Deep Dive - The Hook Horror
Created by Ian Livingstone, who is also responsible for the creation of the grell, this creature is working hard to earn the ugliest creature in the Monster Manual. The Hook Horror is a horrible combination of vulture, cockroach, bird, bone, and claws; and is one of the worst to ever come climbing out of the Underdark. Its appearance is enough to cause anyone to look on with disgust… just before it rips them apart with extreme violence.
If you only focus on the looks of this monster, you might not be able to spot the true beauty of these creatures… and once we find that beauty, we’ll share it with you.
AD&D - Hook Horror
Frequency: Rare
No. Appearing: 2-12
Armor Class: 3
Move: 9”
Hit Dice: 5
% in Lair: 20%
Treasure Type: P
No. of Attacks: 2
Damage/Attack: 1-8/1-8
Special Attacks: Nil
Special Defenses: Nil
Magic Resistance: Standard
Intelligence: Low
Alignment: Neutral
Size: L (9’ high)
Psionic Ability: Nil
Level/X.P. Value: IV/90 + 5 per hit point
Fiend Folio, 1981 TSR Inc.
The Hook Horror first appears in the Fiend Factory in White Dwarf #12 (April/May 1979). This is the same issue that introduces the grell, the githyanki, and several others that are best left behind, like the assassin bug or the iron pig. The Hook Horror then makes its official appearance in Dungeons & Dragons with the Fiend Folio (1981). Nothing changes between the White Dwarf magazine and the Fiend Folio, with both describing a horrible monster no one would ever want to run into in a dark cave.
Before we jump into its lore, we must take a moment to talk a bit about its artwork. We know that making fun of the art in the original Dungeons & Dragons is a bit like cheating, but the Hook Horror is in a class all its own. They are described as large, powerful two-legged creatures with a vulture head and a hard-plated exoskeleton with mottled gray fur. While this is a wonderful description, it doesn’t do the creature’s appearance enough justice as the artwork presents a strange amalgamation of a teenager trapped in a bird's body. Its entire upper body looks like an acne-covered breastplate with powerful human arms and legs just poking out from this horrible Halloween costume. Its arms end in pirate hook hands with tassels around the wrists, its feet are strange discount monster claws, and its head seems to be a big bird reject.
Of course, your players will probably stop laughing at this foul creature when they realize the danger they are in. Their upper body breastplate exoskeleton gives them a solid Armor Class of 3, which is pretty good as most other creatures have anywhere from a 4 to 7 AC. It gets better, for the Hook Horror, because you might end up fighting up to 12 of these creatures at a time, which probably ends up with you turning into a pin cushion for hooks. Not only do you have to worry about its hooks, but its face is one that only a mother could love, and we’d imagine its beak can be quite powerful, even if it doesn’t use it in a normal fight but to tear bits of meat off you when your allies abandon you to be devoured by the Hook Horror.
If you want to avoid ever meeting these creatures, stay above ground as they live deep underground where they wander through dungeon corridor and chambers. They have poor eyesight but they make up for it having acute hearing and they are incredibly hard to sneak up on and surprise as a result. Strangely enough, the Hook Horror is mute and can’t croak, squawk, or making any voices. Instead, it communicates through a system of bizarre clicks and clacks with its exoskeleton which is quite eerie. If you do happen to be wandering a dungeon and hear clicking noises, either your teeth are chattering in fear or a Hook Horror is just informing you of your soon-to-be demise.
While the Hook Horror survives through the editions of Dungeons & Dragons, it might have been a near thing as it was personally called out by Ed Greenwood in Dragon #55 (March 1998). In the article Fiend Folio Findings: Flat Taste Didn’t Go Away, Greenwood expresses his unhappiness with many of the creatures found in the Fiend Folio and specifically states that the Hook Horror only has its ugly appearance going for it. He does soften his stance a bit later in the article, though states that its development needs more work. At this point, we can only assume the Hook Horror is in tears, and for good reason as it must wait for 79 issues of Dragon before it finally gets its time in the sun.
Dragon #131, March 1988 TSR Inc.
