Bullywug
by Demos Sachlas
Armor Class: 6 (5)
Hit Dice: 1
Move: 30' (10')
Swimming: 150' (50')
Attacks: 3 or weapon
Damage: 1-2/1-2/2-5 or weapon
No. Appearing: 1-8/2-16 (10-80)
Save As: Fighter: 1
Morale: 7 (8)
Treasure Type: P, Q, S, L (x5) & C (magic only) in lair
Alignment: Chaotic
XP Value: 10
The bullywugs are a batrachian race of bipedal monsters which inhabit wet places - rainy forests, marshes, damp caves or virtually any other place which is shady or dark and has water nearby, for bullywugs need to dampen their skins from time to time.
Some types of these creatures are more intelligent than others. The intelligent groups tend to dwell in caves or deserted human habitations, and they will usually have shields and spears. The less advanced bullywugs hate their more intelligent fellows and war upon them.
Unless encumbered by armor and shield, a bullywug is able to swim rapidly. Even with such encumbrance, a bullywug can swim at 90' speed. Likewise, with or without adornment, a bullywug can hop forward 30' or upwards 15'. In doing so, the creature adds +1 to its "to hit" die roll or rolls. If it is using an impaling weapon, the bullywug delivers double damage as a result of a successful hopping attack.
The hopping attack with a weapon is their normal means of melee. However bullywugs without access to weapons, or those which have been disarmed, will still hop to attack in which case they use two claws (1-2 hit points of damage each) and a bite (2-5 hit points of damage).
Bullywugs have a chameleon-like power; their skin coloration can be grey, green or brown in light or dark shades. Thus, if motionless and in an area which allows use of camouflage power, a bullywug is 75% unlikely to be notice (this applies to infravision as well, as the color alteration also alters body heat). When attacking unnoticed from camouflage conditions, the bullywug has a 3 in 6 chance of surprising its victim (5 in 6 if hopping to the attack).
The major weakness of these creatures is that unless they are employing long weapons, their attacks always take place after those of their opponents, due to slow speed of movement or exposure while hopping. Note that a weapon can be set against a hop just as against a charge (which, in effect, a hop is).
Bullywugs form organized bands and are always led by a large individual with a full 8 hit points. If 30 or more of these creatures are encountered, there will be at least 5 large individuals and a leader of 10-13 hit points (effectively a 2-dice monster) doing +1 damage on all attacks. Those using armor etc. will also have a 10% chance per ten creatures in the group of having a tribal shaman of 11-14 hit points. Groups of 60 or more will have a great chief of 16-19 hit points which does +2 damage on all attacks.
These creatures will readily serve chaotic masters, human or otherwise. It is rumored that bullywug-human crossbreeds are viable and that certain degenerate humans dwell in mixed communities with these monsters, serving unnamed things from caverns deep beneath the earth.
The bullywugs have their own, rather primitive language and the more intelligent ones can converse haltingly in the common tongue, though their vocabulary is rather limited. They are held in disdain by shark-kin, who will occasionally raid a bullywug lair for sport and out of sheer malice, eating any captive alive. Lizard men will rarely associate with bullywugs, though there is no open hostility towards them.