Just a little something I built; thought I'd share.
As described on page 200 of the Bestiary, please enjoy the 16-Hit-Die deadly mantis:
CR 14
XP 38,400
N Colossal vermin
Init +0; Senses darkvision 60 ft., Perception +6
DEFENSE
AC 19, touch 2, flat-footed 19 (+17 natural, -8 size)
hp 216 (16d8+144)
Fort +19, Ref +5, Will +7
Immune mind-affecting effects
OFFENSE
Speed 30 ft.; climb 30 ft.; fly 40 ft. (poor)
Melee 2 claws +19 (3d6+15 plus grab)
Space 30 ft.; Reach 30 ft.
Special Attacks lunge, mandibles, sudden strike
STATISTICS
Str 40, Dex 11, Con 28, Int –, Wis 14, Cha 11
Base Atk +12; CMB +35 (+39 grapple); CMD 45 (49 vs. trip)
Skills Climb +23, Fly -12, Perception +6, Stealth +4 (+12 in forests); Racial Modifiers +4 Perception, +4 Stealth (+12 in forests)
ECOLOGY
Environment temperate forests
Organization solitary
Treasure none
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Lunge (Ex) A deadly mantis’s limbs are capable of reaching much farther than normal for a creature of its size. As a full-attack action, it can make a single attack with its claws at double normal reach. When a giant mantis attacks with a claw in this manner, it gains a +4 bonus on its attack roll. A deadly mantis cannot make attacks of opportunity with its lunge.
Mandibles (Ex) A deadly mantis that grabs a foe can make a bite attack against that foe as a secondary attack. The mantis’s bite is a +14 attack that inflicts 3d6+7 points of damage on a hit.
Sudden Strike (Ex) A deadly mantis is particularly adept at moving quickly when its foes are surprised. During a surprise round, a deadly mantis may act as if it had a full round to act, rather than just one standard action.
Just curious, why did this get moved to Conversions? It's not a conversion of anything 3.5, it's Pathfinder material (a creature described, but not statted out, in the PF Bestiary, on page 200).
Probably just to keep all the monster stats together. Nice MST3K shout-out.
Oamu! I remember you; you invented PEACH! Former (and longtime) WotC forumite here. Ah, I recall that thread fondly; what a state the boards were in. Those were the bad old days. : P
As for the mantis, the name 'Deadly Mantis' is paizo's shout-out, not mine. The creature is named (and described) on page 200 of the Bestiary, I just advanced it's size and Hit Dice.
My brother and I fought it against some CR 13-14 adult-category dragons 'cause it's flavor text mentions that it sometimes eats dragons. Sure enough, 'lunge > grab > mandibles > pin > damage' kills almost any huge-sized dragon of a similar CR to this guy here.
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Yeah; I threw in the name "deadly mantis" as a callout/easter egg to one of my favorite movies as a kid.... I was a fan of "The Deadly Mantis" WELL before MST3K came along (and was delighted when they did an episode on it).
Same story for the biggie-sized "Black Scorpion."
So some Easter eggs are okay...?
Maybe.Remember dragons have alot of tricks up their sleeves (unlimited use flight and breath weapons, spell access, special abilities, etc etc)
The fact it beats a dragon in melee is fairly impressive true, but Dragons, equipped with the right feats to supplement their abilities, are definitely a force to be reckoned with.
Well, the scenario we used was "mantis hides with 60 feet of distance between dragon and self, uses lunge to pop out of a forested area with a five-foot-step, nabs the dragon mid-flight with lunge".
Generally, the dragon got off a breath weapon and dealt a significant but not exactly life-threatening amount of damage before getting pinned. After that it was game over.
The dragons would sometimes spot the mantis despite distance issues (the adults, at least, have some great Perception, and +12 Stealth isn't that good at CR 14). The mantis' 60-foot reach is hard to escape, though, and the combats almost always ended with the mantis slowly murdering a pinned dragon.
A huge blue (despite failing Perception) got away by breaking pin and then somehow miraculously escaped reach despite provoking an AoO and the mantis getting a turn with the dragon still in-reach after escaping the pin. After that, he flew above the mantis and kept at the edge of his line-breath-weapon range, breathing on the poor bug until it died. There wasn't anything the mantis could do about that one.
Oamu! I remember you; you invented PEACH! Former (and longtime) WotC forumite here. Ah, I recall that thread fondly; what a state the boards were in. Those were the bad old days. : P
(soaking in glow of minor internet fame)
Seriously, I'd love to get a dedicated homebrew monsters forum here. The old WOTC one was a pretty good source for content, once you sorted out the chaff.