I’m a huge fan of this particular creature.

Today we are looking at the Matt Finch Monstrosities version of the Remorhaz. (That’s pronounced Reh-MORE-ay for those who might wonder. I pronounced it incorrectly for years.) It’s great for high level Old School characters. I don’t think I’m converting it to Dragonbane just yet. (Encounters with a Remorhaz in Dragonbane probably wouldn’t end well.)

This particular version of the Remorhaz is presented from Monstrosities. My review of this amazing tome is still coming. <Throws book lovingly on pile.> As much as I find myself digging through this Old School monster book, I thought I had already reviewed it. Monstrosities was designed for Swords & Wizardry RPG, but works well for Old School Essentials, Dungeon Crawl Classics, and other games with similar formats.

Remorhaz- where they live and why no adventurer wants to meet them.

The first thing every seasoned adventurer should know about, other than the absolutely huge size of these creatures is the incredible amount of heat they put off. Luckily, they are usually encountered one at a time. Oh, and the bigger Remorhaz have the ability to swallow an adventurer whole, killing them instantly. Sounds merciless, but that’s some OG adventuring for ya.

The Remorhaz is usually found in Arctic or Antarctic climates. The extreme heat they give off makes it easy for them to burrow through solid ice and snow with ease. Such creatures could also be right at home in deep underground lairs as they would be unaffected by lava. They could also be found in the Elemental Domain of Fire or similar planes of existence with ease. Other game settings may include them in other areas, but I’ve listed the ones here that I find most likely.

I’ve always found these creatures to be a great solo monster to tangle with adventurers in the lower levels of the dungeon. (In OG terms, the lower the dungeon level underground, the higher level the inhabitants were.) They are formidable due to their intimidation value (appearance,) resistances to non-magical weapons, fire as well as cold (not listed with this version,) and sheer damage potential.

There hasn’t always been a ton of lore with these creatures. Are they native denizens of another dimension? Were they some wizard’s experiment gone horribly awry like so many other creatures? Were they just too hot for hell to handle? It’s up to the GM, but it’s been a hotly contested debate for years.

Until next Monday, have fun.

Thank you for being here today with me. I appreciate you. Please embrace the things that bring you the most joy.

(Unless the thing that brings you the most joy is a Remorhaz. Don’t embrace them. It might hurt unless you, too are resistant to heat.)