Monster of the Week: Dire White Ape

Savage beast from another world

Unlike normal white apes, dire white apes are ten-to-fifteen foot tall, four-armed monstrosities rumored to come from a distant world. As their name implies, their heavily-muscled flesh is pale white. They have no pelt at all, except for a patch of stiff white hair on top of their heads.

Dire white apes can strike with their claws and bite, but they often use massive tree branches as clubs, each of which does damage as a two-handed sword due to the creatures’ great strength.

If two claws hit the same target in the same round, a dire white ape can grab for an additional 2d8 damage. Targets that have been grabbed must Save vs. Paralysis to escape.

Dire white apes tend to make their homes in the long-abandoned ruins of ancient, dead civilizations. Two apes in a lair will always be a mated pair. A young ape might live with them, but will not participate in combat. It may be possible to train a dire white ape taken as a juvenile.

Armor Class: 5
Hit Dice: 5
Move: 120’ (40’)
Attack(s): 4 claws/1 bite + grab
Damage: 1d8 each + 2d8 or by weapon
No. Appearing: 1 (1d2)
Save As: Fighter 3
Morale: 9
Treasure Type: C - 500 gp
Alignment: Neutral
XP: 175

N.B. The dire white ape is inspired by the white apes of Mars, in Edgar Rice Burroughs’ A Princess of Mars.