Tenticulons were natural predators of the firehead fish, who lurks in the half-light waters beneath the polar ice sheets on the planet Rhinnal. Their enormous body is an amorphous blob towing dozens of ribbon-like arms, each with a specialized function. Some limbs blink to bewitch passing fish, others sting, and still others grasp and rend. The creatures are capable of rapidly regenerating lost appendages. If the tenticulon hits its target with at least five grasping tentacles, it can swallow the victim whole.
Many residents of Rhinnal consider the tenticulon a myth; its existence remains (in their eyes) unproven. Others disagree, positing that the creature typically does not fight what it cannot kill.
Behind the scenes
Tenticulons were introduced in Coruscant and the Core Worlds, a sourcebook for the Star Wars Roleplaying Game, published by Wizards of the Coast on January 3, 2003. The sourcebook offered players several adventure hooks for their home campaigns. One such scenario, titled «Frozen in Time», pits a group of players against fireheads and tenticulons.