I hope you enjoy the malleanura. Another monster will be here for you tomorrow.
(reminder: art for the malleanura will be coming along in the next month, and I'll update this post and create a new post when I receive it)
This creature looks
like a putty model of a bullfrog with ripples appearing almost imperceptibly
under its skin. One of its forelimbs is as big as its body, allowing it to
reach a considerable distance.
Malleanura CR 12
XP 19,200
CN Tiny aberration
Init +7; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception
+24
DEFENSE
AC 27, touch 19,
flat-footed 20 (+7 Dex, +8 natural, +2 size)
hp 168 (16d8+96)
Fort +13, Ref +14, Will +15
Defensive Abilities
amorphous; DR 10/cold iron; Immune polymorph; SR 23
Weaknesses vulnerability
to lawful spells and effects
OFFENSE
Speed 30 ft.,
climb 30 ft.
Melee 2 slams +21
touch (1d2–4
plus curse of pliability)
Space 2–1/2
ft.; Reach 0 ft. (20 ft. with slam)
Special Attacks
adhere, curse of pliability, puppeteer
STATISTICS
Str 2, Dex 25, Con 22, Int 19, Wis 21, Cha 16
Base Atk +12; CMB +17 (+19 disarm); CMD 23 (25 vs. disarm, can't be
tripped)
Feats Blind-Fight,
Combat Expertise, Combat Reflexes, Great Fortitude, Improved Disarm, Lightning
Reflexes, Skill Focus (Bluff), Weapon Finesse
Skills Acrobatics
+26, Bluff +25, Climb +20, Escape Artist +26, Knowledge (arcana) +20, Knowledge
(local) +20, Perception +24, Sense Motive +19, Spellcraft +23
Languages Aklo,
Common; telepathy (60 feet, creatures affected by curse of pliability)
ECOLOGY
Environment any
land
Organization solitary
or contention (2–8)
Treasure none
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Adhere (Ex) As a standard
action, a malleanura can stick one of its limbs or its entire body to a
creature suffering from the malleanura’s curse of pliability. It makes a touch
attack against the target creature that deals no damage and incurs an attack of
opportunity from the target creature. If the malleanura succeeds, its limb or
body is stuck to the target creature. If the malleanura chooses to adhere its body
to the target creature, as a free action, it can change its coloration to match
that of the target creature, giving it total concealment. A malleanura choosing
to adhere limbs to creatures can do so with two of its limbs. While it is
adhered, it gains a +8 bonus to CMD against grapple combat maneuvers.
Curse of Pliability (Su)
A creature struck by a malleanura must succeed at a DC 21 Fortitude save to
avoid having its body become pliable and sticky. On a failed save, the creature
gains a +2 bonus on combat maneuver checks to grapple and to CMD against
grapple combat maneuvers, has a 25% chance to treat any critical hit or sneak
attack as a normal hit, and gains the compression ability. However, the
creature also suffers a –2 penalty on attack and damage rolls, incurs a –2
penalty on Strength-based checks, and increases armor check penalties by 2
(this applies to any worn armor, including armor that has an armor check
penalty of 0). This is a curse and polymorph effect. The save DC is
Charisma-based.
Puppeteer (Su) If
a malleanura begins its turn in contact with a creature suffering from its
curse of pliability, the creature must succeed at a DC 21 Will save or become
dominated (as per dominate monster).
The domination lasts as long as the malleanura remains in contact with the
victim. If the malleanura is in contact with, and dominating, more than one
creature, it can give all dominated creatures commands as part of a single move
action. The save DC is Charisma-based.
Vulnerability to
Lawful Spells and Effects (Su) A malleanura does not benefit from spell
resistance against spells and effects with the lawful descriptor. Additionally,
it suffers a –4 penalty against such spells and effects, and it takes 50%
more damage from lawful spells and effects that deal damage.
Malleanuras are believed to have spawned in the same
shapeless dimension that gave rise to gibbering mouthers and chaos beasts. They
absorb material from their surroundings to grant their limbs impossible
lengths, often to the surprise of those who make an assumption based on their
size. The frog-like malleanuras are considerably more benign than gibbering
mouthers and chaos beasts, for what it’s worth. While they have the capability
to shape themselves and creatures they touch, they rarely do so with the end
goal of killing creatures they encounter. However, it would be a stretch to say
they are benevolent creatures. They understand their sharing a gift of
elasticity isn’t entirely advantageous for most corporeal creatures, yet they
still impart this gift anyway.
Worse still, malleanuras use this transformation as an
inroad to control others affected by their curse of pliability. They mostly do
this to preserve themselves from harm. By throwing one or two of the opposition’s
allies against the opposition, malleanuras confound their opponents and can
work their way toward escaping. Malleanuras are aware of the capabilities of
the creatures they control, so they use those abilities to suit them best.
However, they are reticent to force their puppets into situations that would
get their puppets killed.
The reasons for this seeming beneficence are known only to
malleanuras, which also seem to have intense rivalries with others of their
species. Their main purpose for puppeteering other creatures is to fight proxy
battles with other malleanuras. These combats have odd rules and change from
conflict to conflict, but the death of a proxy is always considered a loss for
the malleanura controlling the slain creature.
Rumors speak of more powerful malleanuras capable of
maintaining control over creatures without having to remain in contact and
overriding control by lesser specimens.
