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Originally posted by Ayrik

The brainpool is the center of an illithid settlement. It holds the collective consciousness of all living and dead illithids from the community. It's the nursery for their tadpoles. It's conscious, intelligent, telepathic, it links them all. If it has absorbed enough illithids, enough lifetimes, enough experiences, then it can project formidable psychic powers over a large radius.

It's explained in every monster manual entry for illithids (mind flayers).

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Originally posted by Wooly Rupert


This is all part of why I will always lament the move away from the 2E style of monster write-ups. In the 2E Monstrous Compendiums, each critter got at least a full page. Half the page was stats and art, but the other half was combat, organization, habitat/lair, preferred treasure, ecology -- and what you could use the critter for, whole or in pieces. Monster write-ups since then have lacked that information, turning the monsters into a bag of XP and GP.

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AD&D 2e - Ankheg

The ankheg is a burrowing monster usually found in forests or choice agricultural land. Because of its fondness for fresh meat, the ankheg is a threat to any creature unfortunate enough to encounter it.

The ankheg resembles an enormous many-legged worm. Its six legs end in sharp hooks suitable for burrowing and grasping, and its powerful mandibles are capable of snapping a small tree in half with a single bite. A tough chitinous shell, usually brown or yellow, covers its entire body except for its soft pink belly. The ankheg has glistening black eyes, a small mouth lined with tiny rows of chitinous teeth, and two sensitive antennae that can detect movement of man-sized creatures up to 300 feet away.

Combat: The ankheg’s preferred attack method is to lie 5 to 10 feet below the surface of the ground until its antennae detect the approach of a victim. It then burrows up beneath the victim and attempts to grab him in its mandibles, crushing and grinding for 3d6 points of damage per round while secreting acidic digestive enzymes to cause an additional 1d4 points of damage per round until the victim is dissolved. The ankheg can squirt a stream of acidic enzymes once every six hours to a distance of 30 feet. However, since it is unable to digest food for six hours after it squirts enzymes, it uses this attack technique only when desperate. A victim struck by the stream of acidic enzymes suffers 8d4 points of damage (half damage if the victim rolls a successful saving throw vs. poison).

Habitat/Society: The ankheg uses its mandibles to continuously dig winding tunnels 30-40 feet deep in the rich soil of forests or farmlands. The hollowed end of a tunnel serves as a temporary lair for sleeping, eating, or hibernating. When an ankheg exhausts the food supply in a particular forest or field, it moves on to another.

Autumn is mating season for ankhegs. After the male fertilizes the female, the female kills him and deposits 2d6 fertilized eggs in his body. Within a few weeks, about 75% of the eggs hatch and begin feeding. In a year, the young ankhegs resemble adults and can function independently. Young ankhegs have 2 Hit Dice and an AC 2 overall and an AC 4 for their undersides; they bite for 1d4 points of damage (with an additional 1d4 points of damage from enzyme secretions), and spit for 4d4 points of damage to a distance of 30 feet. In every year thereafter, the ankheg functions with full adult capabilities and gains an additional Hit Die until it reaches 8 Hit Dice. Beginning in its second year of life, the ankheg sheds its chitinous shell just before the onset of winter. It takes the ankheg two days to shed its old shell and two weeks to grow a new one. During this time, the sluggish ankheg is exceptionally vulnerable. Its overall AC is reduced to 5 and its underside AC is reduced to 7. Additionally, it moves at only half its normal speed, its mandible attack inflicts only 1d10 points of damage, and it is unable to squirt acidic enzymes. While growing a new shell, it protects itself by hiding in a deep tunnel and secreting a repulsive fluid that smells like rotten fruit. Though the aroma discourages most creatures, it can also pinpoint the ankheg’s location for human hunters and desperately hungry predators.

Ankhegs living in cold climates hibernate during the winter. Within a month after the first snowfall, the ankheg fashions a lair deep within the warm earth where it remains dormant until spring. The hibernating ankheg requires no food, subsisting instead on nutrients stored in its shell. The ankheg does not secrete aromatic fluid during this time and is thus relatively safe from detection. Though the ankheg’s metabolism is reduced, its antennae remain functional, able to alert it to the approach of an intruder. A disturbed ankheg fully awakens in 1d4 rounds, after which time it can attack and move normally.

The ankheg does not hoard treasure. Items that were not dissolved by the acidic enzymes fall where they drop from the ankheg’s mandibles and can be found scattered throughout its tunnel system.

Ecology: Though a hungry ankheg can be fatal to a farmer, it can be quite beneficial to the farmland. Its tunnel system laces the soil with passages for air and water, while the ankheg’s waste products add rich nutrients. The ankheg will eat decayed organic matter in the earth, but it prefers fresh meat. All but the fiercest predators avoid ankhegs. Dried and cured ankheg shells can be made into armor with an AC of 2, and its digestive enzymes can be used as regular acid.

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D&D 3.5 - Ankheg

A huge segmented insect with slender legs, each ending in a sharp claw, emerges from the ground in a burst of rock and dirt. A tough chitinous brown shell covers its entire body, and glistening black eyes stare out from above powerful mandibles.

The ankheg is a burrowing monster with a taste for fresh meat. An ankheg has six legs, and some specimens are yellow rather than brown. It is about 10 feet long and weighs about 800 pounds.

An ankheg burrows with legs and mandibles. A burrowing ankheg usually does not make a usable tunnel, but can construct a tunnel; it burrows at half speed when it does so. It often digs a winding tunnel up to 40 feet below the surface in the rich soil of forests or farmlands. The tunnel is 5 feet tall and wide, and from 60to 150 feet long ([1d10 + 5] ×10). The hollowed ends of the tunnel serve as temporary lairs for sleeping, eating, or hibernating.

