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{{Otheruses4|the creature|the [[sling]] ammunition|Bullet}}
{{cleanup|2=03:03, March 17, 2012 (UTC)}}
 
 
{{Creature
 
{{Creature
 
| image = <tabber>
 
| image = <tabber>
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1e = [[File:Monster_manual_1e_-_Bulette_p12.jpg|250px]]|-|
 
1e = [[File:Monster_manual_1e_-_Bulette_p12.jpg|250px]]|-|
 
</tabber>
 
</tabber>
| caption = A raging bulette.
+
| caption2 = Various depictions of bullettes.
 
| name = Bulette
 
| name = Bulette
 
| size5e = Large
 
| size5e = Large
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| refs5e = <ref name="MM5e-p34">{{Cite book/Monster Manual 5th edition|34}}</ref>
 
| refs5e = <ref name="MM5e-p34">{{Cite book/Monster Manual 5th edition|34}}</ref>
 
| size4e =
 
| size4e =
| origin4e =
+
| origin4e = [[Natural creature|Natural]]
| type4e = [[natural (creature)|Natural]] [[beast]]
+
| type4e = [[Beast]]
 
| subtype4e =
 
| subtype4e =
| alignment4e = [[Neutral]]
+
| alignment4e = [[Unaligned]]
| refs4e =
+
| refs4e = {{Fact}}
| size3e =
+
| size3e = Huge
| type3e =
+
| type3e = [[Magical beast]]
 
| subtype3e =
 
| subtype3e =
| alignment3e =
+
| alignment3e = Always [[neutral]]
| challenge3e =
+
| challenge3e = 7
| refs3e =
+
| refs3e = <ref name="MM35-p30">{{Cite book/Monster Manual 3.5|30}}</ref>
| size2e = Large (9' tall, 12' long)
+
| size2e = Large
 
| alignment2e = [[Neutral]]
 
| alignment2e = [[Neutral]]
 
| refs2e = <ref name="MM.p33">{{Cite book/Monstrous Manual|33}}</ref>
 
| refs2e = <ref name="MM.p33">{{Cite book/Monstrous Manual|33}}</ref>
| size1e =
+
| size1e = Large
| alignment1e =
+
| alignment1e = [[Neutral]]
  +
| refs1e = <ref name="MM1e-12">{{Cite book/Monster Manual 1st edition|12}}</ref>
| refs1e =
 
 
| patron deity =
 
| patron deity =
| vision = [[Darkvision]]<ref name="MM5e-p34"/>, [[Low-light vision]], [[Tremorsense]]<ref name="MM5e-p34"/>
+
| movement = Burrowing<ref name="MM5e-p34"/>
  +
| vision = [[Darkvision]],<ref name="MM5e-p34"/> [[low-light vision]], [[tremorsense]]<ref name="MM5e-p34"/>
  +
| activecycle =
 
| diet =
 
| lifespan =
 
| lifespan =
 
| location = [[Cormanthor]]
 
| location = [[Cormanthor]]
 
| language =
 
| language =
 
| subraces =
 
| subraces =
| climate =
+
| climate = Temperate<ref name="MM35-p30"/><ref name="MM1e-12" />
| terrain =
+
| terrain = Hills<ref name="MM35-p30"/>
| height =
+
| height = {{SI|9|ft}}<ref name="MM.p33" />
| length =
+
| length = {{SI|12|ft}}<ref name="MM.p33" />
 
| wingspan =
 
| wingspan =
 
| weight =
 
| weight =
 
| skincolor =
 
| skincolor =
 
| haircolor =
 
| haircolor =
  +
| hairstyles =
 
| feathers =
 
| feathers =
 
| eyecolor =
 
| eyecolor =
  +
| build =
 
| distinctions =
 
| distinctions =
 
| based =
 
| based =
 
| first = ''[[Dragon magazine 1]]''<ref name="D1.CF-p19">{{Cite dragon/1/Creature Features|19}}</ref>
 
| first = ''[[Dragon magazine 1]]''<ref name="D1.CF-p19">{{Cite dragon/1/Creature Features|19}}</ref>
 
