High Forest Monsters

Plants and Oozes

Monsters and Swarms

Fey & Other (Very Uncommon)

Animals

Blackroot Marauder

by James Jacobs, DRAGON #270, April 2000 Medium Construct
Hit Dice: 8d10 (64 hp)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 19 (+1 Dex, +8 natural), touch 11, flatfooted 18
Base Attack/Grapple: +6/+10
Attack: Claw +10 melee (1d4+4 and poison) or thorns +7 ranged (1d6 and poison)
Full Attack: 2 claws +10 melee (1d4+4 and poison) or thorns +7 ranged (1d6 and poison)
Space/Reach: 5 feet/5 feet
Special Attacks: Poison, thorns
Special Qualities: Construct traits, DR 5/—, detect good, electricity immunity, natural camouflage, restful state, tremorsense 60 ft.
Saves: Fort +2, Ref +3, Will +4
Abilities: Str 18, Dex 12, Con —, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 10
Skills: Hide +14, Listen +7, Move Silently +3, Survival +8
Feats: Ability Focus (poison), Stealthy, Track
Environment: Any forest
Organization: Solitary or gang (2-4)
Challenge Rating: 5
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Usually neutral evil
Advancement: 9-14 (Large); 15-24 (Huge)
Level Adjustment: +8 This foul creature resembles a sapling covered with black leaves and sharp thorns. It is humanoid in shape, with broad, powerful legs and long, willowy arms that end with three fierce talons. The faint outline of a leering, twisted face appears in the beast's bark.
Blackroot marauders lurk within dense forests, usually at the command of a powerful evil cleric or arcane spellcaster. Marauders are spawned in elaborate, expensive rituals first created by cabals of evil clerics and dark druids willing to take any measures to protect their wildlands from others. In lands ruled by evil clerics, blackroot marauders infest forests where they function as guardians, watchers, and hunters. They stalk and ambush elves, gnomes, rangers, and others wilderness warriors who might seek to unseat an evil regime. Unfortunately, the lore needed to produce these beasts has spread far and wide.
COMBAT Blackroot marauders are deadly foes due to their patience and skill for fading into the terrain in dense, forested areas. A marauder might remain still for weeks on end by a forest trail, silently waiting for its prey to fall into its trap.
A swarm of marauders might slowly creep up on an encampment or castle, shifting into position so slowly that their prey fails to notice the gradual rise in the number of trees and the density of the underbrush in the area.
Poison (Ex): A blackroot maruader's claw attacks deliver a deadly venom. The poison's initial and secondary damage is 1d8 damage. A DC 18 Fortitude save resist the poison. This DC is Constitution-based and includes a +2 racial bonus and a +2 bonus from the Ability Focus feat.
Thorns (Ex): A blackroot marauder can fire a volley of thorns from its body at a single foe within 30 feet. This attack deals 1d6 damage and delivers the marauder's poison.
Detect Good (Su): The blackroot marauder can cast detect good at will as a free action. It can also maintain its concentration on this spell as a free action. The marauder casts this spell as a loth-level cleric.
Natural Camouflage (Ex): As long as a blackroot marauder remains still, it gains a +8 bonus on all Hide checks made in wooded areas. Its unique appearance allows it to easily blend into its surroundings.
Restful State (Ex): Unlike other constructs, the blackroot marauder heals naturally. If it remains stationary in an area with thick, loamy soil capable of supporting tree life, it heals 5 hit points of damage per day.
CREATING A BLACKROOT MARAUDER An evil cleric with access to the Plant domain or an evil druid can create a blackroot marauder through an involved ritual. The first step in creating a marauder is to locate a young sapling about 7 feet tall. The sapling must grow in the wild. After clearing the area around the sapling in a 15-foot radius, the sapling must then be kept from direct sunlight for one month. At sunrise and sunset for that month, the cleric or druid must pour the blood of an intelligent creature over the sapling's roots. At the end of the month, the cleric or druid must cast animate plants, command plants, detect good, and poison. After casting these spells, the cleric or druid must spread crushed rubies worth 5,000 gp around the base of the tree. The tree then dies and animates as a blackroot marauder.

Bonetree

by James Jacobs, DRAGON #280, February 2001 Huge Plant
Hit Dice: 11d8+55 (104 hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 0 ft.
Armor Class: 12 (-2 size, +4 natural), touch 8, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +8/+16
Attack: Stinging vines +6 melee (1d4 and poison)
Full Attack: Stinging vines +6 melee (1d4 and poison)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./10 ft., 30 ft. with stinging vines
Special Attacks: Constitution drain, poison, stinging vines
Special Qualities: Bonegrowth, energy flash, fire resistance 10, plant traits, tremorsense 60 ft.
Saves: Fort +12, Ref +3, Will +3
Abilities: Str 10, Dex 10, Con 20, Int —, Wis 10, Cha 2
Skills: —
Feats: —
Environment: Warm marsh
Organization: Solitary or grove (2-8)
Challenge Rating: 5
Treasure: 1/10 coins; 50% goods; 50% items
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 12-16 HD (Huge); 17-32 HD (Gargantuan); 33+ HD (Colossal)
Level Adjustment: — This twisted and bulbous treelike creature possesses a number of lashing vines instead of normal branches.
The bonetree is a particularly horrible form of carnivorous plant that subsists on the various minerals found in bones. It has developed an efficient method of extracting additional nourishment from prey, both living and dead, allowing it to grow much larger than the other plants in its region.
A bonetree is a swamp-dwelling plant. It is similar to a mangrove plant in that its trunk is bulbous and lumpy and its thick nest of roots is mostly above ground.
Dozens of spindly branches grow out of the top of the trunk, but its sides are barren save for hundreds of knots and jagged holes the size of an apple. The tree's bark is pale brown and its branches are leafless. For a short period of time after feeding, a bonetree can grow thick bony plates and spurs over its body to aid it in attack and defense.
A typical bonetree is 25 feet tall. Although its growth slows after reaching this height, a bonetree continues to grow its entire life. A well-fed bonetree can live for hundreds of years and reach heights of 100 feet or more.
COMBAT When a bonetree senses prey, it begins to rattle its branches in anticipation. This creates an unnerving sound that resembles a nest of rattlesnakes.
Constitution Drain (Ex): Once it has paralyzed a victim, the stinging vines automatically attach to the victim. The vines quickly extrude a nest of tiny filaments that worm their way into the flesh of the victim and begin to exude a horrible enzyme that dissolves bone while leaving surrounding tissues intact. This process drains 1 point of Constitution each round following the round in which the vine latched on to the victim. These feeding filaments are quite fragile and cannot be used against a mobile creature. Removing the filaments from a paralyzed or otherwise helpless victim requires an opposed Strength check and is a move-equivalent action.
Poison (Ex): Anyone struck by the bonetree's stinging vines must make a successful DC 20 Fortitude save. If the saving throw fails, the character takes 1d6 points of temporary Dexterity damage. A second save must be made 1 minute later to avoid 1d6 points of secondary Dexterity damage and paralysis.
The poison's save DC is Constitution-based.
Stinging Vines (Ex): Seconds after a bonetree senses prey, a writhing forest of stinging vines whips out of the numerous holes that dot its trunk. These vines flail about to a range of 30 feet, attacking any creature in range. A bonetree can attack all such creatures in range at the same time, but it can make only one attack roll per target. The bonetree can even attack targets underwater or behind cover (although the AC bonus for the target's cover applies).
Bonegrowth (Ex): Once a bonetree has drained at least 3 points of Constitution from a victim or victims, it can "sweat" a foul-smelling mixture of liquefied bone and enzymes from its body as a free action. This layer of sweat hardens into interlocking bony plates in a single round, raising the bonetree's natural armor bonus from +4 to +8 on the bonetree's next action after it has drained the third point of Constitution.
Once a bonetree has drained 6 points of Constitution, it can grow razor sharp bony spurs out of its stinging vines; the spurs fall off after 10 minutes (at which time the bonetree gathers them up to eat them), but until they do so the bonetree's stinging vines deal 3d4 points of damage on a successful hit.
The bony exoskeleton degrades at the rate of 1 point of natural armor bonus per hour until it is completely reabsorbed by the tree.
Energy Flash (Ex): A bonetree's trunk is charged with energy. When it is struck forcefully, this energy is released in a flash of blinding light. Each time a bonetree is struck for damage, the attacker must make a DC 15 Fortitude save or be blinded for 1 round. Those standing at least 30 feet away gain a +4 bonus on this saving throw. The flash's maximum range is 60 feet.
Creatures in the vicinity can also avert their gaze from the bonetree to avoid this effect.

Ciruja Plant

by James Jacobs, DRAGON #276, October 2000 Small Plant
Hit Dice: 3d8+9 (22 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 5 ft. (1 square), Climb 5 ft.
Armor Class: 13 (+2 Dex, +1 size), touch 12, flat-footed 11
Base Attack/Grapple: +2/-2
Attack: Frond +3 melee (1d3)
Full Attack: 2 fronds +3 melee (1d3)
Space/Reach: 5 ft/5 ft.
Special Attacks: Aging, poison gas
Special Qualities: Plant traits, tremorsense 60 ft.
Saves: Fort +6, Ref +3, Will -3
Abilities: Str 10, Dex 14, Con 16, Int —, Wis 2, Cha 1
Skills: —
Feats: —
Environment: Temperate mountains
Organization: Solitary or Patches (1-6)
Challenge Rating: 3
Treasure: None
Alignment: Neutral
Advancement: 4-8 HD (Medium); 9-12 HD (Large)
Level Adjustment: — This strange plant appears to have all its roots above ground, supporting a body of a cluster of narrow, triangular fronds that grow to about afoot off the ground. Bright red berries and small blue and white flowers are scattered throughout these fronds.
The ciruja plant is a hardy species that grows on the narrow ledges high on the cliffs of the Wormcrawl Fissure. The plant's root system is completely above ground and consists of a fibrous mass of thick tendrils that allow it to cling to sheer surfaces with ease. These roots give it a limited form of movement as well. When the ciruja senses food, a tall central stalk rises to a height of about 3 feet above these fronds. This stalk is topped by a bright orange and yellow flower.
Despite its beautiful appearance, the ciruja plant is one of the most dangerous threats of the Wormcrawl Fissure, for it feeds on other creatures' youth. The process by which the ciruja plant causes organic matter to age rapidly has baffled the greatest minds of Greyhawk for ages. More than one sage has died of premature old age while studying a captured ciruja plant.
Although ciruja plants do not carry treasure with them, there is a 10% chance that an encountered plant will have just finished a meal, leaving behind the inorganic "waste" carried by its prey. In this case, consider the ciruja plant to have a treasure rating of Standard.
COMBAT A ciruja plant can defend itself from melee attacks by lashing about with up to two of its sharp leafy fronds.
This is an attack of last resort, however; it relies on its central stalk to subdue its prey.
Aging (Su): Once the ciruja has paralyzed a victim, its roots go to work. They burrow into the dermal tissue of the victim in the space of a single round. Each point of natural or armor bonus on Armor Class possessed by the victim increases this time by 1 round. Once the roots are attached, the ciruja feeds on the victim's youth.
Each round that passes, the victim ages ld10 years. This has no positive benefits for the victim; a creature who might grow more powerful with age does not benefit as if it had lived those years. Once the victim reaches maximum age, it dies. Should a victim survive long enough to awaken, the ciruja fires another gas sphere.
The ciruja's roots consume everything organic—even bones quickly turn to dust. The only remains are any inorganic items carried by the victim.
Poison Gas (Ex): Once prey is detected, the ciruja's central stalk extends outward and expels a small spheroid at the target. This is the ciruja's primary attack, and it is treated as a +5 ranged touch attack with a range increment of 10 feet. When the spheroid strikes a solid surface, it explodes into a cloud of pale yellow gas that fills a 5-foot-diameter circle. Living creatures that come in contact with this gas must make a DC 14 Fortitude save or be paralyzed for 3d6 minutes. A ciruja generally has eight spheroids available to launch at a time. Expended spheroids regrow in 24 hours. It is possible to harvest these spheroids for use as grenadelike weapons with a successful DC 25 Disable Device check. Harvested spheroids remain potent for 6 hours.
The save DC of this ability is Constitution-based.

Seelie Court Fey

by Gwendolyn F. M. Kestral, DRAGON #304, February 2003 The seelie court fey view themselves as the most lovely of the beautiful, the most charming of the desirable, and the most exquisite of all living creatures. Purity and beauty form the basis of their social status. Ordinary fey fall short of the seelie court fey's status but, while not regarded as equals, are at least tolerated. Unseelie fey are considered repulsive and usually driven out of seelie court fey demesnes. Seelie court fey dismiss all other beings as beneath their regard. Occasionally, however, a seelie court fey develops a fondness for a particularly beautiful or talented nonfey, such as a bard with a very high Perform skill or a weaver with a very high Craft skill. The fey cosset these talented mortals like favored pets. While circumstances might occasionally force a seelie court fey to associate with nonfey as equals, they rarely do so willingly or with pleasure.
Fey high-society and the fey realms, be they the Plane of Faerie or fey high-society enclaves on the Material Plane, contain the only creatures whose opinions matter. Politicking thrives in this elitist environment. Seelie fey, having perfected contempt and disdain for other creatures, also form cliques and factionalize among themselves.
SAMPLE SEELIE COURT FEY The creature blossoms out of the bark of the ancient tree, at first appearing as a new branch before solidifying into a decidedly female shape. She has a wild, unfathomable look in her large, almond-shaped eyes, and her hair has a pronounced, leafy texture, while her skin looks like burnished wood.

Seelie Court Dryad

Medium Fey
Hit Dice: 4d6 (14 hp)
Initiative: +4
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 17 (+4 Dex, +3 natural), touch 14, flatfooted 13
Base Attack/Grapple: +2/+2
Attack: Dagger +6 melee (1d4) or masterwork longbow +7 ranged (1d8)
Full Attack: Dagger +6 melee (1d4) or masterwork longbow +7 ranged (1d8)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Spell-like abilities, vernal touch
Special Qualities: Aura of glory, DR 5/cold iron, iron vulnerability, sanctuary, SR14, tree dependent, wild empathy
Saves: Fort +3, Ref +8, Will +6
Abilities: Str 10, Dex 19, Con 11, Int 14, Wis 15, Cha 18
Skills: Escape Artist +11, Handle Animal +11, Hide +11, Knowledge (nature) +11, Listen +9, Move Silently +11, Ride +6, Spot +9, Survival +9, Use Rope +4 (+6 with bindings)
Feats: Great Fortitude, Weapon Finesse
Environment: Temperate forests
Organization: Solitary or grove (4-7)
Challenge Rating: 4
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Usually chaotic good
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: — A seelie dryad's delicate features are much like a female elf's, though her flesh is like bark or fine wood, and her hair is like a canopy of leaves that changes color with the seasons.
Seelie dryads speak Common, Elven, and Sylvan.
Combat Shy, intelligent, and resolute, seelie dryads are as elusive as they axe alluring—they avoid physical combat and are rarely seen. If threatened, or in need of an ally, a seelie dryad uses charm person or suggestion, attempting to gain control of the attacker(s) who could help the most against the rest. Any attack on her tree, however, provokes the dryad into a frenzied defense.
Spell-Like
Abilities: At will—entangle (DC 13), speak with plants, tree shape; 3/day—charm person (DC 13), deep slumber (DC 15), tree stride; 1/day—charm person (DC 13), command (DC 13), create food and water, disrupt undead (DC 12), enthrall (DC 14), prestidigitation, suggestion (DC 15), unseen servant.
Caster level 6th. The save DCs are Wisdom-based.
Vernal Touch (Su): To receive a vernal touch is like being kissed by springtime itself, full of life and promise. At will, as a standard action, the seelie fey can touch a creature with a vernal touch. This touch removes dazed, nauseated, fatigued, and exhausted conditions from living creatures. For undead creatures, a seelie court fey's touch attack acts like a cleric's ability to turn undead as a cleric of two levels lower would.
Unlike a cleric's turn ability, each use of vernal touch affects only the touched undead.
Aura of Glory (Su): A seelie court fey radiates calm.
She is immune to fear (magical or otherwise). Allies within 10 feet of her gain a morale bonus on saving throws against fear effects equal to the seelie court fey's Charisma bonus.
Damage Reduction: Wood and silver weapons have little effect against seelie court creatures, but cold iron weapons harm them as normal.
Iron Vulnerability (Ex): The mere touch of iron (including steel) deals 1 point of damage to the seelie court fey. A hit with an iron or steel weapon deals an additional +1d6 points of damage. The fey's DR protects it from this damage. Roll the damage as normal and apply DR, unless the weapon can defeat the fey's DR.
Sanctuary (Sp): Once per day, a seelie court fey can cast sanctuary on herself Unlike a normal casting of the spell, this ability affects only the seelie court fey. Caster level 4th; DC 15.
Tree Dependent (Su): Each dryad is mystically bound to a single, enormous oak tree and must never stray more than 300 yards from it. Any who do become ill and die within 4d6 hours. A dryad's oak does not radiate magic.
Wild Empathy (Ex): This power works like the druid's wild empathy class feature, except that the dryad has a +6 racial bonus on the check.
CREATING A SEELIE COURT FEY "Seelie court fey" is a template that can be added to any fey creature (referred to hereafter as the "base creature") if it has exclusively fey ancestry.
Creatures who have become fey through any means other than having been born fey from purely fey parents are not welcome in the seelie court. A seelie court fey uses all the base creature's statistics and special abilities except as noted here.
Special Attacks: A seelie court fey retains all the special attacks of the base creature and also gains vernal touch.
Spell-Like
Abilities: Seelie court fey with an Intelligence or Wisdom score of 8 or higher possess the following spell-like abilities, using their HD as the caster level, as specified in the table below. Each ability is useable once per day.
Vernal Touch (Su): To receive a vernal touch is like being kissed by springtime itself, full of life and promise.
At will, as a standard action, the seelie fey can touch a creature with a vernal touch. This touch removes dazed, nauseated, fatigued, and exhausted conditions from living creatures. For undead creatures, a seelie court fey's touch attack acts like a cleric's ability to turn undead as a cleric of two levels lower would. Unlike a cleric's turn ability, each use of vernal touch affects only the touched undead.
Special Qualities: A seelie court fey retains all the special qualities of the base creature and gains the following abilities.
Aura of Glory (Su): A seelie court fey radiates calm. She is immune to fear (magical or otherwise). Allies within 10 SEELIE COURT FEY DR AND SPELL-LIKE ABILITIES H I T DICE DAMAGE REDUCTION ABILITY 1 5/cold iron Command, disrupt undead, prestidigitation 2-3 5/cold iron As above, plus charm person, unseen servant 5/cold iron As above, plus create food and water, enthrall 6-7 5/cold iron As above, plus minor creation*, suggestion 8-9 5/cold iron As above, plus charm monster, Leomund's secure shelter 10-11 10/cold iron As above, plus major creation* 12+ 10/cold iron As above, plus Mordenkainen's magnificent mansion, mass suggestion *ltems created by seelie court fey using these spell-like abilities vanish if touched by iron or steel. Fey cannot create iron or steel items.
feet of her gain a morale bonus on saving throws against fear effects equal to the seelie court fey's Charisma bonus.
Damage Reduction: Wood and silver weapons have little effect against seelie court creatures, but cold iron weapons harm them as normal.
Iron Vulnerability (Ex): The mere touch of iron (including steel) deals 1 point of damage to the seelie court fey. A hit with an iron or steel weapon deals an additional +1d6 points of damage. The fey's DR protects it from this damage. Roll the damage as normal and apply DR, unless the weapon can defeat the fey's DR.
Sanctuary (Sp): Once per day, a seelie court fey can cast sanctuary on herself Unlike a normal casting of the spell, this ability affects only the seelie court fey. Caster level equal to HD; DC 11 + Charisma bonus.
Spell Resistance: SR equal to 10 + base creature's HD. If the creature has better spell resistance already, use that value instead.
Skills: A seelie court fey receives a +4 racial bonus on Bluff, Craft, or Perform (one only, chosen at the time the template is applied), and Diplomacy checks. Selfabsorbed, they also receive a -4 penalty on Listen and Spot checks.
Environment: Any land and underground.
Challenge Rating: As base creature +1.
Alignment: Any

Unseelie Fey

by Gwendolyn F. M. Kestral, DRAGON #304, February 2003 Fey can breed with anything and—except for the pure-blood-minded seelie court fey—often do. The offspring of these liaisons are unusual creatures, blending characteristics of both parents, sometimes able to pass as a parent's creature type. In turn, these half-breeds mate and pass on a blend of features and abilities. After several generations, these mixed creatures often resemble things out of nightmares or a mad wizard's experiment.
These oddities generally are spurned by their nonfey ancestor's society. The seelie court fey view these creatures at best as pathetic half-breeds to be spurned with contempt and at worst as despicable perversions of all that is fey, to be hunted down and put out of their misery.
SAMPLE UNSEELIE FEY This playful-looking gnome bears a pair of dragonfly wings fluttering softly on her back and a cruel smile on her face.
Summer Unseelie Fey 1st-Level Gnome Warrior Small Fey
Hit Dice: 1d8+2 (6 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares), fly 40 ft. (average)
Armor Class: 16 (+1 size, +2 Dex, +2 leather, +1 light shield), touch 13, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +1/-4
Attack: Longsword +0 melee (1d6/19-20) or light crossbow +5 ranged (1d6/10-20)
Full Attack: Longsword +0 melee (1d6/19-20) or light crossbow +5 ranged (1d6/19-2o)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Summer caress
Special Qualities: Gnome traits, iron vulnerability
Saves: Fort +4, Ref +2, Will -1
Abilities: Str 9, Dex 13, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 9, Cha 10
Skills: Hide +4, Intimidate +4, Listen +1, Spot +1
Feats: Weapon Focus (light crossbow)
Environment: Temperate hills
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 1
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Always evil (any)
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: +0 The summer unseelie fey gnome is cruel in her pranks and interactions with others.
Combat Summer unseelie fey gnomes prefer misdirection and deception over direct confrontation.
They would rather befuddle or embarrass foes before killing them.
Summer unseelie fey gnomes make heavy use of illusion magic and carefully prepared ambushes and traps whenever they can.
Summer Caress (Su): Surrounded as if by the warm, verdant air of summer, an unseelie fey with summer's caress is protected by a magic circle of nature. This ability functions much like a magic circle against evil, except that it protects against attacks from all creatures of any alignment except for those of the animal, beast, fey, or magical beast creature types. Caster level 1st.
CREATING AN UNSEELIE FEY "Unseelie fey" is a template that can be added to any living creature type (referred to hereafter as the "base creature"). The creature's type becomes "fey." It uses all the base creature's statistics and special abilities except as noted here.
Hit Dice: d6 or by character class.
Speed: Many fey have wings. Some of them are mere vestiges unable to support the weight of the unseelie fey, but most are usable, enabling the creature to fly at twice the base creature's normal speed (average maneuverability). A base creature that normally has wings might have wings unusual for its kind. Wings can be of any type listed on the following table. Select the wings or roll randomly (see the table below).
D % ROLL TYPE OF WINGS 01-33 None 34-50 Unusable wings of a type listed below 51-60 Batlike 61-70 Birdlike 71-80 Butterflylike/Mothlike 81-90 Dragonlike/Scaled 91-100 Insectlike
Special Attacks: An unseelie fey retains all the special attacks of the base creature and also gains one seasonal power described below.
Season's Power: An unseelie fey has a powerful connection to one of the seasons and gains a power related to it.
• Vernal Touch (Su): To receive a vernal touch is like being kissed by springtime itself, full of life and promise. At will, as a standard action, the unseelie fey can touch a creature with a vernal touch. This touch removes dazed, nauseated, fatigued, and exhausted conditions from living creatures. For undead creatures, an unseelie fey's vernal touch attack acts like a cleric's ability to turn undead as a cleric of two levels lower than the unseelie fey's Hit Dice.
Unlike a cleric's turn ability, each use of vernal touch affects only the touched undead.
• Summer Caress (Su): Surrounded as if by the warm, verdant air of summer, an unseelie fey with summer caress is protected by a magic circle of nature.
This ability functions much like a magic circle against evil, except that it protects against attacks from all creatures of any alignment except for those of the animal, beast, fey, or magical beast creature types. Caster level equals HD.
• Autumn Harvest (Su): Autumn is a time of endings.
As a standard action, an unseelie fey can touch a creature with a special dispelling touch. This touch acts as a targeted dispel magic. The unseelie fey can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 1 + Charisma modifier (minimum 1). Caster level equal to HD.
• Winter Chill (Su): An unseelie fey with winter chill has a presence that disquiets nonfey. The more beautiful the creature is, the more uncomfortable other creatures feel. living, nonfey creatures within 5 feet of her feel uneasy and take a morale penalty on saves equal to the unseelie fey's Charisma bonus (minimum 1).
Special Qualities: An unseelie fey retains all the special qualities of the base creature and also gains fey qualities and those listed below.
Damage Reduction: The unseelie fey gains DR based on its HD.
H I T DICE DAMAGE REDUCTION 1-3 None 4-7 5/cold iron 8-11 10/cold iron 12+ 15/cold iron Iron Vulnerability (Ex): The mere touch of iron (including steel) deals 1 point of damage to the unseelie fey. A hit with an iron or steel weapon deals an additional +1d6 points of damage. The fey's DR protects it from this damage. Roll the damage as normal and apply DR, unless the weapon can defeat the fey's DR.
Vision (Ex): Most unseelie fey have low-light vision.
Some strange breeding combinations create odd alternatives, as per the table below.
Abilities: The unseelie fey gains the following modifiers to its base creature's attributes: -2 Strength, +2 Dexterity, -2 Constitution, +2 Charisma.
Skills: An unseelie fey gains a +4 racial bonus on Intimidate checks.
Environment: Any.
Alignment: Always evil.

HALF-FEY CENTAUR

Large Fey
Hit Dice: 4d6+4 (18 hp)
Initiative: +8
Speed: 50 ft., fly 100 ft. (good)
AC: 16 (–1 size, +3 Dex, +2 natural, +2 large shield), touch 12, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +2/+10
Attack: Greatclub +7 melee (or heavy lance +7 melee), or mighty composite longbow (+4 Str bonus) +5 ranged
Full Attack: Greatclub +7 melee (or heavy lance +7 melee) and 2 hooves +7 melee, or mighty composite longbow (+4 Str bonus) +5 ranged
Damage: Greatclub 1d10+4 (or heavy lance 1d8+4), hoof 1d6+4, or mighty composite longbow (+4 Str bonus) 1d8+4
Face/Reach: 10 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks: Spell-like abilities
Special Qualities: Half-fey traits
Saves: Fort +2, Ref +8, Will +3
Abilities: Str 18, Dex 16, Con 13, Int 8, Wis 15, Cha 15
Skills: Hide +10, Listen +9, Move Silently +10, Spot +9, Survival +9
Feats: Improved Initiative, Weapon Focus (hoof )
Climate/Terrain: Temperate forest
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 4
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Always chaotic (any)
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: +4 The magical nature of fey allows them to crossbreed with virtually any other creature. The offspring of the resulting unions, half-fey, are enigmatic and freespirited beings.
Fey are deeply curious about other creatures, spending a great deal of time watching their behavior.
Sometimes they have dalliances with a nonfey, often forgetting that there are consequences for their actions. The progeny from these moments of passion are either completely ignored by the fey parent or utterly embraced, with the parent teaching it secrets that only the fey can know.
Half-fey vary wildly in their appearance, and no two are exactly alike. Half-fey can either be beautiful and comely, with exaggerated and chiseled features, or misshapen and troll-like. Sometimes it is apparent from birth that a child is not normal, but other times it takes several years for odd features to emerge.
Regardless of what form they take, half-fey are always charismatic and intriguing to gaze upon. They always have at least one or more distinctive attribute, such as wings, jeweled or knotty skin, or hair made of flowers.
Half-fey never truly fit into any mortal society, being considered alien and strange beyond compare. Because of their ability to charm and lay curses, some half-fey are persecuted by superstitious populations. However, half-fey are usually accepted to some degree among fey, who look past superficial aspects such as appearance.
Good half-fey are usually devoted, if capricious, defenders of the wilderness and do their best to keep it unspoiled. Evil half-fey are malicious, petty, vindictive, and sadistic, delighting in the chaos and mayhem that they can cause.
The sample half-fey described here uses a centaur as the base creature. Half-fey centaurs often lead other groups of fey or centaurs against incursions by evil beings into forested areas.
COMBAT Half-fey centaurs are usually belligerent and swaggering combatants, combining the capriciousness of fey with the bravery of centaurs.
Half-fey centaurs usually charge into battle by flying in, then taking to hoof for the final combat.
Spell-Like
Abilities: At will—charm person; 3/day—detect law; 1/day— enthrall, faerie fire, hypnotism.
Caster level 12th; DC 12 + spell level.
Half-Fey Traits: Half-fey have low-light vision and are immune to enchantment spells and effects.
THE HALF-FEY TEMPLATE “Half-fey” is an inherited template that can be added to any corporeal living creature (referred to hereafter as the base creature). The creature’s type changes to fey. It uses all the base creature’s statistics and special abilities except as noted here.
Hit Dice: Change to d6.
Speed: All half-fey have butterflylike wings unless the base creature has wings already. A half-fey that did not already have wings gains a fly speed equal to twice the base creature’s fastest mode of movement, with good maneuverability.
Special Attacks: A half-fey with Wisdom or Charisma of 8 or higher (after the ability score adjustments noted below) gains spell-like abilities, using its Hit Dice as its caster level.
The table below lists the abilities available. These abilities are cumulative; a half-fey with 3 HD can use the abilities on the 1–2 HD row on the table as well as those on the 3–4 HD row. When a half-fey gets a choice between two abilities (such as faerie fire or glitterdust at 1–2 HD), it can choose anew between these abilities each day.
HD Abilities 1–2 Charm person at will, hypnotism 1/day, faerie fire or glitterdust 1/day 3–4 Detect law 3/day, sleep or enthrall 1/day 5–6 Protection from law 3/day, Tasha’a hideous laughter or suggestion 1/day 7–8 Confusion or emotion 1/day 9–10 Eyebite or lesser geas 1/day 11–12 Dominate person or hold monster 1/day 13–14 Mass invisibility 1/day 15–16 Geas/quest or mass suggestion 1/day 17–18 Insanity or mass charm 1/day 19+ Otto’s irresistible dance 1/day
Special Qualities: Half-fey have low-light vision and are immune to enchantment spells and effects.
Abilities: Adjust from the base creature as follows: Dex +2, Con –2, Wis +2, Cha +4.
Skills: A half-fey has skill points equal to (6 + its Int modifier) × (its Hit Dice + 3). Treat skills possessed by the base creature as class skills and other skills as cross-class.
If the creature has a class, it gains skill points for class levels normally.
Challenge Rating: Same as the base creature +1.
Level Adjustment: Same as the base creature +2.
Alignment: Usually chaotic (any).
HALF-FEY CHARACTERS Half-fey characters often have a character class, favoring rogues, bard, druids, rangers, and sorcerers. Half-fey clerics are exceedingly rare.

FORMIAN

FORMIAN Formians hail from the plane of Mechanus. They seek to colonize all that they see and incorporate all living things into their hive as workers.
Expansionist in the extreme, formians are dedicated to spreading their colonies until they have taken over everything and their order is unquestioned. To further this end, they attack all other creatures, usually to put them to work building and expanding cities. Formians maintain these “conscripted” workers as well as those mentally dominated by the power of their taskmasters.
A formian resembles a cross between an ant and a centaur. All formians are covered in a brownish-red carapace; size and appearance differs for each variety.
COMBAT Formians are generally aggressive, seeking to subdue all they encounter. If they perceive even the slightest threat to their hive-city or to their queen, they attack immediately and fight to the death. Any formian also attacks immediately if ordered to do so by a superior.
Hive Mind (Ex): All formians within 50 miles of their queen are in constant communication. If one is aware of a particular danger, they all are. If one in a group is not flatfooted, none of them are. No formian in a group is considered flanked unless all of them are.
FORMIAN SOCIETY Formians build fabulous hive-cities in which hundreds of the creatures dwell. They are born into their station, with no ability to progress. Workers obey orders given by warriors, myrmarchs, or the queen. Warriors carry out the will of their myrmarch commanders or the queen. Myrmarchs take orders only from the queen herself, although they have different ranks depending on services rendered.
These are not positions of power but of prestige. The most prestigious of the myrmarchs guard the queen. Taskmasters are equal in rank to warriors but seldom interact with other formians.
WORKER This creature is about the size of a jackal or bulldog. It looks like an ant, but holds its head and thorax upright. It has humanlike shoulders and arms ending in rudimentary hands with blunt claws.
Workers are the lowest-ranking and most common formians. They exist only to serve, performing all the necessary, lowly tasks that the hive needs done.
While workers cannot speak, they can convey simple concepts (such as danger) by body movements. Through the hive mind, however, they can communicate just fine—although their intelligence still limits the concepts that they can grasp.
A worker is about 3 feet long and about 2-1/2 feet high at the front. It weighs about 60 pounds. Its hands are suitable only for manual labor.
Combat Formian workers fight only to defend their hive-cities, using their mandibled bite.
A formian worker’s natural weapons, as well as any weapons it wields, are treated as lawful-aligned for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.
Cure Serious Wounds (Sp): Eight workers together can heal a creature’s wounds as though using the cure serious wounds spell (caster level 7th). This is a full-round action for all eight workers.
Make Whole (Sp): Three workers together can repair an object as though using the make whole spell (caster level 7th). This is a fullround action for all three workers.
WARRIOR This creature is about the size of a pony. It looks like an ant, but holds its head and thorax upright. Its mouth features powerful-looking mandibles.
The creature has humanlike shoulders and arms ending in powerful hands with sharp claws. Its abdomen bears a stinger.
Formian warriors exist only to fight.
Warriors rank only slightly above workers. They communicate through the hive mind to convey battle plans and make reports to their commanders. They cannot speak otherwise.
A warrior is about is about 5 feet long and about 4-1/2 feet high at the front. It weighs about 180 pounds.
Combat Warriors are wicked combatants, using claws, bite, and a poisonous sting all at once. Through the hive mind, they attack with coordinated and extremely efficient tactics.
A formian warrior’s natural weapons, as well as any weapons it wields, are treated as lawful-aligned for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.
Poison (Ex): Injury, Fortitude DC 14, initial and secondary damage 1d6 Str. The save DC is Constitution-based.
TASKMASTER This creature is about the size of a pony. It looks like an ant, but holds its head and thorax upright. It does not appear to have a mouth. The creature has humanlike shoulders and arms ending in powerful hands with sharp claws. Its abdomen bears a stinger.
Taskmasters resemble warriors with no mandibles—no apparent mouth at all, in fact. These formians communicate only telepathically and derive sustenance from the mental energies of those they dominate.
A taskmaster’s duty is to gather and control nonformians for integration into the hive. Put simply, taskmasters enslave other creatures.
They do not enjoy controlling others but believe it is the only efficient way to spread the hive to all places, a desirable end for all rational creatures. If a taskmaster can manage to “conscript” a laborer without using its dominate monster ability, it will do so.
Those few souls who have escaped refer to formian hivecities as “work pits.” While formians are not cruel, they are still emotionless—and pitiless.
A taskmaster is about the same size as a warrior.
Combat Taskmasters rely on their dominated slaves to fight for them if at all possible. If necessary, though, they can defend themselves with claws and a poison sting.
A formian taskmaster’s natural weapons, as well as any weapons it wields, are treated as lawful-aligned for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.
Dominate Monster (Su): A taskmaster can use a dominate monster ability as the spell from a 10th-level caster (Will DC 17 negates), although the subject may be of any kind and may be up to Large size. Creatures that successfully save cannot be affected by the same taskmaster’s dominate monster ability for 24 hours. A single taskmaster can dominate up to four subjects at a time. The save DC is Charisma-based.
Dominated Creature (Ex): A taskmaster is never encountered alone. One dominated nonformian creature always accompanies it (choose or determine randomly any creature of CR 4).
Poison (Ex): Injury, Fortitude DC 15, initial and secondary damage 1d6 Str. The save DC is Constitution-based.
MYRMARCH This creature is about the size of a light horse. It looks like an ant, but holds its head and thorax upright. Its mouth features powerful-looking mandibles, and it wears an elaborate bronze helmet. The creature has humanlike shoulders and arms ending in humanlike hands. Its abdomen bears a stinger.
Myrmarchs are the elite of formian society. Much more than those beneath them, these creatures are individuals, with goals, desires, and creative thought. Very rarely do these thoughts conflict with the wishes of the queen, though—most myrmarchs are still very loyal to her.
Myrmarchs are commanders in formian armies and leaders in formian communities. They are the hands of the queen, carrying out her direct orders and making sure everything goes as she desires. Myrmarchs also have a secondary role: stamping out chaos wherever and whenever they can. Those who foment disorder, and particularly creatures that revere or exemplify it (such as slaadi), are the hated foes of myrmarchs.
A myrmarch is about is about 7 feet long and about 5-1/2 feet high at the front. It weighs about 1,500 pounds. Its claws are capable of fine manipulation, like human hands. Each myrmarch wears a bronze helm to signify its position (the more elaborate the helm, the more prestigious the position).
Myrmarchs speak Formian and Common.Combat Myrmarchs’ claws are like hands and thus serve no combat purpose.
Myrmarchs occasionally employ javelins for ranged attacks, coated with poison from their own stingers.
They fight intelligently, aiding those under them (if any such are present) and commanding them through the hive mind. If chaotic creatures are present, however, a myrmarch is singleminded in its quest to destroy them.
A formian myrmarch’s natural weapons, as well as any weapons it wields, are treated as lawful-aligned for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.
Poison (Ex): Injury, Fortitude DC 20, initial and secondary damage 2d6 Dex. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Spell-Like
Abilities: At will—charm monster (DC 17), clairaudience/ clairvoyance, detect chaos, detect thoughts (DC 15), magic circle against chaos, greater teleport; 1/day—dictum (DC 20), order’s wrath (DC 17). Caster level 12th. The save DCs are Charisma-based.
QUEEN This creature looks like a gigantic, bloated ant. Its legs seem atrophied and nonfunctional.
The formian queen sits at the center of the hive-city, her bloated form never moving from the royal chamber. She is served and guarded by the most loyal myrmarchs.
The formian queen cannot move. With her telepathic abilities, though, she can send instructions to and get reports from any formian within her range.
She is about 10 feet long, perhaps 4 feet high, and weighs about 3,500 pounds.
The queen speaks Formian and Common, although she can communicate with any creature telepathically.
Combat The queen does not fight. She has no ability to move. If necessary, a team of workers and myrmarchs (or dominated slaves) haul her enormous bulk to where she needs to go. This sort of occurrence is very rare, however, and most of the time the queen remains within her well-defended chambers.
Despite her utter lack of physical activity, the queen can cast spells and use spell-like abilities to great effect in her own defense as well as the defense of the hive-city.
Spells: The queen casts arcane spells as a 17th-level sorcerer.
Typical Sorcerer Spells Known (6/8/7/7/7/7/6/6/4, base save DC 15 + spell level): 0—acid splash, arcane mark, daze, detect magic, light, mage hand, read magic, resistance, touch of fatigue; 1st—comprehend languages, identify, mage armor, magic missile, shield; 2nd— hypnotic pattern, invisibility, protection from arrows, resist energy, scorching ray; 3rd—dispel magic, heroism, nondetection, slow; 4th— confusion, detect scrying, Evard’s black tentacles, scrying; 5th—cone of cold, dismissal, teleport, wall of force; 6th—analyze dweomer, geas/quest, repulsion; 7th—summon monster VII, vision, waves of exhaustion; 8th—prismatic wall, temporal stasis.
Spell-Like
Abilities: At will—calm emotions (DC 17), charm monster (DC 19), clairaudience/clairvoyance, detect chaos, detect thoughts, dictum (DC 22), divination, hold monster (DC 20), magic circle against chaos, order’s wrath (DC 19), shield of law (DC 23), true seeing. Caster level 17th. The save DCs are Charisma-based.
Telepathy (Su): The queen can communicate telepathically with any intelligent creature within 50 miles whose presence she is aware of..
Formian Worker Formian Warrior Formian Taskmaster Small Outsider Medium Outsider Medium Outsider (Lawful, Extraplanar) (Lawful, Extraplanar) (Lawful, Extraplanar)
Hit Dice: 1d8+1 (5 hp) 4d8+8 (26 hp) 6d8+12 (39 hp)
Initiative: +2 +3 +7
Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares) 40 ft. (8 squares) 40 ft. (8 squares)
Armor Class: 17 (+1 size, +2 Dex, +4 natural), 18 (+3 Dex, +5 natural), 19 (+3 Dex, +6 natural), touch 13, flat-footed 15 touch 13, flat-footed 15 touch 13, flat-footed 16
Base Attack/Grapple: +1/–2 +4/+7 +6/+10
Attack: Bite +3 melee (1d4+1) Sting +7 melee (2d4+3 Sting +10 melee (2d4+4 plus poison) plus poison)
Full Attack: Bite +3 melee (1d4+1) Sting +7 melee (2d4+3 plus poison) Sting +10 melee (2d4+4 and 2 claws +5 melee (1d6+1) and plus poison) and bite +5 melee (1d4+1) 2 claws +8 melee (1d6+2)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft. 5 ft./5 ft. 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: — Poison Dominate monster, dominated creature, poison
Special Qualities: Cure serious wounds, hive mind, Hive mind, immunity to poison, Hive mind, immunity to poison, immunity to poison, petrification, petrification, and cold, resistance to petrification, and cold, resistance and cold, make whole, resistance to electricity 10, fire 10, and sonic 10, to electricity 10, fire 10, and electricity 10, fire 10, and sonic 10 spell resistance 18 sonic 10, spell resistance 21, telepathy 100 ft.
Saves: Fort +3, Ref +4, Will +2 Fort +6, Ref +7, Will +5 Fort +7, Ref +8, Will +8
Abilities: Str 13, Dex 14, Con 13, Str 17, Dex 16, Con 14, Str 18, Dex 16, Con 14, Int 6, Wis 10, Cha 9 Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 11 Int 11, Wis 16, Cha 19
Skills: Climb +10, Craft (any one) +5, Climb +10, Hide +10, Jump +14, Climb +13, Diplomacy +6, Hide +6, Listen +4, Search +2, Listen +8, Move Silently +10, Hide +12, Intimidate +13, Listen +12, Spot +4 Search +7, Spot +8, Survival +1 Move Silently +12, Search +9, (+3 following tracks), Tumble +12 Sense Motive +12, Spot +12, Survival +3 (+5 following tracks)
Feats: Skill Focus (Craft [selected skill]) Dodge, Multiattack Dodge, Improved Initiative, Multiattack
Environment: Clockwork Nirvana of Mechanus Clockwork Nirvana of Mechanus Clockwork Nirvana of Mechanus
Organization: Team (2–4) or crew (7–18) Solitary, team (2–4), or troop (6–11) Solitary (1 plus 1 dominated creature) or conscription team (2–4 plus 1 dominated creature per team member)
Challenge Rating: 1/2 3 7
Treasure: None None Standard
Alignment: Always lawful neutral Always lawful neutral Always lawful neutral
Advancement: 2–3 HD (Medium) 5–8 HD (Medium); 7–9 HD (Medium); 9–12 HD (Large) 10–12 HD (Large) Formian Myrmarch Formian Queen Large Outsider (Lawful, Extraplanar) Large Outsider (Lawful, Extraplanar)
Hit Dice: 12d8+48 (102 hp) 20d8+100 (190 hp)
Initiative: +8 –5
Speed: 50 ft. (10 squares) 0 ft.
Armor Class: 28 (–1 size, +4 Dex, +15 natural), 23 (–1 size, +14 natural), touch 13, flat-footed 24 touch 9, flat-footed 23
Base Attack/Grapple: +12/+20 +20/+24
Attack: Sting +15 melee (2d4+4 plus poison) or — javelin +15 ranged (1d6+4)
Full Attack: Sting +15 melee (2d4+4 plus poison) and bite — +13 melee (2d6+2); or javelin +15/+10 ranged (1d6+4)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft. 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Poison, spell-like abilities Spell-like abilities, spells
Special Qualities: Fast healing 2, hive mind, immunity to poison, Fast healing 2, hive mind, immunity to poison, petrification, and cold, resistance to electricity 10, petrification, and cold, resistance to electricity 10, fire 10, and sonic 10, spell resistance 25 fire 10, and sonic 10, spell resistance 30, telepathy
Saves: Fort +12, Ref +12, Will +11 Fort +19, Ref —, Will +19
Abilities: Str 19, Dex 18, Con 18, Int 16, Wis 16, Cha 17 Str —, Dex —, Con 20, Int 20, Wis 20, Cha 21
Skills: Climb +19, Concentration +18, Diplomacy +20, Appraise +28, Bluff +28, Concentration +28, Hide +15, Knowledge (any one) +18, Listen +18, Diplomacy +32, Disguise +5 (+7 acting), Intimidate +30, Move Silently +19, Search +18, Sense Motive +18, Knowledge (any three) +28, Listen +30, Sense Motive Spot +18, Survival +3 (+5 following tracks) +28, Spellcraft +28 (+30 scrolls), Spot +30, Use Magic Device +28 (+30 scrolls)
Feats: Dodge, Improved Initiative, Mobility, Multiattack, Alertness, Eschew MaterialsB, Great Fortitude, Improved Spring Attack Counterspell, Iron Will, item creation feat (any one), Maximize Spell, Spell Focus (enchantment) Environment Clockwork Nirvana of Mechanus Clockwork Nirvana of Mechanus
Organization: Solitary, team (2–4), or platoon (1 plus Hive (1 plus 100–400 workers, 7–18 workers and 6–11 warriors) 11–40 warriors, 4–7 taskmasters with 1 dominated creature each, and 5–8 myrmarchs)
Challenge Rating: 10 17
Treasure: Standard Double standard
Alignment: Always lawful neutral Always lawful neutral
Advancement: 13–18 HD (Large); 19–24 HD (Huge) 21–30 HD (Huge); 31–40 HD (Gargantuan) The highly regimented race of antlike creatures known as formians have a number of specialized subraces, and each subrace devotes itself to particular aspects that benefit the welfare of the hive. No single individual matters— except the queen, which other formians protect with their lives.
The three subraces of formian described below are in addition to those covered in the Monster Manual (the worker, warrior, taskmaster, myrmarch, and queen) COMBAT Most formians are generally aggressive, seeking to subdue all they encounter. If they perceive even the slightest threat to their queen, they attack immediately and fight to the death. Any formian also attacks immediately if ordered to do so by a superior.
Hive Mind (Ex): All formians within 50 miles of their queen are in constant communication.
If one is aware of a p a r t i c u l a r danger, they all are. If one in a group is not flat-footed, none of them are. No formian in a group is considered flanked unless all of them are.
Immunities (Ex): Formians have cold, petrification, and poison immunity.
Outsider Traits: Formians have darkvision (60-foot range), and they cannot be raised or resurrected (though a wish or miracle spell can restore life).
Resistances (Ex): All formians have fire, electricity, and sonic resistance 20.
FORMIAN Armadon

ARMADON

Large Outsider (Extraplanar, Lawful)
Hit Dice: 8d8+32 (68 hp)
Initiative: +5
Speed: 40 ft.
AC: 25 (–1 size, +1 Dex, +15 natural), touch 10, flatfooted 24
Base Attack/Grapple: +8/+18
Attack: Bite +13 melee
Full Attack: Bite +13 melee and 2 claws +11 melee and sting +11 melee
Damage: Bite 2d6+6/17–20/×3, claw 1d8+3, sting 2d4+3
Face/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Acid spray, augmented critical, hive mind, poison
Special Qualities: Acid immunity, immunities, outsider traits, resistances, SR 20
Saves: Fort +10, Ref +7, Will +7
Abilities: Str 22, Dex 13, Con 19, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 11
Skills: Balance +12, Climb +17, Hide +8, Jump +17, Listen +12, Move Silently +12, Spot +12, Survival +12
Feats: Improved Critical (bite), Improved Initiative, Multiattack
Climate/Terrain: Any land and underground (Mechanus)
Organization: Solitary, team (2–4), or troop (6–11)
Challenge Rating: 8
Treasure: —
Alignment: Always lawful neutral
Advancement: 9–12 HD (Large); 12–24 (Huge) Armadons are shock troops that lead the charge into battle and tear apart anything that gets in their way. They are utterly merciless and are sent into the most dangerous situations.
Bulky and well armored, armadons look more like giant fleas than their antlike formian kin. Their mandibles are huge, and they have elongated arms that end in powerful claws.
Armadons do not speak.
Combat Armadons rush into the thick of battle where they can do the most damage. They typically release a gout of acid prior to engaging in melee. Because they are immune to acid, they use their acid spray in areas with other armadons even if they are in combat.
Armadons can be summoned using a summon monster VII spell.
Acid Spray (Ex): An armadon can spray a 20-foot burst of acid from glands in its tail, dealing 3d8 points of acid damage to everything in the area. Once an armadon uses this ability, it can’t use it again for 1d4 rounds. A successful Reflex save (DC 17) halves the damage.
Augmented Critical (Ex): An armadon’s bite attack threatens a critical hit on a natural attack roll of 17–20 because of the creature’s augmented critical ability and its Improved Critical feat. On a successful critical hit with a bite, an armadon deals triple damage.
Poison (Ex): An armadon delivers its poison (Fort DC 18 negates) with each successful sting attack. Initial and secondary damage are the same (1d6 Str).

