Frightful Fridays! Decapitant

Hello and welcome back to Frightful Fridays! Today's set of monsters comes courtesy of my friend, Patrick, who pointed me in the direction of this article. Of course, headhunting ants make for fun monsters, but I wanted an additional aspect beyond the decapitations. A decapitant takes the skull to its monarch and feeds the monarch the decapitated victim's brain, in order to keep the monarch at a level of high intelligence. As a bonus, the decapitant gets to keep the skull of its victim. This allows PCs to figure out which are the toughest monsters, since they'll be the ones wearing the most skulls.

I hope you enjoy the decapitants. See you next week with another monster!

Humanoid and other skulls form a ring around the abdomen of this towering yellow- and red-banded ant. It has enormous, serrated mandibles and a 6-foot-long, poison-tipped stinger.

Decapitant      CR 10

XP 9,600

N Huge vermin

Init +6; Senses darkvision 60 ft., tremorsense 60 ft.; Perception +1

DEFENSE

AC 24, touch 14, flat-footed 18 (+6 Dex, +10 natural, –2 size)

hp 133 (14d8+70)

Fort +14, Ref +10, Will +5

OFFENSE

Speed 60 ft., burrow 20 ft., climb 30 ft.

Melee bite +18 (3d6+10 plus grab), sting +18 (2d6+10 plus poison)

Space 15 ft.; Reach 10 ft.

Special Attacks decapitation, poison

STATISTICS

Str 31, Dex 22, Con 21, Int —, Wis 12, Cha 7

Base Atk +10; CMB +22 (+26 grapple); CMD 38 (46 vs. trip)

Skills Climb +18

SQ hive mind

ECOLOGY

Environment any land

Organization solitary, scouting party (2–8), dragon hunting party (1 plus 9–20 decapitants), or colony (21–99 plus 1 decapitant consort and 1 decapitant monarch)

Treasure none

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Decapitation (Ex) If a decapitant rolls a natural 20 on its attempt to maintain a grapple, it decapitates the creature it has grappled. If the grappled target is helpless, the decapitant can spend a full-round action to decapitate the target.

Hive Mind (Ex) As long as there are at least two decapitants within 100 feet of each other, if any one of the group is aware of a particular danger, they all are. No decapitant in a group is considered flanked or flat-footed unless all of them are.

Poison (Ex) Sting—Injury; save Fort DC 22; frequency 1/round for 8 rounds; effect 1d8 Dex and paralyzed for 1 round; cure 3 consecutive saves.

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This gigantic yellow- and red-banded ant has a wreath of draconic skulls affixed to its head. It has enormous, serrated mandibles, a 6-foot-long, poison-tipped stinger, and membranous wings capable of holding it aloft.

Decapitant Consort      CR 13

XP 25,600

N Huge magical beast

Init +10; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, tremorsense 60 ft.; Perception +23

DEFENSE

AC 28, touch 14, flat-footed 22 (+4 armor, +6 Dex, +10 natural, –2 size)

hp 184 (16d10+96)

Fort +16, Ref +16, Will +9

Immune mind-affecting effects

OFFENSE

Speed 60 ft., burrow 20 ft., climb 30 ft., fly 40 ft. (average)

Melee bite +24 (3d6+10/19–20 plus grab), sting +24 (2d6+10)

Space 15 ft.; Reach 10 ft.

Special Attacks decapitation, poison

STATISTICS

Str 31, Dex 22, Con 23, Int 10, Wis 18, Cha 15

Base Atk +16; CMB +28 (+32 grapple); CMD 44 (52 vs. trip)

Feats Coordinated Maneuvers[APG], Gang Up[APG], Improved Critical (bite), Improved Initiative, Outflank[APG], Paired Opportunists[APG], Power Attack, Swap Places[APG]

Skills Climb +23, Fly +19, Perception +23

SQ hive mind

ECOLOGY

Environment any land

Organization solitary, mated pair (1 plus 1 decapitant consort), dragon hunting party (1 plus 9–20 decapitants), or colony (21–99 plus 1 decapitant consort and 1 decapitant monarch)

Treasure none

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Decapitation (Ex) If a decapitant consort rolls a natural 19 or 20 on its attempt to maintain a grapple (and the grapple attempt is successful on a roll of 19), it decapitates the creature it has grappled. If the grappled target is helpless, the decapitant can spend a full-round action to decapitate the target.