}}
 
}}
  +
[[File:Bulettepouncing.png|thumb|233x233px|A bulette in mid-pounce.]]
The '''bulette''' (pronounced boo-LET, byoo-LET, boo-LAY, or byoo-LAY<ref name="D.93.APG-p25">{{Cite dragon/93/Ay pronunseeAYshun gyd|25}}</ref>), also known as a '''landshark''',<ref name="D1.CF-p19" /> is a particularly loathsome creature that lives in the [[Cormanthor#Starwood|Starwood]] area of the forest of [[Cormanthor]].<ref name="MM4e-p38">{{Cite book/Monster Manual 4th edition|38}}</ref> Feared and hated by most living creatures, bulettes are extremely dangerous, burrowing unseen beneath the soil before erupting up at an unexpected moment to seize their prey.<ref name="MM3e-p28">{{Cite book/Monster Manual 3rd edition|28}}</ref> Dwarves called the bulette a '''ghohlbrorn'''.<ref name="OotA-67">{{Cite book/Out of the Abyss|67}}</ref>
+
The '''bulette''' ({{Pronounce|boo|LAY|refs=<ref name="D.93.APG-p25" /><ref name="D&DFAQ">{{Cite web/Dungeons & Dragons FAQ}}</ref>|audio=Bulette3.ogg}} {{Pronounce|alt=yes|boo|LET|refs=<ref name="D.93.APG-p25">{{Cite dragon/93/Ay pronunseeAYshun gyd|25}}</ref>|audio=Bulette1.ogg}} {{Pronounce|byoo|LAY|refs=<ref name="D.93.APG-p25" />|alt=yes|audio=Bulette4.ogg}} {{Pronounce|byoo|LET|refs=<ref name="D.93.APG-p25" />|alt=yes|audio=Bulette2.ogg}}), also known as a '''landshark''',<ref name="D1.CF-p19" /> was a fearsome magical beast whose origins were unknown but had become a dangerous predator.{{Fact}} Feared and hated by most living creatures, bulettes were extremely dangerous, burrowing unseen beneath the soil before erupting up at an unexpected moment to seize their prey.<ref name="MM3e-p28">{{Cite book/Monster Manual 3rd edition|28}}</ref> Dwarves called the bulette a '''ghohlbrorn'''.<ref name="OotA-63">{{Cite book/Out of the Abyss|63}}</ref><ref name="WDotMM-90">{{Cite book/Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage|90}}</ref>
   
===Description===
+
==Description==
 
A bulette's body was covered in thick, layered plates. Its head was bullet-shaped, similar to that of a shark, with a massive mouth filled with multiple rows of razor-sharp teeth.{{fact}}
Bulettes are sometimes supposed to be a bizarre cross between an armadillo and a snapping turtle, though there is little evidence to support this theory. Bulettes are heavily armored, however, like either creature, and have a powerful jaw mechanism for snapping up their unsuspecting prey. In many cases, a bulette will swallow its prey whole, consuming their victims clothing, weapons, and other equipment along with the creature itself, which the bulette can in fact digest successfully through the use of powerful stomach acid.<ref name="MM3e-p28">{{Cite book/Monster Manual 3rd edition|28}}</ref>
 
   
 
Bulettes were sometimes supposed to be a bizarre cross between an armadillo and a snapping turtle, though there was little evidence to support this theory. Bulettes were heavily armored, however, like either creature, and had a powerful jaw mechanism for snapping up their unsuspecting prey.<ref name="MM3e-p28"/>
Bulettes are covered head to toe in armor. Around the head and rear, this armor is a blue-brown color, while in-between the hue might range from gray-blue to blue-green. Areas around the eyes are slightly darkened, with the eyes themselves being a yellow color with blue-green pupils. However, while bulettes can see in perfect darkness with these eyes they are not a bulette's primary method of sensory perception. Instead, bulettes typically hunt through the detection of vibrations in the ground, moving towards the source of the movement when their hunger is aroused.<ref name="MM3e-p28">{{Cite book/Monster Manual 3rd edition|28}}</ref>
 
  +
 
Bulettes were covered head to toe in armor. Around the head and rear, this armor was a blue-brown color, while in-between the hue might range from gray-blue to blue-green. Areas around the eyes were slightly darkened, with the eyes themselves being a yellow color with blue-green pupils.<ref name="MM3e-p28"/>
   
 
==Ecology==
 
==Ecology==
  +
===Hunting===
  +
While bulettes could see in perfect darkness with their eyes, they were not a bulette's primary method of sensory perception. Instead, bulettes typically hunted through the detection of vibrations in the ground, moving towards the source of the movement when their hunger is aroused.<ref name="MM3e-p28"/>
  +
 
