Worg Wolf
Worg wolves are extremely large wolves, capable of attaining the size of a small horse. They can and sometimes are used by goblins and occasionally orcs as mounts, although they are probably difficult beasts to control. They are of evil alignment and nasty disposition.
Magical Flora
There are a wide variety of well-known "plant-creatures", such as Shamblers and Treants, listed separately in the Adventurer's Guide. In addition, there are certain plants which remain purely plants yet have magically mutated into serious dangers. Some of the more common in the Blackmoor area are Razor Vine, Lasher Bushes, and Starflowers.
Razor Vine
Razor Vine is a semi-ambulatory plant found both on the ground and hanging from trees. By its nature, it is almost undetectable when lying amongst regular plants, and although it is capable of slow movement, it is essentially an ambush predator. The plant will typically attack when something warm-blooded steps in or near the center of the plant. It then attacks by slashing at its victim with its many vines, each of which is lined with razor-sharp thorns. The plant's goal seems not necessarily to kill, but just to draw blood, which its extensive root pattern feeds upon.
While individual vines are not difficult to sever and destroy, actually killing a Razor Vine plant requires digging the plant up and destroying the root system. Fire will burn off vines, but will not destroy the roots. Cold magic does not damage them, but affects them like a slow spell. Electrical attacks do no damage, but affects the plant like a haste spell.
Lasher Bush
The Lasher Bush is an ambulatory plant, capable of moving at the speed of a walking human by using its roots like millipede feet. It appears to be both heat and motion sensitive, although exactly how is not known. They are carnivorous plants, typically feeding on small mammals and lizards, but capable of killing human-sized prey.
A Lasher Bush has upwards of a dozen vine-tentacles, which can lash out up to 15 feet or more distant, either striking or attempting to entangle possible prey. Strikes are capable of knocking an adventurer off their feet, while an entangled victim will be dragged (with considerable strength) towards the plant's mouth, a series of large fleshy petals with prominent thorns that function as teeth. The mouth is capable of tearing off substantial chunks of flesh, not unlike a shark, upon which the bush feeds.
Unlike most plants, a Lasher does not have to be dug up to be killed, sufficient damage to the bush itself will suffice. They are highly fire resistant, and appear unaffected by cold or electrical attacks.
Starflowers
The Starflower is a large, tree-like plant typically 10 to 12 feet tall. A single woody stalk supports an enormous 5-petaled flower, up to six feet across. Although not mobile, the plant can twist its trunk so that the flower can face in any desired direction. It is clearly capable of sensing warm-blooded creatures at considerable distance, although the means by which it does are not understood.
A Starflower's primary attack form is to release a cloud of misty spores when potential prey comes within 10 feet or so. Inhaling these spores causes almost immediate unconsciousness unless resisted, upon which the plant will bend down, grab the victim with its fleshy petals, and proceed to swallow the victim much like a snake does. The powerful digestive fluids in the plant's stem will kill the victim in moments, to then be digested at leisure.
In addition, Starflowers also appear capable of "shooting" the small thorns that line its petals out as far as 90 to 100 feet, striking like small darts. While there are stories of these thorns being poisonous, it is more likely that they are simply naturally septic and cause their wounds to become infected. Exactly what triggers thorn attacks is uncertain, and some researchers believe the plant has a capability of sensing threat.
Smashing and thrusting attacks are essentially useless against Starflowers, cutting the trunk with a sharp blade or axe is the preferred means of destroying the plant. The plant does not like fire, but as it grows its roots produce small nodules that rise up out of the ground; these nodules explode when heated and release fire-retardant spores which help make the plant fire resistant.
Golem
Golems are magically created automatons. They exist without either spirit or soul, and the parameters for their behavior are dictated by the enchanter who creates them. Once created and “programmed”, a golem will serve its function until either its destruction or the end of time.
