Catoblepas

Catoblepas

A creature of such hideous appearance that looking the beast in the eye has the potential to kill a hapless creature unlucky enough to stumble across this thing. The body resembles that of a huge, bloated buffalo; the head features horns on either side of its snout and large, snapping jaws. The creature is as intelligent as canines or felines — and so it has some understanding of its malevolent nature and has been known to act with deliberate malice.

The most dangerous thing about the creature, however, is its death gaze. Any creature that approaches within four hexes of the beast is in danger of catching the catoblepas' eye, whereupon a saving throw must be made or the victim's chest will seize tight with horror and the individual will quite literally die. However, there is a saving grace, for if the characters are well supported by a moderately leveled cleric, the victim can be restored. The death will be equivalent to -11 hit points, so that a death's door spell will effect a recovery.

As well, the catoblepas' tail features a bony club upon its end, which is fixed with ridges. The tail is structured so that the tail will snap like a whip when it hits a defender, causing it to hit very hard. If the tail hits and stuns, the defender should be considered profoundly stunned for two rounds rather than one.

The existence of the creature, including its ability to procreate others of its kind, has long been a source of contention. It is believed that the catoblepas was the result of a beast-making experiment gone wrong; some say that the catoblepas came from the lower planes of existence and that it is really a demon. Whatever the case, the discovery of these creatures in an area (a knowledge that includes the probability that there are others) brings consternation to many, while the eradication of the beasts will often rely on willing outsiders prepared to risk the catoblepas' death gaze.

See Bestiary.