New Oe/BX/1E Monster: Tangleworm

DESCRIPTION Tangleworms appear as tangles of rotting vines but are in actuality 3' long worms that appear in large numbers. In their dormant state (75% chance) they appear simply as a bed of tangled, leafless vines, but in their "awake" state, the tangleworms will still appear as vines, but will seem to be "writhing" as the worms twist and squirm among one another. The true danger of a tangleworm lies in stepping on them (knowingly or accidentally), at which point their natural reaction is to coil themselves around an intruder and contract. In a dense area of tangleworms, one sq. ft. will include (wholly or partially) 3-12 tangleworms, and a light area will include 1-4. For every hit point of the tangleworms in a 1 sq. ft. area (even partially), there is a 5% chance (-5% per pt. of DEX above 12) that the intruder being grappled will fall, taking 1-4 points of damage, causing tangleworms in the area of the fall to react as the initial grapple. For any victim of a tangleworm attack lying prone on the ground, there is a 5% chance per tangleworm touching the victim that the tangleworms will being to suffocate the victim (killing the victim per normal suffocation rules). Tangleworms share a similar physiology with trolls and, like trolls, begin to regenerate (even if dead) after 3 melee rounds at a rate of 1 hit point per round. Additionally, separate pieces of a single tangleworm (e.g., if a single tangleworm has been cut in two pieces with a sword) will create completely new tangleworms. To be permanently killed, tangleworms must be burned or immersed in acids.

Oe/1E STATS FREQUENCY: Rare NO. APPEARING: 20-200 ARMOR CLASS: 7 MOVE: 3" HIT DICE: 1-3 pts. % IN LAIR: 95% TREASURE TYPE: Nil NO. OF ATTACKS: 0 DAMAGE/ATTACK: Nil SPECIAL ATTACKS: See below SPECIAL DEFENSES: Regeneration MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard INTELLIGENCE: Non- ALIGNMENT: Neutral SIZE: S (3' long) PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil Attack/Defense Modes: Nil BX STATS ARMOR CLASS: 7 HIT DICE: 1-3 pts. MOVE: 30' ATTACKS: See below DAMAGE: Special NO. APPEARING: 20-200 SAVE AS: Normal man MORALE: 7 TREASURE TYPE: Nil ALIGNMENT: Neutral