"A skullrider is a spider-like creature whose eight segmented legs grow out of a body the size and shape of a human skull. Its shiny exoskeleton is the approximate color and texture of human bone, supporting the illusion. Vicious mandibles are hidden inside the "jawbone" of the skull; these mandibles are retractable, as are the creature's eight short legs. The bony exoskeleton prevents body heat from emanating, thus making the skullrider 'invisible' to infravision. A skullrider with mandibles and legs retracted is thus 90% indistinguishable from a regular human skull."
This creature is the first of a full week's worth of brand new Dungeons And Dragons monsters! I really dug deep to find some true goofballs this time with a few classic boys to keep you on your toes.
The skullrider first appeared in the October 1993 issue of Dragon Magazine (#198) with an illustration by Robert Klasnich.
The illustration itself is pretty cool & atmospheric but doesn't do much justice to the creature itself. I wanna see long, spidery legs and gross retractable mandibles. This also seems to be the only illustration of this creature...at least as far as I could find. Maybe it's because it serves a similar function to the gambado (a skull with a surprise creature to ambush adventurers) but not as cool?
As far as where the inspiration for this thing came from, the only thing I can think of is when Norris' head detaches from his body and sprouts spidery legs in The Thing.
Next up is an even weirder weirdo that was maybe never meant to be taken seriously.
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