Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Non-Dark Sun Creatures in Dark Sun - Basilisk

There are many creatures for the various monstrous manuals that have been officially added to Dark Sun. I added some unofficially for my game and I'm sure a lot of other DMs do the same.
There is no inherent problem with this, although the flavor text often doesn't fit with the Dark Sun setting. My goal is to list the various monsters that "don't fit" and rewrite their flavor text to make them fit.

Basilisk

Lesser
Climate/Terrain: Any Land
Frequency: Uncommon
Organization: Solitary
Activity Cycle: Day
Diet: Special, See Below
Intelligence: Animal (1)
Treasure: F
Alignment: Neutral
No. Appearing: 1-4
Armor Class: 4
Movement: 6
Hit Dice: 6+1
Thac0: 15
No. of Attacks: 1
Damage/ Attack: 1-10
Special Attack: Gaze Turns to Stone
Special Defense: Nil
Magic Resistance: Nil
Size: M (7' Long)
Morale: Steady (12)
XP Value: 1,400

Greater
Climate/Terrain: Any Land
Frequency: Very Rare
Organization: Solitary
Activity Cycle: Day
Diet: Special, See Below
Intelligence: Low (5-7)
Treasure: H
Alignment: Neutral
No. Appearing: 1-7
Armor Class: 2
Movement: 6
Hit Dice: 10
Thac0: 11
No. of Attacks: 3
Damage/ Attack: 1-6/1-6/2-16
Special Attack: See Below
Special Defense: Surprised Only on a 1.
Magic Resistance: Nil
Size: L (12' Long)
Morale: Champion (16)
XP Value: 7,000



These reptilian monsters all posses a gaze that enables them to turn any fleshy creature to stone.

Lesser Basilisk
Although it has eight legs, its sluggish metabolism allows only a slow movement rate. A basilisk is usually dull brown in color, with a yellowish underbelly. Its eyes glow pale green.

Combat
While it has strong, toothy jaws, the basilisk’s major weapon is its gaze. However, if its gaze is reflected, and it sees its own eyes, it will become petrified itself, but this requires light at least equal to bright torchlight and a good, smooth reflector. A victim must save vs petrification or be permanently turned to stone.
Opponents in melee with a basilisk, who seek to avoid its gaze, fight with a -4 penalty to their to attack rolls.

Greater Basilisk
The greater basilisk is a larger and slightly more intelligent cousin of the more common reptilian horror, the ordinary basilisk.

Combat
The monster attacks by raising its upper body, striking with sharp claws, and biting with its toothy maw. The claws carry a Type K poison (saving throws vs. poison are made with a +4 bonus). Its foul breath is also poisonous, and all creatures, coming within 5 feet of its mouth, even if just for a moment, must roll successful saving throws vs. poison (with a+2 bonus) or die (check each round of exposure).
While it has strong, toothy jaws and sharp claws, the greater basilisk’s major weapon is its gaze. A victim must save vs petrification or be permanently turned to stone. Opponents in melee with a greater basilisk who seek to avoid its gaze, fight with a -4 penalty to their to attack rolls.
If a greater basilisk's gaze is reflected, and it sees its own eyes, it will become petrified itself, but this requires light at least equal to bright torchlight and a good, smooth reflector. Even if a polished reflector is used under good lighting conditions, the chance for a greater basilisk to see its own gaze and become petrified is only 10%, unless the reflector is within 10 feet of the creature. (While its gaze weapon is effective to 50 feet, the creature’s oddly-shaped eyes are nearsighted and it cannot see its own gaze unless it is within 10 feet.)

Elemental Basilisk
The elemental basilisk may be a lesser or greater basilisk, but has been imbued with power from the elemental or paraelemental planes. Elemental basilisks can be identified by their coloring, which takes on the hue of the suffused elemental plane: white for air, red for fire, dark brown for earth, blue for water, red with black spots for magma, stripped with blue for rain, dark brown spots for silt, and a deep crimson for sun.
Elemental basilisks will sometimes mingle with normal basilisks, or other elemental basilisks of the same type. They will never be seen with an elemental basilisk of another type. Clerics of the elemental basilisks type will be attacked last in any given encounter.
Elemental basilisks take half damage and save with a +4 bonus against any attacks that take the form of their imbued element. They also gain a breath weapon based upon their suffused elemental plane, but are in all other ways identical to their base type.
All breath weapons have a range of thirty feet, are 5 feet wide, and are usable three times per day. Successful saves vs breath weapon reduce the damage by half.
Breath weapon types and effects:
Air: A strong gust of wind, which causes 2d8 points of damage and the victim must save vs paralyzation, or be knocked prone.
Earth: A cascade of stones, which causes 3d8 points of damage.
Fire: A gout of flame, which causes 6d4 points of damage.
Water: A gush of boiling water, which causes 4d6 points of damage.
Magma: A stream of magma, which causes 3d4 points of damage on the first round and 1d4 damage for three consecutive rounds.
Rain: A bolt of lightning, which causes 1d6 x 4 points of damage. If wearing metal armor, this damage is only reduced by one quarter, round down, with a successful saving throw vs breath weapon.
Silt: A surge of sand, which scours the flesh for 4d6 points of damage.
Sun: A beam of crimson light, which burns causing 2d8 points of damage. In addition, the target must make a successful saving throw vs paralyzation, or become dehydrated and lose 1d2 points of constitution per successful attack. These constitution points may be restored per normal dehydration rules in the Dark Sun Rules Book or The Age of Heroes.
Lesser elemental basilisks are worth 3,000 xp and greater elemental basilisks are worth 9,000 xp.

Habitat/Society
Basilisks prefer to shelter in rocky areas, but may cover themselves in sand if no other shelter can be found. Lesser basilisks are wanderers, while greater basilisks tend to find permanent shelters. All are generally solitary, but gather to mate or, sometimes, hunt.
Once per year basilisks seek out a mate. Some accidentally get petrified before mating can be completed and the surviving basilisk is forced to seek out another mate. Females lay a small clutch of eggs after two months and hides them with sand or small stones. Lesser basilisks abandon their young, while greater basilisks may keep watch over their eggs and young.
Young hatch five to six months later. Young have one hit die and victims of their gaze attacks save with a +5 bonus. For every six months of their life, the young gain a hit die and their gaze attack bonus decreases by one, until fully grown. Bite attacks are gained once a basilisk gains four hit dice. Claw attacks are gained once a basilisk gains eight hit dice. Poison is gained once a basilisk gains ten hit dice.

Ecology
Basilisks eat the stone they create from fleshy creatures. They can eat stone created by other basilisks, but prefer to eat their own prey. Basilisks are edible and can provide up to ten pounds of meat per foot of growth. Due to the danger involved, they are not actively hunted for their meat by any sane group.
The eyes of a basilisk are useful for creating potion fruits or scroll ink, for any petrification or reverse petrification magical effects. The hide of an elemental basilisk can be used to make a cloak or leather armor that provides a +2 to saving throws vs their imbued element. If only a breastplate is created instead, the bonus is reduced to +1.

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