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Message: <blockquote data-quote="BOZ" data-source="post: 1164589" data-attributes="member: 1241">for reference and discussion, stats from MC11:CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Oceanic canyons over 1,000' deepFREQUENCY: Very rareORGANIZATION: SolitaryACTIVITY CYCLE: AnyDIET: ScavengerINTELLIGENCE: SemiTREASURE: SpecialALIGNMENT: NeutralNO. APPEARING: 1-3ARMOR CLASS: 6 (shell), 8 (arms/head)MOVEMENT: 1HIT DICE: 8+3THAC0: 11NO. OF ATTACKS: 10DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-4 each tentacleSPECIAL ATTACKS: Blinding, drainingSPECIAL DEFENSES: Immune to psionic attack, telepathy, ESP, and all enchantment/charm spells; takes half damage from blunt weapons and cold-based attacks; can regenerate; cannot be surprised in its environmentMAGIC RESISTANCE: 90%SIZE: L (6í shell, 8í-12í tentacles)MORALE: 10XP VALUE: 8,000In oceanic abysses, where light never penetrates, lives a species of large-shelled mollusk that feeds upon the debris and minerals on the sea floor. Gold is extracted from the sludgy silt of the ocean floors that this monster consumes. This metal is then deposited on the creature’s shell, creating an eerily beautiful coiled wonder that gives this beast its name, the golden ammonite. The exposed parts of the golden ammonite’s soft body are dark brown with spots of black. The shell is, of course, brilliant, pure gold.Combat: Each of these monsters has two fist-sized, multifaceted eyes that project on stalks just beyond the rim of its shell. These eyes are not especially remarkable in power, as they are very nearsighted and work best when a lighted object is within 30 feet, though they can detect light and heat sources to 120 feet. The creature’s skin, however, is fantastically pressure sensitive, so any sound or motion within 600 feet of it is instantly detected, ruling out all surprise even if an approaching being is magically silenced. Blinding this creature with light spells is very easy, but as a tactic it is useless, as the creature can “see” its environment far better with its skin’s “sonar sense,” which is obviously not hindered by such spells.Any being approaching within 90 feet of this monster is made the focus of a light ball attack. Each eye independently launches a small globe of magical light, 1 foot in diameter, at its chosen target, usually targeting the largest creature in a group first. A victim must make a successful saving throw vs. spells against the light ball or be struck in the face by the magically guided missile. An abyssal creature with eyes is instantly blinded and will flee this attack. A surface dweller suffers a -4 penalty on all attacks, and is also effectively blinded by the light in his eyes. Two victims may be attacked each round, at will. A dispel magic spell can remove this effect if it is successfully cast against 8th-level magic. If the victim is blinded for longer than 12 turns, however, his eyesight is permanently damaged and a wish, heal, or cure blindness spell is required to cure the -2 attack penalty he suffers when the light ball is removed.If beings come within grappling range, the golden ammonite lashes out with its tentacles at up to 10 opponents. Each tentacle can cause 1-4 points of damage by constriction, but suckers on each tentacle also begin to draw out the vital fluids in the victim’s body. The draining damage caused per round by each tentacle is equal to the victim’s Armor Class, not counting Dexterity or shield bonuses, as a measure of how many suckers can be fixed to the victim’s skin. Thus, a constricted man in chain mail armor receives 1d4 +5 points of damage per round. Constricting tentacles need not roll to attack in subsequent rounds. Victims can attempt to escape only if their die roll is equal to or better than their chances to bend bars/lift gates, as per their Strength. One roll is allowed each round. A successful Strength roll to open doors allows a trapped victim to free his arms and weapons and strike out, though with a -2 attack penalty.Unintelligent or nondiscriminating beings in combat with a golden ammonite have a 50% chance with each attack to strike at the Armor Class 6 shell instead of the Armor Class 8 body. Intelligent, discriminating beings can attack only the soft part of its body, but any miss must be rerolled against Armor Class 6 to see if the shell was struck instead, reducing its value. Any roll of four or more higher than the score needed to hit may be directed by an intelligent opponent at one of the golden ammonite’s two eyes, which are destroyed instantly by any amount of damage. The creature withdraws into its shell immediately if it loses an eye, staying put for hours while it regenerates all of its damage.Because of its soft, elastic body, this creature takes half damage from non-edged weapons. Many weapons cannot be used underwater anyway because of physical constraints. Any weapons that strike the shell of the golden ammonite have part of their impact absorbed, and cause only half damage (with fractions rounded down) in this case as well. Thus, a blunt weapon used on its shell causes only one-quarter damage. In addition, the creature is partially adapted to cold and receives only half damage from cold-based attacks. It regenerates damage to its soft body at a rate of 1 hit point per turn. Shell damage can be regrown in 7-12 months.The golden ammonite’s shell is valued at 50,000-80,000 gold pieces by the wealthiest surface-dwelling buyers, and some undersea races see them as priceless. Each point of damage inflicted on a shell reduces this overall value by 1,000 gold pieces, to a minimum value of 10,000 gold pieces, which would essentially be a smashed shell. A golden shell weighs about 1,000 pounds, regardless of its condition.Habitat/Society: Golden ammonites have adapted to the crushing darkness of the bottoms of great marine trenches, where savage, ghastly monsters are rumored to live. Little is known of these dangerous regions, into which it is said even sahuagin fear to venture. If golden ammonites have anything resembling a society among them, it has yet to be discovered. So alien are their thought patterns that telepathy and ESP are useless in communicating with them, and produce only confused and frightening images. Psionic attack and spells that affect the mind are similarly rendered worthless. Sages guess that they might have a language based on touch, sound waves, or some other medium, but no proof of this exists.Golden ammonites collect no treasure or property, and they manufacture no known items. The shells of these beings have never been found empty on the ocean floor. No young have ever been seen. Their lifespans are probably very long, perhaps in the hundreds of years.Ecology: Aside from consuming the carcasses of dead creatures and sea-floor debris, the effect that the golden ammonite has on its environment and neighbors has yet to be unveiled.</blockquote>

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