FREQUENCY: Very rare ([Temperate Wilderness Mountains], [Temperate Wilderness Hills], [Temperate Wilderness Forest], [Temperate Wilderness Swamp])
FREQUENCY: Very rare ([Tropical Wilderness Mountains], [Tropical Wilderness Hills], [Tropical Wilderness Forest], [Tropical Wilderness Swamp])
FREQUENCY: Very rare ([Dungeon Level VII])

NO. APPEARING: 1-8
ARMOR CLASS: Body 8; Legs -1
MOVE: 18"
HIT DICE: Body 40 HP; legs 15 HP each <(70 HP / 4.5 = 16 HD)>
% IN LAIR: 5%
TREASURE TYPE: [F]
NO. OF ATTACKS: 3
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-8/1-8/1-10 ~15/15/12
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Nil
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Toxic Smoke
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard
INTELLIGENCE: Average
ALIGNMENT: Chaotic evil
SIZE: L (15' tall)
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE: VII | 1,300 + 14 per hit point = 2,700

SAVES: 4.5.6.4.7 <if the achaierai saves as a 16 HD monster>

Though the foul motives which caused these loathsome birds to be first summoned from the infernal regions are now lost from memory,
remnants of the original achaierai flock still stalk the earth, haunting shadowy places && underground passages.
In form they consist of a spherical head-body, with a powerful beak and feathery crest, atop four long legs ending in strong claws.
Man-sized opponents cannot usually attack the soft body but can only reach the hard, <weapon vs. AC adj> metallic legs.
Likewise it will not usu. be able to reach a victim with its beak and will therefore FIGHT with two claws, doing 1-8 HP of damage each.

A beak attack, when this is possible, will have the hit probability of a
9-dice monster, while the claws attack with the hit probability of a 4-dice
monster in all cases. If a beak attack is delivered, it will inflict
1-10 HP of damage on the victim.

The achaierai often travel in groups and, though a group need never
check morale, each individual bird will try to FLEE if it loses a leg (a total
of 15 HP of damage or more on a particular leg will break it from the body).
Though flightless (the rudimentary wings are scarcely visible
and will not support flight), a bird often eludes pursuers with
its long strides. Its movement rate is unaffected by the loss of a single
leg, but the loss of two legs halves movement rate. An injured leg will
regenerate fully in about two days but the birds do not possess other
regenerative powers and a leg which has been completely lost will
not be re-grown.

If a bird loses three legs, or is otherwise seriously wounded, it will
release a cloud of black toxic smoke which in shape and size approximates
to a sphere of 10' radius. All within the cloud (except achaierai)
take 2-12 HP of damage automatically and must save against
Poison or suffer insanity for 3 hours (treat as the Druidic feeblemind
spell of limited duration). In the confusion the wounded bird will
seek to escape, crawling if three legs have been lost at a 2" movement
rate.

Description: The legs are a metallic blue-gray, the body-head a dull
scarlet with deep red blotches. The eyes are steel-blue and the wings
blue-green. A wide range of crest colours have been observed, the most
common being a bright flame-red.


 

       by Roger Musson