#adnd

"three theatrical thorks threaten a thief" © Toren Atkinson, accessed on reddit here

[Compared to the previous monsters I've converted out of the Fiend Folio, the thork is incredibly obscure. It was never converted to 2nd edition, didn't make it into the Tome of Horrors. I don't even think it has an equivalent in Hackmaster. This is only the second bespoke piece of art for a thork ever, after the original illustration, and it's from 2024! So I am here to speak for the thorks, even if they are truly Nobody's Favorite.

Brass storks and other water birds were popular knickknacks during the 70s; someone must have thought, "what if it was a monster" when writing this entry. It ends up feeling rather parallel to the Stymphalian Birds, which have brass feathers and are often depicted as water birds, including in Pathfinder RPG. So I made them explicitly related here. The AD&D version makes a big deal about them collecting platinum pieces, so I wanted to give thorks an in-universe reason for doing so besides "enticing adventurers so they get hit with 4d8 fire damage".

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Thork CR 4 N Magical Beast This creature appears to be an oversized stork, about twice the height of a person, with coppery metallic feathers. Steam rises from its beak.

Thorks are flightless birds with metallic feathers and an internal boiler system. Female thorks require large amounts of metal in their diets in order to properly develop and lay eggs, and so consume copper and tin regularly in order to achieve their brassy hues. The rarest metal they require is platinum, which acts as a catalyst for the glands that heat water inside their enlarged crop. Male thorks seek out platinum and give it as nuptial gifts to females during courtship—the male who can provide the most platinum fathers the most chicks. Although thorks do not consider man-sized creatures to be prey, they have learned that humanoids carry plenty of metal, even platinum, in convenient little discs, and male thorks are very aggressive during the courtship season.

In combat, thorks use their breath weapons as much as possible—they can spew a jet of scalding water a surprisingly long distance. In between sprays, they peck with their sharp beaks. Smaller enemies, like halflings, gnomes or animal companions, may be grabbed and swallowed whole, where they are cooked by the thork’s internal heat. When fighting to defend their nests, thorks often leap high into the air to alert nearby thorks of the potential danger. Thorks fight to the death in defense of their nests, but otherwise attempt to flee when badly injured.

Thorks are kin to the stymphalides, sharing with them the traits of long necks, metal feathers, and carnivory. An individual thork is much weaker than an individual stymphalides, but their co-existence acts as a form of Mullerian mimicry—predators know better than to attack metallic birds or raid their nests in habitats where one or both occur. Stymphalides associate with thorks, especially during the winter, the steaming breath of the weaker thorks keeping ponds and rivers from freezing over. In these relationships, thorks benefit from the presence of the stronger stymphalides and scavenge on their prey once the stronger birds are finished eating.

Monster Manual - Catoblepas

Eugh… I’d really rather not write this. I thought the scholars were exaggerating when they said it had “no redeeming features”. After a week following these horrid beasts around, I cannot help but concur. Hopefully the smell of this monster will leave my tunic one day.

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Well, that's rather uncharitable for Lias. He must have not liked the catoblepas very much. Thankfully the anonymous author of Summoner Saga has more to say. (This is one of the few times that the Monster Manual and Summoner Saga project will cross-over, purely due to coincidence):

Catoblepas

(Hellenistic Natural Philosophy)

Joining the basilisk and gorgon as creatures who can kill with a look is the catoblepas. This medium-sized bovid inhabits flooded grasslands and swamps in the sub-tropical regions of Palet. Covered in a mixture of scales and patchy fur, its legs are short and ungainly, mismatched in size. The head of the catoblepas is attached to a long, thin neck which perpetually bows down. They spend their entire lives looking at the ground, snuffling for grass and herby plants like a hog. Along the neck is a mane where each hair has a stiff root attached to the neck. When needed, the catoblepas can tense its neck, causing the hairs to suddenly raise, exposing its hideous face. Whereas basilisks and gorgons petrify their victims, those who see the catoblepas suffer brain hemorrhages upon witnessing it. If that wasn't enough to keep creatures away, catoblepas also feed heavily upon a certain poisonous herb. Immune to the toxins, they allow the fumes from the herb to collect in their foregut. If the threat of their gaze isn't enough to dissuade a predator, the beast can also belch up this toxic gas. Unsurprisingly, catoblepas are solitary, lonely creatures. Mating is a rare event and they have few parental instincts, leaving calves to fend for themselves after they're weaned. No other creatures reside where a catoblepas makes its home. The only companion the grotesque creatures have are a swarm of blind parasites evolved especially to feed upon the catoblepas. With short limbs, a thin tail, and no companions willing to groom them, they suffer the presence of these freeloaders in quiet rage.