Hive Mind (Ex) If a decapitant consort is within 100 feet of at least one other decapitant, if any one of the group is aware of a particular danger, they all are. No decapitant in a group is considered flanked or flat-footed unless all of them are.

The decapitant consort grants its teamwork feats to all decapitants within 30 feet of it.

Poison (Ex) Sting—Injury; save Fort DC 24; frequency 1/round for 8 rounds; effect 2d6 Dex and paralyzed for 1 round; cure 3 consecutive saves.

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This enormous monarch ant is nearly immobile and has no apparent means of attack. However, its bloated, amorphous body crackles with arcane energy.

Decpaitant Monarch      CR 16

XP 76,800

N Gargantuan magical beast

Init –3; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, tremorsense 60 ft.; Perception +6

DEFENSE

AC 31, touch 3, flat-footed 31 (+4 armor, –3 Dex, +24 natural, –4 size)

hp 250 (20d10+140)

Fort +19, Ref +9, Will +14

SR 27

OFFENSE

Speed 10 ft.

Space 20 ft.; Reach 15 ft.

Sorcerer Spells Known (CL 20th; concentration +27)

   9th (6/day)—energy drain (DC 26), meteor swarm (DC 26), wail of the banshee (DC 26)

   8th (6/day)—maze, prismatic wall (DC 25), protection from spells

   7th (7/day)—deflection[APG], insanity (DC 26) , mass hold person (DC 26)

   6th (7/day)—greater dispel magic, stone to flesh (DC 23), true seeing

   5th (7/day)—acidic spray[UM] (DC 22), dominate person (DC 26), interposing hand, suffocation[APG] (DC 22)

   4th (7/day)—phantasmal killer (DC 21), shout (DC 21), stoneskin, wall of ice (DC 21)

   3rd (8/day)—aqueous orb[APG] (DC 20), hold person (DC 22), lightning bolt (DC 20), protection from energy

   2nd (8/day)—bull's strength, false life, hideous laughter (DC 21), mirror image, scorching ray

   1st (8/day)—burning hands (DC 18), charm person (DC 20), grease, mage armor, magic missile

   0 (at will)—acid splash, arcane mark, bleed (DC 17), detect magic, jolt[UM], mage hand, mending, message, resistance

STATISTICS

Str 34, Dex 4, Con 25, Int 15, Wis 22, Cha 25

Base Atk +20; CMB +36; CMD 43 (can't be tripped)

Feats Combat Casting, Greater Spell Focus (enchantment), Greater Spell Penetration, Iron Will, Persistent Spell[APG], Quicken Spell, Selective Spell[APG], Spell Focus (enchantment), Spell Penetration, Spell Perfection (dominate person)[APG]

Skills Diplomacy +27, Knowledge (arcana) +25, Sense Motive +26, Spellcraft +25

Languages Common, Draconic

SQ confer spells, emergency consort, omniawareness, random trivia, shared spell resistance

ECOLOGY

Environment any land

Organization solitary, mated pair (1 plus 1 decapitant consort), or colony (1 plus 21–99 decapitants and 1 decapitant consort)

Treasure none

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Confer Spells (Su) When a decapitant monarch casts a spell with a range of touch or personal and targets itself, all decapitants within 100 feet of the monarch are also targeted by the spell.

Emergency Consort (Su) Once per day, a decapitant monarch spend 1 minute to convert one of its decapitants into a decapitant consort. The hasty process produces a less viable specimen, so it gains the degenerate creature template (–2 on all rolls, including damage rolls, and to special ability DCs; –2 to AC and CMD; –2 hp/HD), and it dies 1 hour after creation.

Omniawareness (Su) A decapitant monarch is vaguely aware of everything its decapitants perceive. It is not considered flanked or flat-footed unless all decapitants within 300 feet of the monarch are.