They burrowed through soft earth, listening for potential prey and then erupting from the ground to consume their living targets. As they had a distinctive fin that cut through the ground as it approached, these creatures were often referred to as "land-sharks."{{fact}}
  +
  +
===Diet===
  +
In many cases, a bulette would swallow its prey whole, also consuming their victim's clothing, weapons, and other equipment, which the bulette could in fact digest successfully through the use of powerful stomach acid.<ref name="MM3e-p28"/>
  +
 
===Behavior===
 
===Behavior===
[[file:NwN Bulette.jpg|''A bulette from the game editor of [[Neverwinter Nights]].''|300px|thumb|left]]
+
[[File:NwN Bulette.jpg|thumb|left|''A bulette.'']]
The male bulette's mating ritual is fairly complicated, involving the killing of [[deer]] and [[boar]]s, these being placed in a wide circle. He then digs a shallow pit in the middle of the circle, and lines it with the bones of the animals he has killed. Over the course of about a week, the bulette slowly grinds the bones in the pit into a fine powder. He then digs underneath the pit and waits for the female.{{fact}}
+
The male bulette's mating ritual was fairly complicated, involving the killing of [[deer]] and [[boar]]s, which were placed in a wide circle. He then dug a shallow pit in the middle of the circle, and lined it with the bones of the animals he had killed. Over the course of about a week, the bulette slowly grinded the bones in the pit into a fine powder. He then dug underneath the pit and waited for the female.<ref name="EE-C-p18"/>
   
The female usually comes along within a month after being attracted by the odor, at which point the bulettes mate. It takes only a day and a half for the female to lay around a dozen eggs, covered in spines, and by the next morning, they have hatched. During hatching, the female bulette makes a noise like an elephant. Once hatched, the newborn bulettes immediately attack the mother, in an attempt to kill her. She fights back, and although she usually kills a few of the young, she succumbs to their attacks more often than not.{{fact}}
+
The female usually came along within a month after being attracted by the odor, at which point the bulettes mated. It took only a day and a half for the female to lay around a dozen eggs, covered in spines, and by the next morning, they had hatched. During hatching, the female bulette made a noise like an elephant. Once hatched, the newborn bulettes immediately attacked the mother, in an attempt to kill her. She fought back, and although she usually killed a few of the young, leaving only around a fourth of the young, she succumbed to their attacks more often than not.<ref name="EE-C-p18"/>
   
For the 48 hours immediately after the hatching of the eggs, the powder in the mating pit is saturated with fluid from the eggs, making it into a very effective fertilizer.{{fact}}
+
For the 48 hours immediately after the hatching of the eggs, the powder in the mating pit was saturated with fluid from the eggs, making it a very effective fertilizer.<ref name="EE-C-p18"/>
   
  +
The babies that survived after the battle with their mother then searched for food, and would take the next few days to grow. After two days, the young would reach full size and adulthood in every way, although a bulette couldn't breed until it was at least twenty five years old.{{Fact}}
==Extra==
 
A bulette is a fearsome magical beast whose origins are unknown but has become a dangerous predator. They burrow through the soft earth, listening for potential prey and then erupting from the ground to consume their living targets. As they have a distinctive fin that cuts through the ground as it approaches, these creatures are often referred to as "land-sharks."{{fact}}
 
   
  +
Bulettes never took kindly to any other creature's presence, making them impossible to tame in the wild, as they would typically attack anything that came near. The only way for a bulette to be domesticated would be to bond with it over the two days of growth while it was young, and there were a few cases where this was done successfully.{{Fact}}
A bulette's body is covered in thick, layered plates. Its head is bullet-shaped, similar to that of a shark, with a massive mouth filled with multiple rows of razor-sharp teeth.{{fact}}
 
   
==Gallery==
+
==Lands==
  +
Bulettes lived in the [[Cormanthor#Starwood|Starwood]] area of the forest of [[Cormanthor]].<ref name="EE-C-p18">{{Cite book/Elminster's Ecologies/Cormanthor|18}}</ref> They were also known to inhabit the mysterious [[Darkmoon]] temple along the [[Sword Coast]], where they were studied by the ancient [[elf]], [[Alain]].<ref name="eotb2">{{Cite game/Eye of the Beholder II: The Legend of Darkmoon}}</ref>
  +
 
