Belabra Lair

Terrain: Temperate Forest
Total Party Levels: 30 (average 5th)
Total gp XP: 4,000
Monster XP: 3,325
Story XP:
Complete: 7,742 Defeat: 3,871
Retreat: 1,936

Set Up An underhanded mage/thief wants to rob the woodland house of an old wizard, but he has heard that the abode is guarded by a terrifying monster. Knowing the mage is currently away, he hires the PCs to deliver a message to the wizard, hoping they will draw the attention of the monster while the wizard sneaks in and helps himself to what'’s inside. '• As a dying request, an old wizard asks the PCs to go to his cottage in the woods and free his pet, '“Snooki.'” He'’s too far gone to mention that Snooki is a belabra trained to guard his home.

The Lair
Winterthur Redberry is an eccentric wizard who has a cozy cottage in the woods. Since he lives outside town and doesn'’t want to have to carry too many offensive spells every day, he acquired a guardian for his home. The guardian, a belabra he named Snooki, has faithfully performed its duties for years. Though it has been trained to grasp and hold intruders when the mage is at home, Snooki tends to get confused about what to do if the wizard is away. If harmed, Snooki will attack full force. Unknown to the PCs, Snooki has also just become a mother, giving birth to six little belabra babies. Snooki will fight to protect them, too. If using the first Set Up, the DM should change the description to fit the circumstances.

The Wizard’s Cottage
After traveling for about three hours through the woods, the PCs come upon the wizard'’s house. It is a cozy whitewashed cottage with a small herb garden out front. A large gray rock sits under a leafy, green tree off to the right of the garden. A small, beaten earth path leads to the door. As the PCs approach the house, two tiny tentacled belabra babies glide by on an errant gust of wind. If they are attacked, if the PCs turn to watch them, or if the PCs move to enter the house, Snooki (the rock) launches an attack at them. The babies fight as well, drawn by the sounds of battle and seeing '“Mamma'” beset.

Snooki (belabra): Int Low; AL N; AC -2 (head), 6 (tentacles); MV 3, Fl 6 (E); HD 4+4; hp 36; THAC0 15; #AT 1 entangle or 1 ram; Dmg 2-8 (ram only); SA Bite and barbed tentacles; SD Blood spray; SZ M (5'’ long); ML Champion (16); XP 975

A head ram causes 2d4 points of damage. The barbed tentacles covering the head inflict 1d4+2 points of damage to creatures caught in them. The bite of the belabra causes 1d8 points of damage. The AC 6 parts of the creature can only be reached when the belabra has entangled a foe. Its injured tentacles spray a gray-white blood that requires all humans, elves, and halflings within 10 feet to save vs. poison with a -3 penalty or be partially blinded and be overcome with a sneezing fit. Those so affected suffer a -4 penalty to their attack rolls and their AC is penalized by -2 for 3d8 rounds.

Baby Belabras (6): These little newborns have the same statistics as their mother, except their head ram inflicts only 1-4 points of damage, their THAC0 is 18, they are HD 2+2, and each has 16 hp. Their tentacles cause only 2 points of damage and their bite causes 1-4 points of damage. Their blood has the same effect as their mother'’s. Babies do not check morale as long as their mother is still fighting. If she falls or abandons the fight, they immediately try to flee. The babies are worth 175 XP each. If a fight begins, the herbalist (a druid) hears the commotion and comes to investigate. He sides with the belabra, since he knows old Winterthur and Snooki quite well. He shouts one warning, bidding everyone to stop fighting. Then he uses his spells to disable the PCs so they stop harming the poor belabra and her newborns.

Denius Autumnleaf, Herbalist, (N hm D6): AC 7; MV 12; hp 41; THAC0 18; #AT 1; Dmg 1-8; SZ M (5'’7'”); ML Elite (14); Str 13, Dex 12, Con 11, Int 10, Wis 16, Cha 16; XP 650

Denius wears leather armor and carries a wooden shield. He uses a normal scimitar. His spells for the day are: animal friendship, cure light wounds x2, entangle, faerie fire, charm person or animal, goodberry, obscurement, speak with animals, warp wood, plant growth, and summon insects.

The druid pays the PCs 2,000 gp if they do not kill Snooki (or her babies) or disable or free it elsewhere. If they stop a break-in, they receive a reward of 500 gp (and earn 650 more XP for the thief), and if they capture and sell one belabra baby, it is worth 1,500 gp. They should be unable to capture more than one, and if the druid is still there, he tries to prevent it. Denius tries to dissuade the PCs from taking any of the belabras by offering his services as an herbalist for free. He implies he is gaining power and might someday become a very high-level druid. Should they become his enemies, the PCs will want to avoid the woods.

Belabra

This creature resembles a man-sized flying jellyfish with twelve long tentacles. Four thin eyestalks protrude from its cap. Its cap is blackish-gray and its eyestalks are dark gray. BELABRA CR 3

XP 800
N Medium aberration
Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +10
DEFENSE
AC 15, touch 12, flat-footed 13 (+2 Dex, +3 natural) hp 30 (4d8+8 plus 4)
OFFENSE
Speed 5 ft., fly 20 ft. (poor)
Melee slam +6 (2d4+2), tentacles +4 (grab) or bite +6 (2d4+3), tentacles +4 (grab) Special Attacks acidic blood, tentacle-barbs
STATISTICS
Str 14, Dex 15, Con 14, Int 7, Wis 12, Cha 11 Base Atk +3; CMB +6 (+10 grapple); CMD 18 (can'€™t be tripped) Skills Fly -2, Perception +10, Stealth +9; Racial Modifiers +2 Perception
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Acidic Blood (Ex)
Each time a belabra is hit with a slashing or piercing weapon, all creatures within a 10-ft. radius must succeed on a DC 14 Reflex save or be sprayed by the creature'€™s acidic blood. The save DC is Constitution-based.

A creature that fails its save is partially blinded and overcome with fits of sneezing. Both effects last 1d6+2 rounds. An affected creature takes a '€“1 penalty to AC, loses its Dexterity bonus to AC (if any), moves at half speed, and takes a '€“2 penalty on Perception checks and on Strength'€“ and Dexterity-based skills and checks. All checks relying on vision (such as reading and Perception) have a 50% chance of failing. All opponents are considered to have concealment (20% miss chance) relative to the blinded character.

Tentacle-Barbs (Ex)
A belabra'€™s tentacles are lined with razor-sharp barbs. Anytime a grappled creature attempts to break free, it takes 1d4+1 points of piercing damage from the barbs.

Belabras are large, jellyfish-like omnivores that dwell in deep forests and thick undergrowth. They sustain themselves on a diet of plants, berries, and rodents. Particularly hungry belabras will attack larger creatures (such as humanoids).

Belabras (called '€œtanglers'€ by some) resemble jellyfish about 5 feet in diameter. Its eyes have no pupils. A small, bird-like beak is hidden among its array of tentacles. A belabra attacks by slamming into its opponents with its hard, chitinous shell or by lashing out with its tentacles. Grabbed opponents are pulled in and bitten.