| Dragon | - | Monsters | - | Dragon #131 |
| Notes | - | - | - | Appendix |
From an address by the esteemed
scholar Ferba to the assembled Guild of
Naturalists of Quardolf City:
Understandably, little research has been
done on the creature we know as the hook
horror. I have spent the last
few months
laboring to learn all I can of this creature?s
habits and, as you can see, my colleagues
have supplied me with a perfect, albeit
dead, fully grown specimen. Take a good
look, for few specimens exist in such an
excellently preserved state.
The monster is bipedal and of ogre size,
this specimen being 9?2? tall. Its head
resembles a bony vulture?s head with a
crest of red feathers at its neck. At each
wrist (where one would expect to find a
hand) is a large metallic-gray talon and a
tuft of red feathers. Its chest and back are
protected by thick, natural plating. The
beast?s arms and legs are covered with a
similar material, though of lesser strength.
I would like to call your attention to the
armor plating that covers the creature?s
body. Constructed of chitinous material,
these plates function as the hook horror?s
bones ? an exoskeleton similar in many
respects to those of the common grasshopper, crab, and most arthropods.
This maillike material becomes exceedingly strong
with the buildup of calcium deposits from
the creature?s diet ? deposits that rival
dwarven steel for strength ? and this
armor has deflected many a sword. So
powerful is this creature?s exoskeleton
that a few blacksmiths have experimentally crafted the plates into
suits of armor1,
and a few ogres from the great caverns to
the north have used crude forms of such
suits in battle.
But forgive me; we are a guild of naturalists. Associating with my bodyguards
?
without them I would not be able to safely
carry out my observances ? has moved
me to think in their perspective. Violence
is not our way, and I shall refrain from
further military references.
As you all know, the hook horror ? also
known over the lands as the vulture beak,
hacker, cave dweller, and clacker ? makes
its abode in dark, isolated areas. The hook
horror is found exclusively in subterranean surroundings, with natural
cavern
complexes and abandoned mines ranking
as its most favored lairs. Many of these
lairs are linked by the vast subterranean
network of tunnels we call the Sunless
Realm, where dwell the drow and other
vile monstrosities. Though the hook horrors certainly migrate through
this kingdom of eternal darkness, we may also
speculate that the creature comes aboveground during opportune moments,
most
especially if the surroundings are a dense
forest at nightfall. Yet to date, no specimens have been reported outside
underground caverns. Whatever the case, the
hook horror rarely associates with creatures other than its own kind.
Now, you may wonder how the hook
h o r r o r s c a n s e e , l e
t a l o n e l i v e , d o w n
i n
s u c h d a r k a b o d e s . I
n f r a v i s i o n p r o b a b l y
c o m e s t o y o u r m i n d s
. B u t u n l i k e m o s t
other underground dwellers, hook horr o r s l a c k
i n f r a v i s i o n c o m p l e t e l y . T h
e h o o k
h o r r o r s a r e b o r n w i
t h v e r y w e a k e y e s
a n d
c a n o n l y s e e a
f e w f e e t i n f r o n t
o f t h e m .
T h e y a r e , i f y o u
w i l l p a r d o n t h e c l i c h
e ,
b l i n d a s b a t s . S o
h o w d o t h e y g e t
a r o u n d ?
Fortunately for the hook horrors, nature
h a s c o m p e n s a t e d f o r
t h e i r l i m i t e d s i g h t b
y
g i v i n g t h e m e x c e l l e n t
a u d i t o r y a n d o l f a c t o r y
s e n s e s . T h e y c a n h e a r
m a n y t i m e s
b e t t e r t h a n a n o r m a
l m a n , a n d e v e n
p o s s e s s a l i m i t e d f o r
m o f e c h o l o c a t i o n , a s
i s
u s e d b y b a t s . T h e i r
s c e n t - d e t e c t i o n a b i l i t y
r i v a l s t h a t o f c e r t
a i n b l o o d h o u n d s . I n
o t h e r w o r d s , t h e s e
s e n s e s e n a b l e t h e h o o
k
h o r r o r s t o ? s e e ? a t
l e a s t a s w e l l a s
y o u o r I
w o u l d s e e w i t h o u r
e y e s .2 Actually, their
senses are even better than that. During a
recent experiment, one hook horror successfully sniffed out an invisible
mage.