As a move action, a decapitant monarch can choose a decapitant within 100 miles through which it can perceive the target decapitant’s surroundings. The monarch is limited to the sensory capabilities of the target decapitant and cannot use spells to enhance the target decapitant’s ability to sense its surroundings. The monarch is effectively blind while it uses this ability, but it can dismiss it as a free action.

Random Trivia (Ex) The consumption of brain matter from a diversity of creatures gives a decapitant monarch access to a wide array of information. It adds half its Hit Dice on all Knowledge skill checks and may make all Knowledge skill checks untrained. Additionally, 3 times per day, it can take a full-round action to probe the depths of its acquired memories, granting it a +30 insight bonus on any Knowledge skill check.

Shared Spell Resistance (Su) Decapitants within 100 feet of a decapitant monarch gain spell resistance equal to the monarch’s spell resistance – 2.

Spells A decapitant monarch casts spells as a 20th-level sorcerer. The spell list above is representative, and can change from monarch to monarch, with the exception of dominate person, which all monarchs know.

Decapitants are carnivorous giant ants with a penchant for separating victims’ heads from their bodies. This serves as more than a gruesome means of death that winds up fueling horror stories told around campfires. The mindless decapitant soldiers bring the heads back to their colonies. Upon arrival, the soldiers scoop out the brain matter and feed it to the highly intelligent decapitant monarchs that control the colonies, and receive the victims’ skulls as trophies. While decapitant monarchs prefer brains from intelligent creatures, they make do with other brains. Monarchs are careful not to strip the territory around their colonies of living creatures to ensure they have a steady supply of brains.

The exception to this conservative feeding is when scouting units of decapitants uncover evidence of lairing dragons. Decapitant monarchs have an addiction to draconic brains and uproot their colonies to move near their favorite food. This is often preceded by a wave of devastation, as the monarchs desire a substantial supply of brains to make the journey. Dozens of soldiers carry monarchs for these relocations, while dozens more scout ahead to ensure no danger may befall their monarchs.

Other than soldiers and monarchs, decapitants have attendants to the monarchs known as consorts. Decapitant consorts are the only decapitants capable of flight without the aid of magic. Beyond serving as attendants to their monarchs, they lead war parties of decapitants against dragons, as well as forces invading territory belonging to their colonies. Consorts come from the ranks of soldier decapitants or from captured and enthralled humanoids. Monarchs prefer humanoids as stock for their consorts, since they find humanoids to be more inherently adaptable than even the most powerful decapitants. The conversion process takes less time for humanoids than for decapitants and requires monarchs to give up less of the brain matter that makes up their diets. It takes 3 months to transform a decapitant into a decapitant consort, but it takes 1 month for a humanoid to transform into a consort. Monarchs employ dominate person to keep their potential consorts docile while convincing their future consorts of the glory and sense of belonging awaiting them as part of the colony.

Decapitant colonies that lose their monarch but not their consort rebuild quickly as the consort becomes the new monarch over the course of a week. Colonies without a monarch or consort require over a year to rebuild, with scouting parties retrieving skull and brains and bringing them to the colonies’ sequestered remnants, whereupon one of the decapitants emerges as a new monarch.

Frightful Fridays! Demonic Plants

Hello and welcome to the post-Thanksgiving (well, in America) Frightful Fridays! Since I missed last week, I figured I would make up for it by stuffing today's post with a plethora of plants. OK, they *look* like plants, but they're actually Abyssal creatures sent to the Prime Material Plane to destroy plants, as Abyssal critters are wont to do. They're especially dangerous to plants (so be careful, leshy and ghoran PCs!), but they have enough ways to murder non-plants to make them a challenge for the majority of PCs.

I hope you enjoy these demonic plants. I'll see you next week with something else!

This sunflower stands as tall as a human and has a thick, red stalk. Its flower is an angry red and bears demonic facial features.

Spiteflower      CR 6

XP 2,400

CE Medium outsider (extraplanar)

Init +1; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +15

DEFENSE

AC 19, touch 11, flat-footed 18 (+1 Dex, +8 natural)

hp 68 (8d10+24)

Fort +9, Ref +9, Will +6

Immune electricity, plant traits; Resist acid 5, cold 5, fire 5

OFFENSE

Speed 30 ft.

