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.