Bulette - Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, 2nd Edition

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, 2nd Edition

In 1989, when the bulette appeared in the Monstrous Compendium, Volume Two, several small details were changed. Although it still shunned elves and disliked dwarves, halflings and horses were no longer listed as its favorites. Its origin as an unholy union between an armadillo and a snapping turtle was now only a rumor. The ability to jump 8 feet and strike with all four feet when cornered was retained, but now the bulette used this ability only to escape. Although the life cycle of the bulette was still unknown, juveniles were now known to exist. And there was a great emphasis on its constant hunger, combined with "a temperament akin to a wolverine: stupid, mean and fearless."

The bulette-mutation appeared in an adventure in Dungeon #37 (September 1992).

In 1993, when the bulette appeared in the Monstrous Manual, the text remained the same, but its appearance was altered significantly. Its "shell" was now less akin to tank-like armored plates, and more like a rough stony covering. Long front legs and short back legs gave it a hyena-like stance, and a large shark-like fin now rose from its back.

In 1996, the gohlbrorn, a relative of the bulette, was introduced in Dragon Annual #1. This smaller cousin, which looked like a large turtle-like creature with the head of a Komodo dragon, lived in caves and was considerably more intelligent than a bulette, although smaller and weaker. Unlike the bulette, which had been characterized as a solitary creature, the gohlbrorn was known to work in packs, and possessed the ability to spit large rocks and boulders. One significant development of the bulette family lore was that gohlbrorns laid eggs—previously, the life cycle of the bulette was said to be unknown. In 1998, essentially the same information was reprinted in the Illithiad and Monstrous Compendium Annual Volume Four.