Scylla and Charybdis
| Climate/Terrain: | Temperate Water (surface) |
|---|---|
| Frequency: | Unique |
| Organization: | Solitary |
| Activity Cycle: | Any |
| Diet: | Carnivore (humans preferred) |
| Intelligence: | Exceptional (16) |
| Treasure: | F |
| Alignment: | Chaotic evil |
| No. Appearing: | 1 |
| Armor Class: | 1 |
| Movement: | 18 |
| Hit Dice: | 14 (112 hp) |
| THAC0: | 7 |
| No. of Attacks: | 6 |
| Damage/Attack: | 2-8 per head |
| Special Attacks: | Nil |
| Special Defenses: | Immunity to missiles |
| Magic Resistance: | Nil |
| Size: | L (9' tall) |
| Morale: | Champion (16) |
| XP Value: | 7,000 |
Scylla and Charybdis: This danger lies in the straits of Messina between Italy and Sicily. Scylla is a sea monster in the form of a woman with six dogs’ heads around her waist. When ships pass too close to the cave where she makes her home, the dog heads reach out on long necks and grab sailors off the vessel. She then consumes her prizes.
Charybdis lays in wait on the other side or the strait. She swallows great amounts of sea water thrice per day, causing an enormous whirlpool which sucks in and wrecks craffts, which she then swallows. Sailors can only avoid these two by staying to the center of the strait and keeping their craft away from Charybdis' whirlpool. To be free of Charybdis, a ship has to come near Scylla; to avoid Scylla, a ship has to brave Charybdis' waters.
Scylla and Charybdis are forces to be avoided (using seamanship or other appropriate proficiencies) rather than fought. Charybdis cannot be harmed in any case, and Scylla, if killed, will be returned to life. If player characters insist on fighting her they may do so, and her statistics are given below.