Hide
A gigantic, mop-shaped octopus of the deep sea floor that numbs its prey with a cone of cold before closing in to tear at it with its beak.
Appearance
The hide is a huge octopus of the ocean bottom with stubby tentacles for its size. It looks rather like a filthy floor mop or an open umbrella, a revolting sight, and its color is anything at all and changes often.
Combat
It seeks to close in and bite, its beak dealing 2-12. To weaken a target first it breathes a cone of cold 10 feet wide and 30 feet long for 3d6, and it is itself immune to cold. If the fight still turns against it and three-quarters of its hit points are gone, it flees behind a blinding cloud like an octo-jelly's, but far bigger: 40 feet high, 60 feet wide and 60 feet long.
Habitat and Society
Hides live alone, since the deep sea seldom holds enough food for two in one area. Mating is brief and eggs are abandoned once laid.
Ecology
It preys on creatures of the sea floor and those that swim above it, and like the octo-jelly's, its ink is prized as an ingredient for scroll ink.
More: Monsters starting with H · Dragon Magazine monsters · All monsters A-Z
Statistics
| Climate/Terrain | Ocean depths |
|---|---|
| Frequency | Very rare |
| Organization | Solitary |
| Activity Cycle | Any |
| Diet | Carnivore |
| Intelligence | Animal (1) |
| Treasure | Nil |
| Alignment | Neutral |
| No. Appearing | 1 |
| Armor Class | 1 |
| Movement | 3, swim 12 |
| Hit Dice | 8 |
| THAC0 | 13 |
| No. of Attacks | 1 |
| Damage/Attack | 2-12 |
| Special Attacks | Cold generation |
| Special Defenses | Luminous cloud, immunity to cold |
| Magic Resistance | Standard |
| Size | Huge (20' across) |
| Morale | Fearless (20) |
| XP Value | 3,000 |