The Dragon's Bestiary             from DRAGON(R) issue #166

Send your PCs on a fishing trip they'll always remember

by Tim Malto

(C)1991 TSR, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

    Not many campaigns take place in a watery environment.
But a party will occasionally undertake a short voyage by boat,
simply to get from point A to point B. How does a DM get the PCs'
feet wet without introducing a tribe of koalinths, some
seawolves, or something worse? These two creatures can bring the
PCs into the water in ways they least expect.


<Giant Archerfish>

CLIMATE/TERRAIN: [Tropical/large freshwater lakes]
FREQUENCY: [Uncommon]
ORGANIZATION: [Solitary]
ACTIVITY CYCLE: [Day]
DIET: [Carnivore]
INTELLIGENCE: [Animal]
TREASURE TYPE: [Nil]
ALIGNMENT: [Neutral]
NO. APPEARING: [90%: 1-3 adults; 10%: 5-20 young]
ARMOR CLASS: [6]
MOVEMENT: [Sw 20]
HIT DICE: [3+3]
THAC0: [17]
NO. OF ATTACKS: [1]
DAMAGE/ATTACKS: [2-8]
SPECIAL ATTACKS: [Water jet, swallows whole]
SPECIAL DEFENSES: [Nil]
MAGIC RESISTANCE: [Nil]
SIZE: [L (9' long)]
MORALE: [Steady (11)]
XP VALUE: [420]

    The giant archerfish is a silvery creature with heavy-looking
jaws, giving it a squared-off look when seen head on. This is due
to two powerfully muscled water bladders, one on either side of
the head. Behind the head, the body narrows quickly to a
streamlined shape with a powerful tail.
    The water bladders can generate a water jet once per three
rounds, fired from the fish's mouth, with a range of 30'. Used
by a full-grown specimen, the jet can knock a human from the deck
of a ship or out of a ship's rigging. A target is treated as AC 5
regardless of actual armor class. A free-standing victim is
knocked backward by the force of the jet; for every 20 lbs. less
than 200 lbs. he weighs, he is forced back 1', and any victim
under 200 lbs. must make a dexterity check on 4d6 to remain
standing (the point is moot for a victim hurled from a ship). If
the victim is grasping a support or is braced, he must make a
strength roll on 3d6 to avoid being knocked back. A saving throw
vs. paralysis must be made to continue grasping any hand-held
item. An attack roll of 20 indicates that the victim is stunned
for 1-3 rounds by the force of the jet.
    Once a victim is in the water, he is subject to a bite attack
similar to a shark's. On a natural roll of 20, the archerfish
will swallow whole any victim the size of a halfling or gnome. A
swallowed character can cut his way out if he inflicts enough
damage to the AC 10 interior of the fish to slay it, but he can
do so only if he has a dagger or knife in hand. Meanwhile, the
character suffers 1 hp damage per round due to digestive acids,
and he has no air to breathe. It should also be noted that, once
in the water, a victim loses all armor-class bonuses due to
dexterity unless he is wearing a [ring of free action] or
similar magical item, and shields cannot be used.
    These fish seldom come together except to spawn. Eggs are
laid on the sea bottom and fertilized there. Those eggs not
devoured by other predators hatch in 3-4 weeks. The young remain
together in a school, ranging from 5-20 individuals, until they
reach the length of about 3'; then they separate. Young
archerfish have these statistics: AC 7; MV 18; HD 1+1; THAC0 19;
#AT 1; Dmg 1-3; SA none effective; SZ 1-3'; XP 35.
    The water jet is usable upon hatching. These fish cruise near
the surface and track prey by sight, following long enough to
orient on course and speed. Then they break the surface in a jump
and squirt their jets to bring down large insects, birds, and
small water-dwelling animals. The school of young is cooperative
in this hunting style until the individuals reach adulthood, when
the victims rarely provide enough food for the entire school
(hence the break-up). The water jets of young giant archerfish do
not endanger characters, and they cannot swallow characters
whole, though they could consume sprites or brownies.
    These fish are not territorial and travel to any place they
can take down prey. They eat people only if such are available.
In a pinch, giant archerfish are known to scavenge the bottoms of
their shallow seas or large lakes.
    Giant archerfish have no interest in treasure, though an
occasional item may be found in the stomach of a slain fish. They
themselves are not good to eat, nor do they have any body parts
known to have practical use (except as bait to catch other fish).
Nor is there any use for them as components for any known
spells.


