Super otter
CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Arctic waters
FREQUENCY: Very rare
ORGANIZATION: Solitary
ACTIVITY CYCLE: Any
DIET: Carnivore
INTELLIGENCE: Animal
TREASURE: Nil
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
NO. APPEARING: 1-2
ARMOR CLASS: 4
MOVEMENT: SW 12
HIT DICE: 12
THAC0: 9
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-10
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Nil
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Nil
SIZE: G (65’-100’)
MORALE: Average (10)
XP VALUE: 2,000
Super otter: This is a primitive aquatic mammal, probably closely related to whatever carnivorous mammal first returned to life in the sea. It may also be a real sea serpent that does not exist any more; the last definite sighting was in 1848, so it may have been driven into extinction, possibly through competition with the Long-necked (see below). It has a flat, elongated head, small eyes, a slender-neck of medium length, and a long tail that ends in a point. Its spine is so flexible that it can form six or seven bends visible when the animal is on the surface. It has webbed feet with definite toes, making it the least specialized of sea serpents. It has no fins or other appendages on its back; its skin is rough or wrinkled, a light or grayish brown in color. It lives only in Arctic (generally Scandinavian) waters, and Heuvelmans makes the point that melting ice makes polar waters the least salty in the world, making it easier for a land animal to adapt itself to life in the sea. Remember, this is where the polar bear lives.
Originally appeared in Dragon #190 (1993)