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530 Frost Grass - A plant found only in the coldest regions of the roof of the world this blue/green grass thrives in the coldest environments but dies when brought to more temperate climes. It has a unqiue property of radiating cold leading to expeditions harvesting it to sell to the wealthy and powerful in nearby lands who enjoy using it to cool...I like this one, because it could be related vaguely to brown mold, and is similar to a plant from the Scarred Lands setting called maidenhair (IIRC), a vine that absorbs heat (while not being fire resistant!) creating a pocket of cool air around itself (and attracting moisture as well) and is cultivated in the swelteringly hot and arid climate of Hollowfaust to keep the surroundings livable.
Druids or wizards who live in regions where Frost Grass grows might be able to magically prolong its ability to absorb heat to weave the fibers into cloth that remains cool even on the hottest days, and sell it far, far to the south, where such a thing would be refreshing and not as deadly as it would be to people who live in the regions where frost grass tends to grow... It'd be a cheap sort of 'magic item,' a suit that gives you a small bonus to avoid heat exhaustion or rolls to avoid environmental heat damage or something.
Interesting idea and yes I can see a frostgrass outfit prepared by say a small sect of roof of the world druids offering a +2 to fort saves against extreme heat and a pleasant scent of new cut grass.
SEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEETAA
545: Isn't that the large, garish, mushroom with tremor sense that screams that when it senses movement? Only invisibility to plants will bypass it and it's known to spread to areas where it's not wanted.
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545. SEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEETAA- This smallish canid-like creature is best known for the extra flap of skin along its neck and back, which, when it stands on it's hind legs to look around (or as a trick to get more food from the strange bipedal beings that seem to fawn over it), make it look as if it is wearing a dramatic hooded cape. It is theorized that this extra skin keeps them warm in winter months, but SEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEETAA(Set for short) are popular pets in urban areas for creative types, who find the little guys inspire them to great heights in writing, art, or music. Sets are rarely chosen for familiar, however, bards known for writing epics often say they didn't know how they got along before getting a Set.
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546. Sad Soup This tiny magical flowering plant can be pulled up gently- roots and all- and ground into a powder that needs only a few drops of salinated liquid to turn it into a mug of nourishing broth. It can indeed be made with a few humanoid tears, and all gods of mercy and healing ensure their faithful carry a few blooms of it when out on official business to use akin to an olive branch when visiting a besieged force, and it is usually respected as such. Adventurers and similar ne'er do wells avoid it out of a very serious superstition.
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547. Sand Cactus Needle The needles harvested from the rare, enormous Sand Needle Cactus (smaller specimens measure 6 feet tall, with 9 feet being the average) are unique in that they are hollow and sturdy, coming to a delicate, perfect point. Someone attempting to envenom them for use as injectable or contact poison never runs the risk of poisoning themselves. They are derided in the assassin community, however, as they are seen as a neophytes weapon- despite their rarity, the needles create such a unique ring-like puncture wound that anyone with even a dash of forensics knowledge would suspect this weapon (DC 15 Healing check for anyone living in a desert community, 20 for a community neighboring a desert, 25 for one neighboring a desert neighbor, and so on, -5 DC for bards, -10 DC for assassins), and the weapons themselves are so rare that anyone openly displaying one is essentially advertising their trade(similar DC upon observation). The needles themselves are poor weapons, only doing a single point of damage, but do inflict the bleed condition if used while "empty", making them even more unpopular among subtler assassins.
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548. Dire Truffle: These gigantic truffles grow over the course of several years amid the roots of the most ancient of enchanted trees. Easily reaching the size of an orc's head, a dire truffle is significantly less flavorful than its smaller cousin, with a taste closer to that of a button mushroom. Dire truffles are usually either minced for sauces and soups or sliced and cooked like steaks.
549. Butterlily: Its floating pads said to be the favored abode of the mythical butterfrog, this amphibious relative of the water lily produces brilliant golden blossoms. Butterlilies can last for days without water through a method of metabolizing the abundant nectar they store, causing them to take on a gentle fragrance some have likened to maple syrup or butterscotch. Some rustic communities have customs of wearing butterlilies as accessories, strung to their heads with ribbons.