OBSERVER

Medium-Size Outsider (Extraplanar, Lawful)
Hit Dice: 9d8+18 (58 hp)
Initiative: +6
Speed: 40 ft.
AC: 17 (+2 Dex, +5 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 15
Base Attack/Grapple: +9/+10
Attack: Sting +10 melee
Full Attack: Sting +10 melee
Damage: Sting 2d4+1
Face/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Hive mind, poison, spell-like abilities
Special Qualities: All-around vision, evaluation, immunities, outsider traits, resistances, SR 23, telepathy 250 ft.
Saves: Fort +8, Ref +8, Will +10
Abilities: Str 12, Dex 15, Con 14, Int 18, Wis 19, Cha 17
Skills: Climb +11, Craft (any one) +13, Diplomacy +15, Hide +12, Listen +16, Move Silently +11, Search +13, Sense Motive +14, Spot +16, Survival +13 (+15 following tracks)
Feats: Alertness, Improved Initiative, Track
Climate/Terrain: Any land and underground (Mechanus)
Organization: Team (2–4) or platoon (2–4 plus 7–18 workers and 6–11 warriors)
Challenge Rating: 11
Treasure: —
Alignment: Always lawful neutral
Advancement: 10–13 HD (Medium-size); 13–27 HD (Large) An observer is weaker than a taskmaster (see the Monster Manual). It has two sets of eyes—one large set on the front of its head and another smaller set on the sides of its head, granting it all-around vision. Its antennae are larger than those of other subraces, and its arms end in small, delicate hands used for manipulation, not combat.
Like taskmasters, observers lack mouths and communicate only through telepathy. Observers know Formian and Common.
Combat Observers do their best to avoid getting into melee. They remain in the background so that they can deduce the behavior and tactics of the intruders for the benefit of the other formians to exploit. In addition to using their evaluation ability, observers try to determine how many and what kind of magic the intruders might possess.
Observers can be summoned using a summon monster IX spell.
Poison (Ex): An observer delivers its poison (Fort DC 16 negates) with each successful sting attack. Initial and secondary damage are the same (1d6 Int).
Spell-Like
Abilities: At will—charm monster, clairaudience/ clairvoyance, detect chaos, detect magic, detect thoughts, see invisibility, true seeing. Caster level 12th; save DC 13 + spell level.
All-Around Vision (Ex): Observers are exceptionally alert and circumspect.
Their double set of unblinking eyes grants them a +4 racial bonus on Spot and Search checks, and they can’t be flanked.
Evaluation (Ex): The incredible minds of observers evaluate and break down the strengths and weaknesses of enemies in mere moments.
For each full round of combat that an observer can visually see a single opponent (magical means, including clairvoyance, do not work), each formian in contact with the hive mind gains a +1 insight bonus on attack rolls against that opponent. This effect is cumulative for each round of combat and does not have a limit.
The effect lasts until the observer is killed, knocked unconscious, blinded, or cannot see the target for 1 full round. This bonus begins again as soon as the observer sees them again, starting at +1 per round.
The bonus does not imporve if multiple observers are watching the same target. Other formians can process the information from any number of observers watching multiple targets.
Telepathy (Su): An observer can communicate telepathically with any creature within 250 feet that has a language

WINGED WARRIOR

Medium-Size Outsider (Extraplanar, Lawful)
Hit Dice: 6d8+12 (39 hp)
Initiative: +4
Speed: 20 ft., fly 60 ft. (good)
AC: 19 (+4 Dex, +5 natural), touch 14, flat-footed 15
Base Attack/Grapple: +6/+8
Attack: Bite +8 melee, or spike +10 ranged
Full Attack: Bite +8 melee and 2 claws +6 melee, or 2 spikes +10 ranged
Damage: Bite 1d4+2, claw 1d6+1, spike 1d4+2/19–20/×3 plus poison
Face/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Augmented critical, hive mind, poison, spikes
Special Qualities: Immunities, outsider traits, resistances, SR 18
Saves: Fort +7, Ref +9, Will +6
Abilities: Str 15, Dex 18, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 11
Skills: Balance +13, Climb +11, Hide +13, Listen +10, Move Silently +13, Search +9, Spot +10, Survival +10
Feats: Flyby Attack, Hover, Multiattack
Climate/Terrain: Any land and underground (Mechanus)
Organization: Solitary, team (2–4), or troop (6–11)
Challenge Rating: 6
Treasure: —
Alignment: Always lawful neutral
Advancement: 7–16 HD (Medium-size); 17–18 HD (Large) The winged warrior is a specialized version of the standard formian warrior. Teams and troops of winged warriors take to the air to scout ahead of advancing forces and also lead strike forces to soften up the enemy for the standard warriors to mop up.
Winged warriors are slightly smaller than normal warriors. Much of their mass is centered in their wings, which have a span of about 10 feet. Instead of a normal stinger, a winged warrior has a slender tail tipped with sharp spikes, which it can launch at an opponent.
Winged warriors are much slower on land than their ground-based counterparts, so they spend the majority of their time in the air. They can remain aloft for hours at a time before needing rest.
Winged warriors can communicate effectively through the hive mind, but they do so only to relay battle plans and tactics. They cannot speak otherwise.
Combat Winged warriors prefer to launch spikes before swooping in and fighting in melee. They target anyone using ranged weapons against them first, and then attack the most physically daunting opponents.
Winged warriors can be summoned using a summon monster VI spell.
Augmented Critical (Ex): A winged warrior’s spikes threaten a critical hit on a natural attack roll of 19–20. On a successful critical hit with its spikes, a winged warrior deals triple damage.
Poison (Ex): A winged warrior delivers its poison (Fort DC 15 negates) with each successful spike attack. Initial and secondary damage are the same (1d6 Str).
Spikes (Ex): Twice per day, with a snap of its tail, a winged warrior can release two spikes as a standard action.
This attack has a range of 90 feet with no range increment.

IRONMAW

Huge Plant (Extraplanar)
Hit Dice: 12d8+72 (126 hp)
Initiative: –1
Speed: 10 ft.
AC: 25 (–2 size, –1 Dex, +18 natural), touch 7, flat-footed 25
Base Attack/Grapple: +9/+27
Attack: Tendril +17 melee
Full Attack: 4 tendrils +17 melee and bite +12 melee
Damage: Tendril 2d6+10/19–20, bite 1d8+5
Face/Reach: 15 ft./15 ft. (60 ft. with tendril)
Special Attacks: Attach, engulf, illness, tendrils, wounding
Special Qualities: Acid resistance 10, cold immunity, DR 20/+3, electricity immunity, plant traits, sonic resistance 10, SR 30
Saves: Fort +14, Ref +3, Will +5
Abilities: Str 30, Dex 9, Con 23, Int 4, Wis 13, Cha 14
Skills: Hide +6*, Listen +14, Spot +13
Feats: Alertness, Cleave, Great Cleave, Improved Critical (tendril), Power Attack
Climate/Terrain: Temperate and warm forest, hill, and marsh (Abyss)
Organization: Solitary, pair, or stand (3–6)
Challenge Rating: 13
Treasure: 1/10 coins, 50% goods, 50% items
Alignment: Always neutral evil
Advancement: 13–16 HD (Huge); 17–36 HD (Gargantuan) An ironmaw’s territory is easily spotted by a trained observer. No other wildlife goes near its “home,” and the ground is often littered with the remains of the creature’s past victims. But most creatures never know they’re near an ironmaw until it strikes.
An ironmaw stands 20 to 30 feet high. It closely resembles an oak tree, although its green leaves are covered with tiny splotches the color of fresh blood. Its tendrils are kept wrapped around its upper trunks when not in use, and its mouth remains closed until it attacks.
An ironmaw tends to stay in one place for an extended period of time. It attacks anything that comes within range of its tendrils, even if it has recently fed. Ironmaws usually relocate only when a stand grows large enough that there isn’t enough food to support them all, at which point one or more of the creatures will move to greener pastures.
Ironmaws speak Abyssal.
COMBAT An ironmaw attacks with its tendrils as soon as prey comes within reach (60 feet). An ironmaw, too slow to flee in almost any circumstance, always fights until it is slain.
Attach (Ex): If an ironmaw hits with a tendril attack, the tendril, in addition to dealing normal damage, attaches to the opponent’s body. A tendril draws a stuck opponent 10 feet closer in each subsequent round (no attack of opportunity) unless the opponent breaks free, which requires an Escape Artist check (DC 25) or a Strength check (DC 26). An ironmaw can draw in a creature within 15 feet of itself and bite with a +4 attack bonus in that round. An ironmaw can draw a creature into its space and attempt to engulf it as well.
A tendril can be severed by a single attack with a slashing weapon (made as an attempt to sunder a weapon) dealing at least 13 points of damage.
Engulf (Ex): As a standard action, an ironmaw can attempt to engulf a Large or smaller creature that enters its space. The victim of the attack can make an attack of opportunity, but if it does, it is not entitled to a saving throw. A victim that does not attempt an attack of opportunity must make a Reflex save (DC 15) or be engulfed; on a success, the victim is pushed back or aside (but not freed from attached tendrils). An engulfed creature takes 2d6+10 points of bludgeoning damage within an ironmaw’s trunk each round and must hold its breath or begin to suffocate.
Illness (Ex): An ironmaw’s tendrils can sap an opponent’s health. Anyone caught by a tendril must succeed on a Fortitude save (DC 22) or take 1d6 points of Constitution damage.
Tendrils (Ex): An ironmaw can attack with its four tendrils from up to 60 feet away. Anyone struck by a tendril takes damage, loses blood, may suffer illness, and risks being drawn toward the ironmaw’s trunk.
Wounding (Ex): A wound resulting from an ironmaw’s tendril attack bleeds for an additional 3 points of damage per round thereafter. Multiple wounds from such attacks result in cumulative bleeding loss (two wounds for 6 points of damage per round, and so on). The bleeding can be stopped only by a Heal check (DC 10) or the application of any cure spell or other healing spell (heal, healing circle, or the like).
Plant Traits (Ex): An ironmaw is immune to poison, sleep, paralysis, stunning, and polymorphing.
It is not subject to critical hits or mind-affecting effects. An ironmaw also has low-light vision.
Skills: Ironmaws receive skills as though they were fey. An ironmaw has a +8 racial bonus on Listen and Spot checks. *In wooded areas, an ironmaw has a +15 racial bonus on Hide checks.

OCTOPUS TREE

Huge Plant
Hit Dice: 14d8+70 (133 hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 10 ft., swim 50 ft.
AC: 28 (–2 size, –4 Dex, +24 natural), touch 4, flatfooted 28
Base Attack/Grapple: +10/+28
Attack: Tentacle +19 melee
Full Attack: 8 tentacles +19 melee and 1 bite +13 melee
Damage: Tentacle 2d6+10/19–20, bite 3d8+5
Face/Reach: 15 ft./15 ft.
Special Attacks: Frightful presence, improved grab, spell-like abilities, swallow whole
Special Qualities: Acid immunity, plant traits, regeneration 10
Saves: Fort +14, Ref +0, Will +6
Abilities: Str 30, Dex 3, Con 20, Int 8, Wis 15, Cha 15
Skills: Listen +4, Spot +14, Swim +25
Feats: Alertness, Improved Critical (tentacle), Improved Initiative, Quicken Spell-Like Ability, Weapon Focus (tentacle)
Climate/Terrain: Temperate ocean surface
Organization: Solitary or grove (2–12)
Challenge Rating: 12
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Usually neutral evil
Advancement: 15–35 HD (Gargantuan); 36–42 HD (Colossal) Sailors sometimes tell stories of strange and terrible forests of trees in the middle of the ocean; most of these forests most likely had their genesis at the bottom of a mug of grog, but a few certainly come from close encounters with octopus trees.
An octopus tree is a rubbery, black-barked tree that roots near shore and stands upright or floats with the currents on the surface of the sea. Many long and numerous broad black roots spread out around its base like a thick mat of seaweed; these roots are mobile and can propel the tree with great speed across the surface of the water. The tree’s branches are long, thick tentacles covered with tiny, sharp, dark green leaves. Hidden in the base of the tree’s trunk just below the water is a large maw filled with teeth.
Octopus trees are rightfully feared by sailors, for these terrible plants command powerful magical abilities that allow them to wreak havoc on wooden ships.
Many large groves of octopus trees have the skeletons of ships lodged among their roots, and many explorers and treasure seekers have been lured to their doom in these dangerous groves.
Octopus trees understand Common, but they lack the body parts necessary for speech.
COMBAT Octopus trees gain a fair amount of nourishment from photosynthesis, but without flesh, a tree ceases to grow in size. These plants often dwell near the fringes of busy shipping lanes; upon sighting a ship, they move quickly to intercept it, using magic if necessary. They use their tentacles to pluck food (passengers or crew) from the deck, eating one or two morsels quickly and holding anyone else they grab underwater so the victims drown. Octopus trees usually occupy areas with heavy seaweed growth so they can use their spell-like abilities to their full extent.
An octopus tree can be summoned using a summon nature’s ally IX spell.
Frightful Presence (Ex): An octopus tree inspires terror in all creatures within 30 feet that have fewer Hit Dice or levels than it has. Each potentially affected opponent must succeed on a Will save (DC 19) or become shaken, a condition that lasts until the opponent is out of range. A successful save leaves that opponent immune to that octopus tree’s frightful presence for one day.
Improved Grab (Ex): If an octopus tree hits an opponent that is at least one size category smaller than itself with a tentacle attack, it deals normal damage and attempts to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity (grapple bonus +28). If it gets a hold, it can transfer the opponent to its maw with another successful grapple check, dealing automatic bite damage.
Alternatively, the octopus tree has the option to conduct the grapple normally, or simply use its tentacle to hold the opponent (–20 penalty on grapple check, but the octopus tree is not considered grappled). In either case, each successful grapple check it makes during successive rounds automatically deals bite damage.
Spell-Like
Abilities: At will—diminish plants, entangle, obscuring mist, plant growth, warp wood; 3/day—call lightning, turn wood, wall of thorns. Caster level 14th; save DC 12 + spell level.
Swallow Whole (Ex): An octopus tree can swallow a single creature that is at least two size categories smaller than itself by making a successful grapple check (grapple bonus +28), provided it already has that opponent in its maw (see Improved Grab, above). Once inside the octopus tree, the opponent takes 2d6+9 points of bludgeoning damage and 2d4 points of acid damage per round from the plant’s internal cavity. A successful grapple check allows the swallowed creature to climb out of the internal cavity and return to the octopus tree’s maw, where another successful grapple check is needed to get free. Alternatively, a swallowed creature can try to cut its way out with either claws or a light piercing or slashing weapon. Dealing a total of at least 20 points of damage to the internal cavity (AC 22) in this way creates an opening large enough to permit escape. Once a single swallowed creature exits, rapid growth closes the hole; thus, another swallowed opponent must cut its own way out. An octopus tree’s cavity can hold 1 Large, 4 Medium-size, or 16 Small or smaller opponents.
Plant Traits (Ex): An octopus tree is immune to poison, sleep, paralysis, stunning, and polymorphing. It is not subject to critical hits or mind-affecting effects. The creature also has low-light vision.
Regeneration (Ex): An octopus tree takes normal damage from fire and cold. Attack forms that don’t deal hit point damage ignore regeneration, and an octopus tree does not restore hit points lost from starvation, thirst, or suffocation.
Skills: Octopus trees have a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform some special action or avoid a hazard and can always choose to take 10 on Swim checks, even if distracted or endangered.

SENMURV

Large Magical Beast
Hit Dice: 3d10+12 (28 hp)
Initiative: +4
Speed: 30 ft., fly 60 ft. (average)
AC: 15 (+3 Dex, +2 natural), touch 13, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+13
Attack: Bite +8 melee
Full Attack: Bite +8 melee, or 2 claws +8 melee
Damage: Bite 1d8+9, claw 1d6+6
Face/Reach: 10 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks: Rend 2d6+6, smite evil, spell-like abilities
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +7, Ref +6, Will +2
Abilities: Str 22, Dex 16, Con 19, Int 9, Wis 13, Cha 16
Skills: Hide +0, Listen +2, Move Silently +4, Sense Motive +2, Spot +2
Feats: Flyby Attack, Improved Initiative
Climate/Terrain: Any mountain and forest
Organization: Solitary, flight (2–5), or flock (11–20)
Challenge Rating: 3
Treasure:—
Alignment: Always lawful good
Advancement: 4–6 HD (Large); 7–9 HD (Huge) Senmurvs are intelligent creatures that are ferocious defenders of good. They commonly act as mounts, scouts, and guardians for nonevil humanoids such as elves, dwarves, and gnomes.
Senmurvs have the head, body, and clawed back paws of a dog, with two feathery wings in place of the dog’s front paws. They are vibrantly colored, and no two have the same pattern. The eyes of a senmurv are gem-colored, usually sapphire blue, ruby red, or emerald green, and do not have pupils.
Senmurvs have been known to provide aid to humanoids in distress, especially those under attack by evil creatures.
Able to sense both good and evil, senmurvs are very particular about whom they assist, and they become enraged if they discover duplicity or betrayal among those they are assisting.
Senmurvs speak Sylvan and can understand, but not speak, Common.
COMBAT Senmurvs are experts at diving into combat for deadly strikes before retreating to safety. They typically strafe an opponent a few times before closing into melee. When they do, they latch on with both claws and rend, dealing terrible damage.
A senmurv can carry a rider and gear weighing no more than 200 pounds. Senmurvs do not tolerate saddles well, so the rider must learn to do without.Rend (Ex): If a senmurv hits a single target with both claws, it latches onto the opponent’s body and tears the flesh. This attack deals 2d6+6 points of damage.
Smite Evil (Su): Once per day a senmurv can make a normal attack to deal additional damage equal to its HD total (maximum of +20 additional damage) against an evil foe.
Spell-Like
Abilities: At will—detect good, detect evil.
Scent (Ex): A senmurv can detect approaching enemies, sniff out hidden foes, and track by sense of smell.

SWARMS

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. While a single cloud of locusts might actually be hundreds of feet across, for game purposes a swarm is defined as a single creature with a space of 10 feet—gigantic hordes of bats or locusts 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, hellwasp swarms, locust swarms, rat swarms, and spider swarms are described here. The swarm’s type varies with the nature of the component creature (most are animals or vermin), 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 shapeable, 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 (for example, a bat swarm can squeeze through a space that a Tiny creature could squeeze through).
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 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., half damage from slashing and piercing, 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: Temperate 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 whirring mass of quick, darting shadows sweeps closer. Hundreds of high-pitched squeaks fill the air.
A bat swarm is a mass of small, fierce carnivorous bats with a thirst for the blood of any creature unfortunate enough to cross their path.
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.
CENTIPEDE SWARM Diminutive Vermin (Swarm)
Hit Dice: 9d8–9 (31 hp)
Initiative: +4
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares), climb 20 ft.
Armor Class: 18 (+4 size, +4 Dex), touch 18, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +6/—
Attack: Swarm (2d6 plus poison)
Full Attack: Swarm (2d6 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 +5, Ref +7, Will +3
Abilities: Str 1, Dex 19, Con 8, Int —, Wis 10, Cha 2
Skills: Climb +12, Spot +4
Feats:Weapon FinesseB
Environment: Underground
Organization: Solitary, tangle (2–4 swarms), or colony (7–12 swarms)
Challenge Rating: 4
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: None
Level Adjustment:— A glistening, squirming mass of blue-black insects advances like a venomous army.
A centipede swarm is a crawling mass of voracious centipedes that can climb over obstacles to get at prey.
Combat A centipede swarm seeks to surround and attack 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 centipede swarm in its space must succeed on a DC 13 Fortitude save or be nauseated for 1 round. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Poison (Ex): Injury, Fortitude DC 13, initial and secondary damage 1d4 Dex. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Skills: A centipede swarm has a +4 racial bonus on Spot checks and a +8 racial bonus on Climb checks, and uses its Dexterity modifier instead of its Strength modifier for Climb checks.
A centipede swarm has a +8 racial bonus on Climb checks and can always choose to take 10 on a Climb check, even if rushed or threatened.
HELLWASP SWARM Diminutive Magical Beast (Extraplanar, Evil, Swarm)
Hit Dice: 12d10+27 (93 hp)
Initiative: +10
Speed: 5 ft. (1 square), fly 40 ft.
Armor Class: 20 (+4 size, +6 Dex), touch 20, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +12/—
Attack: Swarm (3d6 plus poison)
Full Attack: Swarm (3d6 plus poison)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./0 ft.
Special Attacks: Distraction, inhabit, poison
Special Qualities: Damage reduction 10/magic, darkvision 60 ft., hive mind, immune to weapon damage, resistance to fire 10, low-light vision, swarm traits
Saves: Fort +10, Ref +14, Will +7
Abilities: Str 1, Dex 22, Con 14, Int 6, Wis 13, Cha 9
Skills: Hide +19, Listen +10, Spot +10
Feats: Ability Focus (poison), Alertness, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Toughness
Environment: Bleak Eternity of Gehenna
Organization: Solitary, fright (2–4 swarms), or terror (5–8 swarms)
Challenge Rating: 8
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always lawful evil
Advancement: None
Level Adjustment:— An angry buzz fills the air around a darting cloud of thousands of ruby-red insects.
Hellwasps are vicious, foul-tempered magical insects from the infernal planes. A single hellwasp resembles a thumb-sized normal wasp, except its carapace is gleaming black with ruby-red stripes, and its compound eyes are an iridescent green. In swarms, hellwasps form a collective hive mind intelligence with infernal cunning and bloodlust.
Combat Like any swarm, a hellwasp swarm seeks to surround and attack any living prey it encounters. A swarm deals 3d6 points of damage to any creature whose space it occupies at the end of its move. The swarm can take over the bodies of its prey and infest both the living and the dead, using them as horrible living (or unliving) puppets to accomplish acts of wickedness that a swarm of insects could never attempt.
A hellwasp swarm’s attack is treated as an evil-aligned weapon and a magic weapon for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.
Distraction (Ex): Any living creature that begins its turn with a hellwasp swarm in its space must succeed on a DC 18 Fortitude save or be nauseated for 1 round. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Inhabit (Ex): A hellwasp swarm can enter the body of a helpless or dead creature by crawling into its mouth and other orifices.
Inhabiting requires 1 minute, and the victim must be Small, Medium, or Large (although four swarms working together can inhabit a Huge creature). The swarm can abandon the body at any time, although doing this takes 1 full round. Any attack against the host deals half damage to the hellwasp swarm as well, although the swarm’s resistances and immunities may negate some or all of this damage.
If a hellwasp swarm inhabits a dead body, it can restore animation to the creature and control its movements, effectively transforming it into a zombie of the appropriate size for as long as the swarm remains inside. If a hellwasp swarm inhabits a living victim, it can neutralize the effects of its own poison and control the victim’s movement and actions as if using dominate monster on the victim. The hellwasps quickly consume a living victim, dealing 2d4 points of Constitution damage per hour they inhabit a body. A body reduced to Constitution 0 is dead.
A hellwasp-inhabited creature is relatively easy to spot, since its skin crawls with the forms of insects inside. The swarm is intelligent enough to attempt to hide beneath loose clothing or a large cloak to keep its presence from being detected. The swarm can attempt a Disguise check to conceal its inhabitation of a host, with a –4 penalty if currently inhabiting a Small host.
A remove disease or heal spell cast on an inhabited victim forces the hellwasp swarm to abandon its host.
Poison (Ex): Injury, Fortitude DC 18, initial and secondary damage 1d6 Dex. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Hive Mind (Ex): Any hellwasp swarm with at least 1 hit point per Hit Die (or 12 hit points, for a standard hellwasp swarm) forms a hive mind, giving it an Intelligence of 6. When a hellwasp swarm is reduced below this hit point threshold, it becomes mindless.
LOCUST SWARM 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 —, Wis 10, Cha 2
Skills: Listen +4, Spot +4
Feats:—
Environment: Temperate 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 whirling, clacking cloud of voracious, grasshopperlike insects flutters closer, filling the air with a high-pitched buzz.
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.
RAT SWARM Tiny Animal (Swarm)
Hit Dice: 4d8 (13 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 15 ft. (3 squares), climb 15 ft.
Armor Class: 14 (+2 size, +2 Dex), touch 14, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/—
Attack: Swarm (1d6 plus disease)
Full Attack: Swarm (1d6 plus disease)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./0 ft.
Special Attacks: Disease, distraction
Special Qualities: Half damage from slashing and piercing, low-light vision, scent, swarm traits
Saves: Fort +4, Ref +6, Will +2
Abilities: Str 2, Dex 15, Con 10, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 2
Skills: Balance +10, Climb +10, Hide +14, Listen +6, Spot +7, Swim +10
Feats: Alertness, Weapon Finesse
Environment: Any
Organization: Solitary, pack (2–4 swarms), or infestation (7–12 swarms)
Challenge Rating: 2
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: None
Level Adjustment:— A squirming, squeaking horde of feral rats surges closer, teeth glistening in their slavering jaws.
A rat swarm is a mass of teeming, famished, disease-ridden rats. A swarm is composed of individuals very much like the rat described on page 278, but in such great numbers, rats can become implacable hunters capable of killing a human with hundreds of bites.
A rat swarm sometimes can be found in the sewers and foundations of human cities.
Combat A rat swarm seeks to surround and attack any warm-blooded prey it encounters. A swarm deals 1d6 points of damage to any creature whose space it occupies at the end of its move.
Disease (Ex): Filth fever—swarm attack, Fortitude DC 12, incubation period 1d3 days, damage 1d3 Dex and 1d3 Con. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Distraction (Ex): Any living creature that begins its turn with a swarm in its square must succeed on a DC 12 Fortitude save or be nauseated for 1 round. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Skills: A rat swarm has a +4 racial bonus on Hide and Move Silently checks, and a +8 racial bonus on Balance, Climb, and Swim checks. A rat swarm can always choose to take 10 on all Climb checks, even if rushed or threatened.
A rat swarm uses its Dexterity modifier instead of its Strength modifier for Climb and Swim checks.
A rat swarm 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 SWARM 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., swarm traits, tremorsense 30 ft., vermin traits
Saves: Fort +3, Ref +3, Will +0
Abilities: Str 1, Dex 17, Con 10, Int —, Wis 10, Cha 2
Skills: Climb +11, Listen +4, Spot +4
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:— A horrible, scuttling army of hand-sized spiders scrambles forward.
A spider swarm is a scuttling horde of venomous spiders.
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

Huge Plant
Hit Dice: 9d8+54 (94 hp)
Initiative: –1
Speed: 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) and 2 tendrils +8 melee (1d6+4)
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, Stelathy
Environment: Temperate forests
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:— This creature looks like a mound of vegetation supported by vines and branches. The mass has a huge opening filled with “teeth” of sharp branches and long thorns.
The tendriculos is a plant that may have been mutated by foul magic, or may have originated on another plane of existence—or possibly both of these theories are true.
A tendriculos can rear up to a height of 15 feet. It weighs about 3,500 pounds.
The tendriculos is best known for its ability to grow and regrow its vegetable body extremely rapidly. Whole new leaves and vines appear in just a few minutes. A tendriculos accomplishes this by consuming vast quantities of meat.
Animals and other plant creatures are unnerved by the presence of a tendriculos; they avoid it and any place it has been within the last 24 hours.
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.

UNICORN

This powerful, equine creature has a gleaming white coat and big, lively eyes. Long, silky white hair hangs down in a mane and forelock.
A single ivory-colored horn, about 2 feet long, grows from the center of the forehead. The hooves are cloven.
These fierce, noble beasts shun contact with all but sylvan creatures (dryads, pixies, and the like), showing themselves only to defend their woodland homes.
A unicorn has deep sea-blue, violet, brown, or fiery gold eyes.
Males sport a white beard.
Unicorns mate for life, making their homes in open dells or glades in the forests they protect. Good and neutral travelers may pass freely through and even hunt for food in a unicorn’s forest, but evil creatures do so at great risk. Likewise, a unicorn will attack any being it discovers killing for sport in its territory or damaging the forest maliciously.
Lone unicorns occasionally allow themselves to be tamed and ridden by good human or elven maidens of pure heart. Such a unicorn, if treated kindly, is the maiden’s loyal steed and protector for life, even accompanying her beyond its forest.
A unicorn’s horn is renowned for its healing properties. Evil and unscrupulous beings sometimes hunt a unicorn for its horn, which can fetch up to 2,000 gp, for use in various healing potions and devices. Most good creatures refuse to traffic in such things.
A typical adult unicorn grows to 8 feet in length, stands 5 feet high at the shoulder, and weighs 1,200 pounds.
Females are slightly smaller and slimmer than males.
Unicorns speak Sylvan and Common.
COMBAT Unicorns normally attack only when defending themselves or their forests. They either charge, impaling foes with their horns like lances, or strike with their hooves. The horn is a +3 magic weapon, though its power fades if removed from the unicorn.
Magic Circle against Evil (Su): This ability continuously duplicates the effect of the spell. A unicorn cannot suppress this ability.
Spell-Like
Abilities: Unicorns can use detect evil at will as a free action.
Once per day a unicorn can use greater teleport to move anywhere within its home. It cannot teleport beyond the forest boundaries nor back from outside.
A unicorn can use cure light wounds three times per day and cure moderate wounds once per day (caster level 5th) by touching a wounded creature with its horn. Once per day it can use neutralize poison (DC 21, caster level 8th) with a touch of its horn. The save DC is Charisma-based.
Wild Empathy (Ex): This power works like the druid’s wild empathy class feature, except that a unicorn has a +6 racial bonus on the check.
Skills: Unicorns have a +4 racial bonus on Move Silently checks.
*Unicorns have a +3 competence bonus on Survival checks within the boundaries of their forest.

CELESTIAL CHARGER

A celestial unicorn is a champion for good, the fierce enemy of evil beings that would destroy woodlands and their inhabitants. It is a dedicated follower of Ehlonna.
The celestial charger described here is an 8 HD celestial unicorn with seven levels of cleric.
Combat The save DC for this celestial charger’s neutralize poison ability (DC 20) is adjusted for its greater Hit Dice and altered Charisma score.
A celestial charger’s natural weapons are treated as magic weapons for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.
Smite Evil (Su): Once per day a celestial charger can make a normal melee attack to deal 15 points of extra damage against an evil foe.
Cleric Spells Prepared (6/7/6/5/4; save DC 18 + spell level): 0— detect magic, detect poison (2), light, virtue (2); 1st—bless (2), calm animals*, obscuring mist, remove fear, sanctuary, shield of faith; 2nd—aid* (2), animal messenger, lesser restoration, remove paralysis, shield other; 3rd—prayer, protection from energy, remove curse, searing light (2); 4th—air walk, divine power, holy smite*, restoration.
*Domain spell. Domains: Animal and Good.

WINTER WOLF

Large Magical Beast (Cold)
Hit Dice: 6d10+18 (51 hp)
Initiative: +5
Speed: 50 ft. (10 squares)
Armor Class: 15 (–1 size, +1 Dex, +5 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +6/+14
Attack: Bite +9 melee (1d8+6 plus 1d6 cold)
Full Attack: Bite +9 melee (1d8+6 plus 1d6 cold)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Breath weapon, freezing bite, trip
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., immunity to cold, low-light vision, scent, vulnerability to fire
Saves: Fort +8, Ref +6, Will +3
Abilities: Str 18, Dex 13, Con 16, Int 9, Wis 13, Cha 10
Skills: Hide –1*, Listen +6, Move Silently +7, Spot +6, Survival +1*
Feats: Alertness, Improved Initiative, Track
Environment: Cold forests
Organization: Solitary, pair, or pack (3–5)
Challenge Rating: 5
Treasure: 1/10 coins; 50% goods; 50% items
Alignment: Usually neutral evil
Advancement: 7–9 HD (Large); 10–18 HD (Huge)
Level Adjustment: +3 (cohort) This creature looks like a white wolf with icy blue eyes. It stands as tall as a horse, and its breath smokes with cold.
Dangerous predators of the tundra and other chill regions, winter wolves pursue prey relentlessly. They rarely give up the chase until they bring down their quarry.
Winter wolves are more intelligent than their smaller cousins and sometimes associate with other evil creatures of their cold homelands, such as frost giants, whom they serve as scouts, hunters, and trackers.
A winter wolf grows about 8 feet long and stands about 4-1/2 feet at the shoulder. It weighs about 450 pounds.
Winter wolves can speak Giant and Common.
COMBAT Winter wolves typically hunt in packs. Their size, cunning, and formidable breath weapon allow them to hunt and kill creatures much larger than themselves. A pack usually circles an opponent, each wolf attacking in turn to exhaust it. If they’re in a hurry, white wolves try to pin their foes.
Breath Weapon (Su): 15-foot cone, once every 1d4 rounds, damage 4d6 cold, Reflex DC 16 half.
The save DC is Constitution-based.
Freezing Bite (Su): A winter wolf deals an extra 1d6 points of cold damage every time it bites an opponent, as if its bite were a frost weapon.
Trip (Ex): A winter wolf that hits with a bite attack can attempt to trip the opponent (+8 check modifier) as a free action without making a touch attack or provoking an attack of opportunity. If the attempt fails, the opponent cannot react to trip the winter wolf.
Skills: Winter wolves have a +1 racial bonus on Listen, Move Silently, and Spot checks.
Winter wolves have a +2 racial bonus on Hide checks. *Their natural coloration grants them a +7 racial bonus on Hide checks in areas of snow and ice.
A winter wolf has a +4 racial bonus on Survival checks when tracking by scent.

COROLLAX

Tiny Magical Beast
Hit Dice: 1d10 (5 hp)
Initiative: +3
Speed: 10 ft., fly 60 ft. (good)
AC: 17 (+2 size, +3 Dex, +2 natural), touch 15, flat-footed 14 Attacks: Claw +6 melee
Damage: Claw 1d3–5
Face/Reach: 2 1/2 ft. by 2 1/2 ft./0 ft.
Special Attacks: Color spray
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., DR 5/silver, low-light vision, SR 12
Saves: Fort +2, Ref +5, Will +2
Abilities: Str 1, Dex 17, Con 11, Int 2, Wis 14, Cha 16
Skills: Listen +4, Spot +4
Feats: Weapon Finesse (claws)
Climate/Terrain:Warm forest
Organization: Solitary, pair, or swarm (5–20)
Challenge Rating: 1/2
Treasure: None
Alignment: Usually neutral
Advancement: 2–6 HD (Tiny); 7–9 HD (Small) Corollaxes are mischievous and curious insectivores that dwell in dense jungles in tropical and subtropical climates.
They typically nest in large colonies that span several closely placed trees.
These colorful creatures are very curious and quite social.
They can provide the unknowing traveler with a great deal of companionship and amusement—at least until startled.
At that point, their natural defensive reaction erupts, and chaos usually ensues.
A corollax has a gray-black, curved beak and black eyes.
Its plumage varies in color, but a typical male’s feathers are a mixture of bright red, orange, and yellow, and a female’s are either brown or gray.
TRAINING A COROLLAX A corollax can be trained with a successful Handle Animal check (DC 23) to accept a particular creature (not necessarily the one who made the check) as a member of its flock.
Any bird so trained does not use its color spray attack against the designated individual.
These birds are also natural mimics. With a successful Handle Animal check (DC 23), a corollax can be trained to repeat a particular phrase. Each bird is capable of remembering up to nine different phrases, though each phrase requires a separate Handle Animal check. The birds don’t seem to comprehend what they say, however, and many humanoids later come to regret teaching the precocious mimics to talk—particularly when they can’t get the creatures to shut up.
COROLLAX COMPANIONS Because it is a social creature, a corollax can sometimes be persuaded to accept humanoid companionship on a long-term basis. If a character offers food and makes a successful Handle Animal check (DC 25 if the character has not previously frightened or abused the bird, or DC 30 otherwise), the corollax considers the character a desirable companion and accompanies him or her willingly in all travels. A corollax adopted in this manner refuses to leave the character’s side so long as food, grooming, and lots of attention are provided.
A well-treated corollax makes every effort to rejoin its companion if forcibly separated, and the companion receives a +2 circumstance bonus on all subsequent Handle Animal checks involving the bird. If the corollax is mistreated, it leaves and attempts to find its own way home.
COMBAT Corollaxes are not aggressive and do not attack unless someone attacks or harasses them first. If disturbed, a corollax screeches and flies about, unleashing its color spray attack. If forced into melee, the bird combines both claws into a single attack.
Color Spray (Su):Once per round, a corollax can unleash a vivid cone of clashing colors. This ability works like a color spray spell (caster level 1st; save DC 13). The creature is immune to its own color spray attack and to those of others of its kind.

