Upon our arrival in Asteriothe (this is the Orothoi name for Fallenstar – Ed.) I was struck by the very variety of plants, of birds, and of the beasts of both land and sea. Nature, it seemed, had run riot in the colors, shapes, and the forms life and each specimen I collected and cataloged was stranger, more fantastic, that those that came before. It was easy to stand in awe of the place and forget its darker and more sinister side. I had all but forgotten that the beautiful beetle pinned beneath my lens began its life as a parasite lodged in the hind-brain of our ship’s third mate, killing the poor man as it bored its way out, or that one elegant and stately species of bird impaled its’ prey upon the thorns of a poisonous bush and left them there to die in agony. . .
. . .This work has not been without its costs, for we have lost twenty of our company to the beasts of the place and fifteen more are either dead or dying of diseases that even the dromite physician has no name for. I am of the latter company, struck by some slow wasting disease that has robbed me of my speech and wracked me with pains such as I cannot hope to describe. Yet for all this, even for my own life, I believe it justified. The knowledge we have gained will save our number a hundred times over in the years to come. Those who follow after us will know more than we, and live the better for our pains. I only regret I shall not live to read their accounts . . .
- From the Prologue of Mélos Iarvenno’s On the Natural History of Asteriothe
The University of Theneka, 1447.
_________________________________________________________________________
Monsterous Compendium
*Denotes Open Gaming Lisence Content
Assasin Vine*
Bullete*
Dinosaur*
Dire Animal*
Eagle, Giant*
Giant*
Hill Giant
Size/Type: Large Giant
Hit Dice: 12d8+48 (102 hp)
Initiative: -1 Speed: 30 ft. in hide armor (6 squares); base speed 40 ft.
Armor Class: 20 (-1 size, -1 Dex, +9 natural, +3 hide armor), touch 8, flat-footed 20
Base Attack/Grapple: +9/+20
Attack: Greatclub +16 melee (2d8+10) or slam +15 melee (1d4+7) or rock +8 ranged (2d6+7)
Full Attack: Greatclub +16/+11 melee (2d8+10) or 2 slams +15 melee (1d4+7) or rock +8 ranged (2d6+7)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks: Rock throwing
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, rock catching
Saves: Fort +12, Ref +3, Will +4
Abilities: Str 25, Dex 8, Con 19, Int 6, Wis 10, Cha 7
Skills: Climb +7, Jump +7, Listen +3, Spot +6
Feats: Cleave, Improved Bull Rush, Power Attack, Improved Sunder, Weapon Focus (greatclub)
Environment: Warm hills
Organization: Solitary, gang (2-5), band (6-9 plus 35% noncombatants), hunting/raiding party (6-9 plus 2-4 dire wolves), or tribe (21-30 plus 35% noncombatants plus 12-30 dire wolves)
Challenge Rating: 7
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Often chaotic evil
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: +4
Skin color among hill giants ranges from light tan to deep ruddy brown. Their hair is brown or black, with eyes the same color. Hill giants wear layers of crudely prepared hides with the fur left on. They seldom wash or repair their garments, preferring to simply add more hides as their old ones wear out.
Adults are about 10½ feet tall and weigh about 1,100 pounds. Hill giants can live to be 200 years old.
Combat
Hill giants prefer to fight from high, rocky outcroppings, where they can pelt opponents with rocks and boulders while limiting the risk to themselves.
Hill giants love to make overrun attacks against smaller creatures when they first join battle. Thereafter, they stand fast and swing away with their massive clubs.
Rock Throwing (Ex): The range increment is 120 feet for a hill giant’s thrown rocks.
Stone Giant
Size/Type: Large Giant (Earth)
Hit Dice: 14d8+56 (119 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 30 ft. in hide armor (6 squares); base speed 40 ft.
Armor Class: 25 (-1 size, +2 Dex, +11 natural, +3 hide), touch 11, flat-footed 23
Base Attack/Grapple: +10/+22
Attack: Greatclub +17 melee (2d8+12) or slam +17 melee (1d4+8) or rock +11 ranged (2d8+12)
Full Attack: Greatclub +17/+12 melee (2d8+12) or 2 slams +17 melee (1d4+8) or rock +11 ranged (2d8+12)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks: Rock throwing
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, rock catching
Saves: Fort +13, Ref +6, Will +7
Abilities: Str 27, Dex 15, Con 19, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 11
Skills: Climb +11, Hide +6*, Jump +11, Spot +12
Feats: Combat Reflexes, Iron Will, Point Blank Shot, Power Attack, Precise Shot
Environment: Any mountains
Organization: Solitary, gang (2-5), band (6-9 plus 35% noncombatants), hunting/raiding/trading party (6-9 plus 1 elder), or tribe (21-30 plus 35% noncombatants plus 1-3 elders and 3-6 dire bears)
Challenge Rating: 8 (elder 9)
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Usually neutral
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: +4 (elder +6)
Stone giants prefer thick leather garments, dyed in shades of brown and gray to match the stone around them. Adults are about 12 feet tall and weigh about 1,500 pounds. Stone giants can live to be 800 years old.