In Dragon #131 (March 1988), the Hook Horror is featured in the Ecology of the Hook Horror written by Michael Persinger, we suppose that Ed Greenwood wasn’t interested in thinking too much about this poor, hideous creature. The story is told by the scholar Ferba, writing to the assembled Guild of Naturalists of Quardolf City. It’s written in a matter-of-fact scientific format, providing a trove of information, old and new, about our misshapen friend. The Hook Horror still hides its grotesque form and resides in underground lairs and caverns. It roams these places, not by sight, but by hearing, and is so adept that it is almost like it can ‘see’ through its hearing and has a super sniffer on top of it all to help it pick up the scent of nearby creatures. It can’t be easy for these 9-foot tall creatures, shuffling around in the darkness with the speed of a sleepy baby bear, but they nap a lot too, as maintaining their energy level can be a challenge.
Why are these creatures so into taking naps? Ferba explains that the Hook Horror is quite the eater as they need large quantities of food to survive for their large bulk. To make matters even harder on them, they are herbivores and only seek the destruction and consumption of all plant life. So we finally have a creature whose sole goal in life isn’t to eat the flesh from your bones! Some of these horrors have even learned to plant and grow their own moss, helping to sustain them.
This is all great news for adventurers, you can finally put away those swords, but what if you want your own Hook Horror? Well, Hook Horrors reproduce by laying eggs once a year. These eggs have the appearance of common rocks and stones, providing them with a natural camouflage against creatures looking for a good source of protein for their breakfast. While a newborn Hook Horror starts small, only being 1-foot tall, they grow quickly. By the end of their first year, they grow to 5-feet tall and reach their maximum height of 9-feet when they are seventeen. Like most children, they are stubbornly independent, moving out by the age of three and start looking to make babies by the age of six! Once found, they probably settle down in one of the small Hook Horror clans and start building a family of their own. Though, if you do happen to raise a Hook Horror, they aren’t very good pets as they just follow around whoever gives them food. If you try to train them to protect an area they can be easily bribed with a nice caesar salad.
One of the creepier things you might stumble across in the subterranean tunnels is the massive chitinous plates that these Hook Horrors shed. As they grow in size, their exoskeletons don’t, so they must go through a molting process. They shed their plating for several days, which reveals an already developed exoskeleton that is strong enough to support their weight but reduces their AC to only a 5. After a few days, these new exoskeletons harden and the Hook Horror is back to being armored like a tank. These creatures are so well known for their armor that it is coveted by armorists and blacksmiths alike, as it can be crafted into a large suit of armor that can fetch up to 450 gold pieces! Of course, you better stand 9-feet tall if you hope to use a fully matured Hook Horror exoskeleton as your armor.
Basic D&D - Hook Horror
Armor Class: 2
Hit Dice: 5
Move: 90’ (30’)
Attacks: 2 claws/1 beak
Damage: 1-8/1-8/3-18
No. Appearing: 2-12 (0)
Save As: Fighter: 5
Morale: 8
Treasure Type: K
Alignment: Neutral
XP Value: 175
XL1 Quest for the Heartstone, 1984 TSR Inc.
The Hook Horror must wait quite a while before appearing in this edition, finally appearing in the Mystara campaign setting adventure XL1 Quest for the Heartstone (1984). This adventure is best known for being rather lackluster and as a thinly veiled attempt at selling monster figurines produced by TSR, the parent company of Dungeons & Dragons. Luckily, it isn’t all bad as it does include the Hook Horror and has better artwork for it!
While nothing changes for the creature, we can at least see that the artwork has made this creature far more ferocious with a few strange changes. It now has some sort of weird bear-feet claws, its head is rather large and vaguely shaped like the cross between a hippo and a vulture, and it doesn’t really have chitinous plates but appears more like flesh with more warts than a green hag. They are added in this adventure as just another hazard, along with basilisks, floor traps, and even a black pudding for dessert. Finally, this adventure informs you that you should buy the Hook Horror Monster produced by LJN Toys, though we disagree. It’s an ugly figurine.
