In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, the thoqqua is an elemental creature from the Elemental Plane of fire. Publication history The thoqqua (rockworm) first appeared in first edition in the original Fiend Folio (1981). The thoqqua appeared in second edition for the Planescape setting in Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix III (1998). The thoqqua appeared in the third edition Monster Manual (2000), and in the 3.5 revised Monster Manual (2003). Description A thoqqua, or rockworm, resembles a large (1 foot diameter, 4 feet long) worm, with segments plated with hard, stony, brown rock. Its topmost segment is longer, is conical shaped, and bears two eyes. Blunt, short, spike-like lumps protrude from each point of its hexagonal segments. Steam comes from each of these lumps. The top, conical segment glows with orange heat, and though the rest of the segments are also hot, hot enough to burn someone or something which touches them, they do not glow. Deep inside the thoqqua is a flexible spinal column of magma. The thoqqua comes from the Elemental Plane to the Material Plane by burrowing up from the center of the earth. Its head tends to loosen up and dampen the soil, allowing it to do this more easily. Upon reaching the surface, its first motive is to attack any living thing it sees. Its favorite tactic is to come up from the ground beneath a victim, and boilingly impale them on its burning, conical head segment. It can also slam opponents. Merely touching the thoqqua causes fire damage. Thoqquas cannot speak. They are regarded as in alignment.
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