Let’s Convert the Fiend Folio: Terithran and Thoqqua

The Terithran is a reasonable enough creature to include in an Advanced Dungeons & Dragons game, I suppose, to limit the prevalence of spell casters and add some risk to using magic items. The magic system in Dungeon Crawl Classics is somewhat different, which requires making some changes to the nature of the monster, when it is encountered, and how its powers work. It is recommended that, rather than tediously rolling to determine whether or not a Terithran is summoned every time large amounts of spellburn are used, or a spell is fumbled, the judge includes this chance as part of certain adventures and locations in the campaign milieu. It will save you some headaches.

The Fiend Folio includes more than one monster designed to jump out at you from the walls, and it contains more than one monster designed to create (or explain) some of the traversable tunnels in an underground maze. The Thoqqua is one of these, although the tunnels it creates are only 3 feet in diameter. What if there were giant Thoqqua, creating passages that larger characters could easily use? Well, since I brought it up, I suppose I should include it!

If you feel like tipping, here is a way to do so.

 

Terithran

Terithran: Init +0; Atk Claw +2 melee (1d4+1) or magic attack; AC 17; HD 5d6; MV 40’; Act 2d20; SP Immune to normal weapons (silver or magic to hit), 50% magic resistance, detect magic 100’ radius, magic attacks; SV Fort +3, Ref +4, Will +8; AL C.

These short humanoids are a mere four feet tall, with long sinewy arms and an unusually large misshapen head. They have a faint, shadowy appearance, for they are not from the Lands We Know, but only visitors of circumstance, summoned at times when occult forces go either horribly awry or when great sacrifice has been made to bring forth arcane powers. In general, there is a 1% chance per spell level that a terithais summoned when a natural “1” is rolled, and a 1% chance per point of spellburn when a caster utilizes 10 or more points of spellburn. This may be restricted further as determined by the judge; there may only be certain places in the campaign milieu which abut those areas Beyond where terithrans dwell.

In any event, such creatures are found in the aether and phlogiston, bathing in the swirls, eddies and warps which are natural to these hidden regions. The use of arcane magic forces some amount of order into the natural chaos, sometimes forcing the creatures at least partially into the Lands We Know, and terithrans are never happy to be within our world.

In the Lands We Know, a terithran is immune to all non-magical weapons, unless they are made of silver. They have a 50% chance of simply ignoring any spell or spell effect as though it didn’t exist, and this is determined before any potential saves are rolled. They can automatically detect and understand the function of any magic item or ongoing spell effect within a 100’ radius.

A terithran can attack using its claws, or can use both Action Dice to create one of the effects below (roll 1d4):

(1) Stunning blast: a charge of phlogistonic and aetherial waves stun all creatures within 10’ for 1d5 rounds, rendering them unable to take any action during this period, unless they succeed in a DC 15 Will save.

(2) Drain power: Removes the use of one random spell from a wizard or elf within 100’ unless they succeed in a DC 20 Will save. The spell is always of the highest available level, and the terithran heals 1d6 hp per spell level. The wizard or elf regains access to any lost spells after 1d3 + spell level days (roll for each spell separately); the spell cannot be regained or reused through spellburn, nor can the spell slots be refilled with alternative spells. It is as though the caster didn’t have these slots.

(3) Cause serious wounds: With a successful attack roll, the creature automatically does 1d4+1 base damage and gains the effects of a critical hit.

(4) Transportation: The terithran makes an attack with a +2 bonus (total attack modifier +4), grasping a victim (usually the offending wizard or elf) and transporting both itself and its victim to its home in the phlogiston. There is no save, and the victim is lost unless the judge allows a special quest to recover them. This power causes no damage.

These statistics represent terithrans as they appear in the Lands We Know. In their own lands, they may be more powerful.

 

Thoqqua

Thoqqua: Init +0; Atk Charge +2 melee (3d4 plus 2d6 heat) or touch +0 melee (2d6 heat); AC 18; HD 3d8; MV 10’ or burrow 30’; Act 1d20; SP Blindsense 120’, charge heat (2d6), fire damage heals creature, cold vulnerability; SV Fort +4, Ref +3, Will +0; AL N.

Giant Thoqqua: Init +0; Atk Charge +4 melee (5d4 plus 3d6 heat) or touch +2 melee (3d6 heat); AC 20; HD 6d8; MV 20’ or burrow 40’; Act 1d20; SP Blindsense 120’, charge heat (3d6), fire damage heals creature, cold vulnerability; SV Fort +7, Ref +2, Will +0; AL N.

Colossal Thoqqua: Init +0; Atk Charge +6 melee (7d4 plus 4d6 heat) or touch +4 melee (4d6 heat); AC 22; HD 8d8; MV 30’ or burrow 50’; Act 1d20; SP Blindsense 120’, charge heat (4d6), fire damage heals creature, cold vulnerability; SV Fort +10, Ref +0, Will +0; AL N.

Also called “rockworms”, these creatures are 2 feet in diameter and 1d4+1 feet long, with reddish-silver skin and a super-heated “head” which allows them to burrow through solid stone, creating red-hot tunnels about 3 feet in diameter. Even after a thoqqua has passed, the tunnels remain hot enough to cause 2d7 damage for the first turn and 1d7 for the second. After two turns, the tunnel cools down enough to enter, but remains warm to the touch for days. During the first turn, the rock is discernibly red from the heat, and while the rock causes damage, the heat radiating from it is easily felt from a distance.

Thoqquas start combat with a charge, being able to move up to 30’ to do so. Thereafter, it is restricted to its normal movement rate. Fire- or heat-based attacks heal the thoqqua equal to the damage done (and may grant the creature temporary hit points above its normal maximum), but cold attacks inflict twice normal damage.

A giant thoqqua is like its smaller cousin, but 4’ feet in diameter and 2d5+2 feet long, and able to charge up to 50’. It creates tunnels up to 5’ in diameter. A colossal thoqqua is even larger; 6’ in diameter and 4d7+4’ long, able to charge up to 60’, and creating tunnels 8’ in diameter. Even larger thoqquas might exist in the lightless depths far below the surface of the world!

Some sages speculate that the thoqqua is a larval form of some other creature native to the elemental planes of earth or fire. What that would mean for the truly enormous specimens deep beneath the surface is, perhaps, a question better left alone.