Giant Archerfish

This silvery fish has a heavy, boxy head when seen from the front, thanks to a pair of massively muscled water bladders on either cheek. Behind them the body tapers fast into a sleek shape driven by a strong tail.

Every third round the bladders fire a 30-foot jet of water from the mouth, strong enough in an adult to sweep a human off a ship's deck or out of the rigging. The jet treats any target as AC 5 whatever its armor. An unbraced victim is driven back 1 foot for every 20 pounds he weighs under 200, and anyone under 200 pounds must roll Dexterity on 4d6 to stay standing, which hardly matters if he is already flying overboard. A victim braced or holding a support rolls Strength on 3d6 to stay put. A save vs. paralysis is needed to keep hold of anything in hand, and an attack roll of 20 stuns the target for 1-3 rounds.

In the water it bites much like a shark, and a natural 20 swallows whole anything halfling- or gnome-sized. A swallowed victim can only cut free with a knife or dagger already in hand, by inflicting enough damage on the fish's AC 10 insides to kill it, all while taking 1 hp per round from stomach acid with no air to breathe. In the water, victims lose Dexterity bonuses to AC unless a ring of free action or comparable magic protects them, and shields are useless.

Adults are loners that meet only to spawn on the sea floor. Any eggs that escape egg-eaters hatch after 3-4 weeks, and the young school together in groups of 5-20 until they reach about 3 feet long. Young fish have THAC0 19, HD 1+1, AC 7 and MV 18, with one attack for 1-3, no effective special attacks, a length of 1-3 feet, and an XP value of 35.

Hatchlings can already spit. Cruising near the surface, fish track prey by sight until they match its course and speed, then leap and fire to knock down big insects, birds and small water animals. The school hunts as a team until its members mature and the catch can no longer feed them all, which breaks it up. A young fish's jet cannot threaten characters and it cannot swallow them, though sprites or brownies are fair game.

Not territorial, giant archerfish go wherever prey is, eating people only when convenient and scavenging the bottoms of shallow seas or big lakes when hungry. They ignore treasure, though a slain one might hold an item in its gut. Their flesh is poor eating and they have no practical use except as bait, nor any value as spell components.