CLIMATE/TERRAIN	Temperate, any terrain
FREQUENCY	Rare
ORGANIZATION	Flock
ACTIVITY CYCLE	Any
DIET	Carnivore
INTELLIGENCE	Animal (1)
TREASURE	D
ALIGNMENT	Neutral Evil
NO. APPEARING	1-6
ARMOR CLASS	3
MOVEMENT	15 FL & 24 C
HIT DICE	6
THACO	14
NO. OF ATTACKS	1
DAMAGE/ATTACKS	2D6+6
SPECIAL ATTACKS	Nil
SPECIAL DEFENSES	Nil
MAGIC RESISTANCE	Nil
SIZE	Large (7' to 8') tall
MORALE	16 Champion
XP VALUE	675

The Scythe Bill is a large very dangerous bird. They resemble a cross between a vulture and a toucan, but stand at over seven feet tall when full grown. The feathers of the scythe Bill are black from head to tail, beaks vary from black to dark gray. The fleshy patch around the eye and the wattle are bright red when in flight the under side of the wing has white flight feathers. Females differ only in that their wattles are a light blue.

COMBAT:

The Scythe Bill will fiercely attack any living creature smaller that itself. Their main attack is the peck if their powerful beaks, which is capable of splintering wood, cracking large stones and walls. A successful hit from a Scythe Bill will cause 2D6+6 points of damage do to its great strength in terms of settling strength problems. The Scythe Bill has neck and beak strength of 18/00.

Scythes are poor flyers and never attacking while flying. They prefer to run up to its victim and peck downwards on their pray. They don't seem to have any natural predators, so this leads to their high morale. Do to their evil nature, Scythe Bill seem to take great delight in just plain killing instead of food gathering. Their legs and feet do have claws, but the Scythe Bill are content not to use them in combat and rely on crushing blows of their beak pecks.

HABITAT/SOCIETY:

The diet of the Scythe Bill consist of large insects, lizards, rabbits, deer, all the way up to humans and horses. they can not chew their food, but swallow it whole. In the case of larger animals and humans that can not be swallowed whole, the Scythe Bill will pound its pray into manageable pieces with its bill or it will pick it up with its beak and hurl on the ground to break it up or to remove armor. They have a semi-strong stomach acid that can dissolve leather and bone. The lining of their stomachs is finger like. On rare occasions magical rings from their prey have attached to the lining bestowing the magical ability of the ring to the Scythe Bill. They are really found of halfling meat.

Females and males number about the same in a flock. Females fly just the same as males. The dominant member of the flock is the oldest member. This could be male or female. Scythe Bills mate for life. Mated couples will build their nests in rocky caves or larger dead falls of trees, the nest sites are permanent. Any treasure found around the nest site will be in the waste piles.

Females lay two polish black eggs about every nine years. Almost all eggs are fertile and hatch in 20 to 25 days. The young are totally defenseless until they are six months old. At which point they are considered 2 Hit Dice monsters and inflict 1D6 damage with their peck. They achieve adulthood at one year of age at which point they join the flock.

Scythe Bills will protect the nest area to the death as other flock of Scythe Bills will try to take over the nest, why is unknown. They are very territorial and will defend this area from all living creatures. Depending on the size of the flock determines the size of the territory. Usually one and a half square miles per member of the flock. So a flock of four would have a territory of six square miles. The only time a Scythe Bill will leave the flock territory is in search of food and to attack other flocks and nests or to raid halflings villages where they will dig them out of their holes and bring back to the nest area to give to their mates. Halflings call the Scythe Bills birds from hell.

ECOLOGY:

As great predators they hold an important place in the world. They tend to thrive in the wilderness. As a predator they have little to compete with for food. Dwarves prize the beak of the Scythe Bill, which they powder and mix in a molten metal for war hammers. Some mages use their feathers for use in writing magical scrolls. Not many people seek unhatched eggs to raise as pets, which they grow to adulthood the hatchlings have a tendency to attack their masters. Some Scythe Bills have been raised for use as fighters in pit fights. Scythe Bills live for twenty years at which point they are driven from the flock to die alone. The only things known to eat Scythe Bills are Fire Giants that like them roasted (Taste like BBQ Chicken).

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Taca Sota

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