Not all is lost for this edition as the Hook Horror appears in two more books with the Creature Catalogue (1986) and the Creature Catalog (1993). These two books share similar information, with the 1993 Creature Catalog merely being an updated version of the 1986 book. These two books contain most of the monsters that have appeared in past Basic Dungeons & Dragons modules, like Quest for the Heartstone, and also introduces a few new monsters. The Hook Horror makes its showing in the Monsters category and is now a specific version of a Hook Beast.
A Hook Beast is, as the name suggests, used to refer to bipedal monsters with hooks for hands, though only two monsters truly fall under this classification; the Hook Horror and the Hulker, which is just a depowered version of the umber hulk. These two monsters are often found working together with the Hulker leading groups of Hook Horrors on hunting raids where they hunt for humanoid flesh. Both creatures love the taste of flesh and attack humanoids on sight, so we guess that the Hook Horror’s plant-based diet isn’t going as well as we would like.
Creature Catalogue, 1986 TSR Inc.
While there is a change in diet for these creatures, there is also a change in beauty. The Hook Horror now has a face that even a mother couldn’t love as it appears as they ran face-first into a gelatinous cube. We can’t tell from the artwork if it has a beak or if its mouth is just grotesque flesh dripping with saliva. To call this creature ugly may just be the understatement of the century.
2e - Hook Horror
Climate/Terrain: Any/Subterranean
Frequency: Rare
Organization: Clan
Activity Cycle: Any
Diet: Omnivore
Intelligence: Low (5-7)
Treasure: P
Alignment: Neutral
No. Appearing: 2-12
Armor Class: 3
Movement: 9
Hit Dice: 5
THAC0: 15
No. of Attacks: 3
Damage/Attack: 1-8/1-8/1-12
Special Attacks: Nil
Special Defenses: Nil
Magic Resistance: Nil
Size: L (9’ tall)
Morale: Steady (11-12)
XP Value: 175
Monstrous Compendium Greyhawk Adventures Appendix, 1990 TSR Inc.
The first appearance of the Hook Horror is in the Monstrous Compendium Greyhawk Adventures Appendix (1990) and is later reprinted in the Monstrous Manual (1993). While the descriptions are the same between the two books, the picture found in the Monstrous Manual is quite different, and some might even call it uglier. It’s a skinny insect creature with insectoid arms and a shell that looks like it belongs to a beetle or roach. Its back has a long spike-like protrusion running down it and its eyes reflect that the creature is mostly blind, being a milky grey with no pupils. This version of the Hook Horror probably comes the closest to the horrifying humanoid-insectoid that might have been originally imagined and fits the lore the closest as they are now distantly related to the cockroach and the cave cricket… very distantly.
While they lack the capacity to see, they are great at smelling and hearing their prey and aren’t affected by blindness, though if you cast a silence spell, you pretty much neutralize them as a threat. In addition, they communicate through clicking noises that emanate from the exoskeleton around their throats, and that communication can echo through miles and miles of caves and tunnels. This “language” also has another ability, beyond calling in for reinforcement to rip out your throat, as it is now used as a type of sonar. They can make clicks and chirps in a cavern and, with the sound bouncing off every rock wall and stone, can determine the entire shape of the chamber like they are Daredevil.
The creature’s ecology changes yet again and now they are back to feasting on their veggies, though prefer devouring meat. It’s a bit better than Basic where they just ate meat but still, it just means you have one more thing to worry about when you travel through caves and tunnels. Of course, you could always try and eat them by hunting them down. If you decide to fight these creatures, good luck on surprising them as there is only a 10% chance of that working. So, let’s assume you failed and now have to deal with an angry and hungry Hook Horror bearing down on you with its hooks and beak.
Monstrous Manual, 1993 TSR Inc.
It attacks twice with its hooks, one for each arm, and then if they both hit, it goes in for a kiss and pecks at you with its beak. It automatically hits you with its beak attack, dealing 1d12 damage. It then holds on to you and every round after that, it gets to peck you to death until one of its hooks are dislodged. Of course, if you do dislodge it, and somehow push it back, it can easily escape by clambering up walls, using its powerful hooks to give it a fast-climbing speed and scurry up cliffs, walls, and more. The good news is that they can’t climb on the ceiling, since they are 9-feet tall and weigh over 350 lbs. While it’s little comfort, at least you don’t have to focus on the ceiling as much.