==Appendix==
  +
{{Incomplete|}}
  +
===Gallery===
 
<gallery>
 
<gallery>
POD - Battle - Bulette.jpg|''A Bulette in the combat view of the game [[Pools of Darkness (game)|Pools of Darkness]]''.
+
POD - Battle - Bulette.jpg|''A bulette in the combat view of the game [[Pools of Darkness (game)|Pools of Darkness]]''.
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
   
==Appendix==
 
 
===Appearances===
 
===Appearances===
;Adventures:
+
:;Adventures
* ''[[Bloodstone Pass (adventure)|Bloodstone Pass]]''
+
::''[[Bloodstone Pass (adventure)|Bloodstone Pass]]'' • ''[[City of the Spider Queen]]'' • ''[[Princes of the Apocalypse]]'' • ''[[Storm King's Thunder]]''
 
:;Novels
* ''[[City of the Spider Queen]]''
+
::''[[Storm of the Dead]]''
;Computer Games:
+
:;Video Games
* ''[[Eye of the Beholder II: The Legend of Darkmoon]]''
 
* ''[[Pools of Darkness (game)|Pools of Darkness]]''
+
::''[[Eye of the Beholder II: The Legend of Darkmoon]]'' • ''[[Pools of Darkness (game)|Pools of Darkness]]'' • ''[[Treasures of the Savage Frontier]]'' • ''[[Neverwinter Nights]]''
  +
:;Card Games
* ''[[Treasures of the Savage Frontier]]''
 
  +
::''[[AD&D Trading Cards]]''
;Novels:
 
  +
:;Organized Play & Licensed Adventures
* ''[[Storm of the Dead]]''
 
  +
::''[[Black Heart of Vengeance]]''
   
 
===Further Reading===
 
===Further Reading===
 
* {{Cite dragon/1/Creature Features|19}}
 
* {{Cite dragon/1/Creature Features|19}}
  +
* {{Cite dragon/74/Ecology of the Bulette|26}}
   
==References==
+
===References===
 
{{refs}}
 
{{refs}}
 
==Notes==
 
* {{Cite book/Elminster's Ecologies/Cormanthor|18}}
 
[[Category:Beasts]]
 
[[Category:Magical beasts]]
 
[[Category:Natural creatures]]
 
[[Category:Creatures of neutral alignment]]
 
[[Category:Creatures]]
 
[[Category:Creatures found in temperate climates]]
 
[[Category:Creatures found in any terrain]]
 
[[Category:Creatures found in deserts]]
 
[[Category:Creatures found in forests]]
 

Revision as of 23:01, 28 June 2020

Bulettepouncing

A bulette in mid-pounce.

The bulette (pronounced: /bˈlboo-LAY[6][7] about this audio file listen or: /bˈlɛtboo-LET[6] about this audio file listen or: /bjˈlbyoo-LAY[6] about this audio file listen or: /bjˈlɛtbyoo-LET[6] about this audio file listen), also known as a landshark,[5] was a fearsome magical beast whose origins were unknown but had become a dangerous predator.[citation needed] Feared and hated by most living creatures, bulettes were extremely dangerous, burrowing unseen beneath the soil before erupting up at an unexpected moment to seize their prey.[8] Dwarves called the bulette a ghohlbrorn.[9][10]

Description

A bulette's body was covered in thick, layered plates. Its head was bullet-shaped, similar to that of a shark, with a massive mouth filled with multiple rows of razor-sharp teeth.[citation needed]

Bulettes were sometimes supposed to be a bizarre cross between an armadillo and a snapping turtle, though there was little evidence to support this theory. Bulettes were heavily armored, however, like either creature, and had a powerful jaw mechanism for snapping up their unsuspecting prey.[8]

Bulettes were covered head to toe in armor. Around the head and rear, this armor was a blue-brown color, while in-between the hue might range from gray-blue to blue-green. Areas around the eyes were slightly darkened, with the eyes themselves being a yellow color with blue-green pupils.[8]

Ecology

Hunting

While bulettes could see in perfect darkness with their eyes, they were not a bulette's primary method of sensory perception. Instead, bulettes typically hunted through the detection of vibrations in the ground, moving towards the source of the movement when their hunger is aroused.[8]

They burrowed through soft earth, listening for potential prey and then erupting from the ground to consume their living targets. As they had a distinctive fin that cut through the ground as it approached, these creatures were often referred to as "land-sharks."[citation needed]

Diet

In many cases, a bulette would swallow its prey whole, also consuming their victim's clothing, weapons, and other equipment, which the bulette could in fact digest successfully through the use of powerful stomach acid.[8]

Behavior

NwN Bulette

A bulette.

