| Sinister | Night Hunter | Werebat | Hundar | Gloomwing |
| - | - | Azmyth | - | - |
| Dragon magazine | - | Monster Manual III? | - | Dragon #90 |
On one of his visits not long ago, I con-
veyed Elminster up to my cottage in the
wilderness (I?ll spare you his comments on
the cramped back seat of my car), lest he
should think our world all concrete and
garbage and noise. He loved it, and often
burst into song when walking in the woods
? but when I pressed him to translate the
lyrics for the consumption of DRAGON®
Magazine readers, the sage informed me
gruffly that I was much too young to hear
such things.
In the evenings, we would sit out under
the stars and talk far into the night, the odd
green smoke from Elminster?s pipe keeping
insect pests away. One night as the sun was
setting, we saw a family of bats emerge
from the boathouse, one by one, and flit out
over the water, skimming for insects.
Elminster leveled his pipe at one that
swooped past our noses and said, ?That
reminds me . . .? ? and I got the tape
recorder on in time to catch news of six
monstrous species of bats known in the
Realms; here they are.
FREQUENCY: Rare
NO. APPEARING: 1-6
ARMOR CLASS: 3
MOVE: 1?/21? (MC: A)
HIT DICE: 4+4
% IN LAIR: Nil
TREASURE TYPE: Nil
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 2-5
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Spell use
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Energy field
MAGIC RESISTANCE: 70%
INTELLIGENCE: Average to exceptional
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
SIZE: L (9? wingspan)
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
Attack/Defense Modes: Nil
These mysterious creatures are known for
their magical powers and unnerving appear-
ance ? a natural ability of levitation allows
them to hang motionless in midair, usually
in a woodland glade or sheltered valley.
Because of this and their jet-black, gaunt
bodies, they have become known as sinis-
ters, though they are not evil. Sinisters
prefer to hunt at night (when their 180?-
range infravision is effective) and are om-
nivorous, biting for 2-5 points of damage.
They will eat carrion if no other food is
available.
Sinisters are both resistant to magic and
adept in its use. In addition to their ability
to levitate (which allows them to maneuver
with pinpoint aerial precision), sinisters are
at all times surrounded by a 5? -radius
energy field akin to a wall of force. This
field affords the creature no protection
against magical attacks or physical attacks,
except for certain missile attacks ? it de-
flects all non-magical missiles and absorbs
magic missiles, dissipating their force harm-
lessly. In addition, all sinisters can use the
power of one hold monster
spell per day (as
the 5th-level magic user spell). This they
use in hunting or to escape from or to over-
come more powerful creatures.
Curiously, although they are always silent
(communicating only with other sinisters in
a 2? -range form of limited telepathy), sinis-
ters love music, both song and instrumental
work. Many a solitary harper or bard mak-
ing music at a campfire in the wilderlands
has found himself surrounded by a silent
circle of floating sinisters. Unless such
musicians directly attack the sinisters, the
monsters will not molest them in any way,
but may follow the source of the music,
gathering in greater numbers night after
night to form a rather daunting audience.
FREQUENCY: Uncommon
NO. APPEARING: 1-12 (1-30)
ARMOR CLASS: 6
MOVE: 1?/18? (MC: A)
HIT DICE: 2+1
% IN LAIR: 25%
TREASURE TYPE: M, O, Z (in lair)
NO. OF ATTACKS: 4
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-4/1-2/1-2/1-6
or 3-12
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Nil
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard
INTELLIGENCE: Average to high
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
SIZE: M (7? wingspan)
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
Attack/Defense Modes: Nil
This cunning predator is found in rural
and wilderness areas, and is almost always
encountered while hunting at night. It will
eat carrion, but prefers to slay living prey.
Night hunter packs (or ?swoops,? as they
are usually called) have been known to eat
humans and even livestock, but they
usually
attack smaller prey, swooping to bite, rake
with their wing claws, and slash (1-6 dam-
age) or stab (3-12) with their dextrous,
triangular-shaped, razor-sharp tails. Night
hunters have 180? infravision and often
stalk their prey, flying low and dodging
between trees, behind hillocks and ridges,
so as to attack from ambush. They rarely
surprise opponents, however, because they
emit weird, echoing, loonlike screams when
excited.
Night hunters fly alone or in groups of up
to a dozen in number when hunting, but a
lair typically contains more creatures, per-
haps several hunting groups, of up to thirty
overall. Night hunter lairs are typically tall
trees in deep woods (where sleeping night
hunters roost hanging head down from
branches, like many of their smaller kin) or
in caves. Such lairs may contain treasure
fallen from prey that has been carried there
(for night hunters will not tarry to eat where
they feel endangered).