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Just figured I'd throw these in from MLP as really they're nightmare fuel.
550. Fred: This much feared species of tree found in swamplands has long born the name of the poor soul who first found out how it propagates. With long drooping branches similar to a weeping willow and distinctive blue star shaped flowers with orange spots the Fred has a very unusual means of reproduction. Living beings exposed to the flowers when the drop off the tree contract swamp fever (DC20, 2 saves a day). The first stage has the victim develop a rash of orange spots all across their body, the second stage causes them to start coughing up bubbles and sneezing lightning bolts, the third stage causes them to suffer from confusion and the final stage causes them to turn into another Fred. The only known cure is by eating flash bee honey.
551. Flash Bee: An oversized species of bee with blue and yellow stripes and a lightning bolt shaped stinger is highly aggressive and able to fire little bolts of electricity (jolt once per round) at anyone who approaches their hives. Although often avoided by those who recognize the species it's honey is sometimes harvested as it can serve as a cure for even otherwise terminal cases of swamp fever. The flash Bee is immune to the effects of Freds flowers and can often be seen visiting them for pollen.
551. Poison Joke: Found in magical forests this large blue flower with eight petals four spread open and four angled upward is often found growing in large patches. Although seemingly harmless at first 24 hours after exposure the victim suffers a nasty prank based on their personality. For example ...
1) Someone who is proud of their agility may find their limbs swapped around causing them to fumble even simple tasks or their size shrunk to that of a toy.
2) Someone who loves to eat may find their teeth becoming soft and spongy making it impossible to manage anything more than soup or other soft liquids.
3) Someone very proud of their masculinity may be turned into a girl.
4) An extrovert skilled at talking and joking may find their tongue swelling to the point anything they say is unintelligible.
Fortunately there is a cure that can be added to a bath and soaked in it readily available in most areas where the plant grows.
Just figured I'd throw these in from MLP as really they're nightmare fuel.
550. Fred: This much feared species of tree found in swamplands has long born the name of the poor soul who first found out how it propagates. With long drooping branches similar to a weeping willow and distinctive blue star shaped flowers with orange spots the Fred has a very unusual means of reproduction. Living beings exposed to the flowers when the drop off the tree contract swamp fever (DC20, 2 saves a day). The first stage has the victim develop a rash of orange spots all across their body, the second stage causes them to start coughing up bubbles and sneezing lightning bolts, the third stage causes them to suffer from confusion and the final stage causes them to turn into another Fred. The only known cure is by eating flash bee honey.
551. Flash Bee: An oversized species of bee with blue and yellow stripes and a lightning bolt shaped stinger is highly aggressive and able to fire little bolts of electricity (jolt once per round) at anyone who approaches their hives. Although often avoided by those who recognize the species it's honey is sometimes harvested as it can serve as a cure for even otherwise terminal cases of swamp fever. The flash Bee is immune to the effects of Freds flowers and can often be seen visiting them for pollen.
551. Poison Joke: Found in magical forests this large blue flower with eight petals four spread open and four angled upward is often found growing in large patches. Although seemingly harmless at first 24 hours after exposure the victim suffers a nasty prank based on their personality. For example ...
1) Someone who is proud of their agility may find their limbs swapped around causing them to fumble even simple tasks or their size shrunk to that of a toy.
2) Someone who loves to eat may find their teeth becoming soft and spongy making it impossible to manage anything more than soup or other soft liquids.
3) Someone very proud of their masculinity may be turned into a...
I just can't get into the new show. I just can't.
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...Just figured I'd throw these in from MLP as really they're nightmare fuel.
550. Fred: This much feared species of tree found in swamplands has long born the name of the poor soul who first found out how it propagates. With long drooping branches similar to a weeping willow and distinctive blue star shaped flowers with orange spots the Fred has a very unusual means of reproduction. Living beings exposed to the flowers when the drop off the tree contract swamp fever (DC20, 2 saves a day). The first stage has the victim develop a rash of orange spots all across their body, the second stage causes them to start coughing up bubbles and sneezing lightning bolts, the third stage causes them to suffer from confusion and the final stage causes them to turn into another Fred. The only known cure is by eating flash bee honey.
