Basilisk

Advantages/Disadvantages: Immunity to all poisons and diseases, Resistant to Aging

Skills: Body Control 2 (10/10/25), Climbing (no check possible; basilisks cannot climb), Feat of Strength 13 (25/30/30), Intimidation 22 (30/20/20), Perception 7 (1/20/20), Self-Control (always successful), Stealth 0 (30/20/10), Swimming (no check possible; basilisks cannot swim), Willpower—(always successful)

Number: 1

Size Category: huge

Type: Supernatural Creature, non-humanoid

Loot: 400 rations (inedible and immediately deadly; see Deadly Touch, below), trophy (scales, 10,000 silverthalers)

Combat Behavior: Basilisks do not fight, but their powers make them horrifying opponents.

Escape: Basilisks do not flee.

Magical Lore (Magical Creatures) or Animal Lore (Monsters)

• QL 1: Basilisks are creatures of the Nameless One. Luckily, few exist.
• QL 2: Every living thing a basilisk looks at turns to stone. If you must see one, you can protect yourself only by using a mirror to look at it from around a corner.
• QL 3+: Even the area surrounding a basilisk is deadly and poisoned. A basilisk dies if someone makes it see itself in a mirror. Looking at a basilisk does not cause an observer to turn to stone.

“More superstition surrounds the toadspawn than any other creature in Aventuria. Some say its gaze can turn people to stone. Others say that this is just one of its many terrifying powers. According to legend, the creature brings disease and slow petrifaction to those who dare even to speak of it. This half-knowledge is not surprising, for basilisks are extremely rare, and maybe only one is born each century. The Twelve be praised if that is indeed true, for the damage caused by just one can be so extreme that people talk of it for generations. The result is a tangle of superstition, misunderstandings, and second-hand knowledge that rarely proves helpful. What is certain is that these large, serpent-like creatures are called forth into the world by the Nameless One, and all living things die in their poisonous miasma.”
–Errik Dannike, What Do People Believe?, Warhome, 988 FB

Basilisks, also known as toadspawn, or bha’za in Isdira, are serpent-like creatures that are many yards long and have a metallic crest on their head.

These ruinous creatures are thought to be linked with the Nameless One, and even mere mention of their name spreads fear and terror. They are, without doubt, one of the most dangerous creatures in Aventuria. If their gaze falls upon you, you turn to stone immediately and permanently, although, contrary to popular belief, you can look upon a basilisk without any ill effects (other than perhaps the fear that you should feel when confronting such a beast…)

A basilisk’s aura rots vegetation, covers soil with mildew, turns water into poisonous broth, and changes air into corrosive gas, killing every animal in the vicinity. Areas thus afflicted become toxic pits that remain deadly for weeks. Nothing grows in these wastelands for months afterwards, and anyone unfortunate enough to find themselves in the area (or too foolish to avoid it) suffer nausea, headaches, blurred vision, and even blindness.

If you meet a basilisk, you are almost certainly doomed to die. The poisonous vapors created by its presence and its touch lead to death or deadly sickness, which cannot be healed except by magic or divine intervention. All those who fall under its gaze quickly turn to stone. In fact, the gaze of the basilisk remains deadly up to seven hours after its death. Touching a basilisk’s carcass is survivable only after seven days, and its poisonous aura takes seven weeks to dissipate. If you ever do manage to kill one, you may call yourself a Basilisk Slayer, but the glory of this title is somewhat lessened these days due to the many pretenders who claim it.

Distribution

The basilisk is one of the rarest creatures in Aventuria. According to legend, every 700 years one emerges as a toad that hatches from a chicken’s egg. No scholar knows this with certainty, but all agree that basilisks are unnatural and can survive anywhere on the continent, in any climate. Some scholars believe that more than a dozen of these beasts currently inhabit the remote canyons beyond the Iron Edge. There, far from human civilization, they grow unhindered. If this is true, it is only a matter of time before they start wandering, and who will stop them then? Stories tell of a legendary basilisk created by Pardona the Dark Elf around 3,000 years before the Fall of Bosparan. Named the Basilisk King by tis victims, this creature singlehandedly destroyed the high-elven city of Simyala in the Reichsforst. According to legend, it was the hero Geron the One-Handed who slew the beast, nearly 2,000 years later. Alas, even Geron could not endure the Basilisk King’s poison, and he died in his moment of triumph.

Natural History

Where a basilisk lives, everything dies. Of course, such a creature has no predators. It does not know fear and it has no social behavior. The toadspawn has no intelligence that a human would understand. It does not hunt or fight—it simply exists. Nobody knows what a basilisk survives upon. Some scholars think they feed on carrion or the desiccated remains of plants and animals, but most believe that they do not need any sustenance at all due to their magical nature.

Little is known about their need for sleep. Some people assume they have a regular sleep cycle (but maybe only because that would make them easier to kill). The most depressing rumors have it that these beasts never sleep. In reality, basilisks need nothing at all—not water, not food, not sleep—but who’s to stop a basilisk from eating or sleeping if it wanted to? Nothing is known about basilisk lifespans, though it seems likely that they are immortal and can die only at the hands of a hero.

Special Rules

Petrifying Gaze: Anyone the basilisk looks at turns to stone. This effect has a range of 250 yards and causes the state petrified. Heroes can resist by making a Willpower check with a penalty of 10. If the check succeeds, the hero suffers 3 levels of Paralysis and 2 levels of Confusion instead. Petrified characters cannot be restored—they are dead. The basilisk must spend one action to use its gaze. A basilisk can only affect one target with its petrifying gaze each CR. Cover is no defense against the Petrifying Gaze, unless the target is completely hidden from the basilisk’s sight.

Death Aura

• Heroes within a radius of seven miles of a basilisk suffer d6 DP (ignoring PRO) per hour. Natural regeneration is not possible in this spoiled land. Plants wither, water turns stagnant, and small animals die quickly.
• Heroes within a radius of 49 yards of a basilisk suffer d2 DP (ignoring PRO) per CR.
• Heroes within a radius of 21 feet of a basilisk suffer d3 DP (ignoring PRO) per CR.

Deadly Touch: Heroes touching a basilisk suffer 1D6 DP (ignoring PRO) per CR until they die. The same thing happens if they eat its flesh or touch its blood. This wasting away can only be stopped with curative magic or divine intervention (for example, Balsam or Blessing of Healing), and this requires at least 3 QL to succeed.

Basilisk Combat: To kill a basilisk in combat by holding up a mirror, heroes must be within the weapon reach of long. To even attempt to get that near, heroes must make a Self-Control check with a penalty of 7. Heroes can make one such check per day. To present a mirror to the monster, make a successful AT. You can use Brawling as a combat technique (if you are holding the mirror in your hand) or polearms (if you have bound the mirror to a staff). You can attempt other methods (like using a mirrored shield), which of course allows use of a different combat technique. The GM should assign a penalty of up to 6 points to the AT, depending on situation, mirror size, and combat technique. A basilisk that sees its own reflection is petrified and dies immediately.

Mirrors & Basilisks (Examples of Use)