On the other end of the spectrum, we have the masher, which I have
seldom considered and I think I have used once, primarily as a challenge to
myself to do so. I hope that this post inspires the Gentle Reader to use the
creatures themselves.
It is noteworthy that many of the creatures I never or seldom used
are aquatic. In those early days of my gaming, I could seldom convince players
that it was worthwhile to take passage on a ship, largely because of the
potential risks involved. If something happens to the ship, you are in deep
trouble, and the idea of starting an adventure with a shipwreck seemed too good
to pass up. In fact, Chanters in the Dark starts this
way, so that is not an entirely spurious concern.
There are a number of AD&D
monsters capable of capsizing or otherwise sinking ships, and even if you are
just boarded by aquatic monsters, wearing armor is a potential death sentence
if you fall overboard, so your party is not usually at their strongest. Should
you do well, aquatic enemies can flee where they cannot easily be followed, and
they can regroup to attack again at their leisure. The stories we enjoy
reading, and those we tell at the table, tend to be ones where things happen, so that, even if 99% of
all sea voyages avoid these dangers, the PCs somehow end up on the ones that do
not.
Undersea adventures are even more difficult, unless there is a way
for the players to be certain that their characters can breathe, and that the
judge will not use the crushing ocean depths to kill them all. It behooves the
judge to consider three dimensions when planning adventures, but when you are
underwater it is mandatory, adding to the difficulty of designing (and
sometimes running) these adventures. Adventuring underwater can be an
interesting change of pace, but there is a reason why there are so few good
published underwater adventures.
In an adventure like Isle of Dread, the ocean voyage is
already accomplished prior to the action beginning. That works well enough, but limits the use of
aquatic monsters. There are some potential marine encounters in that module,
but they require the PCs to be sailing around the island, and have the
potential issues raised earlier. It’s okay to have the occasional shipwreck,
but the more often such an event occurs, the more foolish players have to be to
trust their characters to the sea.
Even in an otherwise land-locked adventure, water features can
cause players anxiety. I love including flooded corridors, underground rivers,
and the like for this very reason. To explore, or not to explore? When you know
your movement and combat abilities are compromised, cannot see what lies below
the surface, but know that anything there is in its element while you are not, tensions
naturally rise.
NOTE: When I first wrote this, I missed that there is indeed a manticore in the monster section of the core rulebook. Feel free to compare and contrast!
Mammoth: See the Cyclopedia of Common Animals. Mammoths, mastodons, and modern elephants are included.
Manticores appear as large lions with
bat-like wings and human heads with oversized mouths. The common manticore has
a tail bristling with spikes; it can launch 1d4 of these at a single target,
which uses up both of its action dice and requires a separate attack roll for
each spike. A manticore typically has 3d12 spikes available at any given time;
once used, they take days or weeks to regrow. Maticores have three rows of
teeth and bell-like voices.
A manticore can have 1d8-1 special
features. When a special feature is indicated, roll 1d10 on the table below,
rerolling any duplicates:
1. Larger than normal. The manticore
gains 2 additional Hit Dice.
2. Instead of tail spikes, the
manticore has a scorpion-like tail, which drips whitish-green venom. Tail sting
+2 melee (1d3 plus venom); venom (Fort DC 15 or 1d7 damage).
3. The manticore’s voice paralyzes
those who hear it, who must succeed on a DC 15 Will save or be rooted to the
spot for 1d10 full minutes. Once a character has succeeded in this saving
throw, they cannot be affected again that day.
4. The manticore has no wings and
cannot fly, but gains Climb 30’ and can climb on sheer surfaces with ease.
5. When reduced to 0 hit points, the
manticore lets out an ear-splitting screech (Fort DC 10 or be deafened for 1d3
days; deafness is permanent on a natural “1”).
6. The manticore is immune to one
specific type of damage, such as fire, cold, or electricity.
7. The manticore’s tail spikes are
envenomed (Fort DC 12 or 1d4 damage). If the manticore has no tail spikes,
reroll.
8. The manticore has 2d6 extra tail
spikes. If the manticore has no tail spikes, reroll.
9. The manticore has an extra tail,
and can use both tails as the same action. A manticore can target separate foes
with each tail.
10. The manticore gains an extra
action die, and has an additional +1 bonus to Initiative.
If a manticore has venom, a thief can
extract 2d4 doses with a successful Handle Poison check.
This entry was built off the
mantichore from White Out.
Masher: Init +0; Atk crush +0 melee (5d4); AC
13; HD 8d8; MV swim 20’; Act 1d20; SP venomous spines (Ref DC 12 negates,
otherwise 1d4 Stamina damage and Fort DC 12 or immediate paralysis followed by death
in 1d3 minutes); SV Fort +12; Ref +0; Will +0; AL N.
Mashers are 1d4 + 11 foot long eel-like fish, shaped somewhat like
worms, a number of venomous dorsal spines they can use for self-defense. They
live in coral reefs, and are named for their feeding method of “mashing” coral
growths and eating the resultant smaller pieces with their suction-like mouths.
Although they cannot bite, masher have hard bony heads which they can use to
crush attacking creatures much as they do coral.
In addition, the masher uses its dorsal spines to ward off
attackers. Each masher has 1d3+1 pair of these spines, which are independently
mobile. Attackers must succeed in a DC 12 reflex save or come into contact with
the deadly venom.
These fish would be largely left alone by intelligent creatures,
but 1d3 doses of this venom can be removed from the venom sac of each dorsal
spine with a successful Handle Poison check, and the venom retains its full
potency for 3d6 months.
Mastodon: See the Cyclopedia of Common Animals.
The above medusa was built from this post, whose
medusa is reproduced below:
Medusa: Init +2; Atk biting serpents +6 melee
(1d6 plus venom), AC 12; HD 4d8; MV 30’; Act 1d16; SP infravision 60’, half
damage from non-magical weapons, venom (1d3 Stamina plus Fort DC 15 or die),
petrifying gaze (Reflex DC 15 averts; otherwise 1d3 Agility and Will DC 12 or
turned to stone, petrified if Agility reaches 0); SV Fort +1, Ref +3, Will +0;
AL C.
Harryhausen Medusa: Init +2; Atk Short bow +5 ranged (1d6
plus poison); AC 14; HD 2d8+4, HP 12; MV 40’; Act 2d20; SP petrifaction by gaze
1 target/round (Ref DC 12 to avoid) and any creature attempting to attack must
make this save, poisoned arrows (Fort DC 10 or die), poisonous blood (1d6
damage by splash, Fort save DC 10 or die with greater contact); SV Fort +4, Ref
+6, Will +8; AL C.
Finally, you may find my write-up for Euryale and the Un-dead
Euryale to be or some interest, although that might be a bit farther
afield than a strict conversion post should go.
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