Curious Creatures of the Dragon Isles

Additional Material: Ken Walton

Interior Art: Tim Rigby & Gary Buckland

Graphic Design: Gary Buckland

Cover Art: Gary Buckland

System Design: Ken Walton & Peter Cakebread

Line Developers: Peter Cakebread & Ken Walton

Copyright: Curious Creatures of the Dragon Isles 2015 by Cakebread & Walton. All rights reserved. Reproduc-tion of this work by any means without the permission of the publisher is expressly forbidden. This material isprotected under the copyright laws of the United Kingdom. Some of the content of this book is released un-

der an Open Gaming Licence. This product is a work of fiction.

1st Printing February 2015

3Special thanks to all our Kickstarterbackers: Daniel Abigail, adumbratus, Svend Andersen,H.R. Bailey, Nicola Barnes, Bil Bas, Basileus,Alexander Bateman, Mike Baumann, Quentin Baur,Andrew Baxter, dennis beebe, Randy Belanger,Michael Blair, Adam Boisvert, Tim Bokarev, GrahamBrand, Matthew R. Broome, Adam Canning, PeterChatfield, Vaughan Cockell, Mark Coultrip, DavidCrowell, Seth Danielson, Erik de Graaf, StevendesJardins, Steve Donohue, Ben Duguid, Jean Durupt,Brett Easterbrook, Chris Edwards, Elliander Eldridge,Steve Ellis, Paul John Eyles, Michael Feldhusen, DavidFergman, Captain Sir Mark Franceschini, BrandonGagne, Paul Goldstone, Martin Goodson, KonstantinGoreley, Mark Grehan, Phil Harris, Dave Harrison,Seth Hartley, Julian Hayley, Heinrich Helms, JordiRabionet Hernandez, Emrys Hopkins, Steve Ironside,Ivan Jalencas, Alex Jeffries, Gareth & Bethany Jenkins,Simon Jennings, Calvin Johns, Adrian Jones, TassiloKaule, Jeremy Kear, Ed Kowalczewski, SverreGunnarsson Larne, Jason Lindsey, Peter Lippai,Krishna Lonkani, Steven Lord, Charon MacDonald,Keith Mantell, Derek Mayne, Ben McCallum, BruceMcGeorge, Kurt McMahon, James Manley, JasonMarks, Richard Mooney, Andrew Moreton, JohannesMunzinger, Robin OBrien, Sophia Owens, Owlglass,David Peterson, Phantoms Siren, Cameron Paine,Raffaele Passarelli, Nathan Pearson, Steve Pooser,Newt Newport, Peter M. Poulson, Lloyd Rasmussen,Jamie Revell, Matthew Robinson, Andre Roy, SteveRubin, Runeslinger, Jonas Schitt, Druscilla Shaw,Chris Smith, Marzio Spairani, Jason Sperber, DanielStack, R.J.K. Standridge, Jonathan M. Thompson,Adam Tullett, Bruce Turner, James Unick, StephanieWagner, The Walkerdines (James, Sarah, Thomas &Oliver), James Allen Walters, Steven Warble, AngelWedge, Simon Weinert, Matt Whalley, Jamie Wheeler,Wildcard

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Creature Characteristics 5

Alligator 8Alligator, Giant 9Ant, Giant 10Anthropophagi 12Ape, Cannibal 14Ape, Colossal 16Bat, Vampire 18Beetle, Giant 19Cat 20Centipede, Giant 21Crab, Giant 23Crab, Monstrous 24Cynocephalus 25Dog 27Dolphin 29Eel, Electric 31Eel, Giant 32Eel, Shrieking 33Frog, Giant 34Fungus, Shambling 36Galliwasp, Giant 38Grabber, Gibbering 39Griffin 41Grim, Glowing 43Hupia 45Horse 47Horror, Lurking 48Iguana, Giant 50Insect Swarm 51Jaguar 52Jellyfish, Giant 53Killer Clam, Giant 55Leviathan 57Mermaid 59Merman 61Minotaur 65

Mountain Folk 64Nesophontes, Giant 66Octopus, Giant 68Orca 69Pelican, Zombie 70Piranha, Giant Flying 71Rat 72Rat, Giant 74Rat, Royal 75Sand Sucker 77Sargasso Weed 79Sea Serpent 80Scorpion, Giant 82Shark 84Shark, Giant 85Shifting Death Mist 86Skiapod 88Snakes 89Snake, Giant Constrictor 91Spider, Giant 92Stingray, Giant Flying 94Striding Sloper 96Storm Stingers 97Swamp Dweller 98Tick, Giant 99Tortoise, Sage 101Toucan, Death 103Tree, Hugger 104Urchin, Archer 106Vine, Strangler 107Water Folk 109

Ecosystem 111Adalantan Ruins 112Beach 115Caves 117Desert 119In the Air 121Jungle 123Mountains 124Ocean 126Settlement 128Swamp 129

4

5Version 1.0a

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15. COPYRIGHT NOTICE

Open Game License v 1.0a Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.

Modern System Reference Document Copyright 2002, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Bill Slavicsek, Jeff Grubb, Rich Redman, Charles Ryan, based on mate-rial by Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Richard Baker, Peter Adkison, Bruce R. Cordell, John Tynes, Andy Collins and JD Wiker.

System Reference Document Copyright 20002003, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Rich baker, Andy Collins,David Noonan, Rich Redman, Bruce R. Cordell, based on original material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.

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Pirates & Dragons Core Rulebook, Copyright 2014, Cakebread & Walton; Authors Peter Cakebread and Ken Walton

6Welcome to the Creatures of the Dragon Isles supplement for the Pirates andDragons RPG.

The main part of this book lists dozens of creatures which can be usedin your games from the mundane to the wonderfully weird; fromsavage wild creatures through to sentient beings with their own sophis-ticated agendas; from the mildly dangerous to the downright lethal.

After the main listings, there are some random encounter charts, to beused by the Games Master to create wandering monsters appropriate tothe terrain through which the Adventurers are travelling.

Finally, in the Appendix, all the creature statistics from this book andthe Pirates & Dragons RPG Core Rulebook have been summarised intoone table, so you can easily access a creatures stats in a hurry.

Creatures have characteristics much as any other characters, althoughmany lack (or have a very low) CHA if a creature has no Charismacharacteristic, social interaction with Adventurers is very unlikely! If forany reason a creature is missing a characteristic, the effect of this isnoted. Two scores are given for each characteristic. The first is the dicerange that can be rolled to randomly determine an individualscharacteristics. The second, in brackets, is the score of an averageindividual of that species. This average score has been used to calculatethe rest of the attributes (HP, MWL, etc.), so that when runningencounters, average creatures are instantly available. If randomlyrolling characteristics, the creatures Attributes will need to be adjustedaccordingly, using the standard rules in the Character Creation chapter.

7A creature with a randomly determined INT is considered sentient itis a rational creation capable of logical thought and self-determination.A creature with a fixed INT (any INT listed as a single number, ratherthan a die roll) is not sentient. Fixed INT creatures operate solely oninstinct rather than logic or intuition.

These are not hard and fast rules of course if you want to create aone-off magical, charismatic, intelligent Giant Alligator, for anadventure (or even an island full of them), dont let us stop you!

Some creatures have natural armour, which is listed. This does notprovide any penalty to DEX for combat order, unless the descriptionstates otherwise.

Many creatures have unique special abilities, which might grant them aspecial attack, a special defence, or some other advantage. Usually theseabilities are described in detail under the creatures stat block. A fewspecial abilities are more common Fear, Terror and Night Sight.When a creature has one of these, it will simply be noted that thecreature possesses the relevant ability. The descriptions of these threeabilities are as follows:

Fear: Causes fear if character fails a Persistence test. See Pirates &Dragons Core Rulebook p.104.

Terror: Causes fear if character fails a Persistence test with a -20penalty. See Pirates & Dragons Core Rulebook p.104.

Night Vision: Allows the creature to treat partial darkness as thoughit were illuminated, and darkness as though it were partial darkness. SeePirates & Dragons Core Rulebook, p.98. Some creatures may actually beusing other means of navigating at night smell, echo-location, etc. but the game effect is the same.

Like other characters, creatures have skills. Combat skills have thedamage listed, including any damage modifiers and details for theattack used (which appear in brackets next to the attacks name). Unlessotherwise noted, a creature with multiple attack forms will only get tomake one attack per combat round.

AVERAGE GIANTS

The average scoresprovided are a greatway of statting acreature in a hurry. Butthe Games Master isencouraged toconsider whether theaverage stats should bevaried, to give suitableopposition to theAdventurers. It shouldbe noted that many ofthe outsized beasts,even when onlyaverage examples of aspecies, will pose aconsiderable challengeto a whole pirate crew,let alone a smalladventuring party sobear in mind that thereis plenty of scope forthe Adventurers tomeet smaller thanaverage specimens,native to a particularisland. Likewise,certain creatures (suchas the aspidochelonefrom the CoreRulebook and theleviathan from thisone) might be evenmore out-sized thanthe listed statisticswould allow if youwant a leviathan inyour world that is bigenough to swallow abalena-galleon, or anaspidochelone the sizeof one of the largestislands in the region,simply ramp up thestats accordingly.

8Underneath each creatures standard Renaissance statistics there is a textbox with additional retro style stats, included for those Games Masterswishing to run the game with retro rulesets.

The table at the back of the book collates the statistics for all the beastsdescribed in this book. The statistics given in that chart are for anaverage specimen of the species.

