Many-finned Sea Serpent
An armored, primitive whale with a lobster-like plated back and spiky side projections that sailors mistake for a row of fins.
Appearance
This primitive whale wears bony back plates that make it faintly resemble a lobster, with a saw-toothed crest and up to a dozen ankylosaur-like spikes along each flank. The armor is so heavy it must roll sideways to turn, exposing the spikes that witnesses mistake for fins. Its rounded, calflike head has small high-set eyes like a hippo's, a wide mouth and hair-ringed nostrils at the front. A short slim neck, front flippers and a flat three-lobed tail complete it. The leathery hide is brown with dingy yellow patches, reading as greenish gray, ideal camouflage over coral and rock.
Combat
The armored back is AC 3. It attacks like the many-humped serpent, swims at 12 and otherwise uses common whale statistics.
Habitat and Society
It lives in tropical shallows worldwide, usually under 70 feet though some reach 100. The most famous sightings came from French naval crews off Vietnam, perhaps why French scientists doubt sea serpents less than most.
More: Monsters starting with M · Dragon Magazine monsters · All monsters A-Z
Related: Father-of-All-the-Turtles [Sea Serpent] · Great Orm [Sea Serpent] · Long-necked Sea Serpent · Many-humped Sea Serpent · Marine Saurian [Sea Serpent] · Yellow Belly [Sea Serpent]
Statistics
| Climate/Terrain | Oceans |
|---|---|
| Frequency | Common |
| Organization | Pod |
| Activity Cycle | Any |
| Diet | Plankton |
| Intelligence | Low (5-7) |
| Treasure | Nil |
| Alignment | Neutral |
| No. Appearing | 1-8 |
| Armor Class | 4 |
| Movement | Sw 12 |
| Hit Dice | 12 |
| THAC0 | 9 |
| No. of Attacks | 1 |
| Damage/Attack | 2-12 |
| Special Attacks | Tail |
| Special Defenses | Nil |
| Magic Resistance | Nil |
| Size | G |
| Morale | Champion (15) |
| XP Value | 2,000 |