DIRE ANIMAL

Dire animals are larger, tougher, and meaner versions of normal animals. They tend to have a feral, prehistoric look.
COMBAT Dire animals are fierce fighters that prefer melee combat.
They are territorial, attacking anything that enters their territory or threatens their lairs.
Saving Throws: A dire animal has all good saves.
DIRE TOAD These amphibians are generally shy and nonagressive. They usually aren’t dangerous to humanoids.
Combat Though dire toads are not prone to fighting, they do bite if disturbed. A dire toad’s tongue attack has a range of 10 feet with no range increment.
Poison (Ex): A dire toad delivers its poison (Fortitude save DC 14) with each successful bite attack. The initial and secondary damage is the same (1d6 points of Constitution damage).
Improved Grab (Ex): If a dire toad hits an opponent that is at least one size category smaller than itself with a bite attack or a tongue attack, it deals normal damage and attempts to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity (grapple bonus +3). If it gets a hold, it can try to swallow the opponent. Alternatively, the dire toad has the option to conduct the grapple normally, or simply use its jaws to hold the opponent (–20 penalty on grapple check, but the dire toad is not considered grappled).
In either case, each successful grapple check it makes during successive rounds automatically deals bite damage.
Swallow Whole (Ex): A dire toad can swallow a grabbed opponent that is at least one size category smaller than itself by making a successful grapple check (grapple bonus +3). Once inside the toad, the opponent takes 1d6 points of bludgeoning damage plus 1d4 points of acid damage per round from the dire toad’s stomach. A successful grapple check allows the swallowed creature to climb out of the stomach and return to the toad’s mouth, where another successful grapple check is needed to get free.
Alternatively, a swallowed creature can try to cut its way out with either claws or a light piercing or slashing weapon. Dealing at least 10 points of damage to the gizzard (AC 13) in this way creates an opening large enough to permit escape. Once a single swallowed creature exits, muscular action closes the hole; thus, another swallowed opponent must cut its own way out. A Mediumsize dire toad’s stomach can hold 2 Small or 8 Tiny or smaller opponents.
Skills: A dire toad receives a +4 racial bonus on Hide, Listen, and Spot checks, and a +8 racial bonus on Jump checks.
DIRE HAWK This bird of prey is capable of taking down pigs, sheep, and even the occasional small horse. The dire hawk prefers high, remote nesting spots.
A typical dire hawk is about 5 feet long and has a wingspan of about 11 feet. The upper part of its beak has a bony protrusion, and several long feathers trail gracefully from its lower body and tail.
Skills: *A dire hawk receives a +8 racial bonus on Spot checks in daylight.
DIRE SNAKE The dire snake combines the strength and power of a constrictor with the venomous bite of a viper.
The dire snake looks like an enormous viper with dull green or brown scales and long fangs. Its head has two bony protrusions similar to horns placed just behind the eyes.
Combat Constrict (Ex): With a successful grapple check, a dire snake can constrict a grabbed opponent, dealing 1d8+10 points of bludgeoning damage.
Poison (Ex): A dire snake delivers its poison (Fortitude save DC 16) with each successful bite attack. The initial and secondary damage is the same (1d6 points of Constitution damage).
Improved Grab (Ex): If a dire snake hits an opponent that is at least one size category smaller than itself with a bite attack, it deals normal damage and attempts to start a DIRE Unicorn Celestial Charger, 7th-Level Cleric Large Magical Beast Large Magical Beast
Hit Dice: 4d10+20 (42 hp) 8d10+7d8+75 (155 hp)
Initiative: +3 +4
Speed: 60 ft. (12 squares) 60 ft. (12 squares)
Armor Class: 18 (–1 size, +3 Dex, +6 natural), 24 (–1 size, +4 Dex, +6 natural, +5 bracers of armor +5), touch 12, flat-footed 15 touch 13, flat-footed 20
Base Attack/Grapple: +4/+13 +13/+24
Attack: Horn +11 melee (1d8+8) Horn +22 melee (1d8+10)
Full Attack: Horn +11 melee (1d8+8) and Horn +22 melee (1d8+10) and 2 hooves +3 melee (1d4+2) 2 hooves +14 melee (1d4+3)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft. 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: — Turn undead 13/day, smite evil, spells
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., magic circle against Damage reduction 10/magic, darkvision 60 ft., immunity to evil, spell-like abilities, immunity to poison, charm, and compulsion, low-light vision, magic circle poison, charm, and compulsion, against evil, resistance to acid 10, cold 10, and electricity 10, low-light vision, scent, wild empathy scent, spell-like abilities, spell resistance 20, wild empathy
Saves: Fort +9, Ref +7, Will +6 Fort +16, Ref +12, Will +15
Abilities: Str 20, Dex 17, Con 21, Str 24, Dex 18, Con 20, Int 10, Wis 21, Cha 24 Int 13, Wis 27, Cha 22
Skills: Jump +21, Listen +11, Move Silently +9, Concentration +11, Knowledge (nature) +9, Spot +11, Survival +8* Knowledge (religion) +8, Listen +15, Move Silently +12, Spellcraft +5, Spot +15, Survival +15 (+17 aboveground)*
Feats: Alertness, Skill Focus (Survival) Alertness, Combat Casting, Extra Turning, Improved Turning, Run, Skill Focus (Survival)
Environment: Temperate forests Seven Mounting Heavens of Celestia
Organization: Solitary, pair, or grace (3–6) Solitary
Challenge Rating:3 13
Treasure: None None
Alignment: Always chaotic good Always chaotic good
Advancement: 5–8 HD (Large) By character class
Level Adjustment: +4 (cohort) +8 (cohort)

SWARM

A large variety of creatures can form swarms, but all swarms have one thing in common: When that many creatures work together, they often prove to be deadlier than if working separately. Animals, magical beasts, vermin, and other types of creatures join together to defend their homes, gather food, and more.
COMBAT Each type of swarm has some basic abilities it can bring to bear on those who seek to harm it or those who serve as prey.
Distraction (Ex): Any nonmindless creature vulnerable to a swarm’s damage that begins its turn with a swarm in its square is nauseated for 1 round; a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 swarm’s HD + swarm’s Con modifier) negates the effect.
Spellcasting or concentrating on spells within the area of a swarm requires a Concentration check (DC 20 + spell level). Using skills requiring patience and concentration requires a Concentration check (DC 20).
Swarm Traits: A swarm has no clear front or back and no discernible anatomy, so it is not subject to critical hits or flanking. A swarm made up of Tiny creatures takes half damage from slashing and piercing weapons. A swarm composed of Fine or Diminutive creatures is immune to all weapon damage.
Reducing a swarm to 0 hit points or fewer causes the swarm to break up, though damage taken until that point does not degrade its ability to attack or resist attack. Swarms are never staggered or reduced to a dying state by damage.
Also, they cannot be tripped, grappled, or bull rushed, and they cannot grapple another.
A swarm is immune to any spell or effect that targets a specific number of creatures (including single-target spells such as disintegrate), with the exception of mindaffecting effects if the swarm has an Intelligence score and a hive mind. A swarm takes a –10 penalty on saving throws against spells or effects that affect an area, such as many evocation spells or grenadelike weapons. If the area attack does not allow a saving throw, a swarm takes double damage instead.
Swarms made up of Diminutive or Fine creatures are susceptible to high winds such as that created by a gust of wind spell. To determine the effect of wind on a swarm, treat the swarm as a creature of the same size as its constituent creatures. For example, a swarm of Abyss ants (Diminutive creatures) can be blown away by a severe wind. Wind effects deal 1d6 points of subdual damage to the swarm per spell level (or Hit Die of the originating creature, in the case of effects such as an air elemental’s whirlwind). A swarm that takes subdual damage sufficient to exceed its current hit points becomes disorganized and dispersed, and does not re-form until its current hit points exceed its subdual damage.
The monster below is taken from the Abysmal Ant Swarm but removing the source as Extraplanar and making it vermin. I call it the Megant Swarm! MEGANT SWARM Tiny-Size Vermin (Swarm of Diminutive Creatures)
Hit Dice: 20d8+60 (150 hp)
Initiative: +5
Speed: 40 ft., climb 20 ft.
AC: 17 (+1 Dex, +6 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 16
Base Attack/Grapple: +15/—
Attack: Swarm, or spit acid +16 ranged touch
Full Attack: Swarm
Damage: Swarm 4d6 plus 2d8 acid, spit acid 2d8
Face/Reach: 5 ft./0 ft.
Special Attacks: Acid, distraction (DC 23), penetration
Special Qualities: Acid immunity, cold resistance 20, darkvision 60 ft., electricity resistance 20, fire resistance 20, hive mind, poison immunity, SR 22, swarm traits
Saves: Fort +11, Ref +9, Will +15
Abilities: Str 1, Dex 12, Con 16, Int 7, Wis 12, Cha 13
Skills: Climb +14, Listen +13, Spot +13
Feats: Alertness, Great Fortitude, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Point Blank Shot, Skill Focus (Climb)
Climate/Terrain: Dark Forests and underground
Organization: Solitary or army (3–8 swarms)
Challenge Rating: 15
Treasure: —
Alignment: Always chaotic evil
Advancement: — Abyssal ants are the twisted version of army ants: 8-inchlong bodies of red and black chitin, glowing blue multifaceted eyes, and purple mandibles dripping with acidic slime. They swarm over the forest and, when summoned forth by an evil wizard or demon, can infest towns and cities as well, leaving half-dissolved wreckage in their wake.
Combat Like plague ants, Megant ants exhibit little interest in tactics. As a swarm, they do possess a modicum of intelligence and have been known to retreat from unsuccessful attacks. They normally hang out in the branches of the trees and wait for tasty things to walk under them. Then they drop their gernades hoping for an easy kill they can then bring up to the rest. If they are attacked above, they will drop down on the attacking group. This is a full move action.
Swarm Attack: Creatures with the swarm subtype don’t make standard melee attacks. Instead, they deal automatic damage to any creature whose space they occupy at the end of their move, with no attack roll needed. Swarm attacks are not subject to a miss chance for concealment or cover. A swarm’s statistics block has “swarm” in the Attack and Full Attack entries, with no attack bonus given.
Swarms are dense masses of 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.
Distraction (Ex): Any nonmindless creature vulnerable to a swarm’s damage that begins its turn with a swarm in its square is nauseated for 1 round; a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 swarm’s HD + swarm’s Con modifier) negates the effect. Spellcasting or concentrating on spells within the area of a swarm requires a Concentration check (DC 20 + spell level). Using skills requiring patience and concentration requires a Concentration check (DC 20). Swarm Traits: A swarm has no clear front or back and no discernible anatomy, so it is not subject to critical hits or flanking. A swarm made up of Tiny creatures takes half damage from slashing and piercing weapons. Reducing a swarm to 0 hit points or fewer causes theswarm to break up, though damage taken until that point does not degrade its ability to attack or resist attack. Swarms are never staggered or reduced to a dying state by damage. Also, they cannot be tripped, grappled, or bull rushed, and they cannot grapple another.
Specific Spell Immunity: A swarm is immune to any spell or effect that targets a specific number of creatures (including single-target spells such as disintegrate) with the exception of mind affecting effects. A swarm takes a –10 penalty on saving throws against spells or effects that affect an area, such as many evocation spells or grenadelike weapons. If the area attack does not allow a saving throw, a swarm takes double damage instead. Wind effects deal 1d6 points of subdual damage to the swarm per spell level (or Hit Die of the originating creature, in the case of effects such as an air elemental’s whirlwind). A swarm that takes subdual damage sufficient to exceed its current hit points becomes disorganized and dispersed, and does not re-form Acid (Ex): The swarm attack of an abyssal ant swarm deals acid damage in addition to the normal damage of the creatures’ bites and stings. Also, a swarm of abyssal ants can produce a shower of acidic spittle that works as a grenadelike weapon, dealing 2d8 points of damage on a direct hit and 1d4 points of splash damage to creatures within 5 feet of the target. Creatures directly hit by the acid take an additional 1d8 points of damage 1 round after being hit. This acid gernade is made up of partially masticated dead ants scooped up by those in the rear of the swarm.
Penetration (Su): The swarm attack of an abyssal ant swarm penetrates damage reduction as if it were a +5 weapon which makes it susceptible to mind-affecting spells. For purposes of such spells, the swarm is a single creature of the aberration type.
Skills: Abyssal ant swarms have a +8 racial bonus on Climb checks and can always choose to take 10 on Climb checks, even if rushed or threatened.
PLAGUE ANT SWARM Medium-Size Vermin (Swarm of Fine Creatures)
Hit Dice: 10d8+20 (65 hp)
Initiative: +3
Speed: 30 ft., climb 20 ft.
AC: 18 (+3 Dex, +5 natural), touch 13, flat-footed 15
Base Attack/Grapple: +7/—
Attack: Swarm
Full Attack: Swarm
Damage: Swarm 2d6 plus disease
Face/Reach: 5 ft./0 ft.
Special Attacks: Disease, distraction (DC 17), wounding
Special Qualities: Swarm traits, vermin traits
Saves: Fort +9, Ref +6, Will +3
Abilities: Str 1, Dex 16, Con 14, Int—, Wis 11, Cha 7
Skills: Climb +3
Feats: —
Climate/Terrain: Warm land and underground
Organization: Solitary or army (3–8 swarms)
Challenge Rating: 5
Treasure: —
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: — Plague ants are large and particularly nasty relatives of mundane army or harvester ants. They are 4 inches long, with bloated white bodies and bright orange eyes. Their mandibles are as long as their heads and have an orange hue on the inside (cutting) edge.
As mindless creatures, plague ants do not speak or understand any language.
Combat Plague ants are a mindless force of nature and swarm over everything in their path. They operate based on sophisticated instinct, with ants in the forefront of the swarm’s approach carrying large chunks of food (preferably bloody meat) back to the queen, who is protected in the swarm’s bivouac by a shelter formed from living ants.
Disease (Ex): Any creature that takes damage from a plague ant swarm must succeed on a Fortitude save (DC 17) or contract red ache. The incubation period is 1d3 days, and the disease deals 1d6 points of Strength damage.
Wounding (Ex): A wound resulting from a plague ant swarm attack bleeds for an additional 1 point of damage per round thereafter. Multiple wounds from such attacks result in cumulative bleeding loss (two wounds for 2 points of damage per round, and so on). The bleeding can be stopped only by a successful Heal check (DC 10) or the application of any cure spell or other healing spell (heal, healing circle, or the like).
Vermin Traits: A plague ant swarm is immune to all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects). It also has darkvision (60- foot range).
Skills: Plague ant swarms have a +8 racial bonus on Climb checks and can always choose to take 10 on Climb checks, even if rushed or threatened.
CRANIUM RAT SWARM, LESSER PACK Medium-Size Magical Beast (Extraplanar, Swarm of Diminutive Creatures)
Hit Dice: 6d10+12 (45 hp)
Initiative: +3
Speed: 40 ft., climb 20 ft.
AC: 14 (+3 Dex, +1 natural), touch 13, flat-footed 11
Base Attack/Grapple: +6/—
Attack: Swarm
Full Attack: Swarm
Damage: Swarm 2d6
Face/Reach: 5 ft./0 ft.
Special Attacks: Distraction (DC 15), mind blast
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., hive mind, low-light vision, merge swarms, swarm traits
Saves: Fort +7, Ref +8, Will +6
Abilities: Str 2, Dex 17, Con 14, Int 9, Wis 14, Cha 13
Skills: Climb +4, Listen +9, Spot +8
Feats: Alertness, Combat Casting, Iron Will
Climate/Terrain: Any land and underground (any Outer Plane)
Organization: Swarm
Challenge Rating: 2
Treasure:—
Alignment: Usually neutral evil
Advancement: — A lesser pack of cranium rats consists of about 75 rats.
Combat While more limited than the larger packs in what they can do, lesser packs still set up effective ambushes and utilize their mind blast ability to great advantage.
Mind Blast (Su): This attack is a 60-foot cone. Anyone caught in this cone must succeed on a Will save (DC 14) or be stunned for 3d4 rounds. A lesser cranium rat pack can use this power every 2 rounds.
Hive Mind (Ex): A cranium rat swarm has a hive mind, which makes it susceptible to mind-affecting spells. For purposes of such spells, the swarm is a single creature of the magical beast type.
Merge Swarms (Ex): Two lesser cranium rat packs can move into the same space and merge into a single swarm, becoming an average pack. Likewise, two average packs can merge together into a greater pack. Merging in this fashion is a fullround action.
Skills: Cranium rat swarms have a +8 racial bonus on Climb checks and can always choose to take 10 on Climb checks, even if rushed or threatened.
CRANIUM RAT SWARM, AVERAGE PACK Medium-Size Magical Beast (Extraplanar, Swarm of Diminutive Creatures)
Hit Dice: 12d10+24 (90 hp)
Initiative: +7
Speed: 40 ft., climb 20 ft.
AC: 14 (+3 Dex, +1 natural), touch 13, flat-footed 11
Base Attack/Grapple: +12/—
Attack: Swarm
Full Attack: Swarm
Damage: Swarm 3d6
Face/Reach: 5 ft./0 ft.
Special Attacks: Distraction (DC 18), mind blast, spells
Special Qualities: Cold resistance 10, darkvision 60 ft., hive mind, low-light vision, merge swarms, swarm regeneration, swarm traits, telepathy
Saves: Fort +10, Ref +11, Will +8
Abilities: Str 2, Dex 17, Con 14, Int 13, Wis 14, Cha 13
Skills: Climb +19, Listen +19, Spot +19
Feats: Alertness, Combat Casting, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Spell Penetration
Climate/Terrain: Any land and underground (any Outer Plane)
Organization: Swarm
Challenge Rating: 5
Treasure:—
Alignment: Usually neutral evil
Advancement: — Like ten thousand eyes and ears dispatched to gather secrets for some dark deity of knowledge, cranium rats are everywhere— seeing, hearing, and sharing what they learn in a bizarre hive mind.
An individual cranium rat is almost indistinguishable from a normal rodent, except that a portion of its large brain is exposed and pulses with a soft glow. Singly, the creatures are also virtually identical to normal rats, but they are never encountered singly. A pack of cranium rats has a group mind—and the more rats, the more intelligent the group mind.
An average pack of cranium rats consists of about 150 rats.
Cranium rats do not speak, but average and greater packs can communicate telepathically.
Combat While dangerous and unpleasant, cranium rats are not aggressive creatures. They avoid open attacks in favor of flight or ambushes. Cranium rats use their spells and mind blast ability to soften or incapacitate victims before swarming over them, then they drain their victims’ blood through a hundred tiny wounds.
Mind Blast (Su): This attack is a 60-foot cone. Anyone caught in this cone must succeed on a Will save (DC 17) or be stunned for 3d4 rounds. An average pack can use this ability at will.
Spells: An average pack can cast arcane spells as a 4th-level sorcerer (spells/day 6/7/3; spells known 6/3/1; save DC 11 + spell level). A typical spells known list: 0—daze, detect magic, flare, mage hand, open/close, prestidigitation; 1st—charm person, expeditious retreat, magic missile; 2nd—mirror image.
Hive Mind (Ex): A cranium rat swarm has a hive mind, which makes it susceptible to mind-affecting spells. For purposes of such spells, the swarm is a single creature of the magical beast type.
Merge Swarms (Ex): Two lesser cranium rat packs can move into the same space and merge into a single swarm, becoming an average pack. Likewise, two average packs can merge together into a greater pack. Merging in this fashion is a full-round action.
Swarm Regeneration (Ex): When an average pack is reduced to 0 hp, it becomes a lesser pack. When a lesser pack is reduced to 0 hp, it is destroyed. This transformation is instantaneous.
Telepathy (Su): An average pack of cranium rats can communicate telepathically with any creature within 80 feet that has a language.
Skills: Cranium rat swarms have a +8 racial bonus on Climb checks and can always choose to take 10 on Climb checks, even if rushed or threatened.
CRANIUM RAT SWARM, GREATER PACK Medium-Size Magical Beast (Extraplanar, Swarm of Diminutive Creatures)
Hit Dice: 24d10+48 (180 hp)
Initiative: +7
Speed: 40 ft., climb 20 ft.
AC: 14 (+3 Dex, +1 natural), touch 13, flat-footed 11
Base Attack/Grapple: +24/—
Attack: Swarm
Full Attack: Swarm
Damage: Swarm 5d6
Face/Reach: 5 ft./0 ft.
Special Attacks: Distraction (DC 24), mind blast, spells
Special Qualities: Cold immunity, darkvision 60 ft., hive mind, low-light vision, merge swarms, SR 26, swarm regeneration, swarm traits, telepathy
Saves: Fort +16, Ref +19, Will +12
Abilities: Str 2, Dex 17, Con 14, Int 19, Wis 14, Cha 19
Skills: Balance +29, Climb +31, Concentration +29, Listen +31, Sense Motive +31, Spot +31
Feats: Alertness, Blind-Fight, Combat Casting, Greater Spell Focus (Evocation), Greater Spell Penetration (B), Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Spell Focus (Evocation), Spell Penetration
Climate/Terrain: Any land and underground (any Outer Plane)
Organization: Swarm
Challenge Rating: 11
Treasure:—
Alignment: Usually neutral evil
Advancement: — A greater pack of cranium rats consists of about 300 rats.
Combat Greater packs follow the same tactics as the smaller packs, but they can use more effective spells.
Mind Blast (Su): This attack is a 60-foot cone. Anyone caught in this cone must succeed on a Will save (DC 23) or be stunned for 3d4 rounds. A greater pack can use this ability at will.
Spells: A greater pack can cast arcane spells as a 10thlevel sorcerer (spells/day 6/7/7/7/6/3; spells known 9/5/4/3/2/1; save DC 14 + spell level). A typical spells known list: 0—dancing lights, daze, detect magic, flare, ghost sound, mage hand, open/close, prestidigitation, read magic; 1st— charm person, expeditious retreat, magic missile, ray of enfeeblement, shocking grasp; 2nd—blur, knock, mirror image, see invisibility; 3rd—fireball, lightning bolt, slow; 4th—contagion, fire shield; 5th—hold monster.
Hive Mind (Ex): A cranium rat swarm has a hive mind, which makes it susceptible to mind-affecting spells. For purposes of such spells, the swarm is a single creature of the magical beast type.
Merge Swarms (Ex): Two lesser cranium rat packs can move into the same space and merge into a single swarm, becoming an average pack. Likewise, two average packs can merge together into a greater pack. Merging in this fashion is a full-round action.
Swarm Regeneration (Ex): When a greater cranium rat pack is reduced to 0 hit points, it does not scatter.
Instead, it becomes an average pack. Likewise, when an average pack is reduced to 0 hp, it becomes a lesser pack.
When a lesser pack is reduced to 0 hp, it is destroyed. This transformation is instantaneous.
Telepathy (Su): A greater pack of cranium rats can communicate telepathically with any creature within 80 feet that has a language.
Skills: Cranium rat swarms have a +8 racial bonus on Climb checks and can always choose to take 10 on Climb checks, even if rushed or threatened.
Feats: The Greater Spell Focus feat increases the saving throw DC for the swarm’s evocation spells by +4 rather than the +2 given by Spell Focus. The Greater Spell Penetration feat increases the swarm’s bonus on spell penetration checks to +4 rather than the +2 given by Spell Penetration.
LOCUST SWARM, BLOODFIEND Medium-Size Vermin (Extraplanar, Swarm of Fine Creatures)
Hit Dice: 14d8+28 (91 hp)
Initiative: +4
Speed: 20 ft., fly 20 ft. (perfect)
AC: 19 (+4 Dex, +5 natural), touch 14, flat-footed 15
Base Attack/Grapple: +10/—
Attack: Swarm
Full Attack: Swarm
Damage: Swarm 3d6 plus energy drain
Face/Reach: 5 ft./0 ft.
Special Attacks: Distraction (DC 19), energy drain
Special Qualities: Reanimate, swarm traits, vermin traits
Saves: Fort +11, Ref +8, Will +5
Abilities: Str 1, Dex 18, Con 14, Int —, Wis 13, Cha 11
Skills: —
Feats: —
Climate/Terrain: Any land and underground (Abyss)
Organization: Solitary or plague (10–40 swarms)
Challenge Rating: 8
Treasure: —
Alignment: Always chaotic evil
Advancement: — Whereas the common locust poses a menace only to plants and crops, deadlier strains, influenced by magic or fiendish will, attempt to tear the flesh from any creature they encounter. These creatures, although too small individually to pose a threat to most creatures, can quickly engulf and devour unprepared victims.
Combat Created to carry the horrors of the Abyss to other planes, bloodfiend locusts feast not only on the flesh of their victims, but on their very life force as well. As a swarm of bloodfiend locusts moves through a region, those who fall prey to the creatures rise again in twisted undead forms and are tainted not only by the forces of undeath, but also by the evil of the Abyss itself.
Energy Drain (Su): Living creatures hit by a bloodfiend locust swarm gain one negative level. If the negative level has not been removed (with a spell such as restoration) before one day has passed, the afflicted opponent must succeed on a Fortitude save (DC 19) to remove it.
Reanimate (Su): A humanoid or monstrous humanoid killed by the energy drain attack of a bloodfiend locust swarm rises 2d6 hours later as a fiendish vampire spawn. See the vampire spawn and the fiendish template description in the Monster Manual.
Vermin Traits: A locust swarm is immune to all mindaffecting effects (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects). It also has darkvision (60-foot range).
LOCUST SWARM, RAPTURE Medium-Size Vermin (Swarm of Fine Creatures)
Hit Dice: 10d8+20 (65 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 20 ft., fly 20 ft. (perfect)
AC: 16 (+2 Dex, +4 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +7/—
Attack: Swarm
Full Attack: Swarm
Damage: Swarm 2d6
Face/Reach: 5 ft./0 ft.
Special Attacks: Distraction (DC 17), hypnotic pattern, rapture
Special Qualities: Swarm traits, vermin traits
Saves: Fort +9, Ref +5, Will +3
Abilities: Str 1, Dex 14, Con 14, Int —, Wis 11, Cha 16
Skills: —
Feats: —
Climate/Terrain: Any
Organization: Solitary or plague (10–40 swarms)
Challenge Rating: 6
Treasure: —
Alignment: Always neutral evil
Advancement: — Normally harmless, locusts occasionally rise in devastating forms. A locust swarm contains approximately 10,000 individual creatures, although the swarm fights and reacts as one creature during combat. Seen from a distance, the swarm looks like a dark black cloud, although most onlookers quickly note the roiling motion of the insects that make up the swarm.
The greatest threat that locust swarms pose is their sheer size. Often covering hundreds of acres, locust swarms are usually encountered in great numbers, and even powerful creatures can succumb to wave after wave of swarming locusts.
Combat Multihued wings and scintillating exoskeletons make these deceptively beautiful creatures as fascinating as they are dangerous. Whereas many vermin swarms are easy to avoid, even the most mobile creatures often fall pray to the hypnotic colors produced by a swarm of rapture locusts. Victims stand motionless as they are overcome by euphoria while the voracious locusts feast on their bodies.
Hypnotic Pattern (Su): Anyone looking at a swarm of rapture locusts is affected as if by a hypnotic pattern spell cast by a 6th-level sorcerer. Creatures can make a Will saving throw (DC 15) to resist this affect. This is a mindaffecting ability.
Rapture (Su): Any nonmindless creature that takes damage from a rapture locust swarm must succeed on a Will save (DC 18) or take no action for 1 full round. Creatures so affected stand motionless. This is a mindaffecting ability. Enraptured creatures are not distracted by the swarm’s attack, since they do not even realize they are being harmed, but creatures that succeed on a save against the swarm’s rapture are distracted (see Distraction, above, in the general discussion on swarms).
Vermin Traits: A locust swarm is immune to all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects). It also has darkvision (60-foot range).
SCARAB BEETLE SWARM Medium-Size Vermin (Swarm of Fine Creatures)
Hit Dice: 15d8+60 (127 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 30 ft., burrow 30 ft.
AC: 18 (+2 Dex, +6 natural), touch 12, flatfooted 16
Base Attack/Grapple: +11/—
Attack: Swarm
Full Attack: Swarm
Damage: Swarm 5d6 plus desiccate
Face/Reach: 5 ft./0 ft.
Special Attacks: Desiccate, distraction (DC 21)
Special Qualities: Superior swarm, swarm traits, vermin traits
Saves: Fort +13, Ref +7, Will +6
Abilities: Str 1, Dex 15, Con 18, Int —, Wis 12, Cha 4
Skills: —
Feats: —
Climate/Terrain: Any desert and underground
Organization: Solitary or army (3–8 swarms)
Challenge Rating: 10
Treasure: 50% coins, 50% items (not organic)
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: — Usually found in the depths of underground crypts, scarab beetles exist in huge numbers.
They consume flesh and organic material with blinding speed, making them ideal guardians of tombs, mausoleums, temples, and treasuries.
Unless it is sealed in an airtight sarcophagus, scarab beetles will consume the body that they were meant to protect.
Scarab beetles are beautiful to look at, with shiny black carapaces highlighted in turquoise, red, and yellow.
Scarab beetles have keen, powerful pincers that can slice through flesh and bone with ease.
Scarab beetles dig holes and tunnels near piles of offal and decomposing organic material. Through their consumption of carrion and the like, scarab beetles speed the reintroduction of decaying organic material into the environment.
Fortunately, scarab beetles are not very fond of sunlight or intense heat, and they do not venture out onto the sweeping sands for long. At most, they attack any animal unfortunate to stumble across their lair before retreating back into the cool shadows.
Combat Scarab beetles are usually passive, and they generally remain dormant or crawl slowly about in search of food. However, they become extremely agitated in the presence of a living creature and devour anything that gets between them and that creature.
Watching a huge swarm of scarab beetles run down and devour a victim without stopping is a terrifying sight.
Because they can burrow through sand and dirt as quickly as they can move on the surface, scarab beetles commonly hide in the walls or flooring of tombs and spill out onto unsuspecting victims.
Desiccate (Ex): Scarab beetles can reduce a victim to nothing in mere seconds. Any living opponent damaged by a scarab beetle swarm must make a Fortitude save (DC 21) or take 1d6 points of Constitution damage. A creature reduced to 0 Constitution by the swarm is consumed completely, leaving behind items that are not organic.
Superior Swarm (Ex): Scarab beetle swarms are exceptionally dangerous and deal more swarm damage than their Hit Dice would otherwise indicate.
Vermin Traits: A vermin swarm is immune to all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects). It also has darkvision (60-foot range).
VIPER SWARM Medium-Size Animal (Swarm of Diminutive Creatures)
Hit Dice: 5d8+5 (27 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 15 ft., climb 15 ft.
AC: 16 (+2 Dex, +4 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/—
Attack: Swarm
Full Attack: Swarm
Damage: Swarm 1d6 plus poison
Face/Reach: 5 ft./0 ft.
Special Attacks: Distraction (DC 13), poison
Special Qualities: Hive mind, low-light vision, scent, swarm traits
Saves: Fort +5, Ref +6, Will +2
Abilities: Str 1, Dex 15, Con 12, Int 1, Wis 12, Cha 2
Skills: Balance +10, Climb +12, Hide +8, Listen +7, Spot +7
Climate/Terrain:Warm land and underground
Organization: Swarm
Challenge Rating: 3
Treasure:—
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: — A single snake no more than a foot long is rarely a threat to seasoned adventurers, no matter how virulent its venom.
More than a hundred such snakes writhing together in a single mass, however, is a waking nightmare.
The individual snakes that make up a viper swarm are 8 to 12 inches long, with black scales marked by red, orange, or yellow bands, lines, or arrowlike markings. As a swarm, they form a living carpet of wriggling snakes and crawl over one another and anything in their path, biting and injecting their deadly poison.
Combat A single Diminutive viper’s poison is painful but not deadly; several doses of it, however, can bring down an elephant.
Viper swarms overwhelm their prey with poison, then feast on its still-warm flesh.
A viper swarm can be summoned using a summon nature’s ally VI spell.
Poison (Ex): A viper swarm delivers its poison (Fort DC 13 negates) with each swarm attack. Initial and secondary damage are the same (1d4 Con).
Hive Mind (Ex): A viper swarm has a hive mind, making it susceptible to mind-affecting spells. For purposes of such spells, the swarm is a single creature of the animal type.
Scent (Ex): A viper swarm can detect approaching enemies, sniff out hidden foes, and track by sense of smell.
Skills: Viper swarms have a +4 racial bonus on Hide, Listen, and Spot checks, and a +8 racial bonus on Balance checks.
They use their Dexterity modifier for Climb checks and have a +8 racial bonus on Climb checks and can always choose to take 10 on Climb checks, even if rushed or threatened.
WASP SWARM Medium-Size Vermin (Swarm of Fine Creatures)
Hit Dice: 4d8+4 (22 hp)
Initiative: +3
Speed: 10 ft., fly 60 ft. (average)
AC: 14 (+3 Dex, +1 natural), touch 13, flat-footed 11
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/—
Attack: Swarm
Full Attack: Swarm
Damage: Swarm 1d6 plus poison
Face/Reach: 5 ft./0 ft.
Special Attacks: Distraction (DC 13), poison
Special Qualities: Swarm traits, vermin traits
Saves: Fort +5, Ref +4, Will +1
Abilities: Str 1, Dex 16, Con 13, Int —, Wis 10, Cha 2
Skills: —
Feats: —
Climate/Terrain: Any temperate land
Organization: Swarm
Challenge Rating: 2
Treasure: —
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: — Wasps sometimes gather together in swarms and build enormous nests that hang on trees, under the eaves of buildings, and even in holes in the ground. Because waspsare rather surly and irritable insects, swarms of wasps can be extremely dangerous.
Despite their maligned reputation, wasps are valuable parts of the ecosystem, since they eat an enormous amount of otherwise harmful insects.
Combat Wasp swarms are often passive unless roused by loud noises or violent motion. A character can move through a passive swarm safely if he makes a Move Silently check (DC 20). This works only if the character does not attack the swarm, moves at half speed, and does not make any sudden movements (such as spellcasting).
When roused, wasps have an extremely painful bite as well as a poisonous barb.
Poison (Ex): A wasp swarm delivers poison equivalent to that of a Medium-size giant wasp (Fort DC 18 negates) with each swarm attack. Initial and secondary damage are the same (1d6 Dex).
Vermin Traits: A wasp swarm is immune to all mindaffecting effects (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects). It also has darkvision (60-foot range).

TERROR BIRD

Large Animal
Hit Dice: 7d10+14 (52 hp)
Initiative: +7
Speed: 50 ft.
AC: 17 (–1 size, +3 Dex, +5 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +5/+13
Attack: Bite +8 melee
Full Attack: Bite +8 melee
Damage: Bite 1d8+6
Face/Reach: 10 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks: Improved grab
Special Qualities: Low-light vision
Saves: Fort +7, Ref +8, Will +4
Abilities: Str 19, Dex 17, Con 15, Int 2, Wis 14, Cha 10
Skills: Hide +8, Listen +4, Move Silently +7, Spot +4
Feats: Alertness, Improved Initiative, Skill Focus (Hide)
Climate/Terrain: Any forest, hill, or plains
Organization: Solitary or pack (3–6) Challenge Rating: 4
Treasure:—
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 8–14 HD (Large); 15–21 HD (Huge) Terror birds are cunning scavengers and predators. They reside at or near the top of the food chain in their territory unless another, more fearsome predator lives there. In such an instance, the terror birds’ scavenging instincts become more prominent, since the birds no longer have to hunt for food to survive.
Standing 8 to 9 feet tall, terror birds are flightless. Their large, hooked beaks are perfect for tearing meat, and although their claws look wicked and sharp, the birds do not use them to attack. The foliage of terror birds varies depending on a pack’s claimed territory. If the birds are primarily predators, their foliage matches the terrain in which they hunt. If they act more as scavengers, their foliage might be brighter.
Terror birds are rarely encountered singly. They are efficient and cunning pack hunters. They never attack an obviously more powerful force, since they prefer to hunt prey they can carry away easily.
COMBAT Terror bird packs try to encircle their chosen victims. When their prey seems least aware, flanking terror birds run in to distract the creature or creatures, while the leader runs in and attempts to grab a Small or smaller creature before running off to the pack’s nesting ground. The others then cover for the fleeing, burdened leader. They know that if one returns with food, the rest of the pack will receive a share.
Improved Grab (Ex): If a terror bird hits an opponent that is at least two size categories smaller than itself with a bite attack, it deals normal damage and attempts to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity (grapple bonus +13). If it gets a hold, it automatically deals bite damage with a successful grapple check.
A terror bird can move while maintaining the hold.

VINE HORROR

Medium-Size Plant (Aquatic)
Hit Dice: 5d8+20 (42 hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 30 ft., swim 20 ft.
AC: 18 (+8 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 18
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+7
Attack: Slam +7 melee
Full Attack: 2 slams +7 melee
Damage: Slam 1d6+4
Face/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Animate vines
Special Qualities: Half damage from piercing and slashing, malleability, plant traits
Saves: Fort +8, Ref +1, Will +2
Abilities: Str 18, Dex 10, Con 19, Int 9, Wis 13, Cha 10
Skills: Hide +15*, Listen +3, Spot +3, Swim +16
Feats: Alertness, Blind- Fight
Climate/Terrain: Any swamp or aquatic
Organization: Solitary or colony (2–12)
Challenge Rating: 4
Treasure:—
Alignment: Always neutral evil
Advancement: 6–7 HD (Large); 8–16 HD (Huge) Primitive, cruel, and elusive, vine horrors are sentient colonies of algae with the ability to assume a roughly humanoid form. They stalk swamps and similar areas, and they attack by surprise whenever possible.
Vine horrors are often mistaken for green-skinned humanoids with coarse, rough features. A vine horror’s features appear smooth and somewhat unformed, and when it speaks, its voice often changes pitch in unusual and seemingly random patterns.
Guided by their own malicious instincts, vine horrors seek to harm and slay any who enter their territory. Communities located too close to swamps or other vine horror lairs often suffer nocturnal attacks by animated trees.
Vine horrors speak Sylvan.
COMBAT Vine horrors often attempt to hide in shallow, algae-filled water, where they then animate trees to attack foes one at a time. Unlike treants and similar creatures, vine horrors care nothing for the trees they animate or the swamps they inhabit.
Animate Vines (Sp): A vine horror can use this ability to animate any single vine or similar kind of plant life within 90 feet. An animated vine fights as an assassin vine in all respects (see the Monster Manual). An animated vine loses its ability to fight if the vine horror that animated it is incapacitated or moves out of range.
Malleability (Ex): Because of a vine horror’s unusual body structure, it can compress its body enough to squeeze through a 1- inch-wide crack. Cracks and similar openings that are 1 inch or more in width do not slow the vine horror at all.
Plant Traits (Ex): A vine horror is immune to poison, sleep, paralysis, stunning, and polymorphing.
It is not subject to critical hits or mind-affecting effects. A vine horror also has low-light vision.
Skills: Vine horrors have a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform some special action or avoid a hazard and can always choose to take 10 on Swim checks, even if distracted or endangered. *Vine horrors have a +15 racial bonus on Hide checks in swamps or other areas with noticeable concentrations of algae

ARANEA

Medium Magical Beast (Shapechanger)
Hit Dice: 3d10+6 (22 hp)
Initiative: +6
Speed: 50 ft. (10 squares), climb 25 ft.
Armor Class: 13 (+2 Dex, +1 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 11
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+3
Attack: Bite +5 melee (1d6 plus poison) or web +5 ranged
Full Attack: Bite +5 melee (1d6 plus poison) or web +5 ranged
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Poison, spells, web
Special Qualities: Change shape, darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision
Saves: Fort +5, Ref +5, Will +4
Abilities: Str 11, Dex 15, Con 14, Int 14, Wis 13, Cha 14
Skills: Climb +14, Concentration +8, Escape Artist +5, Jump +13, Listen +6, Spot +6
Feats: Improved Initiative, Iron WillB, Weapon Finesse
Environment: Temperate forests
Organization: Solitary or colony (3–6)
Challenge Rating: 4
Treasure: Standard coins; double goods; standard items
Alignment: Usually neutral
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: +4 The creature appears to be a monstrous spider, but it has two small humanlike arms below its mandibles.
An aranea is an intelligent, shapechanging spider with sorcerous powers. In its natural form, an aranea resembles a big spider, with a humpbacked body a little bigger than a human torso. It has fanged mandibles like a normal spider. Two small arms, each about 2 feet long, lie below the mandibles. Each arm has a hand with four many-jointed fingers and a double-jointed thumb.
An aranea weighs about 150 pounds. The hump on its back houses its brain.
Araneas speak Common and Sylvan.
COMBAT An aranea avoids physical combat and uses its webs and spells when it can. In a battle, it tries to immobilize or distract the most aggressive opponents first.
Araneas often subdue opponents for ransom.
Poison (Ex): Injury, Fortitude DC 13, initial damage 1d6 Str, secondary damage 2d6 Str. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Spells: An aranea casts spells as a 3rd-level sorcerer. It prefers illusions and enchantments and avoids fire spells.
Typical Sorcerer Spells Known (6/6; save DC 12 + spell level): 0— daze, detect magic, ghost sound, light, resistance; 1st—mage armor, silent image, sleep.
Web (Ex): In spider or hybrid form (see below), an aranea can throw a web up to six times per day. This is similar to an attack with a net but has a maximum range of 50 feet, with a range increment of 10 feet, and is effective against targets of up to Large size. The web anchors the target in place, allowing no movement.
An entangled creature can escape with a DC 13 Escape Artist check or burst the web with a DC 17 Strength check. The check DCs are Constitution-based, and the Strength check DC includes a +4 racial bonus. The web has 6 hit points, hardness 0, and takes double damage from fire.
Change Shape (Su): An aranea’s natural form is that of a Medium monstrous spider. It can assume two other forms. The first is a unique Small or Medium humanoid; an aranea in its humanoid form always assumes the same appearance and traits, much as a lycanthrope would. In humanoid form, an aranea cannot use its bite attack, webs, or poison.
The second form is a Medium spider–humanoid hybrid. In hybrid form, an aranea looks like a Medium humanoid at first glance, but a DC 18 Spot check reveals the creature’s fangs and spinnerets. The aranea retains its bite attack, webs, and poison in this form, and can also wield weapons or wear armor. When in hybrid form, an aranea’s speed is 30 feet (6 squares).
An aranea remains in one form until it chooses to assume a new one. A change in form cannot be dispelled, nor does an aranea revert to its natural form when killed. A true seeing spell, however, reveals its natural form if it is in humanoid or hybrid form.
Skills: Araneas have a +2 racial bonus on Jump, Listen, and Spot checks. They have a +8 racial bonus on Climb checks and can always choose to take 10 on Climb checks even if rushed or threatened.

ASSASSIN VINE

CENTAUR

Large Monstrous Humanoid
Hit Dice: 4d8+8 (26 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 50 ft. (10 squares)
Armor Class: 14 (–1 size, +2 Dex, +3 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +4/+12
Attack: Longsword +7 melee (2d6+6/19–20) or composite longbow (+4 Str bonus) +5 ranged (2d6+4/×3)
Full Attack: Longsword +7 melee (2d6+6/19–20) and 2 hooves +3 melee (1d6+2); or composite longbow (+4 Str bonus) +5 ranged (2d6+4/×3)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks:—
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft.
Saves: Fort +3, Ref +6, Will +5
Abilities: Str 18, Dex 14, Con 15, Int 8, Wis 13, Cha 11
Skills: Listen +3, Move Silently +4, Spot +3, Survival +2
Feats: Dodge, Weapon Focus (hoof )
Environment: Temperate forests
Organization: Solitary, company (5–8), troop (8–18 plus 1 leader of 2nd–5th level), or tribe (20–150 plus 30% noncombatants plus 10 3rd-level sergeants, 5 5th-level lieutenants, and 1 leader of 5th–9th level)
Challenge Rating: 3
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Usually neutral good
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: +2 The creature gallops out of the trees, its thundering hooves echoing throughout the forest. It has the upper torso, arms, and head of a humanoid, and the lower body of a large horse. It carries a longbow, drawn and nocked, ready to loose an arrow at the first hint of danger.
Centaurs are woodland beings who shun the company of strangers.
They are deadly archers and even more fearsome in melee.
A centaur is as big as a heavy horse, but much taller and slightly heavier. A centaur is about 7 feet tall and weighs about 2,100 pounds.
Centaurs speak Sylvan and Elven.
COMBAT Although generally mild-tempered, centaurs are always armed.
Their favorite melee weapon is the longsword. When scouting or hunting, they carry composite longbows. A centaur employing a lance deals double damage when it charges, just as a rider on a mount does.
Centaurs usually don’t provoke a fight. Their normal response to aggression is swift retreat, perhaps after launching a few arrows to discourage pursuit. Against creatures powerful enough to pose danger to the tribe, they appear to use this same tactic, except that about half of the “retreating” centaurs will circle around to lie in ambush or attack the foe from the rear.
CENTAUR SOCIETY Among their own kind, centaurs are sociable creatures, but they have been known to become rowdy, boorish, and aggressive when under the influence of alcohol.
Solitary centaurs are usually out hunting or scouting. Companies and troops are usually hunting or scouting in force. Most of the members of a centaur tribe remain near their lair. Most of the centaurs in the tribal lair are female; while the males are out hunting and scouting, the females lead and administer the tribe. A third of a tribe’s population is young.
The typical centaur lair is located deep within a forest. It consists of a large hidden glade and pastures, with a good supply of running water. Depending on the climate, the lair may contain huts or lean-tos to shelter individual families.
Hearths for cooking and warmth are in an open area, away from the trees.
Centaurs are skilled in horticulture and may cultivate useful plants near their lair. In dangerous, monster- infested areas they plant thick barriers of thorn bushes around their lair, dig pits, and set snares.
Centaurs survive through a mixture of hunting, foraging, fishing, agriculture, and trade. Though they shun dealings with humans, centaurs do trade with elves, especially for food and wine. The elves are paid from the tribe’s treasury, which consists of the booty of slain monsters.
The size of a centaur tribe’s territory varies with its population and the nature of the area it inhabits.
Centaurs do not object to sharing territory with elves. The attitude of a centaur toward a stranger in its territory depends on the visitor. Humans and dwarves are politely asked to leave, halflings or gnomes are tolerated, and elves are welcomed.
Centaurs deal with monsters according to how much of a threat they are to the welfare and survival of the tribe: If a giant or dragon were to enter a tribe’s territory, the centaurs would relocate, but they would attempt to kill trolls, orcs, and the like.
Most centaurs revere a deity named Skerrit, who is a god of nature and community.
CENTAURS AS CHARACTERS Centaurs sometimes become bards, rangers, or druids. Centaur rangers often choose magical beasts or some variety of humanoid as their favored enemy. A centaur druid is usually a tribe’s designated leader and speaker. Centaur clerics (who are rare) worship Skerrit and can choose any two of the following domains: Animal, Good, or Plant.
Centaur characters possess the following racial traits.
— +8 Strength, +4 Dexterity, +4 Constitution, –2 Intelligence, +2 Wisdom.
—Large size. –1 penalty to Armor Class, –1 penalty on attack rolls, –4 penalty on Hide checks, +4 bonus on grapple checks, lifting and carrying limits double those of Medium characters.
—
Space/Reach: 10 feet/5 feet.
—A centaur’s base land speed is 50 feet.—Darkvision out to 60 feet.
—Racial
Hit Dice: A centaur begins with four levels of monstrous humanoid, which provide 4d8 Hit Dice, a base attack bonus of +4, and base saving throw bonuses of Fort +1, Ref +4, and Will +4.
—Racial
Skills: A centaur’s monstrous humanoid levels give it skill points equal to 7 × (2 + Int modifier). Its class skills are Listen, Move Silently, Spot, and Survival.
—Racial
Feats: A centaur’s monstrous humanoid levels give it two feats.
— +3 natural armor bonus.
— Automatic Languages: Sylvan, Elven. Bonus Languages: Common, Gnome, Halfling.
—Favored Class: Ranger.
—Level adjustment +2.