Non-humanoid creatures still suffer Major Wounds in much the sameway as humans. If a creature is humanoid in form (e.g. a ghoul) use thestandard Major Wounds Table. For other creatures, use the followingrule instead:

Serious Wound: If the creature takes a Serious Wound, its Moverate is reduced to 1, and all skills suffer a -20 penalty. Flying creatureslose the ability to fly. Further Serious Wounds after the first causefurther cumulative -20 penalties to skill levels (i.e. -40, -60, etc.).

Grave Wound: If the creature takes a Grave Wound, it must make animmediate Resilience roll or die. If it succeeds, it suffers the effects ofa Serious Wound and must make another Resilience roll at thebeginning of each subsequent combat round or die.

Creatures die automatically when their Hit Points reach a negativefigure equal to their starting Hit Points, in the same way as all othercharacters.

NOTE: Alternative rules for dealing with Major Wounds for minorcreature encounters can be found in the Combat chapter.

9STR 4D6+12 (26) CON 3D6+8 (19)

DEX 2D6 (7) SIZ 4D6+12 (26)

INT 3 (3) POW 3D6 (11)

CHA 3 (3) DM +2D6

HP 23 MWL 12 Move 8/15 (on land/in the water)

Bite 50% (1D8+2D6)

Armour: Thick Hide, 5/2

Skills: Dodge 20%, Perception 40%, Resilience 45%, Stealth 60%, Swim 70%

AC 5; MV 6/12; HD 3; hp 15; #AT 2; D 2-8/1-12

Alligators are large reptiles, which can grow up to five metres long. They have a terrible bite and theirthick hides provide excellent protection from bigger predators. They can be found throughout theDragon Isles particularly on the larger islands, where there are rivers and swamps. They are fastswimmers and, although they are generally more clumsy out of water, they can put on a sudden burst ofspeed on land an alligator can move up to 15 metres, for 3 combat rounds, once per combat. Thoughalligators rarely attack people for food, they can be very fierce, especially when defending their nests orif they feel threatened. They are capable of lying just beneath the surface of the water, with only theireyes showing, making them difficult to see. Likewise, when on the shore they often rest perfectly still,amongst the reeds and long grass, before suddenly striking at passing prey.

10

STR 8D+12 (50) CON 6D6+8 (29)

DEX 2D6 (7) SIZ 8D6+22 (60)

INT 3 (3) POW 3D6 (11)

CHA 3 (3) DM +5D6


Bite 50% (1D8+5D6)

Tail Smash 40% (1D6+5D6)

Armour: Thick Hide, 7/3


AC 2; MV 6/12; HD 9; hp 40; #AT 2; D 2-24/3-30

Giant alligators resemble their smaller cousins (see above), but the largest can grow up to 15 metres long.They can move 20 metres, for 3 combat rounds, once per combat. They consider humans legitimate prey,though they mostly live on wild deer, goats, settlers domestic livestock, large fish and smaller alligators.They are capable of lying just beneath the surface of the water, with only their eyes showing, which makesthem difficult to see.

11

STR 4D6 (14) CON 3D6+6 (17)

DEX 2D6+6 (13) SIZ 2D6 (7)

INT 2 (2) POW 2D6+6 (13)

CHA 2 (2) DM 0

HP 12 MWL 6 Move 24

Bite 40% (1D8)

Sting 40% (1D6 + acid)

Armour: Chitinous Exoskeleton, 3/1

Skills: Climb 80%, Dodge 40%, Perception 30%, Resilience 60%, Stealth 25%, Track 85%

Acid Sting: On a successful hit, the acid sting causes 1D3 damage, each round, for 1D6 rounds. Animmediate successful First Aid roll will cause any damage, after the roll was made, to be halved (in additionto the usual HP gain from being first-aided).

Communal Mind: Individually, ants display intelligence related directly to their function. A singlegiant ant has INT 2, for instance. However, when working together, a communal intelligence develops.Every ant co-operating to solve a problem whether it is moving something out of the way or attacking

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a threat which contributes 1D4 to the communal intelligence. This is added to the ants fixed INT. Thus,two ants have a communal INT of 2+2D4 each; three ants have 2+3D4 each and so forth. However,communal INT can never rise above 30, no matter how many ants are present.

AC 3; MV 18; HD 2; hp 10; #AT 1; D 1-6; Poison Sting

Giant ants are like normal ants, but are the size of large dogs. Individually they have limited intelligence,but in groups they are capable of solving complex problems. They live in large colonies of hundreds ofindividuals, which form mounds of detritus in jungle or sandy areas, sometimes as large as 100 metres highand 1 kilometre across. Larger colonies have a queen in residence, who lays eggs, while the workers anddrones tend the egg nurseries, defend the queen, hunt for food, and protect their territory.

On some islands there are species of giant ants whose queen likes to be surrounded by shiny things, and shewill order her workers to bring her gold and jewels. If such is the case, the central chamber of the colonycould well be packed with treasure, though getting to it might not be easy...

Ant communication is pheromone-based, with different levels of pheromone being released according tothe situation the sender wants to communicate about. Ant food trails and territories are marked withpheromone trails and anyone entering a giant ant colonys territory can detect the stale, musky, scent ofpheromones with a successful Perception roll.

Ants work according to their function within the colony, unless a particular problem requires the communalmind to solve it. Thus solitary ants are likely to be either gathering food, protecting the egg nurseries ortending the queen. If an ant is protecting something, it will attack any intruders who approach. Antsengaged in other tasks will typically go about their business, oblivious to outsiders, unless the outsidersrepresent a viable food source or an obstacle to be removed. Thus, ants often scout individually and thenreturn in sufficient numbers to deal with an identified problem.

If a solitary ant is killed it releases an alarm pheromone that sends nearby ants into an attack frenzy andattracts even more ants from further away. The alarm pheromones potency means that it can reach and alertants from the same colony up to a distance in kilometres equal to the ants CON. Thus killing a scout doesnot guarantee protection against further ants turning-up; in fact, it can mean the precise opposite. Thealarm pheromone signals every ant within a number of metres equal to the dying ants CON x10 to attackimmediately and summons a further 1D6+1 ants from the colony to move towards the alarm and join in theattack.

Every ant colony can react and adapt to its needs, setting ambushes, barricading tunnels, raiding animalherds and clearing out nearby menaces. Invading an ant colony is a difficult prospect groups of ants willambush the invaders from the rear, seal off passages and set traps (such as deadfalls) for the unwary.

The queen of an ant colony is simply a breeding machine, possessing no more INT than any other ant.However, if the queen dies the colony is doomed, as no more eggs will be laid. So the other ants will defendher fiercely. Queens are approximately twice as large and strong as other ants of the colony, but do notengage in combat.

An island spirit will often use giant ants to attack and drive off unwelcome visitors. Giant ants are alsosometimes kept as pets by the Insect People. The Insect People understand the feeding and care of the giantants, are immune to their stings, and are able to keep them with or without a queen (although, without anant queen they will need to kidnap them regularly, as they are incapable of breeding. They also have to keepculling any ants that turn into queens, to prevent their own nest becoming overrun).

14

STR 3D6 (11) CON 3D6 (11)

DEX 3D6 (11) SIZ 2D6+3 (10)

INT 2D6+3 (10) POW 3D6 (11)

CHA 2D6+2 (9) DM 0

HP 11 MWL 6 Move 15

Bow 55% (1D4)

Spear 35%*/55%** (1D6)

Whip 35% (1D3)

*Close Combat/**Thrown

Armour: By type, but usually none.

Skills: Close Combat 35%, Dodge 20%, Perception 25%, Ranged Combat 55%, Resilience 45%, Stealth60%, Track 50%, Unarmed Combat 35%

AC 10; MV 12; HD 1+1; hp 6; #AT 1; D by weapon; Hide in Shadows and Move Silently as Lvl 1 Thief

Anthropophagi are a strange species of cannibal humanoids. They have no heads and their faces are set intotheir chests. Little is known by outsiders about their culture, as they tend to be very elusive and theirsomewhat vicious nature means they rarely co-exist in close proximity to Uropan, Islander or Dragon Tribesettlements. They tend to live deep within tropical forests. They only very occasionally raid human villages preferring to pick off those who wander away from the jungle paths. Those Islander tribes which areunfortunate enough to share an island with the anthropophagi teach their young children to fear the wickedcreatures and to always stay close to home.

Although nomadic, they do have sacred sites (either old ruins or natural landmarks), where they gather toworship ancient, sinister, cannibalistic gods. They are expert hunters and trackers, and are naturally stealthyand good with their bows. They are, however, somewhat vulnerable to predation themselves, due to theirlack of peripheral vision and their poor hearing they have tiny earholes which are, rather unhelpfully,located under their armpits. They speak their own language, which is unintelligible to human ears likewise,no human possesses an understanding of whatever tongue it is the anthropophagi use.

They will eat virtually any form of meat, raw or cooked, but they prefer to eat cooked human flesh. Theirsecond favourite food is each other although they will usually try to catch members of a rival tribe, ratherthan eat their own near relatives. They sometimes own cannibal apes, which they keep in large cages, onlyreleasing them on leashes, marshalling them forward using whips and spears, on their hunts. It is possiblethat somewhere there exists a dragon with anthropophagi servants though between a dragons appetite andtheir own appetites, such a relationship might quickly cause an all-round food shortage!

