Typing Treasure

One my favorite quirky bits of old-school D&D is Treasure Type. Cross-referencing the letter code to the table and rolling each category to see what goodies the monster has is great fun (to me). Thumbing through, as I glanced at TTs N and O, I was struck with how specific they are:  No coins of any denomination, no gems or jewels, but N gives a 40% chance of 2-8 potions, whereas O has a 50% chance of 1-4 scrolls; and only those items! What's more, no creature in the BX rulebooks has either of these listed TTs. The only creature I did find? The Kopru, from X1's Isle of Dread, and it has TT: I + N

Another Otus gem!

"I" is another interesting Type, by the way. In the core books, it only appears with Rocs. It emphasizes platinum and gems with a slight chance of one magic item. I guess when you can eat elephants, you can be picky about the shiny objects that litter your nest.

But back to N & O, I wonder what creature(s) the gang at TSR were thinking of when creating those listings. Someone (something) that had ready access to potions or scrolls, obviously. Perhaps alchemical-inclined or spellcasting monsters of some sort?

RMA: Oliphaunts (Elephants and Mastodons)

I can stand the sight of worms,

And even microscopic germs,

But technicolor pachyderms,

Are really too much for me!

                                     -"Pink Elephants on Parade"

It's hardly surprising to find that elephants are pretty formidable opponents in D&D. They're big, they're strong, and they basically have SPEARS coming out of their faces. I have rarely seen them in play, though. Elephants –and their prehistoric cousins, the Mastodon– are rare on random encounters. Each only appears a single time (Grassland and Optional: Prehistoric) on the charts. Nevertheless, "modern" elephants are sometimes tamed in certain cultures and can make for an interesting encounter.

aka "The last thing Uncle Ted saw 

after setting off a firecracker on safari."

Elephant (from Cook)

AC: 5 

HD: 9

Move: 120' (40')

Attacks: 2 (tusks) or 1 (trample)

Damage: 2d8/2d8 or 4d8

No. App: 0 (1d20)

Save: F5

Morale: 8

AL: N

First of all, up to twenty in a herd. Secondly, NINE hit dice. Their AC is decent, too. If you tick these things off, you have some heavy work ahead. 

They charge to start with, doing double damage with tusks, so that's potentially sixty-four hit points of damage right there. THEN they start trampling for up to 32 points per attack. Those 9HD means elephants hit often enough, but check this out: Against man-sized or smaller, they get a +4 to attack!!

Mastodons are pretty similar, except tougher (though they deal slightly less damage with their tusks).

Mastodon (from Cook)

AC: 3 

HD: 15

Move: 120' (40')

Attacks: 2 (tusks) or 1 (trample)

Damage: 2d6/2d6 or 4d8

No. App: 0 (2d8)

Save: F8

Morale: 8

AL: N

The best way to deal with either of these creatures as foes? Scare them off. They're herbivores with so-so morale. Just don't be in the way when they stampede in a panic. 

The tusks of these creatures are valuable enough to entice some to take the risks (up to 800gp per). Hooks involving ivory hunters, vengeful druids, and elephant graveyards full of tusks could make for a fine adventure indeed!