Combat
Stone giants fight from a distance whenever possible, but if they can’t avoid melee, they use gigantic clubs chiseled out of stone. A favorite tactic of stone giants is to stand nearly motionless, blending in with the background, then move forward to throw rocks and surprise their foes.
Rock Throwing (Ex): The range increment is 180 feet for a stone giant’s thrown rocks. It uses both hands when throwing a rock.
Rock Catching (Ex): A stone giant gains a +4 racial bonus on its Reflex save when attempting to catch a thrown rock.
Skills
*A stone giant gains a +8 racial bonus on Hide checks in rocky terrain.
Stone Giant Elders
Some stone giants develop special abilities related to their environment. These giant elders have Charisma scores of at least 15 and spell-like abilities, which they use as 10th-level sorcerers.
Once per day they can use Stone Shape, Stone Tell, and either Transmute Rock to Mud or Transmute Mud to Rock (DC 17). The save DC is Charisma-based. One in ten elders is a sorcerer, usually of 3rd to 6th level.
Storm Giant
Size/Type: Huge Giant
Hit Dice: 19d8+114 (199 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 35 ft. (7 squares), swim 30 ft. (6 squares) in breastplate; base speed 50 ft., swim 40 ft.
Armor Class: 27 (-2 size, +2 Dex, +12 natural, +5 breastplate), touch 10, flat-footed 25
Base Attack/Grapple: +14/+36
Attack: Greatsword +26 melee (4d6+21/19-20) or slam +26 melee (1d6+14) or composite longbow (+14 Str bonus) +14 ranged (3d6+14/×3)
Full Attack: Greatsword +26/+21/+16 melee (4d6+21/19-20) or 2 slams +26 melee (1d6+14) or composite longbow (+14 Str bonus) +14/+9/+4 ranged (3d6+14/×3)
Space/Reach: 15 ft./15 ft.
Special Attacks: Spell-like abilities
Special Qualities: Freedom of movement, immunity to electricity, low-light vision, rock catching, water breathing
Saves: Fort +17, Ref +8, Will +13
Abilities: Str 39, Dex 14, Con 23, Int 16, Wis 20, Cha 15
Skills: Climb +20, Concentration +26, Craft (any one) +13, Diplomacy +4, Intimidate +12, Jump +24, Listen +15, Perform (sing) +12, Sense Motive +15, Spot +25, Swim +18*
Feats: Awesome Blow, Cleave, Combat Reflexes, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Sunder, Iron Will, Power Attack
Environment: Warm mountains or Aquatic
Organization: Solitary or family (2-4 plus 35% noncombatants plus 1 sorcerer or cleric of 7th-10th level plus 1-2 rocs, 2-5 Pteranadons, or 2-8 sea cats)
Challenge Rating: 13
Treasure: Standard coins; double goods; standard items
Alignment: Often chaotic good
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: —
Very rarely, storm giants have violet skin. Violet-skinned storm giants have deep violet or blue-black hair with silvery gray or purple eyes. Adults are about 21 feet tall and weigh about 12,000 pounds. Storm giants can live to be 600 years old. Storm giants’ garb is usually a short, loose tunic belted at the waist, sandals or bare feet, and a headband. They wear a few pieces of simple but finely crafted jewelry, anklets (favored by barefoot giants), rings, or circlets being most common. They live quiet, reflective lives and spend their time musing about the world, composing and playing music, and tilling their land or gathering food.
Combat
Storm giants use weapons and spell-like abilities instead of throwing rocks. Their composite longbows have a range increment of 180 feet.
Spell-Like Abilities
1/day—call lightning (DC 15), chain lightning (DC 18). Caster level 15th. 2/day—control weather, levitate. Caster level 20th. The save DCs are Charisma-based.
Freedom of Movement (Su): Storm giants have a continuous freedom of movement ability as the spell (caster level 20th). The effect can be dispelled, but the storm giant can create it again on its next turn as a free action.
Water Breathing (Ex): Storm giants can breathe underwater indefinitely and can freely use their spell-like abilities while submerged.
Skills
A storm giant has a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform some special action or avoid a hazard. It can always choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered. It can use the run action while swimming, provided it swims in a straight line.
*Storm giants ignore all weight penalties for gear carried when swimming.
Girallon*
Size/Type: Large Magical Beast
Hit Dice: 7d10+20 (58 hp)
Initiative: +3 Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares), climb 40 ft.
Armor Class: 16 (-1 size, +3 Dex, +4 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 15
Base Attack/Grapple: +7/+17
Attack: Claw +12 melee (1d4+6)
Full Attack: 4 claws +12 melee (1d4+6) and bite +7 melee (1d8+3)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks: Rend 2d4+9
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +7, Ref +8, Will +5
Abilities: Str 22, Dex 17, Con 14, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 7
Skills: Climb +14, Move Silently +8, Spot +6
Feats: Iron Will, Toughness (2)
Environment: Warm forests
Organization: Solitary or company (5-8)
Challenge Rating: 6
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 8-10 HD (Large); 11-21 HD (Huge)
Level Adjustment: —
Girallons are savage, magical cousins of the gorilla. Bred by the once mighty elves of Fallenstar to act as guard animal, they were magicly manipulated into the 4 armed monstrosites we see todey. When moving on the ground, a girallon walks on its legs and lower arms. An adult girallon is about 8 feet tall, broad-chested, and covered in thick, pure white fur. It weighs about 800 pounds.
