Composer

The Composer is a towering, humanoid creature designated IS-0064 (Crucis, AG/IV). It appears as a lanky, porcelain-like being with resilient musculature, horn-like shoulder protrusions, dangling ribbons of flesh and irregular holes puncturing its face and torso. Composers emit a constant low hum threaded with intermittent whistles that seem to originate from chest cavities; this audible output is a defining trait and the source of their common name. They first appeared in Flathill immediately after GATE's early perforation experiments and are associated with the mists that envelop that town.

Composers are largely sight-dependent and are effectively deaf, so they detect targets visually and will cry out and pursue anything they see. They may stand idle, wander their territory, or patrol in place while humming. Despite their height, Composers cannot fit through standard-size doors but will reach through doorways with their long arms to attempt grabs. Their attack repertoire includes a reach-based Grab that attempts to seize a target with spindly hooked fingers and insert the victim into the chest cavity (an immediate kill if successful), a wide right-to-left Smack swing, and a close-range Stomp that deals area-of-effect damage when a target is behind them.

Containment and lore: Composers are subject to containment protocols requiring facilities be sited at least 2,000 meters from any perforation phenomenon, with perforation-suppressing fields, backup power and hermetic sealing. Acoustic baffling is recommended because the long-term effects of exposure to their songs remain unknown. Field reports indicate their territorial movement is constrained by local geomagnetic and telluric currents; an alternative hypothesis proposes that limitations reflect conditions imposed by the Composers' home anteverse.

Practical combat and avoidance notes:

• Composers are effectively immune to conventional weapons; the only reliably lethal options listed are a single Rocket Launcher round (destroys one Composer) and [REDACTION] Grenades. Other weapons merely provoke hostility and may briefly stun them if they deal high damage.
• Avoid direct engagement: stealth and evasion are the primary strategies when confronting Composers. Sneak around their patrols and give them a wide berth.
• If spotted, immediately seek concealment in vents or behind standard doors. Do not remain in doorways; Composers can reach through and attempt to grab targets.
• If cornered, attempting to circle the creature may allow evasion of a grab. Maintain distance and lateral movement to reduce chances of being caught.
• Some Composers are confined and cannot exit their spawn building even when doors open; environmental constraints may limit where individual specimens can roam.

Drops and salvage:

• Organ: 100% chance
• Porcelain Shards: guaranteed, typically 4; 50% chance to yield 5–6 shards
• Porcelain Key: ~10% chance
• Porcelain Tablet: ~3% chance Turbines in multiple locations (Power Services area, Gale and Mist Reactor areas, the ski lift building before the Yeti cave, underwater near the Gale Reactor, and others) are listed as places where Composers or related materials can be obtained by breaking them.

Notable encounters and miscellaneous:

• A lone Composer is held in Cascade Laboratories in a locked containment cell; that specimen is missing its shoulder horn protrusions, which are found elsewhere in the facility and are suggested to link individuals into a hivemind.
• Composers appear in Cloud Reactor during Fog weather.
• The Creature’s deafness is an intentional design reference (alluding to historical deaf composers). They are functionally invulnerable by conventional means due to extremely high health values unless the specific lethal tools noted above are used.