The Quintessential Dwarf
| Author | Sam Witt |
| Publisher | Mongoose Publishing |
| Publish date | 2002 |
| OGL Section 15 | qdwf |
The material below is designated as Open Game Content
Paladins, druids and rangers have access to a wide variety of animal companions and mounts while traversing the surface, but these same classes receive much less support when moving through the underlands. Several new creatures are introduced here to serve as companions and mounts for these classes in a subterranean setting. While these creatures may certainly be used as foes for characters to encounter, their primary purpose is to serve as allies, not enemies.
Steeds of the Underlands
Horses are simply impractical in most of the underlands—skittish in enclosed quarters, they also have great difficulty in navigating slippery stone floors, and the uncertain lighting makes them prone to stumbling and breaking a leg. The races of the underlands have domesticated several animals to serve the same role in their societies as do horses in the surface communities. Animals which are suitable mounts for dwarven or other subterranean paladins are marked with an asterisk in their title.
Deep Crawler*
Large Beast
Hit Dice: 4d10+12 (34 hit points)
Initiative: +1 (Dex)
Speed: 40 feet; Climb 20 feet
AC: 14 (–1 Size, +1 Dex, +4 natural)
Attacks: 2 claws +6 melee
Damage: Claws 1d6+4
Face/Reach: 5 ft. by 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Qualities: Blindsight (Ex)
Saves: Fort +7, Ref +5, Will +3
Abilities: Str 18, Dex 12, Con 16, Int 2, Wis 14, Cha 6
Skills: Listen +8, Spot +8
Feats: —
Climate/Terrain: Any subterranean
Organization: Domesticated
Challenge Rating: 2
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: —
Deep crawlers are eyeless mammalian creatures which evolved in the subterranean environment of the underlands. Standing roughly 4 feet high at the shoulder, these creatures resemble lizards at first glance. Closer examination, however, reveals a fine layer of extremely soft grey fur and a stubby club of a tail instead of scales and the whipping appendage common to most reptiles.
Many dwarf clans have domesticated these animals, removing them from the natural ecology of the underlands and developing the desirable traits of loyalty and obedience in the creatures. Now the animals are widely used as beasts of burden and as mounts. Dwarven paladins make good use of these creatures, which adeptly make their way through the underlands by climbing over or around chasms and other obstructions.
Special saddles (25 pounds, 150 gp) which allow riders to cling to the backs of their mounts while the creatures climb up vertical walls or upside-down across ceilings may be purchased from most dwarves who sell these creatures.
In tunnels with low ceilings, deep crawlers may hunker down, reducing their speed to 30 feet but lowering their profile to a mere 2 feet at the shoulder. This allows them to make their way through very narrow tunnels without a significant impact on the speed at which they move.
Combat
Deep crawlers enjoy fighting with their masters and show none of a horse’s skittishness in the midst of battle. Their blindsight allows them to fight even when their riders are unable to see, giving deep crawlers an edge most surface mounts lack. Though deep crawlers are able to cling upside down to ceilings, they will fight only when standing on relatively solid ground and facing upright. During each combat round, the deep crawler lashes out with two claws and is capable of attacking while carrying a rider. The sinuous and graceful motions of the deep crawlers make them easier to ride than a standard horse, reducing the DC of all Ride skill checks by 2.
Mule Serpent
Large Beast
Hit Dice: 4d10+8 (30 hit points)
Initiative: +2 (Dex)
Speed: 50 feet
AC: 15 (–1 Size, +2 Dex, +4 natural)
Attacks: Slam +7 melee
Damage: Claws 1d6+5
Face/Reach: 5 ft. by 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Qualities: Blindsight (Ex)
Saves: Fort +8, Ref +6, Will +3
Abilities: Str 20, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 2, Wis 14, Cha 6
Skills: Listen +9, Spot +9
Feats: —
Climate/Terrain: Any subterranean
Organization: Domesticated
Challenge Rating: 2
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: —
These massive, thick-bodied snakes are the result of generations of careful dwarven breeding. Although the snake would be hopelessly incapable of surviving in the wild, as a domesticated beast of burden it makes a steadfast (and stubborn) mount.