Another one detected a silently moving
thief that no one else could hear. Among
other things, these senses make it very
difficult for enemies to surprise the hook
horror 3 and make it easy for
the hook
horror to search out food.
As for their eating habits, the hook
horrors are herbivores. Their diet is
rather selective, consisting primarily of
subterranean fungi. They have an abrasive
tongue to help their feeding, and they
commonly eat whatever lichens, moss, and
mushrooms they can find. Hook horrors
are very large creatures, and therefore
(we initially assumed) eat vast quantities of
food each day. But there is only so much
fungus in any underground area; a hook
horror?s food supply, as you no doubt
guessed, becomes easily depleted. How
does a 9'-tall biped sustain itself over prolonged periods of time?
Direct observation of the hook horror
by means of scrying reveals it to be very
sluggish ? much like the giant sloths I
lectured about three seasons ago. A hook
horror sleeps roughly half the day and
moves about little if not disturbed. Hence,
it needs little food to keep it going. Its
actual food consumption is shockingly low
for a creature its size. A full-grown hook
horror consumes roughly three-fourths
the amount of food necessary to feed a
full-grown man.
Despite this, a hook horror?s food supply
can still dwindle rapidly. Most hook horrors migrate from cavern to
cavern every
few months to obtain a fresh food supply
from new lairs while fungi regrow in the
vacated areas. A few hook horrors have
advanced intellectually to the point that
they may grow and cultivate fungus
within their lairs. These hook horrors
usually have at least one garden chamber
devoted to this ?farming? activity.
If the usual foods cannot be found, the
hook horror will turn to other sources,
lest it starve. More exotic creatures, such
as zygoms, violet fungi, phycomids, and
shriekers 4 become the hook horror?s daily
meal. This may strike you as odd, for
common knowledge has it that these fungi
are deadly to humans and other creatures.
But several reliable accounts have emerged of hook horrors eating these
queer
plants. Apparently, hook horrors are immune to these plants? powers.
Continuous study of these immunities
has led me to suspect that this ability
originates from the hook horror?s endocrine system. This system contains
a
gland, located here in the abdomen, that
secretes a special hormone. This chemical
somehow makes the creature immune to
the effects of zygom glue, violet fungi rot,
and phycomid infestation. My colleagues
and I believe that this gland is 100% effective and have taken extra
steps to examine
it. Our hope is to tap this glands potential
and manufacture a protection against the
so-called ?fatal fungi.? I?m sure you all
realize the benefits that such a protection
would give toward our study of that botanical area. Our best alchemists
and
wizards have made attempts to exploit the
gland, though these have unfortunately
ended in failure.5 Though we
are still
working with this project, future success
appears uncertain.
The hook horror may be immune to
harmful fungi, but it also has an uncanny
weakness in health. Tests have shown the
hook horror to be unusually susceptible to
diseases and parasitic infestations from
sources other than fungi,6 which
are usually caught early in life and take a toll over
the years. The specimen you see here died
of tapeworm parasites. Between disease
and the continuous problems of food
availability, the hook horror rarely lives
past the age of 40.
Hook horrors have very few natural
enemies. Because of their infestations and
great strength, most carnivores shun
them. Only certain indiscriminate predators such as carrion crawlers
are bold
enough to challenge them. Of course,
many hook horrors have been killed while
attempting to find food ? some by the
hazards of underground life, and some by
frightened or sword-happy adventurers
who are fond of killing all in their path.
The hook horror is one of the few bipeds that reproduces through egg-laying,
just as kobolds are known to do. Once
every year, a female hook horror lays
from one to four eggs in the lair, each
about 3? in diameter. They are shaped and
colored in mimicry of stones ? a disguise
against predators ? and scattered across
the hook horror?s lair among ordinary
rocks.7 This camouflage is very
effective,
and most every egg laid will hatch after a
six-month period.
