New Oe/BX/1E Monster: Khiimori (Mongolian Monster)

With William over at Ramblings of a Great Khan running his Mongol Adventure Contest, and Tim over The Other Side organizing the upcoming Monstrous Monday, I decided to (for the rest of the month) move my normal Tuesday Monster-of-the-Week posts to Mondays and do a couple of mongol-themed monsters. Today's monster is a black pegasus from Mongolian legends. On a side note, the pegasus is so popular in Mongolia it's on their state emblem. Oh, and if you're looking for more Mongolian monsters, be sure to check out the crimson death worm from way back in January of this year, or the yak-man from late April.

DESCRIPTION Compared to its closest relative the pegasus, the khiimori is slightly smaller, moderately stronger, and just as quick. It’s coat is an ebony color so deep it is almost frightening. In fact, in battle, any horse facing a khiimori suffers a -1 morale penalty for the duration of the confrontation. The khiimori is also much more brazen and much less reclusive than the pegasus. In the mountains where they nest and the steppes where they graze, they are generally reckless in regards to their outgoing behavior and often find themselves captured for the purposes of training. However, there is only a 10% chance that any single adult male khiimori may be broken for the purposes of serving as a steed and they are, therefore, highly prized and command great prices when sold at all. There is a 15% chance that any single adult female may be broken, and a 25% chance that any single young (male or female) may be broken. Like pegasi, khiimori attack with their forehooves and powerful teeth. Additionally khiimoris are inredibly strong though small in stature, with males able to carry weight equal to a heavy warhorse, and females able to carry as much as a medium warhorse. Even young khiimoris are able to carry as much as a light warhorse. Khiimoris speak their own language and there is a 50% chance that all members of a herd will speak common (or none of them will). There is a further 50% chance that all members of a herd will speak the language of pegasi (or none of them will). With sufficient training, a khiimori is able to learn commands in the language used when breaking/training each animal. When encountered in lair, there will be one nest for each pair of khiimoris. In each nest, there is a 15% chance of 1-2 eggs or a 60% chance of young that are 15-60% of maturity. On the open market, it is not uncommon for khiimori eggs to fetch two-to-three more gold than pegasus eggs.

Oe/1E STATS FREQUENCY: Rare NO. APPEARING: 1-8 ARMOR CLASS: 5 MOVE: 24”/48” HIT DICE: 5 % IN LAIR: 90% TREASURE TYPE: Nil NO. OF ATTACKS: 3 DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-10/1-10/1-4 SPECIAL ATTACKS: See below SPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard INTELLIGENCE: Average to very ALIGNMENT: (Lawful) neutral SIZE: L PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil Attack/Defense Modes: Nil BX STATS ARMOR CLASS: 5 HIT DICE: 4 MOVE: 240’/480’ ATTACKS: 2 hooves/1 bite DAMAGE: 1-10/1-10/1-4 NO. APPEARING: 1-8 SAVE AS: Fighter:4 MORALE: 10 TREASURE TYPE: Nil ALIGNMENT: Neutral