The Black Ice Cormaguin

The Black Ice Cormaguin is a large flightless seabird peculiar to certain areas of the black ice of Carceri. Cormaguins are generally mild tempered, but will band together for defense when attacked. They are also capable of the violent and noxious evacuation of their bowels. They often use this as a means of covering their escape from predators.

The Black Ice Cormaguin in Your Campaign

These creatures are designed to be difficult to catch and kill. In the first encounter I used them their, they existed for flavor, and to give the other creatures in the area (i.e. polar bears and remorhazes) something to chew on other than the players. This gives the players the option to attempt to kill them to use them as bait, or drive them into the monsters to give them something to eat that’s not a PC.

They could also be used to make the approach to an area difficult, and to hamper movement in the area with their foul escape. Imagine the setting as a party of adventurers advances on a shorline inhabited by a colony of these birds. As they approach, the Cormaguin make aggresive displays to dissuade the party members from approaching, but take no hostile action. Then, some monstrous beast erupt from the water. The cormaguin foul the area as they flee in panic. Some of the party members are stuck in difficult terrain, while others are poisoned. They got here fresh and ready to face the dangers of the day, but now they’re at less the 100% at the start of a fight.

Looking for more monsters that make you player’s lives hard in ways other than dealing damage? Check out the other critters on Voivode’s Blocklist! Or maybe you want some official heavy hitters? Then it’s Voivode’s Hotlist you’re looking for.