Jaculus (tree snake)

Jaculus

CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Temperate / Forests
FREQUENCY: Rare
ORGANIZATION: Flock
ACTIVITY CYCLE: Day
DIET: Carnivore
INTELLIGENCE: Animal (1)
ALIGNMENT: Neutral

N° APPEARING: 2-8
AC:6
MOVEMENT: 9
HIT DICE:1
THAC0 19
N° OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: gore (1d6), bite (1d3)
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Leaping 
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Camouflage

SPECIAL ABILITIES: None
MAGIC RESISTANCE: None
SIZE: L (2,30 m)
MORALE: Average (8)
EXPERIENCE: 70

ORIGIN: Medieval folklore (The Aberdeen Bestiary)

Appearance: Also known as javelin snake or tree snake, a jaculus (pl. jaculi) has brown-colored scales, a long muscular body and a broad, arrow-shaped flat head with a ridge of razor-edged bones projecting at either side.

Combat: Although their scales are naturally brown-colored, jaculi can change their color to perfectly match their surroundings. Because of this chameleon-like camouflage ability, their opponents suffer a -4 penalty to surprise rolls. A jaculus can hurl itself down on an opponent like a javelin from a point 15 meters or more above. This flying gore attack (+1 to hit) deals 1d6 points of piercing damage from the snake’s bone ridge. If a foe proves too troublesome, the jaculi will jump to the nearest tree to escape in search of easier prey.

Habitat/Society: Jaculi are usually found in temperate or warm forests. They live in the treetops of the tallest trees in pairs or flocks of up to eight snakes, although larger flocks of up to twenty individuals are not unknown. 

Ecology: Tree snakes usually swallow small prey whole. Their staple diet consists of birds and small mammals, but they can also bite and chew, savaging prey too large to swallow. Unless they are starving, they eat only prey they have killed themselves less than two days ago. When feeding hungry young, a jaculus sometimes will slay a large beast and hide in or under the corpse to await vultures and other carrion-feeders, which it slays as well. Although not naturally vicious, jaculi are highly territorial and excitable and may become very agressive when someone intrudes into what they regard as their territory