Golems can be made of a variety of materials, depending on the level of the spellcaster creating them, but probably 90% of the golems made are from one of four substances: Flesh, Stone, Iron, or Clay. The first three are made by arcane magicians, while clay golems can only be made by Lawful clerics. In the past, it has been commonly accepted that only Lawful Good clerics could make clay golems, but the inaccuracy of this assumption has now been well documented. Extremely high level (mage and above) magicians have been known to create golems from bone, crystal, and other substances, but these are generally rare and individual examples.
For all golem forms, the creation process is an extensive process including manufactures and rituals, in most cases taking months of time. Different types have different details, but all golems share a number of characteristics. All golems are invulnerable to magic in general, although each type has a few specific spells it is individually susceptible to. As they have no minds, they are not affected by hold effects or any form of mind control/mind influence of any type. They have no emotions and cannot be reasoned with (unless specifically equipped with a magic mouth, they do not communicate at all). Golems have no alignment (not even Neutral). Golems don’t do anything except the specific activities they are programmed for, and will ignore all other stimulus.
FLESH GOLEM: Flesh Golems are constructed as humanoids, usually around 7 feet or so in height and weighing 300+ pounds. They are the simplest of all Golems, both to make and in terms of their abilities. They are nothing more than big lumps of flesh stitched together, they have no skills, no abilities, and produce no special effects. They can, however, only be effectively damaged by magical weapons. Flesh golems never use weapons or devices of any kind, but they can punch, kick, grab or grapple. Neither do they use armor, since protection for the lifeless creature is largely irrelevant. Fire and cold-based spells will slow Flesh Golems, and electrical spells restore the creature’s energy, effectively “healing” their damage. No other spells affect Flesh Golems.
CLAY GOLEM: Clay Golems, as noted above, can only be made by Lawful Clerics. They are usually made a little larger than man-size in height, but tend to be of more substantial girth. Their clay composition tends to render cutting and piercing attacks ineffective, and only smashing-type weapons are effective – and must be magical, like all golems. Clay Golems are extremely strong, comparable to ogres or in some cases hill giants. Once per day they can haste themselves for a short period. Their damage is repairable, but only via a clerical heal spell.
There are three arcane spells that will affect Clay Golems. A move earth spell will drive it back and inflict noticeable damage. A disintegrate spell slows the creature for approximately a minute, and does a small amount of damage. An earthquake spell targeted directly at the golem will stop it in its tracks, forcing a “reboot”, and inflicts massive damage.
STONE GOLEM: Stone Golems can be made in almost any size desired. It must be chiseled from a single block of stone, and can be highly stylized or fairly simple in form. Stone Golems usually have a humanoid form, but it is possible to make them in an animal form as well. In all cases, the golem’s form must have a proper head and face, arms/legs, and if appropriate, tail. Stone golems attack with punches and kicks, they do not use weapons or items. The punch of a stone golem has the equivalent strength of a frost giant, and its mass gives it a terrific knockback/knockdown ability. Every other combat round, it can cast a slow spell on one target it is facing. Stone Golems are only affected by superior (+2) magical weapons, and by the spells rock to mud (slows it), mud to rock (heals it), and flesh to stone (which makes it vulnerable to normal weapons for around 18 to 24 seconds).
IRON GOLEM: The most feared of all golems is the Iron Golem. It can be produced in almost any form, but is usually made in a humanoid configuration with conventional arms and legs. Alone among golem forms, the Iron Golem is often produced with an inherent weapon, but it does not otherwise pick up or use weapons, devices, or the like.
Iron Golems are incomprehensibly powerful. They have an effective strength equivalent to a Storm Giant, which they can use to smash through walls and barriers, and lift or move weights measuring in tons. They are unaffected by anything less than a master (+3) magical weapon. Magical electrical attacks slow them for a short time, but they absorb part of the energy (effectively the same as healing). Fire spells do small amounts of damage, usually proportional to the spell’s level rather than its normal effect range
Flesh Golem
Flesh Golem
Flesh Golem
Stone Golem
Flesh Golem
Stone Golem
Giant Scorpion
Giant Scorpions are highly dangerous encounters. The creature’s body can be 6 to 10 feet long, with enormous front claws 3 or 4 feet long themselves. The tail is at least half again longer than the body, giving it the ability to strike in any direction including straight ahead. Its multiple legs can carry it over broken and difficult ground as fast as open ground, and they can chase down the average running human.