FREQUENCY: Rare
NO. APPEARING: 1-2
ARMOR CLASS: 7
MOVE: 3"/14? in bat form (MC: C)
HIT DICE: Varies
% IN LAIR: Nil
TREASURE TYPE: All possible
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-2
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Bite causes
weakness, etc.
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard
INTELLIGENCE: Varies
ALIGNMENT: Varies
SIZE: M
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil (but see below)
Attack/Defense Modes: Nil
The bite of a werebat can transmit a rare
variety of lycanthropy, causing humans,
demi-humans, or humanoids to change to a
batlike form on most nights (and always,
uncontrollably, under a full moon). Were-
bats retain the intelligence, hit dice, align-
ment, and ability of speech possessed when
in their non-bat form. Exceptional beings
who possess psionic powers before being
afflicted with lycanthropy retain the use of
their psionics when in werebat form.
Werebats are heavy, clumsy fliers. They
hunt, obsessed by blood-lust, when in were-
form, and are usually solitary. The bite of a
werebat?s long, hollow fangs punctures and
drains blood for 1-2 points of damage;
saliva on the fangs causes weakness (lasting
1-4 rounds, 70% strength loss, see 2nd-level
magic-user spell ray of enfeeblement for
effects) with no saving throw. In addition, if
exorcise, neutralize poison, or cure disease
is not cast upon the bitten victim within 9
turns, the unfortunate being will (80%
chance) contract lycanthropy or (20%
chance) become insane. The lycanthropy
will be of werebat form only, and its effects
will be felt gradually over the month follow-
ing the werebat?s attack. Madness
suffered
by a victim may be of any type (see DMG,
insanity). If a slow poison spell is cast upon
a bitten victim within 9 turns, the onset of
lycanthropy or insanity is delayed for 36
turns (6 hours) thereafter, during which one
of the curing spells mentioned above will
still have the desired effect. Repeated appli-
cations of slow poison will prevent lycan-
thropy or insanity indefinitely, so long as
each application is made within 9 turns of
the previous one ? but only exorcise, neu-
tralize poison, or cure disease will make the
cure complete.
Werebats are virtually indistinguishable
from normal humans, humanoids, and
demi-humans when in non-bat form, al-
though most become silent, solitary types,
and may be dark-eyed, shy, and elusive.
Werebats are mentally fully alert and, aware
in either form, and have acute hearing in
both forms. They rarely inhabit lairs as
bats, returning to their habitations as hu-
mans between excursions in bat form. Most
werebats exult in the hunt when the blood-
lust is upon them, but few enjoy their con-
dition, and many hoard and actively seek
treasure in hiding places (called ?lairs? by
those who hunt werebats) so that they can
purchase a magical cure for their lycan-
thropy from a temple or a mage. Silver,
holy water, and the like do no special dam-
age to werebats in either form.
FREQUENCY: Uncommon
NO. APPEARING: 1 (1-3)
ARMOR CLASS: 5
MOVE: 6?/19?//16? (MC: C)
HIT DICE: 6+6
% IN LAIR: 33%
TREASURE TYPE: All possible
(but no silver)
NO. OF ATTACKS: 2
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-3/2-8 or special
SPECIAL ATTACKS: ?Drowning dive?
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard
INTELLIGENCE: Average
ALIGNMENT Neutral (evil)
SIZE: L (14?-22? wingspan)
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
Attack/Defense Modes: Nil
The heavy-bodied, fearsome black hun-
dar resembles a vast worm with bat-wings
and a horselike head (hence its nickname),
appearing rather like a wyvern. It is a soli-
tary hunter and will always be encountered
alone except when mating. Hundars live in
ruins, sea-caves, swamps, or atop moorland
crags, preferring desolate places to well-
populated areas.
Hundars can swim almost as well as they
can fly (by powerful beats of their tail and
leathery wings) and can survive at great
depths, although they prefer to hunt in
shallow waters. Their favorite attack is to
crash into aerial targets, buffeting with their
wings and/or tail for 2-8 damage, and biting
for 1-3. If an opponent irritates them, they
grasp with tail and jaws, and dive from the
air deep into the water, to drown their foe
? or conversely, if the foe is aquatic, burst
up into the air and fly toward land so that
their foe will expire from being out of water
or suffer injury when dropped from on
high. An ungainly crawler on land, the
hundar is a powerful but stodgy flier, bad-
tempered and vain (one is often found
gazing at its own reflection in still water).
Hundars possess 120? -range infravision to
aid in night hunting.
The creatures are black, with blue and
purple iridescence when wet, and have fiery
red eyes. When angered, horse-bats snort
vapor from their nostrils and emit deep,
rumbling roars. The manes of older individ-
uals turn grey and then white with age;
hundars are thought to have a lifespan of
some hundreds of years. The touch of silver
is corrosively poisonous to them, and they
avoid it. A normally harmless blow from a
hurled object of silver, or a handful of silver
coins, might do a hundar 1-2 points of
damage, and all silver weapons do double
damage to them.
