| Dragon | - | Monsters | - | Dragon #94 |
| - | Notes | - | Thessalmera | - |
E l m i n s t e r s i g h e
d . ? W e l l , i t ? s o n e o f
t h e
? c l a s s i c a l ? m o
n s t e r s , s u n g o f b y
e v e r y b a r d
a n d w r i t t e n
o f b y e v e r y s a g e
a n d t o o m a n y
o t h e r s p r e t e n d
i n g t o s a g a c i t y , s o
I ? m n o t
s u r p r i s e d y o u
a s k e d a b o u t i t . ? H e
w a v e d h i s
p i p e a t m
e . ? N o w m i n d , t h e r e ? s
t h e chimera
p r o p e r , a n d i t s c r o s s
b r e e d s , o f w h i c h
m a n y t y p e s
a r e r u m o r e d , b u t o n l y
t w o
c o n f i r m e d : t h e
g o r g i m e r a a n d t h e t h e
s s a l m e r a . ?
? T h e s s a l m e r a ? ?
I r e p e a t e d , a s t o n i s h e d .
? T h e r e i s
s u c h a t h i n g a s
t h e o f f s p r i n g o f a
c h i m e r a a n d
a t h e s s a l h y d r a ? ?
? A y e . A n d
a m o r e u g l y , u n g a i n l y
, a n d
d e a d l y c r e a t u r
e y o u c a n n o t i m a g i n e .
T h a n k f u l l y , t h
e y c a n n o t b r e e d . ? T h e
s a g e
s u c k e d o n
h i s p i p e a n d c o n s i d e r
e d . ? Y o u ? l l
b e w a n t i n g
a s t o r y , o f c o u r s e ,
a n d a l l t h a t I
c a n r e c a l l
a r e u n t r u e . ? A t m y
q u e s t i o n i n g
e y e b r o w h e
c o n t i n u e d : ? A l l o f t h
e b a l l a d s
a n d f o l k t a l e s
c o n c e r n i n g c h i m e r a e a r e
a l w a y s e i t h e r s i m p l e ,
b l o o d y f i g h t s w i t h t h
e m ,
a n d t h i s
o r t h a t h e r o p r e v a i l i
n g ? o r t h e y
i n v o l v e h e r o e s
a n d h e r o i n e s t o o w e a k
t o
f i g h t a c
h i m e r a , w h o o v e r c a m e
i t a n d s l e w
i t , s t o l e
f r o m i t , o r e s c a p e d
f r o m i t b y s e t t i n g
i t s v a r i o u s h e a d s t o
a r g u i n g a m o n g
t h e m s e l v e s .
? T h i s i s p
u r e p i f f l e . C h i m e r a e
a r e t o o
s t u p i d t o
a r g u e . T h e y k n o w o n l y
w h e n t o
a t t a c k a n d
e a t w e a k o p p o n e n t s o r
w i t h d r a w
w h e n b a d l y
h u r t . I n s t i n c t t e l l s
t h e m w h a t i s
g o o d t o e
a t , w h a t i s t o o
h o t o r t o o c o l d
f o r
c o m f o r t , a n d
w h e n t o m a t e . M o s t
s a g e s
t h i n k o f
c h i m e r a e a s s o m e w h a t
l e s s c u n n i n g
t h a n d r a g o n s ,
b u t o t h e r w i s e a b o u t t
h e s a m e
a s a f o e ,
a n d t h e y c o u l d n o t
b e m o r e w r o n g .
I ? v e f o u n d
o n l y o n e r e p o r t i n
m y l i b r a r y
t h a t i s c
o r r e c t ? a n d y o u w i l l
n o t e t h a t i t i s
c o r r e c t o n l y
b e c a u s e i t i s s o
v a g u e a n d
i n c o m p l e t e . ?
E l m i n s t e r t h e n
r e a d m e t h e f o l l o w i n g
r e p o r t . T h e
a d d e d f o o t n o t e s r e p r e s e n t
t h e
c o n c l u s i o n s d r
a w n b y t h e a u t h o r
f r o m
E l m i n s t e r ? s d e
t a i l e d a d d i t i o n s , c o m m e n t s
,
a n d e x p l a n a t i o
n s , f o r t h e s t u d y
o f c h i m e r a e
w a s a h o b
b y o f h i s i n t h e
d a y s w h e n h e
w o r k e d w i t h
t h e l a t e L a e l u n o f
T e s h e n d a l e .
From the De Naturis Rerum
(?About the
Things of Nature?) of Alaphondar, Sage
Most Learned of the Royal Court of King
Cormyr:
Of the weird and misbegotten creatures
of nature, most repellent and infamous
to
men, one of the most ungainly and terrible
is the thankfully rare chimera .
Chimeras (or ?chimerae?) have three
heads: a goat head well equipped for cropping
grass and the eating of all manner of
rotting vegetables and the like; a lion
head
admirably suited for battling and devouring
game ? and a dragon head that can roast
flesh and subdue even the strongest prey:
man himself. It is an old and cruel joke
that
the chimera is the only beast that cooks
its
repast to the desired degree before partaking
? old men roasted well done, but
young ones only toasted medium rare.