This edition also provides greater insights into the Hook Horrors and their ecology. We’ll start with the question everyone has on their mind. Hook Horrors reproduce by the females laying eggs and all eggs are placed in the safest place inside of the cave complex that the Hook Horror clan has claimed. The clan is ruled over by the oldest female and is protected by the oldest male, who is also in charge of hunting and acts as war chieftain if the clan is attacked.
But who on earth would ever try to attack a clan of Hook Horrors? Adventurers may think they have treasure, but they don’t because they have no hands to pick up treasure with, only their beaks! This makes it quite hard to do any real looting when you can only carry back a single item at a time.
What Hook Horrors are protecting against are any natural predators they might have, though there are not many. Perhaps some drow think they would be wonderful pets, though we don’t agree. They also protect against other clans of Hook Horrors, though it isn’t a very often conflict as they typically stick to themselves and clans don’t bother claiming large swaths of territory. Hook Horrors, though, are quite territorial and take anyone intruding into their small spot of cave as an attack against all of their clan and have no problem clicking and clacking about how they are going to rip you apart.
While these strange insectoid creatures don’t get much love, they do appear in a few different places. In Treasures of Greyhawk (1992) the Hook Horrors have fallen in with some bad people and act as bodyguards of the beholder Zomitil, who uses his charm monster eye ray to keep them in check. In Flames of the Falcon (1993), this Greyhawk adventure pits you against an entire clan of Hook Horrors, and then, well that’s all. You just march up to their home, they attempt to protect it, you massacre not just the men horrors, but the women and children horrors too and continue your murderous jaunt through underground caverns.
This cycle of just monsters to be killed continues in every adventure that features them, with few changes in this formula. In The Witch’s Fiddle, an adventure in Dungeon #54 (July/August 1995), the Hook Horrors are just there to kill an NPC or be killed by the party. In The Night Below (1995), Hook Horrors are just a roadblock as the party is trying to unravel a mystery that will eventually land them in an aboleth city deep in the Underdark. Warlock of the Stonecrowns (1995) at least features the Hook Horrors with a twist as their minds are being taken over by a strange yellow fungus, causing them to become even more violent than usual. Many other adventures have Hook Horrors, though they are merely creatures to be killed and their experience points to be counted.
3e/3.5e - Hook Horror
Large Abberation
Hit Dice: 10d8+20 (65 hp)
Initiative: +3
Speed: 20 ft., climb 20 ft.
Armor Class: 22 (–1 size, +3 Dex, +10 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 19
Attacks: 2 claws +13 melee and bite +8 melee
Damage: Claw 1d6+7, bite 2d6+3
Face/Reach: 5ft. by 5 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks: Improved grab, power sunder, rending bite
Special Qualities: Blindsight 60 ft., light sensitivity
Saves: Fort +5, Ref +6, Will +8
Abilities: Str 24, Dex 17, Con 14, Int 7, Wis 12, Cha 9
Skills: Climb +16, Hide +8, Jump +15, Listen +13
Feats: Cleave, Improved Trip (8), Power Attack
Climate/Terrain: Any underground
Organization: Solitary, pack (5-20), or clan (21-40)
Challenge Rating: 6
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Usually neutral
Advancement: 11–15 HD (Large); 16–30 HD (Huge)
Level Adjustment: -
Monster Manual II, 2002 WotC
It’s not until Monster Manual II (2002) that we encounter the Hook Horror! The appearance of these monsters continues to deteriorate into the bizarre, which is pretty hard to imagine. While they still have the head of a vulture, they now come with red-rimmed eyes, giant humanoid upper arms that end in the single pincer of a crab arm, and its feet are strange 3- and 4-toed abominations. Its upper body is kind of like an exoskeleton, but they have a six-pack and their chest looks quite muscular, though they do have what appears to be a hard shell and codpiece, so they are armored, we guess.
