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Monster ENCyclopedia: Umber Hulk
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<blockquote data-quote="Cleon" data-source="post: 8452427" data-attributes="member: 57383"><p>What no Umblepy entry like you <strong><a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/monster-encyclopedia-tarrasque.682737/post-8401181" target="_blank"><strong>promised</strong></a></strong>? Just too much to cover I guess. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite7" alt=":p" title="Stick out tongue :p" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":p" /></p><p></p><p>Ahem, well to be honest I was expecting the Umber Hulk. It's just the classic D&D U Monster.</p><p></p><p>Came up with a few thoughts while reading this excellent article, which I'll divide into corrections (in this post) and comments (in post or posts to come).</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>I can see it now. A duerguar family sitting down for their supper of rothé stew and mushroom bread when suddenly the room shakes, a hole is torn open in the wall and out steps an Umber Hulk.</p><p></p><p><em><strong>Umber Hulk</strong></em> (in Undercommon): "'Scuse us! I'm out of butter for my purple worm egg souffle, mind lending me a cup?"</p><p></p><p><em><strong>Duergar Patriarch</strong></em> (Angrily pointing to the wall): "You left a tunnel! You only get half a cup!"</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>That looks like it should be "massive talons", "massive arms" or "massive taloned arms".</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Methinks the "lists" is superfluous.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Huh? I thought Umber Bulks had six legs.</p><p></p><p>…pulls out copy of <em>Blood and Shadows</em>…</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Yup, the monster entry gives them a half dozen.</p><p></p><p>Ah, I see, there's a conflict in the text:</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Guess you'll have to pick which one you prefer.</p><p></p><p>The Chapter 2 version is an an-universe description by a dark elf defector so maybe they're lying, mistaken, or meant to say "half-dozen" for the number of limbs? Said dark elf is a wizard so might not have associated with whirli'bug farmers!</p><p></p><p>The Monster Entry six-legged version is my preference.</p><p></p><p>Maybe the monster started our as some kind of giant isopod such as a Monstrous Woodlouse (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodlouse" target="_blank">Oniscidea</a>) and morphed into an Umber Hulk relative during the development of <em>Blood and Shadows</em>?</p><p></p><p>It would explain why the thing looks like "half an egg shell" rather than a bulky mandible-man-insect. Although Isopoda that walk do so with fourteen legs (their thoracic limbs) rather than "dozens" at least that's more than twelve!</p><p></p><p>Although some crustaceans have more limbs than that (i.e. krill have ten food-filtering-legs and twelve swimming-legs) so it's possible for them to have a couple of dozen walking legs. AFAIK there are no realworld groups of crustaceans that do, but they could easily exist in a D&D world.</p><p></p><p>Or maybe Dire Whirli' Bugs are mutant isopods with extra segments. Or very fat millipedes!</p><p></p><p>EDIT: Come to think of it, is "whirlibug" a common name for a particular arthropod…</p><p></p><p>…can't seem to find one that isn't a fantasy monster and it isn't included in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodlouse#Common_names" target="_blank">Common Names for Woodlice</a> on Wikipedia. :ENDEDIT</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Cleon, post: 8452427, member: 57383"] What no Umblepy entry like you [B][URL='https://www.enworld.org/threads/monster-encyclopedia-tarrasque.682737/post-8401181'][B]promised[/B][/URL][/B]? Just too much to cover I guess. :p Ahem, well to be honest I was expecting the Umber Hulk. It's just the classic D&D U Monster. Came up with a few thoughts while reading this excellent article, which I'll divide into corrections (in this post) and comments (in post or posts to come). I can see it now. A duerguar family sitting down for their supper of rothé stew and mushroom bread when suddenly the room shakes, a hole is torn open in the wall and out steps an Umber Hulk. [I][B]Umber Hulk[/B][/I] (in Undercommon): "'Scuse us! I'm out of butter for my purple worm egg souffle, mind lending me a cup?" [I][B]Duergar Patriarch[/B][/I] (Angrily pointing to the wall): "You left a tunnel! You only get half a cup!" That looks like it should be "massive talons", "massive arms" or "massive taloned arms". Methinks the "lists" is superfluous. Huh? I thought Umber Bulks had six legs. …pulls out copy of [I]Blood and Shadows[/I]… Yup, the monster entry gives them a half dozen. Ah, I see, there's a conflict in the text: Guess you'll have to pick which one you prefer. The Chapter 2 version is an an-universe description by a dark elf defector so maybe they're lying, mistaken, or meant to say "half-dozen" for the number of limbs? Said dark elf is a wizard so might not have associated with whirli'bug farmers! The Monster Entry six-legged version is my preference. Maybe the monster started our as some kind of giant isopod such as a Monstrous Woodlouse ([URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodlouse']Oniscidea[/URL]) and morphed into an Umber Hulk relative during the development of [I]Blood and Shadows[/I]? It would explain why the thing looks like "half an egg shell" rather than a bulky mandible-man-insect. Although Isopoda that walk do so with fourteen legs (their thoracic limbs) rather than "dozens" at least that's more than twelve! Although some crustaceans have more limbs than that (i.e. krill have ten food-filtering-legs and twelve swimming-legs) so it's possible for them to have a couple of dozen walking legs. AFAIK there are no realworld groups of crustaceans that do, but they could easily exist in a D&D world. Or maybe Dire Whirli' Bugs are mutant isopods with extra segments. Or very fat millipedes! EDIT: Come to think of it, is "whirlibug" a common name for a particular arthropod… …can't seem to find one that isn't a fantasy monster and it isn't included in [URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodlouse#Common_names']Common Names for Woodlice[/URL] on Wikipedia. :ENDEDIT [/QUOTE]
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