Anthropophagi are quite fascinated by human heads. They are the only bit of the human carcass that theydo not eat. They shrink human heads for ornamental purposes, use skulls as drinking vessels and wearclothing made of scalps. Perhaps the most bizarre thing they do with such trophies is to mummify andpreserve them, to wear as hats (which makes for a very strange sight indeed!!!) there might be a practicalreason for this, as, in poor light and at a distance, an anthropophagus wearing such a headpiece might justpass for a regular human.

16

STR 5D6+15 (33) CON 2D6+10 (17)

DEX 3D6+5 (16) SIZ 2D6+15 (22)

INT 1D6+4 (7) POW 2D6 (7)

CHA 5 (5) DM +2D6

HP 20 MWL 10 Move 24

Bite 65% (2D6+2D6)

Tear Limb From Limb 65% (1D8+2D6)

Armour: Fur, 1/0

Skills: Brawn 80%, Climb 70%, Dodge 50%, Perception 50%, Resilience 50%, Stealth 50%, Track 60%

Night Sight: Cannibal apes possess the Night Sight ability.

AC 6; MV 18; HD 5; hp 25; #AT 3; 1-4/1-4/1-10

Cannibal apes arent strictly cannibals they dont eat each other but as they eat humans and other largeapes, they are referred to as such by the Islanders and Uropans alike. Large (fully grown they stand threemetres tall), quick, and very powerful, they can outrun a human. Once they have caught their prey, they havea truly savage bite.

Generally wild, occasionally a tribe of anthropophagi will keep a cannibal ape (to aid them in their hunting).Even if well fed and cared for, the vicious cannibal ape will owe no loyalty to its captors and if it ever breaksfree it will take out its pent up frustrations on its former keepers. Cannibal apes kept by anthropophagibecome wary of the crack of the whip (and all such sounds, including that made by the discharge of blackpowder weapons), and will often run off if enough noise can be made. Those that have only lived in the wildare not scared in the slightest by such sounds.

17

STR 10D6+30 (90) CON 10D6+15 (75)

DEX 3D6 (11) SIZ 10D6+40(100)

INT 2D6 (7) POW 4D6 (14)

CHA 5 (5) DM +11D6


Bite 50% (2D6+11D6)

Stomp 50% (2D8+11D6)

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Tear Limb From Limb 50% (1D12+11D6)

Armour: Fur and Hide, 6/3

Skills: Brawn 150%, Climb 75%, Close Combat 40%, Dodge 20%, Perception 30%, Persistence 50%,Ranged Combat 30%, Resilience 90%, Unarmed Combat 50%

Fear: Colossal apes cause Terror.

Swipe with Tree: Colossal apes can use uprooted trees as out-sized clubs. They use their usual CloseCombat skill (40%), but on a success hit all creatures within the arc of their swipe are damaged (2D12+11D6),unless their target(s) Dodge (roll Dodge separately for each creature/character caught within the arc).

Pound With or Throw Huge Rock: Colossal apes can pound with (40% 6D6+11D6) or hurl (30%6D6+11D6) giant boulders. Aside from the lethality of the attack, the boulders are so large that they cancause an avalanche, smash a hut, sink a ship, etc., dependent on the target and terrain.

Toss Opponent: Colossal apes often grab their enemies (50% chance of a successful grab), then hurl themthrough the air. They can hurl human-sized creatures 2D20 metres, causing terrible falling damage, seePirates & Dragons Core Rulebook, p.102, which is inflicted along with the colossal apes damage bonus of +11D6.

AC 5; MV 30; HD 15; hp 90; #AT 3; 3-18/3-18/5-30

Extremely rare and terrifying to behold, colossal apes are truly gigantic beasts. On two legs, they tower overall but the tallest island jungles but they rarely stand up, preferring to lumber along on all fours. They areso large that they can be heard thundering along, splintering tree branches, beating their chests andhollering, even when they are many miles away.

Despite their fearsome appearance and reputation, they are completely vegetarian and relatively gentlecreatures. They subsist mainly on certain types of fibrous trees and plants; which they grind with their largeflat molars, before swallowing the resulting chewed up pulpy mess.

They generally inhabit the densest parts of the largest jungles; though, on the islands nearer the StormCircle, they sometimes live amongst the vast ruined pillars of ancient Adalantan ruins.

Colossal apes are mostly solitary, but occasionally they are worshipped and revered by Islander tribes.Although colossal apes are usually not very intelligent, they are quite sensitive and might form an attach-ment to members of an Islander tribe (and indeed, any human who treats them with kindness and respect).They can be very playful, delighting in the strange antics of humans and they do know their own strength,taking care not to harm those they scoop up in their giant fists. However, if severely provoked, they can turninto ferocious unstoppable brutes. Usually this happens when they are protecting a human to whom theyhave formed an attachment; or if they sense a potential mate being threatened (this is very rare, as colossalapes rarely come into season, and often dont share an island with a potential mate so have to stride to orswim to another island to find one). When in a rage, they stomp on their enemies; pick them up and throwthem; crush them with their fists; and bite them with their mighty jaws. They might even use improvisedweapons, such as giant boulders (which they throw at enemies or use to pound enemy structures) anduprooted trees (which they wield as out-sized clubs). Colossal apes are good climbers as long as whateverthey are climbing on can take their weight!!!.

19

STR 1D3 (2) CON 1D3 (2)

DEX 3D6+4 (15) SIZ 1D2 (2)

INT 4 (4) POW 2D6 (7)

CHA 3 (3) DM -1D6

HP 2 MWL 1 Move 3/18 (on land/in the air)

Armour: None

Skills: Dodge 50%, Fly 50%, Perception 50%

Blood Drain: Vampire bats can drain sleeping victims of their blood, causing the loss of 1D2 HPs, 1Fatigue level and 1 point of CON (the CON will be restored after 24 hours of rest, all other losses arerestored in the usual manner). See description below for more details.

Night Sight: Vampire bats possess the Night Sight ability.

AC 7; MV 3/15; HD 1/4; hp 2; #AT -; D -; HP/Con drain

Vampire bats are found throughout the Dragon Isles and are sometimes used as familiars by DragonTribe shamans. They form colonies of thousands of individuals and inhabit caves, from which theyemerge at night to feed on the blood of sleeping people and animals. They are tolerated by manydragons, who allow them to live in their lairs, since they help discourage other creatures from wanting totake up residence and enhance the dragon's evil reputation.

Vampire bats will not attack en masse (they possess no regular attack with which to attack a human-sizedfoe), though they will fly around in an alarming fashion if disturbed while roosting. An individual bat willseek sleeping or otherwise immobilised prey, land nearby, and creep towards its victim. It will then latchon with its sharp teeth and suck the victims blood. A sleeping character attacked in such a way must makea Perception test at -20 to detect the bat (the bats teeth cause a natural sedative to be released, as soon asthey pierce the targets skin). If the Perception roll is failed, the bat will suckle for 20 minutes, causingthe loss of 1D2 HPs, one Fatigue level and 1 point of CON none of the losses are permanent, and thefatigue level and HPs are replenished over time in the normal manner. The point of CON will be restoredafter 24 hours of complete rest as long as the victim isnt the target of another vampire bat attack! Unlessthe victim finds the wound site, the bat may well return to suckle, night after night, until the target movesto a new location in which to sleep. There is a 50% chance, per draining, that the bat will give the victim adisease.

20

STR 2D6+12 (19) CON 3D6+6 (17)

DEX 2D6+6 (13) SIZ 3D6+6 (17)

INT 2 (2) POW 1D6+6 (9)

CHA 2 (2) DM +1D6

HP 17 MWL 9 Move 9

Bite 50% (1D8+1D6)

Armour: Chitin Shell 5/3

Skills: Dodge 30%, Perception 50%, Persistence 40%, Resilience 60%, Tracking 40%

Wall Clinger: Giant beetles can climb along walls and ceilings at the same rate at which they move alongfloors.

AC 3; MV 6; HD 4; hp 20; #AT 1; D 2-12; Horned varieties have additional attacks, each causing 1-10damage (they usually have one or two horns)

Giant beetles resemble their smaller cousins but lack the ability to fly. With shiny carapaces and clickingmandibles, they are a fearsome foe to meet in the jungles of the islands, living as they do on anything theycan catch and eat, animal or human. Aside from eating freshly caught meat, they also scavenge for rottingcarcasses. Giant beetles are single-minded in their pursuit of prey and will fight to the death once they havechosen their next food. Giant Beetles tend to live in holes in the ground or in the hollows of huge old trees and their lairs usually stink although, as there is sometimes treasure to be found amongst the old bonesof their victims, it can be worth holding ones breath and taking a closer look.

Some of the Insect People have trained giant beetles as riding animals, though they are notoriously hard tohandle and have been known to eat incompetent keepers.

21

STR 1D4+1 (3) CON 2D6 (7)

DEX 3D6+6 (16) SIZ 1D4 (2)

INT 5 (5) POW 3D6 (10)

CHA 6 (6) DM -1D6

HP 5 MWL 3 Move 20

Bite 40% (1D3-1D6)

Claw 60% (1D3-1D6)

Armour: None

Skills: Climb 75%, Dodge 60%, Perception 75%, Resilience 30%, Stealth 60%, Survival 50%

Night Sight: Cats possess the Night Sight ability.

