. _t :.'-i* a. ,: : -:: t r;)!.

, ' L ':

{. i
...-. ..f*riri r 1 -. i: ...

-,,:=,.,,r-i;*i.---..t* -,,;. ,
|-\
+ss
",4.i, -.

-RRG<T^J

The ecolo gy of the ixitxachitl

by Ed Greenwood
From the Ramblings, Volume { of the
sage Nenemith:

A curious creature indeed, the ixitxachitl.

Found in colonies of sometimes as manv as
a hundred or more in shallow, tropical seas,
ixitxachitl typically lair in well-concealed
grottos or tunnels in the midst of coral reefs.
They worship the Prince of Demons, De-
mogorgon, and from him gain the use of
clerical spells, with some creatures rising in
ability to the equal of a patriarch
Although they are very seldom encoun_
tered by humans and humanoids who travel
in or on the seas, the ixitxachitl are a nu_
merous race and rule large areas olthe
coastal salt waters ofo,rr world, relying on
their aggressive nature and their m"gial
powers to build an undersea empire f
sorts.

mented occasion a dragon turtle. The

- from
creatures range far their lairs in search
offood, and often battle sahuagin, locathah,
and especially tritons and mermen. The
superior organization and tactics of these

our world, they have all but eradicated

aquatic elves in warm seas, and the tritons
',ave largey found
it easier to make their
bodes in deeper waters, and only venture
in armed bands into shallower u..u. u
result of ixitxachitl activities therein. ^.
Because of the enmity between Orcus and
Demogorgon, intelligent marine undead

"recruits" for their armies, by use of the

an.imate dead spell, but are unable to magi_
caly contro or influence undead be.aus."
the influence of Orcus against them offers
too much resistance.
In batte, ixjtxachitl swoop rapidly at
opponents from opposing directions and
lev-els, seeking to confuse prey by striking
at
it from two or more sides at once. In this
led by any ixitxa-
ed "vampire"
and personally
influential indi-
viduals in ixitxachitl society.i The most