<Giant Damselfish>

CLIMATE/TERRAIN: [Tropical and temperate/saltwater
oceans]
FREQUENCY: [Uncommon]
ORGANIZATION: [Solitary]
ACTIVITY CYCLE: [Night]
DIET: [Carnivore]
INTELLIGENCE: [Animal]
TREASURE TYPE: [Nil]
ALIGNMENT: [Neutral]
NO. APPEARING: [1-2]
ARMOR CLASS: [5]
MOVEMENT: [Sw 18 (lunge 30)]
HIT DICE: [2+4]
THAC0: [17]
NO. OF ATTACKS: [2]
DAMAGE/ATTACKS: [1-4/1-4]
SPECIAL ATTACKS: [Stunning ram]
SPECIAL DEFENSES: [Nil]
MAGIC RESISTANCE: [Nil]
SIZE: [L (7[fra/1/2]')]
MORALE: [Steady (11)]
XP VALUE: [120]

    This fish has a bony head and a slim, dull, dun-colored body.
A specially modified dorsal fin trails a streamer that vaguely
resembles a humanlike female. The streamer can be folded down
tightly against the body, leaving a ridge that the fish uses in
swimming.
    Nocturnal by nature, this fish rises to the surface at night
to hunt. It deploys its dorsal fin and floats with its head down
and tail relaxed. Upon hearing the approach of potential prey
along a shore or in a boat, it wiggles its body and flutters its
dorsal fin in such a way as to mislead a viewer into thinking
that a woman, either human or elf, is drowning. (The DM should
secretly roll intelligence checks on 1d20 for the characters if
anybody becomes suspicious. Any character who fails his check is
deceived by the ploy.)
    Once a victim swims within 10-15', the giant damselfish
lets its "lady" sink convulsively into the water. It then folds
back the dorsal fin and lunges at its victim with its head. If
the ram is successful, 1-4 hp damage are done to the victim. The
fish then makes a second attack roll (at +2 to hit) in the same
round to do 1-4 hp biting damage. It will subsequently circle and
ram whenever it sees a chance. Should the fish miss its lunge, it
cannot bite. A natural roll of 20 on a ram indicates the victim
is stunned for 1-3 rounds, during which time the fish will
automatically hit with its ram-and-bite routine twice per round
(for a total of 4-16 hp damage per round, with no further chance
of stunning until the victim recovers).
    These fish can be found in any warm, shallow ocean. They are
fiercely territorial, each staking out an area of one square mile
near a shipping lane and staying with it until prey no longer
passes by. They come together only to mate; the male then leaves
while the female carries the fertilized eggs in her body until
they hatch. She then gives birth to up to 25 young that swim
rapidly away to avoid being eaten by their parent. Young giant
damselfish seem to gain their taste for human and demihuman flesh
at adulthood, which is when the "damsel" fin is fully developed
and the "fishing" instinct appears. (Sages speculate that an
Arch-Mage or higher power was involved in their creation.) Adult
giant damselfish are also highly aggressive and try to eat any
creature that comes near them. While this ploy usually ensures a
hearty meal of other fish, it's usually a disaster if the
interesting creature is a shark.
    Damselfish do not collect treasure, though an occasional
valuable item may be found in the stomach of a dead fish. Nor are
these fish edible, being exceedingly tough and possessing a very
strong taste. The one reason they are occasionally sought after
is for their dorsal streamers, which can be used as a component
in certain illusion/phantasm spells (any that use the fleece
needed by a [phantasmal force] spell).>

END FILE
