FREQUENCY: Unique
FREQUENCY: Very rare ([Dungeon Level X])
NO. APPEARING: 1
ARMOR CLASS: -3
MOVE: 9" (+6" rush)
HIT DICE: 300 hp
% IN LAIR: [SB]
TREASURE TYPE: [SB]
NO. OF ATTACKS: 6
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-12/1-12/2-24/5-50/1-10/1-10 <1-12/1-12/2-24/5-50+"Sharpness" bite/1-10/1-10> <(claw.forelimb/claw.forelimb/tail.lash.sweeping/bite.savage/horn.thrusting/horn.thrusting)>
SPECIAL ATTACKS: "Sharpness" bite, terror
SPECIAL DEFENSES: [SB]
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard
INTELLIGENCE: Animal
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
SIZE: L (50' long)
<that's 36 point: possible to get it to 50 point?>
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil (immune to psionics)
    Attack/Defense Modes: Nil
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE: X | 37,500

The lejendary tarrasque is possibly the most dreaded monster of all,
for when it is active it ravishes the countryside for miles. All vegetation and
animal life is devoured or driven away. The land through which the
monster passes becomes a barren waste which requires years to recover.
The tarrasque eats voraciously and continually, and all living things
are food to it, although it prefers warm-blooded creatures over
others. Normal attack modes of the tarrasque are with 2 forelimb claws,
a sweeping tail lash inflicting 2-24 points of damage, a savage bite (the
effect of which resembles a sword of sharpness in that a to-hit score of
18 or better indicates that a victim has some portion severed, such as a
limb, head, torso, etc.), and 2 thrusting horn attacks for 1-10 points of
damage each. The rush of the tarrasque is possible but once every turn,
because the monster is so large and ponderous.

The mere sight of the tarrasque is so terrifying that creatures under 3
levels or hit dice will be paralyzed until it is out of their range of vision (no
saving throw). <WSG>

Creatures of 3 or more levels or HD will FLEE in panic, although those
of 7 or more levels or HD who manage to save vs. paralyzation, will
not be so affected.

The tarrasque has a carapace of exceptional hardness and reflective <weapon vs. AC>
quality. Bolts and rays such as lightning bolts, cones of cold, and even
magic missiles are useless against the tarrasque. The reflection is such
that 1 in 6 attacks actually reflect directly back upon the caster,
while the remainder bounce harmlessly away from the monster. Fire
of any sort has no effect upon the tarrasque. The monster's metabolic rate
is such that it regenerates 1 hit point per round after sustaining damage.
The tarrasque can only be struck by +1 or better magic weapons.

The slaying of the tarrasque is said to be possible only if the monster is
reduced to -30 or fewer hit points and a wish for its death then used.
Otherwise, even the slightest piece of the tarrasque will regenerate<l> and
restore the monster completely. Legend says that a great treasure can
be extracted from the tarrasque's carapace. The upper portion, treated
with acid and then heated in a furnace, will yield gems--10-100 diamonds <DSG, smelting equipment?>
of 1000 gp base value each. The underbelly material, mixed with the creature's blood
and meteoric iron, will produce a metal wihch can be
forged by dwarf blacksmiths into 1-4 shields of +5 magical power. <link:DMG>

It is fortunate that the tarrasque is active only for short periods of time.
Typically, the monster comes forth to forage for a week or two, ravaging
all but a few square miles of land. The tarrasque then seeks a hidden lair
underground and lies dormant, sleeping for 5-20 months before coming
forth again. Once every decade or so, the monster will be particularly
active, staying abroad for several months. Thereafter its period of dormancy
becomes 4-16 years long unless disturbed. The ratio of active to
dormant state appears to be about 1-30.
 

    by Francois Marcela-Froideval
 

Q: Is a wish necessary to kill a tarrasque?
Is it necessary to reduce it to
?30 hp? If the wish is necessary,
does the creature get a saving
throw? Does the user get moved to a
time when the tarrasque is dead or
nonexistent (as suggested in the
Players Handbook)? The tarrasque?s
attacks are listed as l-12/l-2/2-24/5-
50/l-10/10; isn?t the l-2 attack a bit
weak for this monster? The description
states that the creature can
rush only once per turn; does this
prevent the thrusting attack of its
horns?
A: The tarrasque is not slain until it is
reduced to ?30 hp and a wish is used.
The wisher suffers no ill effects, and there
is no saving throw given to the tarrasque.
The ?1-2?. attack is a misprint; it should
read 1-12 (the two 1-12 attacks are from
the creature?s forelimbs). The creature can
attack with its horns at any time; the only
rush effect is an extra 6? of movement.
(142.10)

<added The>
<Tarrasque Action Figure>
 

So if it's endangered in your campaign, and if you want to keep to the intent of its creator... boost its stats & abilities until it IS a UUP.

:)

F

- Frank Mentzer
 

clore wrote:
Quote:
Your experience is certainly with bad editors.
I have had both sorts.
 

But never one good enough to catch egregious misspellings of common words like "dero", "dinichthys", "doppelganger", "erinnyes", "lemur", "tarasque", and "Tartarus"? 
 

Frankly, sir...

You are a bore.

Did it ever occur to you that some words are not as others have spelled them so as to make the attached monster information unique?

That aside, I was speaking primarily of fiction editors.
Have you ever written any fiction that was published?

Gary
 

Quote:
Originally posted by Larcen
2) How do you pronounce Gygax, Ioun, Iuz, Tarrasque, Lich, and Tiamat? I pronounce them GUY-gax, Yoon, Yuz, tar-ASK, litch, and TEE-a-matt.

2. GUY-gax is how my family pronounces the name, but in proper Swiss it is pronounced GHE-gox.
As for Ioun, I say Eeun but Yoon sounds fine,
and so too Eeuse, but Yuz is okay,
We almost agree on the pronunciation of Terrasque--err-ASK TO YOUR tar-ASK,
WE HARMONIZE ON litch (many prefer lick),
and Tiamat as TEE-a-matt.

Quote:
Originally posted by SubMensa
Ok, I'll step up. please excuse me if this has been asked before.

Where did the idea for the tarrasque come from?

Thanks in advance for any insights you may have.

By the way, thank you for the years of entertainment, and indirectly for my love of reading. If it weren't for discovering roleplaying I would definitely be a different person today.
Howdy!
 

The question has been asked before, although I am not certain if it was on this multi-part thread. anyway...

The tarrasque is a fablous monster from French legend, and it was French author Francois Marcela Froideval who called the beast to my attention, did up the stats for it.
I thought the game needed at least one near-undestructable creature from myth, so it made the book 

Cheers,
Gary