Melee slam +13 (2d6+7)

Ranged fire beam +10 touch (4d6 fire/19–20)

Special Attacks favored enemy (plants +4), hail of seeds

Spell-Like Abilities (CL 8th; concentration +9)

   Constant—speak with plants

   1/day—blight (DC 16)

STATISTICS

Str 20, Dex 13, Con 17, Int 6, Wis 18, Cha 13

Base Atk +8; CMB +13; CMD 24 (can't be tripped)

Feats Dazzling Display, Improved Critical (fire beam), Lightning Reflexes, Weapon Focus (fire beam)

Skills Disguise +12, Intimidate +12, Knowledge (nature) +9, Perception +15

Languages Abyssal, Sylvan; speak with plants

SQ camouflage

ECOLOGY

Environment any land (the Abyss)

Organization solitary or bunch o’ spite (2–16)

Treasure none

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Camouflage (Ex) A spiteflower can make a Disguise check to look like a large sunflower. Creatures can attempt Knowledge (nature) or Knowledge (planes) checks instead of Perception checks to see through the disguise.

Fire Beam (Su) As a move action, a spiteflower can access the Abyss to power its fire beam. Its fire beam can only harm plants, but the raw energy from the Abyss causes the damage to not be subject to resistance or immunity to fire-based attacks.

A spiteflower’s fire beam has a 30-foot range increment.

Hail of Seeds (Ex) Every 1d4 rounds as a standard action, a spiteflower can spray hundreds of razor-sharp seeds in a 30-foot cone. All creatures in the area must succeed at a DC 17 Reflex save or take 6d6 points of piercing damage and 1d4 bleed. On a successful save, they take half damage and no bleed. The save DC is Constitution-based.

This shrub has brittle branches and dying leaves that barely conceal a pair of sickly green, whip-like vines.

Razorwhip Shrub      CR 8

XP 4,800

CE Small outsider  (extraplanar)

Init +5; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +17

DEFENSE

AC 21, touch 17, flat-footed 15 (+5 Dex, +1 dodge, +4 natural, +1 size)

hp 95 (10d10+40)

Fort +11, Ref +10, Will +11

Immune electricity, plant traits; Resist acid 10, cold 5, fire 10

OFFENSE

Speed 30 ft.

Melee 2 vines +15 (3d6+3/17–20/x3 plus 2d4 bleed)

Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft. (10 ft. with vines)

Special Attacks blood rage, favored enemy (plants +6), razor vines, whip whirl

Spell-Like Abilities (CL 10th; concentration +12)

   Constant—speak with plants

   3/day—blight (DC 17)

   1/day—blade barrier (DC 18)

STATISTICS

Str 16, Dex 21, Con 19, Int 6, Wis 18, Cha 15

Base Atk +10; CMB +12; CMD 28 (can't be tripped)

Feats Dazzling Display, Dodge, Lightning Reflexes, Mobility, Weapon Focus (vine)

Skills Disguise +15, Intimidate +15, Knowledge (nature) +11, Perception +17

Languages Abyssal, Sylvan; speak with plants

SQ camouflage

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Blood Rage (Ex) A razorship shrub’s ability activates whenever it deals bleed damage to a plant creature, but otherwise functions as the universal monster rule of the same name.

Camouflage (Ex) A razorwhip shrub can make a Disguise check to look like an ordinary shrubbery. Creatures can attempt Knowledge (nature) or Knowledge (planes) checks instead of Perception checks to see through the disguise.

Razor Vines (Ex) A razorwhip shrub’s vines are extremely sharp. They deal slashing damage with a critical threat range of 17–20 and a critical multiplier of x3. Additionally, when the shrub confirms a critical hit with a vine attack, it deals 1d4 points of Constitution bleed rather than 2d4 bleed.

Whip Whirl (DC 19) (Ex) Once every 1d4 rounds as a standard action, a razorwhip shrub can swing one of its vines around it, inflicting 6d6 slashing to all creatures within 10 feet of it (DC 19 Reflex half). The save DC is Constitution-based.

This gigantic tangle of leafy vines contains the bones of animals and humans along with the remnants of various other plants within its mass.

