dungeons and dragons monster: krickler

2017.06 (updated : 2017.06.27)

No. Enc.:1 (2d12)
Alignment:Warrior creed
Movement:12m (12m)
Armor class:4
Hit dice:5
Attacks:1
Damage:see below
Save:W5
Morale:10
Hoard class:None
XP:250

Kricklers are extremely rare, found in moderate temperate regimes. Appearing to be at least partially made of living rock, they are stocky humanoids of unknown lifecycle and purpose with little known contact with the outside world. They inhabit ruins and cavern systems of their own construction in the most out-of-the-way badlands, cliff-faces, and rugged ravines. While not an expansionist or aggressive species like the gnolls, kricklers have a similarly militaristic outlook and discipline. They do not tolerate any incursion into their territory, and will attack with sophisticated tactics and techniques. Their tactics include shaping the land to corral intruders in dead ends, surrounded by rocky outcroppings or cliff faces and then dropping rocks which they stockpile. They are known to set traps with considerable skill. Kricklers tend to keep guard creatures such as sandlings (55%) or even the dun variant of xenomorph pudding (15%) which ignore the silicate kricklers as a food source and enjoy being fed anything that irritates the kricklers. No krickler children have ever been observed.

image originally by Vinod Rams

In melee they tend to strike with a bare-handed attack that grapples; on a successful hit, they pull the victim into a crushing embrace that saps 2d4 STR per round unless the victim is somehow freed. A victim reaching 0 STR is of course exhausted and collapses, unable to move. The kricklers will no longer molest the victim. Their pets, however... Kricklers are not actually made of rock, but have very dense flesh. They bleed a bluish fluid and take all normal forms of damage.

Kricklers have been observed to follow a Blue-and-Orange Morality - that is to say a morality that is alien to the societies of other humanoids. It is thought that the krickler stops short of killing with its grapple-and-hold attack simply because the 'threat' posed by the victim is neutralized. They do not value reciprocity or fairness or compassion but make judgments based on criteria such as whether a course of action will result in more kricklers, more homes fashioned, or how true another krickler "came out". They value well-made subterranean living spaces and work tirelessly on them.

This monster was co-designed with my son, then aged seven.

(DM's note: a krickler settlement is started when a krickler is born from the clay-like droppings of a grey worm. Once born, this small solo krickler wanders Sppang until it finds a suitable spot to start digging. This it does with its bare hands, slowly pounding at the rock until it has excavated an inhabitable space. It then fashions clay out of the excavated material and through an unknown process causes another krickler to come to life. When in proximity of one another, kricklers do not roam but instead continue excavating and reproducing.)

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Thanks for posting that! I played with this set when I was 3-4, in 1986... Damn, so strange to see it again. i remember those great elements like yellow door :) one of the best sets ever.

Maciek
2010.07.07 10:39:32

Glad you enjoyed it, Maciek!

-Michael

Awesome! Thanks for posting this. Our directions were water damaged and the pages dried together. My son is now playing with the legos I had as a kid so he wanted to build the semi truck. Thanks again!

Carolyn
2010.08.31 21:42:49

Glad I could help! Nice to hear from a girl LEGO user, too. 8^)

-Michael

nice

jackie
2011.03.29 02:07:55

Yeah, it's a simple set but a versatile one!

-Michael

Thanks for posting and taking the time to scan in these instructions. I dug out my old set and had no instructions. My son and I bult the semi, it was just as fun as it was 30 years ago.

Matt O.
2012.12.29 17:57:20

Great to hear! Thanks for writing, that made my day.

-Michael

Great posting on these LEGO sets...I had this one when I was a kid, 722 is one of the best sets ever! Never knew what happened to it. I'm trying to find one for my kids; if you're interested in selling it please let me know.

Shane M.
2013.01.21 16:50:28

Glad you enjoyed the find, Shane. But you'll get my LEGO from my son and me when you pry it from our cold dead hands. ;^) It wasn't for nothing that I got the space lego emblem tattoo'd on my arm!

Good luck with your hunt.

-Michael

I have an old set but don't have the electronic parts show in the windmill and snow plow instructions- they don't seem to have come with the set. Any ideas about where/how to find them? Thanks!

Lisa
2014.03.05 15:20:12

A lot of pieces for older sets just aren't made any more, unfortunately. But you can always try ebay or one of these:

http://shop.lego.com/en-CA/Pick-A-Brick-ByTheme

http://www.bricklink.com/

http://www.brickrepublic.com/servlet/StoreFront

-Michael

rand()m quote

Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great people are almost always bad people.

—Lord Acton, 1834-1902