Leaper

Leaper Picture Level 6 Family leaper family creatures Body Type Quadruped Undead No Areas Found Icemule Environs Coastal Cliffs BCS <Not Known> HP <Not Known> Armor [?]

Attack Attributes Physical Attacks Claw +94 AS Bite +94 AS Stomp +94 AS Warding Attacks Use the Creature ability template here {{{warding}}}. Maneuver Attacks Use the Creature ability template here {{{maneuver}}}. Offensive Spells & Abilities Use the Creature ability template here {{{ability}}}.

Defense Attributes Melee +29 DS Ranged <N/A> DS Bolt +9 DS Bard Base <N/A> TD Ranger Base 18 TD Sorcerer Base <N/A> TD Wizard Base <N/A> TD Cleric Base <N/A> TD Empath Base +16 TD Paladin Base <N/A> TD Major Elemental <N/A> TD Minor Elemental <N/A> TD Major Spiritual +18 TD Minor Spiritual <N/A> TD Major Mental <N/A> TD Minor Mental <N/A> TD

Treasure Attributes Coins No Gems No Magic Items No Boxes No Skin a leaper hide Other None

The leaper appears a bizarre cross between a wolf and a frog. Perhaps six feet from snout to rump, covered with slick, hairless skin in a dark green, it lacks all trace of fur but has a set of fangs worthy of any wolf that ever strode the land. Extra long front legs tipped with raking claws give it the bounding gait that has earned its name.

The leaper is medium in size and about three feet high.

Hunting strategies

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Other information

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Behind the Scenes

In the I.C.E. Age leapers were called "bounders", which clarifies the meaning of their creature description. These were hunting hounds used by dark elves and evil lords, which relates them symbolically to Lorgalis. They were introduced into an area of the Coastal Cliffs associated with Kestrel and Bandur Etrevion. These may have been nobles who Bandur subjected to a transformation curse, analogous to werebears, owing to the literary allusions in the purgatory section of The Graveyard. Interestingly, similar things may be said for the myklian, and the toad in the Dark Shrine.

They infest a ruined coastal village near the underground stronghold, which housed a cult of Klysus (Luukos) which was likely crushed in the rise of The Dark Path. Of special note is the extensive presence of fungus in the region due to sea spray from the Bay, which were Lovecraft references below The Graveyard and within the Dark Grotto of The Broken Lands, related to the hidden dreamland theme of those locations. Like the forest approaching The Graveyard it features predatory vines, especially a carnivorous species that traps its victims in a dream state while it devours them.

The village is likely a reference to the abandoned village of lava sculptors on the way to Ngranek in "The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath." Of special note is the brass shrine, with ambient scripting implying ancient secrets, and under certain conditions releasing green mists with prophecy of doom. The kappas resemble the Old One worshippers of Ib whom the "cylinders of Kadatheron" had written descended from the moon, as well as the fish-frog men "Deep Ones" who required human sacrifices and transformation of humans from perverse hybrid mating for immortality.

References

• Leaper on Play.net bestiary

Near-level creatures

Level 4 black urgh cobra fanged viper mongrel kobold revenant ridge orc spotted leaper urgh water moccasin whiptail Level 5 bobcat coyote dark apparition mist wraith mongrel hobgoblin nasty little gremlin night golem water witch Level 6 cockatrice firephantom leaper lesser mummy lesser orc monkey snowy cockatrice spectral fisherman spotted lynx Level 7 blood eagle greater kappa hobgoblin acolyte hobgoblin shaman lesser burrow orc lesser red orc shelfae guard shelfae soldier Level 8 albino tomb spider bone golem crystal crab greater burrow orc greater orc greater spider mottled thrak thrak