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A Dalvashian Bestiary:

New Monsters for a New World

Here I present a bestiary of native and introduced Dalvashian lifeforms. Not comprehensive, it does cover some of the main monsters that are likely to be encountered on the continent, its nearby islands, and in the ocean. Several creatures are noted that are largely the same as they are in the official works, though notes are made about frequency, habits, and distribution as they related to Dalvashia. Others though are brand new, and statistics for them follow.

For those of you unfamiliar with Dalvashia, as likely anyone reading this is, Dalvashia was a largely uninhabited world discovered by magical researchers from Toril. In my campaign, the PCs founded a nation on the Whamite Islands in the middle of the Sea of Fallen Stars (Inner Sea). At first they were quite successful, with plenty of room to expand to, including the nearby Pirate Isles, and many opportunities for trade. Unfortunately, a burgeoning population (largely from refugees and trade) and embroilment in many wars (including an interplanar war) forced the King, Gazerick von Caladan, to consider a bold move. If all the lands were claimed around the Inner Sea and the Pirate Isles were being carved up by the great powers and there was no outlet to the Trackless and Shining Seas beyond why not settle a new world.

Dalvashia was discovered, a world of all the climates of Toril or Earth, but uninhabited except for a very primitive, somewhat friendly bullywug like species on a distant continent. Declaring that land mass off limits, they began to settle one continent, which they also called Dalvashia. I may post later information on that world, but here are the monsters (many of them new) found on that world.

Dalvashia differs markedly from Toril on fauna. No mammals other than a few species on the central grasslands were ever found to live there prior to colonization (possibly introduced in the distant past), and only one species of bird has ever been found. Reptiles are very rare, and found only in the deserts. These higher animals either went extinct or never evolved. The dominant life forms and monsters are amphibians, insects, and crustaceans.

For purposes of this article, the main continent of Dalvashia is roughly the size and shape of North America, including the arctic islands of Canada, Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. The Jade Peninsula is roughly equivalent to Central America, the Azure Sea is a combination of the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, and the Coral Islands are the West Indies or Caribbean islands.

Ant, Giant

Largely the same as found in the Monster Manual and other sources, the giant ant ranges up and down the eastern woodlands of the continent, south into the Jade Peninsula, and on the western coast forests as well. Formerly they were also common in the various tropical islands, such as those in the Azure Sea and the Coral Islands.

About three-quarters of the giant ant colonies encountered are non-predatory, herbivorous in nature (though quite threatening to farmers). The remainder are voracious predators, and the discovery of such a colony is major cause for concern, as they have no compunction whatsoever about eating humans and their livestock.

While the writer would not technically say that giant and very large ants were the dominant life form of the woodland regions of Dalvashia, taken as a whole they are quite common. Certainly herbivorous ants are the most common plant-eating creature of the woodlands, forming a stable part of the diet of giant tiger beetles, giant wasps, carnivorous ants, and occasionally beef eater beetles and giant dragonflies. As settlers tend to shut down any giant ant colony they find in an area, they often force the predators dependent upon them for food to turn to the colonists and their livestock.

Most of the giant ant species are fairly typically large versions of the standard miniscule brown and black ants so familiar to everyone, but other varieties exist. Perhaps giant insects proliferated in Dalvashia, a world that naturally seems to have no mammals, birds, and probably no reptiles. In more southerly regions, from the Jade Peninsula north to the northern shores of the Azure Sea exist some more toxic varieties, generally of a bright copper color. Found as both herbivorous and carnivorous varieties, they tend not to be more aggressive (though they to tend to be a lot less shy). Such creatures have a toxic bite, which can be quite terrible against exposed flesh. Treat all such giant ants as having an attack of 3-12 hit points rather than 1-6; in effect, all are as dangerous as "regular" giant ant solider. The soldiers of these species do instead 3-18 points of damage, rather than 1-6. Giant copper ants are usually rare in frequency, though in some areas that have been disturbed and then the wilderness reclaimed them they can be quite common, as they seem to have at least a slight competitive advantage.

The giant fire ant is generally found only in the areas of the Jade Peninsula, and is a fierce predator. Such ants are highly toxic, each bite doing 2-20 points of damage, with the soldiers doing 2-20 +6 points of damage. Giant fire ants will viciously attack any potential prey and are highly dangerous as they often forage in large groups. In many ways this is the probably the deadliest predator of Dalvashia, but thankfully few live in the areas it inhabits. Its one saving grace is that does not dwell in cool areas, a combination of not being able to handle cool weather and needing to dwell in very productive areas, such as tropical rainforests.

