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Roc

Giant eagle-like birds with dark brown or golden plumage

avian giant flying bird lawful mountain neutral

Basic Fantasy Role-Playing Game

BFRPG

Armor Class18
Hit Dice6
Number AppearingWild 1d12
Attacks2 claws/1 bite
Damage1d6/1d6/2d6
Movement20' Fly 160' (10')
Save AsFighter: 6
Morale8
XP500
Treasure TypeI

Rocs are birds similar to eagles, but even a “normal” roc is huge, being about 9 feet long and having a wingspan of 24 feet. A roc’s plumage is either dark brown or golden from head to tail. Like most birds, the males have the brighter plumage, with females being duller in color and thus more easily hidden (if anything so large can even be hidden, that is).

A light load for a normal roc is 150 pounds, while a heavy load is 300 pounds. Obviously only the smallest characters can hope to ride upon a normal roc.

A roc attacks from the air, swooping earthward to snatch prey in its powerful talons and carry it off for itself and its young to devour. Any successful hit with both claw (talon) attacks against a single creature results in that creature being carried off, unless of course the creature is too large for the roc to carry. While being carried, the victim will not be further attacked, so as to be as “fresh” as possible when given to the hatchlings (or consumed by the roc itself if it is solitary).

When rocs are encountered they are almost certainly hunting, and will generally attack creatures of horse size or less. If facing a large group the rocs may make passes close overhead to scatter them first before each chooses a single target to prey upon. Mated pairs found in their nests will fight to the death to protect their eggs or offspring (morale of 12 in this case).

Special Abilities

Snatch: Any successful hit with both claw (talon) attacks against a single creature results in that creature being carried off, unless of course the creature is too large for the roc to carry.

Variants

Large Roc (in the wild)

Large rocs are about 18 feet long and have wingspans of around 48 feet. A light load is up to 600 pounds and a heavy load up to 1,200.

Hit Dice12 (+10)
Number AppearingWild 1d8
Damage1d8/1d8/2d10
Save AsFighter: 12
Morale9
XP1875
Giant Roc (in the wild)

Giant rocs average 30 feet long and have massive wingspans of around 80 feet. Giant rocs can easily lift up to 3,000 pounds, and are heavily loaded when carrying up to 6,000 pounds. Tales of giant rocs carrying off full-grown elephants are somewhat exaggerated, but note that a young elephant would be reasonable prey for these monstrous birds.

Hit Dice32 (+16)
Number AppearingWild 1
Damage3d6/3d6/6d6
Save AsFighter: 20 at +5
Morale10
XP14250
Copyright 2006-2023 Chris Gonnerman. Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0). License

Other Sources

Old-School Essentials Classic Fantasy
Gigantic birds of prey that nest in the highest peaks of isolated mountain ranges. Will attack intruders, if approached carelessly.

Special Abilities

Alignment reaction: -1 to reaction rolls versus Neutral characters; -2 versus Chaotic characters.
Swoop: Can dive onto victims visible from above. If the victim is surprised, the attack inflicts double damage. On an attack roll of 18 or more, the victim can be carried away (if of appropriate size).
Eggs: 1d6 eggs or chicks in 50% of nests.
Trainable: Can be trained, if captured when young.

Variants

Small Roc (standard encounters)
Armor Class4 [15]
Hit Dice6 (27hp)
Number Appearing0 (1d12)
Attacks2 × claw (1d4+1), 1 × bite (2d6)
THAC014 [+5]
Movement60' (20') / 480' (160') flying
Saving ThrowsD12 W13 P14 B15 S16 (3)
Morale8 (12 in lair)
AlignmentLawful
XP275
Treasure TypeI
Large Roc (standard encounters)
Armor Class2 [17]
Hit Dice12 (54hp)
Number Appearing0 (1d8)
Attacks2 × claw (1d8), 1 × bite (2d10)
THAC010 [+9]
Movement60' (20') / 480' (160') flying
Saving ThrowsD10 W11 P12 B13 S14 (6)
Morale9 (12 in lair)
AlignmentLawful
XP1100
Treasure TypeI
Giant Roc (standard encounters)
Armor Class0 [19]
Hit Dice36 (162hp)
Number Appearing0 (1)
Attacks2 × claw (3d6), 1 × bite (8d6)
THAC05 [+14]
Movement60' (20') / 480' (160') flying
Saving ThrowsD2 W3 P4 B3 S6 (18)
Morale10 (12 in lair)
AlignmentLawful
XP6250
Treasure TypeI
Copyright 2017-2019 Gavin Norman. Open Game License v1.0a. License
OSRIC
Armor Class4
Hit Dice18
Number Encountered1d2
Attacks1 or 2
Damage4d6 or 3d6/3d6
Move30-ft; 300-ft flying (AA:II)
AlignmentNeutral
IntelligenceAnimal
XP8/3,010+25/hp
SizeLarge (60-ft+wingspan)
FrequencyRare
Lair10%

Rocs are powerful creatures living at high elevations in warm environments, and look somewhat like a huge eagles. They will sometimes be found with giants, who keep them as pets. The immense size of a roc is accompanied by its equally immense appetites, as rocs will frequently consume large mammals including horses and cattle. A roc hunts much like an eagle, swooping down on its meal and capturing it in its immense claws, carrying it back to its nest. A roc will silence struggling prey by impaling it with its powerful beak for 4d6 hit points of damage.

Any treasure found in the gigantic nests of rocs is there purely on accident, since rocs have no concept of wealth. The belongings of past victims will be found woven into the intricate nest.

Special Abilities

Beak Impale: A roc will silence struggling prey by impaling it with its powerful beak for 4d6 hit points of damage.