551. Flash Bee: An oversized species of bee with blue and yellow stripes and a lightning bolt shaped stinger is highly aggressive and able to fire little bolts of electricity (jolt once per round) at anyone who approaches their hives. Although often avoided by those who recognize the species it's honey is sometimes harvested as it can serve as a cure for even otherwise terminal cases of swamp fever. The flash Bee is immune to the effects of Freds flowers and can often be seen visiting them for pollen.
551. Poison Joke: Found in magical forests this large blue flower with eight petals four spread open and four angled upward is often found growing in large patches. Although seemingly harmless at first 24 hours after exposure the victim suffers a nasty prank based on their personality. For example ...
1) Someone who is proud of their agility may find their limbs swapped around causing them to fumble even simple tasks or their size shrunk to that of a toy.
2) Someone who loves to eat may find their teeth becoming soft and spongy making it impossible to manage anything more than soup or other soft liquids.
3) Someone very proud of their
I thought there was only a movie, not as bad as I expected but felt like they were already dumbing it down and would be more kid focused.
There's talk about the villainess stealing cutie marks, and the dark shadow pit are more horror oriented, so you might give the new series more of a chance.
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549. Butterlily: Its floating pads said to be the favored abode of the mythical butterfrog, this amphibious relative of the water lily produces brilliant golden blossoms. Butterlilies can last for days without water through a method of metabolizing the abundant nectar they store, causing them to take on a gentle fragrance some have likened to maple syrup or butterscotch. Some rustic communities have customs of wearing butterlilies as accessories, strung to their heads with ribbons.
552. Air Lily: This plant closely resembles the water lily, to which it is a close cousin, but often grows quite large, a meter or even two meters across, and has thick leaves with internal partitions that fill over the summer of their growth with hydrogen extracted from the water, until they lift off of the surface of the ponds on which they grow and drift into the sky, assisted by a hydrophilic coating they secrete on their underside, making them slide free from the water's grasp. They no longer grow at this point, unable to draw nutrients from the earth, and their floating 'pad' detaches from the root/stem at this point, which remains anchored to the earth and grows a new 'lily' next year. Meanwhile, for several days, the autumn skies are filled with drifting air lilies, which eventually lose pressure due to elevation or predation by birds, and fall to the earth, often miles away from their point of origin, and potentially spreading their seeds far, far from their parent plant.
The hydrophilic oil they secrete in the days before liftoff is sought after by experienced bookbinders and papermakers, particularly those crafting adventuring spellbooks, seacharts, ship's logs, or other tomes or scrolls meant to survive regular exposure to humid conditions.
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553. Spite Mites- These incredibly small arachnids are spiders, not mites(they get their name due to their size), being ambush predators who weave very small webs in corners which collect dust and seem innocuous to passing insects until the hidden spite mite rushes out and grabs it. They get their name from the unusual strength of their webs, which are slightly magical and attached to their creator by a gossamer strand, and when destroyed- whether by a broom or a fire- should the attached spite mite survive the attack, the spite mite will create a new web that can survive the attack that took out its predecessor. For example, a web destroyed by a physical attack, the spite mite's next web will have DR -/1. A web destroyed by fire will see the next one created by a spite mite to have flame resistance 1. A spite mite can only have one type of resistance to a type of damage available on their webbing at a time, and the mite itself is just as vulnerable to damage as any other insect. They are prized in both urban settings as they hunt down pests, but as they are solitary creatures, they are not as welcome in rural settings as they do not gather in numbers large enough to put a dent into pest insect populations there. To call someone a spite mite is to be respectful of the time they have spent in their profession or neighborhood, and to defer to their expertise; it is especially popular in militaries where noblemen with next to no combat knowledge may be looking for a spite mite of a man at arms to keep them abreast of certain situations. They are far too physically small to be made into familiar, however, wizards do study the creatures regularly.
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554. Mite Drider: Some bored Drow wizard spent a lazy afternoon punishing his mite minion Nykal by fusing it to a small monstrous spider, creating the first mite/drider.