24 Mny lga
 powerfully endowed of the servants of De-
mogorgon (which are the social leaders of
ixitxachitl society) hang back until the
single most powerful opponents are identi-
fed, whereupon they attack with spells
*
These powerful spell-users typically swoop
together with two or more other ixitxachitl,
so that the target will find it difficult to
escape their attacks.
Sometimes ixitxachitl burrow into
bottom-sand, leaving only their eyes uncov-
ered, to escape dangerous foes; but more
often they do this to lie in wait for speedy
prey, which they then ambush.
In a manner simiar to the way that
sharks do, ixitxachitl can sense vibrations
for great distances underwater, by means of
receptors on their backs and tails the
-
shock waves of explosions, lor instance,
they can "hear" from miles away.' They
have a form of speech by which they can
communicate openly with one another, and
with some sahuagin that have learned at
least the rudiments of their strange tongue.
nd those ixitxachitl with access to the
proper spells can also communicate magi-
cally with other creatures Ixitxachitl have a
second form of language that they use
among themselves (and with some other
marine creatures, such as sahuagin), which
is best descrbed as "touch-telepathy." This
is a form of limited mental exchange possi-
ble only between creatures the ixitxachitl
are actually touching, usually with their
tails. Groups of ixitxachit sometimes swim
in "stacks," fins beating in unison, one atop
another, belly to back. This is believed to be
a form of this mental communication (trans-
mitting emotions or general thoughts), and
not mating or courting behavior.
The "devil rays" (as they are sometimes
mistakenly called) all appear externally
identical to other creatures, but ixitxachitl
can apparently distinguish sexes and indi-
viduals readily at a distance. Each creature
mates once a yea\ at varying times (there
are no "seasons" as we know them beneath
re surface of the tropical seas). The process
is initiated by a female, which chooses
son',etimes aggressively
-
a male partner.
-
By this method, some sages argue, the
females deliberately attempr to breed to
improve the race.6
Cer(ain ixitxachitl continue ro gruw in
strength and power upon becoming adults.
It is from this group that a colony's leaders
and decision-makers come but only those
-
that are accepted by their fellows
are a-
lowed to live long enough to attain this
status. Potential leaders that are deemed
unsatisfactorf by whatever standards the
ixitxachitl use (perhaps disrespect or disloy-
altv for Demosorgon is a factor), are set
upon by the group and slain before they
ll;nt' a chance to force themselves into
ll
()
ri
thc same time, this process seems to help
rnsure thc unity of purpose that
binds
the mcnrbers ol an ixitxachitl colony to-
sethe and keeps them, as a group, strongly
loyal to Dernogolgon In fact, it is said (by
those who should know) that ixitxachitl as a
species are more ferve ntly attached to De-
mogorgon's wishes and aims than any othcr
species of creature on this plane of existence
we occupy.
Vampiric ixitxachitl are more feared by
other creatures than even the most powerful
of the non-vampiric ixitxachitl leaders,
because of their lethal bite which saps a
victim's very life force, and because of their
ability to heal wounds that they suffer On
very rare occasions, vampiric ixitxachitl
become leaders or lieutenants of a colon
and such creatures are said by many to be
the most dangerous undersea denizens of
thei r size.8
Fiercely independent, ixitxachitl cannot
be subdued and will fight to the death ifnot
stunned or otherwise immobilized. They are
fearless in behavior (but not reckless or
imprudent), cunning in battle, and prone to
collect treasure ol all sorts, to bargain with
and in hopes of finding items of magic,
which the leaders take possession of. They
value most highly those magic items which
they can employ; ixitxachitl have been seen
wearing rings on their tails and wielding
rods, staves, and the like that they hold in
their clenched jaws If they come across
items of magic that they cannot themselves
use, they will hide them away, to keep them
from the grasp of other creatures and possi-
bly to use as a bargaining tool
I I
3
6
SURVIVAL FORCE 25mms
Blister Packed in Groups of 3
SF.I MERCENARY SURVIVORS I $3OO
SFIA MERCENARY SURVIVORS II
SFt MUTANTS & HUI{ANOIDS I $3oo
SF2A MUTANTS & HU,{ANOIDS II $3OO
SF3 SP FORCES MILITARY I $3OO
sF3A SP FoRCES M|UTARy il
St4 KILLER KID & cUN MOLLS $3oo
SF5 WARRIORS OF THE
DEVASTATION
sF LIZARD RIDING SURV|VoR $3oo
St7 MILITARY $3oo
BRITISH
SF8 HIGH TEC. Mll.lTARY $3oo
SF9 VC ENCOUNTERS $goo
Sometimcs ixitxachitl will cooperate with
other aquatic creatures such as sea hags, or.
even sahuagin or locathah, for mutual gain,
and have been known to hire or train crea-
tures (such as sea lions) to work for them.
