Nazgorean, Tigersquid

Description

The term Nazgorean refers to any of a group of monstrous otherworldly creatures believed to be from a realm or dimension called Nazgor. Little is known about this realm or its inhabitants, but all that have been encountered so far share a few common traits.

In general, a being from Nazgor has a grayish cast to its skin, which is usually wet and slimy. It suffers damage when exposed to sunlight and/or dry air. Sunlight alone causes 1d4 points of damage per hour, as does dry air; exposure to both causes 1d8 points of damage per hour unless the being can periodically wet its skin and move into areas of shadow or darkness.

Nazgoreans are truly alien, so much so that their brains are effectively immune to all forms of Sleep, charm, or hold magic. Attempting to read the mind of a Nazgorean (via Detect Thoughts (ESP), for example) causes the character who made the attempt to make a saving throw or become confused (as the spell) for 2d6 rounds. Those which are apparently sentient cannot learn any normal language, nor is it generally possible for normal characters or creatures to learn their language (if indeed they have one; none have ever been witnessed engaging in any sort of conversation). Finally, they cannot perform magic in any normal way; even magic items that normally work for any character or creature will not function in their hands.

A Tigersquid has the general body plan of a normal tiger, but its bulbous head has only a large squidlike beak; it has no eyes, ears, nor even nostrils. Tigersquids seem to sense their environment by means of sound alone, in much the same way as hydramanders, but tigersquids have far sharper hearing. They can sense a creature by its heartbeat, for example, and only magical silence will "blind" them.

The most notable feature of a tigersquid is its tentacles; six short, powerful tentacles form a sort of "mane" around its head, and two long, slender tentacles serve as its tail. When stalking prey, the neck-tentacles lie flat against its back in rows, resembling a cape; when attacking, they fan out, making it look even larger than it is. The tail-tentacles twist and twine constantly, but are only used in combat if the creature decides to flee (i.e. fails a morale check).

A tigersquid makes an attack roll for each of its neck- tentacles, attacking just one creature; on a successful hit, these tentacles hold fast to the victim. If the tigersquid hits with even one tentacle, the victim is immobilized (unless it can successfully lift or drag the tigersquid, which will weigh between 800 and 1,200 pounds). If it rolls a 20 on a d20 for a neck-tentacle attack, it may automatically bite for 1d12 points of damage. (It will not attack with its bite in any other way; if it has not found an opening with its tentacles, it will not try to bite.) On such a roll of 20 on a d20, the victim is no longer able to attack, or indeed take almost any other action. Once a hold is established, the tigersquid will continue to hold its victim from round to round, attempting to hit with any un-engaged tentacles and then biting whenever one of those attack rolls is a 20 on a d20. Instead of attacking (if this is possible at all), a victim hit by a tigersquid's neck-tentacles is allowed a saving throw with Strength bonus (or penalty) added; if this roll succeeds, the victim has escaped one tentacle, and is allowed another roll immediately. So long as the victim succeeds at their saving throw, another saving throw may be attempted, with each success freeing the victim from another tentacle.

If a tigersquid fails a morale check, it will release any hold it has, turn suddenly, and attack with its tail- tentacles. Unlike the neck-tentacles, the tail-tentacles may attack two different targets (if two are adjacent to the monster) or both may be directed against one opponent. If either or both hits, they wrap around the target; a saving throw with Strength bonus (or penalty) added is allowed, with success meaning that the target's legs are held but its arms are free. Otherwise, the victim’s arms and legs are held. Either way, any tail-tentacle that hits will detach from the monster and remain holding the victim, and on each subsequent round (not including the round when the attack was rolled) the victim suffers 1d4 points of damage from constriction. Detached tail-tentacles are AC 5 [14], HD 1, and can continue constricting a victim for 2d4 rounds before dying if not killed sooner. A victim who fails the initial saving throw will be unable to escape without help, but if the initial save is made, a second save on a subsequent round will permit the victim to slip free.

Regardless of the success or failure of this attack, the tigersquid will flee at top speed in the following round. Opponents adjacent to the monster may make "parting shot" attacks, as it is depending on the tail-tentacles to immobilize its attackers.

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.

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