Combat
A solitary girallon usually conceals itself in the branches of a tree or under a pile of leaves and brush, with only its nose showing. When it spots or scents prey, it charges to the attack. A girallon picks up prey that is small enough to carry and withdraws, often vanishing into the trees before the victim’s companions can do anything to retaliate. Against larger foes, a girallon seeks to tear a single opponent to bits as quickly as it can.
Rend (Ex): A girallon that hits with two or more claw attacks latches onto the opponent’s body and tears the flesh. This attack automatically deals an extra 2d4+9 points of damage.
Skills
A girallon has a +8 racial bonus on Climb checks and can always choose to take 10 on a Climb check, even if rushed or threatened.
Grimlock*
Size/Type: Medium Monstrous Humanoid
Hit Dice: 2d8+2 (11 hp)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 15 (+1 Dex, +4 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +2/+4
Attack: Battleaxe +4 melee (1d8+3/×3)
Full Attack: Battleaxe +4 melee (1d8+3/×3)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: —
Special Qualities: Blindsight 40 ft., immunities, scent
Saves: Fort +1, Ref +4, Will +2
Abilities: Str 15, Dex 13, Con 13, Int 5, Wis 8, Cha 6
Skills: Climb +4, Hide +3*, Listen +5, Spot +3
Feats: Alertness, TrackB
Environment: Underground or Night hills and mountains
Organization: Gang (2-4), pack (10-20), tribe (10-60 plus 1 leader of 3rd-5th level per 10 adults).
Challenge Rating: 1
Treasure: None; Quadruple Standard In Bone Rooms (see below)
Alignment: Often neutral evil
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: +2
The notorious grimlocks are a degenerate off shoot of humans who have adapted to life underground. They are between 5 feet and 6 feet tall. Their weight ranges between 165lb to around 200lbs. Their skin is a sickly gray color, the males are bald and the females grow patches of long greasy hair, which is always black. Their highly carnivorous nature has either killed or forced almost every other creature out from the underground many, many centuries ago, and now the grimlocks make surface raids almost every night.
Grimlocks are voracious eaters and will kill and consume anything they can find. They have a marked preference for the flesh of intelligent creatures, particularly their close cousins, humans.
Combat
Grimlocks hunt down and kill anything that has the misfortune of finding itself in their caves. When they raid, it is generally limited to just a few miles from the entrances to their homes. A successful DC 18 Knowledge (Local) or DC 15 Knowledge (Nature) check is needed to tell if a character is within their hunting range.
Grimlocks are blind, but their exceptional senses of smell and hearing allow them to notice foes nearby. As a result, they usually shun ranged weapons and rush to the attack, brandishing their stone battleaxes.
Blindsight (Ex): Grimlocks can sense all foes within 40 feet as a sighted creature would. Beyond that range, they treat all targets as having total concealment.
Grimlocks are susceptible to sound- and scent-based attacks, however, and are affected normally by loud noises and sonic spells (such as ghost sound or silence) and overpowering odors (such as stinking cloud or incense-heavy air). Negating a grimlock’s sense of smell or hearing reduces this ability to normal Blind-Fight (as the feat). If both these senses are negated, a grimlock is effectively blinded.
Immunities: Grimlocks are immune to gaze attacks, visual effects, illusions, and other attack forms that rely on sight.
Skills
*A grimlock’s dull gray skin helps it hide in its native terrain, conferring a +10 racial bonus on Hide checks when in mountains or underground.
Grimlock Bone Rooms:
Grimlock lairs are full of chambers dedicated to the storage and disposal of refuse, usually consisting of the remains of their prey and whatever equipment the prey had at the time. These rooms contain untold treasures, most of it dating back well over 1000 years.
Rumors persist that deep in the buried ruins that the grimlocks call home there are vast caverns and rooms full of treasure that has been accumulated over the last 5,000 years, long before the star fell from the heavens.
Half-Dragon*
Half-dragons are a much more common sight in Fallenstar than most other parts of Dwenty. This is due in no small part to the Dragon Welkin themselves seeing fit to improve upon the creatures under their dominion. Fallenstar half-dragons come in only the chromatic varieties, since the metallic dragons were all eradicated or driven from the lands of Fallenstar when the evil Welkin chose to bond with the chromatic dragons (though a very select few still remain in the most remote places imaginable).
Half-dragon creatures are always more formidable than others of their kind that do not have dragon blood, and their appearance betrays their nature—scales, elongated features, reptilian eyes, and exaggerated teeth and claws. Sometimes they even have wings.
Creating A Half-Dragon
"Half-dragon" is an inherited template that can be added to any living, corporeal creature (referred to hereafter as the base creature).
A half-dragon uses all the base creature’s statistics and special abilities except as noted here.
