(TFT) New Monster --- Ulstitlu

["rsmith" <rsmith@lightspeed.ca>]

	Ulstitlu	(c) 2002 Richard Smith

	The Ulstitlu is a large serpent that
lives in active, fast flowing rivers.  It 
is magical and is best known for the ruby
like gem that grows between its double pair
of eyes.

ST  254	12 hexes long.
DX   16
IQ   20
MA   14 in water, 10 on land

Armor -5 (-2 against rippled steel, see 
below)

+1 charm in combat for to hit rolls.

Bite  10 dice
Water blast 2d-3 (see below.)
Gem attack  4 pt. of IQ damage (see below.)
Tail strike	4 dice

4vsDX to remain standing if in water and
adjacent to Ulstitlu.

Elemental Accord - WATER.

Talents and abilities:
	Knows all languages. 4 memory.
	May learn spells or talents up to
its IQ.  GM should choose these before
introducing the Ulstitlu into the campaign.


	The Ulstitlu is a lesser guardian
spirit, as such it does not have a soul but
a KA.  It should be considered a holy being
but unaligned.  (Unless, of course the GM 
wants it to be associated with some god.)


	Special attacks:
	Once each turn, it may fire a huge 
blast of water from its mouth instead of
attacking.  Use ranged weapon penalties for
this attack.  Rocks (and ice if it is cold
enough) will be mixed in this blast of water.
As well as doing damage, for each point of
damage that the water blast does BEFORE 
armor, a human sized figure will be washed
back 1 hex.  A 10vsDX+ST is required to keep
your feet after being washed back.  (The GM
should be inventive in describing the places
the PC is washed into, the Ulstitlu is quite
expert at directing objects with its fire 
hose.)

	As a free action, it may mentally 
attack people with its gem.  A person so 
attacked will lose 4 points of IQ, and will
lose the use of any talents or spells that 
require the higher IQ.  (Memory is not 
affected.)  The maximum IQ loss is 4 points.
If it stops attacking someone, their IQ will
recover at 2 points per turn.  This is a 
form of psionic attack but no normal psionic
defenses will prevent the IQ damage.

	People with in 3 hexes of its tail hex
may be struck by its tail for 4 dice of 
damage.  

	People adjacent to the Ulstitlu who are
in the water (after movement) must roll 4vsDX 
to remain standing.


	Armor:
	It has beautiful blue and grey scales 
which stop 5 hits per attack.  However steel
blades with a 'water pattern' (caused by very
sophisticated metallurgical techniques) have
an affinity to water.  Its armor stops 2 hits
against such blades.  Despite its weakness to
such blades it honors them and will sell or
trade such captured blades away rather than
let them rust.

	
	Special Rules:
	It is accorded with the element water 
and so will regenerate 1 point of damage per
turn while it is in its element.  Also if it
is killed while part of it is in water, its
KA is not released, but will travel some how
to a new river and form a new body (but much
smaller, perhaps only 5 hexes long).  (The
new river it will inhabit is usually on a 
different world or plane.)  Its new body 
will have a new gem between its eyes.

	The Ulstitlu has two sets of eyes.  The
first see the normal world, the second will
look into people's souls.  You can not lie 
successfully to the Ulstitlu, if you know you
are lying, it knows.  Also it will know what
sort of person you are.

	Once per year it may change the 
potentiality of an object or being.  This is
like a weak enchantment on the object but it
does not count against the rule of 5 and is
permanent.  If this is done to a living being
it changes the being's true name.  This 
seriously (permanently?) reduces the 
Ulstitlu's power so it will only do so in the 
most dire need.  (Note: this CAN give a 
person permanent magical powers, e.g. can 
smell invisible people.)

	It may change its form taking the shape
of beings smaller than it.  When it does so 
it keeps its DX and IQ but gains the ST 
appropriate to its form.  While it is in this
new form it loses ALL of its special powers
save that in water it can change back.  The
change in either direction takes 3 turns, and
it can not use its powers until it is fully
a serpent again.  If it is killed while in 
some other form, its corpse will retake its
natural form.

	If killed the gem may be carved out of
its flesh.  This has the large crystal 
structure of fine Labradorite but is deep 
ruby red.  The gem is worth at least $15,000
and has a magical power for 1 year after the
death of the Ulstitlu's body.  Anyone who 
has the gem touching their flesh gains a +1
charm for to hit rolls only (this can not go
beyond a +2 if the person has other charms).
To carve out the gem requires splitting the
skull, the Ulstitlu will not survive the 
experience.

	
	Personality and Notes:
	The Ulstitlu is a lusty and fun loving 
creature.  Much of its time is spent surfing 
the white water in steep canyon rivers.  
Being a unique individual, it takes the form
of other animals to indulge its sensual 
urges.

	It has a cynical view of most humans 
and will try to drive them away from its home.
However very holy people have been known to
converse with it.  
	Normally it will not try to kill humans 
who approach it, and will reduce the damage 
of its bite to 2 dice or so, fire water 
blasts, gently (1 die) attack with its tail, 
etc.

	It has a love for gems and will 
occasionally trade for a nice stone.  Often
a hoard of gem stones can be found in a pool
somewhere.  It will pick a place where the 
water flows fast enough to keep silt from
covering them.

	The Ulstitlu has a respect for dragons
and often converses with them.
	
	It hates undead and will destroy them
and those who create them without warning or
mercy.

	A seventh son of a seventh son may 
command it to speak.  It will not attack 
unless attacked and will not leave unless
the seventh son is rude to it.  The Ulstitlu
may try to avoid subjects but if pressed by
a seventh son, must answer truthfully.  It
must speak for at least 1/2 hour each 
season to any particular seventh son.  It
does not seem to resent this task but may 
come to dislike a particular seventh son.  
(It may attack the seventh son at times
when he is not allowed to command it to 
speak but not for a couple days after they 
have just finished conversing.)

	It rather likes clear cutting because
this increases the violence of floods.  It
thus has a bit of an affinity for dwarves.


	Richard Smith
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