OD&D Yeenoghu

[Zenopus]

A neat find by Frank Mentzer. A version of Yeenoghu for OD&D, clearly in the mode of Eldritch Wizardry (4/76), was published in the Strategic Preview (Summer of 76), a hard-to-find TSR in-house publication that followed the Strategic Review.

www.dragonsfoot.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=88&t=60108

For reference (transcription courtesy Frank Mentzer):

YEENOGHU, Demon Lord of Orcs

Height: 12'
Armor Class: -4
Move: 18"
Hit Dice: 10 (12 sided)
Intelligence: high
Magic Resistance: 80%
Hit by: Magical Weapons only
Has Infravision
Regeneration: 1 point/melee rd.

Yeenoghu speaks all of the "giant class" languages, as well as the tongue common to all humans and near humans(elves, dwarves, and hobbits among others). He can project his speech telepathically to any single creature, but he cannot thereby influence them other than through words. He has the following magical powers usable once per melee round: Darkness, 10'r.; magic missile (3/day, 6 missles/cast, 2-8 points of damage/missile with +2 to hit); detect magic; read magic; read languages; detect invisible objects; invisibility; fly; hold person; dispel magic; suggestion; polymorph self; fear(as wand); teleport; telekinesis 10,000 g.p. wt.; transmute rock to mud; mass charm; gate in Type I demon(80% chance for 2-5). As he receives homage from the King of Ghouls, he can also summon 4-16 ghouls with a 1 turn delay. Yeenoghu has a flail of three heads: hits by each have the following effect: 1st-- 3-18 points damage; 2nd-- save vs. wand or be paralyized; 3rd-- save vs. magic or confused.

Description: Yeenoghu resembles a human in general form, except that his head is a hyena's, his chest canine in form, his hands paw-like, and his feet are pawed. He is thin to the point of being skeletal, and his only body hair is a mangy crest from head down his back. His skin is dead gray in color and smooth. His eyes are glowing yellow and large.

[Zenopus]

Notes:

- Unattributed, authorship unclear. Possibly Gygax or Blume, co-authors of EW

- Demon Lord of Orcs rather than Gnolls as in the Monster Manual, even though he already looks like a hyena in the description here.

- Uses a large die for hit points (12-sided) like the other Demon Princes in EW. These were changed to fixed hit points in the MM.

- Most of the text survives into the MM but with an expanded introduction.

- +2 to hit magic missile supports OD&D magic missile requiring to-hit roll

[llenlleawg]

This is a neat find! Curiously, the same text about the magic missile survives in the AD&D Monster Manual, i.e. "each doing 2-8 points of damage and having a +2 to hit". Of course, the MM was released before the AD&D PHB, and even the contemporary quasi-transitional Holmes book indicates that a magic missile fires "like a long bow arrow" using the Missile Fire Table.

[Zenopus]

Yes, Holmes is explicit about the to-hit roll, it is often assumed that this rule is peculiar to that set. But the original Greyhawk description just says "This is a conjured missile equivalent to a magic arrow, and it does full damage (2-7 points) to any creature it strikes". It's not explicit about a roll as Holmes is, but there's nothing there about an "autohit". Tim Kask supports the original "to hit roll" intent, and says he and Gygax specifically changed it for the PHB. The Monster Manual description for Yeenoghu was the best published evidence in support of this, and now we have an earlier, purely OD&D reference in support.

See this post for links to Tim Kask's comments:
The Monster Manual is a Holmes Supplement

[cooper]

Magic arrows in CHAINMAIL auto hit normal men, but required a "to hit" roll (with a +1) against fantastic/heroic opponents. Yenogu's version is improved insofar as he gets a +2 instead of +1.

Wether a referee wants to grant auto hit on creature below 3rd level, or follow 1e, or require a to hit for all attacks is an interesting choice to make.