Sea Serpent, Many-Humped
| Climate/Terrain: | Oceans |
|---|---|
| Frequency: | Common |
| Organization: | Pod |
| Activity Cycle: | Any |
| Diet: | Plankton |
| Intelligence: | Low (5-7) |
| Treasure: | Nil |
| Alignment: | Neutral |
| No. Appearing: | 1-8 |
| Armor Class: | 4 |
| Movement: | Sw 30 |
| Hit Dice: | 12 |
| THAC0: | 9 |
| No. of Attacks: | 1 |
| Damage/Attack: | 2-12 |
| Special Attacks: | Tail |
| Special Defenses: | Nil |
| Magic Resistance: | Nil |
| Size: | G |
| Morale: | Champion (15) |
| XP Value: | 2,000 |
This long, serpentine creature is thought to be a form of primitive whale. Its head is oval-shaped, blunt, and flat on top, with a broad snout that makes it look like a hornless ox. Its neck is slender and of medium length, and a small triangular fin has sometimes been seen on the shoulders. Its most distinctive feature, however, is the row of regular humps all along the back. The manyhumped serpent has a pair of flippers up front, while its tail is double-lobed like other whales'. Its skin is generally smooth, though sometimes rough. The top is dark brown to black in hue, while the lower portion is pure white. This coloration is favored as camouflage by sea creatures that hang around the continental shelf, and sure enough, that is where the reports of the Many-humped come from. Sometimes this sea serpent also has a white stripe or two on the side of the neck.
It has been suggested that the famed humps are hydrostatic organs, or sacs of skin that can be inflated with air at will. They can serve both as a reserve supply of air for long dives, andas they are right on the spineto provide stability for the creature when it swims on the surface. It can hit a top speed of 35-40 knots. Nearly all reports come from the eastern coast of North America, with a particular emphasis on New England. It generally stays in warm water, which in northern areas means the Gulf Stream, but does venture into the cooler waters during the summer. It has the same average length noted for sea serpents in general, but may reach a maximum of 115'. It can do 2-12 points of damage with its bite, does not attack with its tail, and has a swimming speed of 30, but otherwise has the same stats as the common whale (12 HD).
by Gregory W. Detwiler