Homebrew Monsters

Base Dragon

Climate/Terrain: Any Tropical
Frequency: Very Rare
Organization: Solitary
Activity Cycle: Day
Diet: Carnivore
Intelligence: Animal (1)
Treasure: Nil
Alignment: Neutral
No. Appearing: 1
Armor Class: 2
Movement: 9
Hit Dice: 5
THAC0: 15
No. of Attacks: 1
Damage/Attack: 2-8
Special Attacks: Venomous bite, bite lock
Special Defenses: None
Magic Resistance: None
Size: L(7' to 10' long)
Morale: Elite(13)
XP Value: 2,000

These unintelligent, wingless reptiles are unrelated to true dragons, but are deadly predators nonetheless; akin to the komodo dragon of Earth. Although capable of short bursts of speed, they rely mostly on stealth, power and ambush to defeat their prey. Smaller prey are overpowered and slain; prey too large to take down are harrassed with flesh wounds. The base dragon will wait weeks for the deadly venom in its bite to slowly debilitate large prey such as water buffalo, rendering them weak and easily killed.

In combat, base dragons fight from ambush if possible. They do not receive any special bonuses, but often impose penalty to enemy surprise rolls due to their natural camoflague (-1) and reptilian stillness (-2). They attack with powerful bites from their jaws, which are lined with sharp teeth. If a base dragon hits by 5 or more, they lock onto their prey and deal automatic bite damage each round until the grip is broken. A successful Bend Bars/Lift Gates check will break their grip, as will dealing 10 points of damage in a single attack.

A saving throw vs. poison must be made against the base dragon's venom each time it bites someone (including automatic bite damage). If this is failed, the victim is infected with a subtle but deadly venom that progresses over the course of days. Affected victims will lose 1 point of Strength and Constitution each day until they die. Furthermore, the wounds dealt by the dragon will not heal, and any other wounds inflicted will heal at half the usual rate. This venom can be cured by the Neutralize Poison spell; the Cure Disease spell will restore 1 point of Strength and Constitution and allow a new saving throw vs. poison to be made.

Faerzress Moth

Climate/Terrain: Underdark
Frequency: Uncommon
Organization: Solitary (small family groups)
Activity Cycle: Nocturnal
Diet: Herbivore
Intelligence: Semi- (2-4)
Treasure: None
Alignment: Neutral
No. Appearing: 2d4
Armor Class: 8
Movement: Fly 15 (B)
Hit Dice: 1+4
THAC0: 19
No. of Attacks: 0
Damage/Attack: Nil
Special Attacks: Cold Dust
Special Defenses: Cold Dust
Magic Resistance: None
Size: T (2' wingspan)
Morale: Low (8)
XP Value: 100

An unusual brightly colored variant that dwells entirely below ground, the Faerzress Moth is unusually large as a result of the radiation of the Underdark. They cannot sustain themselves in the absence of this radiation, and will sicken and die. As long as they are exposed to the Faerzress, however, they do not need to eat to sustain themselves - although they must drink water.

Although totally harmless, the Faerzress Moths are a dangerous nuisance to those wearing magical items made of cloth. Although they do not need to eat to sustain themselves, enchanted cloth forms a key part of their reproductive cycle. Devouring items such as enchanted cloaks, bags of holding or portable holes imparts them with the energy required to asexually produce eggs and create a new generation of moths. Faerzress Moths can "smell" such items within 100 feet.

The Faerzress Moth is coated at all times with a fine layer of dust, which it uses both for protection and to feed. When a Faerzress Moth is in danger or when it smells comestible items, it flutters its wings rapidly to release this dust in a 5' radius. Anyone caught within the dust cloud must make a saving throw vs. poison or become paralyzed within 1d10 minutes by a feeling of immense cold and lethargy which lasts for one hour. This effect is used both to subdue the wearers of magical cloth and to escape from danger.

Faerzress Moths have a friendly temperament and can be tamed like dogs, although their masters must be careful to avoid overexciting their pets. They are a popular pet amongst the svirfneblin, who find two excellent uses in them. Their ability to "smell" enchanted cloth makes them excellent guard animals against drow raiding parties, who usually wear Cloaks of Elvenkind. Secondly, the dust they secrete can be harvested by a careful herbalist, and is used to make Powders of Paralyzation which the grey gnomes employ against their enemies.

In the wild, Faerzress Moths exist in small family units comprised of a matriarch and her offspring. When one of her offspring successfully consumes a magic item and becomes ready to reproduce, she leaves the family and becomes a matriarch in her own right. Matriarchs have maximum hit points. They sometimes form a symbiotic relationship with predators in the Underdark, who protect the moths and take advantage of their paralysed victims to provide a free meal.

Although mostly silent, tamed Faerzress Moths often learn to make a purring or yipping noise by rubbing their antennae together.