I hope you enjoy the red banded scorpion in all its iterations. See you next week with another monster!
This black scorpion
has crimson bands encircling its body and its oversized pincers. Its stinger drips
with liquid the color of blood.
Red Banded
Scorpion CR 3
XP 800
N Tiny vermin
Init +4; Senses darkvision 60 ft., tremorsense
30 ft.; Perception +9
DEFENSE
AC 16, touch 16,
flat-footed 12 (+4 Dex, +2 size)
hp 30 (4d8+12)
Fort +7, Ref +5, Will +2
OFFENSE
Speed 20 ft.,
climb 20 ft.
Melee 2 claws +6
(1d4+1 plus attach), sting +6 (1d3+1 plus poison)
Space 2–1/2
ft.; Reach 0 ft.
Special Attacks
attach, poison, reflexive sting
STATISTICS
Str 13, Dex 19, Con 16, Int —, Wis 12, Cha 9
Base Atk +3; CMB +5; CMD 16 (24 vs. trip)
Skills Climb +12,
Perception +9; Racial Modifiers +8
Perception
SQ hive mind
ECOLOGY
Environment any
warm or temperate land or underground
Organization
solitary, pair, or colony (3–18)
Treasure none
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Attach (Ex) If a
red banded scorpion is attached to a creature at the beginning of its turn, it
gains a +4 circumstance bonus to attacks with its sting.
Hive Mind (Ex) As
long as there are at least two red banded scorpions within 60 feet of each
other, if one scorpion is aware of a particular danger, they all are. No scorpion
in a group is considered flanked or flat-footed unless all of them are.
Red Banded Scorpion
Poison (Ex) Poison—injury; save
Fort DC 15; frequency 1/round for 6 rounds;
effect 1d4 Str; cure 2 consecutive saves.
Reflexive Sting (Ex)
If a red banded scorpion is attached to a creature when it drops below 0 hit
points, it makes a sting attack as an immediate action.
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Hundreds of scorpions
from a wave of black and crimson.
Red Banded Scorpion
Swarm CR 5
XP 1,600
N Tiny vermin (swarm)
Init +4; Senses darkvision 60 ft., tremorsense
60 ft.; Perception +9
DEFENSE
AC 18, touch 16,
flat-footed 14 (+4 Dex, +2 natural, +2 size)
hp 52 (7d8+21)
Fort +8, Ref +8, Will +3
Defensive Abilities
swarm traits
OFFENSE
Speed 20 ft.,
climb 20 ft.
Melee swarm (2d6
plus distraction and poison)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 0 ft.
Special Attacks
distraction (DC 16), grabby, poison, reflexive stings
STATISTICS
Str 13, Dex 19, Con 16, Int —, Wis 12, Cha 9
Base Atk +5; CMB —; CMD —
Feats Lightning
Reflexes[B]
Skills Climb +12;
Perception +9; Racial Modifiers +8 Perception
ECOLOGY
Environment any
warm or temperate land or underground
Organization
solitary or carpet (2–12)
Treasure none
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Grabby (Ex) A red
banded scorpion swarm makes a free combat maneuver check when a creature leaves
its space. It adds Dexterity modifier and a +1 size bonus to its base attack
bonus when determining its combat maneuver bonus (giving the typical swarm a
+10 CMB). If the combat maneuver check is successful, and for every 5 the check
exceeds the target’s CMD, a scorpion remains attached. For each scorpion
attached to a creature at the beginning of the swarm’s turn, the creature takes
1 point of bludgeoning damage and is subject to the swarm’s poison (the save DC
is reduced by 2). Removing a scorpion requires a standard action, but a
creature can remove any number of scorpions from itself or another creature within
reach with a full-round action.
Red Banded Scorpion
Poison (Ex) Poison—injury; save
Fort DC 16; frequency 1/round for 8 rounds;
effect 1d6 Str; cure 2 consecutive saves.
Reflexive Stings (Ex)
All creatures in a red banded scorpion swarm’s space when it is reduced to 0
hit points take 1d6 points of damage from the swarm and are subject to the
swarm’s poison.
