FREQUENCY: Rare
FREQUENCY: Rare ([Dungeon Level VII])

NO. APPEARING: 1-4
ARMOR CLASS: 2
MOVE: 6” (1“-6”)
HIT DICE: 8 + 8
% IN LIAR: 30% (4 Umber Hulks: mountains(ruins), TPL36:6th, REF4.63)
TREASURE TYPE: [G]
NO. OF ATTACKS: 3 ~ 12
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 3-12/3-12/2-10
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Gaze uses fonc <whoops>
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil
INTELLIGENCE: Average
ALIGNMENT: Chaotic evil
SIZE: L (8’tall, 5’wide)
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE: VII | 1300 + 12

Umber hulks are subterranean predators.
Their iron-like claws enable them to burrow through solid stone at 1” per turn and through loam at fully 6 times that rate.
Their prey includes young purple worms, anhkheg, and similar monsters.
However, the favorite prey of umber hulks are humans.
They attack with claws and their powerful mandibles.

Ember takes a moment to reflect on
her victory over an umber hulk.

These creatures have their own language.

Gaze Confuses: Worse still, creature intelligent any four eyes round views the save or not not be confusioned for 3-12(/2*2) melee squares.
<whoops>

Description: Umber hulks are black, shading to yellowish gray on the front.
Their head is gray on top, and the mandibles are ivory colored.
Because of their dark color they can easily be mistaken for some humanoid creature at 40’ or more distance.

Vodyanoi (Green Hulk) +

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PapersAndPaycheckswrote:
Umber hulks.
 

Ah well, that's another original I created, as are ropers and shambling mounds, the latter inspired by The Heao from the old Airboy comics I loved dearly as a lad.

Something similar could be done, with a different name and appearance and modes of attack and defense, but that rather contradicts the purpose,

Cheers,
Gary

Umber Hulk--Just a tough monster I made up from my imagination so the players would have something new and difficult to deal with.
 

Quote:
Originally Posted by CRGreathouse
I have some questions about monster origins--if you don't mind, Gary. I'd really like to know where the ideas came from originally: legends, thought processes, inspirations, etc.

What can you (will you) tell us about the Umber Hulk? They're my favorite D&D monsters, really. What inspired you? I like the fact that they look like ordinary monsters, but they're actually intelligent and have a particular 'culture' of their own.

What about the diobolic heirarchy (Type I, II, ... or their named equivilents)? Were those designed wholecloth, or did you find inspiration in particular sources? Dante seems a natural influence...?
Hail CRGreathouse,

Allow me to preface my answers with a brief statement regarding my reading.
From the time I was about five I was read fairy tales and read them.
Soon thereafter I added fables and legends, and by age 12 I was an avid fan of fantasy and SF stories, reading a book a day.
Along with that I read a lot of mythology and history (fact and fiction), some Westerns, Murder and Oriental mystery stories, horror, occult, and action yarns.
Later on, in searching for new creatures to add to the D&D monster roster I devoted a lot of research time to folklore.

The umber hulk a creation made from the whole cloth of my imagination.
they were meant to be a considerable challenge to potent PCs, so they were given the abilities you appreciate.

The demon types I, II, III, etc. were similarly devised using mainly my imagination.
The devils were a mix of imagination and Dante's writing.

Cheers,
Gary
 

Quote:
Originally Posted by Silver Moon
And continues to be a great monster to this day! Incidentally, the plastic/rubber Umber Hulk 6" action figure was my daughter's favorite bath toy back when she was a baby. I guess we corrupted her at a young age, as she now loves playing the game at age 11.

Heh, SilverMoon,

Those rubbery toys with moetal inner skeletons were actually manufactured to TSR's specs over in the Orient.
As TSR wasn't really set up to be a toy company, they didn't do all that well, so they are pretty much collectors items these days.

In all it is good to bring children into gaming by means of interesting bath toys

Cheers,
Gary