Much else is said, often wrongly, about
this
monster most foul, so herein I do set
down
the record straight.
A chimera is a stupid beast, but it needs
little finesse to survive with the powers
it
possesses. It seldom cooperates with other
creatures, but only rarely does one chimera
fight with another. A chimera ranges widely
while hunting, trusting to its powers
to keep
it safe from harm, avoiding only large
cities
or the lairs of creatures that have bested
it
before. It is a clumsy flier,1
able to use its
fiery breath, or only one of its heads,
or its
claws, in aerial combat. It prefers to
pounce
from flight or high ground onto prey,
using
its bulk to drive its victim to the ground,
where it can rake with its lionlike foreclaws
and bite unhampered.2
Chimeras are omnivorous, but prefer to
dine on raw flesh. They kill their prey
themselves, rather than scavenging or
hunting with other creatures. They are largely
solitary, banding together with others
of
their own kind only for short periods
to
undertake specific hunts or to mate. Chimeras
take no permanent companions, but
often mate with another of their own kind
upon first encounter.3
T h e s e b e a s t s
h a v e a w e s o m e p o w e r s o
f
v i t a l i t y a n d
r e g e n e r a t i o n .4 In a month, one
can grow a new head to replace one that
is
lost or badly damaged. The creature can,
of
its own will, cut off the blood supply
to a
damaged head. Then it will ram and rub
against rocks to remove the wounded appendage,
or sometimes bargain with another creature to devour or remove the
useless flesh. If a chimera loses its
dragon
head, it will hide in its lair until the
head
grows back and the creature regains its
power to breathe fire (a gas-producing
internal organ is involved). This entire
process takes between two and three
months.
Chimeras speak a grunting, crude form
of red dragon language, and sometimes
bargain with red dragons for prey and
aid,
in return for treasure or spell scrolls.
A
chimera hides such treasure (gained from
prey) in its lair, usually under a concealing
layer of boulders. Chimera lairs are typically
in caverns, disused mines, or ruined
castles, particularly if the latter structures
rise high to command a view of the surrounding
terrain.
The origin of the chimera is unknown;
some believe it was human experimentation
that initially caused the interbreeding
of a
red dragon, a lion, and a goat. The truth
is
lost in the mists of time; it is only
certain
that chimeras are now a stable, if rare,
species, and can breed with their own
kind
(to produce chimeras), with red dragons
(to
produce more chimeras), with lions (to
produce lions), with gorgons (to produce
the
sterile gorgimera),
or with thessalhydrae (to
produce the sterile thessalmera).
1. A chimera is of maneuverability class
E, as are its cousins the gorgimera
and
thessalmera. The creature?s body is very
bulky, so even its powerful dragon-wings
can do little more than keep the chimera
aloft; high speed and abrupt sharp turns
are
out of the question, which is why the
beast
only uses flight as a means to gain a
positional advantage over a ground-based
opponent. A chimera will almost never
voluntarily engage in aerial combat with
another flying creature, not even one
as
ungainly as itself.
2. The fiery breath of a chimera does as
much as 3-24 points of damage to a target
within a 5? distance from its dragon
head,
in a cone-shaped area 2? in diameter at
the
farthest point. Against a formidable foe,
it
will use this attack as frequently as
possible
(as often as once per round, up to 6 times
per day). In a less challenging situation,
the
creature will rely on its claw, hoof,
and bite
attacks and only use its breath weapon
on a
50% chance (roll separately for each round
of combat). A target within the area of
effect can take only half damage by making
a successful saving throw vs. breath
weapon.
A chimera?s lion head bites for 3-12
points of damage, the slash of its goat
head?s horns can do 1-2 points of damage
if
a target presents itself, and its dragon
head
does 2-8 points of damage on every bite
that
hits. The lion foreclaws do 1-4 damage
each, and the hooves on its rear goat-legs
do
1-3 points of damage each from kicking
(only possible against targets behind
or
below the chimera). The creature?s tail
and
wings do no damage, but can buffet,
trip,
distract, and sometimes even knock over
opponents. A chimera is capable of wielding
all of its various appendages against
separate foes simultaneously. Its scaled, sinuous
dragon head is armor class 2, its leathery
wings AC 5, and its vast, bulky body (including
the lion and goat heads) is AC 6.
A gorgimera?s
body is entirely AC 2
except for the gorgonlike hindquarters
and
bull-head, which are AC 5. A thessalmera?s
body is AC 0, except for the gorgon-head
(AC 5) and the wings and dragon-head
(both AC 2).
3. The mating of two chimerae will produce
offspring only 30% of the time. When
it is successful, the mother will give
birth to
1-3 small, mewling, helpless young 6-9
months afterward. (The gestation period
is
longer when multiple births are involved.)
For a month after giving birth, the mother
hunts for the young, dragging her kills
back
to the lair, and then leaves them to fend
for
themselves. By this time the young can
breathe fire (3? range, 2-12 damage, save
for half damage, same frequency limits
as
an adult). A young chimera does 1-6 damage
with its lion bite, 1-4 with its dragon
bite, and 1 point of damage apiece with
any
of its claw or hoof attacks. Immature
chimeras are size S (2? at shoulder), can move 9?
on land but only fly at 12? (for a maximum
of 2 rounds at a time before needing to
rest
for 1 round). They have 3 HD and have
AC figures of 8/7/4.