There is another rare toxic ant species, the giant sky blue ant, or just "sky blue." A peaceful plant eating species, mainly living on ferns, it is only found deep in undisturbed tracks of the hottest jungles. As it dwells in areas inhabited by both giant copper ants and the dangerous giant fire ant, it has developed even greater levels of toxicity. A bite from any sky blue the victim must save versus poison or die, and if successful still take 3-12 points of damage. Fortunately these ants are rare, easily recognized, dwell in remote areas, and are peaceful. However, early explorers that stumbled into their nests did not live to tell the tale. These ants are so potentially deadly that short lived thieves guild in the south used them as a symbol and mascot.

Finally, there is the giant hunter ant, or just "hunter." Some call them "mega ants." A solitary species, they do not dwell in ant hills as the other species do, at most a half a dozen live together, though they hunt alone. Traveling through warm temperate and tropical areas, they feed on anything they can find. Such predators are larger and more dangerous than most soldier ants. They have 4 hit dice, and bite for 2-20 points of damage (save versus poison or take an additional 1-10 points of damage). Generally they keep to dense forests and any area where prey (particularly insect prey) is to be commonly had.

In short, here are the known Dalvashian ant species, with soldier damage in parentheses.

Type:	Frequency:	Hit Dice:	Damage:	Habitat:
Giant Herbivorous	Common	2	1-6 (3-12)	Temperate and tropical
Giant Carnivorous	Common	2	1-6 (3-12)	Temperate and tropical
Giant Copper Ant (Carn)	Rare	2	3-12 (3-18)	Warm temp and tropical
Giant Copper Ant (Herb)	Uncommon/Rare	2	3-12 (3-18)	Warm temp and tropical
Giant Fire Ant	Uncommon	3	2-20 (2-20 +6)	Tropical
Giant Sky Blue	Very Rare	2	Die or 3-12	Tropical
Giant Hunter	Rare-Very Rare	4	2-20 (plus 1-10)	Warm temp and tropical

Antelope

A common herd animal of the central plains, much desired for food and even hunted for sport on occasion. Also a common prey item for the local wild dogs and lions. The Dalvashian variety tends to be on the smaller side.

Frequency:	Common
No. Appearing:	20-200
AC:	6
Move:	24"
Hit Dice:	1-1 (one minus one)
No. of Attacks:	2 hooves or 1 antler
Damage/Attack:	1-2/1-2 or 1-6
Size:	M

A buck can make one antler or two hoof attacks, while a doe makes only hoof attack. An antler attack accounts for both antlers.

Beetle, Beef Eater

The Beef Eater Beetle is a smallish "giant beetle," generally three feet long at most. Complementing the wild dog, they are natural scavengers. Found throughout the planet, the Beef Eater Beetle is particularly common in the eastern woodlands and on the central plains. Not picky at all, these insects will consume any dead or dying animal, whether a giant wasp carcass in the east or a bison slaughtered by lions on the plains.

Generally either bright red, black, or a mixture of these two colors, this tough beetles pack a surprising punch with their bite, doing 2-8 points of damage per bite. Usually not aggressive, they will vigorously defend any food source they find. They has resulted in some ugly fights between wild dogs and the beetles; while the beetles are able to wing and often take advantage of a corpse first, the wild dogs generally have the advantage of numbers, and can snap at and tease a Beef Eater Beetle.

Beef Eater Beetles are most commonly found following herds, but sometimes they prove a problem to people. When the herd is killed off, or giant beetle larvae are born into an area where there are no bison (and thus few food sources), they will seek to attack and generate their own protein sources. Sometimes towns are invaded by twenty or more of these creatures at one time, with some beetles attacking and others rooting through stored food and garbage for a meal. Some plagues are not welcomed, but are nevertheless a part of the often times hard life of the plains.

Beetle, Giant Tiger

The smaller cousins of giant tiger beetles are very common in most parts of Dalvashia, particularly in deserts, on sandy beeches, and along the forest floor. Their rapid pace, quick flight, and often gorgeous metallic colors make them striking. Thousands of varieties exist, harmless to man.