'Mite Drider. A shadowy flight into the dangerous world of a creature that should not exist. Nykal Mite: a wretched minion on a desperate quest to survive and thrive, in a darklands full of sadistic dark elves who operate above the law.'
Nykal would take umbrage at being called 'inconsequential,' but, honestly, the most dangerous thing about him was the poison his spider-half no longer has, since his upper torso has replaced his 'spider face.' So he's somehow become less of a threat than the average small monstrous spider...
On the other hand, he was fused to a female spider, and it laid hundreds of eggs, that for inexplicable reasons, are maturing into little mite driders, instead of normal spiderlings. So his 'master' is in for a nasty surprise!
Such an interesting thread.
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555. Pet Rock- Whether these rocks are truly sentient is a debate that goes back many, many years, but as they cannot be made into familiar, most wizards, even those who are fans of them, sadly state they are nothing more than just rocks. However they are mildly magical in that, despite the fact that they are rocks and act like rocks in all ways, they don't FEEL like rocks. Some feel abrasive, like rubbing the rough side of velcro, others feel soft as satin, still others feel furry as if they were covered in dry-ish moss. Some feel like mortal tongues complete with wet undulating, but once one lets go of the rock and investigates their appendage, there is no sign of anything that the person touching it experienced, and the rock looks just like any other. When found, pet rocks are kept as lucky(licky?) charms by just about everyone across all cultures, although Dwarves clearly have a soft spot for them, with Dwarven rogues in particular enjoying selling fake versions to gullible passersby, sometimes going so far as to make little cages to keep them in.
Bein cursed to being a mite drider or pet rock is particularly horrible. Only legend lore or true seeing might let you recognize the poor unfortunate who was turned into a rock.
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556. Eternity Egg- These curious eggs are said to be laid by chickens after a night of passion with an impotent cockatrice. These eggs are slightly heavy when compared to a chicken egg, but are otherwise quite normal. They always show signs of being viable and close to hatching and are so jealously guarded by hens. Under close observation they always hatch as if a baby chick is about to come into the world but what happens after the hatching event is that all that is revealed is another egg of similar size and shape that is also close to hatching. Wizards and sorcerers who see this say it is like watching an invisible chick hatching, but always results in another egg. These eternity eggs are seen as a dark joke by farmers and are seen as signs of fertility or infertility by priests of gods disposed to such things. They are often quite valuable, although they are fragile- if broken by a heavy enough fall, they shatter into absolute nothingness. Thief guilds use these as a sign to those who receive them that they must destroy their stock to the very last- they are about to be raided by the authorities.
Eternity Eggs are an omen of encroaching chaos. It's often followed by burning ice cubes and other wild surges.
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557. Stone Eggs. Most cockatrice eggs are normal, and hatch normally to produce yet more of the noisome creatures, but one in ten is petrified by the mother's touch, and is a normally-shaped egg made of granite, that obviously never hatches. It weighs about 5 lbs, and, due to it's shape, is neither useful as building material, nor paperweight, being useful only perhaps as a sling stone for a stone giant...
Casting stone to flesh ends the petrification and turns the stone egg back into a fertile cockatrice egg, which, if properly warmed and nurtured, will hatch into an advanced cockatrice.
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558. Entanglement Corn. If two or more people eat from the same cob for the rest of the day they will say everything in sync no matter how hard they try not to. Although several efforts have been made to eradicate this strain it keeps coming up though mages are unsure whether this is due to its being indistinguishable from regular corn unless eaten or because whatever causes it has not yet been identified.
If one person says something the other person says the same thing at the same time? That's actually a good way for 2 groups to stay in communication.
