go further and require the cock to be seven years old, the dog star Sirius to be ascendant, and for the toad to incubate the egg for upwards of nine years. Unsurprisingly, the cockatrice is a fairly rare animal. Due to its lethal gaze, is a fairly aggressive animal and will readily attack anything it perceives as prey. They fear weasels, however, and will usually flee from an encounter with one. Solitary creatures, cockatrice usually lair in caves, wells, and dank basements. They are found all across Europe, especially in England and France. Historical Notes: The cockatrice is a later Middle Ages development of the basilisk. While highly lethal, it’s not quite as destructive as the basilisk is said to be. The cockatrice was significantly easier to defeat, and the Sample file commonly agreed method was through the use of a mirror, which was used to reflect the cockatrice’s gaze the target is subject to a Lethal (-4) poison. If back into its own eyes. the intended target is using a mirror to block the Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d4 (A), Spirit d6, cockatrice’s gaze, then if the Agility check results Strength d4, Vigor d8 in a raise, the cockatrice is affected by the poison Skills: Fighting d8, Notice d6 instead. Size -2: Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 4 • A cockatrice is no more than a few feet in length. Special Abilities: • Small: Attackers subtract 2 from their attacks to Flight: • A cockatrice has a Flying Pace of 10 and a hit. Climb of 0. • Weakness (Rue and Weasels): The rue (a plant) Lethal Gaze: • A cockatrice can use it lethal gaze and weasels are unaffected by a cockatrice’s to fill any creature it can see with deadly poisons. poisons. In addition, weasels despise the cockatrice The cockatrice and its intended target must make and will readily hunt them down and kill them. an opposed Agility check. If the cockatrice wins,

13 CROCODI LE The crocodile is a large yellow reptile with a tough, thick hide, and four legs armed with sharp claws. Lengths of thirty feet are common and the crocodile’s great size, along with its mouthful of sharp teeth, make it a feared predator. They live in and around the Nile River, where they remain in the water during the day, but come ashore at night to feed. Crocodiles prey on anything they can catch, but have a fondness for humans. Oddly enough, a crocodile will weep after eating a man. Various explanations have been offered for this behavior, Attributes: ranging from showing repentance for the act, to Agility d6, Smarts d4 (A), Spirit d6, bewailing the small size of the meal. Strength d12+3, Vigor d12 SampleSkills: file Crocodiles normally lay in wait in the water and Fighting d8, Notice d6, Swimming d8 will rush out onto shore to attack its prey. Once bitten Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 16 (2) the prey will be dragged back into the water to be Special Abilities: drowned and torn apart. Crocodiles are also known • Armor +2: Crocodiles have thick hides. to upset boats to get at the occupants, and can leap vertically out of the water to catch unaware prey on a • Aquatic: Pace 6. overhanging bank. • Bite: Str +d8 It is said that a tooth taken from the jaw of a • Large: Attackers add +2 to their attack rolls when live crocodile and worn around the neck will cure fighting a crocodile due to its great size. impotence. • Lunging: If a crocodile starts its movement in deep Historical Notes: The medieval crocodile is fairly water, it can leap forward 5” or upwards 2”. close in size and general habits to the real Nile • Rollover: After biting its prey a crocodile will seek crocodile, although the coloration is a bit off. The to drag it into the water and then spin in place, belief the crocodile wept after consuming a man gave tearing its victim to pieces. If a crocodile hits with rise to the phrase “to cry crocodile tears,” symbolizing a raise, it causes an extra 2d4 rollover damage to its a false display of sorrow, which is still in use to this prey in addition to its regular Strength damage. day. • Size +6: Crocodiles can reach lengths of 30 feet.

