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Creature Cataloguer
Bichir
Bichir
Large Magical Beast (Aquatic)
Hit Dice: 5d10+5 (32 hp)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 15 ft (3 squares), swim 40 ft
AC: 14 (-1 size, +1 Dex, +4 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 13
Base Attack/Grapple: +5/+12
Attack: Bite +7 melee (3d4+4)
Full Attack: Bite +7 melee (3d4+4)
Space/Reach: 10 ft/5 ft
Special Attacks: Entangle
Special Qualities: Amphibious, darkvision 60 ft, keen scent, low-light vision, spell resistance 17, tremorsense
Saves: Fort +5 Ref +5 Will +2
Abilities: Str 17 Dex 13 Con 13 Int 2 Wis 12 Chr 2
Skills: Hide +4*, Listen +3, Move Silently +4, Spot +5*, Swim +11
Feats: Alertness, Stealthy
Environment: Any marsh
Organization: Solitary or school (1-4)
Challenge Rating: 04
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 6-10 HD (Large); 11-15 HD (Huge)
Level Adjustment: ---
This creature looks like a fish, longer than a human is tall. It has a ridge of fins running down its back, ending in a broad fan-shaped tail. The coloration of its scaly skin makes it hard to pick out in the mud of the swamp. Its face is oddly human-like.
The bichir is an amphibious fish that has the ability to move on land. The bichir, also known as the giant lungfish, has much in common with sharks and more common types of lungfish. The bichir is often mistaken for a swamp lizard or eel, and is falsely called a “marsh lizard,” due to the way it looks when it stands immobile with its head raised when smelling for food. The favorite food of the highly carnivorous bichir is lizardfolk flesh, and they also enjoy a wide variety of worms, frogs, fish, and insects, and any other creature of up to Large size.
This fish has a thick body, usually ranging from 9 to 12 feet long. Its scales come with a natural camouflage pattern of alternating bands of brown (or tan) and cream color, darkening to black and white mottling on the head. Their strong jaws are set with a row of sharp white teeth. Their broad, flat heads have a vaguely humanlike face, with black, pupil-less eyes. Their hide feels smooth to the touch, despite being covered in small scales.
Bichir can live on land or in water with equal ease. On land, they use their strong, fan-shaped pectoral fins for locomotion, the same way that seals use their flippers. In water they move about with broad strokes from their wide tailfins, wriggling through water like an eel.
Bichirs cannot speak and have no language skills, but communicate by an unusual open-mouthed panting noise that can be heard for great distances. This sound may be the creature’s mating call, or it could be used to attract prey.
COMBAT
A bichir hunting on land stalks prey much like a snake, freezing occasionally to sniff the air, then striking quickly when it gets its chance. It lunges forward to snap with its powerful jaws and teeth. If confronted with prey it cannot overcome, or if it has a difficult time slaying its victim, the bichir will use its entangle ability. Despite its own natural spell resistance, the bichir fears magic and will seek to flee from a magic wielding enemy, if it cannot ambush or immobilize such a foe.
Entangle (Sp): The bichir can use this ability six times per day. This effect has a range of 180 feet; otherwise it functions exactly as the spell as cast by a 4th-level druid (DC 13). The save DC is Wisdom-based.
Amphibious (Ex): Bichirs can breathe both air and water, although they rarely travel more than a few feet from the water’s edge. They have both gills and a lung-like swim bladder, and must come to the surface and gulp air at least once every minute to survive. When on land, they must keep their skins moist and so never stray very far from water.
Keen Scent (Ex): A bichir can notice creatures by scent in the water in a 60–foot radius. On land, this sense is even keener, and the radius increases to 270 feet.
Tremorsense (Ex): A submerged bichir can automatically sense the location of anything moving in the water within half a mile.
Skills: The bichir receives a +8 racial bonus to Hide checks in any marsh. Its sensitive eyes are adapted to underwater vision and provide it with a +8 racial bonus to Spot checks when in relatively clear water.
A bichir has a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform some special action or avoid a hazard. It can always choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered. It can use the run action while swimming, provided it swims in a straight line.
BICHIR YOUNG
Bichirs breed when their swamp floods seasonally, and they will travel far to seek each other out. Bichir young are usually born 1-3 at a time, six months after mating. These newt-like creatures have 2-3 HD, +2 natural armor, land speed of 10 feet and swim speed of 30 feet. Their bite does 1d4 damage, they have full spell resistance, and they can use their entangle ability 3 times per day. Bichir young do not hunt.
Originally found in Dragon Magazine #89 (“Creature Catalog”, September 1984, Ed Greenwood), and Monstrous Compendium MC3 – Forgotten Realms (1989).