Size and Type: The creature’s type changes to dragon. Size is unchanged. Do not recalculate base attack bonus or saves.
Hit Dice: Increase base creature’s racial HD by one die size, to a maximum of d12. Do not increase class HD.
Speed: A half-dragon that is Large or larger has wings and can fly at twice its base land speed (maximum 120 ft.) with average maneuverability. A half-dragon that is Medium or smaller does not have wings.
Armor Class: Natural armor improves by +4.
Attack: A half-dragon has two claw attacks and a bite attack, and the claws are the primary natural weapon. If the base creature can use weapons, the half-dragon retains this ability. A half-dragon fighting without weapons uses a claw when making an attack action. When it has a weapon, it usually uses the weapon instead.
Size Bite Damage Claw Damage
Fine 1 —
Diminutive 1d2 1
Tiny 1d3 1d2
Small 1d4 1d3
Medium 1d6 1d4
Large 1d8 1d6
Huge 2d6 1d8
Gargantuan 3d6 2d6
Colossal 4d6 3d6
Full Attack: A half-dragon fighting without weapons uses both claws and its bite when making a full attack. If armed with a weapon, it usually uses the weapon as its primary attack and its bite as a natural secondary attack. If it has a hand free, it uses a claw as an additional natural secondary attack.
Damage: Half-dragons have bite and claw attacks. If the base creature does not have these attack forms, use the damage values in the table above. Otherwise, use the values above or the base creature’s damage values, whichever are greater.
Special Attacks: A half-dragon retains all the special attacks of the base creature and gains a breath weapon based on the dragon variety (see table), usable once per day. A half-dragon’s breath weapon deals 6d8 points of damage. A successful Reflex save (DC 10 + ½ half-dragon’s racial HD + half-dragon’s Con modifier) reduces damage by half.
Dragon Variety Breath Weapon
Black 60-foot line of acid
Blue 60-foot line of lightning
Green 30-foot cone of corrosive (acid) gas
Red 30-foot cone of fire
White 30-foot cone of cold
Special Qualities: A half-dragon has all the special qualities of the base creature, plus darkvision out to 60 feet and low-light vision. A half-dragon has immunity to sleep and paralysis effects, and an additional immunity based on its dragon variety.
Abilities: Increase from the base creature as follows: Str +8, Con +2, Int +2, Cha +2.
Skills: A half-dragon gains skill points as a dragon and has skill points equal to (6 + Int modifier) × (HD + 3). Do not include Hit Dice from class levels in this calculation—the half-dragon gains dragon skill points only for its racial Hit Dice, and gains the normal amount of skill points for its class levels. Treat skills from the base creature’s list as class skills, and other skills as cross-class.
Environment: Same as either the base creature or the dragon variety.
Challenge Rating: Same as the base creature + 2 (minimum 3).
Alignment: Any
Level Adjustment: Same as base creature +3
Pseudodragon*
Size/Type: Tiny Dragon
Hit Dice: 2d12+2 (15 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 15 ft. (3 squares), fly 60 ft. (good)
Armor Class: 18 (+2 size, +2 Dex, +4 natural), touch 14, flat-footed 16
Base Attack/Grapple: +2/-8
Attack: Sting +6 melee (1d3-2 plus poison)
Full Attack: Sting +6 melee (1d3-2 plus poison) and bite +1 melee (1)
Space/Reach: 2½ ft./0 ft. (5 ft. with tail)
Special Attacks: Poison
Special Qualities: Blindsense 60 ft., darkvision 60 ft., immunity to sleep and paralysis, low-light vision, spell resistance 19, telepathy 60 ft.
Saves: Fort +4, Ref +5, Will +4
Abilities: Str 6, Dex 15, Con 13, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 10
Skills: Diplomacy +2, Hide +20*, Listen +9, Search +6, Sense Motive +7, Spot +9, Survival +1 (+3 following tracks)
Feats: Alertness, Weapon FinesseB
Environment: Warm forests
Organization: Solitary, pair, or clutch (3-5)
Challenge Rating: 1
Treasure: None
Alignment: Usually neutral
Advancement: 3-4 HD (Tiny)
Level Adjustment: +3 (cohort)
A pseudodragon has a body about 1 foot long, with a 2-foot tail. It weights about 7 pounds.
A pseudodragon can communicate telepathically and can also vocalize animal noises.
Combat
A pseudodragon can deliver a vicious bite, but its principal weapon is its sting-equipped tail.
Poison (Ex): Injury, Fortitude DC 14, initial damage sleep for 1 minute, secondary damage sleep for 1d3 hours. The save DC is Constitution-based and includes a +2 racial bonus.
Blindsense (Ex): A pseudodragon can locate creatures within 60 feet by nonvisual means (mostly hearing and scent, but also by noticing vibration and other environmental clues). Opponents the pseudodragon can’t actually see still have total concealment against the pseudodragon.
Telepathy (Su): Pseudodragons can communicate telepathically with creatures that speak Common or Draconic, provided they are within 60 feet.
Skills: Pseudodragons have a chameleon-like ability that grants them a +4 racial bonus on Hide checks. *In forests or overgrown areas, this bonus improves to +8.
