The Book of Magecraft
| Climate/Terrain: | Any subterranean |
|---|---|
| Frequency: | Mythical |
| Organization: | Solitary |
| Activity Cycle: | Any |
| Diet: | Special |
| Intelligence: | Supra-genius (19-20) |
| Treasure: | A×2,T,W×2 |
| Alignment: | Any |
| No. Appearing: | 1 |
| Armor Class: | 0 |
| Movement: | 13, Br 12 |
| Hit Dice: | 13 |
| THAC0: | 7 |
| No. of Attacks: | 2 |
| Damage/Attack: | 2d4/2d4 |
| Special Attacks: | Spells, costriction |
| Special Defenses: | +1 or better edged weapons to hit |
| Magic Resistance: | 30% |
| Size: | L (9-11’ long) |
| Morale: | Fanatic (17) |
| XP Value: | 8,000 |
The tualleiaght (to-ALL-ee-ate) is a snake-shaped creature with a thick body and a dozen tiny clawed feet along its underside. Its head is large and vaguely human, making some scholars think it is related to nagas. It has a double row of remarkable strong teeth in its lower jaw and a single row in the top, which is longer and protrudes over the bottom lip. The tualleiaght has no scales, but its smooth, dense skin is variegated in color. The tip of the creature’s tail is barbed with a myriad of tiny teethlike spikes that match the color of its head.
This garradalaigh dwells exclusively underground. It raises its head above ground only to get a glimpse of what is happening on the surface. An excellent burrower, it moves as easily through the earth as most men walk upon it, and it can cut through stone at a Movement Rate of 3. A wizard with the tualleiaght can, once a day for 2d4 turns, move with the creature through the ground, matching its speed.
This creature is reputed to speak the languages of kobolds and burrowing mammals, as well as dwarf, halfling and human tongues.
The tualleiaght can cast any of the following spells, each once per day, at the 12th level of ability: hold portal, darkness 15’ radius, stone shape, transmute rock to mud, and flesh to stone. The creature has infravision to 120 feet and can see easily in magical darkness.
Combat: This garradalaigh can attack with its bite and spiked tail, each successful attack inflicting 1d12 points of damage. If the tualleiaght’s target is size M or smaller, it also can employ a constriction attack. This inflicts 1d8 points of damage and causes subsequent bite and tail strikes to hace a +4 attack bonus. It is immune to attacks from blunt weapons, no matter how magical. Edged weapons of +1 or better are requored to strike the tualleiaght.
If the tualleiaght finds itself in jeopardy, it burrows to get away, twisting about in its tunnel to strike those foolish enought to pursue it.
Habitat/Society: When in the company of a wizard, the tualleiaght seeks to learn about activities above ground. This is not idle cutiosity, but a way to keep its mind active and busy. This garradalaigh appears more oftne in the folklore íf the Vos than in that of any other race.
Ecology: The tualleiaght can eat dirt and rocks. However, it prefers to dine on kobolds and unrefined ore,