The male bulette's mating ritual was fairly complicated, involving the killing of deer and boars, which were placed in a wide circle. He then dug a shallow pit in the middle of the circle, and lined it with the bones of the animals he had killed. Over the course of about a week, the bulette slowly grinded the bones in the pit into a fine powder. He then dug underneath the pit and waited for the female.[11]

The female usually came along within a month after being attracted by the odor, at which point the bulettes mated. It took only a day and a half for the female to lay around a dozen eggs, covered in spines, and by the next morning, they had hatched. During hatching, the female bulette made a noise like an elephant. Once hatched, the newborn bulettes immediately attacked the mother, in an attempt to kill her. She fought back, and although she usually killed a few of the young, leaving only around a fourth of the young, she succumbed to their attacks more often than not.[11]

For the 48 hours immediately after the hatching of the eggs, the powder in the mating pit was saturated with fluid from the eggs, making it a very effective fertilizer.[11]

The babies that survived after the battle with their mother then searched for food, and would take the next few days to grow. After two days, the young would reach full size and adulthood in every way, although a bulette couldn't breed until it was at least twenty five years old.[citation needed]

Bulettes never took kindly to any other creature's presence, making them impossible to tame in the wild, as they would typically attack anything that came near. The only way for a bulette to be domesticated would be to bond with it over the two days of growth while it was young, and there were a few cases where this was done successfully.[citation needed]

Lands

Bulettes lived in the Starwood area of the forest of Cormanthor.[11] They were also known to inhabit the mysterious Darkmoon temple along the Sword Coast, where they were studied by the ancient elf, Alain.[12]

Appendix

Gallery

Appearances

Adventures
Bloodstone PassCity of the Spider QueenPrinces of the ApocalypseStorm King's Thunder
Novels
Storm of the Dead
Video Games
Eye of the Beholder II: The Legend of DarkmoonPools of DarknessTreasures of the Savage FrontierNeverwinter Nights
Card Games
AD&D Trading Cards
Organized Play & Licensed Adventures
Black Heart of Vengeance

Further Reading

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford, Christopher Perkins (2014-09-30). Monster Manual 5th edition. Edited by Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 34. ISBN 978-0786965614.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Skip Williams, Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook (July 2003). Monster Manual v.3.5. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 30. ISBN 0-7869-2893-X.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 Doug Stewart (June 1993). Monstrous Manual. (TSR, Inc), p. 33. ISBN 1-5607-6619-0.
  4. 4.0 4.1 Gary Gygax (December 1977). Monster Manual, 1st edition. (TSR, Inc), p. 12. ISBN 0-935696-00-8.
  5. 5.0 5.1 Timothy J. Kask (June 1976). “Creature Features: The Bulette”. In Timothy J. Kask  ed. Dragon #1 (TSR, Inc.), p. 19.
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Frank Mentzer (January 1985). “Ay pronunseeAYshun gyd”. In Kim Mohan ed. Dragon #93 (TSR, Inc.), p. 25.
  7. Dungeons & Dragons FAQ (HTML). Wizards of the Coast. (2003). Archived from the original on 2017-07-09. Retrieved on 2018-05-22.
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 Skip Williams, Jonathan Tweet and Monte Cook (October 2000). Monster Manual 3rd edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 28. ISBN 0-7869-1552-1.
  9. Christopher Perkins, Adam Lee, Richard Whitters (September 1, 2015). Out of the Abyss. Edited by Jeremy Crawford. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 63. ISBN 978-0-7869-6581-6.
  10. Christopher Perkins (November 2018). Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage. Edited by Jeremy Crawford. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 90. ISBN 978-0-7869-6626-4.
  11. 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 James Butler, Elizabeth T. Danforth, Jean Rabe (September 1994). “Cormanthor”. In Karen S. Boomgarden ed. Elminster's Ecologies (TSR, Inc), p. 18. ISBN 1-5607-6917-3.
  12. Westwood Associates (December 1991). Eye of the Beholder II: The Legend of Darkmoon. Strategic Simulations, Inc.