Death Ox (by Gregory W. Detwiler)
CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Any temperate
FREQUENCY: Rare
ORGANIZATION: Group
ACTIVITY CYCLE: Day
DIET: Omnivore
INTELLIGENCE: Animal (1)
TREASURE: Nil
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
NO. APPEARING: 2-4
ARMOR CLASS: 2
MOVEMENT: 12
HIT DICE: 6
THAC0: 15
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 2-12
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Death gaze
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Immune to death magic
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Nil
SIZE: L (8' tall at shoulder)
MORALE: Average (8)
XP VALUE: 975
The death ox is a less aggressive relative of the gorgon that lives in small family groups. A rich mahogany in color, a death ox resembles a huge, scaly bull. The scales are not metal, like the gorgon's, but they are just as hard and are made out of a natural carapace. All death oxen have a patch of heavy black hair over their eyes. People who have seen the color of a death ox's eyes have not lived to reveal that information.
Combat: The death ox has one physical attack -- a charge ending with a massive goring attack with both horns. More fearsome, however, is the death ox's gaze, which acts as a death ray to any who view the creature (range 50'). The death ox uses its gaze attack at will. The creature is not malicious, and typically uses the gaze in self-defense or when it is hunting for food. Because of its affinity to death magic, it is naturally immune to death spells, power word kill, and all other types of death magic.
If a death ox surprises a party, there is a 1 in 6 chance that at least once character met the creature's gaze. There is no saving throw versus the death ray. However, anyone in gaze range who closes or averts his eyes gets a saving throw versus death magic. Those who save were able to look away in time. Those who fight the death ox must make such a saving throw each round to avoid the gaze unless they have protective eye covering.
Habitat/Society: The death ox has no lair, simply living by moving from place to place in search of food and water. A death ox family typically consists of one male, three females, and calves. The calves are raised by all the females in the group until they are old enough to fend for themselves. The young oxen which leave their family quickly find others of their kind to join with.
It is rare to find a single death ox. Such an encounter is almost certainly with a male, a young bull in search of females. When more than one bull is in a group of death ox, there will be battles for dominance over the group. The losing bull either leaves or becomes subservient to the dominant bull.
Ecology: The death ox usually eats plants, supplementing its diet with flesh when animals or hapless individuals wander into its gaze. The ox can sometimes be spotted grazing with other herd animals. When grazing with others, the ox keeps its head low and hair over its eyes so it does not randomly kill the other grazers. Those grazers are usually only in jeopardy in times of drought. Man is the death ox's only known predator. It is sometimes hunted for its skin. The hide of a death ox is often sought by armorers, as it has the thickness of scale mail, yet the protection of banded or plate depending on how it is cured. The ox's blood is used as a component in death spells.
Originally appeared in Polyhedron #67 (1992).
