THE OBLAYS

CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Ocean, Sea, or Mountainous Regions and cliff faces.

FREQUENCY: Uncommon

ORGANIZATION: Solitary, except for mated pairs during mating season.

ACTIVITY CYCLE: Any (But they are most dangerous at night)

DIET: Carnivore

INTELLIGENCE: High (13-14)

TREASURE: Q (Individual), B, Q (Lair)

ALIGNMENT: Chaotic Neutral to Chaotic Evil

NO. APPEARING: 1 (2 when mating, also 1d4 young may be possible as well)

ARMOR CLASS: 5

MOVEMENT: 12" walking, 24" flying (Class A)

HIT DICE: 1 to 6 (1d6)

THAC0: 19 (1-2 HD) 17 (3-4 HD) 15 (5-6 HD)

NO. OF ATTACKS: 1 beak attack OR 1 spell like ability

DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1d10

SPECIAL ATTACKS: Sleep, Magic Missile

MAGIC RESISTANCE: Nil

SIZE: M

MORAL: Elite (13-4)

XP VALUE: 600 xp/HD

The Oblay is a huge, black, bird like creature with a fantastic wing span of 20 feet and a long, sharp, pick axe like beak. Although usually only found gliding the thermal air currents above the oceans or larger seas along the coastlines and shipping lanes, while nesting they may be found on land. (The Oblays are capable of flight 24/7 and will usually never land except during mating season). At this time their wings are usually folded in and the bird like creature stands only 6 feet high. Their feathers are water resistant, very tough, and have a black sheen to them. Except for the fact that females are slightly smaller than males of the same age and hit dice, there is no easy way to tell them apart.

Oblays are highly intelligent and have four innate magical abilities they may employ. They may cause SLEEP, as spell, once per day, and they may shoot Magic Missiles, as spell, once per day. These innate abilities are at a level similar to a mage with the same number of hit dice. The third spell like ability is Levitate, but this may always be used and is simply part of the Oblay's natural ability to fly. Their last magical ability is an illusionary ability to help conceal their nest (usually covering up a cave like hollow so that it looks like solid rock). Unless specifically looking at such an area with the intent to penetrate the illusion, one must roll a saving throw vs. spell at -5 to detect it. When actually attempting to perceive if such an area is an illusion, they may roll their normal save vs. spell with no penalty. These spell like abilities are not spells, however, and they may not be stopped as a mage casting a spell may be stopped or interrupted, though the illusion may be dispelled as normal, and the usual protections against Magic Missiles and Sleep still work. These powerful abilities and the Oblay's propensity for eating human brains make them a feared species.

No recognizable language for these creatures is known, but it is assumed they must be able to communicate with each other, perhaps telepathically. So far, no spell has succeeded in communicating with them either.

COMBAT: Normally, the Oblay will simply hunt fish, spearing them with its overly long beak for 1d10 damage, but they also have a taste for the brain matter of mammals, especially humans, and especially during their mating period when they may be away from their more traditional hunting areas (anytime during the first two months of the year on Orlantia, or the early spring on other worlds). They frequently attack sailing vessels. Under cover of darkness, they may swoop in and blanket the ship's deck area with a sleep effect while passing. If this succeeds, they will return and spike one sleeping human through the head, sucking out its brain, and then depart. If opposition presents itself, the Oblay will not land but will commence with a dive bomb attack once every 5 rounds or so, and if they succeed by rolling a natural 20, the hit individual is knocked into the sea. Normally, any creature rendered unconscious by the 1d10 piercing beak attack is also knocked into the sea and easy prey. At this time, the Oblay will break off further attacks on the ship, happy with its waiting meal in the sea. If during such an attack magic is employed against the Oblay, it will retreat in search of easier prey. While fighting on land, if they render a mammal unconscious with its beak attack, the following round they will automatically suck out the brain (unless still under attack, in which case they will continue to fight the remaining enemies). It would take at least a limited wish to restore the brain and a subsequent Raise Dead or Resurrection spell to bring such an individual back.

