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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Voadam" data-source="post: 8949674" data-attributes="member: 2209">4e was skimpy on its textual descriptions in its MM1 and there was criticism of it on that basis, but I think you are forgetting other editions that were lacking in descriptions too. 3e was a big step down from 2e monster books, the MM1 was particularly short on description. You said earlier you started with 2e, which was particularly rich in descriptive lore with monster entries from its first Monstrous compendium book on, so you might not be familiar with the dearth of descriptions in the 1e MM or the basic set monster descriptions.Taking the carrion crawler:B/X:This scavenger is worm-shaped, 9' long and 3' high with manylegs. It can move equally well on a floor, wall, or ceiling like aspider. Its mouth is surrounded by 8 tentacles, each 2' long, whichcan paralyze on a successful hit unless a saving throw vs. Paralysisis made. Once paralyzed, a victim will be eaten (unless the carrioncrawler is being attacked). The paralysis can be removed by a curelight wounds spell, but any spell so used will have no other effect.Without a spell, the paralysis will wear off in 2-8 turns.1e:Carrion crawlers strongly resemble a cross between a giant green cutworm anda huge cephalopod. They are usually found only in subterranean areas. Thecarrion crawler is, as its name implies, a scavenger, but this does not precludeaggressive attacks upon living creatures, for that insures a constant supply ofcorpses upon which to feed or for deposit of eggs. The head of the monster iswell protected, but its body is only armor class 7. A carrion crawler movesquite rapidly on its multiple legs despite its bulk, and a wall or ceiling is aseasily traveled as a floor, for each of the beast’s feet are equipped with sharpclaws which hold it fast. The head is equipped with 8 tentacles which flail atprey; each 2’ long tentacle exudes a gummy secretion which when fresh, willparalyze opponents (save versus paralyzation or it takes effect). As there are somany tentacles with which to hit, and thus multiple chances of being paralyzed,these monsters are greatly feared.2e Monstrous Compendium 1:The carrion crawler is a scavenger of subterranean areas, feedingprimarily upon carrion. When such food becomes scarce, however,it will attack and kill living creatures.The crawler looks like a cross between a giant green cutwormand a cephalopod. Like so many other hybrid monsters, the carrioncrawler may well be the result of genetic experimentation bya mad, evil wizard.The monster's head, which is covered with a tough hide thatgives it Armor Class 3, sprouts eight slender, writhing tentacles.The body of the carrion crawler is not well protected and has anarmor class of only 7. The monster is accompanied by a rank,fetid odor which often gives warning of its approach.Combat: The carrion crawler can move along walls, ceilingsand passages very quickly, using its many clawed feet for traction.When attacking, the monster lashes out with its 2' long tentacles,each of which produces a sticky secretion that can paralyzeits victims for 2-12 turns. A save versus paralyzation is allowed toescape these effects. They kill paralyzed creatures with their bitewhich inflicts 1-2 points of damage. The monster will always attackwith all of its tentacles.Carrion crawlers are non-intelligent, and will continue to attackas long as any of their opponents are unparalyzed. Groups ofcrawlers attacking together will not fight in unison, but will eachconcentrate on paralyzing as many victims as they can. Whenseeking out prey, they rely primarily on their keen senses of sightand smell. Clever travelers have been known to fool an approachingcarrion crawler with a sight and smell illusion, thusgaining time to make good their escape.Habitat Society: Carrion crawlers are much-feared denizens ofthe underground world. They live in lairs, venturing out in searchof carrion or food every few days. Some underground inhabitantssuch as goblins and trolls will make use of carrion crawlersby leaving the bodies of dead foes out in designated areas. Thiskeeps the creatures at a good distance from their own homes andencourages them to "patrol" certain areas. Some ores have beenknown to chain live prisoners near the lairs of these fearsomemonsters.Carrion crawlers will sometimes live with a mate or in a smallgroup