Suffokudzu      CR 12

XP 19,200

CE Large outsider (extraplanar)

Init –2; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +23

DEFENSE

AC 27, touch 7, flat-footed 27 (–2 Dex, +20 natural, –1 size)

hp 172 (15d10+90); fast healing 5

Fort +15, Ref +3, Will +14

DR 10/adamantine; Immune electricity, plant traits; Resist acid 10, cold 10, fire 10; SR 23

OFFENSE

Speed 30 ft., climb 30 ft.

Melee 2 slams +22 (4d6+7/19–20)

Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.

Special Attacks devastating blight, engulf, favored enemy (plants +6), smother, strangle

Spell-Like Abilities (CL 15th; concentration +21)

   Constant—speak with plants

   3/day—blight (DC 21), suffocation[APG] (DC 21)

STATISTICS

Str 24, Dex 7, Con 23, Int 6, Wis 20, Cha 23

Base Atk +15; CMB +23; CMD 31 (can't be tripped)

Feats Critical Focus, Dazzling Display, Improved Critical (slam), Improved Vital Strike, Power Attack, Staggering Critical, Vital Strike, Weapon Focus (slam)

Skills Disguise +24, Intimidate +24, Knowledge (nature) +16, Perception +23

Languages Abyssal, Sylvan; speak with plants

SQ camouflage, reuse or recycle

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Camouflage (Ex) A suffokudzu can make a Disguise check to look like an ordinary shrubbery. Creatures can attempt Knowledge (nature) or Knowledge (planes) checks instead of Perception checks to see through the disguise.

Devastating Blight (Su) If a suffokudzu uses its blight spell-like ability, rather than targeting a single creature, it can target all creatures it has currently engulfed.

Reuse or Recycle (Ex) If a suffokudzu kills a plant creature while the plant creature is engulfed by it, it can either gain temporary hit points equal to twice the plant creature's Hit Dice for 1 hour, or animate the corpse as if it cast animate plants on it. The suffokudzu can animate any number of plants, and the plants remain animated for 1 hour or until destroyed.

When the demon Aragahz failed in his scheme to retrieve his eye, he was especially furious at the fact a collection of walking plants—leshys—proved his undoing. Seething, he returned to his domain to plot his revenge on the leshys. He came upon the idea to create demonic mockeries of plants found on the Prime Material Plane and setting them loose on the objects of his ire. He commanded his minions to gather Prime Material plants and replanted them in the barren soil in his domain. Replacing sunlight and water with hatred and demon ichor, Aragahz rejoiced as his terrible garden took shape.

All three varieties of demonic plants enjoy destruction, especially in verdant locations. Their hatred for plant creatures overrides everything, so they always focus their attacks on plant creatures in preference to other creatures, regardless of the relative power of the creatures. With the exception of spiteflowers, these demonic plants relish direct attacks, feeling flesh tear and bones and branches break under their assaults. Spiteflowers are content to fry their foes from a comfortable distance, resorting to a spray of bullet-like seeds at groups of opponents that draw too close; they gleefully smash into their foes when they can’t avoid close-quarters combat.

While the demonic plants devastate all plant life where they find it, on rare occasions they leave surviving plants. Unfortunately, the demonic plants incidentally crosspollinate with these survivors, laying the groundwork for more of their ilk.

Frightful Fridays! Majesticat

Hello and welcome back to Frightful Fridays! I got the chance to do a mashup critter (inspiration image), but I went with fey for the creature type. The majesticat is kind of mundane in the fey world, so it likes to jump into the Material Plane to get the accolades it thinks it deserves (not dissimilar to most cats). It also makes for a decent familiar for enchanters of a chaotic (or gnomish) outlook.

I hope you enjoy the majesticat, and I'll see you next week with another critter! Thanks for reading.

This cat has vibrant blue fur trailing off into green feathers just below its shoulders. Its tail is a fan of peacock-like feathers with blue eye spots matching its fur.

