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

NO. APPEARING: 1
ARMOR CLASS: 4
MOVE: 9"
HIT DICE: 6
% IN LAIR: Nil
TREASURE TYPE: [SB]
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1 ~ 13
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-4
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Electric shock
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Immune to electrical-type attacks
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard
INTELLIGENCE: Low (but see below) <(rather stupid; see below)>
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
SIZE: L (8' + tall)
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE: V | 350 + 6

SAVES: 11.12.13.13.14

The umpleby is a biped, about 8' tall and weighing about 400#.
It is covered in wild, straggly hair of varying shades of brown.

It is apparently rather a stupid creature; on meeting a party of adventurers
it will simply shamble along with them, neither helping their
endeavours nor willing to be left behind, constantly getting in their
way and being apparently incapable of moving in silence. It will fight
if attacked but will not normally fight in aid of a party, or against
them. If it must, it strikes for 1-4 HP of damage with its
hands.

I t s appearance, however, is deceptive. It has a great love of treasure
and can detect precious metal and gems (more than 1,000 coins and/or
50 gems) up to 100' away, even through solid rock. In i t s lair it keeps
a huge treasure trove of these items but it will never reveal the location
of i t s lair, even if threatened with death (though charm monster
may overcome this reluctance).

The umpleby can speak the common tongue in a halting fashion but
will rarely do so and is in general an uncommunicative creature. However
an offer of food and water (it is incessantly hungry and thirsty)
will cause it to assume instant and total loyalty to its benefactor; it
will help and advise him (though not to the extent of telling him the
location of its lair). This loyalty will only be broken if the benefactor
does not reward the umpleby with a reasonable proportion of any
coins or gems discovered as a result of its advice; if such an event
occurs, the umpleby will leave the party and, if the party pursues the
creature, will refuse to co-operate in any way with any members of
it.

Electric Shock: Within the creature's body it can generate and store large quantities of
static electricity. Each day it can deliver a total of 50 hit points of
damage by 'discharging' wholly or partially - it does this simply by
touching i t s victim, and a normal 'to hit' roll is required unless the
victim is unsuspecting. Any metal armour of whatever type is treated
as AC10 with regard to this attack, though appropriate magical and
dexterity bonuses s t i l l apply. It does not have to deliver all 50 hit
points in one strike and can regulate the amount of damage it inflicts,
usually selecting the range 9-16 hit points of damage. When it
delivers the 50th hit point of damage the umpleby immediately goes
to sleep for one hour during which it 'recharges' up to 50% of its full
potential, if left undisturbed. It requires at least four hours of sleep to
recharge 75% and fully 8 hours to return to a full charge (potential 50
hit points of damage). If awakened prior to havi6g completed a single
hour of sleep, the umpleby will have recharged 4-16 points, and
similar partial charging will have occurred if the creature is awakened
after one hour but before four hours sleep, or after four hours but
before eight hours.

The umpleby often makes nets out of its own hair and stores them by
wrapping them around its waist. It can throw such a net 30' with the
accuracy of a short-range arrow. The hair is very tough and is 50%
more difficult to cut, break or burn than a magical web, though there
is no danger of suffocation (see AD&DPH -- Spells). <(web)>

It will only use its nets and electrical attacks if threatened. The
creature is immune to attacks of an electrical nature.

by Steve Wood