The ecology of these creatures is condensed into a single paragraph that calls them sly, fierce, and territorial. Not bad descriptors, especially since some of our favorites in the past are more often than not insulted in this edition. The strangest thing to come out of this edition is that while they keep their echolocation, in this edition it is simply called blindsight, and they now become sensitive to the light. This wasn’t the case in the past editions, and each edition talked about how the light didn’t bother them since their vision was so horrible. Maybe these horrible hooked creatures finally got a chance to see the optometrist.
Clans are still important, they still lay eggs, and the oldest female still rules with a chitinous hook. Males are still the hunters and warriors, and they’ll protect their territory to the last. In addition, if you do try to gain them as your allies, you don’t have to learn how to speak exoskeleton click-clack, instead, you can just talk to them in Undercommon, which makes it so much easier to explain to them that you don’t taste very good and you should eat the drow first. This probably gets you a bonus for your persuasion attempt as they think drow is delicious and is their preferred meal.
The horrible hook continues the tradition of appearing in a bunch of places, but not getting a huge amount to do. They get a brief mention in Lords of Madness (2005) where it is revealed in two sentences that they may have been created by archmages who used them as servants. We aren’t sure how good of butlers and maids they can be, since they are lacking the ability to open doors or open a bottle of wine, but we can imagine they were quite good at tearing their creators to shreds with their massive hooks.
Monster Manual III, 2002 WotC
If you are hoping for something new for your favorite hook-handed monsters, the adventure Expedition to the Ruins of Greyhawk (2007) has got your monster. This adventure utilizes a template found in Monster Manual III (2002), the voidmind, which is basically what happens a mind flayer throws up in your skull after partially eating your mind. This throw-up in the mind is a psionic green goo that turns the creature the mind flayer was lightly snacking on into a mindless minion with a few aberrant tendencies. In the adventure, some mind flayers created the Voidmind Hook Horror who can shoot out a sentient tentacle that can eject slime, grab onto you, and begin constricting you like a snake.
4e - Hook Horror
Level 13 Soldier
Large natural beast / XP 800
Initiative +12 / Senses Perception +9; blindsight 10
HP 137; Bloodied 68
AC 28; Fortitude 27, Reflex 24, Will 24
Speed 4; climb 4
Hook (standard; at-will) Reach 2; +20 vs. AC; 1d12 +7 damage, and the target is pulled 1 square.
Rending Coils (standard; at-will) The hook horror makes two hook attacks, each at a -2 penalty. If both hook hit the target, the hook horror deals an extra 1d12 damage and the target is grabbed (until escape)
Bite (minor/round; at-will) Grabbed target only; +20 vs. AC; 1d8+7
Fling (standard; recharge) +19 vs. Fortitude; 2d12+7 damage, and the target slides 3 squares and is knocked prone.
Alignment Unaligned / Languages -
Skills Athletics +18
Str 24 (+13) Dex 19 (+10) Wis 16 (+9) Con 25 (+13) Int 3 (+2) Cha 12 (+7)
Monster Manual, 2008 WotC
These strange insect monsters make their way into the Monster Manual (2008) and, while we can’t say they are cute, they have definitely become quite terrifying and fully evolved into their artwork. They are a bluish-black color, the hooks remain extra-long, and they look like a bird-cockroach combination. They reside in the Underdark, return to clicking as their only form of communication, and use the echolocation ability that comes with this clicking sound. You’ll still find them in clans, their clan leader is female, though now the criteria for being boss is that you are the best at laying eggs. They love meat and drow remains their favorite any time snack.
If you find yourself getting charged by a Hook Horror or twelve, you have a few things to worry about. They like to climb up high and jump down, ambushing their prey in a blur of hooks and beak. If they get the chance, they’ll attack with both of their hooks, ripping into their target, dealing extra damage, and grappling their squirming meal. They can either then bite you with their beak, or fling you aside if you are a bit too difficult to properly eat or kill.
If you were hoping for a few new Hook Horrors, this edition is loaded up with several to throw at your players. In the adventure Demon Queen’s Enclave (2008), the Rotting Hook Horror barrels in, ripping apart any living creature with its ferocious hooks. It is an undead creature and is basically a normal Hook Horror, but it now deals necrotic damage when it hits and causes you to be slowed if it beaks you. The Shadow Hook Horror appears in Dungeon #163 (February 2009), and if you thought jumping down from the ceiling is bad enough, these creatures lurk within the shadows, becoming invisible until they spring out to rip you apart.