Roc*
Size/Type: Gargantuan Animal
Hit Dice: 18d8+126 (207 hp)
Initiative: +2 Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares), fly 80 ft. (average)
Armor Class: 17 (-4 size, +2 Dex, +9 natural), touch 8, flat-footed 15
Base Attack/Grapple: +13/+37
Attack: Talon +21 melee (2d6+12)
Full Attack: 2 talons +21 melee (2d6+12) and bite +19 melee (2d8+6)
Space/Reach: 20 ft./15 ft.
Special Attacks: —
Special Qualities: Low-light vision
Saves: Fort +18, Ref +13, Will +9
Abilities: Str 34, Dex 15, Con 24, Int 2, Wis 13, Cha 11
Skills: Hide -3, Listen +10, Spot +14
Feats: Alertness, Flyby Attack, Iron Will, Multiattack, Power Attack,
Snatch, Wingover
Environment: Warm mountains
Organization: Solitary or pair
Challenge Rating: 9
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 19-32 HD (Gargantuan); 33-54 (Colossal)
Level Adjustment: —
A roc’s plumage is either dark brown or golden from head to tail. These enormous creatures are 30 feet long from the beak to the base of the tail, with wingspans as wide as 80 feet. A roc weighs about 8,000 pounds.
Combat
A roc attacks from the air, swooping earthward to snatch prey in its powerful talons and carry it off for itself and its young to devour. A solitary roc is typically hunting and will attack any Medium or larger creature that appears edible. A mated pair of rocs attack in concert, fighting to the death to defend their nests or hatchlings.
Skills
Rocs have a +4 racial bonus on Spot checks.
Sea Cat
Size/Type: Large Magical Beast
Hit Dice: 6d10+18 (51 hp)
Initiative: +1 Speed: 10 ft. (2 squares), swim 40 ft.
Armor Class: 18 (-1 size, +1 Dex, +8 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 17
Base Attack/Grapple: +6/+14
Attack: Claw +9 melee (1d6+4)
Full Attack: 2 claws +9 melee (1d6+4) and bite +4 melee (1d8+2)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Rend 2d6+6
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., hold breath, low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +8, Ref +6, Will +5
Abilities: Str 19, Dex 12, Con 17, Int 2, Wis 13, Cha 10
Skills: Listen +8, Spot +7, Swim +12
Feats: Alertness, Endurance, Iron Will
Environment: Warm aquatic
Organization: Solitary, pair, or pride (5-12)
Challenge Rating: 4
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 7-9 HD (Large); 10-18 HD (Huge)
Level Adjustment: —
Sea Cats are one of several species bred into existance by the ancient elves of Fallenstar. Originally just leapord seals, the elves used selective breeding techniques to help them survive in the warmer waters of their homeland and magical manipulation to cross the agressive predators with a species of sabre-toothed cat that has long since disappeared. The results are the modern sea cat.
These magnificant hunters were bred and cared for by the elves, prized for their speed, grace, and prowess in battles at sea. Since the fall of the elves, and the impact of the star, the sea cats have since gone feral, using their cat-like reflexes and superior swim speed to devastating effent.
A typical sea cat is 12 feet long and weighs 800 pounds. They are usually colored a dark bluish brown with dark blue and black stripes. Males have large tusks that stick out of the front of their mouths, making them appear almost walrus like.
Combat
Sea cats attack on sight, either for food or to defend their territory, and use both claws and teeth to grab and rend their prey. They display tremendous courage, always fighting to the death, even against creatures many times their size. Pairs and prides of sea cats attack in concert, trying to wear the opponent down until one beast can dispatch it.
Hold Breath (Ex): A sea cat can hold its breath for a number of rounds equal to 6 × its Constitution score before it risks drowning.
Rend (Ex): A sea cat that hits with both claw attacks latches onto the opponent’s body and tears the flesh. This automatically deals an extra 2d6+6 points of damage.
Skills: A sea cat has a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform some special action or avoid a hazard. It can always choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered. It can use the run action while swimming, provided it swims in a straight line.
Spider Eater
Size/Type: Large Magical Beast
Hit Dice: 4d10+20 (42 hp)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares), fly 60 ft. (good)
Armor Class: 14 (-1 size, +1 Dex, +4 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 13
Base Attack/Grapple: +4/+13
Attack: Sting +8 melee (1d8+5 plus poison)
Full Attack: Sting +8 melee (1d8+5 plus poison) and bite +3 melee (1d8+2)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Implant, poison
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., freedom of movement, low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +9, Ref +5, Will +2
Abilities: Str 21, Dex 13, Con 21, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 10
Skills: Listen +10, Spot +11
Feats: Alertness, Dodge
Environment: Warm hills
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 5
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 5-12 HD (Huge)
Level Adjustment: —
Spider eaters are one of the few remenants of the once great elven civilization that dominated Fallenstar. These grotesque beasts were originally regular wasps, but were bred and magically warped into huge flying beasts. Starfellan elves once took great pride in spider eaters, the upper class painstakingly training them and then using them for mounts.
