Thursday, October 26, 2017

Frightful Fridays! Monster Mayhem! Mistwhale

Hello and welcome back for another day of the Frightful Fridays! anniversary. It almost seems inevitable that the creatures get larger as they get more powerful. This is certainly the case with the mistwhale (and all the remaining monsters I have planned are Large or larger), but the mistwhale is a gentle giant, at least until provoked. Then it slaps its foes around (quite literally) and transforms them into fog and eats them. So, maybe the PCs will give this whale a pass and leave it alone. I know, that is highly unlikely.

Hopefully, you can appreciate the mistwhale's majesty before it gets slaughtered. See you tomorrow with monster number 27!



This enormous cetacean is visible as a darker form in the cloud of fog surrounding it.
Mistwhale      CR 25
XP 1,638,400
N Colossal magical beast
Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, mistsight; Perception +34
Aura fog bank (120 ft.)
DEFENSE
AC 44, touch 4, flat-footed 42 (+2 Dex, +40 natural, –8 size)
hp 577 (35d10+385)
Fort +29, Ref +21, Will +24
Defensive Abilities amorphous; DR 20/magic; Immune cloud immunity
Weaknesses vulnerability to wind
OFFENSE
Speed fly 60 ft. (good); fog stride
Melee bite +43 (6d8+16 plus grab), slam +43 (8d8+16/19–20 plus cloudform curse)
Space 30 ft.; Reach 30 ft.
Special Attacks energy charged fog, fast swallow, swallow whole (10d6 bludgeoning damage, AC 30, 57 hp), sweeping swallow
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 35th; concentration +38)
   At will—solid fog
   3/day—quickened solid fog
STATISTICS
Str 43, Dex 14, Con 31, Int 8, Wis 33, Cha 16
Base Atk +35; CMB +59 (+61 bull rush, +63 grapple); CMD 71 (73 vs. bull rush, can't be tripped)
Feats Awesome Blow, Bludgeoner[UC], Bull Rush Strike[APG], Cleave, Cleaving Finish[UC], Critical Focus, Great Cleave, Hover, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Cleaving Finish[UC], Improved Critical (slam), Iron Will, Power Attack, Quicken Spell-Like Ability (solid fog), Skill Focus (Fly), Staggering Critical, Stunning Critical, Toughness
Skills Fly +22, Perception +34
ECOLOGY
Environment temperate and warm skies
Organization solitary, pair, or pod (3–6)
Treasure standard
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Cloud Immunity (Su) A mistwhale is immune to fog and cloud spells and effects. It ignores any benefits provided by a creature’s gaseous shape (from gaseous form, for example), treating the creature as solid for purposes of bypassing damage reduction and inflicting critical hits.
Cloudform Curse (Ex) A creature hit by a mistwhale’s slam must succeed at a DC 30 Will save or permanently become gaseous, as if it were the target of gaseous form. A creature that successfully saves cannot be affected by the same mistwhale’s cloudform curse for 24 hours. This is a curse and polymorph effect. The save DC is Charisma-based.
Energy Charged Fog (Su) As a standard action, a mistwhale can cause the fog bank to deal 10d6 points of acid, cold, or electricity damage (chosen when the mistwhale uses this ability) to all creatures within the fog’s current radius. A DC 37 Reflex save halves this damage. A mistwhale is immune to its own use of this ability. The mistwhale must wait 1d6 rounds before it can use this ability again. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Fog Bank (Su) A mistwhale is constantly surrounded by a 120-ft.-radius fog. While within this fog, it gains resist 20 against acid, cold, electricity, and fire. All creatures within the fog gain concealment from opponents within 5 feet and total concealment from opponents farther away. Wind disperses the fog as follows: strong winds reduce the radius to 60 feet, severe winds reduce the radius to 30 feet, and windstorms (or stronger) reduce the radius to 10 feet. A mistwhale replenishes the fog at the end of its turn.
Fog Stride (Ex) A mistwhale can move through impeding fog (such as that produced by solid fog) without taking any penalties.
Sweeping Swallow (Ex) As a full-round action, a mistwhale can attempt to swallow whole all creatures at least two size categories smaller than itself. This works like the grapple combat maneuver, but the mistwhale does not need to make a check; it merely has to move over opponents in its path. Targets of this ability can make an attack of opportunity, but at a –4 penalty. If targets forgo an attack of opportunity, they can attempt a DC 29 Reflex save to avoid the mistwhale. The mistwhale can only target one creature per round with this ability, no matter how many times its movement takes it over a target creature. The save DC is Dexterity-based.
Vulnerability to Wind (Ex) A mistwhale is treated as if it were a Medium creature for the purposes of determining the effects high wind has upon it.

Mistwhales originated at the border between the Planes of Air and Water and migrated, forcibly, to the Prime Material Plane. The shy creatures travel from thundercloud to thundercloud, or they drive lazily in areas where fog is almost always present, to hide their presence from those that might hunt them. When the whales feel secure in their territories, they call to one another with low-pitched, rumbling songs. Despite their ephemeral appearance, they are solid creatures capable of delivering deadly blows. However, when initially threatened, they check their attacks to nonlethally harm foes with the intent of driving their opponents away. If a threat becomes persistent, mistwhales switch to lethal attacks and sweep threatening creatures into their mouths—as terrestrial whales would with krill—or transform opponents into fog to neutralize the threat. It can also electrify or change the composition of the fog surrounding it to devastate creatures within.

Mistwhales often form alliances with druids and nature-oriented flying creatures for mutual protection, but break such alliances when they see their allies proactively attacking others.


Mistwhales retreat to uninhabited locales to breed and rear their young, which require 5 years to reach maturity. A typical mistwhale is 35 feet long and weighs 5,000 pounds.