Sharks can seldom be thus used by rheir
cousins the ixitxachit, for sahuagin have
long employed sharks in their battles
against the rays, and sharks seem to have
acquired a dislike for the "dark rays"
- or
perhaps they merely recall ixitxachitl flesh
as tasty.
More details of ixitxachitl life are few, not
well documented, and understandably
difficult to augment, but research on this
subject, notably by my esteemed colleagues
Ramazith, of Baldur's Gate, and Alauthym.
of the Moonshae Isles, continues.
Notes
1. Ixitxachitl gain spell bonuses for wis-
dom just as clerical spell-casters of other
races do, and can use any magic items not
specifically prohibited to clerics that can be
worn and operated without hands. Most
such items either have, or can be modified
to operate through, mental commands
rather than audible command words. An
opponent using ESP could learn such com-
mands from the mind of an ixitxachitl while
the commands were actually being made,
but not at any other time, since the com-
mands would not then be part of the con-
scious surface thoughts of the creature.
Note also that ixitxachitl can employ their
clerical spell powers without components of
5 I
4S I
$3OO
3
6
$300
$3oo
Order From
CASTTE CREATONS
Dept. 105
1322 Cranwood Square South
Columbus, Ohio 43299
DRAGoN 25
 any sort (althougF. verbal andlor somaric
components may well be part of some rit_
uals); these spell powers are considered
rnnate once they are bestowed by Demo-
gorgon, and do nor need ro be triggered by
an external object or force However, ,'in-
nate" does not mean unlimited; as with
normal clerics, ixitxachitl can use each of
their spells no more frequently than once
per day.
2. Any ixitxachitl with the spel ability of
a Sth-level cleric (or higher) can use ani-
mate dead and will prefer to do so upon
creatures ofits own type. Ixitxachitl do not
have skeletons like humans, humanoids,
and other higher vertebrates do; their
"bones" are unconnected pieces ofcartilage
that cannot be animated like a human skele-
ton can be. The bodies ofdead ixitxachitl
can be animated as zombies, however; these
creatures have AC 7 , MV 6",2 HD, and
e normal 3-12 bite damage. These zom-
oies do not have cleric spell ability and
cannot employ magic items or take indepen_
dent action of any sort; their principal
function is to add numbers to an ixitxachit
attacking force. As specified in the animate
dead spell description, these zombies are
subject to the commands of the ixitxachitl
that cast the spell
have any other power- but ixitxachitl do not
over undead of any
sort. Ixitxachitl zombies can be turned or
destroyed by other clerics as usual, and any
cleric attempting to affect them gets a *1
bonus to the die roll for turning.
OPEN YOU OIUN fNRGK SHOP FO ONLY
DRGONTOOIH'S Fl$ lllT lN THC sPcTRCUtR, NlU CIW OF fnRGK UN OF
25 fYI.fYI. SCRT
-,i .L lwl
I ';,i
w*_a
. -E1:
i '-;-
I a{,--{
Ir,r
I ''J't -
t-
I
.:i
-*2 (t
.#- tlz
.i*
OD TH IVIRGIC SHOP,
CHCH O MONY
FO $15.00 fvtnD
TO DRGONTOOTH
3 Nenemith refers to them as ,,so-called,,
vampires because this variety of ixitxachitl
ster Manual: level draining and regenera_
tion. They do not assume gaseous (o, urry
other) form, and they do not infect their
victims with vampirism. In an environment
that is already watery it is reasonable to
assume that they are not affected by holy
wate since the holy water cannot be
"splashed" on them; if an attacker reeases
hoy water in the vicinity of a vampiric
ixitxachitl, the fluid woud disperse inro the
surrounding sea water and be diluted im_
mediately anyway.
4.If an attacking ixitxachitl employs a
touclr-effect spell (such as cause light
wounds), the spell will only take effect if a
normal bite attack succeeds. If the bite
attack does not hit, the cause wounds spell
(or whatever) is not dissipated ancl remains
"stored up" until a hit is scoreci. Once an
ixitxachitl has decided to usc such a spel,
its effects will be felt by the first eligible
victim; the creature cannot withhod the
spell when ir does score a hit, with the in-
tent ofusing it against a different rarget in a
latcr attack.
5. Ixitxachitl also have 9,, infravision
PG FRNTRSY FIGUS RND UITDINGS SHoIIJN GTotIJ.
, : -_ s. ToFNO
{
B PHOTO Y:
,;Fl,
,"1 t.
/: ..t(
!\
i- "{*
ful
/,
-'i /s-
,a-4_rr-s
To: DRGONTOOTH, lNC.
250 tu. 39 SI. #14e
N.Y. N.Y. t0018
and seem to be able to smel other crcatures
at a distance of 1 " or less. Thev can smell
blood, lamp oil, or other foreign substances
released into the water at up to 4,,distant
from the source, depending upon warer
currents. The norma, color-sensitr,e r,sion
of an ixitxachitl exrends to rhe limit of com-
parable (average) human vjsion in the same
crrcumstances, being governed by u,ater
conditions
- in pitch darkness, or the murk
of disturbed sedimenrs, visibility can be
reduced to zero, and it can range up to half