Since starfall, the once domesticated spider eaters quickly adapted to life in the wild, carving a nich for themselves out of the chaos that surrounded that period of time.
A spider eater is about 10 feet long and 4 feet high, and has a wingspan of about 20 feet. It weighs around 4,000 pounds.
Combat
A spider eater attacks with its venomous sting and powerful mandibles. Its usual tactic is to deliver a sting, then back off, hovering out of reach until the venom takes effect.
Implant (Ex): Female spider eaters lay their eggs inside paralyzed creatures of Large or larger size. The young emerge about six weeks later, literally devouring the host from inside.
Poison (Ex): Injury, Fortitude DC 17, initial damage none, secondary damage paralysis for 1d8+5 weeks. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Freedom of Movement (Su): Spider eaters have a continuous freedom of movement ability as the spell (caster level 12th). When the spider eater serves as a mount, this effect does not extend to its rider.
Skills: Spider eaters have a +4 racial bonus on Listen and Spot checks.
Training A Spider Eater
A spider eater requires training before it can bear a rider in combat.
Training a spider eater requires six weeks of work and a DC 25 Handle Animal check. Riding a spider eater requires an exotic saddle. A spider eater can fight while carrying a rider, but the rider cannot also attack unless he or she succeeds on a Ride check.
Spider eater eggs are worth 2,000 gp apiece on the open market, while young are worth 3,000 gp each. Professional trainers charge 3,000 gp to rear or train a spider eater.
Carrying Capacity
A light load for a spider eater is up to 306 pounds; a medium load, 307-612 pounds; and a heavy load, 613-920 pounds.
Swarm
Swarms are dense masses of Fine, Diminutive, or Tiny creatures that would not be particularly dangerous in small groups, but can be terrible foes when gathered in sufficient numbers. For game purposes a swarm is defined as a single creature with a space of 10 feet—gigantic hordes are actually composed of dozens of swarms in close proximity. A swarm has a single pool of Hit Dice and hit points, a single initiative modifier, a single speed, and a single Armor Class. It makes saving throws as a single creature.
Many different creatures can mass as swarms; bat swarms, centipede swarms, locust swarms, rat swarms, and spider swarms are described here. The swarm’s type varies with the nature of the component creature (those here are composed of Animal and Vermin types), but all swarms have the swarm subtype.
A swarm of Tiny creatures consists of 300 nonflying creatures or 1,000 flying creatures. A swarm of Diminutive creatures consists of 1,500 nonflying creatures or 5,000 flying creatures. A swarm of Fine creatures consists of 10,000 creatures, whether they are flying or not. Swarms of nonflying creatures include many more creatures than could normally fit in a 10-foot square based on their normal space, because creatures in a swarm are packed tightly together and generally crawl over each other and their prey when moving or attacking. Larger swarms are represented by multiples of single swarms. A large swarm is completely shape-able, though it usually remains contiguous.
Combat
In order to attack, a single swarm moves into opponents’ spaces, which provokes an attack of opportunity. It can occupy the same space as a creature of any size, since it crawls all over its prey, but remains a creature with a 10-foot space. Swarms never make attacks of opportunity, but they can provoke attacks of opportunity.
Unlike other creatures with a 10-foot space, a swarm is shapeable. It can occupy any four contiguous squares, and it can squeeze through any space large enough to contain one of its component creatures.
Vulnerabilities Of Swarms
Swarms are extremely difficult to fight with physical attacks. However, they have a few special vulnerabilities, as follows:
A lit torch swung as an improvised weapon deals 1d3 points of fire damage per hit.
A weapon with a special ability such as flaming or frost deals its full energy damage with each hit, even if the weapon’s normal damage can’t affect the swarm.
A lit lantern can be used as a thrown weapon, dealing 1d4 points of fire damage to all creatures in squares adjacent to where it breaks.
Bat Swarm
Size/Type: Diminutive Animal (Swarm)
Hit Dice: 3d8 (13 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 5 ft. (1 square), fly 40 ft. (good)
Armor Class: 16 (+4 size, +2 Dex), touch 14, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +2/—
Attack: Swarm (1d6)
Full Attack: Swarm (1d6)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./0 ft.
Special Attacks: Distraction, wounding
Special Qualities: Blindsense 20 ft., immune to weapon damage, low-light vision, swarm traits
Saves: Fort +3, Ref +7, Will +3
Abilities: Str 3, Dex 15, Con 10, Int 2, Wis 14, Cha 4
Skills: Listen +11, Spot +11
Feats: Alertness, Lightning Reflexes
Environment: Warm deserts
Organization: Solitary, flight (2-4 swarms), or colony (11-20 swarms)
Challenge Rating: 2
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: None
Level Adjustment: —
A bat swarm is nocturnal, and is never found aboveground in daylight.
Combat
A bat swarm seeks to surround and attack any warm-blooded prey it encounters. The swarm deals 1d6 points of damage to any creature whose space it occupies at the end of its move.
Distraction (Ex): Any living creature that begins its turn with a swarm in its space must succeed on a DC 11 Fortitude save or be nauseated for 1 round. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Wounding (Ex): Any living creature damaged by a bat swarm continues to bleed, losing 1 hit point per round thereafter. Multiple wounds do not result in cumulative bleeding loss. The bleeding can be stopped by a DC 10 Heal check or the application of a cure spell or some other healing magic.