Dire Animals

DIRE BADGER Medium Animal
Hit Dice: 3d8+15 (28 hp)
Initiative: +3
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares), burrow 10 ft.
Armor Class: 16 (+3 Dex, +3 natural), touch 13, flat-footed 13
Base Attack/Grapple: +2/+4
Attack: Claw +4 melee (1d4+2)
Full Attack: 2 claws +4 melee (1d4+2) and bite –1 melee (1d6+1)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Rage
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +7, Ref +6, Will +4
Abilities: Str 14, Dex 17, Con 19, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 10
Skills: Listen +6, Spot +6
Feats: Alertness, Toughness, TrackB
Environment: Temperate forests
Organization: Solitary or cete (2–5)
Challenge Rating: 2
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 4–9 HD (Large)
Level Adjustment:— This squat, muscular creature is covered in wild, thick fur. Its stout legs end in clawed feet, and its pointed snout has a wide mouth full of sharp teeth.
These vicious creatures tolerate no intrusions. They cannot burrow into solid rock, but can move through just about any material softer than that. A dire badger usually leaves behind a usable tunnel 5 feet in diameter when burrowing unless the material it’s moving through is very loose.
A dire badger is from 5 to 7 feet in length and can weigh up to 500 pounds.
Combat Dire badgers attack with their sharp claws and teeth.
Rage (Ex): A dire badger that takes damage in combat flies into a berserk rage on its next turn, clawing and biting madly until either it or its opponent is dead. It gains +4 Strength, +4 Constitution, and –2 AC. The creature cannot end its rage voluntarily.
DIRE BEAR Large Animal
Hit Dice: 12d8+51 (105 hp)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares)
Armor Class: 17 (–1 size, +1 Dex, +7 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 16
Base Attack/Grapple: +9/+23
Attack: Claw +19 melee (2d4+10)
Full Attack: 2 claws +19 melee (2d4+10) and bite +13 melee (2d8+5)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Improved grab
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +12, Ref +9, Will +9
Abilities: Str 31, Dex 13, Con 19, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 10
Skills: Listen +10, Spot +10, Swim +13
Feats: Alertness, Endurance, Run, Toughness, Weapon Focus (claw)
Environment: Cold forests
Organization: Solitary or pair
Challenge Rating: 7
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 13–16 HD (Large); 17–36 HD (Huge)
Level Adjustment:— This hulking bear has bony brow ridges and claws like sickles, with a wildness and destructive gleam in its cold, piercing eyes.
The omnivorous dire bear usually does not bother creatures that try to avoid it, but will aggressively defend a kill or other source of food. It will not hesitate to rip apart anything that might contain something edible.
A typical dire bear is 12 feet long and weighs as much as 8,000 pounds.
Combat A dire bear attacks by tearing at opponents with its claws.
Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a dire bear must hit with a claw attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity.
DIRE BOAR Large Animal
Hit Dice: 7d8+21 (52 hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares)
Armor Class: 15 (–1 size, +6 natural), touch 9, flat-footed 15
Base Attack/Grapple: +5/+17
Attack: Gore +12 melee (1d8+12)
Full Attack: Gore +12 melee (1d8+12)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Ferocity
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +8, Ref +5, Will +8
Abilities: Str 27, Dex 10, Con 17, Int 2, Wis 13, Cha 8
Skills: Listen +8, Spot +8
Feats: Alertness, Endurance, Iron Will
Environment: Temperate forests
Organization: Solitary or herd (5–8)
Challenge Rating: 4
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 8–16 HD (Large); 17–21 HD (Huge)
Level Adjustment:— This giant boar has an arched back as high as a human is tall. It has spiny armor on its head and back, great, gleaming tusks, and small, furious, demon eyes.
Dire boars are omnivorous and spend most of their time rooting around, much as ordinary pigs do.
They viciously attack anything that approaches them, however.
Dire boars grow up to 12 feet long and weigh as much as 2,000 pounds.
Combat A dire boar charges its opponent, trying to rip the target open with its tusks.
Ferocity (Ex): A dire boar is such a tenacious combatant that it continues to fight without penalty even while disabled or dying.
DIRE WEASEL Medium Animal
Hit Dice: 3d8 (13 hp)
Initiative: +4
Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares)
Armor Class: 16 (+4 Dex, +2 natural), touch 14, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +2/+4
Attack: Bite +6 melee (1d6+3)
Full Attack: Bite +6 melee (1d6+3)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Attach, blood drain
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +3, Ref +7, Will +4
Abilities: Str 14, Dex 19, Con 10, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 11
Skills: Hide +8, Listen +3, Move Silently +8, Spot +5
Feats: Alertness, Stealthy , Weapon FinesseB
Environment: Temperate hills
Organization: Solitary or pair
Challenge Rating: 2
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 4–6 HD (Medium); 7–9 HD (Large)
Level Adjustment:— This sleek, fur-covered creature has a body longer than a human is tall. It has a wedged-shaped head crowned in short horns, four short legs, and a stumpy tail. It movements are fluid and very quick.
Dire weasels are aggressive, almost manic creatures with boundless energy.
Dire weasels grow to be up to 10 feet long and can reach a weight of 700 pounds.
Combat Dire weasels stalk their prey in the dark and then leap on it, biting and clawing.
Attach (Ex): A dire weasel that hits with its bite attack latches onto the opponent’s body with its powerful jaws. An attached dire weasel loses its Dexterity bonus to AC and thus has an AC of 12.
An attached dire weasel can be struck with a weapon or grappled itself. To remove an attached dire weasel through grappling, the opponent must achieve a pin against the creature.
Blood Drain (Ex): A dire weasel drains blood for 1d4 points of Constitution damage each round it remains attached.
DIRE WOLF Large Animal
Hit Dice: 6d8+18 (45 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 50 ft. (10 squares)
Armor Class: 14 (–1 size, +2 Dex, +3 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +4/+15
Attack: Bite +11 melee (1d8+10)
Full Attack: Bite +11 melee (1d8+10)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Trip
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +8, Ref +7, Will +6
Abilities: Str 25, Dex 15, Con 17, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 10
Skills: Hide +0, Listen +7, Move Silently +4, Spot +7, Survival +2*
Feats: Alertness, Run, TrackB, Weapon Focus (bite)
Environment: Temperate forests
Organization: Solitary or pack (5–8)
Challenge Rating: 3
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 7–18 HD (Large)
Level Adjustment:— Dire wolves are efficient pack hunters that will kill anything they can catch.
Dire wolves are mottled gray or black, about 9 feet long and weighing some 800 pounds.
Combat Dire wolves prefer to attack in packs, surrounding and flanking a foe when they can.
Trip (Ex): A dire wolf that hits with a bite attack can attempt to trip its opponent (+11 check modifier) as a free action without making a touch attack or provoking an attack of opportunity. If the attempt fails, the opponent cannot react to trip the dire wolf.
Skills: A dire wolf has a +2 racial bonus on Hide, Listen, Move Silently, and Spot checks. *It also has a +4 racial bonus on Survival checks when tracking by scent.
DIRE WOLVERINE Large Animal
Hit Dice: 5d8+23 (45 hp)
Initiative: +3
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares), climb 10 ft.
Armor Class: 16 (–1 size, +3 Dex, +4 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 13
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+13
Attack: Claw +8 melee (1d6+6)
Full Attack: 2 claws +8 melee (1d6+6) and bite +3 melee (1d8+3)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Rage
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +8, Ref +7, Will +5
Abilities: Str 22, Dex 17, Con 19, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 10
Skills: Climb +14, Listen +7, Spot +7
Feats: Alertness, Toughness, TrackB
Environment: Cold forests
Organization: Solitary or pair
Challenge Rating: 4
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 6–15 HD (Large)
Level Adjustment:— This massive, low-slung creature has a wedge-shaped head and body covered in coarse, shaggy fur. Its legs are short and thick, and it has claws like pickaxes on its feet.
These foul-tempered creatures have been known to attack settlements, destroying both livestock and food stores. They are reputed to be utterly fearless.
Dire wolverines grow to about 12 feet in length and can weigh as much as 2,000 pounds.
Combat Dire wolverines attack opponents wantonly, fearing no other creatures.
Rage (Ex): A dire wolverine that takes damage in combat flies into a berserk rage on its next turn, clawing and biting madly until either it or its opponent is dead. An enraged dire wolverine gains +4 Strength, +4 Constitution, and –2 AC. The creature cannot end its rage voluntarily.
Skills: A dire wolverine has a +8 racial bonus on Climb checks and can always choose to take 10 on Climb checks, even if rushed or threatened.

DRYAD

Medium Fey
Hit Dice: 4d6 (14 hp)
Initiative: +4
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 17 (+4 Dex, +3 natural), touch 14, flat-footed 13
Base Attack/Grapple: +2/+2
Attack: Dagger +6 melee (1d4/19–20) or masterwork longbow +7 ranged (1d8/×3)
Full Attack: Dagger +6 melee (1d4/19–20) or masterwork longbow +7 ranged (1d8/×3)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Spell-like abilities
Special Qualities: Damage reduction 5/cold iron, tree dependent, wild empathy
Saves: Fort +3, Ref +8, Will +6
Abilities: Str 10, Dex 19, Con 11, Int 14, Wis 15, Cha 18
Skills: Escape Artist +11, Handle Animal +11, Hide +11, Knowledge (nature) +11, Listen +9, Move Silently +11, Ride +6, Spot +9, Survival +9, Use Rope +4 (+6 with bindings)
Feats: Great Fortitude, Weapon Finesse
Environment: Temperate forests
Organization: Solitary or grove (4–7)
Challenge Rating: 3
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Usually chaotic good
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment:— The creature blossoms out of the bark of the ancient tree, at first appearing as a new branch before solidifying into a decidedly female shape. She has a wild, unfathomable look in her large, almond-shaped eyes, and her hair has a pronounced, leafy texture, while her skin looks like burnished wood.
Dryads are wild, mysterious entities found deep in secluded woodlands. They defend the trees from any who would fell them and sometimes come into conflict with humans and others who take wood from the forests. Dryads have been known to charm adventurers into helping them defend their homes or hunting down the forest’s enemies—even if those enemies are human loggers and woodcutters.
Dryads remain something of a mystery even to other woodland beings. Tales tell of dryads who took a fancy to handsome elf or human men, charmed them, and held them captive. But since dryads rarely associate with any outside their own kind, these stories may be purely apocryphal.
Dryads are more likely to ensnare intruders and then send their charmed “guests” out to deal with threats the dryads cannot handle.
A dryad’s delicate features are much like a female elf ’s, though her flesh is like bark or fine wood, and her hair is like a canopy of leaves that changes color with the seasons.
Although they are generally solitary, up to seven dryads have been encountered in one place on rare occasions.
Dryads speak Common, Elven, and Sylvan.
COMBAT Shy, intelligent, and resolute, dryads are as elusive as they are alluring—they avoid physical combat and are rarely seen unless they wish to be. If threatened, or in need of an ally, a dryad uses charm person or suggestion, attempting to gain control of the attacker(s) who could help the most against the rest. Any attack on her tree, however, provokes the dryad into a frenzied defense.
Spell-Like
Abilities: At will—entangle (DC 13), speak with plants, tree shape; 3/day— charm person (DC 13), deep slumber (DC 15), tree stride; 1/day—suggestion (DC 15). Caster level 6th. The save DCs are Wisdom-based.
Tree Dependent (Su): Each dryad is mystically bound to a single, enormous oak tree and must never stray more than 300 yards from it. Any who do become ill and die within 4d6 hours. A dryad’s oak does not radiate magic.
Wild Empathy (Ex): This power works like the druid’s wild empathy class feature, except that the dryad has a +6 racial bonus on the check

ETTERCAP

Medium Aberration
Hit Dice: 5d8+5 (27 hp)
Initiative: +3
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares), climb 30 ft.
Armor Class: 14 (+3 Dex, +1 natural), touch 13, flat-footed 11
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+5
Attack: Bite +5 melee (1d8+2 plus poison)
Attack: Bite +5 melee (1d8+2 plus poison) and 2 claws +3 melee (1d3+1)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Poison, web
Special Qualities: Low-light vision
Saves: Fort +4, Ref +4, Will +6
Abilities: Str 14, Dex 17, Con 13, Int 6, Wis 15, Cha 8
Skills: Climb +10, Craft (trapmaking) +4, Hide +9, Listen +4, Spot +8
Feats: Great Fortitude, Multiattack
Environment: Warm forests
Organization: Solitary, pair, or troupe (1–2 plus 2–4 Medium monstrous spiders)
Challenge Rating: 3
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Usually neutral evil
Advancement: 6–7 HD (Medium); 8–15 HD (Large)
Level Adjustment: +4 This revolting creature resembles a cross between a gangly human and a bloated spider. It has long, slender arms and legs protruding from a rounded, fleshy body. It has a spider’s head with a pair of bulbous black eyes.
Although not very intelligent, ettercaps are cunning predators.
Like the monstrous spiders in whose company they are often found, they are skilled hunters and trappers.
Lurking in dark shadows, ettercaps are solitary creatures that exist only to eat and breed. They often make their homes near welltraveled paths or game trails, where food is plentiful. They savor the taste of still-living flesh, often consuming incapacitated prey before it dies.
Ettercaps are very fond of spiders and often keep them as others keep bees. Some ettercaps have a number of monstrous spiders as pets, which are as loyal to it as a dog is to a human master.
An ettercap is about 6 feet tall and weighs about 200 pounds.
Ettercaps speak Common.
COMBAT Ettercaps are not brave creatures, but their cunning traps often ensure that the enemy never draws a weapon. When an ettercap does engage its enemies, it attacks with its keen-edged claws and venomous bite. It usually will not come within melee reach of any foe that is still able to move.
Poison (Ex): Injury, Fortitude DC 15, initial damage 1d6 Dex, secondary damage 2d6 Dex. The save DC is Constitution based and includes a +2 racial bonus.
Web (Ex): An ettercap can throw a web eight times per day. This is similar to an attack with a net but has a maximum range of 50 feet, with a range increment of 10 feet, and is effective against targets of up to Medium size. The web anchors the target in place, allowing no movement.
An entangled creature can escape with a DC 13 Escape Artist check or burst the web with a DC 17 Strength check. The check DCs are Constitution-based, and the Strength check DC includes a +4 racial bonus. The web has 6 hit points, hardness 0, and takes double damage from fire.
Ettercaps can also create sheets of sticky webbing from 5 to 60 feet square. They usually position these to snare flying creatures but can also try to trap prey on the ground. Approaching creatures must succeed on a DC 20 Spot check to notice a web, or they stumble into it and become trapped as though by a successful web attack. Attempts to escape or burst the webbing receive a +5 bonus if the trapped creature has something to walk on or grab while pulling free. Each 5-foot-square section has 6 hit points, hardness 0, and takes double damage from fire.
An ettercap can move across its own sheet web at its climb speed and can determine the exact location of any creature touching the web.
Skills: Ettercaps have a +4 racial bonus on Craft (trapmaking), Hide, and Spot checks. They have a +8 racial bonus on Climb checks and can always choose to take 10 on Climb checks, even if rushed or threatened.

NYMPH

Medium Fey
Hit Dice: 6d6+6 (27 hp)
Initiative: +3
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares), swim 20 ft.
Armor Class: 17 (+3 Dex, +4 deflection), touch 17, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+3
Attack: Dagger +6 melee (1d4/19–20)
Full Attack: Dagger +6 melee (1d4/19–20)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Blinding beauty, spells, spell-like abilities, stunning glance
Special Qualities: Damage reduction 10/cold iron, low-light vision, unearthly grace, wild empathy
Saves: Fort +7, Ref +12, Will +12
Abilities: Str 10, Dex 17, Con 12, Int 16, Wis 17, Cha 19
Skills: Concentration +10, Diplomacy +6, Escape Artist +12, Handle Animal +13, Heal +12, Hide +12, Listen +12, Move Silently +12, Ride +5, Sense Motive +12, Spot +12, Swim +8, Use Rope +3 (+5 with bindings)
Feats: Combat Casting, Dodge, Weapon Finesse
Environment: Temperate forests
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 7
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Usually chaotic good
Advancement: 7–12 HD (Medium) This being’s beauty exceeds mere words; she is captivating and dangerous because of the emotions she inspires. She has long, copper hair, perfect skin, large eyes, and long, swept-back ears.
Nymphs are nature’s embodiment of physical beauty, and the guardians of the sacred places of the wild. They are so unbearably lovely that even a glimpse of one can blind an onlooker.
Nymphs hate evil and any who would despoil the wilds for any reason.
A nymph’s demeanor is wild and mercurial. Like nature itself, she embodies both great beauty and fearsome danger. She can be kind and graceful to mortals who revere the wild places of the world, but is also quick to strike against mortals who take more than they need or who treat nature thoughtlessly.
Animals of all types flock to a nymph, ignoring the presence of natural enemies; injured beasts know that the nymph will tend their wounds.
A nymph is about the height and weight of a female elf.
Nymphs speak Sylvan and Common.
COMBAT A nymph usually avoids contact with nonfey, but she often has a place she holds sacred and defends against all intrusion—a grove, a pool, or sometimes a hilltop or peak. She uses her spells and animal allies to drive intruders away from the spot she defends, preferring to use nonlethal attacks first and resorting to deadly attacks only when faced by evil creatures or intruders who reply to her efforts with deadly attacks of their own.
Nymphs are better disposed toward elves, half-elves, and druids, individuals they recognize as friends of nature.
They are likely to offer such people a chance to explain their presence instead of driving them away. Nymphs have also been known to aid good heroes who approach them in a courteous and respectful manner.
Blinding Beauty (Su): This ability affects all humanoids within 30 feet of a nymph.
Those who look directly at a nymph must succeed on a DC 17 Fortitude save or be blinded permanently as though by the blindness spell. A nymph can suppress or resume this ability as a free action.
The save DC is Charisma-based.
Spell-Like
Abilities: 1/day—dimension door. Caster level 7th.
Spells: A nymph casts divine spells as a 7th-level druid.
Typical Druid Spells Prepared (6/5/4/3/1, save DC 13 + spell level): 0—cure minor wounds, detect magic, flare, guidance, light, resistance; 1st—calm animal, cure light wounds, entangle, longstrider, speak with animals; 2nd—barkskin, heat metal, lesser restoration, tree shape; 3rd— call lightning, cure moderate wounds, protection from energy; 4th—rusting grasp.
Stunning Glance (Su): As a standard action, a wrathful nymph can stun a creature within 30 feet with a look. The target creature must succeed on a DC 17 Fortitude save or be stunned for 2d4 rounds. The save DC is Charisma-based.
Unearthly Grace (Su): A nymph adds her Charisma modifier as a bonus on all her saving throws, and as a deflection bonus to her Armor Class. (The statistics block already reflects these bonuses).
Wild Empathy (Ex): This power works like the druid’s wild empathy class feature, except that a nymph has a +6 racial bonus on the check.
Skills: A nymph has a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform some special action or avoid a hazard. She can always choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered. She can use the run action while swimming, provided she swims in a straight line.

OWL, GIANT

Large Magical Beast
Hit Dice: 4d10+4 (26 hp)
Initiative: +3
Speed: 10 ft. (2 squares), fly 70 ft. (average)
Armor Class: 15 (–1 size, +3 Dex, +3 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +4/+12
Attack: Claw +7 melee (1d6+4)
Full Attack: 2 claws +7 melee (1d6+4) and bite +2 melee (1d8+2)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks:—
Special Qualities: Superior lowlight vision
Saves: Fort +5, Ref +7, Will +3
Abilities: Str 18, Dex 17, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 10
Skills: Knowledge (nature) +2, Listen +17, Move Silently +8*, Spot +10
Feats: Alertness, Wingover
Environment: Temperate forests
Organization: Solitary, pair, or company (3–5)
Challenge Rating: 3
Treasure: None
Alignment: Usually neutral good
Advancement: 5–8 HD (Large); 9–12 HD (Huge)
Level Adjustment: +2 (cohort) Giant owls are nocturnal birds of prey, feared for their ability to hunt and attack in near silence. They are intelligent, and though naturally suspicious, sometimes associate with good creatures.
They attack creatures that appear threatening, especially those intent on raiding the owls’ nest for eggs or fledglings, which fetch a handsome price in many civilized areas. Young owls can be trained and are prized as aerial mounts.
A typical giant owl stands about 9 feet tall, has a wingspan of up to 20 feet, and resembles its smaller cousins in nearly every way except size.
Giant owls speak Common and Sylvan.
COMBAT A giant owl attacks by gliding silently just a few feet above its prey and plunging to strike when directly overhead.
A solitary giant owl is typically hunting or patrolling in the vicinity of its nest and generally ignores creatures that do not appear threatening. A mated pair of giant owls will attack in concert and fight to the death to defend their nest. Several giant owls sometimes operate as a company for some specific purpose, such as driving away a group of evil humanoids.
Superior Low-Light Vision (Ex): A giant owl can see five times as far as a human can in dim light.
Skills: Giant owls have a +8 racial bonus on Listen checks and a +4 racial bonus on Spot checks.
*When in flight, giant owls gain a +8 bonus on Move Silently checks.
TRAINING A GIANT OWL Although intelligent, a giant owl requires training before it can bear a rider in combat. To be trained, a giant owl must have a friendly attitude toward the trainer (this can be achieved through a successful Diplomacy check). Training a friendly giant owl requires six weeks of work and a DC 25 Handle Animal check. Riding a giant owl requires an exotic saddle. A giant owl can fight while carrying a rider, but the rider cannot also attack unless he or she succeeds on a Ride check.
Giant owl eggs are worth 2,500 gp apiece on the open market, while chicks are worth 4,000 gp each. Professional trainers charge 1,000 gp to rear or train a giant owl.
Carrying Capacity: A light load for a giant owl is up to 300 pounds; a medium load, 301–600 pounds; and a heavy load, 601–900 pounds.

OWLBEAR

Large Magical Beast
Hit Dice: 5d10+25 (52 hp)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 15 (–1 size, +1 Dex, +5 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +5/+14
Attack: Claw +9 melee (1d6+5)
Full Attack: 2 claws +9 melee (1d6+5) and bite +4 melee (1d8+2)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Improved grab
Special Qualities: Scent
Saves: Fort +9, Ref +5, Will +2
Abilities: Str 21, Dex 12, Con 21, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 10
Skills: Listen +8, Spot +8
Feats: Alertness, Track
Environment: Temperate forests
Organization: Solitary, pair, or pack (3–8)
Challenge Rating: 4
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 6–8 HD (Large); 9–15 HD (Huge)
Level Adjustment:— This creature has a thick, shaggy coat of feathers and fur. Its body is like a bear’s, but it has an avian head with big, round eyes and a hooked beak.
Owlbears are extraordinarily vicious predators with a reputation for ferocity, aggression, and sheer ill temper. They tend to attack nearly anything that moves without provocation.
Scholars have long debated the origins of the owlbear. The most common theory is that a demented wizard created the first specimen by crossing a giant owl with a bear. An owlbear’s coat ranges in color from brown-black to yellowish brown; its beak is a dull ivory color. A full-grown male can stand as tall as 8 feet and weigh up to 1,500 pounds. Adventurers who have survived encounters with the creature often speak of the bestial madness they glimpsed in its red-rimmed eyes.
Owlbears inhabit wilderness areas, making their lairs within tangled forests or in shallow underground caverns. They can be active during the day or night, depending on the habits of the available prey. Adults live in mated pairs and hunt in packs, leaving their young in the lair. A lair usually has 1d6 young, fetching a price of 3,000 gp each in many civilized areas. While owlbears cannot be domesticated, they can still be placed in strategically important areas as free-roaming guardians. Professional trainers charge 2,000 gp to rear or train an owlbear (DC 23 for a young creature, DC 30 for an adult).
COMBAT Owlbears attack prey—any creature bigger than a mouse—on sight, always fighting to the death. They slash with claws and beak, trying to grab their prey and rip it apart.
Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, an owlbear must hit with a claw attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity.

PEGASUS

Large Magical Beast
Hit Dice: 4d10+12 (34 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 60 ft. (12 squares), fly 120 ft. (average)
Armor Class: 14 (–1 size, +2 Dex, +3 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +4/+12
Attack: Hoof +7 melee (1d6+4)
Full Attack: 2 hooves +7 melee (1d6+4) and bite +2 melee (1d3+2)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks:—
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent, spell-like abilities
Saves: Fort +7, Ref +6, Will +4
Abilities: Str 18, Dex 15, Con 16, Int 10, Wis 13, Cha 13
Skills: Diplomacy +3, Listen +8, Sense Motive +9, Spot +8
Feats: Flyby Attack, Iron Will
Environment: Temperate forests
Organization: Solitary, pair, or herd (6–10)
Challenge Rating: 3
Treasure: None
Alignment: Usually chaotic good
Advancement: 5–8 HD (Large)
Level Adjustment: +2 (cohort) This creature looks like a horse but has two large, feathered wings. Its coat and wings are pure white.
The pegasus is a magnificent winged horse that sometimes serves the cause of good. Though highly prized as aerial steeds, pegasi are wild and shy creatures not easily tamed.
Pegasi mate for life, building their nests in high, remote locations.
A mated pair have either 1–2 eggs or 1–2 young in their nest.
A typical pegasus stands 6 feet high at the shoulder, weighs 1,500 pounds, and has a wingspan of 20 feet. Rumors tell of some specimens that are brown or black instead of white.
Pegasi cannot speak, but they understand Common.
COMBAT Pegasi attack with their sharp hooves and powerful bite. Mated pairs and herds attack as a team, fighting to the death to defend their eggs and young.
Spell-Like
Abilities: At will—detect good and detect evil within a 60-foot radius. Caster level 5th.
Skills: Pegasi have a +4 racial bonus on Listen and Spot checks.
TRAINING A PEGASUS Although intelligent, a pegasus requires training before it can bear a rider in combat. To be trained, a pegasus must have a friendly attitude toward the trainer (this can be achieved through a successful Diplomacy check). Training a friendly pegasus requires six weeks of work and a DC 25 Handle Animal check. Riding a pegasus requires an exotic saddle. A pegasus can fight while carrying a rider, but the rider cannot also attack unless he or she succeeds on a Ride check.
Pegasus eggs are worth 2,000 gp each on the open market, while young are worth 3,000 gp per head. Pegasi mature at the same rate as horses. Professional trainers charge 1,000 gp to rear or train a pegasus, which serves a good or neutral master with absolute faithfulness for life.
Carrying Capacity: A light load for a pegasus is up to 300 pounds; a medium load, 301–600 pounds; and a heavy load, 601–900 pounds.

SATYR

Medium Fey
Hit Dice: 5d6+5 (22 hp)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares)
Armor Class: 15 (+1 Dex, +4 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +2/+2
Attack: Head butt +2 melee (1d6) or shortbow +3 ranged (1d6/×3)
Full Attack: Head butt +2 melee (1d6) and dagger –3 melee (1d4/19–20); or shortbow +3 ranged (1d6/×3)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Pipes
Special Qualities: Damage reduction 5/cold iron, low-light vision
Saves: Fort +2, Ref +5, Will +5
Abilities: Str 10, Dex 13, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 13, Cha 13
Skills: Bluff +9, Diplomacy +3, Disguise +1 (+3 acting), Hide +13, Intimidate +3, Knowledge (nature) +9, Listen +15, Move Silently +13, Perform (wind instruments) +9, Spot +15, Survival +1 (+3 aboveground)
Feats: AlertnessB, Dodge, Mobility
Environment: Temperate forests
Organization: Solitary, pair, band (3–5), or troop (6–11)
Challenge Rating: 2 (without pipes) or 4 (with pipes)
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Usually chaotic neutral
Advancement: 6–10 HD (Medium)
Level Adjustment: +2 This being might best be described as a horned man with the legs of a goat.
Satyrs, also known as fauns, are hedonistic creatures that frolic in the wild places of the world. They love fine food, strong drink, and passionate romance.
A satyr’s hair is red or chestnut brown, while its hooves and horns are jet black.
A satyr is far more likely to be carrying musical instruments or bottles of wine than weapons.
For the most part, satyrs leave travelers alone. They are, however, more than a little mischievous and often seek fun at the expense of those who wander too near their woodland homes.
A satyr is about as tall and heavy as a half-elf.
Satyrs speak Sylvan, and most also speak Common.
COMBAT The keen senses of a satyr make it almost impossible to surprise one in the wild.
Conversely, with their own natural grace and agility, satyrs can sneak up on travelers who are not carefully watching the surrounding wilderness.
Once engaged in battle, an unarmed satyr attacks with a powerful head butt.
A satyr expecting trouble is likely to be armed with a bow and a dagger and typically looses arrows from hiding, weakening an enemy before closing.
Pipes (Su): Satyrs can play a variety of magical tunes on their pan pipes. Usually, only one satyr in a group carries pipes. When it plays, all creatures within a 60-foot spread (except satyrs) must succeed on a DC 13 Will save or be affected by charm person, sleep, or fear (caster level 10th; the satyr chooses the tune and its effect).
In the hands of other beings, these pipes have no special powers. A creature that successfully saves against any of the pipe’s effects cannot be affected by the same set of pipes for 24 hours. The save DC is Charisma-based.
A satyr often uses its pipes to charm and seduce especially comely women or to put a party of adventurers to sleep and then steal their valuables.
Skills: Satyrs have a +4 racial bonus on Hide, Listen, Move Silently, Perform, and Spot checks.
SATYRS AS CHARACTERS Satyr characters possess the following racial traits.
— +2 Dexterity, +2 Constitution, +2 Intelligence, +2 Wisdom, +2 Charisma.
—Medium size.
—A satyr’s base land speed is 40 feet.
—Low-light vision.
—Racial
Hit Dice: A satyr begins with five levels of fey, which provide 5d8 Hit Dice, a base attack bonus of +2, and base saving throw bonuses of Fort +1, Ref +4, and Will +4.
—Racial
Skills: A satyr’s fey levels give it skill points equal to 8 × (6 + Int modifier). Its class skills are Bluff, Hide, Knowledge (nature), Listen, Move Silently, Perform, and Spot. Satyrs have a +4 racial bonus on Hide, Listen, Move Silently, Perform, and Spot checks.
—Racial
Feats: A satyr’s fey levels give it two feats. A satyr receives Alertness as a bonus feat.
— +4 natural armor bonus.
—Natural Weapons: Head butt (1d6).
—Special Attacks (see above): Pipes.
—Special Qualities (see above): Damage reduction 5/cold iron.
—Automatic Languages: Sylvan. Bonus Languages: Common, Elven, Gnome.
—Favored Class: Bard.
—Level adjustment +2.

GRIG

Tiny Fey
Hit Dice: 1/2 d6+1 (2 hp)
Initiative: +4
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares), fly 40 ft. (poor)
Armor Class: 18 (+2 size, +4 Dex, +2 natural), touch 16, flat-footed 16
Base Attack/Grapple: +0/–11
Attack: Short sword +6 melee (1d3–3/19–20) or longbow +6 ranged (1d4–3/×3)
Full Attack: Short sword +6 melee (1d3–3/19–20) or longbow +6 ranged (1d4–3/×3)
Space/Reach: 2-1/2 ft./0 ft.
Special Attacks: Spell-like abilities, fiddle
Special Qualities: Damage reduction 5/cold iron, low-light vision, spell resistance 17
Saves: Fort +1, Ref +6, Will +3
Abilities: Str 5, Dex 18, Con 13, Int 10, Wis 13, Cha 14
Skills: Craft (any one) +4, Escape Artist +8, Hide +16, Jump +3, Listen +3, Move Silently +8*, Perform (string instruments) +6, Search +2, Spot +3
Feats: DodgeB, Weapon Finesse
Environment: Temperate forests
Organization: Gang (2–4), band (6–11), or tribe (20–80)
Challenge Rating: 1
Treasure: No coins; 50% goods; 50% items
Alignment: Always neutral good
Advancement: 1–3 HD (Tiny)
Level Adjustment: +3 This tiny being has a humanoid head, torso, and arms, with the wings, antennae, and legs of a cricket.
Grigs are mischievous and lighthearted. They have no fear of larger creatures and delight in playing tricks on them. Favorite pranks include stealing food, collapsing tents, and using ventriloquism to make objects talk.
Grigs can leap great distances. They have light blue skin, forestgreen hair, and brown hairy legs, and usually wear tunics or brightly colored vests with buttons made from tiny gems.
A grig stands 1-1/2 feet tall and weighs about 1 pound.
Grigs speak Sylvan. Some also speak Common.
Combat Grigs are fierce by sprite standards, attacking opponents fearlessly with bow and dagger.
Spell-Like
Abilities: 3/day—disguise self, entangle (DC 13), invisibility (self only), pyrotechnics (DC 14), ventriloquism (DC 13).
Caster level 9th. The save DCs are Charisma-based.
Fiddle (Su): One grig in each band carries a tiny, grig-sized fiddle. When the fiddler plays, any nonsprite within 30 feet of the instrument must succeed on a DC 12 Will save or be affected as though by Otto’s irresistible dance for as long as the playing continues.
The save DC is Charisma-based.
Skills: Grigs have a +8 racial bonus on Jump checks.
*They also have a +5 racial bonus on Move Silently checks in a forest setting.

PIXIE

Small Fey
Hit Dice: 1d6 (3 hp)
Initiative: +4
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares), fly 60 ft. (good)
Armor Class: 16 (+1 size, +4 Dex, +1 natural), touch 15, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +0/–6
Attack: Short sword +5 melee (1d4–2/19–20) or longbow +5 ranged (1d6–2/×3)
Full Attack: Short sword +5 melee (1d4–2/19–20) or longbow +5 ranged (1d6–2)/×3
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Spell-like abilities, special arrows
Special Qualities: Damage reduction 10/cold iron, greater invisibility, low-light vision, spell resistance 15
Saves: Fort +0, Ref +6, Will +4
Abilities: Str 7, Dex 18, Con 11, Int 16, Wis 15, Cha 16
Skills: Bluff +7, Concentration +4, Escape Artist +8, Hide +8, Listen +8, Move Silently +8, Ride +8, Search +9, Sense Motive +6, Spot +8
Feats: DodgeB, Weapon Finesse
Environment: Temperate forests
Organization: Gang (2–4), band (6–11), or tribe (20–80)
Challenge Rating: 4 (5 with Otto’s irresistible dance)
Treasure: No coins; 50% goods; 50% items
Alignment: Always neutral good
Advancement: 2–3 HD (Small)
Level Adjustment: +4 (+6 with Otto’s irresistible dance) This being resembles a very small elf, but with longer ears and gossamer wings.
Pixies are merry pranksters that love to lead travelers astray. They can, however, be roused to surprising ire when dealing with evil creatures.
These sprites love to trick misers out of their wealth. They do not covet treasure themselves but use it to taunt and frustrate greedy folk. If a victim of pixie pranks exhibits no greed or demonstrates a good sense of humor, the tricksters may allow the individual to choose a reward from their hoard.
Pixies wear bright clothing, often including a cap and shoes with curled and pointed toes.
A pixie stands about 2-1/2 feet tall and weighs about 30 pounds.
Pixies speak Sylvan and Common, and may know other languages as well.
Combat The normally carefree pixies ferociously attack evil creatures and unwanted intruders. They take full advantage of their invisibility and other abilities to harass and drive away opponents.
Greater Invisibility (Su): A pixie remains invisible even when it attacks. This ability is constant, but the pixie can suppress or resume it as a free action.
Spell-Like
Abilities: 1/day—lesser confusion (DC 14), dancing lights, detect chaos, detect good, detect evil, detect law, detect thoughts (DC 15), dispel magic, entangle (DC 14), permanent image (DC 19; visual and auditory elements only), polymorph (self only). Caster level 8th. The save DCs are Charisma-based.
One pixie in ten can use Otto’s irresistible dance (caster level 8th) once per day.
Special Arrows (Ex): Pixies sometimes employ arrows that deal no damage but can erase memory or put a creature to sleep.
Memory Loss: An opponent struck by this arrow must succeed on a DC 15 Will save or lose all memory. The save DC is Charismabased and includes a +2 racial bonus. The subject retains skills, languages, and class abilities but forgets everything else until he or she receives a heal spell or memory restoration with limited wish, wish, or miracle.
Sleep: Any opponent struck by this arrow, regardless of Hit Dice, must succeed on a DC 15 Fortitude save or be affected as though by a sleep spell. The save DC is Charisma-based and includes a +2 racial bonus.
Pixies as Characters A pixie character exchanges its 1 HD of fey for its first class level, so a 1st-level pixie sorcerer has a d4 Hit Die, a +0 base attack bonus, the base save bonuses of a sorcerer, and the sorcerer’s skill points and class skills.
Pixie characters possess the following racial traits.
— –4 Strength, +8 Dexterity, +6 Intelligence, +4 Wisdom, +6 Charisma.
—Small size. +1 bonus to Armor Class, +1 bonus on attack rolls, +4 bonus on Hide checks, –4 penalty on grapple checks, lifting and carrying limits 3/4 those of Medium characters.
—A pixie’s base land speed is 20 feet. It also has a fly speed of 60 feet (good).
—Low-light vision.
—
Skills: Pixies have a +2 racial bonus on Listen, Search, and Spot checks.
—Racial
Feats: A pixie receives Dodge as a bonus feat.
— +1 natural armor bonus.
—Special Attacks (see above): Spell-like abilities.
—Special Qualities (see above): Damage reduction 10/cold iron, greater invisibility, spell resistance equal to 15 + class levels.
—Automatic Languages: Common, Sylvan. Bonus Languages: Elven, Gnome, Halfling.
—Favored Class: Sorcerer.
—Level adjustment +4 (+6 if the pixie can use Otto’s irresistible dance).
Dire Horse Dire Elk Dire Elephant Large Animal Huge Animal Gargantuan Animal
Hit Dice: 8d8+48 (84 hp) 12d8+60 (114 hp) 20d8+200 (290 hp)
Initiative: +1 +0 +0
Speed: 60 ft. 50 ft. 30 ft., climb 10 ft.
AC: 16 (–1 size, +1 Dex, +6 natural), 15 (–2 size, +7 natural), 10 (–4 size, +4 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 15 touch 8, flat-footed 15 touch 6, flat-footed 10 Attacks: 2 hooves +11 melee and bite Slam +14 melee and 2 hooves Slam +26 melee and 2 stamps +6 melee +9 melee, or gore +14 melee +21 melee, or gore +26 melee
Damage: Hoof 1d6+6, bite 1d4+3 Slam 2d6+7, hoof 2d4+3, Slam 2d8+15, stamp 2d8+7, gore 2d8+10 gore 4d6+22
Face/Reach: 5 ft. by 10 ft./5 ft. 10 ft. by 20 ft./10 ft. 20 ft. by 40 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks: — Trample 2d8+10 Trample 4d6+22
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent Low-light vision, scent Low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +12, Ref +7, Will +8 Fort +13, Ref +8, Will +8 Fort +22, Ref +12, Will +14
Abilities: Str 22, Dex 13, Con 22, Str 24, Dex 11, Con 20, Str 40, Dex 11, Con 30, Int 2, Wis 15, Cha 11 Int 2, Wis 11, Cha 7 Int 2, Wis 15, Cha 7
Skills: Listen +8, Spot +8 Listen +6, Spot +6 Climb +23, Listen +8, Spot +8
Climate/Terrain: Any land Temperate and cold forest, hills, Warm forest and plains and mountains
Organization: Solitary or herd (6–30) Solitary or herd (6–30) Solitary or herd (6–30)
Challenge Rating:4 7 10
Treasure: None None None
Alignment: Always neutral Always neutral Always neutral
Advancement: 9–16 HD (Large); 13–16 HD (Huge); 21–30 HD (Gargantuan); 17–24 HD (Huge) 17–36 HD (Gargantuan) 31–45 HD (Colossal) Dire Horse Dire Elk Dire Elephant Large Animal Huge Animal Gargantuan Animal
Hit Dice: 8d8+48 (84 hp) 12d8+60 (114 hp) 20d8+200 (290 hp)
Initiative: +1 +0 +0
Speed: 60 ft. 50 ft. 30 ft., climb 10 ft.
AC: 16 (–1 size, +1 Dex, +6 natural), 15 (–2 size, +7 natural), 10 (–4 size, +4 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 15 touch 8, flat-footed 15 touch 6, flat-footed 10 Attacks: 2 hooves +11 melee and bite Slam +14 melee and 2 hooves Slam +26 melee and 2 stamps +6 melee +9 melee, or gore +14 melee +21 melee, or gore +26 melee
Damage: Hoof 1d6+6, bite 1d4+3 Slam 2d6+7, hoof 2d4+3, Slam 2d8+15, stamp 2d8+7, gore 2d8+10 gore 4d6+22
Face/Reach: 5 ft. by 10 ft./5 ft. 10 ft. by 20 ft./10 ft. 20 ft. by 40 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks: — Trample 2d8+10 Trample 4d6+22
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent Low-light vision, scent Low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +12, Ref +7, Will +8 Fort +13, Ref +8, Will +8 Fort +22, Ref +12, Will +14
Abilities: Str 22, Dex 13, Con 22, Str 24, Dex 11, Con 20, Str 40, Dex 11, Con 30, Int 2, Wis 15, Cha 11 Int 2, Wis 11, Cha 7 Int 2, Wis 15, Cha 7
Skills: Listen +8, Spot +8 Listen +6, Spot +6 Climb +23, Listen +8, Spot +8
Climate/Terrain: Any land Temperate and cold forest, hills, Warm forest and plains and mountains
Organization: Solitary or herd (6–30) Solitary or herd (6–30) Solitary or herd (6–30)
Challenge Rating:4 7 10
Treasure: None None None
Alignment: Always neutral Always neutral Always neutral
Advancement: 9–16 HD (Large); 13–16 HD (Huge); 21–30 HD (Gargantuan); 17–24 HD (Huge) 17–36 HD (Gargantuan) 31–45 HD (Colossal) Dire Toad Dire Hawk Dire Snake Medium-Size Animal Medium-Size Animal Huge Animal
Hit Dice: 4d8+8 (26 hp) 5d8+10 (32 hp) 7d8+21 (52 hp)
Initiative: +2 +6 +5
Speed: 30 ft. 10 ft., fly 80 ft. (average) 30 ft., climb 20 ft., swim 20 ft.
AC: 15 (+2 Dex, +3 natural), 19 (+6 Dex, +3 natural), 18 (–2 size, +5 Dex, +5 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 13 touch 16, flat-footed 13 touch 13, flat-footed 13 Attacks: Bite +5 melee, or tongue 2 claws +9 melee and bite +4 melee Bite +10 melee +5 ranged
Damage: Bite 1d4 plus poison, tongue — Claw 1d4+1, bite 1d6 Bite 2d6 +10 plus poison
Face/Reach: 5 ft. by 5 ft./5 ft. 5 ft. by 5 ft./5 ft. 10 ft. by 10 ft. (coiled)/10 ft.
Special Attacks: Poison — Constrict 1d6+10, improved grab, poison
Special Qualities: Low-light vision Low-light vision Low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +6, Ref +6, Will +6 Fort +6, Ref +10, Will +6 Fort +8, Ref +10, Will +6
Abilities: Str 10, Dex 14, Con 15, Str 12, Dex 22, Con 15, Str 24, Dex 20, Con 16, Int 2, Wis 15, Cha 7 Int 2, Wis 15, Cha 11 Int 1, Wis 13, Cha 11
Skills: Hide +12, Jump +11, Listen + 7, Listen +8, Move Silently +8, Balance +14, Climb +15, Hide Spot +11 Spot +8* +7, Listen +9, Spot +9
Feats: Weapon Finesse (bite) (B) Weapon Finesse (bite) (B), — Weapon Finesse (claw) (B)
Climate/Terrain: Temperate and warm land, Any forest, hill, plains, and Temperate and warm land, aquatic, and underground mountains aquatic, and underground
Organization: Solitary or swarm (10–100) Solitary or pair Solitary
Challenge Rating:3 2 5
Treasure: None None None
Alignment: Always neutral Always neutral Always neutral
Advancement: 5–6 HD (Medium-size); 5–8 HD (Medium-size); 8–12 HD (Huge); 7–10 HD (Large) 9–12 HD (Large) 13–16 HD (Gargantuan) than males, but a cow dire elk is still formidable when her calves are threatened.
A dire elk has dark-colored, shaggy hair covering its body.
The bull’s enormous antlers can span up to 12 feet, and he can weigh up to 3 tons. In the spring, he sheds his antlers, so his gore attack is not available until he regrows them the following autumn. A female is not antlered, so she never has access to a gore attack.
Combat If a bull dire elk believes himself challenged, he tries to drive off the interloper by bellowing loudly and pawing the ground. If that doesn’t work, he charges with his head lowered to deliver a vicious gore with his oversized antlers, then follows up with trample attacks.
Trample (Ex): As a standard action during its turn each round, a dire elk can trample opponents at least one size category smaller than itself. This attack deals 2d8+10 points of bludgeoning damage. A trampled opponent can attempt either an attack of opportunity at a –4 penalty or a Reflex save (DC 23) for half damage.
Scent (Ex): A dire elk can detect approaching enemies, sniff out hidden foes, and track by sense of smell.
Skills: A dire elk receives a +4 racial bonus on Hide checks.
DIRE ELEPHANT These titanic herbivores are somewhat unpredictable and moody. Giants sometimes use dire elephants as mounts or beasts of burden.
A dire elephant is a much larger version of a normal elephant, with bony plates armoring its spine and huge, vicious tusks. Its eyes are small and mean.
Combat A dire elephant attacks by slamming opponents with its massive trunk, then stamping them into the ground.
When there are several opponents, it usually attempts to trample them.
Trample (Ex): As a standard action during its turn each round, a dire elephant can trample opponents at least one size category smaller than itself. This attack deals 4d6+22 points of bludgeoning damage. A trampled opponent can attempt either an attack of opportunity at a –4 penalty or a Reflex save (DC 35) for half damage.
Scent (Ex): A dire elephant can detect approaching enemies, sniff out hidden foes, and track by sense of smell.