Majesticat      CR 2

XP 600

CN Tiny fey

Init +8; Senses low-light vision; Perception +8

DEFENSE

AC 16, touch 16, flat-footed 12 (+4 Dex, +2 size)

hp 22 (4d6+8)

Fort +3, Ref +8, Will +5

DR 5/cold iron or lawful; SR 13

OFFENSE

Speed 30 ft., fly 30 ft. (poor)

Melee bite +8 (1d3–4), 2 claws +8 (1d2+4)

Space 2–1/2 ft.; Reach 0 ft.

Special Attacks distracting display, flashing claws

Spell-Like Abilities (CL 4th; concentration +6)

   At will—vanish[APG] (self only)

   3/day—charm person (DC 13), color spray (DC 13)

   1/day—hypnotic pattern (DC 14)

STATISTICS

Str 2, Dex 19, Con 14, Int 8, Wis 12, Cha 15

Base Atk +2; CMB +4; CMD 10 (14 vs. trip)

Feats Improved Initiative, Weapon Finesse

Skills Acrobatics +10, Climb +8, Diplomacy +9, Escape Artist +10, Fly +8, Perception +8, Sense Motive +8

Languages Common, Sylvan; speak with animals (birds and cats only)

SQ gnome friend

ECOLOGY

Environment temperate forests or plains

Organization solitary, pair, or resplendence (3–8)

Treasure none

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Distracting Display (Ex) As a move action, a majesticat can fan out its feathers, forcing all enemies that see it to attempt a DC 14 Will save. If a creature fails its save, it takes a –2 penalty on attack and damage rolls until the beginning of the majesticat’s next turn. This penalty does not stack with distracting displays from other majesticats. If a creature succeeds at the saving throw, it can’t be affected by the same majesticat’s distracting display. This is a mind-affecting compulsion effect. The save DC is Charisma-based.

Flashing Claws (Ex) A majesticat adds its Dexterity modifier to damage dealt by its claw attacks.

Gnome Friend (Su) A majesticat gains a +4 racial bonus when making Diplomacy or Sense Motive checks against gnomes. Additionally, the DCs for charm spells or effects used by the majesticat increase by 2 against gnomes.

Majesticats are beautiful and intelligent fey animals that often travel from the primal world of the fey to the Material Plane. Scholars studying majesticats reason the vain animals are considered less remarkable among the fey, so they often spill into the Material Plane to receive the level of awe they expect. Majesticats give off an aloof air, but they desire companionship, either among other majesticats or with easily swayed humanoids. They are not above using charm person to convince people to take them in, and they reapply the spell until they achieve full acceptance among those they have chosen. As long as majesticats receive attention, especially regarding their appearance, they are content to remain as companions to humanoids for the entirety of their lives. Gnomes are predisposed to majesticats and more readily accept them as companions (the same majesticat scholars believe it goes beyond their shared fey origins and posit gnomes and majesticats have some primeval connection that manifests on a subconscious level). They are content to remain silent and soak in adoration, but they despise being referred to as “pets,” and will leave companions who refer to them as such. Sometimes, otherwise quiet majesticats surprise those who make this error by speaking up and correcting it, but they only do this once. If they feel the offense is especially egregious, they plot some sort of passive-aggressive punishment against the offender.

Majesticats typically try to avoid combat and use their abilities to confound or at least sway potential opponents. If cornered—or angered—they use color spray to incapacitate foes and then remorselessly attack their helpless victims. While not physically powerful, they know exactly how to inflict as much pain as possible with their claws.

A typical majesticat measures 3 feet in length, mostly taken up by its tail, and weighs 10 pounds. It has a natural lifespan of 25 years.

A chaotic or gnome 7th-level spellcaster can gain a majesticat as a familiar, if the spellcaster has the Improved Familiar feat. A spellcaster with a majesticat familiar is treated as 1 level higher for the purpose of determining the duration of spells with the charm descriptor.

Frightful Fridays! Hydratic Leech

Hello and welcome back for regularly scheduled Frightful Fridays service! The frogs have all been put to bed (if you want to see them again, here is a handy link: https://mythopoeicrambling.blogspot.com/search/label/Frogtober). Now I can turn my attention to other monsters, and first up is a leech full of leeches, inspired by a suggestion from Blaine Bass. The hydratic leech is a fun hydra that attaches its many heads to victims and drains all their blood. Fun may not be exactly accurate. For additional leechception, the leechy hydratic leech is also on offer.