a mile or more in clea calm water lit by a
bright sun.
6 The life cyce of ixitxachitl is still
poorly understood, but can bc summarizerJ
as follows: Six months after mating, a fc-
mae gives birth to a singe young, of 1-l
HD. Ir is born in ful conrrol ol its phvsical
facuties (including regeneration, if it is
vampiric), but does not acquire spel ablity
(or level-draining ability, if vampirc) until
reaching adulr sizc in I -3 monrhs thercafrer,
The speed with which ir srows to maturiry
depends upon available footJl a young ixii-
xachitl in a reativcy smal coony with an
adequate food suppy will mature (l*1 or
2*2 HD and full porl,ers) in 1 monrh. In-
creases in spcll capabiity and hit djce, lor
those rare individuals able to attain them,
come at the rate of 1 level of spell use evcrv
six monrhs and/or I hir die every ycar
thereafter, so that it takes an adcitional
three years for a leader type (Bth level spel
ability, 4,4 HD) to reach ful maturitv. The
$ts
'*'#
. --
- "-i:' s(utPfos:
L
. { T. LORCH
PINTD Y:
s. oGtvtRNN
s P. SRNS
t
_ "'"*'I
TH I{IT CONTRINS I/YTHING
SHOTIJN IN H PHOTO. PRINTING
RND Sofvl RSSCtvtty eUtD.
rso fivttt:
COIO CRTRTOGU $I 00
 characteristics that produce vampiric or (B.B HD, Bth-level clcric spell abiliry, and C As noted in the Monster Manual,
lcader-type ixitxachitl are apparently nor usually wcaring or possessine at least onc ixitxachitl usc "evil clerical spells " Follow-
hcredirary (else there would be greater type U magic item, as per rhe Monsrcr ing is a suggcstcd ist of spells lrom which to
abundance of such creatures), but are Manua). If a colony conrains at least B0 choose, including some which ae reversed
passed on randomly and infrequently. Most individuals, one or two of them will be forms of "eood" spells:
ixirxachitl live for 30 years or so, but some guard types with vampiric powers (6.6 HD, lst level 2nd level
are known to have livcd for 10 times that 6th-level cleric spell ability), bur the leader 1 Cause far Chant
long, of the group will stil be "ony" a normal 2 Cause l. w Find traps
(non-vampiric) ixitxachitl with 4.4 HD and 3 Curse Hold person
7. All ixitxachitl have an appreciation Bth-level spell ability 4 Darkness Silence 15'r.
(partly inborn, partly learned) for their 5 Detect good Speak w/animals
race's allegiance to Demogorgon Each of Appendix 6 Detect maeic Spiritual hammer
them has at least thc spel ability of a 1st- A. The suggested experience point values 7 Prot. from good
level cleric, and rhcv give Demoeorgon full lor ixitxachitl, as given in Appendix E of B Putrefy food & drink
credit for endowing thcm with this special the Dungeon Masters Guide, can be
power Their actions wll be governed by amended and expanded as follows if more 3rd level 4th Level
l)emogorgon's wishes and orders
-
or what detail is desired or needed. In these calcula- 1 Animate dead Cause s. w
the ixitxachitl believe these to be They are tions, the use of minor spels (1st, 2nd, or 2 Bestow curse Poison
oblivious to fear (of the non-magical sort) 3rd level cleric ability) and the abiity of 3 Cause blindness Prot f. good 10' r.
and fanatical, but not personallv foolhardy. regeneration are counted as specia,l abilities. 4 Cause disease Tngues
Those that attain higher evels of spell abil- The use of major spells (5th, 6th, or Bth 5 Continual darkness
ity prefer to let lesser ixitxachitl do the dirty level cleric ability) and the ability ofenergy 6 Dispel magic
work and perish, should matters come to level drain are exceptional abilities.
- instead of themselves.
that
- These special Max. cleric D In the vast majority of cases, ixitxa-
ypes will always "run away to fight anorher HD spell ability XP value chitl make saving throws as clerics The
day" rather than impetuously put their lives Normal ixitxachitl: only exceptions to this are for creatures of
on the line, and they often pass grudges on 1r1 lst 28,2/hp 4'4 HD or more, when a save vs. breath
to young members of a colony, so that cer- 1.1 2nd 28,2/hp weapon is called for
tain individuals, heraldic devices, and types 1,1 3rd 2\-2/hp - and that doesn't
happen very often underwater. In those
of creatures will be recognized and attacked 1-1 5th 65r2lhp instances, the creatures save as fighters,
with particular savagery, or pursued tire- Leader types: since the saving throw vs that attack form
lessly, by encountered ixitxachitl. 3,3 6th 125'4/hp at the level in question is lower for fighters
4-4 Bth 165.5/hp than lor clerics. The appropriate saving
B. Whenever a colony of ixitxachitl con- Vampiric ixitxachitl: throws are as follows:
tains 100 or more individuals, one of rhem 2-2 1st 105.3/hp Level
will be a eader type wrth vampiric powers 2,2 2nd 120 - 3/hp HD for s.t Saving throws
2-2 3rd 120.3/hp 1*1 2nd 10 13 1+ 16 15
2-2 5th 160-3/hp 2r2 3rd 10 13 14 16 15
CAST YOUR OWN 6*6 6th 700-B/hp .) +.1 4th 9 12 13 15 1+