Blindsense (Ex): A bat swarm notices and locates creatures within 20 feet. Opponents still have total concealment against the bat swarm (but swarm attacks ignore concealment).
Skills: A bat swarm has a +4 racial bonus on Listen and Spot checks. These bonuses are lost if its blindsense is negated.
Locust Swarm
Size/Type: Diminutive Vermin (Swarm)
Hit Dice: 6d8-6 (21 hp)
Initiative: +4
Speed: 10 ft. (2 squares), fly 30 ft. (poor)
Armor Class: 18 (+4 size, +4 Dex), touch 18, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +4/—
Attack: Swarm (2d6)
Full Attack: Swarm (2d6)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./0 ft.
Special Attacks: Distraction
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., immune to weapon damage, swarm traits, vermin traits
Saves: Fort +4, Ref +6, Will +2
Abilities: Str 1, Dex 19, Con 8, Int Ø, Wis 10, Cha 2
Skills: Listen +4, Spot +4
Feats: —
Environment: Warm plains
Organization: Solitary, cloud (2-7 swarms), or plague (11-20 swarms)
Challenge Rating: 3
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: None
Level Adjustment: —
A locust swarm is a cloud of thousands of winged vermin that devours any organic material in its path.
Combat
A locust swarm surrounds and attacks any living prey it encounters. A swarm deals 2d6 points of damage to any creature whose space it occupies at the end of its move.
Distraction (Ex): Any living creature that begins its turn with a locust swarm in its space must succeed on a DC 12 Fortitude save or be nauseated for 1 round. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Skills: A locust swarm has a +4 racial bonus on Listen and Spot checks.
Spider Swarm
Size/Type: Diminutive Vermin (Swarm)
Hit Dice: 2d8 (9 hp)
Initiative: +3
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares), climb 20 ft.
Armor Class: 17 (+4 size, +3 Dex), touch 17, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +1/—
Attack: Swarm (1d6 plus poison)
Full Attack: Swarm (1d6 plus poison)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./0 ft.
Special Attacks: Distraction, poison
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., immune to weapon damage, swarm traits, tremorsense 30 ft., vermin traits
Saves: Fort +3, Ref +3, Will +0
Abilities: Str 1, Dex 17, Con 10, Int Ø, Wis 10, Cha 2
Skills: Climb +11, Listen +4, Spot +4
Feats: —
Environment: Warm forests
Organization: Solitary, tangle (2-4 swarms), or colony (7-12 swarms)
Challenge Rating: 1
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: None
Level Adjustment: —
Combat
A spider swarm seeks to surround and attack any living prey it encounters. A swarm deals 1d6 points of damage to any creature whose space it occupies at the end of its move.
Distraction (Ex): Any living creature that begins its turn with a spider swarm in its space must succeed on a DC 11 Fortitude save or be nauseated for 1 round. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Poison (Ex): Injury, Fortitude DC 11, initial and secondary damage 1d3 Str. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Skills: A spider swarm has a +4 racial bonus on Hide and Spot checks and a +8 racial bonus on Climb checks. It uses its Dexterity modifier instead of its Strength modifier for Climb checks. It can always choose to take 10 on a Climb check, even if rushed or threatened.
Tendriculos
Size/Type: Huge Plant
Hit Dice: 9d8+54 (94 hp)
Initiative: -1
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares), Swim 20 ft. (4 squares)
Armor Class: 16 (-2 size, -1 Dex, +9 natural), touch 7, flat-footed 16
Base Attack/Grapple: +6/+23
Attack: Bite +13 melee (2d8+9)
Full Attack: Bite +13 melee (2d8+9) and 2 tendrils +8 melee (1d6+4)
Space/Reach: 15 ft./15 ft.
Special Attacks: Improved grab, paralysis, swallow whole
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, plant traits, regeneration 10
Saves: Fort +12, Ref +2, Will +4
Abilities: Str 28, Dex 9, Con 22, Int 3, Wis 8, Cha 3
Skills: Hide +9, Listen +1, Move Silently +1, Spot +1
Feats: Alertness, Iron Will, Power Attack, Stealthy
Environment: Warm swamps
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 6
Treasure: 1/10th coins; 50% goods; 50% items
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 10-16 HD (Huge); 17-27 HD (Gargantuan)
Level Adjustment: —
Combat
Prowling deep forests or waiting in vegetated areas (looking like nothing more than a small hillock), a tendriculos attacks savagely, showing no fear. It attempts to swallow as much flesh as it can, as quickly as it can.
Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a tendriculos must hit a creature at least one size smaller than itself with its bite attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. If it wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold and can try to swallow the opponent in the following round. A tendriculos can also use its improved grab ability on a tendril attack. If it wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold, picks up the opponent, and transfers it to the mouth as a free action, automatically dealing bite damage.
