Friger
by Geoff Gander Those familiar with Head Injury Theatre's epic article on silly D&D monsters may see the humour in this. My son (almost seven) came up with a monster that, had it popped into the heads of the guys at TSR in the late 70s, would surely have ended up in the Monster Manual. The basic description is his, though I statted it up and worked out the combat mechanics. I give you...the friger!**that's a "long-i" sound, not a short one. Keep your minds out of the gutter. And yes, he invented the name.
The Friger
Armour Class: 5
Hit Dice: 3* (M)
Move: 120' (40')
Attacks: 2 claws or 1 bite
Damage: 2d4/2d4/ or 1d6 + poison
No. Appearing: 1d6 (2d8)
Save As: F3
Morale: 8
Treasure Type: None
Intelligence: 2
Alignment: Neutral
XP Value: 50
The friger, very likely the product of a deranged wizard, is the unfortunate combination of a tiger and a frog - without the redeeming qualities of either. Frigers are generally smaller than tigers, being roughly the same size as cougars, and weigh between 150-250 lbs. (or 68-113 kg). The hindquarters and head of the friger are that of a large bullfrog, with mottled green and black patches, while the forelegs and upper torso are that of a tiger.
Frigers are nocturnal hunters that inhabit the grassy margins of swamps and bogs, though they will range into the surrounding woodlands if prey is scarce. Solitary frigers will rarely attack anything man-sized or larger, but a pack will not hesitate to do so, especially if hunting has been poor. Their usual form of attack is to ambush their prey by leaping from their places of concealment, and clawing their victims. Anyone attacked must roll for surprise with a –1 penalty. If both attacks hit, the friger has managed to grab hold, and can only be dislodged if more than six points of damage is inflicted in one attack. Each round that the friger manages to hold a victim, it automatically inflicts an additional two points of damage, and if the friger decides to bite it may do so with a +2 bonus to attack.
The friger may also bite is prey with its two long fangs. In addition to damage, victims must also save vs. Poison or become weak and delirious (-4 Strength, -2 Intelligence, no spellcasting possible, all attacks and skill checks penalised by -2) for 1d6 hours. This condition may be cured by a cure disease or neutralise poison spell.