FLESH JELLY

Gargantuan Ooze
Hit Dice: 18d10+108 (237 hp)
Initiative: –2
Speed: 20 ft.
AC: 4 (–4 size, –2 Dex), touch 4, flat-footed 4 Attacks: 4 slams +20 melee
Damage: Slam 2d8+11
Face/Reach: 30 ft. by 30 ft./15 ft.
Special Attacks: Absorb, disease, engulf
Special Qualities: Blindsight, horrid stench, ooze traits
Saves: Fort +12, Ref +4, Will +1
Abilities: Str 32, Dex 6, Con 23, Int —, Wis 1, Cha 1
Climate/Terrain:Warm forest, plains or marsh
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 19
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 19–36 HD (Colossal) A flesh jelly is a nauseating mound of stinking flesh that gorges itself on any creatures unfortunate enough to cross its path. These ravenous oozes are usually found in tropical regions.
A flesh jelly is a blob of soft, fleshy tissue surrounded by a filthy membrane composed of skin, hair, and fur. When it moves, a few of the loose bones inside it press against the outer membrane, causing its disgusting body to bulge out here and there. The creature has no eyes, ears, or mouth.
COMBAT Driven by its raging hunger, a flesh jelly simply rolls over its foes, absorbing them into its body mass.
When facing a group, it usually concentrates on engulfing one target, then defends itself by lashing out at other opponents with its fleshy pseudopods while attempting to absorb its meal.
Absorb (Ex): A flesh jelly feeds by absorbing other creatures into its bulk. Any creature engulfed by the monster must succeed at a Fortitude save (DC 25) or be absorbed into its mass and die. A successful save prevents absorption that round. Each absorbed creature heals a flesh jelly of 2d6 points of damage. A flesh jelly expels the absorbed creature’s personal belongings from its body 1d3 rounds after absorption. Nothing short of a wish or similar magic can restore a creature that has been absorbed.
Disease (Ex): Any creature engulfed by a flesh jelly or hit by its slam attack must succeed at a Fortitude save (DC 25) or contract filth fever. The incubation period is 1d3 days, and the disease deals 1d3 points of Dexterity damage and 1d3 points of Constitution damage (see Disease in Chapter 3 of the DUNGEON MASTER’s Guide).
Engulf (Ex): A flesh jelly can simply bowl over creatures up to one size category smaller than itself as a standard action. This attack affects as many opponents as the flesh jelly’s body can cover. Each target can make either an attack of opportunity against the flesh jelly or a Reflex save (DC 30) to avoid being engulfed. A successful saving throw indicates that the target has been pushed back or aside (target’s choice) as the ooze moves forward. An engulfed creature is considered grappled and trapped within the flesh jelly’s body. A flesh jelly cannot make a slam attack during a round in which it attempts to engulf, but each engulfed creature takes automatic slam damage and must save against disease (see above) on that round and every round thereafter that it remains trapped. On any round after engulfing a creature, the flesh jelly can attempt to absorb it.
Blindsight (Ex): A flesh jelly is blind, but its entire body is a primitive sensory organ that can ascertain prey by scent and vibration. This ability enables it to discern objects and creatures within 60 feet. The flesh jelly usually does not need to make Spot or Listen checks to notice creatures within range of its blindsight.
Horrid Stench (Ex): Any corporeal creature with 10 or fewer Hit Dice that comes within 50 feet of a flesh jelly must make a Fortitude saving throw (DC 25) or be nauseated for the next 2d6 rounds. Another save is required at the end of that time if the creature is still within range. A single successful save against this effect renders the creature immune to that flesh jelly’s horrid stench for 24 hours. A nauseated creature cannot attack, cast spells, concentrate on spells, or do anything else requiring attention. The only action permitted is a single move or move-equivalent action.
Ooze Traits: A flesh jelly is immune to mind-affecting effects, poison, sleep, paralysis, stunning, and polymorphing.
It is not subject to critical hits or flanking.

FOREST SLOTH

Large Beast
Hit Dice: 14d10+70 (147 hp)
Initiative: +5
Speed: 40 ft., brachiation 40 ft., climb 60 ft.
AC: 21 (–1 size, +5 Dex, +7 natural), touch 14, flat-footed 16 Attacks: 2 claws +16 melee and bite +11 melee
Damage: Claw 2d4+7, bite 2d8+3
Face/Reach: 5 ft. by 10 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks: Improved grab, swallow whole
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, poison immunity, scent
Saves: Fort +14, Ref +14, Will +5
Abilities: Str 25, Dex 20, Con 21, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 9
Skills: Climb +15*, Listen +7, Move Silently, +8*, Spot +6*
Climate/Terrain: Warm forests
Organization: Solitary, pair, or family (3–5)
Challenge Rating: 11
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 15–21 HD (Large); 22–42 HD (Huge) The territorial forest sloth is a nocturnal hunter that roams tropical forests and jungles. This creature is not the slowmoving beast its name implies; in fact, it possesses lightning- fast reflexes and can travel as quickly over land as it does through trees. It is particularly fond of halfling flesh.
Standing 8 feet tall, a forest sloth is a sinewy beast with a large, toothy mouth. Its tremendous jaws support a row of oversized, needle-sharp front teeth. Each of a forest sloth’s limbs ends in three toes tipped with huge, curved claws. Its fur color ranges from olive to brown.
Forest sloths communicate with each other using screeches and grunts.
COMBAT The forest sloth typically attacks by leaping on prey with a frenzy of bite and claw attacks. Families of forest sloths often hunt together, using one as a scout to lure prey into the trees where the rest of the group waits in ambush.
Improved Grab (Ex): If a forest sloth hits an opponent that is at least one size category smaller than itself with both claw attacks, it deals normal damage and attempts to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity (grapple bonus +21). If it gets a hold, it transfers the opponent to its mouth as a free action and automatically hits with its bite attack in the same round. It can then try to swallow its prey in the next round. Alternatively, the forest sloth has the option to conduct the grapple normally, or simply use its jaws to hold the opponent (–20 penalty on grapple check, but the forest sloth is not considered grappled). In either case, each successful grapple check it makes during successive rounds automatically deals bite damage.
Swallow Whole (Ex): A forest sloth can swallow a creature that is at least two size categories smaller than itself by making a successful grapple check (grapple bonus +21), provided that the opponent is already in its mouth at the start of its turn. Once inside the sloth, the opponent takes 2d4+7 points of bludgeoning damage plus 1d8 points of acid damage per round from the sloth’s gullet. A successful grapple check allows the swallowed creature to climb out of the gullet and return to the sloth’s mouth, where another successful grapple check is needed to get free. Alternatively, a swallowed creature can try to cut its way out with either claws or a light piercing or slashing weapon. Dealing at least 25 points of damage to the gullet (AC 20) in this way creates an opening large enough to permit escape. Once a single swallowed creature exits, muscular action closes the hole; thus, another swallowed opponent must cut its own way out. A Large forest sloth’s gullet can hold 2 Small, 8 Tiny, or 32 Diminutive or smaller creatures.
Scent (Ex): A forest sloth can detect approaching enemies, sniff out hidden foes, and track by sense of smell.
Skills: *A forest sloth receives a +4 racial bonus on Climb, Move Silently, and Spot checks when in forested areas.

GAMBOL

Large Magical Beast
Hit Dice: 8d10+16 (60 hp)
Initiative: +4
Speed: 30 ft., climb 15 ft.
AC: 18 (–1 size, +4 Dex, +5 natural), touch 13, flat-footed 14 Attacks: Bite +13 melee and 2 claws +11 melee
Damage: Bite 2d8+6, claw 1d4+3
Face/Reach: 5 ft. by 10 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks: Fear aura, great leap
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., evasion, haste, lowlight vision, masterful dodge
Saves: Fort +8, Ref +12, Will +3
Abilities: Str 23, Dex 18, Con 15, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 9
Skills: Balance +6, Climb +14, Jump +33, Tumble +14
Feats: Lightning Reflexes, Multiattack
Climate/Terrain:Warm forest
Organization: Solitary, pack (5–20) or troop (21–40)
Challenge Rating: 5
Treasure: None
Alignment: Usually chaotic neutral
Advancement: 9–12 HD (Large); 13–24 HD (Huge) These carnivorous cousins of the ape are fiercely territorial marauders. They obsessively prowl the jungle, attacking anything that enters the area they claim.A gambol is a baboonlike primate that stands 9 feet tall and weighs more than 1,000 pounds. Its purple skin is covered with dense, silky, blue hair. A gambol has elongated jaws and a hairless, doglike muzzle.
COMBAT Gambols tumble into combat, clawing and biting their foes.
They take advantage of their reach to grapple and trip advancing foes. Their constant maneuvering makes them difficult targets for foes attacking from a distance.
Fear Aura (Su): When a gambol howls, every creature within a 100-foot radius must succeed at a Will save (DC 13) or become panicked for 1d6+1 rounds. Whether or not the save is successful, the creature is then immune to that gambol’s howl for 24 hours. The howl is a sonic, mind-affecting fear effect.
Great Leap (Ex): A gambol gains a +25 bonus on Jump checks. Maximum distance restrictions do not apply to its jumps.
Evasion (Ex): A gambol that makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an effect that would normally deal half damage instead avoids damage altogether.
Haste (Su): A gambol can take an extra partial action each round. This ability is always active.
Masterful Dodge (Ex): As a free action once per round, a gambol can dodge one ranged weapon attack, one reach melee weapon attack, or one spell that requires an attack roll by making a successful Reflex save (DC 20).
An attack using a weapon with an enhancement bonus increases the save DC by the amount of the bonus, and a spell adds its spell level to the save DC. To use this ability, the gambol must be aware of the attack and not be flat-footed.

GREENVISE

Huge Plant
Hit Dice: 12d8+48 (102 hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 10 ft.
AC: 16 (–2 size, +8 natural), touch 8, flat-footed 16 Attacks: 4 slams +16 melee and bite +11 melee
Damage: Slam 2d4+9, bite 1d6+4
Face/Reach: 10 ft. by 10 ft./15 ft.
Special Attacks: Death fog, improved grab, swallow whole
Special Qualities: Acid immunity, plant traits, woodsense
Saves: Fort +12, Ref +4, Will +4
Abilities: Str 29, Dex 10, Con 18, Int 3, Wis 11, Cha 6
Climate/Terrain: Temperate or warm hills, plains or marsh
Organization: Solitary, pair, or patch (3–8)
Challenge Rating: 10
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 13–18 HD (Huge); 19–36 HD (Gargantuan) Greenvises are ambulatory vegetable horrors that stalk the fringes of some humanoid settlements. These carnivorous plants are not bold—they prefer to ambush lone prey that happens to come too near. Greenvises rest at night and actively hunt during daylight hours, repositioning themselves throughout the day if prey in a particular hunting area proves scarce.
A greenvise is a larger, sturdier version of the venus flytrap, with a thick, green, trunklike stem and four sturdy tendrils that hang down like vines. When the creature opens its mouth, a mottled pink maw lined with toothlike thorns is revealed; when closed, the mouth structure resembles an ordinary leafy bush. A greenvise has small, tendrillike roots that it uses to move.
COMBAT After setting itself up in an appropriate location, a greenvise lies in wait for prey to pass. It lunges at the first living creature it senses, using all its tendrils to grab the prey and transfer it to its maw. An extremely hungry or seriously hurt greenvise releases a death fog to weaken its opponents and obscure their vision. Although multiple greenvises are sometimes found together, they do not share their prey and thus do not assist each other in combat unless many potential victims are present.
Death Fog (Su): Twice per day, a greenvise can emit an acidic fog that functions like an acid fog spell, except as follows.
The death fog’s area is a 40-foothigh spread with a 60-foot radius. Within this area, all sight, including darkvision, is limited to 5 feet. A creature within 5 feet has onehalf concealment (attacks against it have a 20% miss chance). Creatures farther away have total concealment (50% miss chance, and the attacker can’t use sight to locate the target). Any creature attempting to move through the death fog progresses at one -tenth normal speed, and each of its melee attack and melee damage rolls incurs a –2 circumstance penalty. A death fog prevents effective ranged weapon attacks, except for magic rays and the like.
In addition to obscuring sight, a death fog is highly acidic. Each round, the fog deals 3d8 points of acid damage to every creature and object within it (no saving throw). A severe wind (31+ mph) disperses these vapors in 1d2 rounds; otherwise, the effect lasts for 3d6+1 rounds. The greenvise is not impeded by its own death fog, so it can move and fight within the fog freely.
Improved Grab (Ex): If a greenvise hits an opponent that is at least one size category smaller than itself with a slam attack, it deals normal damage and attempts to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity (grapple bonus +26). If it gets a hold, it can transfer the opponent to its maw with another successful grapple check, dealing automatic bite damage, then try to swallow in the next round. Alternatively, the greenvise has the option to conduct the grapple normally, or simply use its tendrils or maw to hold the opponent (–20 penalty on grapple check, but the greenvise is not considered grappled). In either case, each successful grapple check it makes during successive rounds automatically deals slam or bite damage, as appropriate.
Swallow Whole (Ex): A greenvise can swallow a single creature that is at least one size category smaller than itself by making a successful grapple check (grapple bonus +26), provided it already has that opponent in its maw (see Improved Grab, above). Once inside the greenvise, the opponent takes 2d6+9 points of bludgeoning damage and 2d4 points of acid damage per round from the plant’s stomach. A successful grapple check allows the swallowed creature to climb out of the stomach and return to the greenvise’s maw, where another successful grapple check is needed to get free. Alternatively, a swallowed creature can try to cut its way out with either claws or a light piercing or slashing weapon. Dealing at least 20 points of damage to the stomach (AC 18) in this way creates an opening large enough to permit escape.
Once a single swallowed creature exits, muscular action closes the hole; thus, another swallowed opponent must cut its own way out. A greenvise’s stomach can hold 1 Large, 4 Medium-size, 16 Small, or 64 Tiny or smaller opponents.
Plant Traits (Ex): A greenvise is immune to poison, sleep, paralysis, stunning, and polymorphing.
It is not subject to critical hits or mindaffecting effects. The creature also has lowlight vision.
Woodsense (Ex): A greenvise can automatically sense the location of anything within 60 feet that is in contact with vegetation, even objects or creatures that are not in contact with the same vegetation as it is.

LEGENDARY ANIMALS

Legendary Eagle Legendary Ape Legendary Wolf Small Animal Medium-Size Animal Medium-Size Animal
Hit Dice: 12d8+36 (90 hp) 13d8+39 (97 hp) 14d8+70 (133 hp)
Initiative: +10 +3 +9
Speed: 10 ft., fly 100 ft. (average) 40 ft., climb 20 ft. 60 ft.
AC: 25 (+1 size, +10 Dex, +4 natural), 19 (+3 Dex, +6 natural), 24 (+9 Dex, +5 natural), touch 21, flat-footed 15 touch 13, flat-footed 16 touch 19, flat-footed 15 Attacks: 2 claws +20 melee and bite +15 2 claws +19 melee and bite + 14 Bite +19 melee melee melee
Damage: Claw 1d6+2, bite 1d8+1 Claw 1d8+10, bite 2d6+5 Bite 2d6 +10
Face/Reach: 5 ft. by 5 ft./5 ft. 5 ft. by 5 ft./5 ft. 5 ft. by 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: — Rend 2d8+15 Trip
Special Qualities: Low-light vision Low-light vision, scent Low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +11, Ref +18, Will +11 Fort +11, Ref +11, Will +11 Fort +14, Ref +18, Will +11
Abilities: Str 15, Dex 30, Con 17, Str 30, Dex 17, Con 16, Str 25, Dex 28, Con 21, Int 2, Wis 16, Cha 13 Int 2, Wis 17, Cha 11 Int 2, Wis 15, Cha 10
Skills: Listen +10, Spot +10* Climb +19, Move Silently +11, Hide +13, Listen +10, Move Spot +9 Silently +12, Spot +10, Wilderness Lore +4*
Feats: Weapon Finesse (bite) (B), — Weapon Finesse (bite) (B) Weapon Finesse (claw) (B)
Climate/Terrain: Any forest, hills, plains, Warm forest and mountains, Any forest, hills, mountains, and mountains and underground plains, and underground
Organization: Solitary or pair Solitary, pair, or company (3–5) Solitary or herd (5–8)
Challenge Rating:6 7 7
Treasure: None None None
Alignment: Always neutral Always neutral Always neutral
Advancement: 13–24 HD (Small) 14–26 HD (Medium-size) 15–30 HD (Medium-size) Legendary Snake Legendary Horse Legendary Bear Large Animal Large Animal Large Animal
Hit Dice: 16d8+112 (184 hp) 18d8+144 (225 hp) 20d8+140 (230 hp)
Initiative: +7 +2 +2
Speed: 30 ft., climb 30 ft., swim 30 ft. 80 ft. 50 ft.
AC: 22 (–1 size, +7 Dex, +6 natural), 19 (–1 size, +2 Dex, +8 natural), 21 (–1 size, +2 Dex, +10 natural), touch 16, flat-footed 15 touch 11, flat-footed 17 touch 11, flat-footed 19 Attacks: Bite +19 melee 2 hooves +21 melee and bite +16 2 claws +27 melee and bite +22 melee melee
Damage: Bite 1d8+12 plus poison Hoof 2d6+9, bite 1d6+4 Claw 2d6+13, bite 4d6+6
Face/Reach: 5 ft. by 10 ft. (coiled)/10 ft. 5 ft. by 10 ft./5 ft. 5 ft. by 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Constrict 1d8+12, improved — Improved grab grab, poison
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent Low-light vision, scent Low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +17, Ref +17, Will +12 Fort +19, Ref +13, Will +13 Fort +19, Ref +14, Will +15
Abilities: Str 27, Dex 24, Con 24, Str 29, Dex 14, Con 27, Str 36, Dex 15, Con 25, Int 1, Wis 14, Cha 7 Int 2, Wis 15, Cha 10 Int 2, Wis 16, Cha 13
Skills: Balance +24, Climb +22, Hide +14, Listen +9, Spot +9 Listen +8, Spot +8, Swim +18 Listen +12, Spot +12, Swim +16
Climate/Terrain: Temperate and warm land, Any land Any forest, hills, mountains, aquatic, and underground plains, or underground
Organization: Solitary Solitary or herd (6–30) Solitary or pair
Challenge Rating:8 8 9
Treasure: None None None
Alignment: Always neutral Always neutral Always neutral
Advancement: 17–32 HD (Large) 19–36 HD (Large) 21–40 HD (Large) Legendary Tiger Legendary Shark Large Animal Huge Animal (Aquatic)
Hit Dice: 26d8+182 (299 hp) 30d8+210 (345 hp)
Initiative: +4 +4
Speed: 50 ft. Swim 100 ft.
AC: 23 (–1 size, +4 Dex, +10 natural), 22 (–2 size, +4 Dex, +10 natural), touch 13, flat-footed 19 touch 12, flat-footed 18 Attacks: 2 claws +29 melee and bite +24 melee Bite +29 melee
Damage: Claw 2d6+11, bite 2d8+5 Bite 2d8+13
Face/Reach: 5 ft. by 10 ft./5 ft. 10 ft. by 20 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks: Improved grab, pounce, rake 2d6+5 Improved grab, swallow whole
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent Keen scent, low-light vision
Saves: Fort +22, Ref +19, Will +17 Fort +24, Ref +21, Will +19
Abilities: Str 33, Dex 18, Con 24, Int 2, Wis 15, Cha 11 Str 28, Dex 19, Con 24, Int 1, Wis 14, Cha 7
Skills: Hide +8*, Jump +15, Listen +5, Move Silently +12, Listen +9, Spot +9, Swim +17 Spot +7, Swim +14
Climate/Terrain: Any forest, hill, mountains, plains, and underground Any aquatic
Organization: Solitary or pair Solitary, pair, or school (3–5)
Challenge Rating: 10 10
Treasure: None None
Alignment: Always neutral Always neutral Throughout the world, legends describe extraordinary animals of incredible strength, speed, and power. Such an animal may have saved a village, fended off a pack of predators to protect the young, aided some legendary hero on a divine quest, or guided a lost child to safety. These are legendary animals.
According to some theories, such creatures have been imbued with power beyond that of all other animals so that they can serve as nature’s defenders. In fact, they do not exist at all until a need for them arises. Legendary animals are created from normal animals of their kind through the power of nature (or a deity) whenever a character of appropriate level needs such a companion. Thus, they are rarely encountered outside the presence of a high-level druid or some other advanced character.
COMBAT Legendary animals are no larger than normal animals of the same kind, but they are considerably more dangerous in combat.
Saving Throws: A legendary animal has all good saves.
LEGENDARY EAGLE With its feathers of bright white and brilliant yellow, the legendary eagle is considered an omen of good weather and good times to come.
Combat Like all birds of prey, the legendary eagle is a carnivore that hunts other birds, as well as small reptiles, snakes, and mammals. It attacks from the air with its claws and beak.
Skills: *A legendary eagle receives a +12 racial bonus on Spot checks made in daylight.
LEGENDARY APE This ape appears little different from the common gorilla in its markings, but even the casual observer can tell that it is stronger, faster, and tougher than others of its kind.
Combat Legendary apes are aggressive and territorial. They drop on opponents from trees to rend flesh with their powerful claws and teeth.
Rend (Ex): If a legendary ape hits a single target with both claws, it latches onto the opponent’s body and tears the flesh. This attack deals 2d8+15 points of damage.
Scent (Ex): A legendary ape can detect approaching enemies, sniff out hidden foes, and track by sense of smell.
LEGENDARY WOLF A fierce-looking wolf with black, white, or gray fur, this animal is generally not aggressive toward humanoids, though extreme hunger may make it attack.
Combat A legendary wolf encountered singly may fight, or may retreat to assemble the pack. Whenever possible, legendary wolves live, move, and hunt in packs.
Trip (Ex): A legendary wolf that hits with a bite attack can attempt to trip the opponent as a free action (see Trip in Chapter 8 of the Player’s Handbook) without making a touch attack or provoking an attack of opportunity. If the attempt fails, the opponent cannot react to trip the legendary wolf.
Scent (Ex): A legendary wolf can detect approaching enemies, sniff out hidden foes, and track by sense of smell.
Skills: A legendary wolf receives a +2 racial bonus on Listen, Move Silently, and Spot checks, and a +4 racial bonus on Hide checks. *It also receives a +8 racial bonus on Wilderness Lore checks when tracking by scent.
LEGENDARY SNAKE A strong constrictor with a potent venomous bite, the legendary snake is found in underwater lakes, rivers, and streams. It attacks only when threatened.
Combat Constrict (Ex): With a successful grapple check, a legendary snake can constrict a grabbed opponent, dealing 1d8+12 points of bludgeoning damage.
Improved Grab (Ex): If a legendary snake hits a Large or smaller opponent with a bite attack, it deals normal damage and attempts to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity (grapple bonus +24). If it gets a hold, it can constrict in the same round. Thereafter, the legendary snake has the option to conduct the grapple normally, or simply use its coils to hold the opponent (–20 penalty on grapple check, but the legendary snake is not considered grappled). In either case, each successful grapple check it makes during successive rounds automatically deals bite and constrict damage.
Poison (Ex): A legendary snake delivers its poison (Fortitude save DC 25) with each successful bite attack. The initial and secondary damage is the same (1d8 points of Constitution damage).
grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity (grapple bonus +20). If it gets a hold, it can also constrict in the same round. Thereafter, the dire snake has the option to conduct the grapple normally, or simply use its jaws to hold the opponent (–20 penalty on grapple check, but the dire snake is not considered grappled). In either case, each successful grapple check it makes during successive rounds automatically deals bite and constrict damage.
LEGENDARY HORSE Legendary horses can never be domesticated, only befriended.
Ancient stories tell of heroes riding these creatures, but even the tales have become very rare.
Combat A legendary horse can fight while carrying a rider, but the rider cannot also attack unless he or she succeeds at a Ride check (DC 10).
Scent (Ex): A legendary horse can detect approaching enemies, sniff out hidden foes, and track by sense of smell.
Carrying Capacity: A light load for a legendary horse is 0–1,200 pounds, a medium load is 1,201–2,400 pounds, and a heavy load is 2,401–3,600 pounds. A legendary horse can drag 18,000 pounds.
LEGENDARY BEAR The legendary bear doesn’t usually attack humans. Its diet consists primarily of plants and fish.
Combat Improved Grab (Ex): If a legendary bear hits a Medium-size or smaller opponent with a claw attack, it deals normal damage and attempts to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity (grapple bonus +32). Thereafter, the legendary bear has the option to conduct the grapple normally, or simply use its claw to hold the opponent (–20 penalty on grapple check, but the legendary bear is not considered grappled).
In either case, each successful grapple check it makes during successive rounds automatically deals claw damage.
LEGENDARY TIGER The legendary tiger is the fiercest and most dangerous land predator in the animal kingdom. It measures 8–10 feet long and weighs up to 600 pounds.
Combat A legendary tiger prefers to attack from ambush, pouncing on its prey.

Advancement: 27–48 HD (Large) 31–60 HD (Huge) Improved Grab (Ex): If a legendary tiger hits a Medium-size or smaller opponent with a bite attack, it deals normal damage and attempts to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity (grapple bonus +34). If it gets a hold, it can attempt to rake in the same round. Thereafter, the legendary tiger has the option to conduct the grapple normally, or simply use its jaws to hold the opponent (–20 penalty on grapple check, but the legendary tiger is not considered grappled). In either case, each successful grapple check it makes during successive rounds automatically deals bite damage.
Pounce (Ex): If a legendary tiger charges, it can make a full attack (including a rake attempt, see below) even though it has moved.
Rake (Ex): In any round that a legendary tiger has a hold on an opponent (see Improved Grab, above), it can make two rake attacks (+29 melee) with its hind legs for 2d6+5 points of damage each. The legendary tiger can also attempt to rake when it pounces on an opponent.
Scent (Ex): A legendary tiger can detect approaching enemies, sniff out hidden foes, and track by sense of smell.
Skills: A legendary tiger receives a +8 racial bonus on both Hide and Move Silently checks. *In areas of tall grasses or heavy undergrowth, the Hide bonus improves to +16.
DIRE HORSE These aggressive, wild equines roam the wilderness in herds. Dire horses resist domestication as much as any wild animal does.
A dire horse looks like a large version of a normal horse except for the bony plates on either side of its head. A dire horse’s hooves often have jagged edges, and its mane tends to be shaggy.
Combat A dire horse usually lashes out with its hooves and follows up with a bite attack. It can fight while carrying a rider, but the rider cannot also attack unless he or she succeeds at a Ride check (DC 10).
Carrying Capacity: A light load for a dire horse is up to 519 pounds; a medium load is 520–1,038 pounds; and a heavy load is 1,039–1,557 pounds. A dire horse can drag 7,785 pounds.
Scent (Ex): A dire horse can detect approaching enemies, sniff out hidden foes, and track by sense of smell.
DIRE ELK A bull dire elk is an imposing and aggressive beast. Females are less aggressive Scent (Ex): A legendary snake can detect approaching enemies, sniff out hidden foes, and track by sense of smell.
Skills: A legendary snake receives a +8 racial bonus on Hide, Listen, and Spot checks, and a +16 racial bonus on Balance checks. It can use its Strength or Dexterity modifier (whichever is better) for Climb checks.

NEEDLEFOLK

Medium-Size Plant
Hit Dice: 3d8+3 (16 hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 30 ft.
AC: 14 (+4 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 14 Attacks: Needles +2 ranged, or 2 claws +3 melee
Damage: Needles 1d12+1, claw 1d4+1
Face/Reach: 5 ft. by 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Qualities: Plant traits
Saves: Fort +4, Ref +1, Will +3
Abilities: Str 12, Dex 10, Con 13, Int 6, Wis 15, Cha 5
Skills: Hide +0*
Climate/Terrain: Any forest
Organization: Solitary or grove (5–50)
Challenge Rating: 2
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 4–9 HD (Medium-size) Though needlefolk superficially resemble humanoids, they are in fact mobile plants. Because they lack roots, needlefolk must take in water and nutrients through a structure that resembles a mouth.
Under most circumstances a needlefolk’s movements are slow and stately. When faced with danger, however, it can be nearly as quick and agile as a human.
A needlefolk is a green, hairless bipedal creature whose body is covered with short, stiff bristles (actually needlelike thorns).
In human terms, its body is quite thin, even emaciated-looking.
Its arms end in “hands” that sport vicious-looking claws (actually large, sturdy thorns). The coloration of the small leaves that cover the monster’s body mirrors that of the foliage around them: green in spring and summer, red and yellow in autumn, and brown in winter. Needlefolk are deciduous, so they drop their leaves and become dormant through the cold season. A dormant needlefolk resembles a tree with two branches and a faint outline of a face in the bark atop its body.
Needlefolk have no appreciable society or culture. They live in the forest with no more social organization than trees or shrubs would have. Their dietary needs are all satisfied by absorbing light and by eating dirt, decaying leaves, and the occasional small, dead forest animal. They reproduce by seeds, which each needlefolk produces in the autumn. The seed pods are brown and covered with spiny thorns. Because they fall close to the parent plant, groves of needlefolk tend to spring up wherever one has chosen to spend a season.
The only thing that excites needlefolk is elves—they hate elves passionately. Needlefolk can sense the presence of an elf within 1,500 feet, and they always move to attack when one is detected. However, the monsters do possess enough intelligence and cunning not to commit suicide if they can see that the odds are strongly against them. If badly outnumbered, a needlefolk may shadow the target elves until it can see that enough additional needlefolk have gathered in the area to shift the balance against the enemies.
Needlefolk speak Sylvan.
COMBAT Needlefolk are not tremendous fighters at close range; their preferred weapon is the small needles that cover their bodies. Each round, a needlefolk can launch a cluster of needles from its body (range increment 20 feet, maximum range 200 feet). The precise number of needles launched doesn’t matter; either they all hit a single target as a cluster and deal 1d12+1 points of damage, or they all miss. If forced into melee, a needlefolk attacks with its claws.
Groups of needlefolk attack as individuals, without any sort of plan or direction. Each one is cunning enough to determine where its own attacks might be best targeted, but it cares nothing for what the rest of its kind do in a fight.
Plant Traits (Ex):Needlefolk are immune to poison, sleep, paralysis, stunning, and polymorphing. They are not subject to critical hits or mind-affecting effects. The creatures also have low-light vision.
Skills: *A needlefolk’s coloration and needles give it excellent camouflage in the forest. While there, it has a +16 racial bonus on Hide checks when stationary.
This bonus drops to +8 if it moves at up to half-speed

RED SUNDEW

Huge Plant
Hit Dice: 15d8+75 (142 hp)
Initiative: –1
Speed: 20 ft.
AC: 11 (–2 size, –1 Dex, +4 natural), touch 7, flat-footed 11 Attacks: 4 slams +18 melee
Damage: Slam 2d6+9 plus acid
Face/Reach: 10 ft. by 10 ft./15 ft.
Special Attacks: Improved grab, sticky acid
Special Qualities: Immunities, plant traits, woodsense
Saves: Fort +14, Ref +4, Will +6
Abilities: Str 29, Dex 8, Con 21, Int 2, Wis 13, Cha 8
Climate/Terrain: Temperate and warm forests
Organization: Solitary or patch (2–5)
Challenge Rating: 13
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 16–28 HD (Huge); 29–45 HD (Gargantuan) Red sundews are vicious, migratory predators that roam forested areas hunting for unwary prey. Unlike many carnivorous plants, the red sundew is highly nomadic, so it rarely remains in one geographic area for long.
Though they are found primarily in coastal forests and hot jungles, red sundews can also inhabit cooler woodlands far from these wet areas.
A red sundew measures almost 20 feet high and 10 feet across. Its body looks like a wide mound of tangled, ropy rags in red, green, and rust colors. These “rags” are actually ropelike vines coated with a sweetsmelling goo, which gives the plant a slick, wet appearance.
Underneath the mass of vines, a red sundew has a single stem that measures about 12 feet high and 5 feet across. This stem is supported by two leglike appendages.
A red sundew begins digesting its prey during combat, smearing the sticky acid that coats its entire body over its opponent. Once the opponent dies, the red sundew uses its tentacles to draw the corpse inside its body mass, where it continues the digestion process.
COMBAT Red sundews are aggressive hunters. They attack with their tentacles, wrapping them firmly around prey to prevent escape while the sticky acid that coats their tentacles begins the digestion process. Multiple red sundews often travel together and combine their efforts while hunting.
These carnivorous plants flee when more than half their number has been slain.
Improved Grab (Ex): If a red sundew hits an opponent that is at least one size category smaller than itself with a slam attack, it deals normal damage and attempts to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity (grapple bonus +28). If it gets a hold, it has the option to conduct the grapple normally, or simply use its tentacle to hold the opponent (–20 penalty on grapple check, but the red sundew is not considered grappled). In either case, each successful grapple check it makes during successive rounds automatically deals slam damage.
Sticky Acid (Ex): A red sundew is coated with a thick, acidic goo. Any creature or object that makes physical contact with the monster is smeared with this sticky acid, which deals 1d6 points of acid damage per round until removed. Thus, any successful hit from or against the red sundew automatically deals acid damage to the opponent or the opponent’s weapon, depending upon the point of contact. Sticky acid remains on a creature or object for 1d4+1 rounds. It cannot be scraped off, but it can be washed off with a full-round action and at least 1 gallon of water.
Immunities (Ex): Red sundews are immune to fire and acid.
Plant Traits (Ex): A red sundew is immune to poison, sleep, paralysis, stunning, and polymorphing. It is not subject to critical hits or mind-affecting effects. The creature also has lowlight vision.
Woodsense (Ex): A red sundew can automatically sense the location of anything within 60 feet that is in contact with vegetation, even objects or creatures that are not in contact with the same vegetation as itself.

SPIRIT OF THE LAND

Huge Fey (Incorporeal)
Hit Dice: 20d6+200 (270 hp)
Initiative: +1
Speed: Fly 60 ft. (perfect)
AC: 16 (–2 size, +1 Dex, +7 deflection), touch 16, flat-footed 15 Attacks: None
Damage: None
Face/Reach: 10 ft. by 10 ft./15 ft.
Special Attacks: Spell-like abilities
Special Qualities: All-around vision, elemental manifestation, fast healing 10, incorporeal subtype, low-light vision, natural invisibility, telepathy, SR 34
Saves: Fort +16, Ref +13, Will +16
Abilities: Str —, Dex 13, Con 30, Int 20, Wis 19, Cha 25
Skills: Animal Empathy +14, Concentration +23, Diplomacy +9, Knowledge (nature) +16, Listen +15, Search +9, Sense Motive +18, Spellcraft +18, Spot +17, Wilderness Lore +18
Feats: Cleave*, Dodge, Expertise, Great Cleave*, Improved Bull Rush*, Improved Disarm, Improved Trip*, Mobility, Power Attack*, Sunder*
Climate/Terrain: Any
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 23
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 21–30 HD (Huge); 31–60 HD (Gargantuan) A spirit of the land is a powerful force of nature that lies dormant until the area it guards is threatened. Each inhabits a particular geographical area, existing as a living part of the land. A spirit of the land usually assumes dominion over a small valley, a river, a desert, or some other bounded geographical feature. These creatures dwell in all regions of the world, and more than one can exist within the same area, each concerned with a particular aspect of the terrain.
In its natural form, a spirit of the land is an invisible and intangible force. It appears as a shapeless mist to creatures that can see invisible things. When it wishes to manifest a physical form, a spirit of the land can assume the shape of a humanoid, animal, or elemental of its own size composed of one particular element—air, earth, fire, or water.
Spirits of the land are always aware of what transpires in their territories, and they punish all who would ravage or defile them. They get along well with druids as well as with races that respect the land.
Spirits of the land speak Common, Elven, Dwarven, and most goblinoid languages. They can also communicate telepathically with speakers of other languages.
COMBAT In combat, a spirit of the land prefers to strike invisibly, using its command over weather, nature, and the elements to destroy its enemies. Opponents may find themselves confronted by an earthquake, followed by a rain of lightning bolts accompanied by hurricane-force winds. A spirit attacks relentlessly, coordinating its actions to keep foes off balance while remaining unseen. To fight in melee, a spirit of the land must manifest an elemental form. In this shape, it usually focuses on destroying one foe before moving on to the next.
Spell-Like
Abilities: At will—chain lightning, chill metal, cone of cold, control water, control weather, control winds, create water, earthquake, fire storm, fog cloud, heat metal, ice storm, incendiary cloud, lightning bolt, move earth, produce flame, quench, sleet storm, solid fog, soften earth and stone, spike stones, stone shape, wall of fire, wall of ice, wall of stone, whirlwind, wind wall. Caster level 20th; save DC 17 + spell level.
All-Around Vision (Ex): A spirit of the land is a part of all the terrain that surrounds it, so it sees from all directions at once. Because of this ability, it gains a +4 racial bonus on Search and Spot checks, and it cannot be flanked, regardless of its form.
Elemental Manifestation (Su): Once per day, a spirit of the land can assume a form composed of elemental material (air, earth, fire, or water), so long as that element exists in some form on its terrain.
In elemental form, a spirit of the land is no longer invisible or incorporeal.
It gains the element-specific qualities noted in the appropriate manifestation section below and loses the benefits of the incorporeal subtype. Should a spirit of the land’s elemental manifestation be destroyed, the monster dissipates but is not slain. A dissipated spirit of the land must wait 24 hours before it can use any of its abilities again.
While a spirit of the land is manifested, the following changes to its statistics are in effect: AC 19, touch 9, flat-footed 18; Atk +14 melee (2d8+6, 2 slams); SQ DR 30/+3; Str 23.
Incorporeal Subtype: In its incorporeal form, a spirit of the land can be harmed only by other incorporeal creatures, +1 or better magic weapons, spells, spell-like abilities, and supernatural abilities. The creature has a 50% chance to ignore any damage from a corporeal source, except for force effects or attacks made with ghost touch weapons. An incorporeal spirit of the land can pass through solid objects, but not force effects, at will. Its attacks ignore natural armor, armor, and shields, but deflection bonuses and force effects work normally against them. An incorporeal spirit of the land always moves silently and cannot be heard with Listen checks if it doesn’t wish to be.
Natural Invisibility (Su): An incorporeal spirit of the land remains invisible even when it attacks. This ability is always active, but the monster can suppress or resume it as a free action.
Telepathy (Su): A spirit of the land can communicate telepathically with any creature within 5 miles that has a language.
Feats: *A spirit of the land has access to the feats marked with an asterisk only while it is manifested.
AIR MANIFESTATION To manifest as air, a spirit of the land must have a windy valley, breezy seashore, or the like in its terrain.
In this form, it gains the following abilities.
Air Mastery (Ex): Any airborne creature takes a –1 penalty on attack and damage rolls made against a spirit of the land manifested as air.
Flight (Ex): A spirit of the land manifested as air is naturally buoyant. At will as a free action, it can produce an effect like that of the fly spell (caster level 5th), except that the effect applies only to itself. This ability gives it a fly speed of 120 feet (perfect).
EARTH MANIFESTATION An earth manifestation simply requires any type of land. In this form, a spirit of the land gains the following ability.
Earth Mastery (Ex): A spirit of the land manifested as earth gains a +1 bonus on attack and damage rolls if its foe is touching the ground.
FIRE MANIFESTATION A fire manifestation requires a volcanic region, hot spring, or the like on the spirit of the land’s terrain. In this form, it gains the following abilities.
Burn (Ex): Any creature that is hit by the slam attack of a spirit of the land manifested as fire, or that hits the monster with a natural weapon or an unarmed attack, must succeed at a Reflex save (DC 30) or catch on fire. The fire burns for 1d4 rounds.
Fire Subtype (Ex): A spirit of the land manifested as fire is immune to fire damage but takes double damage from cold unless a saving throw for half damage is allowed. In that case, the creature takes half damage on a success and double damage on a failure.
WATER MANIFESTATION To manifest as water, a spirit of the land must have a river, lake, pond, or other waterway in its terrain. In this form, it gains the following abilities.
Swim (Ex): A spirit of the land manifested as water can swim at a speed of 60 feet.Water Mastery (Ex): A spirit of the land manifested as water gains a +1 bonus on its attack and damage rolls if its opponent is touching water.

