Ape, Flesh-Eating

Ape, Flesh-Eating
Monster Class				Dire Animal
ST	17	HP	17	Speed	6.00
DX	12	Will	10	Move	7
IQ	6	Per	10	Weight	NG
HT	12	FP	12	SM Size	+1 NG
Dodge		9		Parry	10 (Unarmed)	DR	1
Attacks		No Racial Attacks
Traits		Arm ST +2 (ST 19); Brachiator; Discriminatory Smell; Ham-Fisted 1; Wild Animal.
Skills		Brawling-14; Climbing-14; Wrestling-14 (+2 ST when grappling).
Habitat		Jungle
Bestiary Origin		Dungeon Fantasy
Notes		Flesh-eating apes are smart enough that Animal spells won’t work – use Mind Control magic. Arm ST and Wrestling skill give effective ST 21 for grappling, and some apes like to use Neck Snap (at ST-4, or 17, for 4d-1 damage; on grappled victims
CER		Not yet calculated

Flesh-Eating Apes, or "Carnapes" are an unnatural species found around old wizard towers and in the deep caves of the world. They passingly resemble apes, with furry bodies, long arms, and bare faces, and are known for ambushing adventurers, grappling with their powerful arms.

Lore

Flesh-Eating Apes (or FEAs) have a strong sense of smell, and can hunt adventurers by scent alone. Nobody knows where these things came from, but the prevailing theory involves a wizard who wanted humanoid thralls. These thralls escaped their master when left unfed, and became an invasive species of the jungles, cliffs and ruins of Dungeon Fantasy.

Tactics and Countertactics

FEAs are very grapple-focused monsters, relying on ambushes or rush-downs to grab their target before getting hit. They're also clever enough that they're affected by Mind Control spells, not Animal spells. They aren't invulnerable though, and have a few key weaknesses:

Deadly Precision: FEAs have no special resistances. Their DR 1 and relatively human-like anatomy means they're vulnerable to your traditional roguish backstabs and swashbuckling swordsmanship. They also lack High Pain Threshold, and are much more likely to lose a grapple if they're counterattacked quickly.

To the Point: Flesh-Eating Apes parry better than they dodge, but they can't parry bladed weapons without risking injury.

Grease is the Word: Using a Grease spell could trip up a whole troupe of apes! Alternatively, (although not rules-as-written) casting Grease on an ally would make them a lot harder to grab!

Diffusing the Situation: Creatures like fire elementals can't even be touched by FEAs without dealing out damage, and are impossible to get ahold of! Furthermore, most Swarm creatures could likely rout a Flesh-Eating Ape, provided they aren't slapped away.

Kong of the Ring: Fight grapples with grapples with strong classes like the Knight, Barbarian, and Wrestler.

Further Tactics

• Wearing spiked armor might keep grapplers off your back.
• FEAs are perceptive but not particularly clever, and may fall for some illusions.
• Ranged attacks are effective, but FEAs tend to only attack in close quarters.
• The Suspend Time spell is resisted by IQ, making it very effective against FEAs.
  • Only practical if you have the spell ready to cast.

Dead Monster Bits

As apes, Flesh-Eating Apes typically have four thumbs, one on each limb. Used for many Body Control spells, such as Ambidexterity and Control Limb, the thumb is a powerful symbol of dexterity.

• A clever caster may use a thumb as part of a ritual for a single-use wand of restoration--a classic "hair of the dog that bit you" remedy for adventurers who were crippled by the ape's grappling attacks.

Encountering FEAs

The stats for Flesh-Eating Apes translate well to "hairless, humanoid cave monster", like one would see in a Lovecraftian story (or spelunking creepypasta). Individually, a Flesh-Eating Ape tough enough to be a solid monster against a group of hapless archaeologists or spelunkers in a horror adventure!

Combat Balance

Flesh-Eating Apes do swing damage on a Neck Snap (ST 17), doing a whopping 4d-1 damage--that's an average of 13 damage before rigid DR--19 to the neck! This certainly is accurate for a powerful hominid attacking a neck, but can be very binary in a battle--they either die at range or get real deadly up close.