The hook horror grows very quickly
during its early years. Born a mere 1' in
height, this creature doubles its size after
three months and reaches 5? of height
within one year. The hook horror?s growth
levels off afterward, with a height of 6?
reached during the next year. It then
grows another 1-2' over the next five
years. The hook horror reaches its full
growth of 9? by its 17th birthday
The young hook horror becomes highly
independent during its early years. It
remains with its parents for only about
one year. Its second year is one of transition, wherein the hook horror
begins to
set off on its own without straying too far
from its home. By its third year of life, the
hook horror is out on its own and is totally
independent of its parents. The hook
horror attains reproductive ability in its
sixth year of life. At this point, it searches
out a mate.
Like those of the arthropods it resembles, the hook horror?s hard shell
does not
grow with it. Thus, it must periodically
molt. The molting process starts out gradually. Old plates begin to
flake off in
pieces, a process that accelerates over a
two-day period with bigger and bigger
plates falling off, until the hook horror?s
entire exoskeleton is shed. Little conscious
effort is used in this shedding; the shell
simply falls off like an old scab.
Before the old shell falls off, a new exoskeleton has already begun to
form. These
new plates are just hard enough to support the hook horror?s body and
allow for
adequate movement. This new exoskeleton
is much softer than the old plates, however ? not developed enough
to serve as
full-strength armor ? and it offers very
little protection to the creature. The hook
horror?s exoskeleton hardens relatively
quickly and achieves its full strength after
a couple of days. Until then, the hook
horror is quite vulnerable to physical
attack. 8
Frequent references have likened hook
horrors to humanoids. This is only in the
loosest sense, however. Hook horrors are
not mammalian, being invertebrate arthropods with a vaguely humanoid
form. The
behavior of a hook horror differs much
from that of a humanoid, too; the creature
relies on its instincts, very much like an
animal does. For instance, the hook horror
is afraid of fire and loud noises. It is not
aggressive by nature, though like any
animal, it will fight furiously if attacked.
Despite their animalistic intelligence,
these monsters are capable of limited
communication between each other. Just
how much can be communicated, my
colleagues and I have been unable to measure, but it is my guess that
they convey
only the most rudimentary knowledge.9
They don?t speak like you or I ? no, the
hook horror ?talks? by making clacking
noises, an action performed by flexing
certain portions of its exoskeleton.
At first impression, these noises appear
to be nothing more than bothersome
gibberish; but repeated listenings show a
definite pattern in these sounds. To the
hook horror, these noises mean many
different things, depending on the sounds?
tone and pitch. The location of food, for
example, excites the creature, causing it to
emit a steady, high-pitched clacking. The
l o c a t i o n o f a n e n e m y ,
h o w e v e r , a n g e r s o r
a l a r m s t h e c r e a t u r e ,
c a u s i n g i t t o s e n d
l o w - p i t c h e d , u n s t e a d y n o
i s e s . A n d , m o s t
i m p o r t a n t l y f o r u s ,
s i g n a l s o f ? f r i e n d s h i p ?
a r e c o m m u n i c a t e d i n
s o f t , s t e a d y t o n e s . A
l a n g u a g e s p e c i a l i s t i s
c u r r e n t l y w o r k i n g t o
t r a n s l a t e t h e h o o k
h o r r o r ? s s p e e c h p a t t e r n s ;
I w i l l o f c o u r s e
i n f o r m y o u o n h i s
p r o g r e s s .
The hook horror prefers the company of
s m a l l g r o u p s , u s u a l l y
n o g r e a t e r t h a n a
dozen or so members. These tribes, if you
w i l l , d o n o t g o
o u t o f t h e i r w a y
t o a s s o c i a t e w i t h o t h
e r s u b t e r r a n e a n c r e a t u r e s
o r
even with other hook horrors, though
hook horrors have been known to form
h u g e ? h e r d s ? a t r a r
e m o m e n t s , a n d o t h e r s
h a v e b e e n b r i e f l y b
e f r i e n d e d b y h u m a n s
w i t h g i f t s o f f o o d .
H o w e v e r , t h e h o o k
h o r r o r i s m o r e o f
a n a n i m a l t h a n a
r a t i o n a l c r e a t u r e , a n d
i t h a s n o t y e t b
e e n
t r u l y d o m e s t i c a t e d . P r o p
e r t r a i n i n g a n d
r e w a r d i n g c a n ? a n d
h a v e ? b r o u g h t
h o o k h o r r o r s i n t o s
h o r t s e r v i c e a s g u a r d
s
a n d s e n t r i e s , b u t t
h i s i s a r i s k y b
u s i n e s s .
