Beast

Bat #

Bats are nocturnal flying mammals. The information presented here describe small, insectivorous bats. They have a natural sonar that allows them to operate in total darkness.

A group of normal-sized bats has no effective attack (at least in terms of doing damage) but can confuse those in the area, flying around apparently randomly and suffer attack and saving throws penalties.

Black Bear #

The black bear is a forest-dwelling omnivore that usually is not dangerous unless an interloper threatens its cubs or food supply.

Black bears may actually be pure black, blond, or cinnamon in color. They are rarely more than 5 feet long.

Bears attack by rending opponents with their claws, dragging them in and biting them. A successful hit with both paws indicates a hug attack for additional damage. All bears are very tough to kill, and are able to move and attack right up to the moment of their death.

Boar #

Though not carnivores, these wild swine are bad-tempered and usually charge anyone who disturbs them. Note that “boar” refers specifically to the male of the species, but females are equally large and fierce.
A boar is covered in coarse, grayish-black fur. Adults are about 4 feet long and 3 feet high at the shoulder.

Brown Bear #

These massive carnivores weigh more than 1,800 pounds and stand nearly 9 feet tall when they rear up on their hind legs. They are bad-tempered and territorial.

Bears attack by rending opponents with their claws, dragging them in and biting them. A successful hit with both paws indicates a hug attack for additional damage. All bears are very tough to kill, and are able to move and attack right up to the moment of their death.

Camel #

Camels are known for their ability to travel long distances without food or water. The information presented here are for the dromedary, or one-humped camel, which thrives in warm deserts. A dromedary stands about 7 feet tall at the shoulder, with its hump rising 1 foot higher. The two-humped, or Bactrian, camel is suited to cooler, rocky areas. It is stockier, slower and tougher than the dromedary.

Cave Bear #

These monstrous bears are even larger than brown bears. They are ferocious killers, attacking almost anything of equal or smaller size.

Bears attack by rending opponents with their claws, dragging them in and biting them. A successful hit with both paws indicates a hug attack for additional damage. All bears are very tough to kill, and are able to move and attack right up to the moment of their death.

Cheetah #

A Cheetah is one of the fastest land animals – a large (about 100 pounds) cat capable of reaching up to 75 miles per hour when running. It hunts alone or in small groups (usually composed of siblings). It will rarely attack humans unless compelled to do so, but a female will ferociously defend her young.

Crocodile #

Crocodiles are aggressive predators 11 to 12 feet long. They lie mostly submerged in rivers or marshes, with only their eyes and nostrils showing, waiting for prey to come within reach.

Large Crocodiles: These huge creatures are from 12-20 feet long. Large crocodiles fight and behave like their smaller cousins.

Giant Crocodiles: These huge creatures usually live in salt water and are generally more than 20 feet long. Giant crocodiles fight and behave like their smaller cousins.

Dog #

Normal dogs include most medium and large breeds, including wild dogs. After biting an opponent, a dog can hold on, doing damage automatically every round, until killed or until the victim spends an attack breaking free (which requires a save vs. REF).

Riding dogs are a large breed, used primarily by Halflings for transport. They may be trained for war, and equipped with barding to improve their Armor Class. They can maintain a hold in the same way that normal dogs do.

Donkey #

Donkeys are long-eared, horse-like creatures. They are surefooted and sturdy, and can be taken into dungeons or caverns.

Draft Horse #

Draft Horses include large breeds of working horses such as Clydesdales. These animals are usually ready for heavy work by age three.

Elephant #

Massive herbivores of tropical lands, elephants are unpredictable creatures but nevertheless are sometimes used as mounts or beasts of burden. This entry describes an African elephant. Indian elephants are slightly smaller and weaker, but more readily trained.

A light load for an African elephant is 7,500 pounds; a heavy load, up to 15,000 pounds. For an Indian elephant, a light load is up to 7,000 pounds, and a heavy load up to 14,000 pounds.
An elephant has no treasure as such, but the tusks of an elephant are worth several hundred gold coins.

Giant Ant #

Giant ants are among the hardiest and most adaptable vermin. Soldiers and workers are about 5 to 6 feet long, while queens can grow to a length of 9 feet. Giant ants may be red or black; there is no statistical difference between them. Though relatively shy when first encountered, once combat begins they will fight to the death. They are known to collect shiny things, and so will sometimes have a small amount of treasure in their lair.

Giant ants may occasionally mine shiny metals such as gold or silver.

Giant Bass Fish #

Giant bass are generally between 10′ and 25′ long. Most are greenish-grey, marked with dark lateral stripes, though some are almost completely black. They are generally found in lakes or rivers, as they are not adapted for salt water.

Giant bass are predatory, and on a natural attack roll of 20 a giant bass will swallow whole a dwarf-sized or smaller creature, which then takes damage per round until it is dead. Swallowed characters can attack only with daggers or similar short weapons. Note that each giant bass can swallow at most one character, and a giant bass which has swallowed a character will attempt to retreat (having achieved its goal).

Giant Barracuda Fish #

Barracuda are predatory fish found in salt water. Huge barracudas are about 12′ long, while giant specimens can exceed 20′. They have elongated bodies, pointed heads and prominent jaws. Their bodies are covered with smooth scales, typically blue, gray or silver in color. They have extremely keen eyesight and are rarely surprised. Due to the quickness of their attack, barracudas are themselves capable of surprising gain a bonus on Initiative.

Giant barracudas always appear singly and are 50% likely to break off the attack after a few rounds if they haven’t killed their prey. Both kinds are attracted to shiny objects.