AC 7; MV 18; HD 1/4; hp 2; #AT 3; D 1-2/1-2/0-2

Cats are often kept aboard ship, but they can also be found in most Uropan settlements. They aresometimes kept as pets, but mostly they are valued as excellent rat-catchers. Cats are sure-footed andexcellent climbers although often they seem better at climbing up than coming back down.

Cleverer cats have very distinct personalities e.g. some are soft and lazy, while others are angry bundlesof spite. There are also wild cats in the jungles of the Dragon Isles, descended from the offspring of themore domesticated versions. Although not much of a match for a human-sized opponent, they do a meanline in nasty scratches, disdainful looks, and getting underfoot and tripping up hurrying pirates.

22

STR 8D6 (28) CON 12D6 (42)

DEX 3D6 (11) SIZ 12D6 (42)

INT 1 (1) POW 3D6 (11)

CHA 1 (1) DM +3D6

HP 84 MWL 6* Move 6

*See description below for more on wounding centipedes.

Bite 65% (1D6+3D6+poison)

Armour: Chitinous segments, 4/2

Skills: Perception 55%, Stealth 70%

Night Sight: Giant centipedes possess the Night Sight ability.

Poisonous Bite: Giant centipedes have a poisonous bite, which paralyses a human-sized opponent for7-12 minutes.

AC 4; MV 3; HD 8; hp 45; #AT 1; D 3-12; Poison bite

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Giant centipedes have long, segmented bodies with many legs and fearsome poisoned mandibles. Giantcentipedes are nocturnal predators who curl up in burrows or shady places during the day. They hunt atnight and are more than willing to slip into a human camp, grab a victim, and drag him or her off to beeaten in a hidden place in the darkness. Usually, against a single opponent, they will only make biteattacks up to the point they make a successful one then they will attempt to make off with the (possibly)paralysed victim (assuming the poison in the bite worked), who can look forward to being consumed, atthe giant centipedes leisure, elsewhere.

Giant centipedes are notoriously hard to kill. Disabling a segment of the creature will stop the legs onthat segment working, but this will only slow the creature down slightly it takes many serious woundsto the body, or one serious wound to the head, to incapacitate the creature. To represent this in rulesterms, the creature has a lot of hit points, but a low major wound level. Each time the centipede takes aserious wound to the body its Move decreases by one, as one pair of legs stops functioning properly.However, a single serious wound to the head (as a result, e.g. of a Targeted Attack) will reduce thecentipede to 0 hit points.

Type: Injection (fangs)

Delay: 1D3 combat rounds

Potency: 60

Effect: Paralysis

Duration: 1D10+2 minutes

24

STR 3D6+6 (17) CON 3D6 (11)

DEX 2D6+2 (9) SIZ 3D6+2 (13)

INT 2 (2) POW 3D6 (11)

CHA 2 (2) DM +1D4


Pincers 50% (1D8+1D4)

Armour: Shell, 6/6

Skills: Perception 40%, Persistence 45%, Resilience 60%, Stealth 55%, Track 20%

Gripping Pincers: On a successful hit, a giant crab can lock its pincers onto an opponent. Until thetarget succeeds in a Grappling roll to break free (or the crab dies or lets go for some other reason), the giantcrab will automatically hit its target and inflict the corresponding damage (to the same location) onsubsequent rounds.

AC 3; MV 6; HD 3; hp 15; #AT 2; D 2-8/2-8

Giant crabs are to be found close to the shoreline, although some have been known to travel severalkilometres inland. They are also a major menace to those caught in sargasso weed, being immune to itsclinging properties. They often burrow beneath loose sand, until they are almost invisible, rising to attackany prey they detect through the vibrations of its movement. With their formidable claws and heavilyarmoured carapaces, they can be a fearsome foe and they are willing to eat almost anything, living or dead.Conversely, they are also delicious, and a single giant crab can provide a meal for around twenty hungrypirates.

Giant crabs are particularly dangerous when in the breeding and egg-laying season of their reproductivecycles. At such times they swarm the beaches in vast numbers and although they are largely preoccupied bythe biological necessity to mate or lay eggs, theyll happily rip apart any interlopers who disturb them orotherwise get in their way.

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STR 3D6+24 (35) CON 3D6+6 (17)

DEX 2D6 (7) SIZ 3D6+24 (35)

INT 2 (2) POW 3D6 (11)

CHA 2 (2) DM +3D6


Pincers 50% (2D6+3D6)

Armour: Shell, 8/8

Skills: Perception 30%, Resilience 70%, Stealth 30%, Tracking 10%

Fear: Monstrous crabs cause fear, due to their SIZ.

Gripping Pincers: On a successful hit, a monstrous crab can lock its pincers onto an oponent. Untilthe target succeeds in a Grappling roll to break free (or the crab dies or lets go for some other reason),the monstrous crab will automatically hit its target and inflict the corresponding damage (to the samelocation) on subsequent rounds.

AC 0; MV 9; HD 8; hp 45; #AT 2; D 2-16/2-16

These out-sized crabs are far larger than even the giant version. Unlike giant crabs, they are usually onlyencountered as lone individuals or as a mating couple otherwise they are much the same as their smallercousins (albeit with greater SIZ, CON and STR, etc.). The largest specimens could feed a pirate crew fora week or more although without a means of keeping the crab meat cool, everyone would probably comedown with food poisoning (and the smell of rotting crab meat would quickly render a vessel almostuninhabitable off crab smells even worse than unwashed pirates!). Some Islander tribes use the carapacesof dead monstrous crabs as ready-made, if somewhat snug, huts.

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STR 3D6 (11) CON 3D6 (11)

DEX 3D6+4 (15) SIZ 2D6+6 (13)

INT 2D6+6 (13) POW 3D6 (11)

CHA 2D6+2 (9) DM 0

HP 12 MWL 6 Move 18

Bite 60% (1D6)

Sword 35% (1D6)

Armour: By type, Scale Armour 4/2

Skills: Close Combat 35%, Dodge 50%, Perception 55%, Resilience 45%, Stealth 70%, Track 80%, UnarmedCombat 40%

Night Sight: Cynocephalus possess the Night Sight ability.

AC 9; MV 15; HD 2; hp 9; #AT 1; D 1-6 or by weapon

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The cynocephalus are a species of dog-headed humanoid creatures. It is unknown whether they are acompletely separate species from humanity; or the product of a long-forgotten Adalantan experiment;or the result of some ancient curse on a human tribe. The few Uropans who have glimpsed them,generally believe them to be wild and savage but this is not necessarily the case.

In fact, the cynocephalus are as intelligent and varied in their nature as humans. Social beings, they tendto live in packs, led by the strongest member. Every so often a younger member will vie for control andthe fight for leadership can be extremely savage. Such an event is usually highly ritualised, separate fromthe non-fatal play fighting that all cynocephalus partake in. Every pack member attends a leadershipfight; no crafted weapons are permitted (fighting is normally a mixture of wrestling and biting); and theoutcome must be decisive if not, the usurper will be expected to stay at the bottom of hierarchy,henceforth, or must leave the pack to try his or her luck elsewhere. If the former pack leader loses, he orshe must likewise abandon all hopes of a return to power although he or she will still be welcomed as apack elder, whose views should be respected by the other pack members (as long as they dont underminethe new leader).

Some Islander tribes co-exist quite happily with cynocephalus populations. Often the two populationstrade with each other the cynocephalus are good hunters, so they swap fresh meat for woven fabricsfrom the Islanders, etc. The communication between the two species is very limited. Without magical aid,translation is impossible, aside from through gesture. Nevertheless, where such a trading relationship hasdeveloped, the two populations may aid each other in other ways even fighting together against anencroaching invader.

Cynocephalus lack some of the manual dexterity of humans, but they are generally quicker and moreagile. They prefer to go clothed, rather than naked, but they do not know the secret of weaving. Most oftheir clothes are crude outfits, using a mixture of cloth which they have acquired through trade and skirtsand accessories fashioned from leaves and bark. They have developed a crude (although rather effective)scale armour, for the pack warriors to wear, which is roughly fashioned from ropes made of vines or grassand pieces of wood. Outside of leadership fights and rough play, most cynocephalus are disdainful ofusing their powerful bites in battle or when hunting, seeing such acts as old-fashioned and demeaning insuch contexts. Instead, they tend to wield crudely made swords or clubs (they dislike using rangedweapons, only throwing rocks as a very last resort).

Cynocephalus do not generally have magic (although the Games Master may decide that a few rareindividuals do possess some MAG and Islander spells), and they tend to worship their own god, ratherthan island spirits. Curiously, the various cynocephalus populations seem to all worship pretty much thesame god, whichever island they live on a large, benevolent, white-haired version of themselves. As someof the packs seem to have had very little or no contact with other packs, for hundreds of years, they musthave a very strong oral religious tradition for such a uniformity of belief to remain.

Cynocephalus dislike, and are embarrassed by, dogs. However, dogs like them, which annoys them noend!

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STR 1D6+1 (4) CON 2D6+2 (9)

DEX 2D6+6 (13) SIZ 1D6 (3)

INT 5 (5) POW 3D6 (10)

CHA 5 (5) DM -1D6

HP 6 MWL 3 Move 20

Bite 40% (1D6-1D6)

Armour: None

Skills: Dodge 50%, Perception 55%, Persistence 35%, Resilience 35%, Stealth 45%, Survival 30%, Swim 40%,Track 75%

Night Sight: Dogs possess the Night Sight ability.

