Merg
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Climate/Terrain | Swamps, marshes, lakes, and rivers |
| Frequency | Uncommon |
| Organization | Herd |
| Activity Cycle | Night |
| Diet | Herbivore |
| Intelligence | Animal |
| Treasure | Nil |
| Alignment | Neutral |
| No. Appearing | 2-20 |
| Armor Class | 7 |
| Movement | 4//4 |
| Hit Dice | 2 |
| THAC0 | 20 |
| No. of Attacks | 1 |
| Damage/Attack | 1-6 |
| Special Attacks | Nil |
| Special Defenses | Nil |
| Magic Resistance | Nil |
| Size | M (4 to 5 feet long) |
| Morale | Unsteady |
| XP Value | 50 |
Description
Mergs, named after their grunting cries they make when alarmed, are simply very large salamanders. These amphibians lair in rivers and lakes, and emerge largely at night or during periods of rain to graze on vegetation. Generally harmless, these creatures will wallow back into the water and avoid confrontation. If cornered, they will bite for 1-6 points of damage.
They are still a fairly common site along rivers and lakes in the east and are quite common in the delta region and in swamps. The lizardmen have experimented with herding mergs as a form of livestock. Human and demihuman settlers generally prefer not to eat them however, though their flesh is palatable. Generally "eating merg" is a phrase that means either living off the land, or being very poor.