Yohoia
| Climate/Terrain: | Shallow sea floor |
|---|---|
| Frequency: | Rare |
| Organization: | Solitary |
| Activity Cycle: | Day |
| Diet: | Carnivore/Scavenger |
| Intelligence: | Animal(1) |
| Treasure: | Nil |
| Alignment: | Neutral |
| No. Appearing: | 1d8 |
| Armor Class: | 6 |
| Movement: | 2, Sw 4 |
| Hit Dice: | 3 |
| THAC0: | 17 |
| No. of Attacks: | 2 |
| Damage/Attack: | 1d8 (x2) |
| Special Attacks: | Seize gear |
| Special Defenses: | Camouflage |
| Magic Resistance: | Nil |
| Size: | M (6’ long) |
| Morale: | Average (8) |
| XP Value: | 270 |
Yohoia is obviously similar to Opabinia, no doubt hunting in the same manner (camouflage and ambush) with the same surprise penalty for AD&D characters. It can swim twice as fast, however, and has two four-fingered “hands” instead of the pincer. When hunting small prey, Yohoia spears its quarry on the fingertips, then folds its arm back to bring the food to its mouth. A group of Yohoia may work together against a common threat, as a hive of bees does.
I am assuming that the finger-spines themselves have some flexibility, enabling Yohoia to grab items too large to be conveniently speared. If it grabs a man-sized character, it may yank off a piece of gear, such as a wand, dagger, pouch, or holstered pistol. PCs trying to keep the thing from making off with their gear should make the same strength or Fitness rolls as listed above for breaking free from Opabinia’s grasp.