Things get weird in Underdark (2010) with the introduction of the Hook Horror Darkfiend. These horrible beasts are kept as the pets of cyclops, and while they still have the massive claws they are known for, they can summon forth zones of darkness, give out horrific shrieks that deafen, and even leap great distances where they pounce and rip a creature apart. Of course, maybe you are wanting something ancient, like the Elder Hook Horror showcased in Dungeon #204 (July 2014). These horror beasts have fast reflexes, capable of grabbing people when they try to run away and tearing them apart with relish.
Underdark, 2010 WotC
In addition to a few variants, there is also a bit of information on the creation of the Hook Horror mentioned, quite briefly, in the article Deities & Demigods: Torog, the King that Crawls from Dungeon #177 (April 2010). This article talks about the Order of Amalgamation, a cult to honor the god Torog, the King that Crawls, who can be found crawling through the Underdark. The best way the cult honors Torog is by grafting and creating horrible aberrations and releasing them into the wild to augment and invade the natural world. One such experiment, which we think went horribly wrong, is the entity known as the Hook Horror, which we can only imagine, and hope, murdered its creator and devoured them. Serves them right for making this horrible creature.
5e - Hook Horror
Large monstrosity, neutral
Armor Class 15 (natural armor)
Hit Points 75 (10d10 + 20)
Speed 30 ft., climb 30 ft.
STR 18(+4) DEX 10(+0) CON 15(+2) INT 16(-2) WIS 12(+1) CHA 7(-2)
Skills Perception +3
Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
Senses blindsight 60 ft., darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 13
Languages Hook Horror
Challenge 3 (700 XP)
Echolocation. The hook horror can’t use its blindsight while defeaned.
Keen Hearing. The hook horror has advantageon Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on hearing
Multiattack. The hook horror makes two hook attacks.
Hook. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d6+4) piercing damage.
Monster Manual, 2014 WotC
Appearing in the Monster Manual (2014), the Hook Horror has little to show for in this edition. While they make it into the main book of monsters for this edition, they do so as a measly CR 3 creature, a drastic fall in power from the previous editions where it was a force to reckon with. Little even changes for their ecology or background, they are just murderous monsters who reside in subterranean terrain, waiting patiently on the ceilings, ready for a morsel to walk under them.
These creatures retain a hardened exoskeleton with boney protrusions, hooks for hands, a shell and codpiece, and a vulture-like head. They are kind of purplish-blue and even have whiskers like a cat, probably because of their eyesight, though they have darkvision up to 120 feet away, so maybe their eyesight is better than we thought. They still use their exoskeleton to communicate and even have their own language known as Hook Horror, they use their hooks tapping on their bone protrusions and exoskeleton to send their communications through caverns and tunnels, creating a creepy click and clack that echoes for miles and miles. If you do find a Hook Horror, or rather it finds you, know that they are still in clans with the oldest female in charge with her mate as the one in charge of all hunters. They work together in groups, hunting down fungi, plants, and, of course, you.
Few mentions of the Hook Horror make their way into this edition, though a mated pair of horrible creatures can be found running from a group of gnolls who are chasing them in the adventure, Out of the Abyss (2015). If you are skilled enough, you might even find where they are keeping their Hook Horror eggs, and a just-hatched Hook Horror imprints on the first creature it sees, which could be you if you are unlucky enough. In addition, they appear as an ambush encounter in Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage (2018) but can be quickly dealt with and no other thought is given to them.
Just the description of this creature is enough to help you imagine how dangerous, and weird, these creatures are. Massive hooked claws, a vulture’s beak, roach midsection, and a rock-hard exoskeleton with bones sticking out from the side all combine into a strange amalgamation. You wouldn’t be wrong to immediately think you are as good as dead, but it can be defeated if you are smart enough to stay away from its claws and sacrifice your allies. If you ever do find yourself walking through subterranean tunnels and hear clicks and clacks echoing across the stone, keep your head on a swivel as you search for the ugliest 9-foot monster you could ever imagine.