Giant Bat #

(Bat – related)

A giant bat has a wingspan of 15 feet and weighs about 200 pounds. They have the same sensory abilities as normal-sized bats, but being much larger, they are able to attack adventurers; many are carnivorous, making such attacks likely.

Giant Bee #

Although many times larger, growing to a length of about a foot, giant bees behave generally the same as their smaller cousins. Giant bees are usually not aggressive except when defending themselves or their hive. Those stung by a giant bee must save vs. FORT. A giant bee that successfully stings another creature pulls away, leaving its stinger in the creature. The bee then dies.

Giant Bombardier Beetle #

Giant bombardier beetles have red head and thorax sections and black abdomens. They are 3 to 4 feet long. In combat, a giant bombardier beetle bites opponents in front of it, and sprays a cone of very hot and noxious gases from a nozzle in the rearmost tip of the abdomen.

A giant bombardier beetle can use this spray attack up to five times per day, but no more often than once per 5 minutes. Faced with opponents attacking from just one direction, a giant bombardier beetle may choose to turn away and use the spray attack rather than biting.

Giant bombardier beetles, like most beetles, have more or less the same visual acuity in all directions, and thus suffer no penalty to Armor Class when attacked from behind.

Giant Catfish Fish #

Giant catfish fins are edged with a natural poison that causes a painful burning sensation for many rounds if a save vs. FORT is failed. The pain causes the affected character or creature to suffer a penalty on all attack rolls and saving throws. Further poisonings will increase this penalty.

Because of its large size (15 to 20 feet long) and body design, a giant catfish cannot target more than one of its attacks on any single creature; that is, it cannot bite and fin the same opponent, nor use both fins on one victim.

Giant Crab #

Giant crabs naturally resemble the ordinary variety, but are much larger, averaging 5′ in diameter (not counting their legs). These creatures are often found in water-filled caves, particularly those connected to a river, lake or sea, and are tolerant of both fresh and salt water. Also, they are able to live in stagnant water, though they prefer a better environment.

Giant crabs carry their eyes on armored stalks, which means that no bonus is awarded for attacking them from behind.

Giant Centipede #

Giant centipedes are larger versions of the normal sort, being 2 to 3 feet long. Centipedes are fast-moving, predatory, venomous arthropods, having long segmented bodies with exoskeletons. They prefer to live in underground areas, shadowy forested areas, and other places out of direct sunlight; however, there are desert-dwelling varieties that hide under the sand waiting for prey to wander by.

Giant centipedes tend to attack anything that resembles food, biting with their jaws and injecting their poison. Those bitten by a giant centipede must save vs. FORT.

Giant Fire Beetle #

These luminous nocturnal insects are prized by miners and adventurers. They have two glands, one above each eye, that produce a red glow. The glands’ luminosity persists for several days after removal from the beetle, illuminating a roughly circular area with a 10-foot radius.

Giant fire beetles are about 2 feet long. They are normally timid but will fight if cornered. Like most beetles, they have more or less the same visual acuity in all directions, and thus suffer no penalty to Armor Class when attacked from behind.

Giant Eagle #

A typical giant eagle stands about 10 feet tall, has a wingspan of up to 20 feet, and resembles its smaller cousins in nearly every way except size. It weighs about 500 pounds. Many giant eagles are intelligent creatures and speak Common.

A giant eagle typically attacks from a great height, diving earthward at tremendous speed. When it cannot dive, it uses its powerful talons and slashing beak to strike at its target’s head and eyes.

A solitary giant eagle is typically hunting or patrolling in the vicinity of its nest and generally ignores creatures that do not appear threatening. A mated pair attacks in concert, making repeated diving attacks to drive away intruders, and fights to the death to defend their nest or hatchlings.

Giant Fly #

Giant flies look much like ordinary houseflies, but are about 3′ long. Some are banded yellow and black, and are thus mistaken for giant bees. Giant flies are predators; after killing prey, they will sometimes lay eggs in the remains.

Giant Piranha Fish #

Giant piranha average 5′ in length at adulthood, and are aggressive carnivores. They are able to sense blood in the water just as sharks do, and once they smell or taste blood in the water, their morale rises to the parenthesized figure.

Giant Tiger Beetle #

Giant tiger beetles are predatory monsters around 5 feet long. Their carapaces tend to be dark brown with lighter brown striped or spotted patterns, but there are many variations.

They are fast runners, depending on their speed to run down prey, and they willingly prey on any creature of man size or smaller. Like most beetles, they have more or less the same visual acuity in all directions, and thus suffer no penalty to Armor Class when attacked from behind.

Polar Bear #

These long, lean carnivores are slightly taller than grizzly bears, and just as hostile.

Bears attack by rending opponents with their claws, dragging them in and biting them. A successful hit with both paws indicates a hug attack for additional damage. All bears are very tough to kill, and are able to move and attack right up to the moment of their death.

Pony #

A Pony is a small horse, under 5 feet tall at the shoulder. Ponies are otherwise similar to riding horses and cannot fight while carrying a rider. Ponies can be trained for war, though this does not allow them to fight while carrying a rider.

Mule #

Mules are sterile crossbreeds of donkeys and horses. They can be taken into dungeons or caverns. A mule is similar to a riding horse, but slightly stronger and more agile.

Riding Horse #

Riding Horses include smaller breeds of working horses such as quarter horses and Arabians as well as wild horses. These animals are usually ready for useful work by age two. Riding horses cannot fight while a rider is mounted.

WarHorse #

WarHorses are trained and bred for strength and aggression. They usually are not ready for warfare before age three.