FREQUENCY: Very rare
NO. APPEARING: 1 (10% chance of 2-5)
ARMOR CLASS: 6
MOVE: 15?
HIT DICE: 2 + 1
% IN LAIR: Nil
TREASURE TYPE: M (x100), Q
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1 butt or 1 weapon
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-4 or by
weapon type
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Minor spell use;
+1 with weapons
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Hiding in natural
terrain
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard
INTELLIGENCE: Very
ALIGNMENT: Neutral (lubins are
chaotic neutral)
SIZE: S (3' tall)
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
Attack/Defense Modes: Nil
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE: III/95 + 3/hp
The urisk is very much like a 3' tall,
goat-headed satyr, having goatlike
legs, a
human torso, arms, and hands, and a small
bushy tail wagging behind. A urisk is covered
in shaggy brown fur. The urisk is
solitary in nature and wanders through
mountainous and forested terrain with no
established lair, though it may have small
caches of buried gold or gold jewelry. Intimately
familiar with the terrain it inhabits,
a urisk can hide well enough to become
invisible to the casual observer.
If encountered, a urisk is 25% likely to be
alone and 75% likely to have 1-4 mammalian
companions with it, such as giant
goats, bears, sheep, rams, deer, or the like.
It can cast up to four charm mammal spells
per day (save at -4) and may speak to any
animal as often as desired. The charm
mammal spell will only affect normal or
giant mammals, and not humans, humanoids,
or demi-humans. The mammals so
charmed will obey the urisk completely,
even unto death.
A urisk may also cast warp wood at the
12th level of ability three times per day, and
may pass without trace for up to one hour a
day in any terrain. A urisk will attack by
butting most of the time, but some prefer to
use small weapons like daggers, hand axes,
clubs, and short swords. Any weapon being
held by a urisk will function as a +1 weapon
for hit-determination purposes if it is nonmagical;
magical weapons are treated normally.
This bonus to hit is temporary only
and is removed as soon as the urisk lets go
of the weapon.
Urisks are particularly friendly with
gnomes and druids, neutral towards humans,
elves, halflings, and dwarves, and
hate all humanoids such as orcs and goblins.
They speak their own language, their
alignment tongue (neutral), common, and
the languages of gnomes, dwarves, elves,
and orcs.
A variant species very much like the
urisk, called the lubin, averages 2½? in
height and is black-furred; but otherwise
similar to the urisk. Lubins inhabit forests
and fields and cast charm person spells up
to three times a day, rather than charm
mammal. Lubins may also speak with
animals as they please, but do not have
companions as urisks do. Lubins are chaotic
neutral alignments, and speak their own
tongue, their alignment tongue, and the
language of sylvan elves, gnomes, and
common. All other spells, powers, and
habits are as for urisks. Lubins and urisks
speak to each other in the language of animals
rather than in each other?s languages.
Both urisks and lubins are quite rare, and
not frequently encountered.
For random determination of a given
urisk's companion when encountered, use
Appendix L: Conjured Animals
in the
Dungeon Masters Guide, rolling a d6 to see
which hit-dice category each of the 1-4
companions is and rolling percentile dice to
determine exactly which animal is present.
All companions of a urisk will be completely
at ease with one another and can work in
complete harmony, even if this is not normally
likely (due to the powerful charm
upon them).
Urisky business
Dear Dragon,
In issue #94 it says that urisks have the natural
ability to hide in natural terrain. I would like to
know the base percentage chance for one successfully
doing so. I would also like to know if there
are any modifiers to this base chance.
Andrew Peterson
Lunenburg, Mass.
(Dragon #96)
This ability is played the same way as an elf's
ability to blend into his surroundings. Only
someone who is able to detect invisible objects (by
virtue of magic or intelligence) can see a urisk if
the creature is trying to conceal itself in appropriate
surroundings, so the only "chance of success"
involved is whether or not an onlooker sees the
urisk -- which is more like a "chance of failure."
Note that if the urisk moves, its (effective) invisibility
will probably be negated -- and certainly it
will become visible if it launches an attack from
its hiding place.
-- KM
(Dragon #96)
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