A Giant Scorpion’s exoskeleton is exceptionally tough and it makes the creature almost impervious to piercing weapons, especially arrows. Smashing-type weapons are probably best, but the creature is just frustratingly resistant to all forms of physical damage. The large front claws are not only as sharp as swords, but powered by muscles comparable to a Hill Giant’s; they can snap a small tree in half, and pick a man up and carry him. The stinger in the tail is perhaps the greatest danger, as most Giant Scorpions have an extremely powerful paralytic poison and the capacity to strike multiple times. The tail strike is also so quick it is almost impossible to parry effectively.
Shambler
"Shambler" is not really a name, but more a category of creature. The term can be used to describe any animated plant-like creature, but particularly those of amalgamated form and composition. Shamblers tend to resemble an amalgamation of forest debris gathered into a humanoid-like or other form, they can strike with arm-like or tentacle-like appendages depending on their form. Large shamblers can often engulf an individual, inflicting both physical damage and causing suffocation. Some types are known to exert a magic aura affecting the ground around them, usually a mud-like or entangle-like effect.
Shamblers are generally not affected by piercing or thrusting attacks (particularly arrows), and smashing attacks do only half damage, but they are fully affected by cutting weapons. Most are not affected by fire, due to a damp and slimy composition, and they save for half or no damage vs. cold-based attacks. Lightning and electrical attacks do no damage, and actually cause the creatures to grow (adding "levels").
Shamblers are neutral or neutral evil in alignment; they are aware but not exactly intelligent. They are not communicative, and are not affected by normal mind-control magic, but they will respond to plant control or charm plant spells.
Werewolf
Lycanthropy is a compex subject whose subjects can take many forms. All share the characteristic of being creatures who can change shape between a human form and an animal, or animal-like form. While there are a wide variety of forms lycanthropes can take, without doubt the most common and most feared is the Werewolf.
There are two kinds of werewolves (actually, of all lycanthropes). A very small percentage are “true” werewolves, meaning the lycanthropy is a genetic trait of the individual in question. These types of werewolves can actually breed with other werewolves and produce offspring, which are always lycanthropes themselves. The vast majority of werewolves, however, are “induced” werewolves, who have contracted lycanthropy by being bitten or wounded by an infected creature. In some exceptionally rare cases, lycanthropy can also be induced by magical items or rituals (usually cursed ones).
While to many all lycanthropes are the same, the difference between the two types is more than purely academic. Induced lycanthropes are essentially victims of a disease, while true lycanthropes have more control over both their transformations and their characteristics when transformed. Most werewolves have no control over their disease; they are perfectly normal humans most of the time, and will only undergo transformation during a full moon. At that point, the human disappears and the monster emerges. In many cases, knowledge of what one form does is entirely absent to the other form, and frequently, an afflicted individual may not even know what is actually happening to them. True lycanthropes, on the other hand, can not only consciously control their form, but retain the same core mental reality in either form. Such creatures are capable of far wider ranges of behavior, particularly when in wolf form, then their more primitive relatives. All werewolves, however, share the characteristic of all lycanthropes: if a bite or claw attack draws blood, they will transmit lycanthropy disease to the victim. While there are a number of “home remedies” for conbatting the onset of the disease, there is only one true cure, and it requires both a Cure Disease and a Remove Curse spell, preferably cast by a cleric of opposite alignment to the lycanthrope in question. Without such ministrations, a victim will transform into an induced lycanthrope one minute after midnight of the next full moon.
Most lycanthropes, and especially werewolves, are most active at night. Their wolf form particularly will tend to shun sunlight, but contrary to popular belief, they are not harmed by it. Werewolves can only be harmed by magic weapons, or those made with a silver alloy.