T h e h o o k h o r r o r i s
a p r i m i t i v e c r e a t u r e
a n d h a s n o l o y a l t y
o r c a u s e s t o c o n c e r n
i t .
P a s t e x p e r i e n c e w i t h
t r a i n e d h o o k h o r r o r s
s h o w e d t h a t t h e y f o
l l o w s i m p l e o r d e r s ,
a s s u m i n g t h a t o w n e r s
h a v e w a y s o f c o m m u n i c
a t i n g e f f e c t i v e l y w i t h
t h e m , f o r
p r o p e r t r e a t m e n t . B u t
i f a s i t u a t i o n b e c o m e
s t h r e a t e n i n g , h o o k h
o r r o r s i g n o r e
o r d e r s a n d p u t s e l f
- p r e s e r v a t i o n a b o v e a l l
e l s e ; a f i t t i n g r e w a r
d f o r t h o s e , I m
i g h t
i n t e r j e c t , w h o e x p l o i t
t h e h o o k h o r r o r f o r
m a k i n g w a r .
A f i n a l n o t e o n
a c u r i o u s h a b i t o f
t h e
hook horror, much reported by adventurers in the Sunless Realms: Hook
horrors
t a k e s o m e p a i n s t o
c o l l e c t s i l v e r a n d e l
e c t r u m w h e n s u c h c a n
b e f o u n d . W h y ?
H o o k h o r r o r s e a t s u
c h c o i n s , w h i c h t h e n
g r i n d u p f o o d i n
t h e i r s t o m a c h s m u c h a
s
p e b b l e s i n t h e s t o m
a c h s o f t o o t h l e s s f o u
l .
S i l v e r a n d e l e c t r u m
d o n o t i r r i t a t e t h e
stomach linings of the hook horrors, and
a f t e r p a s s i n g t h r o u g h
t h e i r d i g e s t i v e s y s t e m s
? n o w o r s e f o r t
h e w e a r ? a r e
d e p o s i t e d i n a n a r e
a n e a r t h e c u r r e n t
l a i r
o f t h e h o o k - h o r r o r
t r i b e . A d v e n t u r e r s
h a v e c o m m e n t e d o n t
h e p e c u l i a r , s o u r
o d o r o f s u c h c o i n s ,
t h o u g h t h i s h a s h a r d l
y
s t o p p e d t h e c o l l e c t i o n
o f t h e s a m e !
A n d t h a t , m y f r i e n d s ,
i s a s u m m a t i o n o f
the knowledge on the hook horror. Res e a r c h c o n t
i n u e s , a n d n e w d e v e l o
p m e n t s
are making the study of the hook horror
l e s s a m y s t e r y . I
a m e a g e r t o i n f o r m
y o u o f
f u r t h e r d e v e l o p m e n t s a s
t h e y c o m e a l o n g .
T h a n k y o u.
Notes
1 . T o c r e a t e
t h i s a r m o r , a blacksmith
o r
a r m o r e r m u s t r e m o v e
t h e s h e l l f r o m t h e
h o o k h o r r o r ? s b o d y .
S u c c e s s i s a u t o m a t i c ,
b u t i f a n y o t h e r
p e r s o n a t t e m p t s i t , t
h e
c h a n c e o f s u c c e s s i
s o n l y 1 0 % p e r h
i s
experience level. This removal is assumed
to take one day. Afterward, it takes 30
days for the exoskeleton to be processed
into a suit of armor. This armor is AC 3,
making its saving throws as bone. Most
smiths will buy these exoskeletons for
about 100 gp (if still on the body) or 250
gp (if removed). A fully processed suit of
armor will sell for about 450 gp. Because
hook horrors are 9? tall, these armor suits
are only usable by large creatures (i.e.,
ogres, large bugbears, verbeeg, etc.).
Note that only the exoskeleton of a fullgrown, 5-HD hook horror may be
manufactured into a suit of armor. The
exoskeleton from a younger hook horror
is too soft and weak to be crafted into any
armor of worthwhile quality.
