Giant Urchin
Twisted and cave-filled are many of the coastlines of Acqua, scoured by the mighty waves and sucking currants and tides. If you are not careful when approaching one of these caves, you might well not be able to dodge in time as one or more spines spring out at you.
Full Description
The worst that the smaller sea urchins can do is severly puncture a foot or a hand, and that only if trodden upon or touched. But in these wave-carved caves and niches, safe from the worst of the Acquan weather, sit the Giant Urchins. Whilst their main food is plankton & algea, they are happy to feed on fish or on any unwelcome intruders to their domain.
Black or dark red in colour, they look like sea urchins, but they are of a far greater size, ranging from that of a beach ball to the size of a full-grown Giant Octopus. They would be a tasty meal for many of the Acquan monsters and the underwater races, were it not for their mighty spines. These are attached to tentacles and can dart out several feet to impale some luckless fish or would be attacker.
If left alone, they generally leave humans alone in return, unlike many of Acqua's larger sea monsters. There are rumours of truely collossal Urchins at the bottom of the sea but the only evidence is a forty-foot spine that was washed up on a Banhoesea beach during a violent storm.
Additional Information
Trying to get near these creatures with a sword or a short trident is near impossible, as it's like facing a phalanx of raised spears, and bows and most magical fireballs won't work. To kill one without injury requires a long pike or some strong magic. If broken off and placed into a hilt of some kind the spines can make good weapons, whilst the meat is good to eat.Wounds from this creature are likely to become infected and/or septic, so these should not be tangled with, or the PC's could end up sleeping with the fishes.
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? Responses (5)
A neat underwater creature, more of a stationary hazard than a monster. Short but sufficiently described, good work.
And somewhere there is a chef rubbing his hands together anticipating such a haul of sea urchin meat. The delicate palates of the elite could be treated to such delicacies as Urchin filets, and other special cuts of this normally small creature.
the bee's knees would be the sea urchin roe...'caviar' to the Italians who love it! A true mediterranean delicacy. And in these amounts I can see cultures starting wars over the breeding-ground waters of Giant Urchins.
As to the actual sub, its good, but Giant Sea Urchins already kind of exist in many fantasy rpg's, and are often found in the 'giant versions of regular animals' section of the bestiaries.
Apart from being giant, I think it needs a little more spark to stand out as a submission.
Why would magical fire not work well? I would expect the forest of quills to incinerate quite nicely.
Originality issues aside, I like this sub in the sense of a solid 3.