These creatures have no eyes and only a thin slit for a mouth. Virtually all of the sensory information they gain is through a pair of pits located just above and behind their tiny nostrils, which provide the serpents with their blindsight. The creatures require a boiled gruel of mushrooms and other fungi as their daily diet. Lacking teeth, they are unable to hunt or otherwise procure their own meals, making them wholly dependent on their masters.
Other races use mule serpents as well, but only select clans of dwarves understand the proper method of breeding the creatures. Others have made the attempt to create their own strains of these creatures, to no avail.
Riding a mule serpent is possible only with the assistance of a specialised saddle (30 pounds, 150 gp), on which riders lie over the top of the serpent with their legs extended slightly below and behind the creature’s back. This unique riding posture gives rider and mount a very low profile (roughly 3 feet at the top of the rider’s back) but severely limits the rider’s mobility. Any skill checks or attack rolls made by the rider while in this saddle suffer a –2 circumstance penalty.
Combat: Mule serpents are largely inured to combat, paying no special attention to battles raging around them. They can attack at the behest of their rider but prefer to avoid fights whenever possible. If pressed by enemies or commanded to fight, the mule serpent will swing its massive, clublike head at enemies.
Boulder Beetles*
Large Vermin
Hit Dice: 4d8+8 (26 hit points)
Initiative: –1 (Dex)
Speed: 40 ft.
AC: 14 (–1 Size, –1 Dex, +6 natural)
Attacks: Bite +5 melee
Damage: Bite 1d10+4
Face/Reach: 5 ft. by 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Qualities: Blindsight (Ex)
Saves: Fort +5, Ref +0, Will +3
Abilities: Str 18, Dex 8, Con 14, Int —, Wis 14, Cha 11
Skills: Listen +6, Spot +8
Feats: —
Climate/Terrain: Any subterranean
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 2
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: —
These massive insects prowl around the tunnels of the underlands in search of carrion to consume. Ornery and unpredictable, boulder beetles are as likely to attack as they are to avoid interlopers into their territory. Named for the massive humps formed on their backs by their thick carapaces, boulder beetles are a common sight near large communities, where they feast on the waste dumped by the residents.
When tamed, boulder beetles can be used as mounts or beasts of burden. As long as they are kept well fed they are easy to deal with, but they will attempt to run off the first time they miss a meal. The back of a boulder beetle forms a natural saddle shape, complete with stirrup-like protrusions from the lower lip of the shell, obviating the need for a saddle of any kind when riding one of these creatures.
Combat
Given their head, battle beetles are more than ready to fight anyone who threatens them or their masters.
While not particularly bright, they recognize a threat when they see it and will savage anyone they deem dangerous. Biting with the massive pincers jutting from the fronts of their heads, these creatures are able to snip the heads off their enemies and serve paladins well as battle-ready mounts.
Cave Companions
While the animals of the underlands are more adept at hiding themselves than their surface cousins, there are still many creatures in the subterranean world suitable for use as animal companions by druids or rangers. This section provides information for a handful of these creatures.
Oilbird
Tiny Animal
Hit Dice: 1d8
Initiative: +4 (Dex)
Speed: 10 ft., Fly 50 ft.
AC: 14 (+4 Dex)
Attacks: Bite +5 melee
Damage: Bite 1d4
Face/Reach: 2 1/2 ft. by 2 1/2 ft./0 ft.
Special Qualities: Blindsight (Ex)
Saves: Fort +2, Ref +0, Will +3
Abilities: Str 5, Dex 18, Con 10, Int 1, Wis 12, Cha 12
Skills: Listen +5, Spot +7
Feats: Flyby attack
Climate/Terrain: Any subterranean
Organization: Flocks (2d12 adults with 2 young for every 1 adult)
Challenge Rating: .33
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: —
When boiled, young oilbirds yield an oil which is excellent for cooking or for use in waterproofing cloth or leather. Slow and fat, the baby oilbirds are easily caught while the adults are out scrounging for food, and young dwarves are often charged with rounding up several of the creatures when supplies of cooking oil run low.
