Monster Book: Ant Lion

Here's the next A monster in the book: 

Ant Lion

NO. ENC.:  1 (1)
ALIGNMENT:  Neutral
MOVEMENT:  90’ (30’)
ARMOUR CLASS:  2
HIT DICE:  8
ATTACKS:  1
DAMAGE:  5d4
SAVE:  F4
MORALE:  9
HOARD CLASS:  VII
XP:  1,560
AVG. HP:  36
 
Ant lions are insect-like creatures that resemble giant grey or brown ants with leathery skin covered in coarse, black bristles.  They have deeply inset, black eyes, and a mouth filled with rows of jagged teeth.  Two large, silver mandibles protrude just above the mouth.  Each mandible has a barb on its inside edge, midway between the creature’s mouth and the end-point of the mandible.  An ant lion is about 9 feet long and weighs nearly 700 pounds.

Ant lions dig deep, funnel-shaped pits in which to trap their prey.  They can sense tiny tremors (e.g. those caused by footsteps) up to 60 feet away from the source.  An ant lion pit is about 60 feet across and about 20 feet deep.  A creature that walks on the slope of the pit must make a dexterity check (roll under dexterity on a d20) or slip and fall down into the centre of the funnel.  It is there the ant lion waits, buried just under the surface of the ground.  When prey falls to the centre of the funnel, the ant lion surfaces and attacks, using its mandibles to grab and tear its prey.  An ant lion that gets a hold does not release its prey until either it or the prey is dead.  This means that on making a successful to hit roll, the ant lion does not need to make to hit rolls against that opponent in subsequent rounds.

Ant lions do not collect treasure, but remnants of the possessions of previous victims may sometimes be found buried in their pits.

Monster Book: Ant, Giant

Here's the next A monster in the book: 

Ant, Giant

NO. ENC.:  2d4 (4d6)

ALIGNMENT:  Neutral

MOVEMENT:  180’ (60’)

ARMOUR CLASS:  3

HIT DICE:  4

ATTACKS:  1

DAMAGE:  2d6

SAVE:  F2

MORALE:  7

HOARD CLASS:  VI

XP:  80

AVG. HP:  18

This creature is a monstrous version of the common ant that measures up to 6 feet in length and 150 pounds in weight.

Giant ants are hardy and adaptable.  They are omnivores and will eat almost anything.  An ant nest will have a total population of 14d6 ants and one queen.  At any given time, 4d6 ants will be found in the nest with the queen, whilst the rest are out gathering food.  The queen will be much larger than her offspring, reaching up to 12 feet in length and having 8 hit dice.  However, the queen herself does not have any form of attack or movement.  Giant ants will never retreat if defending their queen.  Whilst their queen lives, giant ants have a morale of 12 and will sacrifice themselves to save her.  If their queen in slain, or they are encountered away from the nest, they have a morale of 7.

Giant ants will tend to only have a small amount of treasure.  What there is, will usually be just an accumulation of belongings from past opponents.  In some rare instances, though, giant ants will inexplicably mine precious metals.  This occurs in about 30% of nests, and there will be as much as 1d10x1000 gold pieces worth of raw gold nuggets stockpiled.

Monster Book: Ankheg

Here's the next A monster in the book:

Ankheg

NO. ENC.:  1d6 (1d6)
ALIGNMENT:  Neutral
MOVEMENT:  120’ (40’)
ARMOUR CLASS:  3
HIT DICE:  3-8
ATTACKS:  1 (bite)
DAMAGE:  3d6, +1d4
SAVE:  As HD
MORALE:  9
HOARD CLASS:  XIX
XP:  80-2,800
AVG. HP:  27 (6HD)

Ankhegs are montrous, insect-like creatures that measure 10-20 feet long, and can be up to 800 pounds in weight.  They have six legs, huge mandibles, a chitinous shell, and large black eyes.  Their shells and legs vary from yellow ochre to earthy brown colours, and their undersides are a fleshy pink.

