ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN

[from The Strategic Review #3, Autumn 1975*]

THE YETI (ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN)

Number Appearing: 1-6
Armor Class: 6
Move: 12”*
Hit Dice: 4*
% in Lair: 10%
Treasure Type: D
No. of Attacks: 2 (claws)
Damage: 1-6 / 1-6 pts. cold damage each + hugs (as Owl Bear*) for 2-16 pts. add'l cold damage
Surprise*: looking into Yeti’s eyes; save vs. paralyzation must be made
Intelligent
Alignment: Neutral

Inhabiting only regions of icy cold, Yeties are seldom encountered by warm-blooded mankind. Those who do have the misfortune to stumble upon these monsters seldom live to tell the tale, for Yeties are very fond of human flesh. If found in their lair there is a 30% chance that there are 1-3 females there also, and a 15% chance of an additional 2-5 young if females are present. Because of their adaption to cold, Yeties are very susceptible to fire, and attacks employing such heat do 50% greater damage. The typical male is 8’ tall, 350 pounds, and his white coat blends perfectly with snow and ice; thus, a Yeti is nearly invisible until within 10’ to 30’ of its prey. (For each level above 1st add 5% chance of spotting a Yeti at normal distance, i.e. a 2nd level character has a 5% chance of spotting one.)


*Later on, in 1977, this entry gets embedded basically word-for-word within the AD&D Monster Manual; however, there are some diffs. Main ones are Move (AD&D makes "Yeti" faster: 15") & HP/HD (AD&D gives them slightly more w/ 4 + 4 HD). Then there's the bit that SR has hug "as Owl Bear", meaning, if both claws hit the same victim in one round, you also roll for hug damage. AD&D changes this to hug damage happening on a roll of 20. And lastly, the AD&D entry expands on the slightly vague "surprise" mechanic listed in the SR entry: "if the creature surprised an opponent," says the Monster Manual, "a saving throw versus paralyzation must be made, or the victim has looked into the creature's eyes and is rigid with fright for 3 melee rounds and can be automatically struck twice and squeezed by the yeti." All that said, interestingly, this SR entry also appears to be the template for Moldvay's White Ape, which explains why Yeti never makes it into BECMI.

One final thought, regarding Furthermoor, is that Punk Eskimos gain +2 to hit/damage against Yeti, whereas Yeti attacking Punk Eskimos are affected w/ -1 to hit/damage.