The adults, however, are sleek and agile flyers who navigate the tunnels of the underlands using a form of echo-location. A powerful beak is the primary weapon of the mature oilbird and is used to snip off fruits, nuts and mushroom caps as the oilbird passes. While a bite is rarely fatal, young dwarves have been seriously injured when an angry mother oilbird returns during a chick harvest.
Roosting in the caverns of the underlands, oilbirds are as at home in the depths of the earth as other birds are in the skies overhead. Though oilbirds do occasionally find their way to the surface in search of food, the majority of these creatures stay below.
Combat
The oilbird feeding technique of snatching food from plants as they fly past is also favoured by them when they fight. Adult oilbirds swoop down on prey, deliver a vicious bite, and then fly away. This flyby attack makes swarms of oilbirds fairly dangerous to those unprepared to fight them and allows them to serve druids and rangers as excellent companions for harassing foes.
Dire Tuatara
Medium-sized Animal
Hit Dice: 3d8 (22 hp)
Initiative: +0 (Dex)
Speed: 30 ft., Burrow 15 ft.
AC: 14 (+4 Natural)
Attacks: Bite +4 melee
Damage: Bite 1d6+2
Face/Reach: 5 ft. by 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Qualities: Blindsight (Ex)
Saves: Fort +5, Ref +1, Will +2
Abilities: Str 14, Dex 10, Con 16, Int 1, Wis 12, Cha 10
Skills: Listen +5, Spot +7
Feats: —
Climate/Terrain: Any subterranean
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 2
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 4–6 HD (Large); 7–10 HD (Huge)
The dire tuatara is a much larger version of the common tuatara, a lizardlike creature with a thick body and large head. The dire tuatara has evolved to exist solely below the surface of the earth, using its burrowing ability to hide itself from predators. Feeding mostly on large insects and other vermin, the dire tuatara is a welcome sight to most dwarven communities.
The tuatara is rarely seen in groups, although they do swarm in shallow rivers or pools during the mating season. During this time males are likely to attack without provocation and dwarves give them wide berth for the week or two each year when their blood is up. The females are just as cranky after depositing their eggs in stony burrows and the wise dwarf will move far away from them rather than risk an encounter with an angry mother tuatara.
Combat
If provoked, or during the mating or egg-laying season, the tuatara simply lunges at anything which gets too close and attacks viciously. The creatures will run if reduced to half their normal hit points but have no fear of attacking creatures much larger than themselves.
Sometimes referred to as ‘scaled badgers’, these burrowing creatures live up to their name with their periodic bouts of mindless aggression.
Cave Caecilian
Medium-sized Animal
Hit Dice: 3d8+3
Initiative: +4 (Dex)
Speed: 30 ft., Burrow 15 ft., Swim 40 ft.
AC: 14 (+4 Dex)
Attacks: Bite +5 melee
Damage: Bite 1d6+1
Face/Reach: 5 ft. by 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Qualities: Blindsight (Ex)
Saves: Fort +2, Ref +5, Will +2
Abilities: Str 12, Dex 18, Con 12, Int 1, Wis 12, Cha 12
Skills: Listen +5, Spot +7
Feats: —
Climate/Terrain: Any subterranean or aquatic
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: .33
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 4–6 HD (Large); 7–10 HD (Huge)
These strange vertebrate creatures appear at first glance to be large earthworms, complete with segmented bodies and featureless heads and tails. Closer examination, however, reveals a fine pattern of fishlike scales along with tiny sensor pits and nostrils at the tip of the head. They also possess a surprisingly large mouth filled with blunt, toothlike plates used to crush the insects upon which they feed. These creatures may be found anywhere below ground and occasionally appear on the surface after swimming up streams and rivers in search of food.
Combat
Normally quite passive, the caecilian reacts to threats quickly and decisively, launching itself at attackers with its jaws agape. These agile creatures attempt to escape if they suffer more than a quarter of their hit points in damage, slithering into water or into their burrows if given the opportunity.