For 3 months after being left alone, the
young will hunt together out of mutual
necessity. At the end of this time they
will
have grown to 7 HD and acquired full adult
powers, except that they can only breathe
fire 4 times per day. At 4 months of age
they
strike out on their own, and 2 months
later
they reach full adult size (9 HD) and
powers. Thereafter they may slowly gain
weight with age and heavy eating. Chimeras
sometimes mate with gorgons (see Monster Manual II, "Gorgimera")
or
thessalhydrae (see below).
FREQUENCY: Very rare
NO. APPEARING: 1
ARMOR CLASS: 5/2/0
MOVE: 12?/18?
HIT DICE: 10
% IN LAIR: 40%
TREASURE TYPE: All possible, lair
only
NO. OF ATTACKS: See below
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-6 (x6 to x8)/
1-12 (tail)/2-8/3-12
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Breath weapon;
poison
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Immune to petrification
and acid
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard
INTELLIGENCE: Animal
ALIGNMENT: Neutral evil
SIZE: L (12? tall, 20? long)
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
Attack/Defense Modes:
Nil
The very rare thessalmera lairs in
swamps, jungles, or caverns, and can endure
extremes of climate with impunity. A
sterile crossbreed of thessalhydra and
chimera, the cunning thessalmera is often
found close to civilization (where it
can feed
upon isolated bands of travelers or upon
livestock, hunting in stealth by night).
It
preys chiefly on the choicest of red-blooded
creatures: man.
The thessalmera has the scaled, lizardlike
body and pincer-clawed tail of the thessalhydra,
six to eight snakelike heads, a
central lion?s head, and a red dragonlike
head. The dragon head can bite for 2-8
points of damage or (up to 6 times a day)
breathe fire in a cone up to 5? distant,
½?
wide at its jaws and widening to 2? across
at
maximum range. This breath weapon does
3-24 points of damage, or half damage
if the
target makes a save vs. breath weapon
(objects save vs. normal fire). The lion
jaws
bite and rend prey for 3-12 damage. The
pincerlike tail does 1-12 damage on a
hit,
and can grasp one M-sized or smaller opponent,
holding that victim immobile (roll less
than Str on d20 to escape, one attempt
allowed per round). The snakelike heads
do
1-6 damage per bite, plus an extra 1-6
on
each hit from the creature?s acidic venom
(unless the victim saves vs. poison).
The
thessalmera cannot spit its acidic venom
like
a thessalhydra can.
4. Chimerae, gorgimerae, and thessalmerae
can all regenerate 2 hit points of damage
every 24 hours, regardless of activities
engaged in during that time. They are
also
all resistant to fire (+3 on saving throws
vs.
all types of heat and fire) and immune
to
petrification, and the thessalmera (like
its
thessalhydra parent) is also immune to
the
effects of any sort of acid. The natural
lifespans of these three creatures are
unknown, but are thought to be more than 30
years in every case.
A mature chimera has 9 hit dice, distributed
as follows: dragon head 2, lion head 2,
goat head 1, wings ½ each, and
body 3. Its
dragon head can swivel 360 degrees about
to attack creatures behind, above, or
below
the chimera, and its long, scaled neck
can
dart with great speed (in 1 segment) up
to
1? outward, or around corners, etc., to
breathe fire at opponents. The chimera
never falls into a complete, deep sleep;
rather, one or two of its heads will nap
at
one time while the third remains watchful,
able to bring the whole beast awake and
alert in an instant.
The hit dice of a mature gorgimera are
distributed identically to those of a
chimera,
except that the gorgon head has 2 hit
dice,
whereas the chimera?s goat head has only
1,
and the creature sleeps in a like manner.
A thessalmera (see above) has hit dice
as
follows: dragon head 2, lion head 2, tail
1,
body 5. The snakelike heads can be severed
by dealing them 12 points of damage each,
but harming or severing one or more of
them does not diminish the HP total of
the
rest of the creature. The venom of the
thessalmera loses its efficacy upon the death of
the creature, and has not yet been successfully
duplicated or preserved by alchemists.
Chimerae and gorgimerae are too stupid
for their heads to argue among themselves,
and are in any case immune to their own
breath weapons. A thessalmera is always
controlled by its lion head unless it
is destroyed or damaged, whereupon the dragon
head takes over; if that is also destroyed,
a
thessalmera will become a semi-intelligent,
frenzied killing machine, fearlessly and
recklessly attacking all living creatures
it
can perceive and reach. When all such
creatures are slain and eaten, it will
seek a
lair and remain hidden therein until its
lion
and dragon heads have regenerated.
Issue #94: The last sentence under note 2 in
"The ecology of the chimera" (p. 25) should read
as follows: "A thessalmera"s body is AC 0, except
for the lion-head (AC 5) and the wings and
dragon-head (both AC 2).