Remorhaz
Climate/Terrain:
| Arctic plain |
|
Frequency:
| Very rare
|
Organization:
| Solitary
|
Activity Cycle:
| Day
|
Diet:
| Carnivore
|
Intelligence:
| Animal (1)
|
Treasure:
| D
|
Alignment:
| Neutral
|
No. Appearing:
| 1
|
Armor Class:
| Overall 0, head 2, underbelly 4
|
Movement:
| 12
|
Hit Dice:
| 7-14
|
THAC0:
| 13 (7-8 HD),
|
| 11 (9-10 HD),
|
| 9 (11-12 HD),
|
| 7 (13-14 HD)
|
No. of Attacks:
| 1
|
Damage/Attack:
| Bite:
(7-8 HD) 4-24;
(9-12 HD) 5-30;
(13-14 HD) 6-36
|
Special Attacks:
| Swallow whole, heat lash
|
Special Defenses:
| Melt metal
|
Magic Resistance:
| 75%
|
Size:
| G (21'-42' long)
|
Morale:
| Elite (13-14)
|
XP Value:
| 5,000 (+1000 per Hit Die over 9)
|
Remorhaz, sometimes known as
polar worms, inhabit only chill arctic wastes. They are very aggressive predators that
devour any animal matter, including humans, demihumans, and humanoids; they have
even been known to attack frost giants.
A remorhaz has a segmented body with a winged head and neck, standing on
dozens of chitinous legs. Remorhaz have an ice blue color everywhere except on their
backs, where a streak of white sets off the many protrusions located there.
The size of a remorhaz is determined by its Hit Dice: a 7 Hit Dice remorhaz is 21
feet long, an 8 Hit Dice creature is 24 feet long, etc. Their language
consists of roaring, bellowing, and howling.
Combat: In combat the remorhaz beats its small wings, raising up the front quarter of
its body. It then snaps itself forward, striking with blinding speed. They are
able to swallow prey whole on an unmodified attack roll of 20; any victim
swallowed is killed instantly by the intense heat inside the creature. When aroused,
the remorhaz secretes a substance that causes its intestines to become very
hot and its back protrusions actually glow cherry red from excess heat. Any
nonmagical weapon melts from contact with its back and any creature touched by these
surfaces suffers 10-100 points of damage.
To determine where a blow has struck a remorhaz, consider where the attacker
is in respect to the remorhaz. While the remorhaz is rearing to attack, a blow
from the front hits the relatively soft underbelly. When the remorhaz is
attacking a creature, any blow inflicted hits the head unless the underside is
specifically stated as the object of the attack. In all other cases, the body is the
object of the attack, subject to adjudication by the DM.
Remorhaz are slower than most polar dwellers, so they prefer to burrow into
the snow and surface when they hear prey nearby, hoping to achieve surprise.
Remorhaz have infravision to 60 feet.
Habitat/Society: A remorhaz lair usually consists of a number of large, smoothly rounded
tunnels in ice and snow or rock, gradually descending to a large central chamber.
Tunnels in ice and snow will be very slippery, as the remorhaz's hot back
repeatedly melts the snow, leaving it to refreeze. The central chamber is only about
twice the size of a remorhaz, while the central chamber of a nesting pair is
about four times their size and may contain icy stalactites.
Remorhaz have a hunting range of 60 miles. Except where the game has been
hunted to extinction, these creatures tolerate the presence of other remorhaz in
their hunting grounds.
Ecology: Remorhaz are carnivores, sustaining themselves with a diet of deer, elk, and
even polar bears. They mate in late summer and stay together for two months
before departing to live solitary existences. Remorhaz mate every year but can
produce offspring only three or four times in a lifetime; the female lays a clutch
of one or two grey-blue eggs, remaining with the eggs at all times, coiling
around them to keep them warm; if the eggs are left in the freezing cold for only
one minute, they will never hatch. Young remorhaz have 1 Hit Die at birth and
grow to 7 Hit Dice after four months, when they leave the nest. Immature
remorhaz have weaker armor (+2 AC in all locations); 1-3 Hit Dice remorhaz can only
bite for 2-12 points of damage, while 4-6 Hit Dice creatures inflict 3-18 points
of damage. From birth, the young remorhaz have all the powers of an adult.
Remorhaz have lifespans of 30 years. Their eggs are valued at 500 gold pieces
and are eagerly sought because these creatures can be trained to be excellent
guards. However, a remorhaz can be trained to obey only one or two masters, and
will attack its master if hungry enough. The heat secretion of a rhemorhaz,
thrym, is valuable as a component for heat-related magical items and can be sold
to alchemists for 5-10 gold pieces per flask. The remorhaz will contain 10
flasks worth of thrym per Hit Die.