Bazaelahr

Dead Cyclops proudly presents a guest post by +David Turner

FREQUENCY: Rare
NO. APPEARING: 2-5
ARMOR CLASS: 0/2
MOVE: 9”/9”
HIT DICE: 5 + 5
% IN LIAR: 15%
TREASURE TYPE: I
NO. OF ATTACKS: 2 or 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-8 / 2-12 or 3-18
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Constriction, hurled boulders – see below
SPECIAL DEFENCES: +1 or better weapons to hit and see below
MAGIC RESISTANCE: 25%
INTELLIGENCE:
ALIGNMENT: Chaotic evil
SIZE: L (10’ tall)
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
Attack/Defense Modes: Nil

Bazaelahr are the most feared soldiers in the army of Ragadash, The Devouring Jungle, Demon Lord of the Hell of Black-Iron Trees. Part shock-troops and part siege engines, the Bazaelahr batter Ragadash’s foes with fist, tail, and stone. Outside of combat, their scales and skin are off-white. They climb as quickly as they slither across open ground.

Bazaelahr smash foes with their fists and finish them off with their powerful tails shaped like morning stars. If both attacks hit the same target, the Bazaelahr wrap their snake bodies around their foe and squeeze for an additional 2-12 damage. If a large stone is available, a Bazaelahr can make one ranged attack for 3-18 damage instead of its usual melee attacks.

The skin of the Bazaelahr is demonically tough and requires +1 weapons to penetrate. Bazaelahr draw strength from the blood of their enemies. If they have inflicted damage on a foe in a combat round, their torsos, arms and heads turn blood-red and their tails become a mottled red-white. For the rest of that combat round and the next, the Bazaelahr’s Armor Class improves from 2 to 0. If a Bazaelahr fails to damage a foe, they lose the Armor Class bonus in subsequent rounds until they harm someone again.

Inspired by this artwork by Erol Otus, from Dragon Magazine #8, July 1977

Thanks to Keith Senkowski for digging up the picture and other interesting things from the early Dragon magazines.