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Quill

2613

Quills are natural animals native to some of the most inhospitable reaches of the Great Wheel. They�re common enough in grassland or scrub all over the Outlands, but they�re also found in places where it doesn�t seem possible for a herbivore to exist. A body can run across a quill in the howling tunnels of Pandemonium, the iron battle-plains of Acheron, the fiery waste of Avernus, or the war-torn Plain of Infinite Portals.

A sharp basher can make a meal of a quill when his rations�re running low and there�s nothing else to eat. He�s just got to be a little careful about catching his dinner.

Quills look like large porcupines, but their spiny hide alternates with bands of tough, thick, leathery skin like an armadillo�s. A quill�s spines are much larger and more dexterous than a porcupine�s � each clump is rooted in a small but powerful muscle that can twitch and agitate the spines with surprising strength and speed. The creature�s tail is long and strong, with a dense clump of spines at the end. The quill�s been known to kill a human in mail armor with a single blow of its tail.

Quills are voracious foragers and grazers who�ll chew their way through anything given enough time. They�ll eat razorvine, bloodthorn, or even chew on ironmaw roots, let alone less formidable vegetation such as grass or brush. Quills aren�t real tasty, but they�re better than nothing, and most fiends�ll try to kill and eat one if they�re hungry. �Course, minor fiends like spinagons or imps are better off looking for an easier meal.

Combat: Quills don�t normally initiate combat. When they encounter anything that looks human or demihuman, they�re inclined to keep a moderate distance and go about their business. If some addle-cove persists in trying to get too close, the quill�s first lines of defense are its throwing spines. Each round, the quill can fire 1 to 4 spines at any target within 20 feet, with a THACO of 20 (they�re not terribly accurate with fired spines.) The spines each inflict 1 to 3 points of damage per hit, and stick in the victim. (See below.)

If that doesn�t deter an aggressor, the quill defends itself with its bite and its tail lash. The bite�s not much to worry about, but the tail�s capable of killing a full-grown human. A blow from the tail inflicts 1d6+1 points of damage, and leaves 0 to 3 (1d4- 1) spines stuck in the victim. The quill can�t fire spines and make its melee attacks in the same round.

Attacking the quill bare-handed or with natural weaponry�s a bad idea. Each time the attacker scores a hit, the quill counterattacks with 1d4+1 spines, which each inflict 1 to 3 points of damage per hit. Even striking the creature with a hand-held melee weapon creates a counterattack of 0 to 3 spines (1d4-1). These incidental attacks strike with a THAC0 of 20, and any spines that hit stick in their target. The quill can be safely attacked with missiles or thrown weapons.

Fighting a quill�s likely to mean that the attacker has a few spines stuck in him by the end of the combat. Quill spines are wickedly barbed. Removing a spine causes 1 goint of damage unless the character pulling the spine out passes an unmodified healing proficiency check or a Dexterity check at a -4 penalty. Leaving the spine in the wound prevents the wound from healing and activates a cumulative 10% chance per day that the wound festers. Festering wounds cause 1 point of damage per day per wound unless the victim survives a saving throw versus poison, and they continue to do so until the victim succeeds with three consecutive saves or is treated with cure disease.

Habitat/Society: Quills usually gather in small family groups comprising a mated pair and several offspring of various ages. (Very young quills have just 1 Hit Die, and their spines are too soft to do any real damage, although they still hurt.) Quills aren�t particularly aggressive or territorial, and quickly withdraw from a confrontation with a predator.

Quill spines can be modified for use as blowgun darts or other light weapons. With a successful check of the armorer proficiency, a basher could fix spines to his armor anywhere he�s wearing a level plate, such as his shoulders, knees, or elbows. The DM can decide how effective a deterrent this might be � generally, the spines look dangerous but offer no measurable combat effect.

Ecology: Quills�re very useful because they take otherwise indigestible plant life and turn it into marginally digestible meat. Quill meat may not taste good, but it�ll sustain life, and in some quarters of the Lower Planes, it�s actually considered a delicacy. Quills are naturally reclusive and usually forage only by night, so they can be harder to find than a cutter�d think.

Quills typically nest in labyrinthine earth burrows not much bigger than 1� to 2� feet in diameter. If they�re anywhere near their burrow when danger threatens, they�re likely to go to ground and wait it out. Even a determined fiend�ll think twice about trying to pull a quill out of its burrow.

Last Modified: August 31, 2009, 18:37:00 GMT

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