The Molluetuesk Effect

I've been a bit busy recently will endless meetings at my work, a job interview and some more pen art work. I picked up a sketch pad, micron pens, and some bottle india ink - the first time in many years I purchased art supplies. Really buying the supplies is a high of its own, as nothing is quite as promising to me as a empty book of really nice graph paper or a nice clean sketch pad. It is almost a shame to sully them with my meager scratchings. Good art supplies more so, simply because I could never afford the higher quality stuff as a kid. I distinctly remember doing Studio Art AP projects in high school on empty brown grocery bags. Not that there is anything wrong with that, brown-bag sketches had a unique quality to them, but its nice to have some options.

Anyhow I will post a few sketches tomorrow when I have access to a scanner. One is of the Molluetuesk, which is my favorite home-brew critter that I've done recently. Not necessarily because its particularly clever, but because it has single handedly brought three groups to their knees - even though these parties have conquered far more insidious critters.

• 8 – The north section of this cave is the home of the Molluetuesk, which appears as a tranquil pool of water with several small fish swimming inside. The pool is faintly radiant and is lined with stalactites and stalagmites. Should a PC disturb the pool the Molluetuesk will attack relentlessly. If the PCs are 15’ or further back and somehow disturb the pool, the mouth will snap shut and the creature will slowly ‘reset’, ignoring the party.
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• A passageway is in the South East section of the cave which vaguely reeks of sweet cooking smells, like heated fruit.
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• In the refuse under the Molluetuesk a Shield +1 sits along with the bones of its previous owner.
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• Molluetuesk – hd 3 hp 18 ac 5 att: bite 1d6, on max dmg swallow whole.
• Very large cave-lurking beast that looks similar to a huge horseshoe crab, which opens itself up into a cavernous opening. Its ‘mouth’ very closely resembles an iridescent tranquil pool of water with some small fish in it, stalactites and stalagmites lining the sides above and below (teeth). Should the pool be disturbed, the ‘mouth’ will snap shut.

'Swallow whole' is intentionally vague to suit the DMs lethality. I had it do an automatic d6 per round until the critter is slain. Bad yes, but hardly save or die. I really have no idea why the groups I've ran have nearly gotten TPK'd from this thing; especially considering the stirge-breathing dragon is so, so much worse and they kick the crap out of that thing. I guess some critters are just bad luck.