Friday, April 30, 2010

For Whom Does the Squonk Cry? ...It cries for you.

Squonks are found in heavily forested regions and are rarely seen. They are extremely ugly and solitary creatures, having thick loose skin that hangs in folds around their midsection with warts and open oozing sores that the creatures pick at constantly. About the size of a large wolf, they walk on all fours but will occasionally stand on their hind legs and sit like a person. Their mouth is usually agape and panting, and their large fish like heads and bulbous eyes are always bobbing and tearful.

They are usually encountered by those who first heard their incessant sobbing and sought to investigate. Many reasons are given for why the creatures are always crying, but the truth of the matter remains uncertain. Some speculate that it’s because of a curse that has befallen their species, while others say that it’s merely intended to lure potential victims. In any case, they are very unpredictable and can be quite dangerous. They are able to move quickly when they wish to, and besides their long claws, they also have numerous sharp teeth in their large mouths.

The Squonk is often blamed for the disappearance of children and young maidens. They speak the common tongue, and have the magical ability of disappearing into a pool of their own tears.

Squonk

Armor Class: 7[12]
Hit Dice: 3+3
Attacks: 2 claws (1d3), 1 bite (1d6)
Saving Throw: 14
Special: Regenerates 1hp/round. Teleport (can only be used when unseen, leaves behind a pool of nonmagical water)
Move: 18
Challenge Level / XP: 5 / 240


I've been meaning to stat this creature for about thirty years now, having originally been inspired by this song. This post's contents licensed under the OGL.

3 comments:

Matthew Schmeer said...

Yeah! Most excellent!

How about the Hodag? The Hog Bear? The Hoopsnake? The Jackalope?

Fearsome Creatures (also known as Fearsome Critters) is a great resource. I was planning on stating and writing up all the creatures therein back in the day, but that project fell to the wayside. Now that the book is available on Google Books (it is now in the public domain), I'm thinking about revisiting that project.

Trey said...

This is cool--and should be useful in my fantasy, pulp-era, not-America of the City.

ze bulette said...

Thanks!
@Matthew: I didn't realize it was available on Google Books, that deserves a post on its own.

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