AC 6; MV 15; HD 1-1; hp 4; #AT 1; D 1-3

Dogs come in all shapes and sizes, from the smallest lapdog to the largest hunting dog. Settlers use them for allsorts of tasks such as rounding up sheep or guarding their homes from intruders. The smaller breeds are oftenused for ratting, larger breeds for hunting larger prey. Some Islander tribes keep dogs though these animals aredescendants of Uropan strays, rather than native species of canine. Dogs have good night sight.

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The statistics given above are for a fairly small breed of dog, but breeds of dogs come as small as STR 1D3and SIZ 1D3 or as large as STR 2D6+3 and SIZ 2D6+3; remember to adjust other statistics (DamageModifier, HPs, etc) accordingly.

Pirates sometimes keep dogs aboard ships as pets. They can be quite a nuisance, as such specimens arerarely ship-trained but as pirates are often a smelly lot themselves, they often mind less than theyprobably should. Dogs vary in temperament from nasty vicious snappy brutes, through to adorable soppypuddings, who want nothing more than a pat on the head and a tummy rub.

It seems to be a rule of dog-owning pirates that the owner picks a mutt who either looks very much likehim or her (so a thick-set pirate might pick a bulldog; whereas a tall thin pirate might own a sleek lurcher);or that is the precise physical opposite of them (so often a huge pirate might go for a tiny pamperedlapdog; while a scratty little pirate might own a huge dog, bigger than him or herself!). Pirates who owndogs often think their particular pet is far cleverer and more loyal than it actually is but some dogs arefairly bright, and they can be very useful in the defence of their owner (who, as far as the dog isconcerned, is the pack leader) useful, that is, until someone else comes along to feed them!

30

STR 3D6+6 (17) CON 3D6+6 (17)

DEX 3D6+6 (17) SIZ 3D6+12 (23)

INT 2D6+2 (9) POW 3D6+2 (13)

CHA 7 (7) DM +1D6


Bash 75% (1D6+1D6)

Bite 50% (1D6+1D6)

Armour: None

Skills: Dodge 75%, Insight 50%, Perception 80%, Resilience 60%, Swim 100%

Quick Healers: Dolphins are capable of quick recovery, even from horrendous wounds. This may nothelp them in combat (as a Major Wound causing death, will still cause the dolphin to die), but if they survivea fight, they are unlikely to suffer any long-term consequences. They dont tend to bleed out and anywound (bar an actual amputation/lost eye, etc.) will completely heal within a week, the flesh regenerating sothat just a scar remains.

Swimming Assistance: If a dolphin notices someone they feel friendly towards (see below) struggling inthe water, it can assist the individual to swim (by pushing, if the character is unconscious; or by allowing thecharacter to cling on, if they are able). Likewise, they can aid each other (if wounded, etc.). They are clever

31

enough to help an air-breather to the surface and will try to take whoever they are helping to a place ofsafety, if such a place exists.

AC 5; MV 20; HD 2+2; hp 12; #AT 1; D 2-8

There are various types of dolphin living throughout the Dragon Isles, and they vary considerably in size.The statistics above are for a fairly large, but common variety, but they can come as small as STR 2D6+2and SIZ 2D6+2 or as large as STR 6D6+10 and SIZ 6D6+12; remember to adjust other statistics (DamageModifier, HPs, etc.) accordingly.

Dolphins are aquatic mammals, who are able to communicate with each other using a mixture of clicks,whistles and body language. They use echo-location, touch and their acute eyesight to navigate the seas,to avoid predators, and to catch the fish they eat.

Dolphins are extremely sociable creatures not only do they live in their own complex social groups (orpods), they are often friendly (and sometimes even enamoured) with certain other species in particular,water folk and humans. Dolphins often live near to, and closely cooperate with, the water folk. The waterfolk are able to completely understand the dolphin language. Water folk are, in turn, able to use languageand gesture to communicate with dolphins. For some reason, although they cannot effectivelycommunicate with them, dolphins also tend to like humans. They will often aid a human struggling in thewater and might even form an attachment to a regular visitor to their waters. Even if treated with hostilityby one human, a dolphin will often give others the benefit of the doubt (although will be wary of theformerly hostile party if there is any future contact). Dolphins will communicate with all the members oftheir own pod, and with any other pods they encounter, to share any news about particularly hostile orfriendly characters.

Dolphins cant abide sharks, mermen or mermaids they will generally attempt to avoid them but, ifpushed, they will fight them. Dolphins lack the overall speed and deadly bite possessed by sharks, butthey have the wits and manoeuvrability to win battles against them, even if the sharks are bigger. Theyknow exactly where to smack a shark, in order to stun or kill it, and they are nimble enough to run ringsthem. In addition, they will work in unison with other members of their pod unlike sharks, who mightswarm in for a kill, but who dont co-operate with each other. Dolphins are not suicidal if confrontedwith an orca, giant shark, or similar mighty predator, theyll turn tail and flee.

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STR 1D6+4 (8) CON 2D6+2 (9)

DEX 4D6 (14) SIZ 2D6+1 (8)

INT 1 (1) POW 2D6 (7)

CHA 1 (1) DM 0

HP 9 MWL 5 Move 15

Bite 50% (1D2)

Armour: None


Electric Jolt: Electric eels are capable of delivering a stunning jolt to any targets within range. Targetswithin 10 metres must make a successful Resilience roll or be stunned for 1 Combat Round; Targets within5 metres must make a successful Resilience roll or be stunned for 1D3 Combat Rounds; Targets makingdirect contact must make a successful Resilience roll or be stunned for 1D6 Combat Rounds.

AC 9; MV 12; HD 2; hp 10; #AT 1; D 1-2; Jolt

Averaging about three metres in length, electric eels usually lurk within the shallows or mudflats, where theyburrow to make their homes in the mud, rocks or sand. Although they often live alone, they also congregatetogether in mud pits, where they form a writhing mass of electrical danger. These elongated fish can (andwill!) deliver an electric shock to anyone that comes too near. They use the shock to stun prey and as adefence against larger predators and although the shock is usually delivered in a very short burst, if anintruder doesnt back off, or is confronted with a large number of these eels, their days are likely numbered.

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STR 6D6+6 (28) CON 6D6+6 (28)

DEX 4D6 (14) SIZ 8D6+12 (41)

INT 1 (1) POW 3D6 (11)

CHA 1 (1) DM +3D6


Bite 50% (1D6+3D6)

Tail Thrash 50% (2D6+3D6)

Armour: Thick Scales, 3/1


Fear: Giant eels cause Fear due to their immense SIZ.

AC 3; MV 18; HD 8; hp 50; #AT 2; D 2-12/3-18

Giant eels are simply out-sized versions of regular eels. They tend to live out to sea, or in muddy wetlandsand swamps. Giant eels are able to survive for several hours out of the water, their bodies exuding a slimyprotective sludge; however an eel will only be able to fully function for the first hour on land, after whichits metabolism will begin to shut down. They swiftly glide about, and although humans are not theirregular prey, they will happily bite a chunk out of anyone within striking distance. Islanders sometimeshunt giant eels for their skins and to eat. Islanders are aware that raw eel can be deadly, due to the toxinsin the creatures blood, so they know to only eat them cooked. Like regular eels, giant eels sometimesgather together in large numbers, in huge muddy swamp pits often concealed just under the surface ofshallow waters passers-by would do well not to fall in!

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STR 2D6+6 (13) CON 3D6+3 (14)

DEX 5D6 (18) SIZ 2D6+4 (13)

INT 1 (1) POW 3D6 (10)

CHA 1 (1) DM +1D4

HP 14 MWL 7 Move 18

Bite 50% (1D4+1D4)

Armour: None


Shriek: The shrieking eel emits a terrible sound, which stuns other fish and causes pain and temporarydeafness to humans. Any character within ten metres of the shrieking sound must make a successfulResilience roll or take 1D3 damage. A further roll must be made by anyone who fails the first roll anotherfailure results in the targets eardrums bursting which will cause the character to be deafened for 1D6 days.Deafened characters will not suffer any further damage, but those who failed the damage roll but made thesecond roll, might sustain further damage (until either the shrieking stops or his or her eardrums burst).

AC 6; MV 15; HD 3; hp 16; #AT 1; D 1-6; Shriek

These large (up to 4 metres long) eels are much the same as other varieties of eel, aside from their defensiveshriek. They often live alone, in the sea, mudflats, swamplands and wetlands, hidden amongst the rocks, butsometimes they will congregate in a large muddy eel pit. They do not consider humans prey, but will seekto defend themselves against anyone who approaches them, relying on their shrieks if cornered in theirlairs/unable to flee. If a human is unable to defend him or herself/prone in the water, then shrieking eels willhappily chow down for a feast on the poor victim.

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STR 3D6+12 (23) CON 4D6 (14)

DEX 3D6 (11) SIZ 6D6+6 (28)

INT 2 (2) POW 3D6 (10)

CHA 1 (1) DM +2D6

HP 21 MWL 12 Move 30*

*Giant frogs can hop any distance up to their full Move, once per combat round.

Bite 30% (1D4+2D6)

Slurp 60% (Special, see below)

Armour: Rubbery Skin 1/0

Skills: Dodge 60%, Persistence 30%, Resilience 35%, Swim 40%

Night Sight: Giant frogs possess the Night Sight ability.

Poisonous Skin: Some varieties of giant frog have skin which releases harmful toxins, which the froguses to defend itself from unarmed attacks (some Islander tribes gather the substance to poison theirarrowheads and spear tips).

