Let’s Convert the Fiend Folio: Aarokocra and Achaierei

In the summer of 1981, I worked at a Youth Conservation Camp in Minong, Wisconsin. When I got home, one of the first places I went was a gaming store in Waukesha, Wisconsin, which has long since disappeared. And there, for the first time, I laid eyes, hands, and possession on the Fiend Folio.  This was the original TSR version, for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (the first, and only, edition then).

It was love at first sight.

Where the Monster Manual was about creatures of myth and folklore, the Fiend Folio was about the truly bizarre creatures which might lurk within a fantasy world. Not all were great, but some of those monsters endure to this day. What the Fiend Folio did was open the doors wide to inspiration. While the book garnered mixed reviews among the adults, teenage me was more than happy to open its glorious pages and throw a few garbugs into the mix.

So, here we are today. And this is the first of a series of blog posts converting (and in some cases reframing) these critters for Dungeon Crawl Classics!

Aarokocra

Aarokocra: Init +0; Atk claw +0 melee (1d3) or javelin +2 melee (1d6) or javelin +2 ranged (1d6); AC 13; HD 1d10; MV 20’ or fly 90’; Act 1d20; SP: Dive (2 javelin attacks, +4 to hit and damage each, but -4 to AC until next action); SV Fort +1; Ref +3; Will +0; AL N.

Aarokocra Shaman: Init +1; Atk claw +0 melee (1d3) or javelin +1 melee (1d6) or javelin +1 ranged (1d6) or spell; AC 15; HD 3d10; MV 20’ or fly 90’; Act 1d20; SP: Spells (as cleric), summon air elemental; SV Fort +0; Ref +5; Will +4; AL N.

These birdmen live in small tribes of 1d20+10 individuals, dwelling in the high mountain peaks, where they can soar all day on the thermals, seeking prey. They have little to do with humans, save poaching the occasional animal, as they seem unable to grasp the concept of domestication.

Aarokocra are shorter than the average human, at about 5 feet high, and have a 20-foot wingspan. Their wings muscles are anchored to a bony keel that projects a foot from their chests. In addition to “hands” at the crest of their wings, aarokocra can use their feet as fully functional hands.

These creatures carry 1d5+1 javelins each. While diving, an aarokocra can hold a javelin with each foot, pulling out of the dive Just as it reaches Its target, snapping the javelins forward to gain a +4 damage to the attack rolls and damage. An aarokocra has a -4 penalty to AC once it has done this, until it takes its next action.

Aarokocra are known to have tribal shamans, who cast spells as clerics (including disapproval; roll 1d3 to determine effective level).  Five aarokocra can summon an 8 HD air elemental by chanting end flying through an intricate aerial dance, if at least one of the birdmen is a shaman. Roll 1d30 on the first round, 1d24 on the second, 1d20 on the third, and so on down the dice chain, until a “1” is rolled (which indicates success). The elemental will generally do a single favor for the aarokocra, but will not fight to the death.

 

Achaierai

Achaierai: Init +0; Atk bite +4 melee (1d10) or claw +8 melee (1d8); AC 21 (legs) or 12 (body); HD 8d8 (body) and 2d8 per leg; MV 50’; Act 3d20; SP Hard-to-reach body, toxic smoke, +5 on saves vs. magic; SV Fort +8; Ref +3; Will +5; AL C.

These foul four-legged birds come from some infernal plane, but they now haunt shadowy places, underground passages, and lonely wastelands. Each has a huge spherical head-body, with a powerful   beak and feathery crest, atop four long metallic legs ending in strong claws. Its typical attack is two claws and one bite.

Because the creatures are so large, melee weapons can seldom reach the more vulnerable body until at least two legs have been destroyed. A warrior or dwarf may use a Mighty Deed to attack the head-body when the creature makes a peck attack, and ranged weapons may target the head-body with a reduced chance (1 in 8) of a miss accidently targeting another being in melee with the achaierai. Each destroyed leg reduces the achaierai’s move by 10’, and a legless monster cannot effectively move at all. If the monster is not slain, its legs regrow in 2d3 days.

If a  bird  loses  three  legs, or  Is otherwise seriously  wounded, it releases a cloud  of  black  toxic smoke extending 10’ from the achaierai in all directions (2d6 damage plus DC 12 Fort save or 1d8 temporary Intelligence damage, which heals at a rate of 1 point per hour).