Sewer Squid
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Technically a species of octopus, the sewer squid has become a common pest along the western coasts of the Known Lands. It has adapted to the fetid waters of city sewers, and is also capable of being active outside of the water for up to two hours although it prefers humid environments. When searching for prey, it uses its color-changing skin to blend perfectly into its environment. Once the prey comes close, it attempts to grapple it with its eight arms and bite it with its highly toxic beak (which will likely also infect the victim, should it survive, with various diseases home to the sewage). The most common prey for sewer squids are rats, but larger specimens (sewer squids grow throughout their lives) will also assault goblins, kobolds, as well as halflings, gnomes and infants of larger races. They are highly cunning creatures, and will not attack anyone traveling in groups.

They are also highly curious creatures, and often use their ability to squeeze through the smallest openings to enter cellars through holes left by mice, rats, and other vermin. Inside the cellars they will often try to take any objects they encounter apart - there have been a few cases where an invading sewer squid opened every bottle in a wine cellar, ruining its contents (which has caused most owners of such wine cellars to take precautions to keep their cellars both dry and airtight). Quite a few unexpected encounters with sewer squids within human habitations have led to mutual startlement, which sometimes resulted in the squid biting the one who discovered it. However, it should be noted that the number of incidents of sewer squids hiding in abattoirs has been greatly exaggerated by the yellow press.

Some people - especially urban goblin tribes - have managed to tame sewer squids to some degree, and some unscrupulous individuals have used them for theft or breaking and entering. However, as sewer squids are highly territorial creatures, it is not possible to keep more than one of them as a pet.

Adventure Ideas

Designer's Notes & Resources

I read several articles on and watched several videos about octopi recently, which inspired this creature. After all, why should vermin in fantasy settings be restricted to the usual rats, mice, and pigeons? The sewer squid has the added advantage of being almost plausible - if real octopi were able to become amphibious, they might end up acting like sewer squids.


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