Slurpy Swallow: Giant frogs can shoot out their long tongues to grab and swallow their prey. A firstsuccessful tongue attack (to curl around the target), followed by a second successful attack (to propel thetarget towards the frogs mouth), will mean the frog has successfully caught and gulped down a victim.

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The frog will usually make both attacks in the same round (as an All Out Attack). A swallowed victimmust either hack his or her way out of the frog, or be freed by his or her compatriots. After being in thefrogs stomach for two rounds, the frogs digestive juices will start to eat away at the swallowed target onthe third (causing 2D6 automatic damage per round). A giant frog can attempt to swallow any creatureless than a third of its size.

AC 7; MV 24; HD 5; hp 25; #AT 1; D 2-8; Slurp/Poison

Giant frogs generally dont feed on people indeed, it is usually the other way round, theres good eatingon a giant frog. However some of the larger (above average SIZ) specimens do occasionally flick theirtongues out at a passing person, and then attempt to swallow them down in one big slurpy gulp.

Most giant frogs are not poisonous, but a few species are. The poison listed below is the type of contactvenom that just one species delivers other poisonous varieties possess other poisons (e.g. that mightcause painful sensations in nerve endings, paralysis, death, etc.) and use other methods of delivery (e.g.spitting, poison on the tongue, exuding noxious fumes, etc.).

Type: Contact

Delay: 1D2 minutes

Potency: 70%

Effect: Unless the victim makes a Resistance roll, he or she will suffer nausea and hallucinations for theentire Duration below.

Duration: 1-12 hours

37

STR 3D6 (11) CON 2D6 (7)

DEX 2D6+2 (9) SIZ 2D6+6 (13)

INT 2D6+6 (13) POW 3D6 (11)

CHA 1D6 (4) DM 0

HP 10 MWL 5 Move 12

Club 35% (1D6)

Armour: 0/0

Skills: Close Combat 35%, Dodge 20%, Perception 35%, Ranged Combat 35%, Resilience 30%, Stealth70%, Swim 40%, Unarmed Combat 35%

Breathe Underwater: Shambling fungus creatures can breathe underwater.

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Night Sight: Shambling fungus creatures possess the Night Sight ability.

Spores: Whenever sliced with a sharp-edged melee, natural, or ranged weapon, a shambling fungus releasesspores. The spores might infect any non-fungus creature within three metres. All creatures in the infectedarea must make a Resilience roll or become fungoid themselves in 1D6 days (unless cured by magical means).A fungoid creature retains the same STR, INT, SIZ and POW, but all other statistics must be re-rolled,using the shambling fungus stats. The new fungoid creature also gains the breathe underwater, spores andvulnerability special abilities, as listed here.

Vulnerability: Fungus creatures are especially vulnerable to attacks by sharp-edged melee, natural orranged weapons. Roll twice for weapon damage (but not for any damage bonus). Blunt weapons and blackpowder side-arms only do a quarter damage (of the total damage rolled, including damage bonus).

AC 10; MV 9; HD 1; hp 5; #AT 1; D by weapon; Spores/Vulnerable to melee weapons

Shambling fungi are a sentient species of beings, who are usually humanoid in form although nearly everyplant and animal in the Dragon Isles could potentially be converted into a fungoid being. The exceptionsare mineral-based and magical creatures, such as animated statues, mountain folk and the undead, andswamp dwellers (who, while not immune, have a healthy resistance to conversion).

Despite their intelligence, they are not particularly inquiring when it comes to the wider world shamblingfungi tend not to get out of their swamps much they have all the nutrients they need there and are easy preyfor predators when outside their natural environment (although predators often wish they hadnt bothered,when exposed to spores and infection). They blend in better in the swamp they gain a +40% to Stealth whenhiding in the swamp or other areas where there is a lot of other fungus and they can always hide by duckingbeneath the water for indefinite periods of time.

Shambling fungi society is gentle and sedate the fungi gather together in small communities, passing thetime of day and soaking up food. Shambling fungi are shy creatures and try to avoid outsiders, although ifthey are exposed, they will generally be as welcoming as they can be. Unfortunately, their shuffling gait andstrange appearance mitigate against them making friends. Their main enemies are the swamp dwellers whofind them especially tasty (shambling fungi are not known to be poisonous to any creature although theytend not to be high on the Islander hunter menu, as they are generally considered a taboo and protectedspecies). A single swamp dweller will often move into an area colonised by shambling fungi and feed untilthe whole colony is wiped out sadly for the fungi, they usually fearfully await their deaths, rather thanrisking moving out of their home swamp.

There are no known shambling fungus pirates they would present a danger to all on board a ship (due totheir spores) and would need to spend a substantial part of the day dangling in the sea or consigned to aparticularly rancid part of the ship to feed.

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STR 4D6+3 (17) CON 4D6 (14)

DEX 2D6+3 (10) SIZ 5D6+3 (21)

INT 1 (1) POW 3D6 (11)

CHA 1 (1) DM +1D6

HP 18 MWL 9 Move 18

Bite 40% (1D8+1D6)

Armour: Scales, 4/2

Skills: Dodge 25%, Perception 50%, Resilience 40%, Stealth 50%

Night Sight: Giant galliwasps possess the Night Sight ability.

AC 6; MV 15; HD 4+1; hp 25; #AT 1; D 1-8

Giant galliwasps are a species of out-sized lizard (usually about five metres in length), which can be foundthroughout the Dragon Isles. They generally survive scavenging for rotting carrion, although theirpreferred diet is insect people. Due to the organised defences the insect people maintain, galliwasps havelearned to only attack a nest when they can gang together in sufficient numbers creeping up on theirbellies, then mobbing forward and snatching outlying insect person guards (before the hive mind canreact), then darting away to fight over any prizes taken. Giant galliwasps mostly hunt at night and sleepin the day. While they are soaking up the sun they try to ignore any other nearby creatures, even thosethey might otherwise find tasty (and are very reluctant to wake up and move!).

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STR 8D6 (29) CON 6D6+6 (28)

DEX 3D6+3 (14) SIZ 6D6+6 (28)

INT 2D6 (7) POW 3D6 (11)

CHA 1D6 (4) DM +2D6


Bite 45% (1D6+2D6)

Chew 45% (3D6+2D6)

Thump 45% (1D8+2D6)

Armour: Fur, 3/1

Skills: Brawn 90%, Dodge 40%, Perception 50%, Persistence 60%, Resilience 80%

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Snaffle Victim: After a successful Bite attack, a gibbering grabber will automatically succeed inchewing the target on subsequent rounds (and also be able to make a further thump attack against asecond target). The chewed target can attempt to escape once per round roll an opposed grapple roll todetermine success, using the Grabbers Brawn versus its opponents Unarmed Combat or Brawn (playerschoice) or even make an attack (assuming he or she isnt too mangled).

AC 5; MV 15; HD 6; hp 40; #AT 3; D 1-6/1-6/2-12; Chew

Extremely grumpy and violent, gibbering grabbers will attempt to eat any creature half their size orsmaller. Even those creatures not on the menu might experience a ferocious attack gibbering grabbersreally dont like anyone or anything. While not universally stupid, it is rare for a gibbering grabber tostop hitting things for long enough to converse with it and it can only speak its own rudimentarylanguage, a loud gibbering roaring tongue. Gibbering grabbers dont even seem to get on with eachother. They occasionally live in small groups, but spend so much time fighting that they dont get enoughhunting done. Mating is a dangerous affair, which seems to involve a lot of punching (the punches aredelivered with equal ferocity and frequency by both genders).

There are a very few Islander tribes that actually get on (as much as it is possible) with a gibberinggrabber. This is done by chucking the creature plenty of live food (large dogs, etc.) and making sureeveryone knows to keep their distance. It doesnt really work, as there are bound to be a few Islandercasualties every year, but in particularly hostile climes it might be worth it as the grabber will attack anycreature threatening it or the tribe (even if the attacker is substantially larger than the grabber).

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STR 8D6 (28) CON 3D6+12 (23)

DEX 3D6+12 (23) SIZ 8D6 (28)

INT 5 (5) POW 2D6+6 (13)

CHA 3 (3) DM +2D6

HP 26 MWL 13 Move 24/40 (on land/flying)

Bite 60% (1D8+2D6)

Claw 70% (1D6+2D6)

Armour: Tough hide, 3/1

Skills: Dodge 40%, Fly 90%, Persistence 50%, Resilience 80%, Survival 60%, Track 50%

AC 5; MV 18/30; HD 7; hp 35; #AT 3; D 1-6/1-6/2-20

In the wild, griffins are generally ill-tempered, vicious, and rather stupid creatures, who will brutally attackanything coming onto their territory, even if the intruder is peaceable and not someone the griffins want toeat.

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In captivity, griffins are equally ill-tempered, but they can be trained (as long as there is a sufficientquantity of raw meat, the trainer has a big stick and the beast is well-tethered). Once trained, a griffin canbe used as a mount. No Uropan has flown one, to date, and there are only a few islands where theIslanders or Dragon Tribes have mastered the art of capturing and training the creatures. Where Island-ers have managed to domesticate griffins, they tend to have one or two beasts at most it isnt worth thelabour involved in hunting the meat to keep the beasts alive and motivated once trained, the creaturewill stop bothering to hunt for itself and rely on its keepers. A hungry griffin makes the most annoyingand pitiable whining sound imaginable, and nothing, bar food, will persuade it to shut up. As far asDragon Tribes go, dragons are usually not interested in maintaining the creatures (and might even snackon them), but occasionally a dragon might like to have some griffin riders in its army (and it might alsofind some amusement watching the Dragon Tribe trainers getting chomped!).

