MEENLOCK

Meenlocks are small bipedal creatures about 2-ft tall and covered in black, shaggy fur. Their heads are white, cut with dark ridges.

In total they present a horrid appearance and will cause fear in any person with four or fewer hit dice who sees them, this causing the victim to fall inert to the ground for 5-8 melee rounds (the number of rounds is halved if the victim makes his saving throw).

The meenlocks have their lair in dark, sealed, vertical shafts underground. If the seal is removed, the bottom of the shaft cannot be seen and anything dropped in will land noiselessly on a thick moss 'carpet' which lines the walls and floor of the shaft.

The shaft will be dark and a smell of rotting corpses will drift upwards.

Characters other than the most insensitive will also detect a strong emanation of Evil even without the use of a detect evil spell.

After descending vertically for 20-ft or so, the shaft twists and curves, so it is impossible to see the bottom even with a light spell, which will only reveal detail of the upper parts. If brave adventurers penetrate the shaft they will eventually find the meenlock lair — a large space like a small cave at the very foot of the shaft.

The creatures will always attack (exception — bright light will cause them to flee if they are able) and will use their two claws, each of which inflicts 1-4 hit points of damage. The touch of the meenlock causes paralyzation (saving throw applicable).

At close quarters such as in their lair, however, the meenlocks' telepathic powers are virtually useless — this is their reason for the artificial smell of rotting corpses which they deliberately create in order to deter entrance to the lair.

The creatures will use considerable ingenuity to extinguish sources of light — torches, lanterns and so forth.

They have a limited dimension door ability over a distance of 6-ft every other melee round — when using this ability, attacks on them are at —4 on the 'to hit' roll.

However they cannot use this power when carrying a victim — three meenlocks are required for such a task.

It is if adventurers remove the seal from the top of the shaft but subsequently fail to penetrate the meenlocks' lair that the creatures will take fullest advantage.

When the adventurers depart, they will be followed at a safe distance by the nasty little beasts, which can climb quickly and noiselessly up the shaft by using the deadening qualities of the moss carpet. 

One of the adventurers will be 'marked' by the meenlocks — selected at random, though if a paladin is present he will be given priority — and the meenlocks will concentrate their subsequent attacks on him alone, being highly Evil and greatly desirous of wreaking vengeance on humankind. 

The victim selected will always be human if one is present, but if not the creatures will choose an elf, dwarf or any other near-human.

From the time of his 'marking' onwards, the chosen victim will receive disturbing telepathic messages; the meenlocks can communicate telepathically over a 300-ft range. 

The messages will vary in content but the threat will be the same — that the meenlocks are pursuing the victim relentlessly and intend to make him one of them.

The victim will also be conscious of stealthy movement in the shadows and of rustling, scratching noises (these will also be illusory and induced telepathically). Companions of the victim will hear and detect nothing and may conclude that their colleague is mentally aberrant.

The meenlocks will not attack until the party beds down to rest.

However, until that time the victim will become increasingly preoccupied with his predicament and will be able to concentrate less and less upon his adventure. His efficiency will thus be reduced, though the extent and effect of this will vary and is to be determined by the referee. 

As a guide, for every hour the victim is harassed by meenlocks, his Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence and Wisdom will be reduced temporarily by 1 point each, in addition he will attack at -1 on the 'to hit' roll in melee and (if he is a spell-caster) victims of his spells will receive a +2 bonus on their saving throw. 

All these effects are cumulative but will disappear as soon as the meenlock threat has somehow been averted (if for example the party moves into an area which is brightly illuminated and which the meenlocks will not be able to enter).

When the party including the victim has bedded down to rest, the meenlocks will attack, moving very silently (80% chance of obtaining surprise even against a watchful guard — 100% against a sleeper). 

They will attempt to silence any guards and drag their victim away (they will not attack the victim with their claws unless absolutely necessary, but they show no similar mercy to others). If they succeed in doing so, they will take the victim to their shaft, sealing it after entry. 

After short but gruesome treatment, the victim himself becomes a meenlock.