Hundars mate seldom (every thirty years
or so, Elminster believes), the parents
co-
habiting for a year or so until their young
achieve full strength and flight ability.
Young hundars strike out on their own
when they acquire their full powers at 3+3
HD size (the wing-buffet attack of such a
youngling does only 2-6 damage). Hundars
and perytons will tolerate each other, but
hundars will generally attempt to slay or
drive out other large predators, aerial or
aquatic, living within a mile of their lairs.
FREQUENCY: Rare
NO. APPEARING: 1-4
ARMOR CLASS: 6
MOVE: 4"/19" (MC; B)
HIT DICE: 3+3
% IN LAIR: 20%
TREASURE TYPE: All possible
(in lair only)
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 2-5
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Venom (see
below)
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Darkness (see
below)
MAGIC RESISTANCE: 40%
INTELLIGENCE: High
ALIGNMENT: Neutral evil
SIZE: L (9? wingspan)
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
Attack/Defense Modes: Nil
Gloomwings are feared, fey creatures
who are thought to serve dark powers as
messengers, steeds, and spies. They hunt by
night and day, and speak common, orcish,
and their alignment tongue in hissing,
rasping voices. They possess 180? -range
infravision as well as normal sight, and can
see perfectly in near darkness, including the
darkness 15? radius which they can create
about themselves at will. (Other forms of
magical darkness, not created by themsel-
ves, will render them as blind as other
creatures.) Gloomwings use this darkness
power as a smokescreen to evade enemies,
to dodge and foil missile fire, and to avoid
detection when hunting on moonlit nights.
The chilling bite of a gloomwing is its
most feared weapon. In addition to doing 2-
5 points of damage, the creature?s fangs
inject venom into the victim?s bloodstream.
The effect of the venom varies for each
victim as follows:
01-40: Victim flees in fear
(see 4th-level
magic-user spell).
41-75: Victim of less than 8+1 hit dice (or
8 levels) affected by sleep, immediately
sinking into a catatonic slumber from which
he cannot be awakened for 2-8 turns. A
victim of 8th level (8+1 HD) or greater is
treated as if he made his saving throw (see
below).
76-86: Victim is stunned, reeling, unable
to think, speak, cast spells, or act ? except
to drop any items held in the hands ? for
1-6 rounds.
87-95: Victim is confused (as the 4th-level
magic-user spell).
96-97: Victim is feebleminded (as the
5th-level magic-user spell).
98-00: Victim suffers double damage (4-
10 points) from the bite and is rendered
helpless for the round in which he was
bitten due to racking pains (with convul-
sions), but is otherwise unaffected.
Any victim can only be affected by one of
these results during a single encounter with
one or more gloomwings; after a bite hits
and its poison) takes effect, all subsequent
bites suffered by the victim in the same
encounter will have no effect other than the
normal 2-5 points of damage. The victim of
a bite is allowed a saving throw vs. poison
(made at -1) to avoid the effect of the
venom, but this saving throw only applies
to the particular bite attack for which it is
made. A gloomwing is immune to its own
venom, and to that of other gloomwings.
Gloomwings hoard treasure for use in
bribing or purchasing the services of lesser
creatures. This treasure they conceal in the
caves, clifftop eyries, and ruins where they
lair, typically cunningly concealed and
trapped to prevent theft. Gloomwings are
carnivores and will eat any creature that
they can overcome ? and even carrion, in
a pinch.
FREQUENCY: Rare
NO. APPEARING: 1
ARMOR CLASS: 2
MOVE: 3"/24? (MC: A)
HIT DICE: 2
% IN LAIR: Nil
NO. OF ATTACKS: 2
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1/1-2
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Spell USE
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Spell use
MAGIC RESISTANCE: 40%
INTELLIGENCE: High
ALIGNMENT: Chaotic neutral
SIZE: S (3? wingspan)
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
Attack/Defense Modes: Nil
Azmyths are rare, strange bats that live
on flowers, small plants, and insects. They
are solitary wanderers (although they do
have favorite haunts to which they often
return), but often form partnerships with
(larger) beings of other races (such as elves
and humans) for mutual benefit, sometimes
establishing loyal friendships with them.
Azmyths have telepathy out to a 6"
range, but can only communicate in this
way with others of their kind. They emit
squeaks when alarmed or enraged, and
endearing, liquid chuckles when delighted
or amused. They have 90? infravision.
The jaws of an azmyth do 1 point of
damage per bite. In a fight, one will bite
and also stab with its needle-sharp tail (1-2
points of damage), but the creatures prefer
to avoid direct conflict and employ their
spell-like powers from afar.