Habitat/Society: The Oblay is usually a solitary creature. Their tremendous wing span and natural levitation ability allows them to remain airborne continuously except when they choose to mate and nest on land. The female will seek to mate once every three years, but the males will attempt to find a mate yearly. The female will lay 1d4 eggs (about 6 inches long and 4 inches wide, the oblique egg is blue with specks of black) in the early spring and they will hatch after a two week period. It is during this time the Oblay is most dangerous to humans for the mated pair both have an increased desire for mammal brain matter (especially human) and they are in a position which could be near human habitations. Typically, one Oblay will guard the nest while the other hunts (mostly at night under cover of darkness), taking turns, killing up to two humans a day, perhaps terrorizing the local community who may seek out adventurers to take care of these frightening creatures. The Oblays are believed to have Infravision at the 120-foot range.

After the eggs hatch, the male will leave (probably driven away by the female for the security of her young since the male might eat them). The lone female will continue to hunt for the next two weeks, but after that, the entire family will move to their more traditional hunting grounds. She continues to stay with the young until the beginning of winter when the young are finally on their own. They have 1 full hit dice then (1/2 HD before then), and will continue to mature, adding 1 hit dice each subsequent year until a maximum of 6 is achieved. After that, unless killed due to combat, poison, or disease, an Oblay can expect to live about 50 years. Though the female will only mate while in the 3 to 30 year old range, the males will fight and mate throughout their entire lives.

The male Oblay will continue its solitary hunting activity, but come the very early spring, they will seek out other Oblay males, driven to challenge them and fight to the death (without using any magic). Only after killing at least one male will they have earned the right to seek out a female and mate with her. The male will offer the female the brain remnants of the dead male, secreted within a natural cheek pouch until she may be found. Without such an offer, the female will have nothing to do with the male.

Ecology: Oblay have little use for treasure, finding all they need in life from the sea and nearby land, hunting, eating, and mating when they've earned the right. However, they do tend to swallow gems, 1d6 small, usually but not always rough, gems stones may be found in their gizzards. These may have a base value of 50 gp, but sometimes (10%), exceptional, high quality, small cut and polished stones may be found, having a base value of 1000 gp). Since the size is important, it is unlikely one would find larger stones. Also, a lair (where a mated pair is hunting) may contain many incidental treasures from captured prey (humans) who were rich and shinny looking, for Oblays are attracted to bright objects. During this nesting period, the Oblays tend to collect shinny objects and sometimes bring back entire bodies for their young, so gems, jewelry, and metal objects may frequently be found along with the remains of the poor unfortunates who had such things, as well as other items the Oblay are not concerned with but happened to have accumulated from their fallen prey.

Other useful things may be gathered from a dead Oblay (either those dead males washed up to shore, or those killed by adventurers). The feather may be used for writing magic scrolls (1d10 such feathers may be harvested from each Oblay and each feather may write up to 10 spell levels before it must be discarded), and the numerous smaller feathers may be gathered in abundance and used to make a feathered cloak which is soft, very warm, highly water resistant, and extremely durable. It is also naturally AC 8, but such protection is not cumulative with better armor, so putting it on over plate mail will do nothing for you as far as armor class is concerned (though the extra warmth and rain coat like qualities, or even the black, sheen like color may be appreciated), but wearing such a cloak and a +1 ring of protection will give you an AC of 7. Such a cloak may be worth 1000 gp on the open market. One such cloak may be made from each bird, assuming they were not burned. Humans usually shun the meat of the Oblay since Oblay eat humans, and the thought of feasting on such a creature is repugnant to many. However, those who have tried it claim the meat taste like lean pork and is actually very tender. Their eggs, though tasty, have no commercial value. Finally, the blood of an Oblay may be used in the manufacture of levitation potions. One such potion may be manufactured for each hit dice of the Oblay, but only if all possible blood is collected within an hour of the bird's demise.