Water Creeper

Note that this does not exist in Minecraft; it was written purely as a fiction article.

Water Creepers are a rare variation of their green-coloured cousins. They are easily recognized by their distinctive blue skin. They were recently discovered when a miner was ambushed by a pack of three while fishing in a boat. Unlike regular creepers, Water Creepers do not explode when approached, but rather try to swarm their target while pushing them down into the water to drown it. They can stay underwater for up to four hours with one breath.

Tactics
Water Creepers are clever and have been caught pulling on fishing hooks to make fishers beleive they caught something. They move silently underwater while approaching the enemy and will burst out behind them, grab them and dunk them underwater. They can successfully hunt farm animals this way, and many recently reported a decrease in the animal population. Water Creepers can and will be seen attacking other hostile mobs during the night, even normal Creepers. One miner had reported seeing Water Creepers ambushing a skeleton on land while it was raining.

Disadvantages
Water Creepers are very slow when moving on dry land, even while raining. They have a weakness of Ghasts, as fire and lava are two of the three things Water Creepers fear. Their scaly skin is weak and thin, and is easily broken when under direct contact with hot materials. Plus, staying on land for too long will dry out their bodies and will be left unable to move. Their third fear is the tameable Wolf, and will avoid these if they can.

Habitat
Water Creepers are mostly found deep underwater where not a lot of light reaches, so caution is advised when building an underwater house/rail/mine. They will be found at any time during the day. They make their homes out of seaweeds and rocks. Be extra careful around Water Creepers with newborns; they can be very dangerous when engaged in combat. Fighting one of these underwater will alert others nearby and you will easily be outnumbered. Also, Water Creepers are much more agile when in the sea, thus provoking one in its habitat is not advised.

Advice
Water Creepers are a pain to deal with, no matter where you are. Following these tips should lower the chance of encountering one:
 * Set a wall of fire with Netherack and Flint & Steel around coastlines to repel attacking Water Creepers while also damaging them at the same time. They will walk in the fire when attempting to strike.
 * Always have a few dogs following closely behind you whenever you enter a large body of water.
 * Wear armour of at least iron or of a higher tier to prevent physical damage dealt to you.
 * Water Creepers will take a lot of damage from Splash Potions of Harming, so always keep a few bottles with you.
 * Throwing a Splash Potion of Healing will, in turn, heal a lot of hearts, so never throw one at a damaged Water Creeper when in combat.
 * Water Creepers tend to cluster together near motion disturbances on the water surface, so placing a lot of empty boats will lure them towards the decoy. Great for getting them out of the way with underwater construction.