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559. Numb This plains grass/grain is tall, with stringy stalks and a faint greasy texture due to natural oils the grass secretes, making it unpalatable to most humanoid life, and only marginally tolerable as fodder for grazing livestock, who would move elsewhere for more pleasant food if not for the mild numbing qualities of the bitter-tasting oily coating. Eating Numb causes a mild lassitude, but only after eating at least a pound of the stuff (which no human would willingly do, as it tastes foul and is extremely hard to chew, and, for non-ruminants, hard to digest and gain any significant nutritional value. A human can starve to death with a belly full of Numb, although it can sustain cattle or goats.) The will-sapping quality of Numb makes it more likely that cattle or goats will remain placidly grazing even this marginal foodstuff, and it popular in Geb, as it makes the livestock more accepting and docile, able to be herded even by corporeal undead, who might otherwise frighten or upset them. It's mildly toxic effects result in very slow Wisdom damage (1d2 / day), slow enough that most creatures can feed off it for weeks (since they recover 1 pt/day, normally) before slipping into a state of such lethargy that they lose interest even in eating! (when they reach 0 Wisdom) At this point, they stand around for as long as it takes for their body to purge enough of the toxin to recover their wits (24 hours to heal a single point of Wisdom damage), and then, being stupified, and yet probably also hungry (since they haven't fed for a day), go right back to eating the same grain... Stupified animals are easy prey for predators, as they stand placidly even while being killed, while other animals slide into and out of a stupified state for days on end, until their body finally slides into shock and they lie down and die, their bodies fertilizing the grass that robbed them of their wits, and their lives.
Numb does have the dubious distinction of thriving in the harsh Gebbite climate, but even the locals know to rotate their livestock into and out of fields of Numb every week or so, to avoid losing any livestock to it's gradual toxicity. Animals spend enough time in the Numb fields to remain docile, while also giving the 'better' fields time to regenerate from the animals previous weeks grazing.
Humans living in Geb have been known to chew on stalks of Numb to 'dull the edge' of living in such a trauma-inducing land, a thing that residents of neighboring countries regard as yet another horror of this land, that some people resort to drugging themselves just to ignore the sad desperation of their lives. (Numb is not addictive, and generally a human who regularly chews Numb will only suffer a single point of Wisdom damage, which will never be able to recover, so long as they continue chewing it daily.)
Brain welks and other aberrations know how to concentrate the subtle poison of numb and are immune to it's effects. Numb oil is often used on unwilling hosts, sometimes even by ghosts.
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Reminds me of an early quest in Jade Empire where your set to buy some herbs to help treat a fellow student. You can spend more money to buy her the proper healing herbs in which case she survives the attack in the school as she's able to fight or you can make some money buy buying a cheaper option instead that only numbs the pain in which case she dies during the attack because she thinks she's been healed when she hasn't.
557. Stone Eggs. Most cockatrice eggs are normal, and hatch normally to produce yet more of the noisome creatures, but one in ten is petrified by the mother's touch, and is a normally-shaped egg made of granite, that obviously never hatches. It weighs about 5 lbs, and, due to it's shape, is neither useful as building material, nor paperweight, being useful only perhaps as a sling stone for a stone giant...
Casting stone to flesh ends the petrification and turns the stone egg back into a fertile cockatrice egg, which, if properly warmed and nurtured, will hatch into an advanced cockatrice.
So fricken cool, nice
560. Waferleaf- The leaves of this delicate but fast growing plant are edible, and although they provide an invigorating little snap as they are eaten, offer no nutrients whatsoever. A harmless affectation in some areas, outright illegal in others, waferleaves do take well to mild sprinklings of salt or sugar; the culinary inclined use them to offer a crispy mouthfeel to certain mushy foods. To call someone a waferleaf is akin to saying they are milquetoast, but to refer to someone one has been (or has plans to be) intimate with a waferleaf is to imply that they are only good for brief intimacies. In areas where multiple partner relationships are an accepted norm or even just an option, this can be a withering observation.
And yes, they do taste like real world communion wafers.
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561. Foolswinter- This unusual creeping ivy is prized by some for its self defense mechanism of sharply dropping the temperature in its immediate area when disturbed. Should someone shake foolswinter vigorously, it releases a cloud of spores to a 5 foot radius that make the person who disturbed it feel as if the temperature in the area dropped 2d10 degrees for 1d4 rounds. This offers relief in the summer months for some but as the name implies this isn't a true respite- it just FEELS like the temperature dropped although nothing actually happens- someone still suffering from the effects of extreme heat is still suffering those effects and needs the same care as ever. Enterprising individuals use it to "cool" hot drinks; some confidence men use it to gulp down large quantities of steaming drinks in order to win copper ante tavern bets(they usually use their winnings to buy an ACTUAL cold drink to soothe their soon-to-be-burning mouths). In the language of flowers, foolswinter is used to imply that a lover is being false, although they may not be unfaithful per se.