14 had two (meaning it looked much like the classic DRAGON wyvern), but might have none or as many as four. Art of the middle ages tends to depict dragons as fairly A dragon is an immense reptile, said to be the small, usually not much bigger than a horse (if that.) largest of all the living things in the world. It is often Literature, on the other hand, described dragons as described as being snakelike, with two or four legs the largest of land-dwelling creatures. The epic poem and two large bat-like wings. The body is heavily Beowulf gives a length of 50 feet for the dragon that scaled, the feet have powerful claws, and the head is kills the titular hero, while other stories describe equipped with long sharp teeth. Coloration varies, dragons as being “...10 paces in length...” (roughly 25 with green and brown predominant. to 48 feet long), or stating a slain dragon required Dragons are reputed to live in many parts of the four carts to haul it away. world, including Ethiopia, Libya, greater Africa, and India. They’re known to have ravenous appetites, WILD CARD and will greedily devour anything they can catch. Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6 (A), Spirit d6, The dragon’s favorite prey is the elephant, which Strength d12+9, Vigor d12 are caught by encircling them with their long tails Skills: in order to strangle them to death. However, this Fighting d10, Intimidation d12, Notice d10, method of hunting has its drawbacks, as the newly Swimming d6 slain elephant will often crush the dragon as it falls Pace: 8; Parry: 7; Toughness: 20 (4) dead. They will often settle in an area frequented by Special Abilities: people and feast off of local livestock. If possible, • Armor +4: Scaled hide. the dragon will terrorize the local population into keeping it well-fed with offerings of cattle, and once • Aquatic: Pace 4. that runs out, it will demand a human sacrifice • Bite/Claws: Str +d8. (usually of a maiden.) • Constrict: A dragon can use its tail to entangle Dragons are capable of laying entire regions to foes and then crush the life out of them. If it gets a waste, both through devouring anything living, and raise with a Fighting roll, it can wrap its tail around from poisoning the ground and water with their a target, entangling it. On the round the dragon bodies. The only thing the dragon fears is theSample sweet makesfile the entangle and each round thereafter, breath of the panther, and it will flee from this scent it cause damage to its prey equal to Str+d6. The as quickly and rapidly as possible. entangled victim may attempt to escape on his There are many stories surrounding dragons and action by getting a raise on an opposed Strength the magical powers that can gained from their body roll. parts. Bathing in dragon’s blood is thought to make • Fear: Anyone who sees a dragon must make a Fear one invulnerable, while eating a dragon’s heart is check at –2. supposed to grant understanding of the speech of • Flight: Dragons have a Flying Pace of 20” and a birds and animals. Cutting open the head of a living Climb of 0. dragon will reveal the dracone, a precious pure-white • Hardy: A dragon doesn’t suffer a wound from being jewel that has no equal in the world. Shaken twice. Dragons are also known by the names draco, • Huge: Attackers add +4 to their attack rolls when drake, and drakon. fighting a dragon due to its immense size. Historical Notes: The word “dragon” is descended • Improved Frenzy: A dragon may make two from the Greek word “draco,” which was used for Fighting attacks with no penalty. any immense snake. Medieval dragons were often snakelike themselves, and possessed either four, two, • Size +8: Dragons are the largest of all living things or no legs. As for wings, the medieval dragon usually found on land. The one presented here is roughly

15 Sample file 50 feet in length. • Great Intelligence: Raise the dragon’s Smarts to d8 • Tail Lash: A dragon can sweep can sweep all (or more) and remove the (A). opponents in its rear facing in a 3” long by 6” wide • Great Wisdom: Raise the dragon’s spirit to d8 (or rectangle. This is a standard Fighting attack, and more). damage is equal to the dragon’s Strength –2. • Immunity: The dragon is unaffected by fire-based • Weakness (Panthers): The dragon hates and fears attacks. the panther and will immediately flee the area if it • Immunity: The dragon does not suffer from disease detects the scent of the panther’s sweet breath. or poison. DRAGON OPTIONS • Infravision: The dragon halves penalties for poor lighting when dealing with warm targets. • Fiery Breath: A dragon breathes fire using the Cone Template. Every target within this cone may • Low-Light Vision: The dragon ignores penalties for make an Agility roll at –2 to avoid the attack. Those Dim or Dark lighting. who fail suffer 2d10 damage and must check to see • Noxious Breath: A dragon breathes out a cloud if they catch fire. A dragon may not attack with its of poison using the Cone Template. Every target claws or bite in the round it breathes fire. within this cone is subject to a Venomous [-2] poison.

16 cetus, island-whale, jasconis, leviathan, and zaratan. The aspidochelone is a similar to the fastitocalon, BATHING IN DRAGON BLOOD except it has the appearance of a great turtle instead A character who bathes in the blood of a of a whale. dragon will permanently have invulnerability to Historical Notes: Stories of a whale mistaken for an non-magical melee and ranged weapons, as the island can be found in the myths and legends of many Monstrous Ability of the same name. cultures, including the Irish tale of Saint Brendan and the Tales of the Arabian Nights. The whale itself, with EATING A DRAGON’S HEART its ability to attract unsuspecting fish with its sweet A character that cooks and eats a portion of breath, was considered symbolic of the devil, who a dragon’s heart permanently gains the ability ensnares unwary men with false promises. to speak with animals as if they had the Beast The exact size of an island-whale is open to Friend power. However, aside from speaking speculation. Period paintings and engravings show with animals, the character gains no other an animal that was either as big, or far bigger than aspects of the Beast Friend power. any ship, giving it a length of 100 to 400 feet. This character sheet is for a whale that measures a roughly 1,000 feet in length, certainly large enough for anyone to mistake it for an island. You may wish to scale the FASTITOCALON size of fastitocalon up or down as needed, depending on campaign scale and the needs of the plot. Fastitocalon is an immense whale, with a back described as being gray and rough, like a gravely WILD CARD beach. It is known for its habit of sleeping at the Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4 (A), Spirit d6, surface of the ocean, drifting slowly with the waves Strength d12+12, Vigor d12 and currents. As it sleeps, the fastitocalon’s back lies exposed to the air and slowly becomes covered with sand, dirt, and plant growth, until it resembles an island. It is often Sample file mistaken for such by passing sailors; a potentially costly mistake. If the sailors anchor for the night and build a cook fire on the ‘island,’ the heat of the fire will disturb the whale and cause it to dive to the bottom of the sea, drowning all who are on its back. Normally a lethargic animal (it can sleep for years at a time), the fastitocalon doesn’t chase down schools of fish in order to feed. Instead, it simply opens its mouth, as its sweet breath will attract all manner of fish to be devoured by the island- whale’s gaping maw. The fastitocalon is also known by the following names: aspidochelone,

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