2. Because of the hook horror?s altered
senses, it has saving-throw modifications
against certain attacks. Against spells
causing blindness (i.e., light, darkness,
color spray, cause blindness, and glyph of
blindness), the hook horror receives a +2
saving throw, as its vision is not much
used. This bonus is also given against
illusions and phantasms that affect only
the visual senses. If the hook horror is
blinded but wishes to enter combat, it has
a penalty of -2 to hit (whereas a normal
person would have a -4 to hit). However,
against spells that affect the olfactory or
auditory senses (i.e., audible glamer and
high-level phantasms), the hook horror has
a -2 saving throw, as its major senses are
being affected. A blinded hook horror
moves at a maximum rate of 6? unless in
familiar territory.
Using echolocation (emitting a high-pitched
trill which is picked up by its batlike ears), a
hook horror can sense its environment out
to 120? in total darkness, and can detect
invisible or hidden objects with ease. Anyone
trying to silently past a hook horror without
using magical silence has a -40 penalty to
do so, as they hear so well.
3. The FIEND FOLIO® tome states that
there is only a 10% chance of surprising a
hook horror.
4. Whenever a hook horror?s lair is
located (usually a temporary affair like a
niche in a tunnel), the DM should allow a
50% chance that one of these fungi is
located in the general area. There is a 10%
chance that the actual lair contain these
fungi, kept for nourishment. If a hook
horror is met as a wandering monster,
chances are that it is searching for food.
Allow a 40% chance that one of these
plants is within 200? of the hook horror
when the latter is found.
5. Hook horrors are disease and parasite
carriers. When encountered, there is a
10% chance that a hook horror has a
disease, and another 10% chance that it
has 2-5 diseases. The DM must take this
into account when determining whether
or not the character has caught a disease
(as detailed on page 13 of the DMG). A
hook horror has a +2% chance of catching a random disease or parasitic
infestation. Against magical disease attacks (e.g.,
cause disease), it has a -1 saving throw.
6. Ferba?s hypothesis is more or less
correct: Once a hook horror dies, the
gland stops producing this chemical. For
game purposes, nothing short of a wish
will allow PCs to exploit this chemical.
7. When a hook horror lair is discovered, there is a 25%
chance that it contains 1-4 eggs, disguised as rocks; only
close inspection reveals that they are eggs.
Such a lair also contains at least two mated
hook horrors.
A hook-horror egg takes six months to
hatch, at which time the 1?-tall creature
has the following statistics: AC 9; MV 3?;
HD ½; #AT nil; AL N. The hook horror
remains like this for three months. Afterward, the creature grows in
a fairly rapid
progression, with subsequent age category
beginning with a molting period, as explained in note 8. See the table
for details.
8. The hook horror sheds its exoskeleton
each time it enters a new age category, as
shown in the Hook Horror Statistics table.
Once the shell has been removed, the
creature is hampered in movement and
quite vulnerable to attack. Newly molted
hook horrors have temporary penalties of
-2 to armor class and -2? to movement
rate, and a strong tendency to flee trouble
when possible. The new exoskeleton
hardens quickly, and the hook horror
gains a +1 bonus on armor class and
movement for every 12 hours that pass,
until the new levels appropriate to its age
are reached. Newly hatched hook horrors
don?t molt immediately after hatching, but
are extremely vulnerable anyway and
must be protected. Mortality rates for
most young hook horrors are high.
Hook Horror Statistics (by ageg)
| Age | AC | Move | HD | Damage* | Size |
| 0-3 months | 9 | 3 | 1/2 | Nil | 1' |
| 3-6 months | 8 | 4 | 1-1 | 1-1 | 2' |
| 6-12 months | 7 | 6 | 1 | 1-2/1-2 | 3 1/2' |
| 1-5 years | 6 | 7 | 1+1 to 2+2** | 1-4/1-4 | 5' |
| 5-10 years | 5 | 8 | 3 | 1-6/1-6 | 6' |
| 10-17 years | 4 | 9 | 4 | 1-6/1-6 | 7 1/2' |
| 17+ years | 3 | 9 | 5 | 1-8/1-8 | 9' |
If the hook horror is unable to use its
claws (occurring only if its arms are broken or severed), it flees
combat, biting
with its beak in desperation. If only one
arm is out of commission, the hook horror
may attack with both its beak and free
claw with only a -1 ?to hit? penalty on
the beak.