BATTLEBRIAR

Huge Plant
Hit Dice: 25d8+200 (312 hp)
Initiative: –2
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 30 (–2 size, –2 Dex, +24 natural), touch 6, fl at-footed 30
Base Attack/Grapple: +18/+37
Attack: Slam +28 melee (2d6+11/19–20)
Full Attack: 4 slams +28 melee (2d6+11/19–20)
Space/Reach: 15 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks: Impale, improved grab, thorn volley, trample 2d6+16
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, plant traits, resistance to electricity 20 and fire 20, thorn field
Saves: Fort +22, Ref +6, Will +10
Abilities: Str 32, Dex 6, Con 27, Int 5, Wis 10, Cha 7
Skills: Hide +18*
Feats: Awesome Blow, Cleave, Great Cleave, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Critical (slam), Improved Natural Attack (slam), Iron Will, Power Attack, Weapon Focus (slam)
Environment: Temperate forests
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 15
Treasure: None
Alignment: Usually neutral
Advancement: 26–50 HD (Huge)

This six-legged lionlike creature has a body made of writhing vines and thorns. Each of its gorillalike pairs of limbs is slightly shorter than the pair in front of it—its forelimbs are the longest, the middle pair of limbs slightly shorter, and its rear pair of legs the shortest of all. Long thorns protrude from every part of the creature’s body, making it seem impossible to approach or move around the creature without risking serious injury.
Plants magically engineered to serve as massive living siege engines, battlebriars on a fi eld of battle can easily destroy massed formations of lesser troops. Although created for war, battlebriars have long since escaped the control of their creators, and they now roam through forest and fi eld alike. A single battlebriar is capable of destroying a small town, and for this reason it is an event of major importance when one is seen near a settlement of any size.
Battlebriars possess a rudimentary intelligence but no capacity for speech. On the few times that druids and spellcasters of similar skill have been able to communicate with them, battlebriars have proven intractable and uncaring.
A few powerful evil druids have been able to fi nd magical means of controlling battlebriars, and these controlled beasts make fearsome guardians.
A battlebriar walks about on all six of its limbs, but when fi ghting, it stands on only one set of legs, swinging both pairs of its huge forelimbs wildly. A battlebriar is almost as broad as it is tall, and compared to a humanoid of similar size, is quite squat and stocky.
Battlebriars have a tough, rubbery hide the color of drying mud, although some of the vinelike strands that run through its body are greenish in color. A massive plant, one can grow up to 15 feet in length and weigh as much as 18,000 pounds.
Battlebriars do not speak, but they understand simple words and phrases in Sylvan.
COMBAT A battlebriar is neither smart enough nor inventive enough to give much thought to tactics. It moves toward its foes with ponderous steps, launching volleys of thorns if its foes are too mobile to catch. Although slow-thinking by human standards, a battlebriar is at least perceptive enough to use its various attack forms to its best advantage, trampling large groups of smaller foes, using its volleys of thorns against fl eeing enemies, and moving close to foes who engage in melee combat so as to expose them to its deadly thorns. More by accident than strategy, battlebriars have developed one fi ghting technique that is extremely effective against Medium and smaller foes. A battlebriar moves up to its foe and uses its Awesome Blow feat, earning a free attack of opportunity against its foe if the feat is successful because the affected creature is pushed through a battlebriar’s threatened area.
Impale (Ex): Whenever a battle briar successfully starts a grapple with a Medium or smaller creature, there is a chance that the creature will become impaled on one of the thorns. After the grapple has begun, a battlebriar can attempt another grapple check as a free action to impale the creature on its thorns.
An impaled creature is helpless until it beats the battlebriar in an opposed grapple check. As long as the only creatures that it is grappling with are impaled, a battlebriar is not considered grappled (the battlebriar does not lose its Dexterity bonus to AC, still threatens an area, and can use its remaining attacks against other opponents). When making grapple checks against impaled creatures, a battlebriar takes a –20 penalty on grapple checks.
Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a battlebriar must hit with its slam attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking attacks of opportunity.
Thorn Volley (Ex): Battlebriars grow and shed their thorns at an incredible rate, and by rearing up on their hind legs and snapping their bodies forward, they can launch a deadly volley. As a standard action, a battlebriar can launch a volley of thorns, centering the volley anywhere within 60 feet. The thorns deal 8d6 points of piercing damage to all creatures within a 10-foot radius (Refl ex DC 33 half). The save DC is Strength-based.
Trample (Ex): Refl ex half DC 33. The save DC is Strength-based.
Thorn Field (Ex): The thorns on a battlebriar’s body protrude into the area surrounding the creature, causing several effects on creatures moving through a battlebriar’s threatened area. A battlebriar can make up to four attacks of opportunity each round. (Unlike the Combat Refl exes feat, this ability does not allow a battlebriar to make attacks of opportunity while flat-footed.) In addition, the DCs for Tumble checks to move through a battlebriar’s threatened area or through the squares that it occupies increases by 10. Creatures three or more size categories smaller than a battlebriar cannot freely move through the area that a battle briar occupies.
Skills: *Despite its size, a battlebriar blends well with its surroundings, and it gains a +8 racial bonus on Hide checks in aboveground, natural environments.

(LESSER BATTLEBRIAR) Large Plant
Hit Dice: 12d8+72 (126 hp)
Initiative: –2
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 19 (–1 size, –2 Dex, +12 natural), touch 7, fl at-footed 19
Base Attack/Grapple: +9/+19
Attack: Slam +14 melee (1d8+6/19–20)
Full Attack: 2 slams +14 melee (1d8+6/19–20)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Impale, improved grab, thorn volley, trample 1d8+9
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, plant traits, resistance to electricity 10 and fire 10, thorn field
Saves: Fort +14, Ref +2, Will +4
Abilities: Str 23, Dex 6, Con 22, Int 5, Wis 10, Cha 7
Skills: Hide +11*
Feats: Cleave, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Critical (slam), Improved Natural Attack (slam), Power Attack
Environment: Temperate forests
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 7
Treasure: None
Alignment: Usually neutral
Advancement: —
Level Adjustment: — Smaller than the more powerful battlebriars that roam the wild, warbound impalers are at least somewhat obedient and are often encountered in the service of another creature. Skilled handlers can infl uence these creatures enough to keep them docile much of the time, and even send them into battle when necessary. Many believe that the warbound impalers were actually the original battle briars and that the larger, more powerful battlebriars are in fact warbound impalers gone feral.
This thinking belies the notion that warbound impalers are somehow lesser versions of their untamed kin. A lesser battlebriar averages around 8 feet long and weighs between 1 and 2 tons.
Combat Lesser battlebriars approach combat just like their larger counterparts.
Trample (Ex): Reflex DC 22 half. The save DC is Strength-based.
Thorn Volley (Ex): A warbound impaler’s thorns deal 5d6 points of piercing damage to all creatures within the area (Refl ex DC 22 half). The save DC is Strength-based.
BATTLEBRIARS IN EBERRON During the Last War, the druidic defenders of the Eldeen Reaches used battle briars to discourage humanoid incursions into their territory. Their plan backfi red, however, as militant druids from neighboring Aundair and Droaam used magic to seize control of several dozen Eldeen battle briars, pulling them into their nations’ respective armies. Though few in number, battle briars continue to serve as living siege engines throughout the western part of Khorvaire.
BATTLEBRIARS IN FAERÛN While druid circles in Waterdeep and other cities are more likely to have topiary guardians (see page 173) protecting their abodes, battle briars can be found roaming or defending forests across Faerûn. The shattered Circle of Shadowdale created the fi rst battle briars, but warbound impalers (lesser battle briars) are known to serve the newly founded Ring of Swords, defending Never winter Wood from gnoll, bugbear, and hobgoblin raiders.

BEARHOUND

Large Magical Beast
Hit Dice: 10d10+50 (105 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares)
Armor Class: 22 (–1 size, +2 Dex, +11 natural), touch 11, fl at-footed 20
Base Attack/Grapple: +10/+22
Attack: Bite +18 melee (1d8+9)
Full Attack: Bite +18 melee (1d8+9) and 2 claws +13 melee (1d6+5)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Enchanted natural weapons, improved grab, trip
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, resistance to cold 10, scent, trackless step, wild empathy
Saves: Fort +12, Ref +9, Will +5
Abilities: Str 27, Dex 15, Con 21, Int 16, Wis 14, Cha 12
Skills: Hide +13, Knowledge (nature) +16, Listen +17, Move Silently +4, Spot +17, Survival +18 (+20 in aboveground natural environments)
Feats: Alertness, Power At tack, Skill Focus (Survival), Stealthy, TrackB
Environment: Temperate forests
Organization: Solitary or pair
Challenge Rating: 7
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Usually neutral good
Advancement: 11–20 HD (Large); 21–30 HD (Huge)
Level Adjustment: +4 (cohort) A large bear with the strong, sharp teeth of a wolf looks at you.
It has a thick neck and a long, heavy tail.
Bearhounds are intelligent, masterful hunters. Usually loners that value their privacy and keep to the woodlands, they will sometimes associate with good creatures for a righteous cause.
Many laugh at the mention of the elusive bearhound.
Some call it a myth, an animal invented by inebriated hunters. Few sightings of a bearhound come from reputable sources.
A typical bearhound stands 6-1/2 feet tall at the shoulder when on all fours. It weighs as much as 2,000 pounds.
Bearhounds speak Common and Sylvan.
COMBAT A bearhound typically attacks in response to a threat. It will focus on attacking one opponent at a time. When that opponent is dead, it will move on to another foe.
Enchanted Natural Weapons (Su): A bearhound gains a +1 enhancement bonus on attack and damage rolls with all its natural weapons.
Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a bearhound must hit with a claw attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking attacks of opportunity.
Trip (Ex): A bearhound that hits with a bite attack can attempt to trip its opponent (+12 check modifi er) as a free action without having to make a touch attack or provoking attacks of opportunity. If the attempt fails, the opponent cannot react to trip the bearhound.
Trackless Step (Ex): A bearhound leaves no trail in natural surroundings and cannot be tracked.
It can choose to leave a trail if so desired.
Wild Empathy (Ex): A bearhound can improve the attitude of an animal. This ability functions like a Diplomacy check to improve the attitude of a person.
The bearhound rolls 1d20 and adds +11 to determine the wild empathy check result. The typical domestic animal has a starting attitude of indifferent, while wild animals are usually unfriendly.
To use wild empathy, the bearhound and the animal must be able to study each other, which means that they must be within 30 feet of one another under normal visibility conditions.
Generally, infl uencing an animal in this way takes 1 minute, but as with infl uencing people, it might take more or less time.
A bearhound can also use this ability to infl uence a magical beast with an Intelligence score of 1 or 2, but it takes a –4 penalty on the check.
Carrying Capacity: A light load for a bearhound is up to 1,038 pounds; a medium load, 1,039–2,079 pounds; and a heavy load, 2,080–3,120 pounds.
BEARHOUNDS IN EBERRON Bearhounds are most commonly found in the temperate forests of the Eldeen Reaches, although agents of House Vadalis have also taken to enlisting the services of the beasts as guardians and mounts, for wealthy nobles and merchants throughout central Khorvaire.

DREAD BLOSSOM SWARM

Tiny Plant (Extraplanar, Swarm)
Hit Dice: 7d8+14 (45 hp)
Initiative: +3
Speed: Fly 60 ft. (good) (12 squares)
Armor Class: 16 (+2 size, +3 Dex, +1 natural), touch 15, fl at-footed 13
Base Attack/Grapple: +5/—
Attack: Swarm (2d6)
Full Attack: Swarm (2d6)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./0 ft.
Special Attacks: Blood drain, distraction, poison pollen
Special Qualities: Half damage from slashing and piercing, low-light vision, plant traits, regeneration 5, swarm traits
Saves: Fort +7, Ref +7, Will +2
Abilities: Str 2, Dex 17, Con 14, Int —, Wis 10, Cha 3
Skills: Hide +11*, Listen +2, Spot +2
Feats: AlertnessB, Ability Focus (poison pollen)B, Lightning Refl exesB
Environment: Wilderness of the Beastlands
Organization: Solitary, pair (2–4), or colony (5–8)
Challenge Rating: 6
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: —
Level Adjustment: — Ahead of you lies a beautiful bed of hundreds of large red flowers speckled with gold and black. Their sweet perfume isn’t quite strong enough to disguise the sent of rotting flesh, and looking closer, you notice the flowers seem planted in dead bodies. Suddenly, all the flowers shudder as if in a strong breeze and lift into the air. They fly up like a flock of sparrows coming aloft and swoop around toward you with flowers pointed away and wicked thorns aimed in your direction.
Dread blossoms are blood-drinking plants from the Wilderness of the Beastlands transplanted to the Material Plane by foolish elves who mistook their nature.
An individual dread blossom looks like a foot-long crimson flower, speckled with gold and black pollen, that ends in a 6-inch-long hollow thorn surrounded at its base by a frill of inch-long roots. Few creatures can examine a dread blossom in such detail, as a dread blossom swarm at rest is usually firmly planted in the bodies of its last victims.
In fl ight, a dread blossom swarm resembles a fl ock of birds wheeling swiftly through the air. Each blossom fl ies thorn forward, fl uttering two petals as rapidly as a hummingbird fl aps its wings.
Creatures of the Beastlands know not to disturb beds of dread blossoms, but inhabitants of the Material Plane are often curious about the dead creatures where the plants have taken root.
COMBAT A dread blossom swarm swoops in to surround a creature and attacks. It uses no tactics except to move over creatures paralyzed by its pollen. It avoids areas of intense cold or heat but otherwise attacks until it or its target is killed.
Blood Drain (Ex): In addition to swarm damage, a dread blossom swarm deals 1d6 points of Constitution damage to any paralyzed or otherwise immobilized living creature whose space it occupies at the end of its turn.
Distraction (Ex): Any living creature vulnerable to a dread blossom swarm’s damage that begins its turn with a swarm in its square is nauseated for 1 round; a DC 15 Fortitude save negates the effect.
Even after a successful save, spellcasting or concentrating on spells within the area of a swarm requires a Concentration check (DC 20 + spell level).
Using skills requiring patience and concentration requires a DC 20 Concentration check. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Poison Pollen (Ex): A dread blossom swarm constantly exudes an airborne contact poison in a 15- foot radius. Creatures within the area or within the swarm must succeed on a DC 17 Fortitude save or be paralyzed for 1 round. Secondary damage is paralysis for 1 minute. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Regeneration (Ex): Fire and cold deal normal damage to a dread blossom swarm.
Skills: *A dread blossom swarm gains a +10 racial bonus on Hide checks in forested area.

GLAISTIG

A staggeringly beautiful maiden stands waist-deep in the water, swaying back and forth as she sings a haunting song.
Beautiful and enchanting, glaistigs are fey that lurk in and around pools, lakes, and streams. They have an insatiable craving for the blood of mortals, beguiling victims to come close to their lair in order to drain them. They are commonly mistaken for vampires because of their bloodsucking technique, but they are not undead.
Glaistigs resemble incredibly attractive female humans or half-elves, but instead of normal legs, they have goat legs with long, white fur. Most have snow-white hair and eyes that shimmer like water. When they smile, glaistigs try not to show their teeth, which are sharpened to cruel-looking fangs and revealed only when they are about to strike. Glaistigs wear long, fi ne robes and dresses that drape along the ground, which are used to hide their legs. Glaistigs loathe showing their legs to anyone, and will only reveal them to lash out in anger. If someone catches sight of a glaistig’s goat legs, it will become very angered and attack the offender.
Despite their single-minded lust for blood, glaistigs are unpredictable and capricious. If they have recently fed (say, within a month), then they are just as likely to help someone as they are to attack. More than a few people have been attacked by a glaistig, even if it has talked and been friendly to them in the past. Glaistigs also enjoy dancing, and some lure their victims to caper and dance for many hours before attacking them.
Glaistigs are solitary by nature and do not even like other fey all that much. While they gain no sustenance from the blood of sylvan creatures, glaistigs have been known to attack fey that come too close into their territory. Perhaps because of their similar nature, glaistigs in particular do not like dryads, and it is extremely rare to find the two beings in the same territory.
An average glaistig is about 5 feet 2 in height and weighs about 90 pounds.
Glaistigs speak Common, Elven, and Sylvan.
COMBAT A glaistig uses its beguiling song to lure victims close to the water, targeting specifi c individuals. If a large group comes close to its lair, it will lurk beneath the surface until only one or two targets remain.
A glaistig is mystically bound to its watery lair and cannot move more than 300 yards away from it.
Once a victim is within striking distance, a glaistig will cease singing and grapple the opponent. If the grab is successful, it will drain blood for as long as possible. If reinforcements arrive, the glaistig will try to use suggestion, hypnotism, or fog cloud to cause a diversion and slip beneath the surface of its watery home.
Beguiling Song (Su): A glaistig can attempt to beguile creatures with its song. A glaistig sings, targeting a single creature it can see within 300 yards of the body of water to which it is linked (see Water Symbiosis, below). This is a sonic charm effect, and the creature must be able to hear the glaistig for it to take effect. The targeted creature must make a DC 19 Will saving throw. A creature that successfully saves cannot be affected again by the same glaistig’s song for 24 hours.
Failure indicates the creature is beguiled and moves toward the glaistig, taking the most direct route available.
If that path leads into a dangerous area (such as very deep or fast-moving water), the beguiled creature gets a second saving throw. If that save is successful, the beguiling effect is broken, and that creature cannot be affected by that glaistig’s song for 24 hours.
A glaistig that desires a companion often moves out of the water and bestows water breathing upon its beguiled victim so it can take him underwater. A beguiled creature takes no actions other than to defend himself. (Thus, a fi ghter cannot run away or attack, but takes no defensive penalties.) A beguiled victim that moves within 5 feet of the glaistig must make a DC 19 Will saving throw or be charmed, as by the charm monster spell cast by an 8th-level sorcerer. A creature that successfully saves cannot be affected again by the same glaistig’s song for 24 hours. The beguiling effect continues so long as the glaistig sings. A glaistig does not need to continue singing to keep a victim charmed.
A glaistig can use its beguiling song both above and below the water. Most glaistigs move into deep water, forcing a beguiled victim to move toward them. If these unlucky creatures fail their second saving throw, they usually drown (see page 304 of Dungeon Master’s Guide). The save DC is Charisma-based.
Blood Drain (Ex): A glaistig can suck blood from a living victim with its fangs by making a successful grapple check. If it pins the foe, it drains blood, dealing 1d4 points of Constitution drain each round the pin is maintained.
Spell-Like
Abilities: At will—dancing lights, fog cloud, hypnotism (DC 15), suggestion (DC 17); 1/day—water breathing. Caster level 8th.
Water Breathing (Ex): A glaistig can breath either water or air.
Water Symbiosis (Su): Each glaistig is mystically bound to a body of water or a waterway as small as a pond or as large as a lake or river. A glaistig cannot move more than 300 yards away from its body of water and still breathe normally.
If a glaistig strays farther away, it must hold its breath or immediately start to suffocate (see Suffocation, page 304 Glaistig Glaistig Mindbender, 5th-Level Sorcerer Medium Fey Medium Fey
Hit Dice: 6d6+12 (33 hp) 6d6+18 plus 5d4+15 (66 hp)
Initiative: +1 +3
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares), swim 50 ft. 30 ft. (6 squares), swim 50 ft.
Armor Class: 15 (+1 Dex, +4 natural), touch 11, 21 (+3 Dex, +4 natural, +2 bracers of armor fl at-footed 14 +2, +2 ring of protection +2), touch 15, fl at-footed 19
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+4 +5/+5
Attack: Bite +4 melee (1d6+1) or Dagger of venom +6 melee (1d4+1 and dagger +4 melee (1d4+1) poison) or bite +5 melee (1d6)
Full Attack: Bite +4 melee (1d6+1) and Dagger of venom +6 melee (1d4+1 and dagger –1 melee (1d4+1) poison) and bite +0 melee (1d6)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft. 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Beguiling song, blood drain, Beguiling song, blood drain, spell-like spell-like abilities abilities, spells
Special Qualities: Damage reduction 5/cold iron, Damage reduction 5/cold iron, low-light low-light vision, resistance to cold 10 vision, resistance to cold 10 and fi re 10, and fi re 10, water breathing, water symbiosis water breathing, water symbiosis
Saves: Fort +4, Ref +6, Will +9 Fort +6, Ref +9, Will +14
Abilities: Str 12, Dex 13, Con 14, Str 10, Dex 16, Con 16, Int 13, Wis 14, Cha 19 Int 12, Wis 17, Cha 24
Skills: Bluff +14, Diplomacy +12, Bluff +17, Concentration +13, Disguise +12 (+14 acting), Escape Diplomacy +15, Disguise +14 (+16 acting), Artist +7, Hide +3, Intimidate +12, Escape Artist +10, Hide +6, Intimidate +16, Knowledge (nature) +5, Listen +9, Knowledge (nature) +5, Listen +10, Move Move Silently +7, Sense Motive +11, Silently +9, Sense Motive +13, Spot +9, Spot +8, Swim +18, Use Rope +1 Swim +17, Use Rope +3 (+5 with bindings) (+3 with bindings)
Feats: Ability Focus (beguiling song), Ability Focus (beguiling song), Alertness, Alertness, Iron Will Iron Will, Spell Focus (enchantment)
Environment: Temperate forests Temperate forests
Organization: Solitary Solitary
Challenge Rating: 6 8
Treasure: Standard Standard plus dagger of venom, bracers of armor +2, and ring of protection +2
Alignment: Always chaotic neutral Always chaotic neutral
Advancement: By character class By character class
Level Adjustment: +4 +4 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide). Once a glaistig has moved beyond the boundary of its connection, it cannot breathe normally until it has immersed itself in its body of water.
Skills: Glaistigs have a +4 racial bonus on Bluff and Sense Motive checks. A glaistig 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.
GLAISTIG MINDBENDER Naturally inclined toward magic and enchantments of all kinds, many glaistigs become sorcerers that specialize in mind-bending magic. They use these abilities to enhance their chances of luring prey to their watery homes.
The glaistig sorcerer presented here had the following ability scores before racial adjustments and Hit Dice ability score increases: Str 8, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 13, Cha 15.
Combat The save DCs for this glaistig sorcerer’s beguiling song (DC 22) and spell-like abilities (hypnotism DC 18, suggestion DC 20) are adjusted for its higher Charisma score.
Typical Sorcerer Spells Known: (6/8/6): 0—daze* (DC 18), detect magic, ghost sound (DC 17), prestidigitation, resistance, touch of fatigue (+5 melee touch; DC 17); 1st—charm person* (DC 19), disguise self, mage armor, magic missile; 2nd—daze monster* (DC 20), touch of idiocy (+5 melee touch; DC 19).

LHOSK

Large Monstrous Humanoid
Hit Dice: 8d8+32 (68 hp)
Initiative: +3
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares), climb 20 ft.
Armor Class: 15 (–1 size, +3 Dex, +3 natural), touch 12, fl at-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +8/+16
Attack: Spear +7 melee (2d6+14)*
Full Attack: Spear +7/+2 melee (2d6+14)* and bite +2 melee (1d6+6)* or 2 slams +7 melee (1d6+8)* and bite +2 melee (1d6+6)*
Space/Reach: 10 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks: Entangling web
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent.
Saves: Fort +6, Ref +9, Will +7
Abilities: Str 19, Dex 17, Con 18, Int 8, Wis 12, Cha 7
Skills: Climb +13, Heal +3, Knowledge (nature) +6, Survival +8 (+10 in natural aboveground environments).
Feats: Cleave, Power Attack, Self-Suffi cient
Environment: Warm forests
Organization: Solitary, pack (2–5 plus one 3rdlevel ranger), or troop (5–20 plus two 3rdlevel rangers and a 6th-level druid)
Challenge Rating: 4
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Usually chaotic neutral
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: +3 *Includes adjustments for Power Attack feat.
This creature appears to be a black-furred gorilla from the waist up and a large, hairy, monstrous spider from the waist down. Its intelligence is obvious from its equipment which includes various belts and tools.
Lhosks are jungle-dwelling hunter-gatherers that live off the rich natural resources of their jungle homes. Nimble despite their size, they roam large territories in search of food and water. Lhosks believe the world is full of spirits, both those of intelligent beings and those of objects such as rocks and trees. Lhosks also believe they were created to interpret and carry out the wishes of those spirits while guarding and protecting them.
Lhosks live in family groups run by the toughest male.
They determine leaders through ritual combat. A lhosk nest includes females (half as many as there are males) and young (half as many as there are females).
A lhosk stands 6–7 feet tall and weighs approximately 1,000 pounds. It has two arms, as a normal gorilla, and eight legs. Its legs cover a roughly ten-foot diameter area and the spider portion of its body is about three feet tall.
Lhosks speak Common, and those with above-average Intelligence often speak the languages of their neighbors, most commonly Draconic, Goblin, and Orc.
COMBAT Lhosks are wary of other civilized races but not particularly vicious. They prefer to use their webs to set traps and question trapped intruders. If intruders ignore their instructions or attack, they defend themselves to the death. They don’t hesitate to attack those who threaten their females and young.
A lhosk normally attacks using its Power Attack feat, taking a –4 penalty on its attack rolls and gaining a +4 bonus on damage rolls (+8 if using a spear).
Entangling Web (Ex): A lhosk can throw a web eight times per day. This is a ranged touch attack for the lhosk with a range increment of 10 feet (maximum range, 50 feet); it is effective against targets up to Huge.
A creature hit by the entangling web is entangled.
An entangled creature can escape with a successful DC 17 Escape Artist check or burst free with a DC 21 Strength check.
The save DCs are Dexterity-based, and the Strength check DC includes a +4 racial bonus. Both are standard actions.
Skills: A lhosk has a +8 racial bonus on Climb checks and can always choose to take 10 on Climb checks, even if rushed or threatened.
LHOSK SOCIETY Lhosks live in small, nomadic groups. During the day they travel, search for fruit and vegetables, and hunt. They rarely stay in any one part of their territory more than a few days before moving on to another part where there is more food. They build temporary shelters from natural materials when they stop, leaving these behind when they move on.
A lhosk patrol is generally composed entirely of males.
A lhosk troop has the same composition of males, females, and young as a nest (being simply a lhosk nest moving to a new encampment).
LHOSKS WITH CLASS LEVELS A lhosk’s favored class is ranger, but most lhosk leaders are druids. Most lhosk choose humanoids (elves) as their favored enemy due to their many encounters with elves in the woods.

Animal (Swarm)

Hit Dice: 11d8+22 (71 hp)
Initiative: +9
Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares)
Armor Class: 19 (+2 size, +5 Dex, +2 natural), touch 17, fl at-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +8/—
Attack: Swarm (3d6)
Full Attack: Swarm (3d6)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./0 ft.
Special Attacks: Distraction, wounding
Special Qualities: Half damage from slashing and piercing weapons, low-light vision, scent, swarm traits
Saves: Fort +9, Ref +14, Will +4
Abilities: Str 2, Dex 21, Con 15, Int 2, Wis 13, Cha 2
Skills: Hide +18*, Listen +7, Move Silently +10, Spot +7
Feats: Alertness, Improved Initiative, Lightning Refl exes, Stealthy
Environment: Warm forests
Organization: Solitary, gang (2–4 swarms), or pride (5–8 swarms)
Challenge Rating: 6
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: —
Level Adjustment: — A wave of tiny, brightly colored dinosaurs chirps and whistles as it cascades over the ground.
Named for their large, incredibly sharp fangs, needletooth dinosaurs are extremely dangerous predators that hunt in massive swarms, tearing apart land animals the same way piranhas devour their prey. Always hungry, needletooth swarms prowl the underbrush of jungles and have no compunctions about what they eat. They are inquisitive, fearless, and quickly overcome any skittishness toward strange or unusual beasts that may stumble into their jungle territory.
Needletooth dinosaurs are crafty and patient hunters that will stalk and harry prey for miles before closing in for the kill. They are noted for their high-pitched trilling sound, which can seem harmless, almost cute, until a swarm descends on its target.
Needletooth dinosaurs stand 1 foot tall and weigh 2 pounds.
COMBAT A needletooth swarm seeks to surround and attack any living prey it encounters. A swarm deals 3d6 points of damage to any creature whose space it occupies at the end of its move.
Distraction (Ex): Any living creature vulnerable to a needletooth swarm’s damage that begins its turn with a swarm in its space is nauseated for 1 round; a Fortitude DC 17 negates the effect. Even after a successful save, spellcasting or concentrating on spells within the area of a needletooth swarm requires a Concentration check (DC 20 + spell level). Using skills requiring patience and concentration requires a DC 20 Concentration check. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Wounding (Ex): Any living creature damaged by a needletooth 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.
Skills: *Needletooth swarms gain a +4 racial bonus on Hide checks when in areas of dense foliage, jungle, or heavy underbrush.
NEEDLETOOTH SWARMS IN EBERRON Needletooth swarms scour the jungles and ruins of Q’barra, particularly in and around the ancient city of Haka’torvhak.
They are also found in Dajar Orioth (the Jungle of Daggers) in Aerenal. A variety of needletooth swarm found in the northern jungles of Xen’drik carries the red ache disease (see page 292 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide).
NEEDLETOOTH SWARMS IN FAERÛN Needletooth swarms can be found in the Jungles of Chult and the Black Jungles. Some varieties of needletooth swarms are poisonous (Fortitude DC 17, initial and secondary damage 1d3 Dex) and have a Challenge Rating of 7. The poison’s save DC is Constitution-based.

NIGHT TWIST

Large Plant
Hit Dice: 15d8+135 (202 hp)
Initiative: –2
Speed: 10 ft. (2 squares)
Armor Class: 27 (–1 size, –2 Dex, +15 natural, +5 defl ection), touch 12, fl at-footed 27
Base Attack/Grapple: +11/+29
Attack: Slam +24 melee (2d8+14)
Full Attack: 3 slams +24 melee (2d8+14)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./20 ft.
Special Attacks: Death curse, despair song, spell-like abilities, wind blast
Special Qualities: Damage reduction 10/slashing, lowlight vision, plant traits, unholy grace, vulnerability to fire
Saves: Fort +23, Ref +8, Will +14
Abilities: Str 39, Dex 6, Con 29, Int 12, Wis 14, Cha 21
Skills: Hide +7*, Knowledge (nature) +10, Listen +17, Listen +9, Move Silently +8, Spot +12, Survival +17 Survival +9 (+11 aboveground)
Feats: Blind-Fight, Diehard, Endurance, Improved Sunder, Iron Will, Power Attack
Environment: Temperate marshes
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 12
Treasure: Standard coins, no goods, standard items
Alignment: Always neutral evil
Advancement: 16–24 HD (Large); 25–48 HD (Huge)
Level Adjustment: — You see a large, black, leafless tree characterized by unnatural and unsettling shapes.It radiates gloomy twilight, nightmares, and sorrow. Long before luckless travelers in more remote and foreboding marshes see the harrowing sight of a lone night twist, they hear its haunting and melancholy song. The ghostly moaning sounds of its song seem slightly different to every traveler. For some, the song of the night twist sounds like a women weeping. To others, it is more akin to a cold wind blowing over a desolate graveyard.
Most likely, the despair song of a night twist is the most sorrowful sound each traveler can conjurer within his or her own mind.
Night twists subsist in the most inhospitable marshes, feeding on the rotting carcasses of creatures and travelers attracted by its despair song. A typical night twist stands 15 feet tall and weighs 600 pounds.
Night twists rarely speak, but they understand Common, Elven, and Sylvan.
COMBAT A night twist, when actively seeking victims, sends out its despair song in order to bring prey to it. When those lured by the song are within range, a night twist uses its phantasmal killer spell-like ability. A night twist employs its powerful slam attack only if opponents fi rst survive the illusion. The creature uses its entangle and deeper darkness spell-like abilities to keep opponents from escaping. When a night twist feels threatened, it uses its wind attack and fear spelllike ability.
Death Curse (Su): Killing a night twist invites a curse similar to that bestowed by the nightmare spell. The creature dealing the death blow must make a DC 22 Will save to avoid being cursed with hideous and unsettling nightmares that prevent restful sleep and deal 1d10 points of damage. The recipient becomes fatigued and unable to prepare or ready arcane spells for the next 24 hours. The nightmares and resulting damage affect the subject every night until the curse is removed or the victim dies. If the curse is removed, the victim remains fatigued for 24 hours thereafter. A limited wish spell or more powerful magic cast while the subject is in the throes of a nightmare is the only way to remove a night twist’s death curse. The save DC is Charisma-based.
If the victim of a night twist victim dies and is interred, a new night twist springs from where the corpse was laid one month later. While the creature is developing, a night twist “sapling” appears at the gravesite; the creature seems to be a normal (nonintelligent) plant until it reaches maturity. Despair Song (Su): Every evening, a night twist emits a sorrowful sound that inspires melancholy and despair in all creatures with an Intelligence score of 6 or higher within a radius of fi ve miles per Hit Die of the night twist. Those who fail a DC 22 Will save are affected as if by a crushing despair spell and must seek out the source of their sorrow (the night twist) to the neglect of all other tasks or needs, including eating or sleeping. If physically restrained and not allowed to seek out the night twist, a victim of this despair song loses 1d10 hit points every evening until it dies or the enchantment is removed. Relocating a victim outside the area affected by the night twist’s song does not end the enchantment. The despair song ceases to affect a subject in the round after the night twist makes a slam attack against it. To remove the effects of the night twist’s despair song before it attacks, a limited wish or more powerful magic must be employed. Dispel magic or dispel evil spells cannot remove the enchantment. However, a bard of 12th level or higher using the song of freedom class feature can provide the subject a second Will save. The death of the night twist always ends the enchantment. A night twist’s caster level is equal to its Hit Dice for the purpose of its despair song ability. The save DC is Charisma-based. Spell-Like
Abilities: 3/day—blight (DC 20) , deeper darkness, entangle, fear (DC 19), phantasmal killer (DC 19) . Caster level 10th.
Unholy Grace (Su): A night twist adds its Charisma modifier as a bonus on all its saving throws, and as a deflection bonus to its Armor Class.
Wind Blast (Su): A night twist’s wind blast ability is similar to the gust of wind spell. The creature can use its wind blast as a free action, but does so only when it feels threatened. A powerful, gale-force wind (50 mph) emanates from the tree in all directions out to 120 feet. All other effects of the wind blast are the same as those of the gust of wind spell. Any creature in the affected area can avoid the effect with a DC 22 Fortitude save. The save DC is Charisma-based. If a night twist is attacked with fi re, it uses its wind blast to extinguish the fl ames.
Skills: *Night twists gain a +16 racial bonus on Hide checks in swamps or marshes where other trees and foliage thrive.
ANCIENT NIGHT TWIST Huge Plant
Hit Dice: 25d8+300 (412 hp)
Initiative: –2
Speed: 10 ft. (2 squares)
Armor Class: 38 (–2 size, –2 Dex, +26 natural, +6 defl ection), touch 12, fl at-footed 38
Base Attack/Grapple: +18/+43
Attack: Slam +33 melee (4d6+17)
Full Attack: 6 slams +33 melee (4d6+17)
Space/Reach: 15 ft./25 ft.
Special Attacks: Death curse, despair song, spell-like abilities, wind blast
Special Qualities: Damage reduction 15/slashing, lowlight vision, plant traits, unholy grace, vulnerability to fire
Saves: Fort +32, Ref +12, Will +19
Abilities: Str 45, Dex 6, Con 34, Int 12, Wis 16, Cha 23
Skills: Hide +6*, Knowledge (nature) +18, Listen +17, Move Silently +8, Spot +18, Survival +17 (+19 aboveground)
Feats: Blind-Fight, Diehard, Endurance, Improved Natural Armor (3), Improved Sunder, Iron Will, Power Attack
Environment: Temperate marshes
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 20
Treasure: Standard coins, no goods, standard items
Alignment: Always neutral evil
Advancement: —
Level Adjustment: — Night twists live for an indefi nite length of time. Some legends claim the age of the most ancient specimens can be counted in millennia. Feeding off the despair, fear, and corpses of victims over hundreds of centuries and growing to a height of 30 feet or more, an ancient night twists is a horrifying and daunting spectacle to mortals. Each one weighs some 4,500 pounds and speaks Common, Elven, and Sylvan.
COMBAT In addition to the special abilities and qualities inherent in a younger specimen, an ancient night twist has even deadlier powers and spell-like abilities in its arsenal. This creature uses its spell-like abilities before resorting to its powerful slam attack. It summons plants to its aid if faced by superior numbers. The save DCs (DC 28) for an ancient night twist’s death curse, despair song, and wind blast are adjusted for its higher Charisma score and increased Hit Dice. Spell-Like
Abilities: 5/day—phantasmal killer (DC 20); 3/day—blight (DC 21), circle of death (DC 22), deeper darkness, entangle (DC 17), fear (DC 20), insanity (DC 23); 1/day—weird (DC 25). Caster level 20th.
NIGHT TWISTS IN FAERÛN Night twists even threaten travelers seeking the ruins of Myth Adofhaur.

NYCTER

An odd creature looking like a cross between a bat and a halfling peers down at you from where it hangs from the cave ceiling. Its face has a pair of slits that extend from the nostrils to just below its eyes, and its tail ends in a “T” shape.
Nycters are cave-dwelling batfolk that strive to live peaceably and well. Distantly related to the desmodus (described in Monster Manual II), they view their larger cousins as barbaric savages, akin to the way many humans view ogres.
Likewise, desmodus view nycters as lesser beings, simple folk not as brainy or ambitious as their own race.
Nycter culture and society revolve around the cave and the community. Nycters have a keen sense of duty to their group and do their utmost to contribute to it.
A nycter stands 2 to 2-1/2 feet tall and weighs 20 to 25 pounds. The creatures’ wing colors range from pale tan to dark gray, and the fur tones are tan, brown, or gray.
Nycters speak their own language, known as Nycter.
The few who travel outside their home territory (usually as adventurers or emissaries) know Common.
COMBAT Nycters prefer peace over war. If they encounter other creatures without being noticed in turn, they often choose to avoid them altogether.
If confronted, they parlay and seek harmonious solutions.
However, they fi ght fi ercely to defend themselves or their territory.
Hunting Cry (Su): A nycter can emit a high, piercing shriek that damages and paralyzes its prey (30-foot cone, once every 2d4 rounds, damage 2d4 sonic plus paralysis for 1d4+1 rounds, Fortitude DC 11 halves damage and negates paralysis). This is a sonic mind-affecting ability. A creature that successfully saves cannot be affected again by the same nycter’s hunting cry for 24 hours. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Blindsense (Ex): A nycter uses echolocation to pinpoint creatures within 60 feet. Opponents still have total concealment against the nycter unless it can actually see them.
Skills: Nycters have a +4 racial bonus on Spot and Listen checks. These bonuses are lost if their blindsense is negated.
NYCTER DEFENDER OF THE CAVE A nycter that has earned the title “defender of the cave” holds a prominent position in a nycter community, usually acting as both a protector and a leader.
Combat Before entering battle, a nycter defender of the cave casts bear’s endurance and bull’s strength on itself, followed by magic fang on its dire bat animal companion. It uses its hunting cry before entering melee combat. Once battle is joined, it relies on its weapons and magic items more than its spells.
Hunting Cry (Su): The save DC for this defender of the cave’s hunting cry (DC 13) is adjusted for its higher Constitution score.
Animal Companion (Ex): This defender of the cave has a dire bat as an animal companion (see Monster Manual, page 62).
Nature Sense (Ex): This nycter gains a +2 bonus on Knowledge (nature) and Survival checks.
Resist Nature’s Lure (Ex): This nycter gains a +4 bonus on saving throws against the spell-like abilities of fey.
Trackless Step (Ex): This nycter leaves no trail in natural surroundings and cannot be tracked.
Wild Empathy (Ex): This nycter can improve the attitude of an animal in the same way that a Diplomacy check can improve the attitude of a person.
The druid rolls 1d20+5 to determine the wild empathy check result (1d20+1 if attempting to infl uence a magical beast with an Intelligence score of 1 or 2).
Wild Shape (Su): This druid can change into a Small or Medium animal and back again once per day, for up to 5 hours.
Woodland Stride (Ex): This nycter can move through natural thorns, briars, overgrown areas, and similar terrain at its normal speed and without taking damage or other impairment. However, thorns, briars, and overgrown areas that are magically manipulated to impede motion still affect it.
Typical Druid Spells Prepared: 0—create water, cure minor wounds, detect magic, light, virtue; 1st—charm animal (DC 15), cure light wounds, magic fang, produce fl ame; 2nd—bear’s endurance, bull’s strength, heat metal (DC 16); 3rd—meld into stone, wind wall.
Possessions: +1 scimitar, +1 sling, bag of tricks (rust), wand of entangle, potion of heroism, potion of shield of faith +3, 20 sling bullets.
Defender of the Cave Animal Companion Nycter druids often take a dire bat as an animal companion; they feel a kinship and protective duty toward most bats and batlike creatures. Because of this defender of the cave’s druid levels, this dire bat knows one bonus trick.
Dire Bat Animal Companion: CR 2; Large animal; HD 4d8+12; hp 30; Init +6; Spd 20 ft., fl y 40 ft. (good); AC 20, touch 15, fl at-footed 14; Base Atk +3; Grp +10; Space/Reach 10 ft./5 ft.; Atk or Full Atk +5 melee (1d8+4, bite); SQ blindsense Nycter Nycter Defender of the Cave, 5th-Level Druid Small Monstrous Humanoid Small Monstrous Humanoid
Hit Dice: 3d8 (13 hp) 3d8+6 plus 5d8+10 (51 hp)
Initiative: +2 +1
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares), fl y 40 ft. (good) 15 ft. in hide armor (3 squares), fl y 30 ft. (good)
Armor Class: 16 (+1 size, +2 Dex, +3 natural 20 (+1 size, +1 Dex, +3 natural armor, armor), touch 13, fl at-footed 14 +3 hide armor, +2 masterwork large wooden shield), touch 12, fl at-footed 19
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/–2 +6/+2
Attack: Bite +6 melee (1d4–1) +1 scimitar +9 melee (1d4+1/15–20) or bite +8 melee (1d4) or +1 sling +9 ranged (1d3+1)
Full Attack: Bite +6 melee (1d4–1) +1 scimitar +9/+4 melee (1d4+1/15–20) or bite +8 melee (1d4) or +1 sling +9/+4 ranged (1d3+1)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft. 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Hunting cry Hunting cry, spells
Special Qualities: Blindsense 60 ft., darkvision 60 ft., Animal companion, blindsense 60 ft., darkvision vulnerability to sonic 60 ft., nature sense, resist nature’s lure, trackless step, wild empathy +5 (+1 magical beasts), wild shape 1/day, woodland stride, vulnerability to sonic
Saves: Fort +1, Ref +5, Will +4 Fort +7, Ref +5, Will +11
Abilities: Str 9, Dex 15, Con 11, Str 10, Dex 12, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 8 Int 10, Wis 19, Cha 11
Skills: Listen +13, Spot +13 Concentration +7, Knowledge (nature) +9, Listen +16, Spot +16, Survival +16 (+18 in aboveground natural environments)
Feats: Alertness, Weapon Finesse Alertness, Improved Critical (scimitar), Weapon Finesse
Environment: Temperate forests Temperate forests
Organization: Solitary, pair, group (3–5), cave Solitary or with dire bat (10–30 plus 25% noncombatants)
Challenge Rating: 2 7
Treasure: Standard Standard
Alignment: Usually neutral Neutral
Advancement: 4–6 HD (Small); 7–12 HD (Medium) By character class
Level Adjustment: +2 +2 40 ft., link, share spells; AL N; SV Fort +7, Ref +10, Will +6; Str 17, Dex 22, Con 17, Int 2, Wis 14, Cha 6.
Skills and
Feats: Hide +4, Listen +12*, Move Silently +11, Spot +8*; Alertness, Stealthy.
Blindsense (Ex): A dire bat uses echolocation to pinpoint creatures within 40 feet. Opponents still have total concealment against the bat unless it can actually see them.
Link (Ex): This nycter druid can handle its animal companion as a free action. The nycter also gains a +4 circumstance bonus on all wild empathy checks and Handle Animal checks made regarding its dire bat companion.
Share Spells (Ex): Any spell this nycter druid casts on itself also affects its animal companion if the latter is within 5 feet at the time. It can also cast a spell with a target of “You” on its animal companion.
Skills: Dire bats have a +4 racial bonus on Spot checks and Listen checks. These bonuses are lost if their blindsense is negated.
NYCTERS AS CHARACTERS Nycters possess the following racial traits.
— +4 Dexterity, –2 Strength, +2 Wisdom, –2 Charisma.
—Small size. +1 bonus to Armor Class, +1 bonus on attack rolls, +4 bonus on Hide checks, –4 penalty on grapple checks, lifting and carrying limits 3/4 those of Medium characters.
—A nycter’s base land speed is 20 feet. It has a fl y speed of 40 feet with good maneuverability.
—Blindsense: A nycter uses echolocation to pinpoint creatures within 60 feet. Opponents still have total concealment against the nycter unless it can actually see them.
—Darkvision out to 60 feet.
—Racial
Hit Dice: A nycter begins with three levels of monstrous humanoid, which provide 3d8 Hit Dice, a base attack bonus of +3, and base saving throw bonuses of Fort +1, Ref +3, and Will +3.
—Racial
Skills: A nycter’s monstrous humanoid levels give it skill points equal to 6 × (2 + Int modifi er, minimum 1). Its class skills are Craft, Listen, Spot, and Survival.
—Racial
Feats: A nycter’s monstrous humanoid levels give it two feats.
—Automatic Languages: Nycter. Bonus Languages: Common, Draconic, Dwarven, Giant, Goblin, Orc.
—Favored Class: Druid.
—Level adjustment +2.

