Monster Monday - Chimera

Today I will be spotlighting the chimera. The chimera, as a D&D monster originally appeared in Monsters & Treasure (Book II of the OD&D rules set.) Gary Gygax described them as: "Combining the worst of many creatures, a Chimera has the forebody of a great cat, the hind quarters of a goat, dragon wings, and three heads. The goat's head can gore with its long and sharp horns, the lion's head can tear with its great fangs, and the dragon's head can either bite or breath fire (but with a range of only 5" and but three dice damage)." - taken from page 10 of the WotC reprint.

Picture taken from

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chimera_Picture.jpg

But, the chimera has much deeper roots than 1974. The chimera was originally a Greek myth, with a snake head (as its tail) instead of a dragon. It was killed by Bellerophon and Pegasus.
The chimera has been in every edition of D&D, always appearing in the earliest versions. But, from what I can tell, they almost never show up in adventures. They only appeared in Bloodstone Pass (1E) and Rise of Tiamat (5E.) I am sure that they show up in other publishers' works, but I don't have a list.
(EDIT: A chimera was also in Hall of the Fire Giant King, and Queen of the Demonweb Pits.)
(2nd EDIT: Mark Hughes was nice enough to do some further research and found the chimera in B4, CM6, X3, and X4.)

Using the S&W version, the chimera has one special attack, its fire breath. It deals 3d8, up to 50' and 3 times per day. The dragon head can alternately bite (3d4.) Coupling that with 2 claws (1d3), 2 goat horns (1d4), and a lion bite (2d4), you have a hit point grinder.

Chimera, being part dragon, lust and horde treasure. Particularly, gold. They are alpha-level predators, and solitary in their actions. Some describe them as nomadic (specifically in Cormanthor, a forest somewhere in the Forgotten Realms.) Most are territorial. Having examples of both nomadic and territorial chimeras makes them very versatile opponents.

I actually haven't placed a chimera in Mord Mar. Yet. Silver Bulette placed one in our last release, The Orb of Undying Discord. We had a statue that would become a chimera when the artifact was placed in its mouth. Designed for 1-3rd level characters, we set it up so the party would have several rounds to damage the creature before it could respond.

Three goats in a small village have died giving birth. This in itself is a bad omen, but the kids were malformed. One was still-borne with a lion's head, one with a dragon's head, and one with a snake's head. The villagers rely on the goats for milk, cheese, and meat. They want the curse lifted, and are willing to trade the Earth Crystal in exchange for the curse being broken.

A single survivor of the king's patrol to the south of his lands swears that a "three-headed monstrosity that dove from the sky, and breathes death in fire." Knowing that his guards are not enough to handle a creature of legend, the king offers something every brigand and ne'er-do-well dreams of, a personal, royal favor.

A known chimera lives in the Copse Forest. The king hires the party to destroy the foul beast. But, upon encountering the three-headed monstrosity, it is found to be good, as evidenced by the silver dragon head. Do the adventurers kill the unique beast for its and the king's treasure, or do they become enemies of the exposed evil king?

As the last hook brings up, the chimera is ripe for mutation. You can connect them thematically to almost any place or group or location. A white dragon for a frozen tundra, a bronze dragon as an ancient guardian of the dead. Even reverting to the mythological chimera for a Lord of Lies adventure would work. The possibilities are endless.