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This giant humanoid
has massive pincers and a tail arcing from its back over its head. Its skin
ripples as if a multitude of creatures crawl just beneath the surface.
Red Banded Scorpion
Shell CR 11
XP 12,800
NE Large monstrous humanoid
Init +7; Senses darkvision 60 ft., tremorsense
60 ft.; Perception +19
DEFENSE
AC 25, touch 13,
flat-footed 21 (+3 Dex, +1 dodge, +12 natural, –1 size)
hp 147 (14d10+70)
Fort +11, Ref +14, Will +11
OFFENSE
Speed 40 ft.,
climb 30 ft.
Melee 2 claws +20
(2d6+7/19–20
plus grab), sting +20 (1d8+7 and poison)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
Special Attacks
breath weapon (30-ft. cone, 8d6 bludgeoning and piercing damage plus poison, Reflex
DC 22 for half, usable every 1d4 rounds), constrict (2d6+7), death is not the
end, poison
STATISTICS
Str 25, Dex 17, Con 20, Int 12, Wis 14, Cha 11
Base Atk +14; CMB +22 (+26 grapple); CMD 36
Feats Crippling
Critical[APG], Critical Focus, Dodge, Great Fortitude, Improved Critical
(claw), Improved Initiative, Lightning Reflexes
Skills Climb +20,
Escape Artist +27, Intimidate +17, Perception +19, Stealth +16, Survival +19
Languages Common
ECOLOGY
Environment any
warm or temperate land or underground
Organization
solitary, pair, or pilgrimage (3–6)
Treasure standard
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Breath Weapon (Ex)
A red banded scorpion shell can use its breath weapon, a cone of living
scorpions, 3 times per day. When a creature takes damage from the shell’s
breath weapon, it is affected by the shell’s poison. A creature that makes its
initial Reflex save gains a +4 bonus on the Fortitude save against the poison.
After a red banded scorpion shell uses its breath weapon, the
scorpions form a red banded scorpion swarm anywhere within the cone’s area of
effect. This swarm is under the shell’s control.
Death Is Not the End
(Ex) If a red banded scorpion shell has not expended all its breath weapon
uses for the day when it drops below 0 hit points, it dissolves into a number
of red banded scorpion shells equal to the number of remaining uses.
Hive Mind (Ex) As
long as there is at least one red banded scorpion (including any within a
living red banded scorpion shell) within 60 feet of a red banded scorpion shell,
if any of the creatures are aware of a particular danger, they all are. No scorpion
or scorpion shell in a group is considered flanked or flat-footed unless all of
them are.
Red Banded Scorpion
Poison (Ex) Poison—injury; save
Fort DC 22; frequency 1/round for 6 rounds;
effect 2d4 Str; cure 3 consecutive saves.
Red banded scorpions are one of the results of prayers by cultists
worshipping heretical (or nearly forgotten) deities that desire to overrun the
world with their vermin children. These cultists, in spite of many of their
number belonging to humanoid species, believe humanoids don’t deserve the free
reign they have over the world and seethe with anger when these so-called
civilized beings crush vermin without a thought. One response to calls for the
overthrow of these two-legged overlords was the creation of red banded
scorpions. These creatures have a hive mind, a desire to gather in large
numbers, and an urge to collect flesh from their humanoid victims. As the scorpions
increase in population, they store the raw material they have gathered in a pool
of their poison which preserves the material. Once they have enough flesh, they
craft a humanoid body with the scorpion accoutrements of claws and stinger (requiring
the sacrifice of dozens of their number). The scorpions then inhabit the body
and their hive mind reaches an apotheosis, granting the gestalt superior
intelligence. This shell then returns to lead the cultists who called upon it
in the first place, or it infiltrates large cities to sow chaos. Shells tasked
with infiltration often take class levels in sorcerer or bard to help with
their disguises, allowing them to fit in with more cosmopolitan societies.
A red banded scorpion is 1 foot long with a 2-foot long
tail, and it weighs 8 pounds. A red banded scorpion shell stands 9 feet tall, has
a 6-foot-long tail, and weighs 800 pounds.
