ThursdAD&D: Another Scaly Creature
A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned Ms. Marvel’s 1978 encounter with a race of lizard people who had mutated into an intelligent society from common desert reptiles due to atomic bomb testing. So-called saurians have been a staple in fantasy and science fiction for further back than the late 70s. For example, Edgar Rice Burroughs had the frightening Mahars, intelligent pteradon-like creatures with deadly psychic powers. (Click here for a look at one of these malevolent beasts.)
But back to Ms. Marvel. If memory serves, she held her own pretty well against those mutated lizards when it came to fisticuffs, but not so well when targeted by a psychic attack. Different saurians had different abilities, and some were capable of a sort of bolt of psychic energy. For last ThursdAD&D, I presented the sollersaurus, an intelligent raptor-like creature. Today, I add the cogitasaurus, which I see as a sort of behind-the-scenes leadership for saurians.
Cogitasaurus
Frequency: Rare
No. Appearing: 1 (1-6 in lair)
Armor Class: 5
Move: 12″
Hit Dice: 6+6
% in Lair: 45%
Treasure Type: Q, S, T
No. of Attacks: 2
Damage/Attack: 1-4/1-4
Special Attacks: See below
Special Defenses: See below
Magic Resistance: Standard
Intelligence: Exceptional
Alignment: Lawful neutral
Size: M (3′ tall, 6′ long)
Psionic Ability: 70-100
Attack/Defense Modes: A, B/F, G, H
Level/XP Value: VI/850 + 8/hp
The cogitasaurus is an intelligent saurian carnivore of exceptional intelligent. It possesses powerful psionic abilities, which is prefers to use in lieu of its claws. The cogitasaurus is bipedal, and it more closely resembles a humanoid-form that the sollersaurus. The cogitasaurus often rule over sollersauruses, using them as guards and mounts. It is unlikely (only 20% chance) that a cogitasaurus will be encountered outside its lair without 1-4 sollersauruses. A cogitasaurus lair is always protected by 1-4 sollersauruses per cogitasaurus.
The cogitasaurus has keen senses and infravision of the 90-foot variety. It is surprised only 1 in 6 times. The cogitasaurus has the following psionic abilities (performed at 6th-level mastery): animal telepathy, domination, and energy control. While the cogitasaurus cannot cast spells per se, it can read magic at will and utilize scrolls of all sorts as if it were a 6th-level caster.
The gaze of the cogitasaurus poses a special threat. Any avian or mammalian creature that meets the gaze of the cogitasaurus must make a saving throw versus paralyzation. Failure results in the victim being stunned for 2-8 rounds, dropping anything held in manipulative members. Creatures with more than 6 levels or hit dice receive a +4 bonus on the saving throw to resist the cogitasaurus’s gaze.
The cogitasaurus speaks the same tongue as the sollersaurus. The cogitasaurus has a 75% chance to understand 1-4 other languages, although the cogitasaurus lacks the vocal apparatus to speak most other tongues. Despite its intelligence, the cogitasaurus seldom makes use of much more than the simplest of tools.
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