Halitoads

A halitoad, preparing to belch

Halitoads were large, predatory, toad-like reptiles found in the Deepwoods. They used their toxic breath to kill their prey, then swallowed the hapless creature whole. One of the telltale signs of a halitoad was the wheezing sounds it made. Their venomous breath could stun a victim 20 paces away and kill one that is only 10 paces away. They had needle-like fangs, long sticky tongues, bulging eyes, and warty and mottled skin.

Appearances

Role in Beyond the Deepwoods

Twig Verginix ran into a halitoad shortly after leaving his woodtroll village. He managed to run far enough away so that the halitoad's breath didn't kill him, but in his haste to get away, he became completely lost. In the blast, a fromp was stunned, causing its tail to twitch. The halitoad disappeared with its incapacitated prey into the undergrowth

Role in Midnight Over Sanctaphrax

When Twig recognised a Halitoad in the Deepwoods on his journey to Riverrise, he described it to Cowlquape, along with several other dangerous creatures.

Role in Vox

During his enslavement at the Palace of Statues, Rook Barkwater sought out Vox Verlix in order to discover the nature of his 'baby'. On the floor of the hall leading to Vox's personal chambers, Rook saw a white tile in the shape of a halitoad. He carefully avoided this tile because, thanks to Speegspeel, he knew that all white tiles were booby-trapped.

Role in Clash of the Sky Galleons

Quint Verginix and Maris Pallitax encountered a halitoad attacking a group of lemkins when they were stranded in the Deepwoods. They ran away while holding their breath, barely managing to escape.

Trivia

• The name "halitoad" is a play on the word "halitosis", which means "bad breath". This was confirmed by Paul Stewart in a facebook post.
• In real life, toads are amphibians and not reptiles.