FREQUENCY: Very rare ([Tropical Wilderness Hills])
FREQUENCY: Very rare ([Tropical Freshwater Surface])
FREQUENCY: Very rare ([Dungeon Level VII])
FREQUENCY: Uncommon ([Ethereal Plane])

NO. APPEARING: 1-4
ARMOR CLASS: 5
MOVE: 6"/18"
HIT DICE: 9
% IN LAIR: 10% (1 Couatl: jungle island, TPL25:4th, REF4.44)
TREASURETYPE: [B], [I]
NO. OF ATTACKS: 2 ~ 12
DAMAGEIATTACK: 1-3/2-8
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Poison, magic use
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Become ethereal
INTELLIGENCE: Genius
ALIGNMENT: Lowful good
SIZE: M (12' long)
PSlONlC ABILITY: 60-110
    Attack/Defense Modes: vary
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE: VII | 2400 + 12

These winged, feathered serpents are rarely found anywhere except in warm, <rainforest>-like regions or flying through the ether.
Due to their intelligence and powers they are regarded with awe by the inhabitants of their homelands and considered to be divine.
Couatl rarely interfere in human affairs.

They are able to polymorph themselves and they use magic -- as a 5th level magic-user and/or 7th level cleric
(45% use magic-user spells, 35% clerical spells, 20% use both).
In melee they attack both by poisonous bite (saving throw applicable) and constriction;
if a constriction attack succeeds,
the victim takes 2-8 hit points of damage that melee round and each round thereafter until one or the other is killed.
Couatl are psionically aware and have 2 major and 4 minor disciplines, with commensurate attack and defense modes.
Couatl speak several human languages and most serpent and avian languages as well.

DMG: 18". class A.
The couatl's favorite tactic is to throw loops around other flying creatures and constrict them so that neither couatl nor prey can fly.
Both plummet to the earth, but the couatl turns ethereal just before impact and thus escapes being crushed.


Mialee summons a couatl.
 

Couatl (RG)

Hit Points: 46

Fifth level magic-user

Spells:
First -- magic missile, sleep, charm person 9x2);
Second -- detect invisibility, continual light;
Third -- hold person.

Psionic Powers:
Minor:
Animal telepathy
Cell adjustment
Clairaudience
Detection of magic
ESP
Mind over body

Major:
Dimension walk
Molecular rearrangement
Telempathic projection
Telepathic projection
Telepathy +
 

Quote:
Originally Posted by Tav_Behemoth
Was the displacer beast inspired by the Couatl in Van Vogt's "Voyage of the Black Destroyer"?

It was Van Vogt's Voyage of the Space Beagle when i read it...but I suspect the story is the same, yes <big grin>