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STR 0 (0) CON 0 (0)

DEX 3D6 (11) SIZ 4D6 (14)

INT 8 (8) POW 4D6 (14)

CHA 0 (0) DM 0

HP 14 MWL 7 Move 12

Grim Sensation 50% (1D10)

Armour: 0/0*

*But see invulnerability below

Skills: Persistence 75%

Induce Madness: Glowing grims cause victims to experience temporary loss of control. A Persistence rollmust be made every round. Failure results in the target(s) feeling drawn to the glowing grim anyoneaffected will attempt to move towards the glowing grim. Anyone seeing a glowing grim (and surviving) willexperience 1D6 sleepless nights following the meeting.

Invulnerability: Glowing grims are insubstantial creatures. They can only be hit by enchanted weapons all attacks using normal weapons cause no damage at all. Most spells (with the exception of mind controlmagic) do damage to glowing grims.

AC 0; MV 9; HD 4+1; hp 21; #AT 1; D 2-8; Induce madness, +1 or better magic weapon to hit

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Glowing grims tend to inhabit dangerous areas high cliff tops, patches of quicksand, the densest mostdangerous parts of a jungle, the most treacherous swamplands, etc. They will attempt to lure anycharacters into danger and they can do this at considerable range (if a character can see the glowinggrim, they will be affected). Although they move slowly, they inhabit such difficult terrain that it isusually very hard to catch up with one.

Glowing grims might be some sort of lost spirit but nobody, not even the wisest shamans, can say forsure. They do often guard some treasure (usually in a nearby cave or hollow). Perhaps the treasure is whatthey are trying to lure characters away from. The loot is never in any recognisable coinage and otherpossessions will not appear to have once belonged to anybody from a local tribe (or to have been lost byUropans). Perhaps they are ancient spirits, from a time long-forgotten; or perhaps they are mere energyforms, for some reason drawn to watch over hidden caches.

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STR 6D6 (22) CON 4D6+12 (26)

DEX 3D6+6 (17) SIZ 2D6+6 (13)

INT 3D6 (11) POW 3D6+12 (23)

CHA 3 (3) DM +1D6


Bite 50% (1D4+1D6)

Claws 50% (1D4+1D6)

Armour: Toughened Flesh, 4/2

Skills: Dodge 75%, Persistence 75%, Resilience 85%

Ethereal Disguise: Hupias can magically disguise themselves to look like an ordinary human from adistance. They are not very creative, and will often use the last person they have seen as a template for theirdisguise. To penetrate the magical disguise, a target must make a successful Persistence roll (-40), and must

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be actively trying to notice that something is amiss. If a target gets within 5 metres of a hupia (3 metres ifit is dark), then he or she will instantly see the hupia for what it truly is.

Fear: The sight of a hupias true form causes Fear.

AC 2; MV 15; HD 5+5; hp 30; #AT 3; D 1-4/1-4/1-6; disguise, fear

Faceless, aside from their vicious jaws, hupias hate the living and will often try to lure lone individualsaway from their settlements, in order to attack them; or infiltrate badly guarded villages, so that they canmurder people in their beds. They usually only operate individually, and are clever enough not to outstaytheir welcome as soon as they have made an attack or two, they usually run off into the night. In veryrare cases a whole group of hupias have launched an attack on a settlement wiping out everyone. Thereare some small islands where the Islanders no longer live, but the hupias remain, haunting the emptyvillage.

Usually if a hupia is active in an area, the Islanders will launch a hunt for the creature knowing that manylives will be saved in the long-run if the creature can be quickly slain.

STRANGE SPIRITS

Hupias are the physical forms taken by undead spirits of those who died upon an island, while at odds with theislands spirits. An individual can avoid becoming a hupia after death, if an islands shaman performs a cleansingritual over his or her bones. If the bones cannot be found or have been destroyed, or a shaman cannot be foundto perform the ritual, the spirit will become a hupia with 1D6 days. The hupia will have a grudge against everyliving thing, and reserve an especial hatred for their former community. Taboo breakers, murderers, and otherswho have committed unclean acts, are most likely to find themselves transformed into Hupias.

Lurking horrors are also undead spirits, but they take a less substantial form than that of the hupia. Lurkinghorrors are the spirits of those who were victims of murder or suffered some other form of violent death. Likethe hupia, an individual can avoid becoming a lurking horror after death, if an islands shaman performs acleansing ritual over his or her bones. If the bones cannot be found or have been destroyed, or a shaman cannotbe found to perform the ritual, the spirit will become a lurking horror with 48 hours.

Glowing grims might also be some form of lost spirit but it is less clear if this is the case (they could as likelybe some completely alien form of energy).

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STR 2D6+18 (25) CON 3D6+6 (16)

DEX 2D6+3 (10) SIZ 2D6+18 (25)

INT 5 (5) POW 3D6 (10)

CHA 5 (5) DM +2D6


Kick 40% (Trained warhorse 80%) (1D6+2D6)

Armour: Usually none (or by type)

Skills: Dodge 40%, Perception 40%, Resilience 40%, Survival 20%

AC 7; MV 18; HD 2+2; hp 12; #AT 3; D 1-4/1-4/1-2

A horse is a horse, of course! The attributes given above are applicable for most horses warhorses will tendto have higher than average STR and SIZ; cobs lower than average STR and SIZ; ponies minimum STRand SIZ; and mules minimum SIZ.

Horses are not native to the region and are very rare throughout the Dragon Isles. They are most likely tobe owned by extremely wealthy private Uropan individuals, rather than used as common beasts of burdenby ordinary settlers. Only the Esbanian military have access to a fair number of decent horses (as they breedthem on High Bressayle). There are some mules in the Dragon Isles (a donkey/horse cross-breed), whichtend to be used by colonists for riding, pulling carts and carrying heavy loads although they are stillnowhere near as commonly used as oxen.

The only wild horses in the region are to be found on Esbaniola where enough Esbanian horses haveescaped or been lost/abandoned, over time, to create a viable herd.

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STR 6D6 (22) CON 4D6+6 (20)

DEX 6D6 (22) SIZ 2D6+6 (13)

INT 3D6 (11) POW 6D6 (22)

CHA 1 (1) DM +1D6

HP 17 MWL 9 Move 30

Ethereal Touch 50% (1D6+1D6+Fear)

Hurl Object 50% (Varies+1D6)

Push Back 75% (1 per metre pushed*, +1D6)

Armour: Ethereal Cloak, 6/3**

*See push back below.

** plus, see Ethereal Cloak and Invulnerability below.

Skills: Dodge 80%, Persistence 80%, Resilience 60%, Stealth 90%

Ethereal Cloak: Lurking horrors are protected by a flickering, but strong, ethereal cloak. If they sochoose, they can use this cloak to camouflage themselves three times a day, becoming invisible for 1D10minutes (95% chance, even if the viewer makes a successful Perception roll).

Ethereal Touch: In addition to causing chill damage, the icy touch of a lurking horror causes a targetto have to make a Resilience test (+20%) or instantly shrivel up and die.

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Fearful Features: It is very hard to make out the features of a lurking horror. Generally lookingat one makes the viewer so uneasy that he or she cannot look directly at the horrors face. The horrorlikes to remain elusive, using its camouflage abilities and quick speed to hide from view. However, ifthe viewer does look directly at the horrors face (on a successful Persistence roll at -40%) they will beovercome with Terror. A horror who has been looked at directly will temporarily be banished from itshaunt (for 1D3 days).

Invulnerability: Lurking horrors can only be damaged by spells (with the exception of mindcontrol magic) or enchanted weapons.

Night Sight: Lurking Horrors possess the Night Sight ability.

Push Back: Lurking horrors can use psychic energy to forcefully fling back an opponent. They canfling the opponent so hard that he or she will receive a base 1D6 damage, plus a further 1 point ofdamage for every metre the target is pushed back. The maximum SIZ of the target is the POW of thelurking horror, and the maximum distance pushed is half the lurking horrors POW (so an averagelurking horror can push any creature which is less than SIZ 22 a maximum of 11 metres, for 1D6+11damage in total). A target with a free action might make a Swashbuckling roll (-20%) to halve the totaldamage.

Telekinetic Hurl: Lurking horrors have the power to hurl objects, simply by using their force ofwill. Any object (up to SIZ 11), within the controlling horrors POW in metres, can be thrown a distancealso equal to the horrors POW in metres (damage should be scaled according to the objects SIZ generally 1D4 per 3 points of SIZ + the 1D6 damage bonus).

AC 1; MV 24; HD 6; hp 40; #AT 1; D 2-12; +1 or greater magic item to hit, chill touch, push

There is something very unnatural about the shadowy appearance of a lurking horror. Often they willonly be glimpsed briefly, yet that small sight can be sickeningly unsettling. These sad and malevolentspirits usually haunt the places where they died. The areas they haunt have a generally depressingdemeanour and oppressive atmosphere. Lurking horrors do not go out of their way to find people totorment, but if anyone lingers within their territory, they will launch a series of escalating attacks. Atfirst they will try to hide completely out of sight hurling objects from a distance, using theirtelekinetic powers; but if interlopers dont take the hint, they will then try to pick off individuals,using a combination of their lethal touch and push back abilities.