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562. Wyrmseye- This flowering plant puts forth a dirty white blossom in the spring and summer that looks quite boring to all, save for those with low light vision at night. To such folks they offer the combination of an irritating glow akin to what people in our world would see as a weak glow-in-the-dark effect mixed with the "snow" of a television that is not on a broadcasting channel. Elves and half elves find it eerie, and sometimes call these flowers cairnblooms, avoiding them as signs of bad luck. And maybe they are right, for to a dragons enormous eyes, these plants are literal eyesores, a nnauseating beacon(sorry munchkins,it does not offer the actual condition) that can be seen for miles. Dragons, drakes, behirs and wyverns of all sorts tear apart naturally occurring patches of the stuff with zeal. In the language of flowers, wyrmseye informs the receiver that they are in immediate, life imperiling danger from someone other than the sender. To wear a wyrmseye blossom in the presence of a dragon or half dragon is the equivalent of extending one's middle finger to it within inches of its face, although some dragons working in combat operations with the smaller folk can be "trained" to release their breath weapon upon areas or individuals bearing wyrmseye.
Ironically, a dragon proffering wyrmseye to another dragon is the equivalent of traveling under a sign of truce.
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583. Fauxfire Oak These slender oak trees appear normal for much of the year. During the autumn season, their leaves turns brilliant shades of yellow, orange and red, and at the first frost, detach over the course of several minutes, which by itself would be a dramatic sight, but is greatly enhanced by the falling leaves undergoing a chemical change that causes them to become phospherescent, similar to a firefly or faerie fire spell, for several hours, before the chemical loses it's potency. The sight of an entire tree full of 'flaming' leaves blowing away from it's bare branches (usually at night, during the first frost of the season) can be quite colorful and is considered a gift from the goddess of beauty to one of her divine suitors (which one varies with the teller), or vice versa.
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482: Moaning Wood: Seemingly a normal tree this odd strain of plant bleeds a blood red sap and continually moans as if in pain when cut. Repeated examinations by numerous druids and nature fay have however found no signs of actual intelligence and most believe it to be an ancient druids attempt to discourage overharvesting of lumber.
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Sounds like the trees ghorans may have evolved alongside!
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566. Fireball-flies: These small glowing bugs look exactly like fireflies to all but the closest examination, (which is close to impossible to achieve upon a living specimen) and also live in the same habitats at the same times and places as normal fireflies. However, when scared, threatened, or about to die, they explode in a five foot radius dealing 1 point of fire damage. These creatures have given PTSD to many a curious elven child.
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569. Eclipse Fish To an uninformed observer these are merely a type of bass with a moon-shaped pattern on their right side. However these are actually huge marine reptiles similar to the plesiosaurus, with a unique magical quirk that permanently Polymorphs them into harmless bass at birth.
This polymorph state is only known to revert during a lunar eclipse. Many a fisherman had the shock of their life seeing a familiar pond or lake fill with giant sea monsters for one night, seemingly without explanation. But even in their natural state the eclipse fish remain largely peaceful and oblivious.
The eclipse fish themselves have no means of triggering this transformation by their own will, although a spellcaster can end the polymorph effect with appropriate magic as normal.
Some stories tell of eclipse fish who would temporarily revert to their original state in a fury when repeatedly mistreated with cruelty, although no one alive has been able to confirm this.
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569. Eclipse Fish To an uninformed observer these are merely a type of bass with a moon-shaped pattern on their right side. However these are actually huge marine reptiles similar to the plesiosaurus, with a unique magical quirk that permanently Polymorphs them into harmless bass at birth.
Ooh, I love these as a possible explanation for Nessie type crytids that locals insist inhabit a local lake, but can never be found by monster hunters (having returned to bass form, and the lake obviously not being big enough for a breeding group of these dinosaur-sized creatures to feed, let alone hide!).