Werewolf behavior varies considerably. As noted, many individuals don’t even know they have it, and they attempt to carry on their normal lives. Many individuals who know they have the condition will deliberately lead solitary lives, specifically to prevent themselves from being discovered or spreading their curse to others. True lycanthropes, on the other hand, usually live nomadic lives in small family groups.
Owlbear
One of the truly weird creatures even in a magical world, almost nothing is understood about the owlbear. It has always been assumed that they must have begun as some mad wizard's spell gone bad, but how they have managed to spread and continued to breed is a mystery. They are found in many of the world's deep forests, and not infrequently underground as well. While generally solitary, perhaps 1/4 to 1/3 of wild encounters will be with two owlbears instead of just one. No matter where encountered, owlbears are always aggressive, and usually hungry.
Thankfully, owlbears cannot fly, but they can move in complete silence, and they are cunning stalkers of prey. They are roughly as fast as a human on the run, but they have a double-speed short range charge ability which is almost impossible to escape. In combat, they strike with powerful talons and, like a bear, will do additional rending damage if both attacks are successful.
Owlbears tend to fight to the death, and in many cases will go into an attack frenzy once sufficiently injured. In this frenzied state, it will fixate on attacking (+2 hit bonus, -3 AC penalty) until either the owlbear or its victim dies.
A rare species of very large owlbear, unsurprisingly called the Giant Owlbear, exists in the Dreadwood Forest area. This creature is twice the height of a normal owlbear, and dramatically bulkier. They are strong enough to uproot small trees, and as one might expect, they take a tremendous amount of damage to slay. It strictly a nocturnal hunter, and a solitary one by all encounter reports.
Griffon
A griffon is a big creature. Its wingspan can stretch 25 feet, and it is strong enough to carry a horse -- or a human for that matter -- a substantial distance to its lair. They have tremendous eyesight and a keen sense of smell, and when in the air, they can spot prey (and especially horses) from some miles away. Griffons only hunt for food, but they are aggressive, especially if they have young in a nest to feed.
With a razor-sharp beak and powerful talons, a griffon is a serious opponent in combat. Griffons will usually strike from the air, using their speed and size to swoop down and strike at prey. If they can, they will grab their target, subdue it with a deadly beak strike, then attempt to carry it away. They will also land and fight from the ground, especially if there are horses involved.
Griffons do not keep treasure per se, but because they frequently bring the bodies of victims back to their lairs for consumption, their nests are often littered with minor items, and possibly valuable ones as well. Griffon eggs are highly prized, as it is possible to train griffons as flying mounts if done from the point of hatching.
Cerberus Wolf
A Cerberus Wolf is a three-headed wolf-dog, a breed believed to possibly have been originally spawned on the Planes of Hell but now apparently bred by the Frost Queen of Frostcrag Peak. They are large creatures, 12 or more feet long and as tall as a horse, although (unlike worgs) they do not appear to submit to the saddle. They are fast runners, and lightning-quick in combat. Each of the Cerberus Wolf’s three heads can deliver a vicious bite, and can breathe a short-range (about 20 feet) cone of fire, roughly similar in destructive force to a wand of fire.
Cerberus wolves appear to be trainable, and are used by the giants of Frostcrag in a manner similar to the way humans use hunting dogs. When all three heads howl at the same time, they produce an eerie tri-toned wail that can be heard from over a mile away. They are thought to have a keen sense of both smell and sight, and with three heads and six eyes, they are almost impossible to surprise.
Cerberus wolves have a gaunt and demonic appearance, but they are neither demons nor undead, and have none of the special immunities of either group. They are believed to be Lawful Evil in alignment.
Yeti
The Yeti is one of the more mysterious of creatures, if only because we don’t really know what it is. Some experts classify it as an animal, often calling them “snow apes”. Others claim it is a legendary creature, with magical abilities unique to its snowy habitat. A third line of thought identifies the Yeti as a humanoid creature, possibly nearly as intelligent as humans. All seem to make a good case, but simply for definitional purposes, we classify the Yeti as legendary creatures.