PETAL

Tiny Fey
Hit Dice: 1d6+2 (5 hp)
Initiative: +9
Speed: 15 ft. (3 squares), fl y 60 ft. (good)
Armor Class: 17 (+2 size, +5 Dex), touch 17, fl at-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +0/–12
Attack: Dagger +7 melee (1d2–4)
Full Attack: Dagger +7 melee (1d2–4)
Space/Reach: 2-1/2 ft./0 ft.
Special Attacks: Sleep songs
Special Qualities: Damage reduction 5/cold iron, lowlight vision
Saves: Fort +2, Ref +7, Will +2
Abilities: Str 3, Dex 20, Con 15, Int 15, Wis 10, Cha 18
Skills: Craft (fl ower arranging) +6, Escape Artist +9, Hide +17, Knowledge (nature) +6, Listen +4, Move Silently +9, Spot +4, Tumble +9
Feats: Improved Initiative, Weapon FinesseB
Environment: Temperate forests
Organization: Solitary, pair, bouquet (3–6), or garden (7–10 plus 2–6 thorns)
Challenge Rating: 1
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Usually neutral good
Advancement: 2–3 HD (Tiny)
Level Adjustment: +2 (cohort) Ahead is a small troupe of tiny humanoid-shaped creatures dressed in garments made from leaves, their petallike wings keeping them aloft.
Their beautifully colored skin makes one think of flowers come to life. They sing a soft, delightful song.
These little fey often act as servants, messengers, or attendants to larger or more prestigious fey including sprites and dryads. When not in service to another fey, they tend to cluster near some more powerful plant creature (such as a treant) for protection.
While nonfey may view petals as mischievous nuisances, petals know that they’re only doing what’s right and proper. Every traveler and adventurer needs the benefi t of a restful sleep. All should wake refreshed and surrounded by beauty.
As their way of carrying out this philosophy, petals sing travelers to sleep. They then remove their sleeping victims’ armor, weapons, and equipment, piling it nearby. (Petals never steal anything; to a petal, doing so would be a wrongful act.) Once they divest a traveler of his equipment, they garb the character in clothing made of leaves and fl owers, adorning him with beautiful garlands. The petals then leave their victim to wake refreshed and in an idyllic environment.
While the actions of petals may be whimsical and innocent, adventurers may come to realize that the real trouble lies not with the petals themselves, but with dangerous creatures that might also inhabit the area. Predators and the unscrupulous are quite happy to take advantage of opportunities provided to them by the petals.
The skin color of a petal resembles the color of a fl ower, ranging from pale pastels to vibrant red or yellow. In place of hair atop their heads, they have blossoms. These are often of a different shade or color than their skin. Often, the blossoms have different hues, sometimes with paler tips or centers, even speckles or strips. Their wings are of the same shades and patterns as their blossoms. A typical petal stands 1-1/2 feet tall and weighs 3 pounds.
Petals speak Sylvan and Common.
COMBAT Petals like to use their sleep songs from a distance to put travelers to sleep. They avoid close combat.
Sleep Songs (Su): Petals can sing two kinds of songs that deal no damage but can lull a creature into a state of relaxation or sleep.
Lullaby: Any creature within a 20-foot-radius that fails a DC 14 Will save is affected as though by a lullaby spell. A creature that successfully saves cannot be affected again by that petal’s lullaby song for 24 hours. The save DC is Charisma-based.
Sleep: This song requires two or more petals separated by no more than 100 feet to be singing in unison. Any creature within 100 feet of either singer that hears the song must succeed on a DC 14 Will save or be affected as though by a sleep spell. Additional petals within 100 feet of a target can lend their voices to the song, strengthening it and increasing the save DC by 1 per additional singer.
A creature that successfully saves cannot be affected again by those petals’ sleep song for 24 hours. The save DC is Charisma-based

PHOELARCH

Medium Monstrous Humanoid (Fire)
Hit Dice: 7d8+14 plus 7 (52 hp)
Initiative: +3
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 18 (+3 Dex, +2 natural, +3 studded leather armor), touch 13, fl at-footed 15
Base Attack/Grapple: +7/+9
Attack: Masterwork falchion +10 melee (2d4+3/18–20 plus 1d6 fi re)
Full Attack: Masterwork falchion +10/+5 melee (2d4+3/ 18–20 plus 1d6 fi re)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Death throes, heat, spell-like abilities
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., healing fi re, immunity to fi re, immunities, rise from the ashes, spell resistance 18, vulnerability to cold
Saves: Fort +6, Ref +8, Will +6
Abilities: Str 14, Dex 17, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 17
Skills: Concentration +8, Listen +8, Spot +8, Survival +6
Feats: AlertnessB, Empower Spell-Like Ability (scorching ray), Great FortitudeB, Improved Toughness, Quick Draw
Environment: Temperate forests
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 6
Treasure: Standard, plus masterwork falchion
Alignment: Always chaotic good
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: +5 This tall, slender, human-sized creature bears a massive falchion across its back. Although it looks mostly human, feathers of red and gold line the backs of its arms, legs, and its jaw, and thicker feathers grow in place of its hair. Its golden-hued skin seems to radiate an inner heat and warmth, and its eyes glow.
Phoelarches are thought to be the descendants of the legendary phoenix. Their proud bearing, brilliant plumage, and the intense heat they can generate all prove these rumors are closer to the truth than many realize.
Phoelarches vary somewhat in plumage and skin tone.
Some have skin the color of dark rust, while others have skin that shows just a hint of gold. The feathers of these creatures serve no purpose but to hint at their ancestry and give the phoelarches something to preen. They range in color from pale gold to deep fi ery red. Phoelarches stand taller than humans, most reaching 6 to 6-1/2 feet tall. An average phoelarch weighs around 180 pounds.
Phoelarches speak Ignan and a smattering of other languages picked up in their wanderings as well (Common, Sylvan, Elven, Draconic, Celestial, and so forth).
Phoelarches do not confi ne themselves to any one terrain or climate. They prefer warmer areas, but they can tolerate almost any habitable clime. They are almost universally possessed of a terrible wanderlust, though. Most phoelarches spend their lives wandering the land, seeking out new places and new people. As a result, phoelarches don’t typically have their own society, although rumors of phoelarch cities on the Elemental Plane of Fire circulate among the phoenixkin.
Another trait phoelarches have in common is how they respond to injustice. Phoelarches treasure their freedom, and the freedom of others, almost more than anything else.
As a result, wherever a people’s freedom is threatened, a phoelarch may be drawn to the scene to help in the fi ght for justice or freedom.
COMBAT A phoelarch is a deadly combatant at a distance and in melee. In a fi ght, it prefers to rely on its empowered scorching ray and other spell-like abilities as long as possible, engaging in melee with its falchion only if necessary. Charismatic and engaging, a phoelarch is rarely encountered alone. One is frequently accompanied by companions of similar interests, or by loyal followers.
Death Throes (Su): When slain, a phoelarch explodes in a blinding burst of fi re that deals 10d6 points of fi re damage to anything within 20 feet (Refl ex DC 15 half). The save DC is Constitution-based.
Heat (Ex): A phoelarch generates so much heat that merely touching it deals 1d6 points of fi re damage to the toucher. The phoelarch’s metallic weapon also conducts this heat. A phoelarch can suppress or resume this ability as a free action.
Healing Fire (Su): Any fi re attack that would normally deal damage instead heals a phoelarch. Any fi re effect targeted on a phoelarch heals 1 point of damage for every 3 points of damage it would otherwise deal. If the amount of healing would cause the phoelarch to exceed its full normal hit points, it gains any excess as temporary hit points. For example, a phoelarch exposed to a fi reball that deals 30 points of damage would heal up to 10 points of damage, or provide the phoelarch with up to 10 temporary hit points.
Immunities (Ex): A phoelarch is immune to disease and poison.
Rise From the Ashes (Su): When a phoelarch is slain (reduced to –10 hit points or below), its body is immolated, leaving nothing but ash and a chrysalis form in the shape of a small black glass egg roughly 6 inches across. The egg remains dormant for 24 hours, after which time it hatches, releasing a fully grown phoera (see below).
The ash and chrysalis left behind when a phoelarch dies can be used to resurrect the phoelarch, but the creature cannot be raised by any means. Once a phoera has burst free from its chrysalis, the phoelarch cannot be brought back to life by any means. A gentle repose spell or similar magic cast on a chrysalis can keep the egg from hatching, allowing the phoelarch to possibly be brought back to life at a later time.
Once the gentle repose effect ends, however, the egg hatches 24 hours later.
A wish or miracle spell used in conjunction with a resurrection effect can restore a phoelarch to life after its chrysalis has hatched.
Spell-Like
Abilities: At will—light, scorching ray (DC 15); 3/day—produce fl ame; 1/day—fi re shield (warm shield only).
Caster level 10th.
CHRYSALIS The most distinctive aspect of a phoelarch has nothing to do with its life, but rather with its death. When a phoelarch dies, it explodes in a massive burst of fl ame. This burst leaves behind a small black glass egg. The egg radiates faint transmutation magic but otherwise has no magical properties.
The black egg has hardness 5, 20 hit points, and immunity to fi re.
If the egg is undamaged, within 24 hours it hatches into a new creature: the phoera, a beautiful bird that closely resembles the phoenix of myth. While the phoera retains many of the phoelarch’s abilities, this beautiful, red-andgold- plumed bird has no memory of the phoelarch’s life. It is, in fact, an entirely new creature.
PHOERA Medium Magical Beast (Fire)
Hit Dice: 3d10+3 (19 hp)
Initiative: +3
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares), fl y 60 ft. (average)
Armor Class: 16 (+3 Dex, +3 natural), touch 13, f latfooted 13
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+4
Attack: Bite +4 melee (1d6+1 plus 1d6 fi re)
Full Attack: Bite +4 melee (1d6+1 plus 1d6 fi re) and claws +2 melee (1d4+1 plus 1d6 fi re)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Breath weapon, heat, ignite
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., healing fi re, immunity to fi re, rise from the ashes, vulnerability to cold
Saves: Fort +4, Ref +6, Will +2
Abilities: Str 12, Dex 17, Con 13, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 15
Skills: Listen +6, Spot +6
Feats: AlertnessB, Flyby Attack, Multiattack
Environment: Temperate forests
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 3
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 4–9 HD (Medium)
Level Adjustment: — This brilliantly plumed bird has feathers of red and gold. In contrast to its beauty, its wickedly hooked beak and talons look capable of rending flesh from bone. A long tail of feathers streams behind the creature as it flies, leaving a shimmering of heat in the wake of its passage.
Once hatched, a phoera typically finds a comfortable, remote stretch of forest in which to nest. It preys on small mammals, and tends to shy away from larger creatures.
Being very territorial, however, it attempts to frighten off intruders in its claimed area of forest. If pushed, a jealous phoera will not hesitate to set its forest home ablaze to keep it from the hands of intruders.
These creatures do not willingly risk their lives. They seem to have no knowledge of their power to rise from the ashes.
A phoera measures 7 feet long from its beak to the tip of its long tail. It weighs around 250 pounds.
COMBAT A phoera in battle uses its Flyby Attack feat liberally, relying on the attrition of several fi re attacks to weaken foes in the hopes of driving them off.
Breath Weapon (Su): 30-foot line of fi re, 3/day, damage 5d4 fi re, Refl ex DC 12 half. The save DC is Constitutionbased.
PHOELARCH AND PHOERA VARIANTS The vazalkyon and the vazalka (described below) are coldbased variants of the phoelarch and phoera, respectively. Other elemental variants may also exist.
VAZALKYON AND VAZALKA Vazalkyons are cold-dwelling creatures similar in appearance to phoelarches, except that they have pale blue skin, silvery-white plumage, and a chilling aura. When a vazalkyon dies, it turns into a pile of slushy ice and leaves behind a glassy black egg that’s cold to the touch (hardness 5, 20 hit points, immunity to cold). After 24 hours, an undamaged vazalkyon egg hatches into a vazalka, a cold-based variant of the phoera.
In the Eberron Campaign Setting, vazalkyons and vazalkas often make their lairs near portals to Risia, the plane of ice.
Vazalkyon: A vazalkyon has statistics and abilities similar to the phoelarch, except as noted here: Cold Subtype: A vazalkyon has the cold subtype instead of the fire subtype.
Damage: A vazalkyon deals 1d6 points of cold damage (instead of fire damage) when it hits with a weapon.
Death Throes (Su): A slain vazalkyon deals cold damage instead of fire damage when it explodes.
Chill (Ex): As the phoelarch’s heat ability, except that it deals cold damage.
Healing Cold (Su): As the phoelarch’s healing fire ability, except it applies only to cold attacks.
Vazalka: The vazalka does not possess the phoera’s ignite ability. A vazalka’s statistics and abilities are otherwise similar to the phoera’s, except as noted below: Cold Subtype: A vazalka has the cold subtype instead of the fire subtype.
Damage: A vazalka deals 1d6 points of cold damage (instead of fire damage) when it hits with a claw or bite attack.
Breath Weapon (Su): 30-foot line of cold, 3/day, damage 5d4 cold, Reflex DC 12 half. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Chill (Ex): As the phoera’s heat ability, except that it deals cold damage.
Healing Cold (Su): As the phoera’s healing fire ability, except it applies only to cold attacks.
Shivering Strike (Ex): A creature struck by a vazalka’s bite or claw attack must make a successful DC 12 Fortitude save or be shaken for 1d4 rounds. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Heat (Ex): A phoera generates so much heat that merely touching it deals 1d6 points of fire damage to the toucher. A phoera can suppress or resume this ability as a free action.
Ignite (Ex): A creature struck by a phoera’s bite or claw attacks must make a successful DC 12 Refl ex save or catch on fi re. The fl ames burn for 1d4 rounds. A burning creature can take a move action to put out the fl ames. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Healing Fire (Su): Any fi re attack that would normally deal damage instead heals a phoera. Any fi re effect targeted on a phoera heals 1 point of damage for every 3 points of damage it would otherwise deal.
If the amount of healing would cause the phoera to exceed its full normal hit points, it gains any excess as temporary hit points. For example, a phoera exposed to a fi reball that deals 30 points of damage would heal up to 10 points of damage, or provide the phoera with up to 10 temporary hit points.
Rise From the Ashes (Su): When a phoera is slain (reduced to –10 hit points or below), its body is immolated, leaving nothing but ash and a chrysalis form in the shape of a small black glass egg roughly 6 inches across. The egg remains dormant for 24 hours, after which time it hatches, releasing another fully grown phoera. If the slain phoera had advanced to 4 Hit Dice or more, the new one only has the Hit Dice (3) of an unadvanced phoera.
The ash and chrysalis left behind when a phoera dies can be used to resurrect the phoera, but the creature cannot be raised by any means. Once a phoera has burst free from the chrysalis, the previous phoera cannot be brought back to life by any means. A gentle repose spell or similar magic cast on a chrysalis can keep the egg from hatching, allowing the phoera to possibly be brought back to life at a later time.
Once the gentle repose effect ends, however, the egg hatches 24 hours later.
A wish or miracle spell used in conjunction with a resurrection effect can restore a phoera to life after its chrysalis has hatched.
PHOELARCHES AND PHOERAS IN EBERRON Phoelarches often make their lairs near portals to Fernia, the plane of fi re. Phoelarches treasure their freedom and the freedom of others, almost more than anything else. For this reason, they frequently unite with bands of adventurers strongly opposed to tyranny. The ancient past saw phoelarches helping to free elf slaves from their giant overseers on Xen’drik, and in the present day phoelarches have been know to help kalashtar escape the tyranny of the Inspired and assist warforged who are struggling to gain recognition as an independent race.
PHOELARCHES AND PHOERAS IN FAERÛN Whenever a people’s freedom is threatened, a phoelarch may be drawn to the scene to help in the struggle for freedom and justice. Phoelarches staunchly oppose slavery in Faerûn. Consequently, they are most active in places such as Calimshan, Mulhorand, and other nations where slavery is legal. They also form alliances with organizations and bands ofadventurers opposed to powerful tyrants or slave rings.

RAGE DRAKE

This heavily muscled reptile stalks about on four limbs, its fluid movements and feline grace belying its size. Its dark red scales are scarred and chipped from past struggles, and its scowling visage hints at unchecked rage.
Primitive draconic creatures, rage drakes have more in common with large and dangerous dire animals than with true dragons. Although capable of at least rudimentary reasoning, rage drakes remain animalistic in many ways. Cruel and selfi sh, rage drakes embody many of the worst qualities of evil dragonkind. Some sages believe that rage drakes were created deliberately in an attempt to fi nd a mount with the fearsome physical abilities of a dragon but without the intelligence and powerful magical abilities. Rage drakes do not hoard treasure, though they do value precious gems . . . as snacks.
Rage drakes have dull, deep red scales and the feline build common to true dragons. Unlike many other draconic creatures, they do not have wings. However, their size and strength make them extremely fast compared to most ground creatures. A typical rage drake can grow to be over 12 feet long and can weigh up to 6,000 pounds.
Rage drakes do not speak, but they understand Common and Draconic within the limits of their intelligence.
COMBAT Brutal, instinctive hunters, rage drakes hide and ambush their foes when possible. Beyond this instinctive hunting technique, rage drakes take a simple approach to the many battles they fi ght in their violent lives. When combat begins, a rage drake charges and pounces on the nearest foe, tearing its opponent to shreds as fast as it can and then moving on to the next foe. It usually tries to pounce and stun its foe in the fi rst round of combat and then begins raging in the next round. If overmatched in combat, a rage drake is just as likely to fi ght to the death as it is to fl ee.
A rage drake normally attacks using its Power Attack feat, taking a –5 penalty on its attack rolls and gaining a +5 bonus on damage rolls.
Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a rage drake must hit with its bite attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking attacks of opportunity. If it wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold and can use both its rake and worry attacks against the held foe.
Pounce (Ex): If a rage drake charges, it can make a full attack, including its two rake attacks and one worry attack if it grabs its foe.
Rage (Ex): Four times per day, a rage drake can enter a state of fi erce rage that lasts 11 rounds. The following changes are in effect as long as he rages: AC 18 (touch 10, fl at-footed 15); hp increase by 28; Atk +18 melee (1d8+15/19–20, claw); Full Atk +18 melee (1d8+15/19–20, 2 claws) and +13 melee (2d6+10, bite); SV Fort +17, Will +12; Str 31, Con 27; Jump +33. Unlike a barbarian, however, a rage drake is not fatigued after raging. A rage drake can end its rage early, though it seldom does so even when all its foes are apparently defeated.
Rake (Ex): Attack bonus +16 melee, damage 1d8+13, including adjustment for using Power Attack feat.
Worry (Ex): Whenever a rage drake grabs a foe at least one size category smaller than itself in its mouth, it instinctively shakes the foe, stunning and disorienting its victim. Anyone grabbed by a rage drake must succeed on a DC 25 Fortitude saving throw or be stunned for 1 round. A rage drake can only use this ability in the first round after it grabs a foe. The save DC is Strength-based.
Skills: Rage drakes have a +4 racial bonus on Spot checks and Listen checks.
FIENDISH RAGE DRAKE Demon princes often breed powerful fi endish versions of rage drakes to use in their Abyssal armies. These ferocious monsters are even more terrifying than their ordinary cousins, combining draconic fury with demonic toughness and vigor.
Combat A fiendish rage drake normally attacks using its Power Attack feat, taking a –9 penalty on its attack rolls and gaining a +9 bonus on damage rolls.
Rage (Ex): Four times per day, a fi endish rage drake can enter a state of fi erce rage that lasts 12 rounds. The following changes are in effect as long as he rages: AC 18 (touch 10, fl at-footed 15); hp increase by 42; Atk +22 melee (1d8+20/ 19–20, claw); Full Atk +22 melee (1d8+20/19–20, 2 claws) and +14 melee (2d6+15, bite); SV Fort +21, Will +14; Str 32, Con 28.; Jump +38. Unlike a barbarian, however, a fi endish rage drake is not fatigued after raging. A rage drake can end its rage early, though it seldom does so even when all its foes are apparently defeated.
Rage Drake Fiendish Rage Drake Large Dragon Large Dragon
Hit Dice: 14d12+84 (175 hp) 21d12+147 plus 21 (304 hp)
Initiative: +7 +8
Speed: 60 ft. (12 squares) 60 ft. (12 squares)
Armor Class: 20 (–1 size, +3 Dex, +8 natural), 20 (–1 size, +3 Dex, +8 natural), touch 12, touch 12, fl at-footed 17 fl at-footed 17
Base Attack/Grapple: +14/+26 +20/+34
Attack: Claw +16 melee (1d8+13/19–20)* Claw +20 melee (1d8+18/19–20)*
Full Attack: 2 claws +16 melee (1d8+13/19–20)* 2 claws +20 melee (1d8+18/19–20)* and and bite +11 melee (2d6+9)* bite +15 melee (2d6+14)*
Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft. 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Improved grab, pounce, rage, Improved grab, pounce, rage, rake, rake, worry smite good, worry
Special Qualities: Blindsense 30 ft., darkvision 60 ft., Blindsense 30 ft., darkvision 60 ft., damage immunity to sleep and paralysis, reduction 10/magic, immunity to sleep, low-light vision and paralysis, low-light vision, resistance to cold 10 and fi re 10, spell resistance 26
Saves: Fort +15, Ref +12, Will +10 Fort +19, Ref +16, Will +12
Abilities: Str 27, Dex 17, Con 23, Str 28, Dex 17, Con 24, Int 4, Wis 12, Cha 10 Int 4, Wis 12, Cha 10
Skills: Hide +9, Jump +31, Listen +15, Hide +14, Jump +36, Listen +19, Move Silently +13, Spot +15 Move Silently +17, Spot +19
Feats: Improved Critical (claw), Improved Cleave, Improved Critical (claw), Improved Initiative, Improved Natural Attack Initiative, Improved Natural Attack (claw), (claw), Improved Natural Attack (bite), Improved Natural Attack (bite), Improved Power Attack Toughness, Power Attack
Environment: Cold forests Cold forests
Organization: Solitary or pair Solitary or pair
Challenge Rating: 9 13
Treasure: None None
Alignment: Usually chaotic evil Usually chaotic evil
Advancement: 15–28 HD (Large); 29–42 HD (Huge) 22–28 HD (Large); 29–42 HD (Huge)
Level Adjustment: — — *Includes adjustments for Power Attack feat.
Smite Good (Su): Once per day, a fi endish rage drake can make a normal melee attack to deal an extra 20 points of damage against a good foe.
RAGE DRAKE MOUNTS Although they are too intelligent to be trained with the Handle Animal skill, rage drakes can occasionally be bribed or bullied into serving as mounts for extremely powerful riders. Riding a rage drake, even a thoroughly cowed one, is always risky, and the rider must be prepared to deal with the rage drake’s attempt to assert control or turn on its rider.
Controlling a mount is especially diffi cult when the creature enters a rage—all Ride checks during such a time have their DCs increased by 10.
A rage drake willing to serve as a mount and trained for battle costs at least 15,000 gp. Frequent rewards of food, drink, and precious gems can keep a rage drake happy and reasonably loyal. In general, a rage drake rider should expect to spend between 500 and 1,500 gp per month on the creature if he wants to keep the beast content (or as content as a rage drake ever is).
RAGE DRAKES IN EBERRON Rage drakes are found in large numbers on the continent of Argonnessen, lairing in caves carved into perilous cliffs near coastal waters. They are also found in alarming numbers on mainland Khorvaire, battling wyverns for territory.
Longships of the Lhazaar Principalities often have fi gureheads carved to resemble rage drakes, and the creatures are hunted, respected, and feared up and down Khorvaire’s eastern coastline. The barbarian tribes of Argonnessen use rage drakes as mounts.
RAGE DRAKES IN FAERÛN Rage drakes populate various mountain ranges in the Unapproachable East, most notably the Giantspire Mountains in Narfell and the Dragonjaw Mountains in Thesk and Aglarond. Enslaved rage drakes also serve various Red Wizards of Thay. They have been encountered in large numbers as far south as the Toadsquat Mountains of the Eastern Shaar. Shiertalaran traders have also reported rage drakes in the Wyrmbones that prey on caravans approaching the city of Kormul as well as on boats heading up and down the Talar River.

SHIMMERLING SWARM

Fine Fey (Swarm)
Hit Dice: 11d6+3 (41 hp)
Initiative: +6
Speed: 5 ft. (1 square), fl y 50 ft. (perfect)
Armor Class: 24 (+8 size, +6 Dex), touch 24, fl at-footed 18
Base Attack/Grapple: +5/—
Attack: Swarm (3d6)
Full Attack: Swarm (3d6)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./0 ft.
Special Attacks: Dazzling illumination, distraction
Special Qualities: Hive mind, immune to weapon damage, low-light vision, swarm traits
Saves: Fort +5, Ref +15, Will +11
Abilities: Str 1, Dex 22, Con 11, Int 7, Wis 15, Cha 18
Skills: Diplomacy +6, Hide +36, Listen +16, Move Silently +13, Sense Motive +9, Spot +16
Feats: Great Fortitude, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Toughness
Environment: Temperate forests
Organization: Solitary, pack (2–4), or colony (5–8)
Challenge Rating: 8
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always chaotic neutral
Advancement: —
Level Adjustment: — You spy a naked and glowing elfin creature only 4 inches tall balancing on a leaf, and as you watch, it spreads dragonfly wings.
Suddenly thousands of these glowing fey f ly up from nearby hiding spots, filling the air with a deep drone and a cacophony of high-pitched voices. They form a multihued cloud of light that surges toward you.
Shimmerlings are minuscule and nearly mindless fey that feed on pollen.
Individually harmless, shimmerlings would be no more worrisome than sparrows but for their ability to swarm.
Shimmerlings form swarms when under great stress. Common triggers are a lack of food sources, loss of habitat, or overhunting by predators.
Shimmerlings collect into swarms primarily to move the entire population to another location, but a swarm also develops an aggressive group intelligence that often seeks revenge on whatever it thinks caused the stress.
An individual shimmerling looks like a 4-inch tall elf with dragonfl y wings. Its skin and hair are the same color as the glow it gives off, which can be any color of the rainbow.
A shimmerling weighs 1 ounce.
Shimmerlings speak Sylvan.
COMBAT A shimmerling swarm often flies around out of reach of foes to hypnotize them before singling out one to surround and attack. A shimmerling swarm deals 3d6 points of damage to any creature whose space it occupies at the end of its move.
Dazzling Illumination (Su): Each shimmerling in a shimmerling swarm glows in some color of the rainbow.
When the members of a swarm concentrate this glow, the swarm sheds light equivalent to a daylight spell. This illumination dazzles any sighted creature within a 60-foot radius that has its eyes open, whether or not it is looking at the shimmerling swarm.
Furthermore, the swarm’s display of light and movement is hypnotic. At the mere sight of an illuminated shimmerling swarm, a creature within 300 feet must succeed on a DC 19 Will save or be fascinated for as long as the swarm is in sight. Any potential threat allows another saving throw against the effect, and an obvious threat automatically frees the creature from the effect, as does vigorous shaking. A creature that succeeds on the saving throw is immune to that shimmerling swarm’s hypnotic form for 1 minute. This is a mind-affecting ability. The save DC is Charisma-based.
A shimmerling swarm can activate or deactivate its dazzling illumination as a standard action. It cannot hide (automatically fails Hide checks) while shedding dazzling illumination.
Distraction (Ex): Any living creature vulnerable to a shimmerling swarm’s damage that begins its turn with a swarm in its square is nauseated for 1 round; a DC 15 Fortitude save negates the effect. Even after a successful save, spellcasting or concentrating on spells within the area of a swarm requires a Concentration check (DC 20 + spell level). Using skills requiring patience and concentration requires a DC 20 Concentration check. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Hive Mind (Ex): A shimmerling swarm that has at least 1 hit point per Hit Die (or 11 points for a standard shimmerling swarm) forms a hive mind, giving it an Intelligence score of 7. When a shimmerling swarm is reduced below this hit point threshold, its Intelligence score is reduced to 1. This change reduces its skill modifi ers to the following values: Diplomacy +4, Hide +36, Listen +2, Move Silently +6, Sense Motive +2, Spot +2.

THORN

Small Fey
Hit Dice: 6d6+12 (33 hp)
Initiative: +6
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares)
Armor Class: 19 (+1 size, +2 Dex, +3 natural, +2 leaf leather armor, +1 buckler), touch 13, fl at-footed 17
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+2
Attack: Thorn longsword +8 melee (1d6+3/19–20) or longbow +6 ranged (1d6/×3)
Full Attack: Thorn longsword +8 melee (1d6+3/19–20) or longbow +6 ranged (1d6/×3)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Sleep arrows, sneak attack +2d6
Special Qualities: Damage reduction 5/cold iron, low-light vision
Saves: Fort +4, Ref +7, Will +5
Abilities: Str 16, Dex 15, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 13
Skills: Diplomacy +3, Hide +17, Listen +9, Move Silently +13, Search +9, Sense Motive +9, Spot +9, Survival +0 (+2 following tracks)
Feats: Improved Initiative, Stealthy, Weapon Focus (longsword)
Environment: Temperate forests
Organization: Solitary, pair, or patrol (3–5)
Challenge Rating: 4
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Usually neutral good
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: +2 (cohort) A small humanoid-shaped creature thickly garbed in rubbery leaves holds a buckler and grips a thornlike longsword. Its skin is dark green, and its hair is brown.
The warriors of the fey realms, thorns are fanatical defenders.
Often, a grig, nixie, or pixie will fi nd that its whimsical or mischievous nature gets it into trouble beyond its ability to manage. Sometimes, a thorn will be around to help such a creature out. These warriors also act as guards or guardians for prestigious fey or important fey sites. For instance, if a dryad ever undertakes a mission important enough to cause her to leave her tree for a time, she endeavors to enlist a thorn to guard it.
Thorns get their name from the unusual longswords they carry, which are made of thorns from carefully cultivated, enormous rose bushes in the faerie courts. Their armor is made from thick, rubbery leaves and gives them protection equivalent to leather.
A thorn stands about 3 feet tall and is very slender, weighing only 25 pounds. Its skin can be any shade of green. Its hair is usually bark-brown, but a few have berry-red tresses.
Thorns speak Common and Sylvan.
COMBAT Thorns generally do not pick fi ghts, but they will attack anyone or anything that threatens or harms other fey.
Like most fey, though, they don’t take a direct approach. Instead, they are sneaky creatures that launch vicious attacks from hiding.
Sleep Arrows (Ex): Thorns carry the sleep arrows commonly used by pixies.
Any opponent struck by one of these arrows, regardless of Hit Dice, must succeed on a DC 16 Fortitude save or be affected as though by a sleep spell. The save DC is Charismabased and includes a +2 racial bonus.
Sneak Attack (Ex): A thorn can sneak attack as a rogue, gaining an extra 2d6 points of damage on a successful sneak attack.
THORNS IN EBERRON Thorns inhabit the sylvan woodlands of Aundair, defending their pastoral demesnes against encroaching evil. They also lair in the southern Eldeen Reaches, in the vast woodlands west of Silver Lake, where they routinely confound orc and goblinoid hunters coming down from the Byeshk Mountains.
THORNS IN FAERÛN Campfire tales about thorns and petals (see page 120) keep the children of the Dalelands from straying too deeply into the surrounding woodlands.
The stories suggest that thorns are creatures of mischief, not menace, and local rangers and druids who have encountered thorns generally speak kindly of them. Indeed, thorns fancy themselves as sentinels of Cormanthor, watching over various evil sites that lie half-buried in the darkest reaches of the ancient woods.
THORN Illus. by

TOPIARY GUARDIAN

This neatly trimmed shrub has been impeccably sculpted into the shape of an animal.
A topiary guardian is a shrub or bush sculpted into the shape of an animal and then animated by arcane magic.
As much decoration as defense, these creatures guard the courtyards of kings and nobles, blending in seamlessly among ordinary hedge sculptures. The guardians spring to life only when an intruder enters the garden.
Topiary guardians are as much construct as plant. They are not naturally mobile plant creatures; like golems, their animating force is a spirit from the Elemental Plane of Earth that has been bound to the body via magic. As a result, druids fi nd them distasteful at best, and an abomination at worst. The wealthy landowners who keep the creatures in their gardens rarely worry about such issues, however. They consider the extra security of having a topiary guardian patiently waiting to spring on thieves or assassins more important than the shrub’s “feelings.” A topiary guardian is the same size as the creature it imitates, so a lion topiary guardian would have a lion’s dimensions. However, a guardian is composed mostly of tiny branches and leaves, making it much lighter than a flesh-and-blood creature of the same size; it weighs only one-quarter as much as its flesh-and-blood counterpart.
Topiary guardians do not speak, but do rustle slightly as they move.
COMBAT A topiary guardian follows the orders of its creator if he is within 90 feet. If uncommanded, it continues to follow the last order it received to the best of its ability, though it attacks any creature that attacks it. The guardian’s creator can leave simple orders, such as “Attack any creature entering the garden at night,” that the guardian can follow. If a guardian is protecting the home of an important government figure, it is often given orders to pin opponents rather than kill them.
Captured intruders can then be arrested and interrogated by the local guard.
Topiary guardians sense vibrations through the ground, making them excellent sentries. When a topiary guardian spots an intruder, it stays perfectly still until the intruder comes within 30 or 40 feet. The animated bush then simply charges, often catching the foe off guard.
Merciful (Ex): A topiary guardian can deal nonlethal damage with any of its attacks without taking the standard –4 penalty on attack rolls. The creature chooses whether to deal lethal or nonlethal damage depending on the orders it is given by its creator. Orders to capture or subdue enemies cause the topiary guardian to use nonlethal attacks; any other attack order causes the creature to deal lethal damage.
Freeze (Ex): A topiary guardian can hold itself so still that it appears to be a normal sculpted shrub. An observer must succeed on a DC 30 Spot check to notice that a topiary guardian is actually an animated creature.
Skills: A topiary guardian has a +8 racial bonus on Move Silently checks.
BOAR TOPIARY GUARDIAN Medium Plant
Hit Dice: 5d8+10 (32 hp)
Initiative: +3
Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares)
Armor Class: 17 (+3 Dex, +4 natural), touch 13, fl at-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+6
Attack: Gore +6 melee (2d6+4)
Full Attack: Gore +6 melee (2d6+4)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Ferocity, merciful
Special Qualities: Damage reduction 10/slashing, freeze, low-light vision, plant traits, tremorsense 90 ft., vulnerability to fi re
Saves: Fort +6, Ref +4, Will +1
Abilities: Str 17, Dex 16, Con 14, Int —, Wis 10, Cha 1
Skills: Move Silently +11
Feats: —
Environment: Any
Organization: Solitary or garden (2–8)
Challenge Rating: 3
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: —
Level Adjustment: — A boar topiary guardian stands 3 feet high at the shoulder and is 4 feet long. It weighs about 100 pounds.
Combat A boar topiary guardian has the following special
Attack: Ferocity (Ex): A boar topiary guardian continues to fi ght without penalty even while disabled or dying.
LION TOPIARY GUARDIAN Large Plant
Hit Dice: 10d8+40 (85 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares)
Armor Class: 17 (+2 Dex, +6 natural, –1 size), touch 11, fl at-footed 15
Base Attack/Grapple: +7/+18
Attack: Claw +13 melee (1d6+7)
Full Attack: 2 claws +13 melee (1d6+7) and bite +8 melee (1d8+3)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks: Improved grab, merciful, pounce, rake 1d6+3
Special Qualities: Damage reduction 10/slashing, freeze, low-light vision, plant traits, tremorsense 90 ft., vulnerability to fi re
Saves: Fort +11, Ref +5, Will +3
Abilities: Str 25, Dex 14, Con 18, Int —, Wis 10, Cha 1
Skills: Move Silently +10
Feats: —
Environment: Any
Organization: Solitary or garden (2–8)
Challenge Rating: 7
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: —
Level Adjustment: — A lion topiary guardian is up to 8 feet long and weighs about 100 pounds.
Combat A lion topiary guardian has the following
Special Attacks: Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a lion topiary guardian must hit with its bite attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking attacks of opportunity. If it wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold and can rake on subsequent rounds.
Pounce (Ex): If a lion topiary guardian charges a foe, it can make a full attack, including two rake attacks.
Rake (Ex): Attack bonus +13 melee, damage 1d6+3.
TRICERATOPS TOPIARY GUARDIAN Huge Plant
Hit Dice: 20d8+120 (210 hp)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 18 (–2 size, +1 Dex, +9 natural), touch 9, fl atfooted 17
Base Attack/Grapple: +15/+34
Attack: Gore +24 melee (4d6+16 or Powerful Charge 7d6+16)
Full Attack: Gore +24 melee (4d6+16)
Space/Reach: 15 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks: Merciful, trample 4d6+16
Special Qualities: Damage reduction 10/slashing, freeze, low-light vision, plant traits, tremorsense 90 ft., vulnerability to fi re
Saves: Fort +18, Ref +7, Will +6
Abilities: Str 33, Dex 12, Con 22, Int —, Wis 10, Cha 1
Skills: Move Silently +9
Feats: Powerful ChargeB
Environment: Any
Organization: Solitary or garden (2–8)
Challenge Rating: 13
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: —
Level Adjustment: — A triceratops topiary guardian measures 25 feet long and weighs 5,000 pounds.
Combat A triceratops topiary guardian has the following special attack.
Trample (Ex): Refl ex half DC 31. The save DC is Strength-based.
CONSTRUCTION Creating a topiary guardian begins with acquiring a perfectly sculpted topiary of a boar, lion, or triceratops. Shaping the plant takes six weeks and requires a DC 25 Craft (gardening), Craft (sculpting), or Profession (gardener) check.
After the topiary has been properly crafted, the creator must treat it with rare tinctures and oils costing 1/25th the base price of the guardian (800 gp for a Medium topiary guardian, 2,400 gp for a Large topiary guardian, or 4,600 gp for a Huge topiary guardian). Once the topiary is properly treated, the animating ritual can commence. The entire ritual for animation must take place outdoors, since the shrub remains dependent on sun, rain, and soil until the fi nal day of the procedure.
CL 13th; Craft Construct, awaken, geas/quest, limited wish, creator must be a 13th-level caster; Price 20,000 gp (Medium), 60,000 gp (Large), 115,000 gp (Huge); Cost 10,800 + 800 XP (Medium), 32,400 gp + 2,400 XP (Large), 62,100 gp + 4,600 XP (Huge).
ALTERNATIVE TOPIARY GUARDIANS Creating a topiary guardian that mimics a different animal (of Medium, Large, or Huge size) is possible. Start with the base creature’s normal statistics and make the following changes.
Size and Type: The creature’s type changes to plant.
Recalculate base attack bonus, saves, and skill points based on the topiary guardian’s Hit Dice (see below). Size is unchanged.
Hit Dice: Topiary guardians have Hit Dice according to their size. Medium topiary guardians have 5 HD, Large topiary guardians 10 HD, and Huge topiary guardians 20 HD.
Speed: Land speed same as base creature. A topiary guardian does not gain any burrow, climb, fl y, or swim speed of the creature on which it is based.
Special Attacks: A topiary guardian gains the following special attack.
Merciful (Ex): A topiary guardian can deal nonlethal damage with any of its attacks without taking the standard –4 penalty on attack rolls. The creature chooses whether to deal lethal or nonlethal damage depending on the orders it is given by its creator. Orders to capture or subdue enemies cause the topiary guardian to use nonlethal attacks; any other attack order causes the creature to deal lethal damage.
Special Qualities: A topiary guardian gains the following special qualities.
Damage Reduction (Ex): A topiary guardian has damage reduction 10/slashing.
Freeze (Ex): A topiary guardian can hold itself so still that it appears to be a normal sculpted shrub. An observer must succeed on a DC 30 Spot check to notice that a topiary guardian is actually an animated creature.
Tremorsense (Ex): A topiary guardian has tremorsense out to 90 feet.
Vulnerability to Fire: Topiary guardians are vulnerable to fire.
Abilities: A topiary guardian has a specifi c set of ability scores based on its size, as given below.
Medium: Str 17, Dex 16, Con 14, Int —, Wis 10, Cha 1.
Large: Str 25, Dex 14, Con 18, Int —, Wis 10, Cha 1.
Huge: Str 33, Dex 12, Con 22, Int —, Wis 10, Cha 1.
Skills: A topiary guardian has a +8 racial bonus on Move Silently checks.
Environment: Any.
Organization: Solitary or garden (2–8).
Challenge Rating: As base creature +1 or by size (Medium 3, Large 7, Huge 12), whichever is higher.
Treasure: None.
Alignment: Always neutral.
Advancement: —.
Level Adjustment: —.
TOPIARY GUARDIANS IN EBERRON Wealthy Khorvairian nobles as well as members of dragonmarked families are fond of using topiary guardians to protect their estates. Boar topiary guardians are popular with the nobles of Aundair, Thrane, and Breland. Karrnathi and Cyran nobles favor lion topiary guardians.
Huge topiary guardians such as the triceratops grace the impeccably sculpted gardens of some dragonmarked noble families.
TOPIARY GUARDIANS IN FAERÛN Topiary guardians are typically found in places druid circles convene, including city parks and other places where civilization and nature converge. They also protect temples and shrines of Chauntea, Mielikki, Silvanus, and other similar deities. Aquatic elf druids have learned how to fashion underwater topiary guardians from beds of kelp, while in the Underdark topiary guardians are fashioned from sculpted clumps of living moss.

TROLL, FOREST

Medium Giant
Hit Dice: 5d8+25 (47 hp)
Initiative: +7
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares), climb 20 ft.
Armor Class: 18 (+3 Dex, +5 natural armor), touch 13, fl atfooted 15
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+6
Attack: Claw +6 melee (1d4+3 plus poison)
Full Attack: 2 claws +6 melee (1d4+3 plus poison) and bite +1 melee (1d4+1) or javelin +6 ranged (1d6+3 plus poison)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Poison
Special Qualities: Darkvision 90 ft., fast healing 5, lowlight vision, scent
Saves: Fort +9, Ref +4, Will +1
Abilities: Str 17, Dex 16, Con 21, Int 11, Wis 11, Cha 6
Skills: Climb +11, Hide +6 (+8 in jungle or forest settings), Listen +5, Spot +5, Survival +5
Feats: Improved Initiative, Track
Environment: Temperate forests
Organization: Solitary, gang (2–8), or warband (9–24)
Challenge Rating: 4
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Usually chaotic evil
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: +5 This creature has the apelike posture and rubbery green skin of a troll, but it is merely the size of a large human. Its gaze and posture bespeak an intelligence greater than its troll-like visage would suggest.
Smaller and smarter than other trolls, forest trolls can prove almost as dangerous as their larger kindred to those who underestimate them. Although they lack the size and prodigious strength of their larger cousins, their intelligence makes them capable of sophisticated tactics that other trolls cannot match.
Gifted with a mind at least as adept as that of an average human, a forest troll takes advantage of its amazing recuperative powers with crafty fi ghting techniques. An adult forest troll stands between 6 and 6-1/2 feet tall and weighs around 250 pounds.
Forest trolls speak Giant.
COMBAT Crafty and organized hunters, forest trolls prefer to strike from ambush. When possible, they throw their javelins from the safety of the trees and then drop down on their weakened prey. They use sophisticated tactics to capitalize on their fast healing ability, splitting a warband into waves of hunters. Should the first wave encounter dangerous foes, those hunters retreat to allow their wounds to heal while the second and subsequent waves press the attack. By using this tactic, a warband rarely loses a hunter in combat.
Poison (Ex): Injury, Fortitude DC 17, initial and secondary damage 1d6 Con. Forest trolls create their own special poison made from their saliva to coat their javelins and claws. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Skills: A forest troll has a +8 racial bonus on Climb checks and can always choose to take 10 on a Climb check, even if rushed or threatened.
The skin of a forest troll changes color somewhat, allowing it to blend in with its surroundings and providing a +2 racial bonus on Hide checks. In forest settings, this bonus improves to +4.
FOREST TROLLS IN EBERRON Forest trolls are common threats throughout Khorvaire, inhabiting the forests of Zilargo, Darguun, Valenar, Q’barra, Karrnath, and Breland. They are even more prevalent in the jungles of Xen’drik. Although they have been hunted to near extinction on Aerenal by the elves who live there, some continue to populate the deepest jungles of that island continent.
FOREST TROLLS IN FAERÛN Forest trolls inhabit many of Faerûn’s deciduous woodlands.
The forest trolls of Chondalwood are known as “muskwarts” because they have warty pustules covering their skin. These pustules expel a horrible musk that burns the eyes. All living creatures (except forest trolls) within 10 feet of the muskwart forest troll must make a successful DC 17 Fortitude save or be blinded for 2d4 rounds. Creatures that successfully save cannot be affected by the same forest troll’s blinding musk for 24 hours. The save DC is Constitution-based.

