"The Unblinking Horror"
by Reverend Dungeon MasterThe tunnel stinks. Not just any stink. A primordial, nose-burning, eye-watering stench strong enough to peel paint off walls. You’d blame the fighter’s socks, but this is far worse. Something big and scaly has been dragging itself through these caves, and you can still see the claw marks in the stone.
Then you hear it. A scraping sound, slow and deliberate, followed by a wet, hacking cough. Congratulations, you’ve just walked into the home of a Basilisk, a lizard so ugly that even God gave it the ability to turn people into stone just to keep anyone from looking directly at it.
Basilisk
Armor Class: 4
Hit Dice: 6 (27 HP)
Move: 60' (20')
Attacks: 1 bite
Damage: 1d10
Special Abilities: Petrifying Gaze (Save vs. Petrification)
Save As: Fighter 6
Morale: 8
Alignment: Neutral
THAC0: 14
You round the corner, and there it is: eight legs, scales like armor plating, and eyes that glow with all the charm of a tax collector coming for your last copper piece. The Basilisk is lounging atop a pile of statues, former adventurers who weren't fast enough, smart enough, or paranoid enough to avoid eye contact.
It stares at you. You stare at it. You remember, a second too late, that staring at it is literally the worst thing you could be doing.
(Save vs. Petrification or roll up a new character.)
If you’re still breathing, congratulations! The Basilisk isn’t fast, but it doesn’t need to be. It’ll shuffle forward, its claws scraping against the rock, probably grumbling about how annoying it is that you didn’t just turn to stone like a reasonable person. It bites, it stares, and it enjoys watching your party panic.
Smart adventurers fight it blindfolded. Dumb adventurers become statues.
Really dumb adventurers attempt diplomacy. (Good luck with that. It’s a lizard.)
If reduced to half HP, it hisses in frustration and considers running. It won’t, though, because its morale is an 8, and it has a reputation to maintain.
If you kill it, congratulations! You just murdered a rare and misunderstood creature that was just vibing in its cave, minding its own business, and occasionally turning people into modern art.
Loot:
1d6 Basilisk Eyes (Useful for wizards, alchemists, and anyone who enjoys creepy collectibles.)
Stone Adventurer's Equipment (Break off a sword, shield, or coin purse from one of the statues. If you’re lucky, it won’t still be attached to a screaming adventurer when they get un-petrified.)
500 gp worth of assorted coins and trinkets (most of which smell like lizard breath).
XP:
800 XP for slaying the Basilisk
Bonus 100 XP for every statue successfully restored (because being a hero should count for something).
Minus 200 XP if you became a statue and made the party drag your petrified butt out of there.
So, what’s the plan? Celebrate? Loot the cave? Try to sell a Basilisk corpse to a wizard? Whatever you choose, just remember: next time, maybe don’t stare directly into the eyes of death.
Art: 'B' is for Basilisk by JustMick on DeviantArt
