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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Faolyn" data-source="post: 9238899" data-attributes="member: 6915329">Ah, Ed Greenwood. You never fails to create some truly strange monsters. I like that—I wish there were more just weird creatures and fewer creatures from real-world myth in D&D. This article seems to be the genesis of the flameskull, the flying, flaming, undead skull that has made it into both the 5e Monster Manual and the Level Up Monstrous Menagerie, as well as the banelar, a naga-like thing allied by the Realmsian god Bane. I’m focusing on the foulwing, a nasty, misshapen monster used as a mount by the vilest of riders. It’s also one of the few times where I prefer Tom Baxa’s art to Tony DiTerlizzi’s; TD did the art for them when they were reprinted in Monster Compendium Annual Volume 1, and he made them took too clean, almost too pretty. Baxa made them look like misshapen, radioactive mutants, the type you’d find in bad sci-fantasy movies from the 70s and 80s, and I appreciate that.[ATTACH=full]343053[/ATTACH]FoulwingDragon’s Bestiary, Dragon Magazine #197Creature by Ed Greenwood; art by Tom BaxaFoulwings are hideous creatures thought to have originated from another plane. Their bullet-shaped heads sport three toothy maws from which loll barbed, blood-sucking proboscises, and an uneven number multifaceted, glowing red eyes bulge from wherever their mouths aren’t. The rest of their body is toadlike and covered with wiggling, spiraling horn-like growths that grow in disturbing patterns unique to each individual. The only part of their body that is truly symmetrical is their pair of short wings. They have no language, simply making guttural squawks, and they reek of ammonia.Destructive Hunters. Foulwings act as horribly as they look. They love tearing things apart, caring little if their target is an object or a living being. They are as just happy to eat carrion and rotting logs and leaf piles as they are to eat fresh meat and plants, and they tend to be messy and wasteful eaters. They will gladly slaughter a creature, take a few bites, and then go off to hunt some more, this time stealing away their prey to keep alive a few days until it grows hungry again.Strange Steeds. Despite their terrible appearance, smell, and behaviors, foulwings can be tamed and make for surprisingly tractable mounts; as long as they get food to eat and the occasional thing to destroy, they’re happy. Their strangely horned hide makes for an uncomfortable ride, requiring custom saddles. Between that and their general unpleasantness, few beings are willing to use them, and those that do are usually are far worse than their steeds.Stranger Bedfellows. They’re generally solitary beings, but tolerate each other and other predators in their territories, as long as other creatures don’t try to steal their kill. Oddly, though, they have been known to form close associations with creatures such as chimeras and wyverns. These associations take the form of small hunting parties, but foulwings have also been known to mate with them. Their offspring closely resemble their non-foulwing parent, but typically have extra mouths and bulging, multifaceted eyes.Climate/Terrain: arctic, subarctic, temperate, subtropical; desert, grassland, hills, mountains, ruin, The Bleak Gate, tundraLegends and LoreWith an Arcana or Nature check, the characters can learn the following:DC 10. Possibly originating on another plane of existence, foulwings are cruel-minded, malformed creatures that are often used as mounts by warlords and fiends.DC 15. The foulwing constantly exhales ammonia; those bitten by one are at risk of being blinded and poisoned by the fumes.DC 20. Foulwings are always hungry and are destructive and violent predators. They eat meat and vegetation, and drink blood, and are known to keep “larders” of captive creatures.Foulwing EncountersCR 5-10 1 foulwingCR 11-16 1 foulwing and blackguard, cambion, or champion warrior rider; foulwing and ogre mage rider; foulwing and chimera or wyvern; fowlwing and 14d+1 harpiesTreasure: 700 gp, 500 ep, two topazes (500 gp each), gold armlet (250 gp), pouch of gold dust (250 gp), vial of faerie dragon euphoria gas, 2 potions of poison, shield +1CR 17-22 1 foulwing and chain devil or khalkos; foulwing and erinyes; foulwing and 2 wyvernsTreasure: 800 pp, 9,000 sp, platinum-tipped scepter (2,500 gp), book which leads to the discovery of a rare 3rd-level spell, +2 lance, oil of slipperiness, pipes of the sewers, scroll of ice stormSigns1. The stench of ammonia lingering in the air.2. A pile of foul-smelling droppings.3. A clutch of unattended eggs; the mother is nearby.4. A bulbous shadow flying overhead.Behavior1. Hunting; will attack on sight.2. Being trained by a potential rider; will attack on command.3. Tearing up a boulder or large tree.4. Soaring on the wind, looking for prey5. Toying with a group of travelers.6. Feeding on a dead hill giantFoulwingHuge aberration; Challenge 8 (3,900 XP)AC 17 (natural armor)HP 137 (13d12+52)Speed 20 ft., fly 40 ft.STR 23 (+6) DEX 9 (-1) CON 18 (+4)INT 7 (-2) WIS 12 (+1) CHA 6 (-2)Proficiency +3; Maneuver DC 17Saving Throws Str +9Skills Perception +4Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 14Languages —Many-Faced. The foulwing has advantage on saving throws to avoid being blinded or deafened.ActionsMultiattack. The foulwing makes five attacks: two bite attacks, two claw attacks, and one blood drain attack.Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d6+6) piercing damage plus 9 (2d8) acid damage, and the target must make a DC 14 Constitution saving throw or be blinded and poisoned until the end of its next turn. The foulwing then attaches its proboscis to the target. A creature can use a bonus action to make a DC 17 Strength check to detach itself, taking 3 (1d6) piercing damage on a success or failure. While it is attached to a creature, the foulwing can’t use that mouth to bite again, and a creature that is attached to the foulwing can’t move more than 5 feet from it.Blood Drain. The foulwing drains blood from the creature it is attached to. The creature loses 11 (2d10) hit points. After the foulwing has drained 50 hit points from all creatures it is attached to, it detaches itself and can’t use Blood Drain until it finishes a rest.Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d4+6) slashing damage.Bonus ActionsBite. The foulwing makes a bite attack against a creature within 5 feet of it. It doesn’t attach its proboscis after making this attack.Blood Drain. The foulwing uses Blood Drain.CombatFoulwings prefer to fight in the air or land heavily on their prey, allowing them to use their weight to pin targets down.</blockquote>

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