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This many months since our last new critter? Unnaccepable!
570. Razor Gulls Easily one of the most despised creatures a sailor can curse, the razor gull looks exactly like a normal gull, but has an unusual supernatural property that makes it's feathers, beak and talons as sharp as razors, and inflict dagger-like wounds on anything it touches (save itself, or another razor gull), that touches it, or it even brushes against.
The bird has all the instincts of a normal gull, and seems blissfully unaware of the trail of devastation it leaves behind, perching on the top of masts and spars and unintentionally cutting ropes and sails it even brushes against. Thankfully, quite rare, as razor gulls are immune to the 'razor angles' of each other, but cannot readily tell each other from standard gulls, whom they 'accidentally' maim and kill in squabbles over food, territory or mates, sailors would gladly exterminate every one of them, given the chance, and in the Shackles, children are paid a gold coin for every razor gull carcass they bring to the authorities (and crewmen on ships carry slings and other ranged weapons, including alchemical weapons like thunderstones, or even gnomish fireworks, to discourage the birds from roosting atop their ships at sea, targeting any gulls indiscriminately, since any flock of gulls might have a razor gull or two among it).
The property that makes razor gulls so dangerous fades within moments of their death, so that after knocking one from the air, sailors pin it to the deck with a gaff hook and wait for it to be dead, it's death throes leaving knife-scars on the deck, until it dies and becomes safe to grab by hand and throw overboard. The damage is slight, but can cause one to lose a finger, or damage a hand sufficiently to be unusable for a time, so grabbing a razor gull when it is alive is never advised.
Razor gulls could be significantly more dangerous if they were not so mind-bogglingly unaware of their sharp-edged nature, and unable to recognize each other and group together in deadly flocks. Fortunately, they remain clueless, trailing unintentional damage and pain in their wake, with no understanding of why things fall apart around them...
Razor gull eggs are sometimes kept, and alchemically preserved, as a curio, as they retain their sharp-edged nature even when the chick itself is no longer alive (despite being shaped like any other egg, and not *looking* sharp), a curious exception to the bird's nature. In theory, a razor gull egg preserved in this manner could be used (a single time, breaking on impact) as a sling bullet that does slashing damage, but is more likely to A) cut the hand of the fool attempting this and / or B) slice right through the sling instead and ruin it before being successfully 'slung.'
But even these curios are loathed in the Shackles, and most port communities, as the notion of harvesting these eggs, instead of, more rightly, burning the entire area with fire, is infuriating to sailors who've had to run the sails back up the rigging *again* because some fool bird landed on the spar and cut the ropes again, and then fluttered to another spar to repeat this, when it got spooked by the ropes it had brushed against parting and the sails falling...
This is a mine of useful Ion Trainer creatures. Note that unmodified razor gulls are not allowed in most normal competitions. It is great for standard adventures.
A razor gull crossed with a line of fighting cocks is a true monster and too powerful for this topic.
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I remember all the hundreds of razor gulls I turned it as a kid. Not normal gulls, nosiree. These were definitely razor gulls, they just lost their sharpness after I killed them. "Don't believe me, look at this leather strap and bag I carried them in on, see all these knife... err... razor-gull slashes in it?"570. Razor Gulls... children are paid a gold coin for every razor gull carcass they bring to the authorities ...
The property that makes razor gulls so dangerous fades within moments of their death, ...
Oops! Didn't think about that obvious logic hole! Maybe they do have some way of identifying them from 'normal' gulls, like a subtle color difference, or maybe the feathers remain sharp-ish, but not able to casually swipe through ropes and straps or score wood like a knife blade, so that they can still be identified as razor gull corpses, but aren't particularly useful for anything, but, perhaps, a really close shave? (Cheap disposable razors! The feathers don't really hold up to repeat use, after being removed from the bird, being, well, *feathers* and not steel blades...)
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New Year, new stuffs!
