See you tomorrow with another one. Thanks for reading!
The air warps around
this pink and purple crab and reveals alien vistas.
Byway Crab CR 14
XP 38,400
N Tiny outsider (extraplanar)
Init +10; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception
+22
Aura travel
lockdown (30 ft., DC 23)
DEFENSE
AC 29, touch 25,
flat-footed 22 (+6 deflection, +6 Dex, +1 dodge, +4 natural, +2 size)
hp 207
(18d10+108)
Fort +12, Ref +17, Will +16
Defensive Abilities
dimensional grace; DR 15/unaligned
OFFENSE
Speed 15 ft.,
climb 15 ft., swim 30 ft.
Melee 2 claws +17
(1d3–3
plus attach)
Space 2–1/2
ft.; Reach 0 ft.
Special Attacks word
substitution
Spell-Like Abilities
(CL 18th; concentration +22)
At will—dimension door, planar adaptation[APG]
3/day—banishment (DC 21), greater dispel magic, plane
shift (DC 21), quickened dimension
door
1/day—astral projection, blasphemy (DC 22), dictum
(DC 22), etherealness, gate, holy word (DC 22), overland
flight, shadow walk (DC 20), word of chaos (DC 22)
STATISTICS
Str 4, Dex 23, Con 22, Int 19, Wis 21, Cha 18
Base Atk +18; CMB +22 (+26 grapple); CMD 36 (44 vs. trip)
Feats Agile
Maneuvers, Combat Casting, Dimensional Agility[UC], Dodge, Improved Initiative,
Mobility, Quicken Spell-Like Ability (dimension
door), Skill Focus (Knowledge [planes]), Spell Focus (evocation)
Skills Bluff +25,
Climb +14, Diplomacy +22, Disable Device +22, Escape Artist +27, Knowledge
(arcana) +25, Knowledge (planes) +31, Linguistics +11, Perception +22, Sense
Motive +22, Spellcraft +25, Stealth +22, Survival +22, Swim +14
Languages
Abyssal, Aquan, Auran, Celestial, Common, Ignan, Infernal, Terran
SQ dimensional
grace
ECOLOGY
Environment any
Organization solitary,
pair, or hub (3–12)
Treasure none
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Damage Reduction 15/unaligned
(Su) A byway crab reduces damage from melee attacks by creatures with
chaotic, evil, good, or lawful subtypes and reduces damage from aligned
manufactured weapons.
Dimensional Grace
(Su) A byway crab is immune to dimensional
anchor, dimensional lock, and
spells or effects that force it to undertake extradimensional travel. It can
choose to suppress this immunity as a free action.
Travel Lockdown Aura
(Su) A byway crab’s travel lockdown aura acts as dimensional lock and ghostbane
dirge. However, a creature succeeding at a DC 23 Will save when attempting
a spell or effect barred by dimensional
lock has a 50% chance for the spell or effect to work properly. The byway
crab is not subject to its own aura.
Word Substitution
(Sp) A byway crab can sacrifice a use of its blasphemy, dictum, holy word, or word of chaos spell-like abilities to substitute for one of the
other spell-like abilities.
Byway crabs were originally unobtrusive vermin feeding on
planar detritus as they bounced around the planes. The creatures possessed an
inherent gift for acclimating to even the most hostile planes and would often
tag along with all sorts of creatures as they travelled through the multiverse.
Gradually, the crabs gained sentience as they lived longer and strange planar
energies mutated them. As they became more aware of their place in the planar
landscape, they gathered together and deliberately chose where they voyaged.
They witnessed brutal warfare and all manner of creatures, regardless of ethos
or morality, use the Material Plane as their staging ground for these wars and
bring death and destruction to innocents with no awareness of realities beyond their
own. After witnessing the utter obliteration of a world, byway crabs decided
they would police travel among the planes and prevent outsider armies from using
unaware worlds as their warfronts. Ironically, the byway crabs managed to bring
various warring factions together to eliminate them and many fled to the backwaters
they vowed to protect. The scattered creatures work independently to protect
their worlds and shut down planar travel where they can. They also use their
gifts to grant powerful adventurers access to planes to take the fight to
outsiders as their proxies. However, they are drawn to those who abuse planar
travel and seek to force them to cease opening portals to other planes.
A typical byway crab measures 7 inches in diameter and weighs
a mere 5 pounds. IF allowed to reach its natural lifespan, it can live nearly a
millennium.
