Edible Monsters (Part Seven)...!

It's been 10 years or so since my last edible monster, so this week's creature is the...

CRAGGER

FREQUENCY: Uncommon
 
NO. APPEARING: 2-8
 
ARMOR CLASS: 6 (underside 5)

MOVE: 6"/12"

HIT DICE: 1

% IN LAIR: 100%

TREASURE TYPE: Nil

NO. OF ATTACKS: 2

DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-4, 1-4

SPECIAL ATTACKS: See below

SPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil

MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard

INTELLIGENCE: Animal

ALIGNMENT: Neutral

SIZE: S (12-18" wide)

PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil

       Attack/Defense Modes: Nil

Craggers use their numerous claw-like legs to hang from the roofs of caves or underground places where there are flows of water. They subsist on the nutrients that lie within such places and it seems that they are also able to siphon off various minerals, particularly iron, with which they grow their dagger-like foreclaws. Because of this, their presence in any place can sometimes signal that iron lies somewhere nearby, usually in seams of ore but also perhaps decaying metal.

 

These creatures are very territorial and thus will readily attack adventuring parties (they might also be attracted by any iron or steel worn by them). They usually prefer to drop from some higher vantage point, crashing into their victim and inflicting 1-4 points of damage with the thicker underside of their carapace. Their dagger-like claws each inflict 1-4 points of damage and two may be used at once. A Cragger may choose to use their legs to attach themselves to a victim, especially if they are wearing metal armour, and then instinctively try to draw sustenance from that metal with a flexible proboscis. In this manner the proboscis may come into contact with bare skin and thus cause paralysis for 1-3 rounds if a saving throw versus paralyzation is failed. Detaching a attached Cragger requires a Strength check. Despite looking quite rudimentary, their odd collection of wings make them quite mobile in flight and thus quite difficult to hit.

Craggers can be a useful source of food but only if prepared in a specific manner. The meat within their carapace is poisonous and if extracted and eaten (cooked or raw) it will cause violent retching and vomiting for 1-3 hours. However, if the body of the creature is baked on a fire for an hour and the meat scooped out with the remains of its wings, the poison is negated. Cragger meat has a taste much like crab, although with a slightly metallic aftertaste, and each creature consumed is equivalent to a half day's rations. Their claws may be repurposed in some way as basic daggers (inflicting 1-3 damage) but only if attached to a suitable handle. When polished they reveal numerous swirling patterns and thus might be sold as part of a decorative dagger worth at least 5 g.p..

Description: The underside of their carapace is yellow edged with red while the top of the carapace is blueish-white. Their eyes and leaf-like wings are bright blue and their claws resemble metal, somewhat like unfinished steel. Their legs are pinkish-yellow.