Fantasy Safari: Creature Catalogue (BECMI), Part 4

Continuing the exploration of the Creature Catalogue with the chapter on “Monsters”.

Aranea
Aranea

The Aranea is a large intelligent spider with humanlike arms to the sides of it’s head. It’s a original creature from the Known World and though it had made it into the 3rd edition Monster Manual it didn’t see a lot of use outside of the setting to my knowledge. The arenea presented here is quite different from the one in the Monster Manual. It is highly intelligent and can cast spells like a 3rd level magic user, but it does not have any ability to shapechange into either a human or hybrid form. It also does look a lot more like a full spider and has no other humanlike feature except its arms. Interestingly its alignment is also Chaotic, which makes it basically evil in the 3rd edition alignment system.

Baldandar
Baldandar

A Baldandar is a creature similar to doppelgangers. However, they are not shapechangers but masters of illusion instead. They can create almost any illusion imaginable in a radius of 80 meters and their illusions will remain for 10 minutes after they stop directly controlling them. Their illusions are not simply deceptions of the senses but are partly real. A baldandar can even cast illusions of other spells, but creatures targeted by them can make a saving throw at a -4 penalty to recognize that they are fake and be unaffected. It also can make itself invisible and fly around at will, which makes them very difficult to catch or corner.

Bargda
Bargda

The Bargda is a creature related to ogres and trolls and usually found as the leader of a group of these monsters. In addition to their great strength and toughness, they are so horribly hedious that anyone who sees them must make a saving throw or suffer a penalty to attacks and damage. In addition to attacking with a huge club, a bargda can also bite, which transmits a disease that reduces the victims dexterity.

Earthquake Beetle
Earthquake Beetle

The Earthquake Beetle seems like a creature that was regarded as too silly for the Fiend Folio. But too silly for the Fiend Folio does not mean too silly for the Known World. It’s a giant beetle with a dragons head and massive 40 hit dice. It moves by burrowing underground and when it approaches it causes an earthquake identical to the effect of an earthquake spell cast by a 25th level cleric. Having a dragon head, it also has a breath weapon, which it can use once per week. Wow.

Brain Collector
Brain Collector

While the earthquake beetle is stupid, the Brain Collector is just some really weirdass shit. It easily out-weirds beholders, illithids, and flumphs any day. They are big, writhing and bulging creatures with a huge maw full of teeth, lots of tentacles, and way too many eyes. When these creatures from another strange dimension come into this world, they kill humanoids, remove their brains, and add them to their own, which causes all those bulges on its head. With each one it gains the ability to cast more spells.

A Dragonfly is a a half-dragon insect. Yes, nothing is too dumb for the Known World.

Dusanu
Dusanu

The Dusanu looks like a rotting skeleton dressed in a ragged cloak and covered in mold, but apparently is not undead, given its position in this chapter of the book. It’s also called a rot fiend, but is not a demon either. A dusanu is very intelligent and attacks with its claws, but it’s main ability is a cloud of spores that constantly surround it. Anyone who gets too close to it becomes infected with the spores and unable to heal wounds with magic spells and dies after a few days to become one of these creatures himself unless the disease is magically cured. Still, Skeleton with a Robe: +1.


 Creature Collection Cliche Creature Counter:

  • Evil Apes: 0
  • Variant Ghouls: 0
  • Demon Dogs: 1
  • Skeletons with Robes: 1

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