Ankhegs are omnivores with a taste for fresh meat.  They spend most of their time underground, and burrow through earth using their legs and mandibles.  When burrowing, they are able to move at half their normal ground speed.  Their tunnel complexes vary in length, but tunnels will normally be around 5 feet in height and may descend 40 feet below the surface.  Ankhegs favour areas with rich soil and plentiful prey, and will often be found in forests, or near farmlands with cattle.

An ankheg usually lies 5-10 feet below the surface until its antennae detect the approach of prey.  Over normal terrain, it can pick up the surface movements of man-sized creatures up to 300 feet away.  It will wait until the prey is almost directly above it before burrowing up to attack.  In addition to bite damage, the ankheg has acidic, digestive saliva that inflicts an additional 1d4 damage each round.  If desperate, an ankheg can produce an acid spray once per day that inflicts 8d4 damage, but this uses up the acidic saliva for a 24-hour period.

Monster Book: Aerial Servant

Here's the next A monster in the book: 

Aerial Servant

NO. ENC.:  1 (1)
ALIGNMENT:  Neutral
MOVEMENT:  240’ (80’)
ARMOUR CLASS:  3
HIT DICE:  16
ATTACKS:  1 (constriction)
DAMAGE:  8d4
SAVE:  F16
MORALE:  10
HOARD CLASS:  None
XP:  3,300
AVG. HP:  72
 
Aerial Servants are comprised solely of air, and if encountered on the material plane are completely invisible.  On the astral/ethereal planes they are vaguely visible, appearing as 8-foot tall humanoid shapes.
 
They originate from the elemental plane of air and are normally are only found on the material plane as a result of being summoned by a cleric, and commanded to perform some task.  Often, they are used to carry objects or aid the summoner with their immense strength.  They may carry 1,000+ pounds in weight, or can hold a human-sized or smaller target immobile.  To break free, the victim must have 18 strength, and even then there is only a 50% chance to break away.  Victims with a strength of 19 or higher may escape with no roll.  Aerial servants have keen senses, and are only surprised on a roll of 1-4 on a d6.  An aerial servant that fails or is thwarted in its mission becomes insane and immediately returns to the caster who summoned it, and tries to kill him.

Monster Book: Adherer

Here's the next A monster in the book:

Adherer

NO. ENC.:  1d4 (1d6)
ALIGNMENT:  Lawful (evil)
MOVEMENT:  90’ (30’)
ARMOUR CLASS:  3
HIT DICE:  4
ATTACKS:  1 (fists)
DAMAGE:  1d3, adhesion
SAVE:  F4
MORALE:  7
HOARD CLASS:  None
XP:  190
AVG. HP:  18

Adherers are man-sized humanoids with an average height of 6 feet, and weight of 200 pounds.  From a distance, they appear to be wrapped in decaying and rotting bandages.  This often causes them to be mistaken for mummies, but the "bandages" are actually loose folds of dirty, white skin.  Adherers give off a sour-smelling odour that fills the air around them.

These strange creatures are found in forested areas or underground caverns.  They are not undead creatures despite their resemblance to mummies, but they are malign beings, and will attack just about any living creature they encounter.  However, they will never attack spiders of any variety, and on occasion, have been known to ally themselves with giant spiders when hunting prey.  Adherers understand Common, but do not speak.

Adherers attack by ambushing their prey.  When lying in wait, an adherer covers its body with leaves, sticks, or debris to better blend with its surroundings.  When victims wander too close, the adherer springs to the attack, surprising opponents on a roll of 1-3 on a d6.  They are cowardly creatures, and if spotted before they attack, flee from their potential prey.  An adherer's skin exudes a sour smelling glue-like substance that acts as a powerful adhesive, holding fast any creatures or items touching it, except for items made of stone.  The adherer attacks by pummelling its foes with its fists.  Those successfully attacked are stuck to the adherer.

