Mythic Monsters-Water Leaper

This is part of the A-Z Blog Challenge. Herein I am presenting a new monster that hopefully has not been seen before in any RPG game. This is drawn from stories and mythologies found in a variety of real-world cultures.


Water Leaper

He couldn’t understand why more people didn’t fish at this pond. He had already caught four large fish in under 30 minutes. And again his line went taut with another fish on the line. He worked the line, but this must be a larger than nromal fish since he was having a hard time bringing it in. In fact…it was…pulling him out into the water. He pulled to the right and then the left trying to gain the upperhand. Then there was a yank and he pitched forward into the water. He finally let go of the pole. Coughing, he regained his legs, standing in the water on the edge of the pond. Then he saw it, or rather, them. A half dozen frog eyes floated barely above the surface of the water. Then they launched themselves into the air and along the top of the pond’s surface. They flapped their leathery wings once and were upon him in seconds.

The Water Leaper is the common name of the Llamhigyn Y Dwr, part of the Welsh mythos. It looks much like a giant frog, with bat-like wings replacing its front legs and a long tail, with a spike, replacing the hind legs. It is amphibious, much like a regular frog, and its common name is readily apparent as it wings over its chosen habitat of ponds, swamps and lakes. In the water it swims like a tadpole, using its tail to move.

The Water Leaper is carnivorous and has been known to attack animals and people. One method it uses to eat fishermen is to snap onto the fishing line and then if the fisherman does not let go they drag the fisherman to them. Also, its tail spike has a mild poison; this poison rarely kills healthy adults, but does slow down a person affected by the poison.

Abilities
-Grip: Once a Water Leaper latches onto something with its mouth it is very hard to dislodge it. They gain a supernatural strength that belies their size and weight.
-Tongue: Their tongue has a good reach and can be used as a ranged attack.
-Tail Spike: This utilizes a poison that does a little bit of damage, but also reduces the “to hit” chance of its target.

Adventures
-The priest of a local village has received a blessing from his god and the crops are both plentiful and productive. The livestock that partakes of this grain also grow quicker and larger than normal. Unfortunately, some Water Leaper have gotten into the grain and have grown to larger, and more dangerous, sizes. The party is asked to deal with the Water Leapers, but as long as the grain continues to exist it can happen again (and will). The real question (and struggle) becomes one of whether or not the grain should be allowed to continue to exist.

-A nearby pond has long been known as the home of a nest of Water Leapers. Everyone knows of them so they are easily avoided. However, someone has come into town and is looking to have the Water Leapers killed. He is willing to pay good money for the party to clear out the nest. What the party does not know is that there was an old temple dedicated to an evil god that was destroyed ages ago. The temple was torn down, but the lower sections were inaccessible so they created a pond over the ruins to hide it. The man is a member of a cult that worships this evil god and is looking to retrieve an evil artifact from the lower sections, but the Water Leapers proved too much for him. Will the characters discover his true intent before he gets away with it? Will they explore the ancient lower sections?

-A child in the village was attacked by a Water Leaper. She managed to escape, but was struck by the tail spike and is now suffering from the poison. The local priest says she will die unless the poison can be cured and for that to happen they will need the tail of the Water Leaper that attacked her. Can the heroes do this and in time?