Scylla and Charybdis
Twin perils of a narrow sea passage: a many-headed monster that plucks sailors from passing decks, and a bottomless whirlpool that swallows whole ships.
Overview
This pair haunts the Strait of Messina between Italy and Sicily, placed so that steering clear of one drives a ship toward the other. The safe course is a careful line down the middle, well away from the whirlpool. Both are hazards to be passed with seamanship and similar skills, not fought.
Scylla
From a cave on one shore lives a woman-shaped monster ringed at the waist by six dog heads on long necks. Ships that pass too close lose sailors as the heads snatch them from the deck for her to eat. Her statistics exist for those who insist on a fight, but if killed she returns to life.
Charybdis
Across the channel, Charybdis gulps vast amounts of seawater three times a day, raising a whirlpool that drags in and wrecks ships before she swallows them. Nothing can harm her.
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Statistics
| Climate/Terrain | Temperate Water (surface) |
|---|---|
| Frequency | Unique |
| Organization | Solitary |
| Activity Cycle | Any |
| Diet | Carnivore (humans preferred) |
| Intelligence | Exceptional (16) |
| Treasure | F |
| Alignment | Chaotic evil |
| No. Appearing | 1 |
| Armor Class | 1 |
| Movement | 18 |
| Hit Dice | 14 (112 hp) |
| THAC0 | 7 |
| No. of Attacks | 6 |
| Damage/Attack | 2-8 per head |
| Special Attacks | Nil |
| Special Defenses | Immunity to missiles |
| Magic Resistance | Nil |
| Size | L (9' tall) |
| Morale | Champion (16) |
| XP Value | 7,000 |