Plumed SerpentPlumed Serpent
Plumed Serpent
An enormous serpent swims in slow circles around you. Its back is covered with glowing plumes, blazing in the inky water. As it closes, its throat glows brilliant red, and you feel the water begin to heat up around you.
PLUMED SERPENT CR 9
XP 6,400
N Huge Magical Beast (aquatic)
Init +4; Senses darkvision 120 ft., low light vision; Perception +8
Racial Buoyancy -420; Depth Tolerance: 25,000 feet
DEFENSE
AC 23; touch 8, flat-footed 23 (+15 natural, -2 size)
hp 114 (12d10+48)
Fort +12, Ref +8, Will +6
Immune cold, steam
Weaknesses pressure sensitive 500 feet.
OFFENSE Speed swim 40 ft.
Melee bite +13 (2d6+9 plus 1d6 steam),tail +7 (2d6+4)
Space 15 ft.; Reach 15 ft.
Special Attacks bio-electric blast, swallow whole (2d4 bludgeoning plus 2d6 steam, AC 22, 11 hp)
STATISTICS
Str 29, Dex 11, Con 18, Int 2, Wis 15, Cha 13
Base Atk +12; CMB +23; CMD 33; can't be tripped
Feats Dazzling Display, Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Skill Focus (Stealth), Vital Strike, Weapon Focus (bite)
Skills Acrobatics +23, Intimidate+10, Perception +8, Stealth+11; Racial Bonus +6 Intimidate
ECOLOGY
Environment deep sea
Organization solitary, pair
Treasure none
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Bio-Electric Blast (Su): Once per day, a plumed serpent can channel its bio-electric energy into an arc that travels from target to target, dealing 6d6 points of damage to each with a DC 20 Fortitude save for half damage. All targets must be within 50 feet of the serpent, and within 10 feet of each other.
Deadly and awe-inspiring, plumed serpents hunt the darkest ocean depths. They use their bio-electric lights to attract prey, then dispatch it with its spear-like teeth, superheated by the heat the creature generates within its throat. The appearance of one of these beasts, sailing out of the endless dark, inspires both awe and terror.
Plumed serpents vary their hunting stratagem based on their prey. Large prey or single targets are stalked, the creature charging out of the dark with a devastating attack. Groups of prey are circled in ever decreasing spirals, allowing the prey to be intimidated and broken by fear.
Plumed serpents are often sacred to primitive people, and are often seen as a totem creature. More civilized people trade in plumed serpent parts, mainly its metallic teeth, the heat organs within its throat, and the plumes of its back. The plumes hold their light for 1d4 days, the teeth make excellent weapons, and the throat organs are powerful spell components.
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Sinkfish
SinkfishSinkfish
Sinkfish
This long fish has dozens of slender legs encased in crab-like armor. On either side of its tooth-studded mouth rest short palps, bearing glowing lights.
SINKFISH CR6
XP 2,400
N Large Magical Beast (aquatic)
Init +3; Senses darkvision 60 ft., scent; Perception +8
Racial Buoyancy -570; Depth Tolerance: 40,000 feet
DEFENSE
AC 20; touch 13, flat-footed 16 (+1 Dodge, +3 Dex, +7 natural, -1 size)
hp 68 (8d10+24)
Fort +9, Ref +9, Will +4
OFFENSE
Speed 50 ft., swim 40 ft.
Melee bite +11 (1d8+4 plus grab)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Special Attacks gnaw, seizure, sink, wrap around
STATISTICS
Str 18, Dex 17, Con 17, Int 2, Wis 14 Cha 11
Base Atk +8; CMB +13 (+15 grapple); CMD 26, can't be tripped
Feats Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Greater Grapple, Improved Unarmed StrikeB, Improved Grapple, MobilityB Skills Acrobatics + 16, Climb +8, Perception +8, Stealth +5
ECOLOGY
Environment deep ocean
Organization solitary, pair, brood (3-5) or swarm (10-50)
Treasure incidental
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Gnaw (Ex): If a sinkfish begins a round with a grabbed foe, it inflicts automatic bite damage. Sinkfish possess a second pair of jaws in their throat that aid in ripping prey apart, and can make a second bite attack (+11, 1d6+2) against a foe it has already grabbed.
Seizure (Su): The strange lights coming from a sinkfish's palps interacts with the nervous systems of higher creatures. Living creatures other than sinkfish within
10 feet of a sinkfish must make a DC 17 Will save each round or take 1d4 points of Intelligence damage and be sickened. Arcane spellcasters and beings that use psionics make this save at DC 21.
Sink (Su): Once every 1d4 rounds, a sinkfish can breathe out a 40 foot cone of bubbles. Creatures and objects within the bubbles have their buoyancy affected as if they were caught within an area of methane bubbles (CERULEAN SEAS CAMPAIGN SETTING) for 1d4 rounds.
Wrap Around (Ex): A sinkfish wraps its flexible body around grappled foes, sinking its needle sharp legs into its prey to hold it still. The victim takes 2d4 points of piercing damage a round and has a 50% chance of splitting any damage done to the sinkfish equally between the sinkfish and the victim. The victim may make a grapple check to break free, or may do so by a DC 18 Strength or Escape Artist check.
Filling the role of both predator and scavenger, sinkfish are the bane of explorers everywhere. They savagely attack any creature of their size or smaller, and are blindingly fast in their movements. They can infest nearly any environment, and will cannibalize their own kind if food supplies grow slim. They breed rapidly, with a single pair producing hundreds of eggs at a time. They are kept only slightly in check by the hatchlings tendency to devour the unhatched eggs of its kin.
While not intelligent, sinkfish are creative hunters. They cling to walls or ceilings, waiting for prey to pass by. Massive swarms of the creatures will appear seemingly out of nowhere to feed on large corpses, such as whales. Creatures swimming above such a gruesome scene are often blasted with cones of bubbles, and begin to slowly sink toward the creatures gaping mouths.
Sinkfish are only somewhat trainable, and are often used as guardians in areas not regularly entered by the owners of a cave system or subsea castle. It is thought that some anglers and inquisitors, specially trained to hunt wizards or psionicists, keep charmed sinkfish as companions and attack beasts, although this has never been confirmed.