quite effective against Lobstermen. It's a useful stop-gap, since it can take some time before it's possible to research alien drills.
• Sonic Pulsers offer an early opportunity to attack Lobstermen more effectively. Count on three or more direct hits for a good chance of a kill. Be prepared to follow up with all available direct fire weapons if the Lobsterman does not go down - his high armour levels will be reduced by the Sonic Pulser damage, making it possible to finish him off with normally ineffective weapons such as Gas Cannon - HE.
• Disruptor Pulse Launchers do not kill them outright. Lobstermen will survive a direct DPL hit. It takes two hits, or one DPL followed by a second hit with something else, such as a Sonic weapon.
• The best ranged weapon against Lobstermen (considerably more effective than 'nuking' them with a Disruptor Pulse Launcher) is the Thermal Shok Launcher, due to their vulnerability to stun damage. Don't forget to drop some kind of grenade on the sleeping seafood if you don't want them meleeing you to death when they wake up.
• Other ranged weapons are very ineffective against Lobstermen. Even the mighty Sonic Cannon, by far the most effective direct fire weapon against Lobstermen, will require at least two hits.
• MC: Lobstermen are not capable of Molecular Control and only have average MC resistance. Once effective Molecular Control is available, it is probably the 'ultimate' tactic against them.
• If coming up against an unexpected Lobsterman (as in, a random Small spacecraft with a few Lobstermen in it, earlier in the game than expected) and you are not prepared, it is advisable to abort the mission. If you HAVE to kill it, remember to bring thermal tazers.

Notes

The following are some miscellaneous notes on the Lobster Man:

• The Lobster Man takes 0.2x damage from armor-piercing weaponry, 0.3x damage from fire, high explosives and Gauss weapons, 0.5x damage from Sonic Weapons, but 1.1x damage from Stun attacks, and 2.0x damage from melee attacks.
• High Health.
• Very high Strength.
• High Energy.
• Average Reactions.
• Is fast (high TUs).
• Average Firing and Throwing Accuracy.
• Low to Average Psi Strength.
• There are no Lobster Man Medics. Technicians will be used in their place.
• They have a marked tendency to fall unconscious instead of dying, except when killed by strong melee weapons.

See Also

• Alien Life Forms
• Overviews of Aliens
• Bio-Drone
• Tentaculat
• Alien Stats (TFTD)