No. Appearing: 1-2
Armor Class: 6 / -6 (see below)
Movement: 9
Hit Dice: 13
THAC0: 7
No. of Attacks: 1 + special
Damage/Attack: 3d12 + poison
Special Attacks: See below
Special Defenses: See below
Magic Resistance: Nil
Size: H (25' width)
Morale: Steady (12)
XP Value: 15,000
Cranots are giant, predatory and scavenging snails that live in the kelp-forests and ocean-bottoms of the continental shelves. They have a special tentacle-like harpoon that they spit out at victims, or they feed on the carcasses of whales and other large creatures that have sunk to the bottom.
Combat: When a victim is near enough for the cranot to attack (within 20'), then it will automatically try and harpoon a meal. It senses its meals using ambient sound and chemical cues in the water. The harpoon is capable of striking creatures that require +2 weapons to hit, and deals 3d12 points of damage. The neurotoxin that the cranot produces paralyzes prey for up to 2d4 days, keeping them fresh while it digests them alive. A successful save versus poison at a -4 penalty can reduce the paralyzation to 2d4 rounds. In addition, using its large pedal foot, the cranot can 'suction trap' up to two man-sized victims. The victims must make a 'bend bars' roll to escape the pedal foot.
As soon as any damage is done to the cranot, it will release a chemical into the water that causes all creatures to suffer 1d4 points of damage each round they are in the vicinity; a successful save versus poison negates the caustic damage of the chemical. In addition, if the cranot feels that it is facing an opponent that is too powerful, it will 'hydroblast', spewing a vast volume of water at a target. The blast does 1d6 points of damage for every 10' closer to the cranot the victim is, under 30' (thus 1d6 points of damage at 30', 2d6 points of damage at 20', and 3d6 points of damage under 10'). If this is still not successful, then the cranot will withdraw into its shell, and pull its operculum tight, sealing itself safely inside. The cranot's armor requires a +1 weapon or better to harm it, and inside its shell and operculum, it has a -6 Armor Class (outside its shell, it has a 6 Armor Class). Once inside its shell, the cranot regenerates at the rate of 3 Hit Points every round.
Habitat/Society: A female cranot that has mated will release thousands of eggs. Most will simply hatch as small slugs that slowly develope their shells, and grow into adults in time. Cranots are very long-lived, taking centuries to achieve their size. Legends abound of giant cranots that can hold krakens at bay.
Ecology: Avoiding a cranot is a relatively easy task for most marine life-forms, and the cranot only feeds on larger animals (man-sized and up -- it will ignore dwarves, gnomes, and the like, unless they attack). Also, they are continually moving, not staying in any one place for very long. Krakens and giant squid favor the cranots, and some sperm whales have managed to crush their shells. Cranot shells can be crafted into a form of scale-mail with a natural hardness of +1 more than normal scale-mail; plus, that armor is non-metallic. This makes the cranot a particularly rich target for mages and wizards, as well as alchemists who want its unique poison.
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