FREQUENCY: Rare
NO. APPEARING: 1-6
ARMOR CLASS: 9
MOVE: See below
HIT DICE: 3, 4, 5, or 6
% IN LAIR: Nil
TREASURE TYPE: Nil
NO. OF ATTACKS: 2
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-4/4-16
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Nil
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Gas cloud
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard
[immune to charms]
INTELLIGENCE: Average [High]
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
SIZE: L
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil [120]
Attack/Defense Modes: Nil [A, D / F, I]

Sull, or “floaters,” are nomadic creatures
who float silently in midair by
means of buoyant gases created in their
digestive organs and stored in the central
hump of the body. Sull move by the
controlled intake and exhaust of these
gases; they can move at a rate of 18”
vertically through the air, but only 6” horizontally
(unless aided by air currents).

Despite their slow movement rate, Sull
are Flight Class A in regard to maneuverability;
not needing to turn about but
merely stopping short and reversing direction.
Sull greatly fear Wind Walkers
and similar creatures of the air, for they
have no defense against the air turbulence
these beings can create.

Sull are omnivorous, and consume
prey with great jaws located on their underside.
From between their jaws they
can extend a sucking tube to take in
liquids.

Sull never crush opponents beneath
their bulk, but will ram into victims (using
the hard, rubber-like edge of their
bodies rather than the more resilient top
and bottom surfaces) with as much force
as they can muster and rebound away.
This attack does 1-4 points of damage.
The Sull’s bite, if it is able to drop down
upon and engulf a victim, does 4-16
points of damage.

When engaged in battle, Sull will emit
gaseous clouds from orifices spaced
around the under part of the body’s
edge; this gas, a digestive byproduct,
hangs in the air in blinding, irritating
clouds. Creatures battling a Sull do so at
-4 “to hit” if the gas affects their eyes, but
only at -1 if they must contend merely
with its thickly swirling, obscuring vapor.
A successful save vs. poison, or the
use of magical protection to prevent irritation
to the eyes, lessens the -4 penalty
to -1.

Floaters can understand Common, and
sometimes will understand the speech of
races or of individuals (see below), but
they cannot shape words. They have
their own language of clicking and whistling
sounds. Sensory areas around the
edges and hump of the disc-like body,
and around the mouth beneath, give the
Sull normal (6” range) infravision. It also
has receptors for sound and smell, but
these senses are not acute and only operate
with dependability at short range
(within 2” of the creature).

A few Sull (10% chance of encountering
such) have psionic ability. The differences
of these creatures with regard
to magic resistance, intelligence and
psionic ability are given in brackets. Psionic
Floaters always have the minor disciplines
of Detection of Magic, Empathy,
and ESP, and the major disciplines of
Body Control and Telepathy. They vary
in psionic mastery, but are typically of
6th level.

Sull are occasionally captured and
trained to serve spellcasters as aerial
platforms. They typically understand far
more of their master’s primary language
than that individual may realize, and will
always recognize their master’s voice
and commands. Although usually docile,
Sull are not willing servants and
must be controlled by pain, typically
administered by a Wand of Lightning or
other source of electrical shock, or a
Wand of Magic Missiles.

Psionic Sull will only serve masters of
true neutral alignment, and will communicate
with them telepathically if they
are well treated. Sull have served as battle
leaders for the dervishes of the desert,
among whom they are treated as respected
friends.
 

Dragon magazine

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Monster Manual III

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Dragon #58