Thessalmonster
Encyclopedia
In the Dungeons & Dragons
fantasy
roleplaying game, thessalmonsters are a group of related creatures designed to resemble the hydra
.
#94 (February 1985).
The thessalmonster (including the thessalgorgon, the thessalhydra, the thessalmera, and the thessaltrice) appeared in second edition for the Forgotten Realms
setting in the Monstrous Compendium Forgotten Realms Appendix (1989), and reprinted in the Monstrous Compendium Annual Volume Three (1996).
The thessalhydra appeared in third edition in Dungeon
#134 (May 2006).
of the World of Greyhawk campaign setting
dwelling in the Wormcrawl Fissure.
The first thessalmonster was so genetically unstable that it could breed with other monsters to create new variants. When the original was killed, no new breeds of thessalmonsters could be made.
for the most part, with a few differences. Instead of its eight heads emerging straight from the reptilian body, they form a ring around a large, circular mouth rimmed with jagged teeth. The tail ends in a set of pincers that can grab an opponent and force it into the large mouth. The main mouth can spit out a gob of acidic saliva once every day.
. It resembles the thessalhydra almost exactly, except that instead of the giant maw in the center of the snake heads, it has a leonine head. On the upper back above the snake heads is the head of a red dragon, which can of course breathe fire.
. It looks mostly like the thessalhydra, though instead of the large mouth in the center of the creature, it has a head like that of a bull which can breathe out a cone of petrifying gas. Its entire body is covered in thick, metallic scales that are a coppery green in color.
. It looks just like a thessalhydra, except that the long necks are topped with heads like that of a cockatrice instead of snake heads. Each head is able to petrify a victim with a bite.
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
roleplaying game, thessalmonsters are a group of related creatures designed to resemble the hydra
Hydra (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, the hydra is a reptilian magical beast that has anywhere from five to twelve heads.-Dungeons & Dragons :...
.
Publication history
The thessalhydra first appeared in first edition in the original Monster Manual II (1983). The thessalmera appeared in DragonDragon (magazine)
Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
#94 (February 1985).
The thessalmonster (including the thessalgorgon, the thessalhydra, the thessalmera, and the thessaltrice) appeared in second edition for the Forgotten Realms
Forgotten Realms
The Forgotten Realms is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers alike as "The Realms", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwood around 1967 as a setting for his childhood stories...
setting in the Monstrous Compendium Forgotten Realms Appendix (1989), and reprinted in the Monstrous Compendium Annual Volume Three (1996).
The thessalhydra appeared in third edition in Dungeon
Dungeon (magazine)
Dungeon Adventures, or simply Dungeon, was a magazine targeting consumers of role-playing games, particularly Dungeons & Dragons. It was first published by TSR, Inc. in 1986 as a bimonthly periodical. It went monthly in May 2003 and ceased print publication altogether in September 2007 with Issue 150...
#134 (May 2006).
Description
This family of hybrid monsters was created by Thessalar, a powerful lichLich (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, the lich is an undead creature; a spellcaster who seeks to defy death by magical means.-Dungeons & Dragons :...
of the World of Greyhawk campaign setting
Campaign setting
A campaign setting is usually a fictional world which serves as a setting for a role-playing game or wargame campaign. A campaign is a series of individual adventures, and a campaign setting is the world in which such adventures and campaigns take place...
dwelling in the Wormcrawl Fissure.
The first thessalmonster was so genetically unstable that it could breed with other monsters to create new variants. When the original was killed, no new breeds of thessalmonsters could be made.
Thessalhydra
The thessalhydra is probably the first and most well-known of the thessalmonsters. It resembles a hydraHydra (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, the hydra is a reptilian magical beast that has anywhere from five to twelve heads.-Dungeons & Dragons :...
for the most part, with a few differences. Instead of its eight heads emerging straight from the reptilian body, they form a ring around a large, circular mouth rimmed with jagged teeth. The tail ends in a set of pincers that can grab an opponent and force it into the large mouth. The main mouth can spit out a gob of acidic saliva once every day.
Thessalmera
The thessalmera is a hybrid of the thessalhydra and chimeraChimera (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, the chimera is a large magical beast that appears to be an amalgam of several different creatures...
. It resembles the thessalhydra almost exactly, except that instead of the giant maw in the center of the snake heads, it has a leonine head. On the upper back above the snake heads is the head of a red dragon, which can of course breathe fire.
Thessalgorgon
The thessalgorgon is a hybrid of the thessalhydra and gorgonGorgon (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, the gorgon is a magical beast that resembles a bull, covered in dusky metallic scales.-Publication history:...
. It looks mostly like the thessalhydra, though instead of the large mouth in the center of the creature, it has a head like that of a bull which can breathe out a cone of petrifying gas. Its entire body is covered in thick, metallic scales that are a coppery green in color.
Thessaltrice
The thessaltrice is an unlikely combination of thessalhydra and cockatriceCockatrice (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, the cockatrice is a small avian magical beast. Any creature that a cockatrice bites can be permanently turned to stone.A cockatrice is not particularly intelligent, and is always neutral in alignment....
. It looks just like a thessalhydra, except that the long necks are topped with heads like that of a cockatrice instead of snake heads. Each head is able to petrify a victim with a bite.