Azmyths can know alignment three times
per day; become invisible (self only) once
per day, such invisibility lasting 6 rounds or
until the azmyth physically attacks another
creature, whichever occurs sooner; cause
silence, 15? radius, centered on themselves,
once per day; and twice per day employ a
form of shocking grasp in which any direct
physical contact with another creature
(including bites or tail stabs) can, at the
azmyth?s option, transmit 7-14 (1d8+6)
points of electrical damage, as well as any
physical damage done by the attack.
Azmyths have been known to accompany
creatures for their entire lives, and then
accompany the creatures? offspring. The
lifespan and mating details of azmyths are
unknown. They are not ?familiars,? as
magic-users understand the term, but closer
to a druid?s ?woodland companions?; no
direct control can be exercised over an
azmyth except by magic or psionics.
FREQUENCY: Very rare
NO. APPEARING: 1
ARMOR CLASS: 2
MOVE: "
HIT DICE:
% IN LAIR: Nil
TREASURE TYPE: [[Q]] (x3) or [[X]]
NO. OF ATTACKS:
DAMAGE/ATTACK:
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Nil
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil
MAGIC RESISTANCE: 25%
INTELLIGENCE:
ALIGNMENT:
SIZE: S
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE:
FREQUENCY: Very rare
NO. APPEARING: 1
ARMOR CLASS: 2
% IN LAIR: Nil
TREASURE TYPE: Q(x3) or
X
MAGIC RESISTANCE: 25%
SIZE: S
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
FREQUENCY:
NO. APPEARING: 1-
ARMOR CLASS:
MOVE: "
HIT DICE: 8
% IN LAIR: %
TREASURE TYPE: [C]
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 2-16
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Nil
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Regeneration
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard
INTELLIGENCE:
ALIGNMENT:
SIZE:
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
Attack/Defense Modes:
Nil
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE:
LETTERS
-
Out of sight
-
Dear Dragon:
The article "Bats that do more than bite"
by
Ed Greenwood was excellent, but there
is one
thing I do not understand: five of the
bats have
infravision. It is a fact that bats are
blind and that
they screech to find objects as their
screech
bounces off the objects and they hear
it. So if bats
are blind, how can they have infravision?
Tim Evenson
St. Louis, MO.
(Dragon #92)
We never gave this “problem” a second
thought when preparing Ed’s manuscript
for
publication. The bats he describes
are obviously
not native to our real world, and as
such they
could have attributes that normal bats
don’t
have. Maybe these bats aren't blind,
but whether
they are or not makes very little difference
in
game terms. The important thing is
that they are
able to move around without bumping
into
things; exactly how they accomplish
this is not a
critical issue.
We can take another approach: Maybe
infravision
isn't “vision” in the true sense of
that
word. Creatures with infravision have
the ability
to detect the location of living bodies
or other
objects that give off heat. That doesn’t
mean they
also must have the ability to see in
what we know
as the visible spectrum.
Heck, what it comes down to is this:
The bats
have infravision because that’s the
way they are.
Before you take it away from them for
“logical”
reasons, ask yourself how “logical”
it is for the
sinister to throw up a wall of force,
and how it’s
possible for the azmyth to know alignment.
If you
eliminate everything about these creatures
that
isn't logical, you'll end up with a
lot of boring
bats.
- KM
(Dragon #92)
THE FORUM
In a letter in issue #92, Tim Evenson
states
that it is a ?fact? that bats are blind
and therefore
wonders how they can have infravision
in the
article ?Bats that do more than bite.?
This is
simply not true.
I normally have no problem accepting any
of
the monsters in the AD&D game
system, either
in the official books or those presented
in your
magazine. After all, there are no real
dragons,
orcs, dwarves, or, for that matter, most
of the
monsters found in the game. But for some
reason,
certain readers always are writing to
say that
this or that monster is not ?realistic,?
when in
fact it doesn?t even exist. They are mythical
to
begin with, so why try and make them fit
into the
real world in the first place?
My profession is that of naturalist, and
a lot of
my time is spent trying to educate people
about
the plants and animals around them. A
large part
of this is the squelching of rumors concerning
animals who have a poor reputation with
the
general public, such as snakes, bats,
and spiders.
In truth, bats can see very well. But since
most
hunt at night, they have developed a superb
echolocation system to allow them to locate
prey.
Other bats are fruit eaters, and these
bats are
active during the day and ?hunt? fruit
using only
their eyesight. The saying ?blind as a
bat? is
simply an old wives? tale.
It is one thing to argue about whether
or not a
chimera is ?realistic,? but another to
perpetuate
myths about animals that really do exist
in our
world. Bats are not blind, they do not
all carry
rabies, and they do not get entangled
in women?s
hair. Please bring these facts to the
attention of
your readers.
In the meantime, keep up the good work
in
bringing us the fantastic monsters that
are only
meant to exist in an AD&D game
universe.
Gary A. Nelson
New Lenox. Ill.
Dragon #94
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