The Bestiary Scrolls

Volume #1: The Inhabitant's of Sable's Swamp

Every day that any heroes are in Sable's swamp, turn over a card from the Fate Deck. A card with a black aura, or a dragons card means that they encounter a dangerous plant.

Bloodvines

Basic Overview

Senses

Habitat

Special Abilities

Special Defenses
None

Bloodvines are the bane of any traveller. These coarse, deadly plants are nearly indistinguishable from the normal vines that hang from every mossy tree in Sable's swamp. The only difference is a row of sharp thorns that run down the length of the vine.
Usually dark green in appearance, the bloodvine can also be either dark brown or jet black in color. Mature bloodvines grow to about 15', although rumors speak of some that have reached upwards of 100' long. These vines have only animal intelligence, but possess great cunning. They lie dormant, hanging down from a tree or sitting underneath the murky water, until a living being approaches.
These vines appear to sense body heat, as most bakali, black dragonspawn and spawn abominations fail to trigger a response from these viscous plants. However, once a warm body is detected, a bloodvine will fling itself at the victim, wrapping up the hapless traveller, and then proceed to drain its prey of all of its blood. The only indication of the presence of a bloodvine, is a molding pile of withered husks.

To avoid being hit by a bloodvine, a hero must succeed in an average Agility (Coordination) action. If a hero fails this action, then he is dealt 11 damage (Ph 8 + Dmg +3 = 11 damage), and wrapped up in the bloodvine. He is then dealt 3 damage every minute until he is either free, or dead.
A successful challenging Strength (Physique) action will snap a bloodvine, killing it outright. Any attempt to free a victim through violence will deal half of the damage to the victim, and half of the damage to the bloodvine.

The Mantrap

Basic Overview

Senses

Habitat

Special Abilities

Special Defenses
Regeneration

In the previous ages of Krynn, the mantrap was feared far and wide. Its ability to charm adventurers into its deadly embrace was well-known to all who dared to traverse through areas populated by such plants. However, with the departure of the gods, the mantrap has become nearly extinct. No one knows how such a thing could have occured, although many are grateful for it. So the stories of giant siren plants that fed off of adventurers far and wide slipped into myth and legend, along with the gods of old.
However, the a new strain of the mantrap has emerged. Deep within the bowels of Sable's swamp, these new mutant plants have acquired deadly new powers. Physically, the mantrap resembles its previous incarnation greatly. It is dark geen in color, and rooted to the ground. Long tendrils sprout out of the base, and hold four to five "pods." These are, in reality, giant "mouths" for the plant to eat its food. Tiny filiments along the mantrap's base releases a scent that entices humanoids. Once a humanoid smells this scent, he will follow it until he reaches the mantrap. Like a zombie, the person will climb into one of the pods, and slowly be devoured by the mantrap. To make this creature even more dangerous, the mantrap now sports thick tendrils with razor edges. These tendrils are used like whips to attack anyone who doesn't succumb to the charming scent. One touch of these tendrils can paralyze even the strongest warrior, making the paralyzed victim ready to be devoured.
The mantrap has also gained the ability to regenerate itself. Any wounds inflicted upon the mantrap are healed at an alarming rate. This new power has made adventurers wary of facing such a dangerous foe. However, the mantrap cannot regenerate any wounds that were inflicted with fire. Fire seems to be the plant's only weakness.

When heroes enter near missile range to a mantrap, they are subjected to its charm scent. All heroes must succeed in an challenging Spirit (Essence) action or be charmed by the plant. Charmed heroes will walk up to the mantrap, and crawl into one of the pods, where he/she will be devoured. Characters in a pod are subjected to 4 damage every minute as they are being digested.
The mantrap can also attack non-charmed heroes with its tendrils. Any hero hit with a tendril must succeed in an average Endurance (Physique) action or be paralyzed for ten minutes. Heroes who are paralyzed will be picked up by a tendril, and placed in a pod. One cannot escape from a pod from the inside. Damage dealt by a tendril is only 8 damage.

Spore Killer

Basic Overview

Senses

Habitat

Special Abilities

Special Defenses
None

The dangerous plant known as the Spore Killer looks innocent enough. This fungus-like plant lives off of trees and other plants. It is about a foot high, and dark blue in color. The petals of the flower look leafy, and they form a slight cone like an isis. However, they are one of the most dangerous plants in Sable's swamp. They were designed to protect Sable's lair from unwelcome visitors, but they have now spread throughout the entire swamp.
The moment anything jostles a spore killer, it releases a spray of golden spores. There are literally tens of thousands of these spores. Although these have the capacity to create a lot of new Spore Killer Plants, only two or three out of an entire spray actually survive. The dangerous thing about this spray of spores is, however, is that these spores are deadly to warm-blooded creatures. These spores somehow cling to one's body, and cause the skin to literally rot. The process usually takes an hour or two before the victim inevitably perishes.