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STR 6D6+3 (25) CON 5D6 (18)

DEX 2D6+2 (9) SIZ 6D6+3 (24)

INT 1 (1) POW 3D6 (11)

CHA 1 (1) DM +2D6


Bite 50% (1D8+2D6)

Gaze 60% (see Third Eye Gaze below)

Armour: Scales, 4/2


Third Eye Gaze: Anyone meeting the gaze of the giant iguanas third eye needs to make a Persistencetest (-40). Anyone failing will suffer total amnesia forgetting all their learned skills, the reason for theirpresence in the region, their friends, career, their own name, etc, for 1D4 days.

AC 6; MV 15; HD 6; hp 35; #AT 1; D 2-12; Gaze

Giant iguanas are fairly common out-sized lizards. They are generally gentle by nature, their diet isvegetarian, and unless provoked they will almost appear friendly (although they arent really, they are justdopey and disinterested). They are capable of camouflaging themselves in jungle environments and willoften simply hide away from predators at night. Unlike the nocturnal galliwasps, giant iguanas are mostactive in the daytime grazing in the early morning and early evening, and sunbathing in the middle ofthe day, when the sun is highest in the sky.

The giant iguana does have one other defensive capability, although it will only rarely use it. Giantiguanas possess a (relatively) small third eye, in the centre of their foreheads. Due to the colouration ofthe eye lid, it is almost impossible to make out, but when the third eye opens, the gaze causes any affectedtarget to suffer memory loss.

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SIZ Medium, Large or Huge

INT 1 (1)

POW 1 (1)

Move 30

Bite 100% (20/30/40 x 0-1)

or

Sting 100% (20/30/40 x 0-1)

Armour: None

MV 24; #AT 20/30/40 on each target within swarm; D 0-1 x 20/40/60

Wasps, bees, ants, locusts and various other types of creatures form large swarms. It is usuallyimpossible to fight an insect swarm (although powerful fire magic can be employed quite effectively) -there are simply too many creatures to swat. It is usually best to seek cover and hide away, and hopethat the swarm will continue quickly on its way. Swarms vary according to species some fly, otherscrawl, but generally any vegetation or animal (according to the diet of the insects) in the path of aswarm will be quickly munched as the swarm passes, unless they have suitably protective naturalarmour. Even armoured humans will have to take care as the armour will need to offer total protectionto be effective (as the sheer numbers stinging and biting unprotected areas might still be enough tokill).

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STR 3D6+6 (17) CON 3D6 (11)

DEX 2D6+12 (19) SIZ 2D6+12 (19)

INT 5 (5) POW 3D6 (11)

CHA 4 (4) DM +1D6

HP 15 MWL 8 Move 24

Bite 40% (1D8+1D6)

Claw 60% (1D6+1D6)

Armour: Fur, 1/0

Skills: Climb 60%, Dodge 65%, Perception 70%, Persistence 45%, Resilience 45%, Stealth 90%, Survival45%

Night Sight: Jaguars possess the Night Sight ability.

AC 6; MV 18; HD 4+1; hp 20; #AT 3; D 1-3/1-3/1-8

These big cats are perfectly adapted to hunting in jungle climes, although they range into the mountainsand swamps as well. Jaguars tend to be solitary creatures, aside from when mating or when a mother iscaring for her cubs. They hunt at night and are most active just as dusk falls and just before dawn. Theytend to spring out on prey, rather than hunting them over long distances.

Jaguars rarely attack humans the exceptions being when an old or injured jaguar is desperate for a meal,when left with nowhere to run or when directed by island spirits, hostile to intruders.

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STR 1 (1) CON 5D6 (18)

DEX 1 (1) SIZ 7D6 (25)

INT 1 (1) POW 3D6 (11)

CHA 1 (1) DM 0*

HP 22 MWL 11 Move 6

Tentacle Brush 50% (by venom*)

*Damage is caused by the sting venom - no damage bonus is applied.

Armour: None

Skills: Stealth 30%, Swim 10%

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Sting: See below.

AC 10; MV 3; HD 5; hp 25; #AT 1; D 4-24; Poison

Giant jellyfish tend to drift along with the ocean currents, although they can use create motionsin their bell-like shape to propel themselves along in a chosen direction. Giant jellyfish are notinterested in humans as prey they mainly feed on smaller jellyfish, but as they sting anyonewho they brush against, they are very dangerous. From a human swimmers point of view, asingle giant jellyfish just needs to be spotted and avoided, but blooms (concentrated clusters ofthousands of the creatures) of giant jellyfish can be particularly lethal as there is simply no wayto avoid them in such infested waters. These blooms occur quite frequently, according to tides,available food and breeding patterns. Most giant jellyfish deliver a painful, but not (singly)deadly sting but there are exceptions, some species can deliver more deadly toxins, capable ofkilling a human outright.

Type: Contact

Delay: 1D6 minutes

Potency: 60%

Effect: Unless a successful Resilience roll is made, brushing against a giant jellyfish stingcauses 1D4 Damage. Some species deliver a more serious sting, causing 3-18 Damage (halved ona successful Resilience roll).

Duration: 1-3 hours

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STR 7D6+6 (31) CON 8D6+6 (34)

DEX 0 (0) SIZ 6D6+6 (28)

INT 1 (1) POW 3D6 (11)

CHA 1 (1) DM +2D6

HP 62 MWL 31 Move 0

Slam Shut 75% (2D6+2D6)

Armour: Thick Shell, 8/8

Skills: Brawn 95%, Persistence 60%, Resilience 80%

Camouflage: Giant killer clams tend to lurk in rockpools or the ocean bottom, amongst vegetation,rocks and coral of a similar colouration to themselves. In addition, they get covered in plant life, barnaclesand algae. This means they are usually well camouflaged Perception rolls to detect Giant Killer Clamsare at -40.

Trap/Dissolve Victim: If a victim is wholly engulfed in the shell of a giant killer clam (fumbles aDodge roll or completely surprised), the beast within will start to exude an acidic substance, designed tobreak down the flesh of its victim (the clam itself is, of course, immune). The first round no damage isdelivered; the second round 1D6 damage is delivered; and for the next four rounds an additional 1D6 isadded to the damage every round (so by round six, 5D6 damage is delivered). The shell then opens, ever soslightly, the mollusc agitates the water, and then the shell snaps shut once more, so the clam can slowlydigest its meal. On the off chance the target survives, the clam will release it (believing it to be unpalatable).

Trap Limb: If a victim fails (but doesnt fumble) a Dodge roll, as a giant killer clams shell shuts, thenone of the victims limbs will be clamped tight by the shell (roll 1D4; 1 Left Leg, 2 Right Leg; 3 LeftArm; and 4 Right Arm). All damage will be to that limb (in the event of a Major Wound). On further

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rounds, no extra damage is delivered, but if the victim is not released within 1D6 minutes, the limb willdie (as if amputated).

AC -1; MV 0; HD 7; hp 40; #AT 1; D 3-18; Dissolve

These giant molluscs usually live on the bottom of the ocean, but can also be found in large rock-pools,under the sand and in underwater caves. They vary in size considerably and pose different kinds ofthreats to people accordingly. The smaller versions tend to hide under weeds and clamp the legs or armsof unwary divers holding on until the target dies of wounds or drowns. The most out-sized versions areso large that it is possible for a person to enter the jaws and not realise that he or she is in a vast shell. Ifsurprised, when the shell closes, the target will be completely engulfed (while if the target manages tomake a last second Perception roll, he or she may attempt to Dodge).

The STR and CON listed for the killer clam is so high, because it is assumed that the shell will be thetarget of any attack and killer clams shells are very thick and strong. The soft parts of the creatureinside the shell are much more vulnerable, if they can be targeted. If an attack could be made on thecreature inside (which will only be possible if the shell is fully open the crenulations in the shell make ithard to get past it, even when it is clamped around a victim), then it has just 20 HP/MWL 10, and nodefences but as killer clams can sense creatures in a 5 metre radius and shut their shells the instant acreature, missile, or limb, etc., enters the top of the shell, it would probably take magical means to freezeone open and take advantage of this vulnerability.

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STR 12D10+50 (110) CON 12D10+50 (110)

DEX 2D6 (7) SIZ 20D6+200 (300)

INT 3D6+6 (17) POW 6D6 (22)

CHA 3 (3) DM +26D6


Bash 50% (4D6+26D6)

Armour: Rubbery Skin/Blubber, 6/5

Skills: Perception 80%, Swallow Whole 80%, Stealth 50%, Swim 60%

Fear: Leviathans cause Terror, due to their immense SIZ.

Swallow whole: A Leviathan is able to swallow whole any target a third of its SIZ or smaller (or thathas Structure Points a third of its SIZ or smaller) so the average sized Leviathan can swallow a 100 SPship!

AC 1; MV 21; HD 40; hp 200; #AT 1; D 4-40; Swallow whole

There are plenty of whales in the ocean, but most of them are friendly enough and dont present a hazardto shipping or characters in the water. The leviathan is the exception theyre usually friendly too butthese out-sized whales sometimes swallow a whole ship and crew in one almighty gulp!

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Generally, they dont open their monstrous mouths very often, mostly content to feed through theirmouth filters, with their maws shut. Also, luckily (for the swallowed), it is possible to survive in the gutsof a leviathan. The air is breathable (if hot and stinky) and aside from the inrush of water (when theleviathans mouth opens), the gu

Curious Creatures of the Dragon Isles

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