numbering no more than 6. This does not mean that theycooperate in hunting, but merely share the same space and competefiercely for the same food. If 2 crawlers have made a kill ordiscovered carrion, they will often fight over the food, sometimeskilling one another in the process.The carrion crawler mates once a year. Several days after mating,the female will go off in search of a large kill. When she hasfound or killed an adequate food supply, she lays about 100 eggsamong the carrion. The grubs hatch one week later and beginfeeding.Maternal care ceases once the eggs have been laid and it is notuncommon for eggs to later be eaten by the female who laid them.Females die a few weeks after laying their eggs, exhausted by theeffort. Males live only a short time longer, having mated with asmany females as possible. Grubs have been known to consumeone another in feeding frenzies, and are a favorite food of adultcarrion crawlers. Few of the grubs reach maturity, but those whodo have eaten voraciously and will achieve their full size in a singleyear. When they reach maturity, the mating cycle beginsagain.These monsters exist on the most basic instinctual level, havingno more intelligence than earthworms or most insects. The carrioncrawler is driven by two urges: food and reproduction. It hasabsolutely no interest in the collection of treasure.Ecology: The carrion crawler provides the same useful, if disagreeable,function that jackals, vultures, and crows perform.Like so many other predators carrion crawlers instinctively preyon the weak, sick, and foolish. In the long run, this has a beneficialeffect on the prey, strengthening its gene pool. The carrioncrawler also works wonders in over crowded caverns, quicklyeliminating population problems among the weaker monsters.Thus, the life cycle of the crawler is inextricably linked to those ofits prey—when the prey flourishes so does the crawler.3.0[Put out the 3.0 PDFs WotC!]Mostly similar to the expanded 3.5 description but no intro paragraph description.3.5:The stink of rotten meat surrounds this multilegged creature with asegmented, 10-foot-long body. Eight writhing tentacles protrude fromits head, growing directly from below its clacking mandibles and toothfilledmaw.Carrion crawlers are aggressive subterranean scavengers, greatlyfeared for their paralyzing attacks. They scour their undergroundterritory for dead and decaying flesh but won’t hesitate to attackand kill living creatures.Each of a carrion crawler’s tentacles is about 2 feet long andsecretes a sticky, paralyzing substance. Like so many hybrid monsters,the carrion crawler may well be the result of arcane experimentation.A carrion crawler weighs about 500 pounds.Carrion crawlers use their senses of sight and smell to detect carcassesand potential prey. When attacking, a crawler lashes outwith its tentacles and tries to paralyze its victim. The tentaclesdeal no other damage. The creature then kills the paralyzedvictim with its bite and devours the flesh. Multiple crawlers donot fight in concert, but each paralyzes as many opponentsas possible. The unintelligent creaturecontinues to attack as long as itfaces any moving opponents.4e:CARRION CRAWLERS FEED ON CORPSES but don’t always limittheir diet to the dead. They are aggressive scavengers fearedfor their paralyzing tentacles.Carrion Crawler TacticsCarrion crawlers (regardless of size) guard their food andeagerly attack trespassers. The crawlers have no tactical sensebut instinctively focus on one or two opponents at a time, relyingsolely on the efficacy of their poisonous tentacles. Carrioncrawlers generally make bite attacks only against stunnedtargets.Carrion Crawler LoreA character knows the following information with a successfulDungeoneering check.DC 15: Carrion crawlers might be the result of some madwizard’s experiment. They feed on carrion (hence the name)but aggressively attack whatever wanders into their feedinggrounds.DC 25: Carrion crawlers lay their eggs in corpses ormounds of offal. When the eggs hatch, hundreds of babycrawlers burst forth and begin gorging on one another.Thankfully, their poison is too weak at that age to harmanyone, and only a handful of them survive to adulthood.Encounter GroupsHumanoid creatures and aberrant creatures sometimesuse carrion crawlers to dispose of waste. Some evenmanage to train the crawlers as mounts or guardbeasts.</blockquote>

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