In the Blackmoor area, Yeti are found in the snowfields and rocky crags of the Barrier Peak mountains. They are most frequently encountered in the boreal forests that cover the mountain’s middle ranges, most probably hunting for food, but it is believed most tend to make their lairs in ice caves high in the mountain peaks. Some appear to live individually, but they are often encountered in what appear to be small family groups. In the latter case, adult Yeti are noted to be aggressively protective of their young and their lair areas.
Adult Yeti are big creatures, easily standing 6 to 7 feet tall and weighing upwards of 300 to 400 pounds. They are extremely strong, rivaling ogres, and yet they are dexterous and nimble even in deep snow. They are believed to have an acute sense of both hearing and smell, and they are both wary and cunning hunters. When threatened, they can become violent very quickly, moving from a passive to an enraged stage with no warning. Another major mystery regarding Yeti is the question of magical ability. They generally do seem to have marginal to slight magic resistance, but the question of casting ability produces disagreement among sages. It seems clear there are at least occasional individuals with either spellcasting or natural magical ability. Those who classify Yeti as animals think of these as aberrations, those who classify them humanoid define them as shamans, and those who hold them legendary creatures usually explain it as a natural magical aura. Associated abilities include temperature and environmental control, but also in many cases a type of confusion aura which causes the creature to appear, disappear, and attack without warning.
Yetis are not inherently hostile toward adventuring parties, but as noted, they can change very quickly. They do appear to have some kind of fascination with, and perhaps are sensitive to, magical items, as they will collect such things from adventurers who don’t survive encounters, storing them in their lairs but seldom if ever using them.
Anhkheg
The anhkheg is a burrowing worm-like creature naturally found in forested areas, but one which frequently migrates into human-developed agricultural land as well. It is covered in a tough, chitinous shell, usually brown or yellow, large multifaceted eyes, and a powerful set of mandibles which can snap a small tree in a single bite. Ankheg have sensitive antennae which, when the creature is buried in the earth, detect surface movements of man-sized creatures up to as much as 300 feet away.
The anhkheg’s carapace is exceptionally tough and gives this creature a formidable armor class. It is particularly resistant to piercing attacks, and even magical arrows and other missiles frequently bounce off an anhkheg’s exoskeleton. As a result, though, the scales from a dead ankheg are prized for their potential use in making magical armor, particularly shields.
An ankheg will generally lie 5 to 10 feet below the surface of the ground until it detects the approach of a potential target. The creature will then burst up from its location, grabbing the victim in its powerful jaws and spitting digestive enzymes on the victim until it dissolves. These enzymes are the equivalent of a powerful acid and will actually dissolve non-magical armor in time. The ankheg is actually capable of squirting these fluids up to 50 or 60 feet away in a spitting attack, but it will only do this in dire circumstances, as this depletes the creature’s supply and mean it cannot feed again until it has re-generated these liquids, a process that appears to take some hours.
While anhkhegs are hunters and prefer meat, they will also eat organic material found in the earth, which is one of the primary reasons they are often found in human agricultural lands. Although an encounter with the creature can easily be fatal, their presence actually if beneficial to the land, as the animal’s tunnel system brings air and water to the soil, and its waste products actually add nutrients which promote further plant growth.
In cold climates, anhkhegs will hibernate in winter, but otherwise they are active year round. Once a year, an ankheg will burrow particularly deep into the earth in order to shed its old carapace and grow a new one, allowing it to get bigger. During this approximately two week time, the creature’s new shell hardens to the standard of the old, but the creature is highly vulnerable at this time.
Manticore
The Manticore is a true abomination. It has a lion's body and a man's head, it combines these with great bat-like wings and a tail that throws iron spikes in a whiplike action with deadly accuracy. They are large creatures, 10 to 12 feet in body length before the tail, and around 6 feet tall at the shoulder. Although it can fly, and fairly fast, it is not very maneuverable in the air and is more of a ground than air creature. They often make lairs in rugged areas that can only be reached by flying.