FANTASY FICURF,S
B.B Bth 1700-12/hp 4-+ 5th 9 12 13 13 1+
6.6 Bth 7 10 11 12 t2
B. As put forth in Note 1 above, ixitxa- B.B 10th 6 9 10 9 11
SPECIAL OFFER chitl with exceptional wisdom are entitled to
bonuses in the numbe r of cleric spells they E. Ixitxachitl cannot function or survive
can acquire and use. Those members of a in a waterless environment. As with other
coony that have high intelligence will pos- aquatic creatures, they can be effectively
sesswisdom scores ranging from 4-16 kept at bay 6y an airy water" spell or similar
(DMG, p.79), and any creature with wis- magic. Except under the conditions outlined
dom of 13 or higher will get at least one on page 75 of the DMG, they cannot hir
bonus spell (PH, p.11). Thus, a leader type characters or creatures able to be struck
with Bth level cleric spell ability and wisdom only by magic weapons.
of 16 would have spells usable amounting to
59 FATASY ARMIES
ve 1st level, five 2nd leve, three 3rd level, F. The generaly accepted pronunciation
and two 4th level spells. of the name is "ick-zi-sah-chittle." g

hm"# oRcs il
JAMES BfiID
FOR YOUR EYES ONLY
Your Mission: To help Victory Games
007 tournament at ORIGINS and other summer conventions
r' a James Bond
Casting your own figures is as much this year and every year. Also to help test new and different
lun as playing the game.
James Bond 007 products.
Send $1.00 for comolete brochure Requirements: Experience as a James Bond 007 Game GM.
(refundable).
If you think you are ready, send your name, address, and phone number to:
THE DUNKEN COMPANY VICTORY GAMES
P.O. BOX 786D Attn: Gerry Klug
CALVERT, TX77837 43 West 33rd Street
(r%r) New York' NY 10001
C,ISTIIIC IS EASYAIID FUIT @ Danjaq S.A.
O Eon Productions Ltd.,/Clidrose Publications Ltd. (1984)

DRAGoN 27