A weapon that strikes an adherer sticks fast to the creature's skin and only deals half damage.  An attacker may spend the following round trying to retrieve a stuck weapon by making a successful strength ability check (roll under strength on a d20).  A bucketful of boiling water thrown on the adherer deals 1d4 points of damage to it (and to any creature stuck to it), and also weakens the adhesive for 1 round.  This allows anyone that is stuck to the adherer to make a strength ability check (roll under strength on a d20) to free themselves.  An application of fire deals damage to both the adherer and any creature stuck to it, and weakens the adhesive (as above) for 1d3 rounds.  An adherer can dissolve its adhesive at will, and its secretions lose their adhesive properties 1 hour after the creature dies.

Monster Book: Aboleth

Finished editing all the A monsters now.  Here's the entry for Aboleth.  I'll put some more up tomorrow.  As a teaser I'm going to put a work-in-progress sketch up of the first monster for each letter of the alphabet.  In the finished book I'm adamant that every single monster will have an illustration.

Aboleth

NO. ENC.:  1d4 (1d4)
ALIGNMENT:  Lawful (evil)
MOVEMENT:  30’ (10’)
SWIM:  90' (30')
ARMOUR CLASS:  4
HIT DICE:  8
ATTACKS:  4 (tentacles)
DAMAGE:  1d6/1d6/1d6/1d6
SAVE:  F8
MORALE:  10
HOARD CLASS:  XVII
XP:  2,060
AVG. HP:  36


Aboleths are large, fish-like, amphibious creatures.  They measure 20 feet long from head to tail, and weigh 6,000 pounds.  They have a bulbous head with a rubbery, toothless mouth, and three, long, purple-red, slit-like eyes.  Four 10-foot long tentacles extend from the back of an aboleth's head.  Their bodies are a blue-green colour with grey splotches and a pink underbelly. 

Aboleths usually dwell in underground lakes and caverns.  They are highly intelligent, and hate most land-going forms of life.  They will endeavour to enslave or destroy the beings of the surface world whenever the opportunity arises.  Aboleths are an ancient race and they often live for 2,000 years or more.  There are reports of huge underwater cities built by the aboleths and those they enslaved.  But these reports, along with the stories of their vast stores of knowledge, have never been proven.

On land, aboleths are slow and lumbering, and use their tentacles to pull along their bulky bodies.  In water, their powerful, large-finned tail allows them to move with surprising speed and agility.

In combat, the aboleth attacks with its 4 tentacles for 1d6 points of damage each.  Any creature struck by an Aboleth's tentacles must save vs. spells or the victim's skin will change into a clear, slimy membrane over the next 1d4+1 rounds.  This change can be stopped if a cure disease spell is cast on the victim.  Once the change is complete, the membrane must be kept damp with cool water, or the victim will suffer 1d12 points of damage each turn because of intense pain.  A cure serious wounds spell will change the membrane back to normal skin.

Aboleths are highly intelligent creatures and can create very realistic illusions with audible and visual components.  However, whilst an illusion is being sustained, the aboleth must remain focused on it and may not take any other actions.  They can also try to enslave other creatures 3 times per day.  This ability can be used only against a single creature up to 30 feet away.  The victim must save vs. spells or be filled with desire to serve the aboleth.  Enslaved creatures will not fight for the aboleth but will attempt to follow any other telepathic commands.  If an enslaved character is separated from the aboleth by more than a mile, a new saving throw may be made each day.  This charm can be broken by remove curse or dispel magic spells, or the death of the enslaving aboleth.

In water, an aboleth will secrete a cloud of mucus a distance of 1 foot all around its body.  Any creature drawn into the mucus must save vs. poison or it will inhale the stuff and be unable to breathe air.  Thereafter, attempting to breathe air will result in suffocation in 2d6 rounds.  However, the aboleth uses its mucus to give its slaves the power to breathe water in the same way as a potion of water breathing, for 1-3 hours.  The mucus may be dissolved by soap or wine.

Monster Book: Sample Spread

I've finished all the entries for the 'A' monsters now, and laid them out in Scribus (very good free DTP software).  Here's a look at the first double page spread:

I'm also about halfway through compiling, editing, and expanding the text for the 'B' monsters, but as there's 37 of them it might take another few days work before they're ready for layout. 

Next week I'll start putting up the stat blocks and descriptions for the monsters on the blog one-by-one.