Enchanted Realms Rulebook
Phylum: Animal
Class: Lithic
The Lithic Class is often confused with elemental creatures from the plane of earth; however, one must recall that anything that is defined as an animal is a natural, not mystical species. Further, a zoola creature naturally produces vigor in its lifesong. These are quick methods to distinguish between a lithic animal and other monsters. All this said, lithic animals have an outer shell that is made literally of stone. Their entrails may be soft, but their outer skin is a layer of rock. Most eat and draw nutrients from minerals, though a few are capable of digesting meat or plants. Some have even been domesticated. Many of the lithic animals prefer to live in the desert regions.
Basalt Hound
Zoola Animal Lithic
Basalt hounds are lean pack hunters formed from porous volcanic stone and ember-veined interiors. Their breath is warm, but not enough to inflict damage; however, having one in a ten by ten walled-room during the winter can keep the interior near spring room temperatures. They have become domesticated by a few dwarven animal handlers. The can be trained to hunt or with an excellent handler, one can be trained as an attack animal. But they are difficult to breed, making their domestication often limited to only a few years. Due to that rarity, they are expensive to purchase if one can even find a handler who will supply one.
When remaining still in a rocky terrain, these hunters increase the Awareness TM required to see them by +5; thus, if the Awareness check is TM:14, then for those conditions it would be TM:19 to notice one. Also, in domestic settings, one might be mistaken for a statue.
Finally, due to their lithic nature, basalt hounds are immune to poison and miasma. Their rock-like bodies grant them very high Defense scores as well. However, they are heavy (300 pounds) and also slow movers, making them stalking hunters, having a natural stealth as the skill.They will dash to close the distance on unsuspecting prey, and due to their weight, these hounds may knock the prey prone.
Cairn Turtles
Colossal-sized, slow river creatures whose shells resemble stacked river stones. Some have mistaken them for small islands or archipelagos.Cinderhorn Rams
Mountain herd animals with black stone skulls and smoking nostrils. During mating season, horns have been seen sparking violently. Male rivalty head-butting produces very loud hammer-strike sounds.Flintmaws
Zoola Animal Lithic
Fintmaws are fifty-pound predatory tunnel reptiles whose jaws strike sparks when biting stone. This delivers an extra amount of damage on their attacks. Their skin is a porous calcite-leather, granting them a higher defense and a prized pelt for skinning. Their teeth continuously chip and regrow in the appearance of obsidian shards. And while they deliver lightning damage, they are not resistant to it, making territorial fights among their own kind often a matter of who strikes first.
Forge Crabs
Heavy six-legged creatures with iron-rich shells naturally drawn to heat and industrial waste, Often infest abandoned foundries.Geode Crawlers
Small insectoid creatures whose shells slowly crystallize over their lifespan. Some refract light, create hypnotic color patterns, and may be harvested illegally for alchemy.Granitebacks
Massive quadrupedal herd-beasts with layered stone plating like overlapping cliff faces. Moss and lichen grow naturally along their backs, causing travelers to mistake sleeping herds for boulders.Gravelings
Zoola Animal Lithic
Gravelings are tiny scavenger creatures resembling animated scree piles. In many ways, they are more of a hazard than a creature encounter. They are harmless individually; however, the live in a hive and spread out in swarms. A swarm will eat stone, whether it be a monument, tower fortification, a bridge or even cobblestones of a road. The rate of destruction for a swarm of gravelings is around one ounce of stone per day. While a swarm isn't horribly difficult to cull, it is unlikely that traditional weapons will kill them. That said, they are immune to cold but vulnerable to fire.
Magma Leeches
Semi-liquid rock organisms living near geothermal vents. They attach to heated surfaces and drain thermal energy. They glow internally and eave glassy trails.Mormond
These large stone herd animals wander the badlands, feeding on rocks and other minerals. Wise prospectors look for areas avoided by these creatures. They are picky eaters when they can be, seeking stones with low metal contents. As with most herd animals, they attack only in self-defense, and even then prefer to run away, although they are not very good at it.Mudstone Toads
Zoola Animal Lithic
Broad amphibious creatures living in mountainous regions and geothermal marshes. Their skin hardens into stone when threatened. Eat rock material and produce mineral-rich slime. They are often mistaken for boulders near riverbanks.