Their larger cousins are simply the small specimen writ large. Not really malevolent, they are merely predators seeking a meal. Most common in the deserts and jungles, they simply exist to chase down food by sight during daylight hours. Cattle and bison are as likely prey as humans, though the beetles don't especially target two-legged prey.

Giant tiger beetles can be a variety of colors. In deserts, they are generally the color of the local terrain, and may be tan, buff, ochre, red, or whatever colors necessary. White beetles in gypsum dunes are not unknown. In jungles where there is better cover they run the gamut of colors, and can be metallic green, red, or purple, or a splash of rainbow hues. Those found in temperate forests are generally much the same as those found in jungles, though a tad more conservative in coloration.

Giant tiger beetles bite to attack.

Giant tiger beetles are one of the few native insects noted to hunt mammals on a regular basis. In some areas of the plains they are noted to attack smaller bison, particularly the calves, though the dominant predator is the lion. With the lion being driven to more remote regions by settlement and hunting, more and more of these insects have winged their way into cleared areas and begun to prey on bison and livestock.

On the other side of the coin, giant tiger beetles represent one of the best hopes by the druids to control the rampaging wild boar populations of the eastern forests, and some druids are actually breeding them for this purpose (to the great unhappiness of farmers, woodsmen, and others, who would rather deal with wild pigs than be beetle chow).

Beetle, Logger's Bane

The Logger's Bane Beetle was one of the first of this planet's dangerous life forms encountered by explorers. These about three foot long brightly colored blue beetles are deadly poisonous, both in terms of eating them and in their bite (save versus poison or die; settlers do not eat them, but sometimes animals do their grave misfortune). Early settlers did not know what these creatures were, and consumed them with the rest of the abundant beetles of the woodlands. Logger's Bane Beetle deaths are generally quite rare now, since precautions have been in place for years. In much the way snake bites a problem in other worlds, settlers have had to adopt to this creature in a similar matter.

Logger's Bane Beetles generally ambush their prey, which is smaller insects. Humans occasionally step or blunder into one of these creatures (who despite their coloration are 60% invisible in natural terrain, or perhaps because of), who then bite in defense. These insects are not known to attack unprovoked.

Bison

The most common mammal on the central plains, and easily the most common mammal on the planet as well, these bovines thrive in that region. Hunted for food, horns, and hide, large numbers still exist, some herds numbering in the hundreds of thousands and taking hours to pass a hill or cross a road. Unlike many worlds, ranchers have experimented with raising and harvesting the local creatures rather than exterminate them in favor of imported cattle.

Their statistics are not in the original AD&D 1st edition books, and here is an abbreviated version of them.

Frequency:	Common
No. Appearing:	20-200 (at least)
Move:	18"
Hit Dice:	5
No. of Attacks:	2 horns, or 1 charge with trampling (two hooves)
Damage/Attack:	2-5/2-5 or 3-18 and 1-6/1-6

They can charge like a bull if they have at least 30 feet of running space. Only one horn may be used.

Corkbug

In a world that has no native mammals or birds, one might expect to find no notable life forms in the high mountains and alpine meadows. One would be wrong. To quote two cliches, "nature abhors a vacuum", and "life finds a way." The corkbug is one such example. Related to the more familiar giant insects of the lowlands, it has uniquely adapted to the rarefied air, biting winds, and even the snow of the high western mountains of Dalvashia.

The corkbug is a giant insect (though possibly actually a crustacean), and is covered in a different substance than giant ants or beetles. Instead of standard chitin, it clad in a cork-like substance, thick, but airy and light, that aids in insulation of the creature from the cold. Beneath the cork, there are amounts of oil fat also for insulation.

Early settlers found that the cork makes excellent insulation and is sought after in other parts of Dalvashia, and the oil is ready made for lubrication and for burning. As a result, in many areas corkbugs have been extensively hunted.

In combat, corkbugs only receive half damage from attacks by blunt weapons, owing to their thick insulation. Though not especially fast, their thick hides give them an excellent AC. If forced to, they bite to attack for 1-4 hit points of damage.

Corkbugs are generally harmless, feeding on lichen, moss, dried leaves, and any other plant material it can find. In effect, they fulfill the role of sheep or mountain goats here.

Dalvashian Bestiary page 2 >