What can we say about these things? They never ever look the same. I mean to some degree you could say that about any species as a whole, but not Boggles. These creatures are definitely weird and create a lot of havoc. Forget fire. With Boggles, use ice CREATIVELY! As far as I can tell, they made their first module appearance in Harold Johnson and Tom Moldvay’s Secret of the Slavers Stockade A2 (9040) in 1981. That was over forty years ago! Are any of you still using them in your modules? With as unique as these little critters are, I can’t imagine why you wouldn’t. Let us know if you do.
| FREQUENCY: Very Rare NO. APPEARING: 2-8 ARMOR CLASS: 5 MOVE: 9” % IN LAIR: 25% TREASURE TYPE: C NO. OF ATTACKS: 3 (+2) HIT DICE: 4+3 DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1 -4/1-4/1-4 SPECIAL ATTACK: See Below SPECIAL DEFENSE: Rear claws for 7-4/7-4 MAG IC RESISTANCE: Standard INTELLIGENCE: Low ALIGNMENT: Chaotic Neutral SIZE: S (3′) PSlONlC ABILITY: Nil Attack/Defense Modes: Nil LEVEL/X.P. VALUE: 120 + 5/hp |  |
Boggles are 3’ tall, vaguely humanoid creatures whose coloration varies from blackish-blue to dark gray. They all have large bulbous heads, but the rest of their body parts are disproportionate and vary from individual to individual (large noses, arms of different lengths, spindly legs, and so forth).
The social organization of boggles is loosely tribal. They tend to whine and gibber a lot when dealing with other creatures. Outside their lair, boggles are somewhat cowardly, and they all tend to be thieves. However, when found in their lair, boggles are aggressive and voracious.
Boggles secrete a viscous, non-flammable, black oil from pores in their bodies. Anyone treading on the oil (except creatures specially adapted, like boggles, for climbing on slick surfaces) must roll their dexterity or lower on 1 d20 or fall down. Characters who fall must spend an entire round standing back up. Boggles will try to steal articles from a character who has fallen. They must make a successful roll versus AC 5 to steal any one item from a fallen or stunned character.
Boggles have a rubbery hide and their bodies are partially elastic. They may stretch to twice their length or contract to one-half their size. Due to their slippery and resilient hide, all weapon attacks on a boggle will cause -1 point per die of damage. Boggles are naturally resistant to fire (as the ring) and can spider climb at will. They like to cling to ceilings, in order to drop upon unwary characters, getting an additional two claw attacks like cats.
Boggles have the special ability to dimension door up to 3” at will through any complete frame, such as a hole, a door frame, grillwork, between a character’s legs, and so forth. They use this ability to reach through a hole and have their hand come out elsewhere to grab or strike at a character from another side.
Boggle lairs are often pocked with holes, or appear as a grillwork with their main nest being accessible only by dimension door or other magical means.
Finally, boggles have an exceptionally keen sense of smell and can even detect invisible creatures by smell. Other races are known to utilize boggles as guards and watchers because of this ability. When boggles sense intruders they set up a high-pitched keening wail to warn their masters.
Theras Freman was born in the early 1970s and grew up in a small town in rural America. From a young age, he developed a fascination with fantasy and science fiction literature, devouring everything from J.R.R. Tolkien to Isaac Asimov.
In the decades that followed, Theras continued to be a prominent figure in the D&D community. He maintained a popular blog where he shared his insights and advice on all things related to the game, and he was a fixture at gaming conventions and other events.
To this day, Theras remains one of the most respected voices in the world of D&D and other tabletop roleplaying games. His passion for the hobby has never waned, and he continues to share his expertise with anyone willing to listen.
