FREQUENCY: Very rare
NO. APPEARING: 1
ARMOR CLASS: 2
MOVE: 9"/21"//18" (MC:B)
HIT DICE: 1+2
% IN LAIR: 5%
TREASURE TYPE: Q (x10)
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-2
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Poison bite, singing
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Transparency
MAGIC RESISTANCE: 30%
INTELLIGENCE: Average
ALIGNMENT: Chaotic (see below)
SIZE: S (3’ long)
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE: IV/ 200 + 2/hp

Veeru (singular and plural are the same
word) roam widely, but when encountered
are usually near water. They are elusive and
generally avoid direct contact with other
intelligent creatures. Veeru make floating
nests of reeds to sleep in, or lair in trees or
caves if they aren’t near water or reeds are
unavailable.

A veeru bites with its long, toothy jaws
for 1-2 points of damage per hit. Any crea-
ture bitten by a veeru must save vs. poison
or become confused for 13-24 hours thereaf-
ter. The veeru’s other weapon is its song.
Once per day it can sing a tune with its
chimelike voice that will cause all within 3"
to be affected as if by an Otto’s irresistible
dance spell. Anyone within the area of
effect, or anyone who enters the area while
the song is going on, is allowed a saving
throw vs. spell to avoid the effect. The
veeru must halt its song if it is hit in combat
or otherwise distracted, and in any event it
cannot keep up the singing for longer than
three rounds. The dance effect on victims
lasts for 2-5 rounds beyond the time when
the veeru stops singing.

Like the pseudodragon (to which it is
loosely related), the veeru can see invisible
objects. It can become effectively invisible
(80% undetectable, like the pseudodragon)
by making itself transparent. In this state, a
veeru still reflects light, and when seen from
certain angles appears as a shimmering
rainbow of colors. Those able to detect
invisible objects who succeed in the attempt
will see the veeru in its true form, and not
as a rainbow of colors. Veeru are near-
perfect mimics, able to imitate words, short
phrases, and bird calls with 90% accuracy.
They do not learn languages; communicat-
ing instead (as does the pseudodragon)
through a form of limited telepathy.

All veeru are chaotic and unpredictable
in actions and motives. The majority (55%)
are neither good nor evil, 40% are of evil
inclination, and 5% are chaotic good. Evil
veeru like to mislead those foolish enough to
venture into swampy places, and they some-
times work in concert with will-o-wisps.
If a chaotic evil or chaotic neutral magic-
user acquires the services of a veeru as a
familiar, it will be a type that matches the
master’s alignment. (No chaotic good veeru
will ever come as a familiar.) If master and
familiar are touching, the magic-user gets
the benefit of the veeru’s magic resistance,
and the creature can transmit telepathically
whatever it senses, as long as master and
familiar are no farther than 24” apart.
In its natural (opaque) form a veeru
appears much like a miniature gold dragon
with long, slender, bat-like wings. Its scaly
hide is gold, and it has glowing green eyes.

<original image needed>