|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
hello!
For one of my next session (in the stairs below caer maga) I was thinking about some kind of mix between an hydra and a cloaker. Every head of the hydra is a cloaker that can engulf a prey and retract in the shadow. The body of the beast is smaller than the one of a classical hydra and it can spider-climb.
the beast is 5 headed. I was thinking about something around CR8 ?
HydraCloaker
CN Huge aberration
Init +11; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent; Perception +14
DEFENSE
AC 20, touch 11, flat-footed 15 (+3 Dex, +7 natural, -2 size)
HP 47 (5d10+20); fast healing 5
Fort +8, Ref +9, Will +5
Defensive Abilities shadow shift
OFFENSE
Speed 20 ft., climb 20 ft.
Melee 5 bites +8 (1d6+5)
Space 15 ft., Reach 15 ft.
Special Attacks engulf, moan
TACTICS
During Combat the hydracloaker try to engulf as many prey as possible and then withdraw in her lair to consume them.
STATISTICS
Str 21, Dex 16, Con 19, Int 14, Wis 15, Cha 14
Base Atk +5; CMB 10; CMD 25 (can't be tripped)
Feats Combat Reflexes, Improved Initiative, Lightning Reflexes
Skills Perception +11, Disguise +8, Stealth +8, Sense Motive +8, Climb +9, Escape Artist +8
Racial Modifiers +2 Perception
SQ hydra traits, regenerate head, spider-climb
ECOLOGY
Environment underground
Organization solitary
Treasure standard
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Fast Healing (Ex) A hydra's fast healing ability is equal to its current number of heads (minimum fast healing 5). This fast healing applies only to damage inflicted on the hydra's body.
Hydra Traits (Ex) A hydra can be killed by severing all of its heads or slaying its body. Any attack that is not an attempt to sever a head affects the body, including area attacks or attacks that cause piercing or bludgeoning damage. To sever a head, an opponent must make a sunder attempt with a slashing weapon targeting a head. A head is considered a separate weapon with hardness 0 and hit points equal to the hydra's HD. To sever a head, an opponent must inflict enough damage to reduce the head's hit points to 0 or less. Severing a head deals damage to the hydra's body equal to the hydra's current HD. A hydra can't attack with a severed head, but takes no other penalties.
Regenerate Head (Ex) When a hydra's head is destroyed, two heads regrow in 1d4 rounds. A hydra cannot have more than twice its original number of heads at any one time. To prevent new heads from growing, at least 5 points of acid or fire damage must be dealt to the stump (a touch attack to hit) before they appear. Acid or fire damage from area attacks can affect stumps and the body simultaneously. A hydra doesn't die from losing its heads until all are cut off and the stumps seared by acid or fire.
engulf (Ex) A head can try to wrap and lift a Medium or smaller creature in its body as a standard action. The cloaker attempts a grapple that does not provoke an attack of opportunity. If it wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold and bites the engulfed victim with a +4 bonus on its attack roll. Attacks that hit an engulfing head deal half their damage to the monster and half to the trapped victim.
moan (Ex) the hydra can emit an infrasonic moan as a standard action, with one of four effects. Fear: All creatures in a 30-foot spread must save (Will negates) or become panicked for 2 rounds. Nausea: All creatures in a 30-foot cone must save (Fortitude negates) or fall prone and be nauseated for 1d4+1 rounds. Stupor: A single creature within 30 feet is affected by hold monster for 5 rounds (Will negates). Unnerve: Anyone within a 60-foot spread automatically takes a -2 penalty on attack and damage rolls. Those in the area for more than 6 consecutive rounds must save (Will negates) or enter a trance, helpless until the moaning stops. the hydra is immune to these sonic, mind-affecting attacks. A creature that successfully saves against the hydra's fear, nausea, or unnerve moans cannot be affected by that same moan effect from that hydra for 24 hours. All of the save DCs against a hydra's moan are DC 15. Save DCs are Charisma-based.
Shadow Shift (Su) When in dim illumination, a hydra can manipulate shadows as a free action to create one of three effects: blur (lasts 1d4 rounds, self only), mirror image (CL 6th), or silent image (DC 15, CL 6th, save DC is Charisma-based).
Multiple cloak-like heads rise from the sleek, lizard-like body of this terrifying monster.
You can make more powerful hydraCloakers by increasing their Hit Dice-each added HD increases the monster's statistics as appropriate, but also gives it one additional head and a +1 increase to its natural armor. The CR increases by +1 for each Hit Die it gains.
It is said that a bloodsoaking hydracloaker exist. Replace the 1d6 dmg by 1d4 CON damage for every engulfed creature. Increase the hydra's CR by 2
CR 8 isn't a bad starting point, but the sheer number of abilities this creature has bumps that up. You might want to trim back, particularly on the Moan abilities.
Quickened mirror image adds at least +1 CR on its own.
1d4 Con (per bite?) would be immensely dangerous.
|
|
thank you for your comments !
The cloaker's cr is 5. But I removed its tail attack. and there are 5 of them.
the Hydra 's cr is 4. I removed the bite (how wait no I forgot to remove it. there is no bite unless the victim is engulfed)
so basically it's a brunch of Cloaker with regen... 5 x CR 6 ?
the 1d4 CON is for the blood sucking version that is CR 10..
should I reduce it to 1 CON damage ? it might be more in adequation with the number of HD of the creature ...
Well, it's a puzzle monster. A level 8 party that has it solved will tear through it within one round, and a party that doesn't solve it might spend 5 rounds killing it. Seems legit.
Shadow Shift should probably be a swift action. A few of the things you have listed as standard actions should probably just count as an attack for the head or heads doing it.