Whether in the air or on the ground, a Manticore will usually attack with several volleys of its tail spikes from range, and will then close in to finish its prey off with its powerful claws. It throws typically 4 to 6 spikes at a time, and can do this 3 or 4 times before running out (they regenerate in a day or so). These spikes strike with the force of a heavy crossbow bolt, and can penetrate even magical armor. In melee, a Manticore normally fights with its front paws, but can grab an opponent and rake with its back claws similar to natural cats. Manticore are aggressive, but not overly bold, and they will typically fly away from opponents who provide consistent resistance.
Manticores are Chaotic Evil in nature, and possess an animal-like intelligence. They do not make good mounts, and although they are to a limited extent trainable, they do not tend to be consistently obedient. The further fact that these meat-eating creatures prefer humanoid flesh (prizing human above all) above others, making them problematic at best.
Swamp Horror
The vast diversity of the magical world around us produces no end of mysteries and surprises, and the Swamp Horrors of the Misty Marsh certainly qualifies. What they are, how many there are, where they came from are all questions for which we have no answer. Some consider them a unique form of shambler, perhaps one influenced by the particular environment of the Marsh. Another theory suggest they are a unique form of troll. As encounters with them tend to be lethal to either human or horror, there isn’t much chance to study these creatures objectively.
A few details from adventurers encountering these creatures are on record. They blend so naturally with their swampy surroundings that they inevitably attack with surprise, and often the only thing a group sees is their companion being struck by a swampy mass and dragged into the muck. When the creature fully forms, it takes a humanoid form around six feet tall with exceptionally long arms. These it can use to strike with force compared to being kicked by a large horse.
The creature’s vulnerability to magic is uncertain; it may be that it is unaffected by certain magicks but there is not enough information to judge this properly. It is certain that it is not affected by non-magical weapons. It is thought that, unlike shamblers, it is equally affected by all weapon types.
Most frighteningly, the Swamp Horror can grab a victim with both hands and being a life force-draining attack. It appears to be identical in effect to the well-known undead ability, but this creature is clearly not empowered with negative energy. Once begun, a target is held helpless and only the intervention of others will save them. The grip is unbreakable, and the only way to stop the Horror is to kill it before it drains its victim. It is thought that such victims, again like those who die from undead attack, cannot be brought back from the dead, they are gone forever. This is not confirmed, it is just another unknown regarding this mysterious creature.
Drider
Driders are bizarre creatures with the body of a spider merged with the torso of a Drow Elf. These evil creatures are believed to be created by the Demon Goddess Lolth from supplicants who have failed tests of worthiness, or similarly brought upon themselves the displeasure of the Demon. As failures of their deity’s tests, drider are spurned by Drow society, and killed by the dark elves when encountered. This drives driders to an essentially solitary existence, at least as regards social interaction. Driders will often have spiders, scorpions, and other verminous creatures sharing their otherwise solitary lairs.
Although it was at one time thought that only female drow became driders, it is now known that males or females can be turned into this form. Drider retain their natural Drow abilities, including magic resistance, as well as skills and memories, but they become even more twisted and hateful by the dark process of their creation. Retained abilities include both spell and weapon use, and reports suggest their abilities generally compare with fighters or spellcasters of around 7th to 8th level.
Within the year prior to publication of this edition, particular rumors of a possibly new type of drider have begun to circulate relative to the Spider’s Citadel in the Dreadwood. Unconfirmed reports of driders appearing to operate cooperatively with other Drow and of their use as location guardians, have opened the question of whether this might be a new type of drider, or merely an unusual alteration in local Drow policy. These reports include a claim that the creature has now developed a toxic, paralyzing bite, adding additional mystery to the issue. The existence of these stories is real enough, how accurate they actually are is still open to question.