White apes are one of my favourite monsters. They illicit a strong sword & sorcery vibe. If I make up the tower of a decadent wizard, odds are that I included a white ape inside as a guard. White apes are tough (HD 4) and quick (move 120') but they are fairly easy to hit (AC 6) and don't cause too much damage with their two attacks (1-4 each). They also have ranged attack - they may throw stones for 1d6 damage.
Another reason why I like them is that they are associated with Neanderthals which I also really like for their S&S vibe.
Alignment
2 hours ago
Hey, I like this idea/use of white apes. I think I'm going to shamelessly steal it. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteStones? I always assumed they threw feces.
ReplyDelete(White feces, of course.)
I like the fact that they're territorial, they will attack but only if you go moping around their lairs (or have been trained to attack adventurers by evil sorcerers).
ReplyDeleteA single white ape featured in the very first adventure I ever wrote - and yup, he was the trained body guard of the big-bad sorcerer at the top of the tower. Pretty scary for a bunch of first-levellers.
I don't remember the sorcerer's name but the ape was Fergus. Not sure why...
The white apes we played in college were aways Barsoomian apes with four arms. They were just smart enough to wield weapons and infamous for the three handed sword.
ReplyDelete