Ichneumon
- Armor Class
- -1 [20]
- Hit Dice
- 12 or 15
- Attacks
- Bite or Claw (1d6+2)
- Special
- poison, breath weapon, acid, fire, cold, immunity, jaw lock (8/round), rake (2d4 claws, 1d6 each)
- Move
- 15
- HDE/XP
- 12 or 15/2,000/2,900
Description
The Ichneumon is an eight-legged beast the size of a pony. Its head is like that of a bear. It has a long furry coat that can be white, black, red, blue, or green. It has a long, thick tapered tail. The male also has a lion mane and is up to 25% larger (and has 15 HD), and can weigh in excess of a thousand pounds.
In combat, the ichneumon prefers to hunt large prey. Against large prey, it will lock its jaws, inflicting 8 points of damage per round. It will simultaneously rake with 2d4 of its claws, each inflicting another 1d6 points of damage, until either it or its prey is dead. Against smaller opponents such as humanoids, the ichneumon will only be able to attack with one bite and its front 2 claws each round.
Because of its magical fur, the ichneumon takes half damage from slashing weapons, including the claws of other creatures. It is naturally immune to all poison of any kind, including gas. Its coat also gives it protection from cold, and it only takes half damage from magical cold including breath weapons. When on the prowl, the ichneumon will coat itself with several layers of mud that hardens. In this state, it is immune to normal fire and it will only take half damage from magical fire, lighting, or acid, including breath weapons.
The ichneumon loves to eat dragon scales and because of this is also known as the "Dragon Eater". When encountered in the wild, it will have no treasure. A female will usually nest in the lair of a defeated dragon along with a kit of up to HD6 and the dragon's hoard. Males, in contrast, lair in small isolated dens with no treasure.
Source note: This creature is converted from The Basic Fantasy Field Guide of Creatures Malevolent and Benign – Omnibus Edition, 1st Edition Release 4, © 2010–2025 Chris Gonnerman, R. Kevin Smoot, James Lemon, Matt Sluis, and Contributors. The Basic Fantasy Field Guide textual material is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International; this page adapts that creature to White Box.