572. Black Anise This over-large twisted relative of common anise only sprouts in areas frequented by the hags commonly known as 'Annis Hags,' although no one is exactly clear whether the plant was named after the hag, or the hag was named after the plant. Just as fragrant and pungent as a regular anise plant, it's seed-like fruits are even larger and black in color, lending to it's name, and it sprouts up in the depressions left by an annis hags iron nailed feet, seeming to have some supernatural potency of it's own, as long as the hag frequents the area.
Annis hags loathe the stuff, as it both betrays their skulking presence to lore-savvy 'monster hunters,' and smells and tastes foul to them. Even casual contact with the plant causes them skin irritation, and they uproot it when they find it sprouting near their lair and toss it into a nearby river to float far, far away from their territory, or burn it, careful to stay upwind, as even the smoke causes them irritation and difficulty breathing.
Thaumaturgists can harvest this plant, which can usually be easily found anywhere an annis hag frequents regularly, regardless of climate, or the hags attempts to obliterate it, and crush it's fruit to make a potent-smelling salve to coat weapons, or fragrant oil to smear on their own clothing or armor, to hinder and debilitate an annis hag. This tactic is rarely successful without their esoteric techniques, but this practice has led to some tragic folk superstitions of no merit whatsoever, like that eating anise candies or drinking copious quantities of ouzo will somehow protect one from, or ward off the attentions of, hags of all sorts. Somehow these beliefs persist, no matter how many licorice-scented fools die at the hands of hags...
It remains unclear why a plant so antithetical to the creature that spawns it appears in their environment. Some theorize that the spite contained within such a hag is so intense, so tainted by it's own self-loathing, that it fosters it's own anathema. Others say that the hags, a known foe of kindly fey like dryads and sprites, have made a foe of some Eldest that causes their bane to sprout up in their wake.
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Festooning a child's bedroom with the actual plant will protect them from both the hag and all imaginary monsters.
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575: Grey Goonberry
Otherwise the same as the Green Goonberry, Grey Goons prefer the grey Goonberrys and jam. Goons are full on monsters and if jam is used as a material component when summoning, the Goon has +1 hits per die.
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576. Light Leeches These small drab grey moths look nothing like 'leeches,' but are attracted to magic, deriving some faint sustenance from it, and are destructive to anything that is easily damaged like spellbook or scroll pages, or even, over time, magical cloth. Obviously, they are hated by wizards with an ire usually reserved for treasure-hoarding dragons and 'no magical experimentation within city limits' ordinance-passing politicians.
Fortunately, they are easily distracted by continual flame, and flock to any item of that sort left out, fluttering about it attempting to feed, but unable to effectively metabolize illusion magic, they soon fall to the ground exhausted and die. Arcanists keep libraries of magical lore well lit by continual light items to ensure that if any of these pests show up, they'll flock to the lighted items, instead of the delicate magical texts, and some put-upon first-year apprentice will have the daily task of sweeping up any dead light leeches found around the various magical light sources in their mentors home (or guild hall, academy, etc.).
An assortment of low level spells have been designed over the years because of them. One to repel them. One to kill them if they cross a line into one's home (or library) or alight on one's spellbook. One to conjure a swarm of them to annoy or inconvenience a rival. One to infuse a continual flame with a tiny wisp of actual fire magic so that any light leech that touches it is instantly burnt to a crisp. Another to sweep up quantities of dead bugs in a large room, gather them into a ball and fly them out the nearest door or window.
And so the humble light leech at least serves some purpose, to inspire generations of fledgling wizards in their spell design.
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577. Cockroach Devourer Resembling a regular cockroach these mysterious creatures feast on flesh and a swarm of them can gnaw a cow down to the bone in minutes. In areas where cockroach devourers are endemic a popular song is "Be sure to count your toes lest the cockroaches do nibble in the night." The easiest way to distinguish a cockroach devourer from other less dangerous species is by their angular head and tendency to lurk watching the beings they wish to eat rather than scurrying for cover.
Some scholars also posit a variant that has grown into a medium sized being able to mimic its prey by wrapping its wings around it like a cloak. Though others dismiss this as mere storytelling to frighten children. Still in the biggest cities these rumours continue to persist with some saying its what the cockroach devourer evolves into if it lives long enough and others insisting its a different variant like a queen bee.