E for Eyepecker

[Note: Any non-gamers tuning in to this series of posts are invited to consult my New Reader Introduction for some RPG-specific definitions and a general introduction to the Lands of Ara blog.]

Before my triumphant return to playing older-edition D&D via the superb retro-clone Labyrinth Lord, I spent much of the 1990s playing a home-made fantasy RPG called Crimson Blades of Ara (CBoA). That RPG was the origin point for my current fantasy setting of Ara, and was also a receptacle for many great custom-made monsters.

Since I started playing Labyrinth Lord a couple years ago, I haven't raided the CBoA coffers for much monster-related content. Sure, I've adjusted and customized a few standard Labyrinth Lord monsters (like hobgoblins and vampires) for use in the Arandish setting, but I guess I've been too busy getting the geographical and cultural ideas about the setting online to pay much attention to any of the Ara-specific monsters Dave and I created back then.

But monsters deserve love too, and on my recent trip back through the unfinished Crimson Blades of Ara Referee section, I came across the following little gem. I honestly cannot remember now who came up with the "Eyepecker" -- it may well have been something Dave and I invented together. Its name reeks of my style, but even if I came up with the name, Dave and I would have hashed out its characteristics and game stats together.

And now, my revamped version for Labyrinth Lord:

Eyepecker
# Encountered: 3d12 (1d00)
Alignment: chaotic
Move: 90' (30'), Fly: 120’ (40’)
AC: 5
HD: 2 hp
Attacks: 1 (beak)
Damage: 1d3 plus blindness
Save: F1
Morale: 8
Hoard Class: None
XP: 6

This hostile, birdlike creature (with a 16" average wingspan) earned its name by showing a marked taste for the eyes of its prey. Attacking in small swarms, it will typically attack weak or unarmed beings, but has been known to go after armed adventurers as well. On each successful attack, the eyepecker does 1d3 damage AND has a 1 in 6 chance of putting out one of its victim's eyes. Some Arandish folklorists believe that the eyepecker, which looks like a furry bird with a particularly long beak and batlike wings, is in actuality a minor demon and not really a "bird" at all.