An ankheg can eat decayed organic matter but prefers fresh meat. Though a hungry ankheg might kill a farmer, the creature is quite beneficial to farmland. Its tunnel system laces the soil with passages for air and water, while its wastes add rich nutrients.

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AD&D 2E - Red Dragon

Red dragons are the most covetous and greedy of all dragons, forever seeking to increase their treasure hoards. They are obsessed with their wealth and memorize an inventory accurate to the last copper. They are exceptionally vain and self confident, considering themselves superior not only to other dragons, but to all other life in general.

When red dragons hatch, their small scales are a bright glossy scarlet. Because of this, they can be quickly spotted by predators and men hunting for skins, so they are hidden in deep underground lairs and not permitted to venture outside until toward the end of their young stage when their scales become turned a deeper red, the glossy texture has been replaced by a smooth, dull finish, and they are more able to take care of themselves. As the dragon continues to age, the scales become large thick, and as strong as metal.

Red dragons speak their own tongue, a tongue common to all evil dragons, and 16% of hatchling red dragons have an ability to communicate with any intelligent creature. The chance to possess this ability increases 5% per age category of the dragon.

Combat: Because red dragons are so confident, they never pause to appraise an adversary. When they notice a target they make a snap decision whether to attack, using one of many “perfect” strategies worked out ahead of time in the solitude of their lairs. If the creature appears small and insignificant, such as an unarmored man, the dragon will land to attack with its claws and bite, not wanting to obliterate the creature with its breath weapon, as any treasure might be consumed by the flames. However, if a red dragon encounters a group of armored men, it will use its breath weapon, special abilities, and spells (if it is old enough to have them) before landing.

Breath Weapon/Special Abilities: A red dragon’s breath weapon is a searing cone of fire 90’ long, 5’ wide at the dragon’s mouth and 30’ at the base. Creatures struck by the flames must save versus breath weapon for half damage. Red dragons cast spells at 9th level, adjusted by their combat modifiers.

Red dragons are born immune to fire. As they age, they gain the following additional powers:

Young: affect normal fires three times per day. Juvenile: pyrotechnics three times per day. Adult: heat metal once per day. Old: suggestion once per day. Very old: hypnotism once per day. Venerable: detect gems, kind and number in a 100’ radius three times a day.

Habitat/Society: Red dragons can be found on great hills or on soaring mountains. From a high perch they haughtily survey their territory, which they consider to be everything that can be seen from their position. They prefer to lair in large caves that extend deep into the earth.

A red dragon enjoys its own company, not associating with other creatures, or even other red dragons, unless the dragon’s aims can be furthered. For example, some red dragons who have charm spells will order men to act as the dragon’s eyes and ears, gathering information about nearby settlements and sources of treasure. When a red dragon’s offspring reach the young adult stage, they are ordered form the lair and the surrounding territory, as they are viewed as competition.

Red dragons are quick to fight all creatures which encroach on their territory, especially copper and silver dragons which sometimes share the same environment. The hate gold dragons above all else because they believe gold dragons are “nearly” as powerful as themselves.

Ecology: Red dragons are meat eaters, although they are capable of digesting almost anything. Their favorite food is a maiden of any human or demi-human race. Sometimes the dragons are able to charm key villagers into regularly sacrificing maidens to them.

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D&D 3.5 - Red Dragon

The dragon has horns extending back over the neck, frilled ears, and smaller horns at the cheeks and chin, with rows of horns over the brows. The nose is beak like and sports a small horn. A frill begins behind the head and runs to the tip of the tail. The dragon reeks of smoke and sulfur, and its scales shine with shades of crimson and scarlet.

Red dragons are the most covetous of all dragons, forever seeking to increase their treasure hoards. They are exceptionally vain, which is reflected in their proud bearing and disdainful expression. The small scales of a wyrmling red dragon are a bright glossy scarlet, making the dragon easily spotted by predators and hunters, so it stays under ground and does not venture outside until it is more able to take care of itself. Toward the end of young age, the scales turn a deeper red, and the glossy texture is replaced by a smooth, dull finish. As the dragon grows older, the scales become large, thick, and as strong as metal. The neck frill and wings are an ash blue or purple-gray toward the edges, becoming darker with age. The pupils of a red dragon fade as it ages; the oldest red dragons have eyes that resemble molten lava orbs.

Red dragons lair in large caves that extend deep into the earth, which shimmer with the heat of their bodies and are marked by a sulfurous, smoky odor. However, they always have a high perch nearby from which to haughtily survey their territory, which they consider to be everything in sight. This high perch sometimes intrudes upon the territory of a silver dragon, and for this reason red dragons and silver dragons are often enemies.

Red dragons are meat eaters by preference, and their favorite food is a human or elven youth. Sometimes they charm villagers into regularly sacrificing townsfolk to them.

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Originally posted by sleyvas

sadly, part of the reason I believe for the shorter monster manual entries was because people would have decried "We're just paying for reprints, I already have this info".... and I don't think they'd be wrong in predicting that. It is why so many of us hold to our old 2nd edition religion guides and such though.

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Originally posted by mastermustard

This is frequently glossed over by writers and DM's but the reality is that FR is a brutal setting where the strong do as they please with the weak. Many, many people are starving, many are desperate. Unlike us with the privilege of a modern first-world lifestyle, I doubt many/most in the Realms have the luxury of caring where their meat comes from.

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Originally posted by Stones Finder

On a related note, Elaine's last(?) Liriel story includes an adventurer wearing armor made out of the red dragon his party killed. Liriel's response was - interesting...

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