Lampreys were a species of parasitic,[4] leech-like eels.[1][3]
Description[]
Lampreys had round sphincter-like orifices that were ringed with sharp teeth.[3] Their bodies measured around 2 feet (0.61 meters) in length. They typically had a sickly brown, green, or grayish coloring.[1]
Behavior[]
These creatures had horrible tempers. They were largely driven by a desire to eat and reproduce. They tended to aggressively fight other creatures in order to protect their lairs.[1]
Biology[]
Lamprey had a near flawless homing sense, allowing them to pinpoint creatures up to 2 miles (3,200 meters) away.[1]
Lamprey injected some form of poison into the creatures that they attached themselves. While this poison was harmless to creatures other than fish, it imparted a severely sour taste upon the latter that many considered to be inedible.[4]
Combat[]
Much like a leech or giant leech,[5] used their mouths to fasten themselves to prey, from which they gradually drained blood.[3][1] Once full, they detached themselves from their prey, but otherwise they largely refused to let go unless killed.[1]
History[]
The rivers that emptied into the Sea of Fallen Stars were plagued every few years by wide-scale attacks from lampreys. With fish traveling upriver, such as salmon, being the most affected. Over time many attempts were made to eradicate their species from the area, but none had proven successful.[4]
Sub-Species[]
- Giant lamprey
- A monstrous variety of the standard lamprey.[3][1]
- Land lamprey
- A species of lampreys that had mutated to be capable of surviving on land.[1]
Ecology[]
Diet[]
These creatures primarily subsisted upon blood,[3] draining it from larger species of fish. Unlike many parasitic creatures, they did not die with their host.[4]
Habitats[]
Lampreys could be found in both fresh and saltwater environments, but were almost never encountered in shallow water,[3] only deep waters.[1] They typically made their lairs within underwater caves or coral formations.[1]
In Faerûn, lampreys were particularly known to inhabit the Sea of Fallen Stars,[4] the subterranean areas of Seros,[6] the Stump Bog,[7] the River Ashaba, and Dragon Reach.[8] Beyond Faerûn, lampreys could be found in much of Kara-Tur.[9]
Usages[]
In Neverwinter, some impoverished folk were known to bake savory pies with lamprey meat as a filling.[10]
Summoning[]
A common variety lamprey could be summoned by the summon monster I spell in a saltwater aquatic environment.[11] Those who practiced sea magic could with the same summon monster I spell call forth between 2 and 8 of the creatures.[12]
Appendix[]
Notes[]
- ↑ The 2nd edition alignment given in the original source is "Nil", which should be read as Neutral according to this Sage Advice answer by Skip Williams in Dragon Magazine Issue #155: "The nil alignment rating is a holdover from an early draft of the Monstrous Compendium material. Originally, a rating of nil indicated that a creature was not intelligent enough to have an alignment at all. However, the nil rating was dropped during rewriting and should have been replaced with the neutral alignment."
- ↑ In Monstrous Compendium Volume Two these creatures are labeled as being carnivores. However, this contradicts their description as blood suckers.
Appearances[]
- Adventures
- Tantras • Polyhedron #87, "Eye of the Leviathan" • Wyrmskull Throne
- Referenced only
- Vampires of Waterdeep: The Fireplace Level
- Novels
- Dark Dancer, Bright Dance
- Referenced only
- Bury Elminster Deep
References[]
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 David "Zeb" Cook, et al. (1989). Monstrous Compendium Volume Two. (TSR, Inc). ISBN 0-8803-8753-X.
- ↑ Skip Williams (March 1990). “Sage Advice”. In Roger E. Moore ed. Dragon #155 (TSR, Inc.), p. 86.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Gary Gygax (December 1977). Monster Manual, 1st edition. (TSR, Inc), p. 59. ISBN 0-935696-00-8.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 James Butler, Elizabeth T. Danforth, Jean Rabe (September 1994). “Coastal Aquatic Lands: The Sea of Fallen Stars”. In Karen S. Boomgarden ed. Elminster's Ecologies (TSR, Inc), p. 8. ISBN 1-5607-6917-3.
- ↑ Richard Baker, Joseph D. Carriker, Jr., Jennifer Clarke Wilkes (August 2005). Stormwrack. Edited by John D. Rateliff, John Thompson. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 154–155. ISBN 0-7869-3689-4.
- ↑ Steven E. Schend, Thomas M. Reid (1999). Wyrmskull Throne. (TSR, Inc), p. 47. ISBN 0-7869-1405-X.
- ↑ Ed Greenwood (December 1987). “Welcome to Waterdeep”. In Roger E. Moore ed. Dragon #128 (TSR, Inc.), p. 14.
- ↑ Random encounters table included in Ed Greenwood (1989). Tantras (adventure). (TSR, Inc). ISBN 0-88038-739-4.
- ↑ Gary Gygax, David Cook, and François Marcela-Froideval (1985). Oriental Adventures. (TSR, Inc), p. 115. ISBN 0-8803-8099-3.
- ↑ Ed Greenwood (2019-11-25). Neverwinter Cuisine (Tweet). theedverse. Twitter. Archived from the original on 2021-11-26. Retrieved on 2021-05-16.
- ↑ Doug Stewart (June 1993). Monstrous Manual. (TSR, Inc), p. 278. ISBN 1-5607-6619-0.
- ↑ Deborah Christian (August 1995). “Arcane Lore: Sea Magic”. In Wolfgang Baur ed. Dragon #220 (TSR, Inc.), p. 72.