Swallow Whole/Paralysis (Ex): A tendriculos can try to swallow a grabbed opponent by making a successful grapple check. Once inside the plant’s mass, the opponent must succeed on a DC 20 Fortitude save or be paralyzed for 3d6 rounds by the tendriculos’s digestive juices, taking 2d6 points of acid damage per round. A new save is required each round inside the plant. The save DC is Constitution-based. A swallowed creature that avoids paralysis can climb out of the mass with a successful grapple check. This returns it to the plant’s maw, where another successful grapple check is needed to get free. A swallowed creature can also cut its way out by using a light slashing or piercing weapon to deal 25 points of damage to the tendriculos’s interior (AC 14). Once the creature exits, the plant’s regenerative capacity closes the hole; another swallowed opponent must cut its own way out. A Huge tendriculos’s interior can hold 2 Large, 8 Medium, 32 Small, 128 Tiny, or 512 Diminutive or smaller opponents.
Regeneration (Ex): Bludgeoning weapons and acid deal normal damage to a tendriculos. A tendriculos that loses part of its body mass can regrow it in 1d6 minutes. Holding the severed portion against the mass enables it to reattach instantly.
Wyvern
Size/Type: Large Dragon
Hit Dice: 7d12+14 (59 hp)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares), fly 60 ft. (poor)
Armor Class: 18 (-1 size, +1 Dex, +8 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 17
Base Attack/Grapple: +7/+15
Attack: Sting +10 melee (1d6+4 plus poison) or talon +10 melee (2d6+4) or bite +10 melee (2d8+4) Full Attack: Sting +10 melee (1d6+4 plus poison) and bite +8 melee (2d8+4) and 2 wings +8 melee (1d8+2) and 2 talons +8 melee (2d6+4)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Poison, improved grab
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., immunity to sleep and paralysis, low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +7, Ref +6, Will +6
Abilities: Str 19, Dex 12, Con 15, Int 6, Wis 12, Cha 9
Skills: Hide +7, Listen +13, Move Silently +11, Spot +16
Feats: Ability Focus (poison), Alertness, Flyby Attack, MultiattackB
Environment: Warm hills
Organization: Solitary, pair, or flight (3-6)
Challenge Rating: 6
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Usually neutral
Advancement: 8-10 HD (Huge); 11-21 HD (Gargantuan)
Level Adjustment: —
A distant cousin to the true dragons, the wyvern is a huge flying lizard with a poisonous stinger in its tail. A wyvern’s body is 15 feet long, and dark brown to gray; half that length is tail. Its wingspan is about 20 feet. A wyvern weighs about one ton.
Wyverns speak Draconic, but usually don’t bother with anything more elaborate than a loud hiss or a deep-throated growl much like that of a bull alligator.
Combat
Wyverns are rather stupid but always aggressive: They attack nearly anything that isn’t obviously more powerful than themselves. A wyvern dives from the air, snatching the opponent with its talons and stinging it to death. A wyvern can slash with its talons only when making a flyby attack.
Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a wyvern must hit with its talons. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. If it wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold and stings.
Poison (Ex): Injury, Fortitude DC 17, initial and secondary damage 2d6 Con. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Skills: Wyverns have a +3 racial bonus on Spot checks.
Zombie, Infectious
Infectious Zombie— Level Adjustment: —
Size/Type: Medium OR Small Undead
Hit Dice: 2d12 (13 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 22 (Head Only) 14 (Body) (+2 Dex, +2 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +1/+6
Attack: Bite +2 melee (1d6+1 plus Infection)
Full Attack: Bite +2 melee (1d6+1 plus Infection)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Infectious Bite, Improved Grapple
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., undead traits, +2 turn resistance, Damage Immunity
Saves: Fort +0, Ref +2, Will +5
Abilities: Str 13, Dex 15, Con Ø, Int Ø, Wis 14, Cha 12
Skills: None
Feats: None
Environment: Any
Organization: Solitary, Infestation (2-4), Pack (7-12), Mob (15-150), or Mass (151+)
Challenge Rating: 4
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always True Neutral
Advancement:
Infectious Zombies always attack any living creature, preferably humanoid. They are mindless fast moving predators that often mob. They have no actual tactic other than catching and consuming prey.
Infection (Su)Disease—bite, No Save, incubation period 1 hour (or 1 minute if infected humanoid dies), damage 1d3 Con and 1d3 Int every hour until infected creature dies. At this point they rise again 1 minute later as an Infectious Zombie. Only Small and Medium humanoids can be brought back as Infectious Zombies. All other types of creatures do not reanimate at all, they are simply killed by the infection.
Improved Grapple: An Infectious Zombie does not provoke an attack of opportunity when it makes a touch attack to start a grapple. It also has a +4 bonus on all grapple checks, regardless of whether it started the grapple.
If an Infectious Zombie succeeds on a grapple on its next turn it attempts a bite attack at a +7 Melee touch.
Damage Immunity(Ex): Infectious Zombies are immune to most damage. They can only be killed on a successful sunder attempt on their bite attacks (treat as light weapon) or a confirmed critical which, means their head was destroyed. Fire and acid will also harm infectious zombies, but the only way to kill them is to destroy the head, otherwise they are still capable of delivering the infection.
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