I hope you enjoy the hydratic leech, and I'll see you next week with another monster. Thanks for reading!

Multiple leeches, with circular maws filled with teeth, writhe from a segmented body belonging to an even larger leech.

Hydratic Leech      CR 7

XP 3,200

N Huge magical beast

Init +2; Senses blindsight 60 ft., darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent; Perception +17

DEFENSE

AC 20, touch 10, flat-footed 18 (+2 Dex, +10 natural, –2 size)

hp 85 (9d10+36); fast healing

Fort +10, Ref +10, Will +6; +4 bonus vs. mind-affecting effects

Weaknesses susceptible to salt

OFFENSE

Speed 10 ft., swim 30 ft.

Melee 9 bites +13 (1d6+6/19–20 plus attach)

Space 15 ft.; Reach 15 ft.

Special Attacks attach, blood drain (1d3 Constitution and 1d3 Strength)

STATISTICS

Str 23, Dex 14, Con 19, Int 1, Wis 16, Cha 4

Base Atk +9; CMB +17; CMD 29 (can't be tripped)

Feats Combat Reflexes, Improved Critical (bite), Lightning Reflexes, Power Attack, Skill Focus (Perception)

Skills Acrobatics +2 (-6 to jump), Perception +17, Stealth –2 (+10 in swamps), Swim +14; Racial Modifiers +12 Stealth in swamps

SQ amphibious, hydra traits, regenerate head

ECOLOGY

Environment temperate or warm swamps

Organization solitary

Treasure incidental

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Attach (Ex) A hydratic leech has a +4 racial bonus to maintain a grapple on a foe once it is attached. Once attached, each of the leech’s heads makes its own attempt to maintain a grapple as an immediate action. The leech can continue to make attacks with its free heads, and can make attacks of opportunity if at least 50% of its heads are free (5 heads must be free for a typical hydratic leech).

Blood Drain (Ex) Regardless of how many heads a hydratic leech has attached to victims, it can only use blood drain once per victim.

Fast Healing (Ex) A hydratic leech’s fast healing ability is equal to its current number of heads (minimum fast healing 9). This fast healing only applies to damage inflicted on the leech’s body.

Hydra Traits (Ex) A hydratic leech can be killed by severing all its heads or slaying its body. Any attack that is not an attempt to sever a head affects the body, including area attacks or attacks that cause piercing or bludgeoning damage. To sever a head, an opponent must make a sunder attempt with a slashing weapon targeting a head. A head is considered a separate weapon with hardness 0 and hit points equal to the leech’s HD. To sever a head, an opponent must inflict enough damage to reduce the head’s hit points to 0 or less. Severing a head deals damage to the leech’s body equal to its current HD. The hydratic leech can’t attack with a severed head, but takes no other penalties.

If a head is attached to a creature when it is severed, it remains attached for 2 additional rounds. Its blood drain is reduced to 1 Con and 1 Str during this time.

Regenerate Head (Ex) When a hydratic leech’s head is destroyed, two heads regrow in 1d4 rounds. The leech cannot have more than twice its original number of heads at any one time. To prevent new heads from growing, at least 5 points of acid damage (or damage from salt) must be dealt to the stump (a touch attack to hit) before they appear. Acid damage from area attacks can affect stumps and the body simultaneously. The hydratic leech doesn’t die from losing its heads until all are cut off and the stumps are seared by acid or salt.

Susceptible to Salt (Ex) A handful of salt burns a hydratic leech as if it were a flask of acid, causing 1d6 points of damage per use.

Hydratic leeches are variant hydras created by covens of marshland hags that prefer vermin to reptilian creatures. These hydras operate mostly on instinct, but are dimly aware of remaining motionless in their swampy lairs as a way to ambush prey. Hydratic leeches hate salt and attack foes they sense employing it. If they lose too many of their heads to salt (reducing them to 2 or 3 heads), though, they flee.

Leechy Hydratic Leech (+3 CR): This variant of the hydratic leech gains the advanced creature template. Additionally, when one of its original heads is severed, the head dissolves into a leech swarm. Regenerated heads do not have this ability.