DESERT MONSTERS

                                       by
                                     NealeD


Digging through stuff to throw away, I recently unearthed a handful of AD&D
monsters I had created for a campaign I had written called Taibaijan. The
campaign never really took off, due to lack of time on my part, and so the
material was scattered to the desert winds.

I'm placing the three creatures I found here, for public use. The material ISN'T
copyrighted, but I would appreciate that those people who might want to use it
in their own work cite some credit.

Anyway, here they are...



SAND CRAWLER

Climate/Terrain:    Desert
Frequency:          Common
Organization:       Pack
Activity Cycle:     Any
Diet:               Carnivore
Intelligence:       Animal

No Appearing:       2d10
Armor Class:        3
Movement:           6
Hit Dice:           1/2 (4HP)
Thaco:              18
No Attacks:         1 Claw, 1/2 Tail
Damage:             1d4 Claw, 1d10 Tail
Special Attacks:    None
Special Defense:    1/2 Damage from edged weapons
Magic Resist:       Nil
Size:               Small
Morale:             65%
XP Value:           15HP

Sand Crawlers resemble large (but thankfully not giant) scorpions. They are not
poisonous, but do strike for considerable damage with their tails and usually
arrive in large enough numbers to be considered a threat. Many travellers in
Taibaijan have discovered how dangerous these beasts truly are.



SAND SNAKE

Climate/Terrain:    Desert
Frequency:          Common
Organization:       Pack or Solitary
Activity Cycle:     Nocturnal
Diet:               Carnivore
Intelligence:       Animal

No Appearing:       1d6
Armor Class:        5
Movement:           18
Hit Dice:           1 (8HP)
Thaco:              15
No Attacks:         1 Claw, 1/2 Tail
Damage:             1d4 Bite
Special Attacks:    Poison Bite, Induces sleep
Special Defense:    None
Magic Resist:       Nil
Size:               Small
Morale:             70%
XP Value:           65

Sand Snakes are reptilic with strong scale armor. They are feared in the desert
for their poisonous bite, which induces sleep as per the spell of the same name.
They have no true stealth abilities though their coloration (a light tan) can
make them somewhat difficult to spot within the desert.



SCORPONOK

Climate/Terrain:    Desert
Frequency:          Very Rare
Organization:       Solitary
Activity Cycle:     Daylight
Diet:               Omnivore
Intelligence:       Animal

No Appearing:       1 or 1d4
Armor Class:        -3
Movement:           6
Hit Dice:           20 (160HP)
Thaco:              5
No Attacks:         2 Claw, 1 Tail
Damage:             3d10 Claw, 5d10 Bite
Special Attacks:    Poison Breath as Dragon
Special Defense:    Immnue to poison, 1/2 Damage from edged weapons
Magic Resist:       Nil
Size:               Huge
Morale:             100%
XP Value:           16.000

The single most feared monster of the desert, the monstrous Scorponok has
swallowed whole caravans. It strikes quickly and powerfully, devouring anything
near it. The thick armored hide and its unnatural speed make it a tough opponent
to strike. The best known strategy when confronting a Scorponok is to retreat.