Whenever a hero gets close to a Spore Killer (personal range), flip a card over from the Fate Deck. If the card has a black aura, then he trigegrs a spore spray. The spores will cover everything within near missile range. From then on, every ten minutes, every hero affected by the spores must give up a card from his/her Hand. This continues until the hero dies, or the disease is cured. A simple healing spell that heals five cards will purge the disease. The spell does not return lost cards; a second healing spell must be used for that.

Shambling Mound

Basic Overview

Senses

Habitat

Special Abilities

Special Defenses
immune to fire,
immune to cold,
lightning regeneration

Shambling Mounds are not actually a creation of Sable's. Rather, these malevolent creatures have roamed Krynn since the Age of Dreams. However, these insidious creatures seem to have migrated to Sable's swamp in the last few years, and Sable has welcomed them. Now, the majority of Ansalon's Shambling Mound population resides in Sable's swamp.
Shambling mounds appear to be heaps of rotting vegetation. However, these creatures are alive, to the dismay of many an adventurer. These intelligent plants have a roughly human shape, and even possess a brain-like control center in their chest areas. Shambling mounds are solitary beasts, usually living in abandoned areas devoid of civilized life. However, these creatures also have a mean streak, and will not hesitate to attack any trespassers. A shambling mound attacks with its "arms", and try to entangle its victims in its slimy vegetation. Victims are then suffocated to death.
Strangely enough, shambling mounds are immune to the effects both fire and cold. Lightning even seems to heal them!

Heroes who are successfully attacked by a shambling mound are subjected to its suffocation attack. Heroes must succeed in an average Endurance (Physique) action, or become entangled in the creatures appendages. A trapped hero is dealt 16 damage per minute until he/she is dead.
Shambling mounds cannot be hurt by the effects of fire or cold, so pyromancy and cryomancy spells won't hurt one. Also, any spells that deal damage from the school of Electromancy actually heal the amount of damage it was syupposed to inflict. Therefore, a 20 dmg. lightning bolt spell would infuse a shambling mound with 20 more points. Points gained in this way can actuall y cause a shambling mound to exceed its Physique score.

Dangerous Creatures

Heroes adventuring in Sable's swamp raely run into these monsters. However, Narrators can have adventurers run into them at their whim. For a more random process, each day that the heroes are adventuring in Sable's swamp, flip over a card from the Fate Deck. If the card is Onysablet's (6 of dragons), then the heroes encounter one of these monsters.

Swamp Naga

Basic Overview

Senses

Habitat

Special Abilities

Special Defenses
None

Nagas have always existed on Krynn. These magical, snake-like creatures populated Krynn long before Sable and the other Dragon Overlords arrived. They are an ancient species that has roots in the beginning of the world. However, Sable has managed to mutate a few of these creatures to suit her needs. Now, a new species of naga has emerged from Sable's swamp. These creatures are as dangerous as ever, and they're completely loyal to Sable.
Nick-named "Swamp Nagas" because of their favored enviroment, these creatures resemble traditional nagas in many ways. Both have snake-like bodies, with humanoid heads. Both have a strong affinity for magic. However, many things also set the Swamp Naga apart from its cousins. A Swamp Naga can grow up to 25' long. Its scaly skin is a jet black, with bone-white spines jutting from both sides. On the end of a Swamp Nagas tail is a stinger, filled with a deadly poison. Those who are stung, usually die in minutes. This poison also covers a Swamp Nagas fangs. A Nagas head is also very pale, with the skin pulled taut across the skull. In fact, the head of a Swamp Naga greatly resembles a skull.
A Swamp Naga also possesses great sorcerous power. Swamp Nagas have been known to control the very water around them, as well as expel deadly bolts of lightning. They can also affect the weapons of its prey, making the edges duller, or the metal, weaker. Besides this, Swamp Nagas seem to also control life or death. These creatures can kill a man with a word, as well as raise him back to undeath in the form of a zombie. These vile creatures have been known to command hoards of the undead.
Like their names imply, Swamp Nagas spen most of their time in the swamp. They are slow and sluggih on land, giving adventurers an edge if they can lure a Swamp Naga out of its home. However, these monstrous creatures are still a force to be reckoned with, as their slashing, poisonous fangs and command of dark sorcery instill a great feeling of fear and dread.

If a hero is bitten or stung by a Swamp Naga, then he/she must succeed in an average Endurance (Physique) action or be injected with poison. A poisoned hero loses one card from his/her hand per minute, until he/she is dead, or healed through magical means. A healing spell that heals at least five cards is needed to purge the poison. Lost cards are not regained unless another spell is cast.

Lokai

Basic Overview

Senses

Habitat

Special Abilities

Special Defenses
None