FREQUENCY: Very rare
NO. APPEARING: 1
ARMOR CLASS: 6
MOVE: 12?
HIT DICE: 1 + 1
% IN LAIR: 90%
TREASURE TYPE: L, M, Qx3, plus
magical writings (see below)
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1 weapon
DAMAGE/ATTACK: By weapon type
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Consumes magical
writing
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Surprised only on
roll of 1 on a d12
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard
INTELLIGENCE: Very
ALIGNMENT: Chaotic neutral
SIZE: S (1? tail)
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
Attack/Defense Modes: Nil
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE: II/44 + 2/hp
These wily beings are similar in appearance
to leathery-skinned leprechauns,
though they are thinner and have dull yellow
eyes. Ekrats have exceptional hearing
and are difficult to surprise. They usually
carry a dagger with them for self-defense
but are not known to waylay or harm anyone
without cause.
The average ekrat will eat as much as 30
sheets of paper per day, preferably with ink
writing upon them, if such can be found.
Magical tomes, scrolls, spellbooks, and the
like are consumed differently. Four times a
day, an ekrat can cast a special form of erase
spell with a range of 12?. This spell will
affect one spell from a magical scroll, tome,
or spell book, and has a 60% chance of
successfully erasing the magical writings
involved. The ekrat will continue to seek
out as many other magical writings to ?eat?
as possible.
An ekrat may safely erase cursed scrolls,
and a protection or cursed scroll counts as
one ?spell? for eating purposes. Magical
glyphs, runes, and symbols may also be
eaten in this manner, and the same applies
to explosive runes (though these will immediately
detonate if the attempt to eat them
fails).
Even a powerful magical tome such as a
libram of gainful conjuration or a vacuous
grimoire can be so destroyed, though the
ekrat must make four successful erase attacks
in a row in order to destroy the work,
and the book must fail a saving throw vs.
disintegration each time (roll of 20 required
not to fail). Little wonder, then, that ekrats
are often referred to as ?folio fiends? or
?manual monsters.?
An ekrat will keep a lair and is very likely
to be found there, casually stuffing itself
with paper, drinking ink, or otherwise
amusing itself when it isn?t hungry.
Though ekrats eat magical writings, they
do keep other treasures, particularly gems
and jewels. A chance exists of finding some
magical writings being kept in an ekrat?s
lair as late-night snacks. Roll the following
chances for magical writings cumulatively:
50% chance of 1-4 scrolls, 50% chance of a
map (with magical writings upon it), 20%
chance of a spellbook, and a 5% chance of a
magical tome or manual. A spellbook is
80% likely to have belonged to a magic-user
(of level 1-8) and 20% to be that of an
illusionist (of level 1 - 10).
| Dragon magazine | MM | - | Dragon #94 | 1st Edition AD&D |