The Piercer

[Goblin Witchlord]

The piercer is for those dungeons for which the darkmantle is just too new-school. This version varies a bit from the CC version and the version in the Tome of Horrors. If there's another version somewhere, plz point me the way!

PIERCER
This cave arthropod resembles a hermit crab with a sharp, conical, stoney carapace ranging from two feet long to six feet long in the largest specimens.
ECOLOGY
Environment Underground
Organization Solitary or colony (3-18)
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Piercing (Ex): Once per ambush, piercers can drop on unsuspecting creatures and deal extra slam damage with a successful attack. Piercing deals double slam damage with no Strength bonus or penalty.

TINY PIERCER CR 1/6
XP 65
N Tiny vermin
Init +1; Senses darkvision 60 ft., Perception +3
DEFENSE
AC 18, touch 13, flat-footed 17; (+1 Dex, +2 size, +5 natural)
hp 4 (1d8)
Fort +2, Ref +1, Will +0
OFFENSE
Spd 10 ft., climb 10 ft.
Melee slam -2 (1d3-2)
Space 2 1/2 ft.; Reach 0 ft.
Special Attacks piercing (2d3)
STATISTICS
Str 6, Dex 12, Con 11, Int —, Wis 10, Cha 9
Base Atk +0; CMB -4; CMD 7
Feats Skill Focus (Perception)
Skills Climb +9, Stealth(1) +13, Perception +3; Racial Modifiers +8 Climb, +8 Stealth in natural caverns

SMALL PIERCER CR 1/4
XP 100
N Small vermin
Init +0; Senses darkvision 60 ft., Perception +7
DEFENSE
AC 16, touch 11, flat-footed 16; (+1 size, +5 natural)
hp 9 (2d8)
Fort +3, Ref +0, Will +0
OFFENSE
Spd 10 ft., climb 10 ft.
Melee slam +0 (1d4-1)
Space 2 1/2 ft.; Reach 0 ft.
Special Attacks piercing (2d4)
STATISTICS
Str 9, Dex 10, Con 11, Int —, Wis 10,
Base Atk +1; CMB -1; CMD 9
Feats Skill Focus (Perception)
Skills Climb +9, Stealth(1) +13, Perception(1) +7; Racial Modifiers +8 Climb, +8 Stealth in natural caverns

ELDER PIERCER CR 1
XP 400
N Medium vermin
Init -1; Senses darkvision 60 ft., Perception +7
DEFENSE
AC 16, touch 9, flat-footed 16; (-1 Dex, +7 natural)
hp 22 (4d8+4)
Fort +5, Ref +0, Will +1
OFFENSE
Spd 10 ft., climb 10 ft.
Melee slam +4 (1d6+1)
Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Special Attacks piercing (2d6)
STATISTICS
Str 12, Dex 8, Con 12, Int —, Wis 10, Cha 9
Base Atk +3; CMB +4; CMD 13
Feats Skill Focus (Perception), Skill Focus (Stealth)
Skills Climb +9, Stealth(3) +15, Perception(1) +7; Racial Modifiers +8 Climb, +8 Stealth in natural caverns

A piercer is a troglobitic arthropod with a shell that resembles a daggerlike stalactite. Similarly to cave fishers and Arachnocampa luminosa, they attack prey from cave ceilings, but rather than angling for prey, they dive-bomb it. Piercers conceal themselves among natural stalactites and drop on passing creatures, attempting to pierce them. Then they swarm over injured prey, battering it with their elongated shell like a club.

[Gear]

Huh? What? Oh, I see...sorry. Carry on.

[Fischkopp]

RISE, THREAD!
or, more aptly, climb back up the wall...

Because I love the piercer, and because of this, I will take these and adapt them a little. First, they are aberrations (or maybe magical beasts?), and a little intelligent, like 4 or 5 and 6 or 7 for the elder ones. And something like 10-12 for the king, the "stone wizards", and the control piercers.
I think piercing should be a little more damage. Just because. And the AC will be higher (via natural armor). DR maybe. No slam attack on the gorund. So that you could really easy kill them - if you can damage them at all. Yes, high DR! But no Acid. Maybe a weak spot if thrown down, but not very easy to be done (massive bonus to CMD against it, because of snail foot).
Hm, quite a few changes. Someone interested in piercers?

[Lincoln Hills]

I don't know why the thread sprang abruptly back to life, but I suggest to anybody else eager to implement piercers that they be 'Dungeon Hazards', like green slime, rather than monsters per se. They're a one-time threat more suitable to the trap/hazard mechanic, methinks.

If you want a really dangerous piercer, apply the Young template to a Roper and give it a climb speed. Eh?

[brvheart]

FGG has brought them back in the Tome of Horrors Complete. They are both and Aberration and a hazard now.
"Piercers resemble 1-foot-long stalactites and are found underground in caves and caverns hanging from the ceiling waiting for living creatures to pass underneath. Those viewing a piercer must make a DC 20 Perception check to discern its true nature; else it is overlooked and mistaken for a normal stalactite. Piercers gather in clusters of up to 20 creatures.

When a living creature stands in a square directly below a piercer, it drops and attempts to impale the unsuspecting foe. The creature can make a DC 15 Reflex save to avoid the piercer’s attack. If the save fails, the target sustains 1d6 points of piercing damage. If the save succeeds, the piercer misses its target and may not attack again until it climbs back
into position (moving at a speed of 5 feet per round). A piercer on the ground is easily dispatched, though touching or attacking it unarmed or with natural weapons causes it to secret an acid that deals 1d4 points of acid damage to the opponent each time one of its attacks.

Piercers can grow to tremendous lengths. Those of 2 to 4 feet in length are CR 1 and deal 2d6 points of damage if they hit a foe (1d6 points of acid damage if hit). Those reaching 5 to 6 feet in length are CR 2 and deal 3d6 points of damage if they hit. Their acid deals 1d6 points of acid damage. The DC to avoid a piercer’s attack is 15, regardless of its size."

[Fischkopp]

Ok, but if you want the piercers as antagonists, instead of as dungeon hazard, and give them some agenda on their own (you know, to f with minds of players that have seen everything already) you would have to make them something more.
That's why I put up the link to http://chaudronchromatique.blogspot.de/