Bichir
Large Magical Beast (Aquatic)
Hit Dice: 5d10+5 (32 hp)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 15 ft (3 squares), swim 40 ft
AC: 14 (-1 size, +1 Dex, +4 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 13
Base Attack/Grapple: +5/+12
Attack: Bite +7 melee (3d4+4)
Full Attack: Bite +7 melee (3d4+4)
Space/Reach: 10 ft/5 ft
Special Attacks: Entangle
Special Qualities: Amphibious, darkvision 60 ft, keen scent, low-light vision, spell resistance 17, tremorsense
Saves: Fort +5 Ref +5 Will +2
Abilities: Str 17 Dex 13 Con 13 Int 2 Wis 12 Chr 2
Skills: Hide +4*, Listen +3, Move Silently +4, Spot +5*, Swim +11
Feats: Alertness, Stealthy
Environment: Any marsh
Organization: Solitary or school (1-4)
Challenge Rating: 04
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 6-10 HD (Large); 11-15 HD (Huge)
Level Adjustment: ---
This creature looks like a fish, longer than a human is tall. It has a ridge of fins running down its back, ending in a broad fan-shaped tail. The coloration of its scaly skin makes it hard to pick out in the mud of the swamp. Its face is oddly human-like.
The bichir is an amphibious fish that has the ability to move on land. The bichir, also known as the giant lungfish, has much in common with sharks and more common types of lungfish. The bichir is often mistaken for a swamp lizard or eel, and is falsely called a “marsh lizard,” due to the way it looks when it stands immobile with its head raised when smelling for food. The favorite food of the highly carnivorous bichir is lizardfolk flesh, and they also enjoy a wide variety of worms, frogs, fish, and insects, and any other creature of up to Large size.
This fish has a thick body, usually ranging from 9 to 12 feet long. Its scales come with a natural camouflage pattern of alternating bands of brown (or tan) and cream color, darkening to black and white mottling on the head. Their strong jaws are set with a row of sharp white teeth. Their broad, flat heads have a vaguely humanlike face, with black, pupil-less eyes. Their hide feels smooth to the touch, despite being covered in small scales.
Bichir can live on land or in water with equal ease. On land, they use their strong, fan-shaped pectoral fins for locomotion, the same way that seals use their flippers. In water they move about with broad strokes from their wide tailfins, wriggling through water like an eel.
Bichirs cannot speak and have no language skills, but communicate by an unusual open-mouthed panting noise that can be heard for great distances. This sound may be the creature’s mating call, or it could be used to attract prey.
COMBAT
A bichir hunting on land stalks prey much like a snake, freezing occasionally to sniff the air, then striking quickly when it gets its chance. It lunges forward to snap with its powerful jaws and teeth. If confronted with prey it cannot overcome, or if it has a difficult time slaying its victim, the bichir will use its entangle ability. Despite its own natural spell resistance, the bichir fears magic and will seek to flee from a magic wielding enemy, if it cannot ambush or immobilize such a foe.
Entangle (Sp): The bichir can use this ability six times per day. This effect has a range of 180 feet; otherwise it functions exactly as the spell as cast by a 4th-level druid (DC 13). The save DC is Wisdom-based.
Amphibious (Ex): Bichirs can breathe both air and water, although they rarely travel more than a few feet from the water’s edge. They have both gills and a lung-like swim bladder, and must come to the surface and gulp air at least once every minute to survive. When on land, they must keep their skins moist and so never stray very far from water.
Keen Scent (Ex): A bichir can notice creatures by scent in the water in a 60–foot radius. On land, this sense is even keener, and the radius increases to 270 feet.
Tremorsense (Ex): A submerged bichir can automatically sense the location of anything moving in the water within half a mile.
Skills: The bichir receives a +8 racial bonus to Hide checks in any marsh. Its sensitive eyes are adapted to underwater vision and provide it with a +8 racial bonus to Spot checks when in relatively clear water.
A bichir has a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform some special action or avoid a hazard. It can always choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered. It can use the run action while swimming, provided it swims in a straight line.
BICHIR YOUNG
Bichirs breed when their swamp floods seasonally, and they will travel far to seek each other out. Bichir young are usually born 1-3 at a time, six months after mating. These newt-like creatures have 2-3 HD, +2 natural armor, land speed of 10 feet and swim speed of 30 feet. Their bite does 1d4 damage, they have full spell resistance, and they can use their entangle ability 3 times per day. Bichir young do not hunt.
Originally found in Dragon Magazine #89 (“Creature Catalog”, September 1984, Ed Greenwood), and Monstrous Compendium MC3 – Forgotten Realms (1989).
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