WOOD WOAD

Medium Plant
Hit Dice: 8d8+24 (60 hp)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares), climb 20 ft.
Armor Class: 17 (+1 Dex, +4 natural, +2 heavy wooden shield), touch 11, fl at-footed 16
Base Attack/Grapple: +6/+9
Attack: Club +9 melee (1d6+3) or club +7 ranged (1d6+3)
Full Attack: Club +9/+4 melee (1d6+3) or club +7 ranged (1d6+3)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Warp wood
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, plant traits, treewalk, vulnerability to fi re
Saves: Fort +9, Ref +5, Will +3
Abilities: Str 17, Dex 12, Con 16, Int 7, Wis 12, Cha 8
Skills: Balance +5, Climb +9, Hide +7*, Listen +3, Move Silently +4, Spot +4, Survival +4
Feats: Alertness, Lightning Refl exesB, Stealthy, Track
Environment: Temperate forests
Organization: Solitary or colony (3–6)
Challenge Rating: 4
Treasure: Standard goods; standard items
Alignment: Usually neutral
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: +3 This strange humanoid-shaped creature bears a large wooden shield and club held at the ready.
Small black eyes glower at you from within deep pits in its face.
Its body is covered in bark and burls of muscle, and a circle of branch stubs crowns its head.
Wood woads are brutish and territorial plant creatures akin to treants. Their bodies resemble those of powerfully built but twisted men, composed entirely of bark-covered wood.
Their hands end in gnarled, branchlike fi ngers, and their feet are masses of black roots.
A wood woad has the power to enter trees as a dryad can, but it can also use this ability to teleport from tree to tree. This similarity to the dryad’s ability has led some to think that wood woads are the male version of the race, but they are in fact plants, and they reproduce through seeds much like a treant does.
Wood woads cannot carry most treasure items with them when they move from tree to tree; after defeating a foe, they often carry useful items some distance away to hide them in a hollow tree or under a stump. Although dimwitted, wood woads have an excellent memory for where such caches lie, and they return to them to retrieve better weapons or useful items when they spot intruders.
Such caches are often guarded by a thick wooden door that a wood woad opens and closes with its warp wood ability.
This power allows a wood woad to twist dead wood and wooden objects, and a forest occupied by a wood woad is often marked by frequent instances of its past uses of the ability. A wood woad is about 6 feet tall and weighs 300 pounds.
Wood woads speak a rudimentary form of Sylvan.
COMBAT Wood woads attack any creature not native to their forests.
They charge foes from some distance away, using their treewalk ability to cross the distance swiftly. After they warp their foes’ wooden weapons and strike a few blows, wood woads fl ee and watch to see if their enemies go away.
Warp Wood (Sp): A wood woad can use a warp wood effect, as the spell, at will. Attended objects can avoid the effect with a DC 13 Will save (but if a saving throw succeeds, the wood woad can simply produce the effect again in the following round). Caster level 8th. The save DC is Wisdom-based.
Treewalk (Su): At will, a wood woad can enter a living tree as a free action and exit from it or another living tree within 60 feet, continuing as though the distance between the trees had not been crossed. A wood woad moving in this manner can charge or run through trees so long as it moves in a straight line.
The entrance and exit trees must have girths at least equal to the wood woad’s, and the wood woad cannot take non vegetable items or other creatures with it when it treewalks. A wood woad can exit a tree in any direction and from any part of the tree that has enough girth.
A wood woad can remain inside a living tree for as long as it wishes. A wood woad inside a tree senses the world around it normally and automatically knows which trees within 60 feet are living and can accept its girth. If the tree in which a wood woad hides is chopped down, burned up, or otherwise killed, the wood woad inside dies.
This ability is a teleportation effect.
Skills: Wood woads have a +4 racial bonus on Balance checks and Hide checks. A wood woad has a +8 racial bonus on Climb checks and can always choose to take 10 on Climb checks, even if rushed or threatened. *In wooded areas, a wood woad gains an additional +4 bonus on Hide checks.
WOOD WOADS WITH CLASS LEVELS A wood woad’s favored class is ranger, but most wood woad leaders are druids. Most wood woad rangers choose elves as their favored enemy due to their many encounters with elves in the woods.
WOOD WOADS IN EBERRON Wood woads haunt the ancient forests of the Eldeen Reaches.
They frequently loiter around treants and make their lairs near old ruins.

WOODLING

Woodling creatures have bonded with nature; to a large extent, they have become plant creatures. These creatures have an unusual mind-set, much like that of a treant. They are one with nature and at peace with it and themselves.
SAMPLE WOODLING This example uses a monitor lizard as the base creature.
Woodling Monitor Lizard Medium Animal
Hit Dice: 3d8+9 (22 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares), swim 30 ft.
Armor Class: 22 (+2 Dex, +10 natural), touch 12, flatfooted 20
Base Attack/Grapple: +2/+5
Attack: Bite +5 melee (1d8+4) or slam +5 melee (1d6+4)
Full Attack: Bite +5 melee (1d8+4) or slam +5 melee (1d6+4)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Spell-like abilities
Special Qualities: Damage reduction 5/slashing, low-light vision, plant traits, vulnerability to fi re
Saves: Fort +8, Ref +5, Will +2
Abilities: Str 17, Dex 15, Con 17, Int 1, Wis 12, Cha 2
Skills: Climb +7, Hide +6*, Listen +4, Move Silently +6*, Spot +4, Swim +11
Feats: Alertness, Great Fortitude
Environment: Warm forests
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 4
Advancement: 4–5 HD (Medium)
Level Adjustment: — This 4-foot-long lizard has barklike skin, and its scales have the hue and shape of leaves.
Woodling monitor lizards can sometimes be found deep in forests where treants dwell.
Combat Woodling monitor lizards can be aggressive, using their powerful jaws to tear at prey or enemies. They will also attack anyone that threatens their habitat.
Spell-Like
Abilities: 1/day—entangle (DC 7), summon nature’s ally II.
Skills: A woodling monitor lizard 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.
Monitor lizards have a +4 racial bonus on Hide checks and Move Silently checks. *In aboveground natural areas, the Hide bonus improves to +12 and the Move Silently bonus improves to +8.
SAMPLE WOODLING This example uses a 9th-level human druid as the base creature.
Autumn, 9th-Level Woodling Human Druid Medium Humanoid (Human)
Hit Dice: 9d8+9 (49 hp)
Initiative: +3
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 28 (+3 Dex, +4 +2 leather armor, +4 +2 heavy wooden shield, +7 natural), touch 13, fl at-footed 25
Base Attack/Grapple: +6/+7
Attack: +1 scimitar +9/+4 melee (1d6+2/18–20) or slam +7 melee (1d6+1)
Full Attack: +1 scimitar +9/+4 melee (1d6+2/18–20) and slam +2 melee (1d6+1)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Spell-like abilities, spells
Special Qualities: Animal companion, damage reduction 5/slashing, low-light vision, nature sense, plant traits, resist nature’s lure, trackless step, venom immunity, vulnerability to fire, wild empathy, wild shape 3/day, woodland stride
Saves: Fort +7, Ref +8, Will +12
Abilities: Str 12, Dex 16, Con 13, Int 10, Wis 19, Cha 8
Skills: Handle Animal +11 (+15 with companion), Hide +3*, Knowledge (nature) +13, Listen +15, Move Silently +3*, Ride +5, Spot +15, Survival +15 (+17 in aboveground natural environments)
Feats: Alertness, Iron Will, Lightning Ref lexes, Track, Weapon Focus (scimitar)
Environment: Warm forests
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 11
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Neutral good
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: +3 You see an amalgam of a human woman and a plant.
Her skin resembles bark, and leaves grow amid her hair.
She carries a scimitar and a sling and wears simple clothing embroidered with leaves.
Woodling humans can sometimes be found in remote forests. Usually the creature is a druid or a ranger, but woodling creatures may be of any class.
COMBAT Autumn prefers to deal with foes at a distance.
She uses her more powerful spells, such as baleful polymorph and ice storm, fi rst to fi nish the combat quickly.
Spell-Like
Abilities: 3/day—speak with plants; 1/day—entangle (DC 10), summon nature’s ally II, summon nature’s ally IV.
Animal Companion (Ex): Autumn has a dire wolverine named Grayshadow as an animal companion (see Monster Manual, page 66). Autumn and Grayshadow enjoy the link and share spells special qualities (see below).
Link (Ex): Autumn can handle Grayshadow as a free action, or push it as a move action. She gains a +4 circumstance bonus on all wild empathy checks and Handle Animal checks made regarding her companion.
Nature Sense (Ex): Autumn gains a +2 bonus on Knowledge (nature) and Survival checks.
Resist Nature’s Lure (Ex): Autumn gains a +4 bonus on saving throws against the spell-like abilities of fey.
Share Spells (Ex): Autumn can have any spell she casts on herself also affect her animal companion if the latter is within 5 feet at the time. She can also cast a spell with a target of “You” on her animal companion.
Trackless Step (Ex): Autumn leaves no trail in natural surroundings and cannot be tracked.
Venom Immunity (Ex): Autumn is immune to all poisons.
Wild Empathy (Ex): Autumn can improve the attitude of an animal in the same way that a Diplomacy check can improve the attitude of a person. She rolls 1d20+10 to determine the wild empathy check result (1d20+6 if attempting to infl uence a magical beast with an Intelligence score of 1 or 2).
Wild Shape (Su): Autumn can change into a Small, Medium, or Large animal and back again three times per day, for up to 9 hours.
Woodland Stride (Ex): Autumn can move through natural thorns, briars, overgrown areas, and similar terrain at her normal speed and without taking damage or other impairment. However, thorns, briars, and overgrown areas that are magically manipulated to impede motion still affect her.
Typical Druid Spells Prepared (6/5/5/4/3/1): 0—create water, cure minor wounds, detect magic, detect poison, light, mending; 1st—charm animal (DC 15), endure elements, faerie fi re, longstrider, magic stone; 2nd—bull’s strength, fl ame blade, heat metal (DC 16), spider climb, tree shape; 3rd—daylight, greater magic fang, meld into stone, spike growth (DC 17); 4th—dispel magic, freedom of movement, ice storm; 5th—baleful polymorph (DC 19).
Possessions: +1 scimitar, +2 leather armor, +2 heavy wooden shield, periapt of Wisdom +2, gloves of Dexterity +2, wand of cure moderate wounds (25 charges), 10 pp, 18 gp.
Grayshadow, Dire Wolverine Animal Companion: CR 5; Large animal; HD 7d8+31; hp 62; Init +3; Spd 30 ft, climb 10 ft; AC 19, touch 13, fl atfooted 15; Base Atk +3; Grp +13; Space/Reach 10 ft./5 ft.; Atk +8 melee (1d6+6, claw); Full Atk +8/ +8 melee (1d6+6, claws) and +3 melee (1d8+3, bite); SA rage; SQ evasion, link, low-light vision, scent, share spells, two bonus tricks; AL N; SV Fort +8, Ref +8, Will +5; Str 23, Dex 18, Con 19, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 10.
Skills and
Feats: Climb +14, Listen +7, Spot +7; Alertness, Toughness, TrackB.
Rage (Ex): A dire wolverine that takes damage in combat fl ies into a berserk rage on its next turn, clawing and biting madly until either it or its opponent is dead. An enraged dire wolverine gains +4 Strength, +4 Constitution, and –2 AC. The creature cannot end its rage voluntarily.
Evasion (Ex): If Grayshadow is subjected to an attack that normally allows a Refl ex saving throw for half damage, it takes no damage if it makes a successful saving throw.
Link (Ex): Autumn can handle her animal companion as a free action. She also gains a +4 circumstance bonus on all wild empathy checks and Handle Animal checks made regarding her dire wolverine companion.
Share Spells (Ex): Any spell Autumn casts on herself also affects her animal companion if the latter is within 5 feet at the time. She can also cast a spell with a target of “You” on her animal companion.
Skills: A dire wolverine has a +8 racial bonus on Climb checks and can always choose to take 10 on a Climb check, even if rushed or threatened.
CREATING A WOODLING “Woodling” is an inherited template that can be added to any corporeal animal, dragon, fey, giant, humanoid, magical beast, or monstrous humanoid (referred to hereafter as the base creature).
A woodling uses all the base creature’s statistics and abilities except as noted here.
Size and Type: A woodling’s type does not change, but it possesses fully developed plant traits (see below).
Armor Class: The base creature’s natural armor bonus improves by 7.
Attack: A woodling retains all the attacks of the base creature and also gains a slam attack if it didn’t already have one. If the base creature can use weapons, the woodling retains this ability. A creature with natural weapons retains those natural weapons. A woodling fi ghting without weapons uses either its slam attack or its primary natural weapon (if it has any). A woodling armed with a weapon uses its slam or a weapon, as it desires.
Full Attack: A woodling fi ghting without weapons uses either its slam attack (see above) or its natural weapons (if it has any). If armed with a weapon, it usually uses the weapon as its primary attack along with a slam or other natural weapon as a natural secondary attack.
Damage: Woodlings have slam attacks. If the base creature does not have this attack form, use the appropriate damage value from the table below according to the woodling’s size. Creatures that have other kinds of natural weapons retain their old damage values or use the appropriate value from the table below, whichever is better.
Size Damage Fine 1 Diminutive 1d2 Tiny 1d3 Small 1d4 Medium 1d6 Large 1d8 Huge 2d6 Gargantuan 2d8 Colossal 4d6 Spell-Like
Abilities: A woodling with a Wisdom score of 8 or higher gains spell-like abilities depending on its Hit Dice, as indicated on the table below. The abilities are cumulative; for instance, a woodling chimera (9 HD) can use entangle once per day, summon nature’s ally II once per day, speak with plants three times per day, and summon nature’s ally IV once per day. Caster level equals the creature’s HD, and the save DC is Charisma-based.
HD Abilities 1–2 Entangle 1/day 3–5 Summon nature’s ally II 1/day 6–7 Speak with plants 3/day 8–10 Summon nature’s ally IV 1/day 11–12 Command plants 1/day 13–15 Summon nature’s ally VI 1/day 16–18 Animate plants 1/day 19–20 Summon nature’s ally VIII 1/day 21+ Control plants 1/day and summon nature’s ally IX 1/day
Special Qualities: A woodling creature has all the special qualities of the base creature, plus the following special qualities.
Damage Reduction (Ex): A woodling creature has damage reduction 5/slashing.
Low-Light Vision (Ex): The creature gains low-light vision, enabling it to see twice as well as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of shadowy illumination. It retains the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions.
Plant Traits: A woodling has immunity to poison, magic sleep effects, paralysis, polymorph, stunning, and mindaffecting spells and abilities (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects). It is not subject to extra damage from critical hits.
Skill Bonuses (Ex): A woodling’s skin and hair resemble bark and leaves. Any wings the creature may have are leafl ike or frondlike, and every part of the creature has a distinctly plantlike look that changes with the seasons. It is light green in early spring, darkening during the summer.
In autumn, it turns yellow, orange, or red like a deciduous leaf. In the winter, it is a dry brown. A woodling has a +4 bonus on Hide checks and Move Silently checks in aboveground natural environments.
Vulnerability to Fire (Ex): Woodling creatures have vulnerability to fire. A woodling takes half again as much (+50%) damage as normal from the effect, regardless of whether a saving throw is allowed, or if the save is a success or failure.
Environment: Any aboveground natural.
Challenge Rating: Same as the base creature +2.
Organization: Same as the base creature, except most of a group will be the base creature with usually only one woodling.
Level Adjustment: +3.
WOODLINGS IN EBERRON Woodlings inhabit forests and jungles throughout Khorvaire and Aerenal. Aerenal elves keep woodling apes and baboons as pets, while Valenar elves hunt woodling lizards for sport (using their skins to fashion clothing and armor).
A tribe of wild woodling halfl ings called the Feryk inhabit the jungles of Xen’drik. The Feryk, who revere a group of ancient treants known as the Viridian Grove, used to meet and trade with visitors, but a foul plague of unknown origin has corrupted the Viridian Grove and turned the Feryk savage and feral.
WOODLINGS IN FAERÛN Folklore says that places where Silvanus touched the ground in Toril are especially fertile and blessed. A place where Silvanus tarried for a time contains more of his magic, exhibiting large trees and hardy plants. The legends say that a child conceived or born in such a locale might gain the Forest Father’s blessing and be as one with nature, a woodling.

BLACKWING

This large skeletal bird’s ragged, ebony wings end in masses of sharp, broken-off bones. Its red eyes seem full of malice and malign intelligence. Talons and a curved beak make up its natural armaments.
Blackwing CR 8 Always NE Large undead Init +7; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Listen +17, Spot +21 Languages Auran, Common AC 20, touch 12, flat-footed 17 (–1 size, +3 Dex, +8 natural) hp 78 (12 HD); DR 5/bludgeoning Immune cold, undead immunities Resist evasion Fort +4, Ref +9, Will +10 Speed 30 ft. (6 squares), fly 80 ft. (average); Hover Melee 2 claws +13 each (1d6+8) and bite +8 (1d8+4) Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Base Atk +6; Grp +18 Atk Options Blind-Fight Special Actions frightful dive, wail of despair Abilities Str 26, Dex 17, Con —, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 14 SA frightful dive, wail of despair SQ undead traits Feats Blind-Fight, Hover, Improved Initiative, Lightning Reflexes, Weapon Focus (claw) Skills Hide +14, Listen +17, Search +7, Sense Motive +10, Spot +21 Advancement 13–24 HD (Large); 25–28 HD (Huge) Frightful Dive (Su) When a flying blackwing charges a target below it, that foe must succeed on a DC 18 Will save or be shaken for 1 round (or frightened if already shaken). In addition, a blackwing can make two claw attacks against a target that fails its save. The save DC is Charismabased.
This is a mind-affecting fear effect.
Wail of Despair (Su) When two or more blackwings within 30 feet of one another scream, their cries combine to create a wail of despair, which affects all creatures within 100 feet of any wailing blackwing. Any creature in the area must succeed on a DC 18 Will save or cower for 1d4 rounds and be shaken for 4 rounds thereafter. For every additional two blackwings participating in a wail of despair, the DC increases by 2. The effect of multiple wails does not stack. The save DC is Charisma-based.
This is a mind-affecting fear ability.
Skills A blackwing has a +4 racial bonus on Spot checks.
Blackwings are the keen-eyed undead guardians of a fallen civilization.
STRATEGIES AND TACTICS Blackwings spend much of their time patrolling the hills and mountains surrounding their lairs. When they spot prey, they immediately plummet down to attack, using their frightful dive to enter combat.
They use differing tactics based on the nature of their foes.
Blackwings facing fl ying opponents fi ght a hit-and-run battle, using their superior speed to divide their enemies before picking off stragglers. Against land-bound opponents, they prefer to hover close to the ground, creating debris clouds using their Hover feat (see page 204). Spellcasting within this cloud requires a DC 16 Concentration check.
Unless dealt signifi cant damage by other opponents, black wings focus their attacks on foes shaken or frightened because of frightful dives. Once they have slain their foes, blackwings carry the bodies back to their lair to search for shiny trinkets. Blackwings fi ght until destroyed.
Members of a fl ock of blackwings fi ght in concert, keeping as many foes as possible within debris clouds. They use wail of despair at the beginning of the battle, then gang up on one enemy at a time. Only when all enemies appear free of fear does a fl ock of blackwings bother wailing again.
If their lair is invaded, blackwings bull rush lightly armored or Small foes out of the cave and down the mountainside.
Heavily armored enemies are then cornered and ripped apart.
Blackwings mercilessly hunt down fl eeing invaders.
SAMPLE ENCOUNTERS Blackwings can be encountered as individuals or in fl ocks of up to six members. Individuals or fl ocks patrol the territory around the ancient sites they were created to guard, maintaining tireless vigils. They know the terrain around their lairs intimately.
An undead spellcaster of great power—typically a lich or a vampire—might bend a blackwing to its will, commanding that blackwing to act as a mount or a spy. Intelligent and malevolent, a blackwing might instead willingly ally itself with another undead creature. Since undead are immune to wail of despair, they can even ride blackwings into battle.
A Deadly Duo (EL 10): A particularly bloodthirsty mohrg (MM 189) and a blackwing dwell in an isolated cavern hidden deep within a mountain range. Together, they have been terrorizing a nearby community of gnome miners. They attack under cover of darkness. Flying toward the gnome settlement, they spot the PCs’ campfire and pqqqqqqqqqrs BLACKWING LORE Characters who have ranks in Knowledge (religion) can learn more about blackwings. When a character makes a successful skill check, the following lore is revealed, including the information from lower DCs.
Knowledge (Religion) DC Result 18 This is a blackwing, a powerful, undead bird. It is a swift fl yer and can create great dust clouds with its wings.
23 Blackwings are tough, but this resilience is overcome by bludgeoning weapons. They are immune to cold.
28 Blackwings terrify their prey by plummeting down to attack from above. Groups of blackwings can create a terrible wailing to incapacitate their foes.
investigate, approaching from different directions. As soon as the mohrg moves in, the blackwing uses its frightful dive against an opponent near the campfire. In subsequent rounds, it hovers over the fire, plunging the battlefield into darkness.
Cold Vengeance (EL 10): Three blackwings patrol the area around a lich’s lair. When they spot interlopers, two dive down to attack while the third observes the battle. If its companions are destroyed, the survivor retreats to warn the lich. Quickwitted and sharp-eyed PCs can locate the lich’s lair by following the retreating blackwing. If the characters do not pursue, the blackwing and its master appear later that same night, intent on revenge.
ECOLOGY Centuries ago, a powerful orc tribe claimed a rugged mountain range, constantly warring against the giant eagles and elves living in the surrounding forests. The orcs caught and brutalized eagles for sport until their depraved mystics discovered the necessary ritual to create powerful undead servitors—the fi rst blackwings.
Environment: Blackwings guard tombs hidden high up on treacherous mountains. Such locales have only one entrance—usually a tunnel leading from a narrow ledge downward into the mountain’s depths. Blackwings never enter the tomb itself, instead lairing on the ledge and in the entrance tunnel. The dismembered bodies of inquisitive explorers often fi ll a blackwing’s lair.
Typical Physical Characteristics: The necromantic ritual used to create blackwings requires the intact body of a giant eagle. The process stains the creature’s feathers and plumage a deep black and imbues the creature with unnatural vitality.
Feathers hang limply from lumps of dry, leathery skin, and bones are exposed in places. A typical blackwing stands 10 feet tall and has a wingspan of about 20 feet. Its beak and claws are curved and extremely sharp.
Alignment: A blackwing is corrupt to its core, tainted by negative energy. It has no concern for law, but its actions are not unpredictable. Blackwings are always neutral evil.
SOCIETY A blackwing that is not destroyed during the despoilment of its original lair has no true purpose, and it embarks on an odyssey of destruction. If it survives this violent rampage, the displaced blackwing settles in a new location from which it terrorizes the surrounding countryside.
Multiple displaced blackwings might congregate, forming a mockery of a natural bird flock. Members of a fl ock stick together even if they are forced to abandon a lair.
TYPICAL TREASURE Blackwings do not covet treasure for its value, but they have standard treasure for their Challenge Rating because they are attracted to shiny items. They prominently display such objects to catch sunlight fi ltering in from outside.
In a twisted parody of their former lives, they preen in front of particularly refl ective items. Other valuables lie forgotten among their victims’ remains.
FOR PLAYER CHARACTERS Blackwings offer a couple of prospects for characters.
Creation: Blackwings are created from the corpses of giant eagles. The corpse must be buried within the area of an unhallow spell for at least six months. Then, a spellcaster of 18th level or higher must cast create undead on the remains.
Mounts: A blackwing must willingly submit to training as a mount. Training the creature requires four weeks of work and a DC 25 Handle Animal check. Riding a blackwing requires an exotic saddle. A blackwing can fi ght when carrying a rider, but the rider must succeed on a Ride check to attack while the blackwing does so.
Carrying Capacity: A light load for a blackwing is up to 612 pounds; a medium load, 613–1,226 pounds; and a heavy load, 1,227–1,840 pounds.

BURROW ROOT

A massive ripple churns through the topsoil with great speed and fl uidity. Suddenly, a strange, serpentine root—twice the length of a grown human—bursts through the surface. Its massive, thorny jaws snap at you with a ravenous hunger.
Burrow Root
CR 8 Always N
Large plant
Init +6;
Senses blind, blindsight 30 ft., tremorsense 60 ft.; Listen +1 Languages —
AC 22, touch 11, flat-footed 20 (–1 size, +2 Dex, +11 natural) hp 114 (12 HD)
Immune plant immunities
Fort +13, Ref +6, Will +5 Speed 30 ft. (6 squares), burrow 20 ft.; speed burrow
Melee bite +16 (2d6+12/19–20 plus wounding) or Melee tail spike +16 (1d6+4 plus 1 Con plus wounding) Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Base Atk +9; Grp +21 Atk
Options Improved Bull Rush, Power Attack
Special Actions split
Abilities Str 26, Dex 15, Con 20, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 7
SA split, wounding
SQ plant traits Feats Improved Bull Rush, Improved Critical (bite), Improved Initiative, Improved Natural Attack (bite), Power Attack Skills Hide +13, Listen +1 Advancement 13–16 HD (Large); 17–25 HD (Huge) Speed Burrow (Ex) A burrow root can move quickly through loose soil. Three times per day, as an immediate action, a burrow root can move 20 feet through the ground. This movement does not provoke attacks of opportunity.
Wounding (Ex) Any living creature damaged by a burrow root continues to bleed, losing 1 hit point per round thereafter. Multiple wounds do not result in cumulative blood loss. The bleeding can be stopped by a DC 21 Heal check or the application of healing magic.
Split (Ex) When a burrow root is reduced to half of its full normal hit points or fewer, it splits in half. The new root’s game statistics are identical to those of its parent. Divide the parent creature’s remaining hit points evenly between the two organisms. The older burrow root cannot split again for 24 hours, and the younger burrow root cannot split for 24 hours after it emerges.
Burrow roots are animate plants that feed on blood. They attack to spill blood on the ground, then burrow underground and consume their food in safety.
STRATEGIES AND TACTICS A burrow root attacks in three stages. Upon sensing prey, the creature burrows rapidly toward that quarry, springing from the earth and delivering a powerful bite. If multiple opponents are nearby, the burrow root attacks each one with the goal of spilling as much blood on the ground as possible.
It uses its speed burrow ability to quickly move between opponents or to escape from a particularly nasty foe or effect.
A burrow root can instinctively determine if a creature has blood—it ignores a bloodlesss creature unless that creature seriously harms it.
A burrow root needs to be split to reproduce, so it fi ghts until it has lost half of its hit points. If an individual burrow root is reduced to 9 hit points or fewer, it retreats beneath the surface, content to nourish itself with the blood seeping down from above.
SAMPLE ENCOUNTERS Burrow roots often hunt in groups, moving into a territory and infesting it. In civilized areas, they are hunted and either killed outright or driven back into the remote wilderness.
Beholders, harpies, and other intelligent fl ying creatures use burrow roots to drive earthbound foes from behind cover. Less intelligent fl ying predators roost above burrow root infestations, swooping down as the burrow roots attack or scavenging remains after a battle.
Trail of Blood (EL 9): A trail of tilled soil—the path of a burrow root—leads deep into a forest. The burrow root has been following a briarvex (MM4 26), despite the fact that it must go deep into hard, forested terrain, since it fi nds that blood is easier to come by when the briarvex is near. The burrow root’s burrowing and the briarvex’s woodland stride allow them full mobility even in dense vegetation.
In battle, the briarvex uses entangle to hold enemies still, then allows the burrow root to attack those opponents, making it more likely for those foes to bleed out from the burrow root’s wounding attacks.
Minion Colony (EL 14): A harpy archer (MM 151) has strategically seeded a small gully with six burrow roots to target passing caravans. She uses her captivating song to lure opponents through the colony. As soon as the burrow pqqqqqqqqqrs BURROW ROOT LORE Characters who have ranks in Knowledge (nature) can learn more about burrow roots. When a character makes a successful skill check, the following lore is revealed, including the information from lower DCs.
Knowledge (Nature) DC Result 18 This is a burrow root, a strange, burrowing plant.
Wounds caused by a burrow root continue to bleed, spilling blood into the soil and providing the creature with food.
23 A burrow root can quickly burrow underground to escape its enemies. Its tail is a spiked root that can drain blood and small amounts of vitality from creatures it pierces.
28 When severely wounded, a burrow root becomes two independent creatures roots close in on their targets, she swoops in from above, peppering her opponents with arrows.
ECOLOGY Burrow roots are predators that live just beneath the topsoil. The blood of living creatures sustains them, so unless they are provided with a steady food source by a third party, they root in areas that have high traffic.
Once they find an appropriate spot, they colonize it and begin reproducing. Desiccated corpses mark burrow root territory.
Burrow roots reproduce asexually, splitting apart into separate creatures once they have grown too large or have taken significant damage. Since they are easy to cultivate, a few wily and powerful creatures breed burrow roots as guardians.
Environment: A burrow root’s environment is limited to regions where food is plentiful. They colonize warm or temperate regions, and they prefer areas with soft, treeless terrain, such as marshes, plains, and hills. They live near roads, agricultural fi elds, bodies of water, and other preyattracting features.
A burrow root’s usual mode of travel leaves behind large trails of upturned soil. From a distance, these trails look like twisted patches of veins bulging from the earth’s surface. The tilled earth is soft, making for treacherous travel (diffi cult terrain) along a burrow root’s trail.
Typical Physical Characteristics: A burrow root is between 12 and 14 feet long. The bulk of its graybrown body is about the width of a human head, and its posterior tapers to a sharp spike. Dozens of thorny branches split the anterior, creating the appearance of an exaggerated maw about the size of a barrel. It uses its mouth to wound its prey, but it can absorb nutrients by imbedding its spiked taproot into an opponent’s flesh, draining that creature’s blood.
Alignment: Because they behave solely based on survival instincts, burrow roots are always neutral.
TYPICAL TREASURE Burrow roots have no concept of material wealth. Still, treasure lies among the remains of the victims that fertilize burrow root territories.
The enzyme-rich soil quickly decomposes soft, organic materials such as paper, cloth, and leather, so only harder items remain. Searching the surrounding soil reveals coins, gems, and other solid objects equivalent to standard treasure for a creature of the burrow root’s Challenge Rating.
BURROW ROOTS IN EBERRON In Khorvaire, the earliest references to burrow roots are found in pre-Galifar guild documents of House Deneith.
Some have even suggested that Deneith magically bred these creatures to provide a quick and mobile fortification system for its troops in occupied territories. Of course, House Deneith formally denounces such conjecture.
Driven far from most civilized lands, burrow roots can be found in the Shadow Marches, the Demon Wastes, the Mournland, and other such desolate places.
BURROW ROOTS IN FAERÛN Burrow roots are sacred to the church of Urdlen. It is widely speculated that the spriggans (Fiend Folio 162) of his highest order fi rst cultivated the plant. Urdlen’s most devout followers seed burrow roots near their temples and delight in offering the plants living sacrifi ces as a highlight of their Feeding ceremonies. Burrow roots have claimed more than a few worshipers during the Night of Blood.

FETID FUNGUS (Tree Huggers)

An amorphous mass of colorful, lichen-crusted bubbles lumbers toward you. Its outer layer is mottled with bright red, amber, and flesh-colored blotches, and covered with a slick coat of leafy, hairlike stalks. As the bubbles writhe to the surface, some of them pop, releasing the unmistakable stench of decomposing matter and swamp gas. For the High Forest adventure, they have been modified to pray on trees as their primary food source. They "hug" a tree and eat it alive with their decomposing slime. They still like human food (or humans FOR food) and will attack anytime one passes within sight leaving their tree until they are killed or their prey has been decomposed.
Fetid Fungus CR 1 Always N Medium plant Init –1; Senses blind, blindsight 60 ft.; Listen +0 Aura sickening gas (30 ft.) Languages — AC 13, touch 9, flat-footed 13 (–1 Dex, +4 natural) hp 12 (2 HD); death throes Immune acid, gaze attacks, illusions, plant immunities, visual effects Fort +4, Ref –1, Will +0 Weakness vulnerability to fire Speed 20 ft. (4 squares) Melee acid touch +1 (1d6 acid) Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Base Atk +1; Grp +1 Atk Options decomposing slime Special Actions engulf Abilities Str 11, Dex 8, Con 13, Int 1, Wis 10, Cha 5 SA death throes, decomposing slime, engulf, sickening gas SQ plant traits Feats Track Skills Hide +2 (+12 in swampy terrain), Listen +0, Survival +2 Advancement 3 HD (Medium); 4–6 HD (Large) Sickening Gas (Ex) A fetid fungus’s amorphous body is filled with gases given off by decomposing matter. All living creatures within 30 feet of a fetid fungus must succeed on a DC 12 Fortitude save or be sickened for 10 rounds. The save DC is Constitution-based. Creatures that successfully save cannot be affected by that same fetid fungus’s gas for 24 hours. A delay poison or neutralize poison spell removes the effect from the sickened creature. Creatures that have immunity to poison are unaffected, and creatures resistant to poison receive their normal bonus on their saving throws. Death Throes (Ex) When destroyed, a fetid fungus explodes in a 10-foot-radius burst of corrosive ichor that deals 1d4 points of acid damage (Reflex DC 12 half) to all creatures in the area. The save DC is Constitution-based. Decomposing Slime (Ex) A fetid fungus’s body produces a decomposing slime. Any creature that strikes or touches a fetid fungus with its body, or that grapples a fetid fungus, takes 1 point of acid damage. A creature takes damage from this ability only once per round. Engulf (Ex) As a standard action, a fetid fungus can envelop creatures of its size or smaller, entrapping them within itself. The fungus simply moves into the opponent’s space; any creature whose space it completely covers is subject to the engulf attack. A fungus cannot make a touch attack during a round in which it engulfs. It can engulf as many creatures as can fit in its space. Opponents can make attacks of opportunity against the fungus, but if they do so, they are not entitled to a saving throw. Those who do not attempt attacks of opportunity must succeed on a DC 12 Reflex save or be engulfed. On a success, a creature moves aside or back (opponent’s choice) to move out of the fungus’s path. The save DC is Constitution-based. Engulfed creatures are considered to be grappled within the fungus’s body, they are subject to its touch attack, and they take 1 point of acid damage per round from its decomposing slime.
Skills Fetid fungi have a +10 racial bonus on Hide checks when in marsh or swamp terrrain.
A fetid fungus is a foul lichen that feeds off the decomposing flesh of its prey. These rootless creatures gain sustenance by enveloping and digesting flesh, and therefore travel constantly to fi nd new food sources. Though barely intelligent, they are skilled hunters and trackers. Once a fetid fungus latches onto the trail of potential prey, it is relentless.
STRATEGIES AND TACTICS As soon as a fetid fungus discovers signs of prey, it leaves it tree meal, attacking when it senses a foe. A fetid fungus gravitates toward slower targets. At the fi rst opportunity, it engulfs an opponent, defending itself with acid touch attacks while its decomposing slime digests the engulfed individual. If it fi nishes its meal—or the prey escapes—a fetid fungus immediately seeks another opponent to decompose. Fetid fungi never retreat, continuing to feed and attack until destroyed.
SAMPLE ENCOUNTER Fetid fungi rarely congregate in large numbers unless cultivated by a more powerful creature. They can be found in pods of one to four members.
FETID FUNGUS LORE Characters who have ranks in Knowledge (nature) or Knowledge (religion) can learn more about fetid fungi. When a character makes a successful skill check, the following lore is revealed, including the information from lower DCs. Knowledge (Nature) DC Result 11 This is a fetid fungus, an aggressive plant that envelops opponents, smothering and digesting them with its amorphous body. This result reveals all plant traits. 16 A fetid fungus’s stench is caused by decomposing matter and can sicken people. Fetid fungus gas is fl ammable, making the fungus extremely susceptible to fi re attacks.
21 Fetid fungi spew acid when attacking, and they explode in a shower of acidic ichor when slain.
Knowledge (Religion) DC Result 11 Evil druids sometimes summon fetid fungi.
16 Fetid fungi are sacred to worshipers of the demon Zuggtmoy, Lady of Fungi.
21 Some cults breed fetid fungi in large pits and use them in the performance of ritual sacrifi ces.
ECOLOGY A fetid fungus is a predatory lichen colony that feeds by rapidly digesting living creatures. Gases and enzymes released through decomposition give the creature its form and help it move, so it needs a constant source of flesh to survive. The shifting gases allow it to move in a wallowing motion, rolling forward in an awkward undulation.
Environment: Fetid fungi live in moist, shadowy regions, such as caverns and forested marshes, bogs, swamps, as well as other places where death and decay are prevalent. Their territory is sometimes marked with partially decomposed animal bones, unique in that they are rubbery and smell especially foul. A successful DC 16 Knowledge (nature) check reveals that these types of skeletal remains are left by fetid fungi.
Typical Physical Characteristics: A fetid fungus is a hairy plant creature that comes in hues from a pale f lesh tone to red. Multiple colors are common on one specimen. The fungus seems to be a clump of bubbles, some of which occasionally pop. Beneath a fetid fungus’s outer layer is a mass of putrid organic matter, which is a constant source of energy that releases the gases the fungus needs to move. These gases also make the fungus stink. As a fungus consumes more matter, it continues to grow. Some reach the size of a large ox, but even these massive colonies weigh only 20 pounds. Eventually, the buildup of gases causes the creature to increase beyond a maintainable size. At this point, the fungus breaks apart into smaller colonies about the size of a small keg of wine, each weighing less than 5 pounds.
Alignment: Fetid fungi have no sense of morality, and they are therefore always neutral.
TYPICAL TREASURE Fetid fungi don’t value material objects and therefore do not deliberately acquire treasure. Large items are ejected as waste, but smaller pieces can become embedded in the creature’s skin of lichen. This treasure amounts to standard coins and goods (gems only), but no items.

FOREST HAUNT

A shimmering form emerges from the woods, looking like a dead tree with purplish-green veins of sap winding across its surface.
It crashes its way forward as if moving large obstacles from its path, but it glides through all such impediments as if they were mere illusions.
Forest Haunt CR 10 Usually NE Huge undead (incorporeal) Init +0; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Listen +18, Spot +18 Languages Common, Sylvan, Treant AC 11, touch 11, flat-footed 11 (–2 size, +3 deflection) Miss Chance 50% (incorporeal) hp 78 (12 HD); DR 10/slashing; rejuvenation Immune incorporeal immunities, undead immunities Resist +2 turn resistance Fort +4, Ref +4, Will +13 Weakness vulnerability to fire Speed fly 30 ft. (perfect) (6 squares) Melee incorporeal touch +5 (1d4 Cha) Space 15 ft.; Reach 15 ft.
Base Atk +6; Grp — Special Actions arboreal vengeance, Daunting Presence (DC 19) Abilities Str —, Dex 10, Con —, Int 12, Wis 16, Cha 16 SA arboreal vengeance SQ incorporeal traits, undead traits Feats Ability Focus (arboreal vengeance), Daunting Presence*, Iron Will, Track, Weapon Focus (incorporeal touch) * New feat; see sidebar.
Skills Hide +7, Listen +18, Move Silently +15, Spot +18, Survival +18 Advancement 13–30 HD (Huge) Arboreal Vengeance (Su) A forest haunt can temporarily animate trees and undergrowth around it. When it activates this ability, each tree within 60 feet makes a melee attack against the nearest enemy. Trees have a reach of 20 feet. Each attack is made with a +9 bonus and deals 2d6+4 points of damage. In addition, undergrowth within 60 feet begins to writhe and grasp at creatures in the area. Any creature attempting to move out of a space containing undergrowth must succeed on a DC 21 Reflex save or be entangled for 1 round. The attack bonus, damage bonus, and save DC are Charisma-based.
Rejuvenation A forest haunt is not destroyed if reduced to 0 hit points. It instead reappears in its grove 1d4 days later.
Each forest haunt has a specific condition that must be fulfilled to lay it to rest.
Forest haunts are the spirits of fey-touched trees that seek vengeance on intruders within their forest domain. When a dryad is killed, she can curse those who slew her with her dying breath. This curse fuels the spirit of the oak to which she is tied, causing it to stalk the forest until her killers are slain, and sometimes beyond.
Strategies and Tactics A forest haunt silently approaches enemies, staying within the cover of trees to avoid being noticed. Even if it is seen, it is typically mistaken for a trick of the light or a play of shadow in the forest. Once it is in range, it uses arboreal vengeance to batter foes that stand near trees.
If an opponent spots the forest haunt, the haunt tries to intimidate that foe with Daunting Presence, while staying close to other trees so that opponents must come into range of the trees’ attacks if they wish to fight the haunt directly. It uses its touch attack only if it is severely damaged. Since it knows it can rejuvenate, a forest haunt fights until destroyed.
Sample Encounters A forest haunt waits for opponents to venture into the forest before it unleashes its vengeance. Only rarely does more than one of these creatures appear in a given area, and groups larger than four are unheard of.
Orc Murderers (EL 10): A group of trappers has been missing for several days, and the trail leads into a dark, forbidding part of a nearby wood. A forest haunt rampages in the deepest part of the wood, where trees are thick and the ground is covered in underbrush.
The dryad that once lived in the wood was killed by a group of orc marauders, and the orc shaman now uses her bones for fortune-telling.
The marauders consist of six orc berserkers (MM4 114) and a 4thlevel orc druid. This encounter is EL 10, but PCs can also attempt to negotiate for the dryad’s bones or steal them.
Only by retrieving the bones and returning them to the dryad’s grove can the PCs put the forest haunt to rest. Of course, they have to deal with an irate forest haunt on the way to the grove.
Ecology Forest haunts are subject to outbursts of rage as they try to cope with the loss of their dryad companions. Thus, although a forest haunt coexists with natural f lora, it tends to drive away or accidentally kill most wildlife. A recently awakened forest haunt causes a steady migration away from its grove, a clear indication that something is wrong. The area roamed by a forest haunt might eventually begin to change. As the unnatural aura of the haunt bleeds into the surrounding terrain, it turns the foliage a dark—almost black—green and causes trees to warp into unsettling shapes.
A forest haunt can be destroyed only by meeting a particular condition. This condition can range from returning the body of its dryad to her grove, to defeating an evil power at work in the forest, to destroying the tree from which the forest haunt sprang.
Environment: Forest haunts are found exclusively in forests. A forest haunt roams throughout the forest as though on patrol, but returns to its dryad’s grove at least once every day. Some roam during the night and some during the daytime. Chaotic forest haunts vary this pattern, but neutral haunts are more predictable.
Typical Physical Characteristics: A forest haunt appears to be a deformed, translucent tree, with a trunk nearly 5 feet wide and a span of branches greater than 20 feet. It has veins of violet sap running along its trunk.
Alignment: A forest haunt is interested in nothing but the destruction of the living, and most are difficult to reason with. Forest haunts are usually neutral evil or chaotic evil, though some are neutral (especially those whose dryads were especially sympathetic toward humans and other civilized intruders).
Non-evil forest haunts are likely to try to scare off invaders instead of killing them outright.
Typical Treasure Though a forest haunt doesn’t care for wealth, the area it roams might be littered with the gear of those who did not escape its wrath. Such treasure is usually the arms, armor, or other equipment associated with would-be heroes. The scattered treasure can also serve as a warning to any who would enter the forest haunt’s domain. Such items add up to standard treasure for the forest haunt’s Challenge Rating.
pqqqqqqqqqrs FOREST HAUNT LORE Characters who have ranks in Knowledge (nature) can learn more about forest haunts. When a character makes a successful skill check, the following lore is revealed, including the information from lower DCs.
Knowledge (Religion) DC Result 20 This is a forest haunt, the spirit of a tree touched by the fey. When a dryad is destroyed and speaks a curse with her dying breath, a forest haunt is born.
It is incorporeal, but nonetheless it can be harmed more easily by slashing weapons.
25 A forest haunt can animate nearby trees to attack its enemies.
30 A forest haunt can be destroyed only if a specifi c condition is met. Otherwise, it returns to existence in a few days.

RUIN CHANTER

On a narrow stone ledge stands a nimble fi gure garbed in ragged clothes and a rust-colored cloak. A pair of clever black eyes set in a weathered face shine from beneath his wide-brimmed hat. His long, fi ne fi ngers hold an ornate black mace. He suddenly licks his parched lips and begins to wail a mournful dirge.
Ruin Chanter CR 14 Usually CN Medium fey (air, earth) Init +11; Senses low-light vision; Listen +26, Spot +26 Languages Auran, Common, Giant, Sylvan, Terran AC 31, touch 17, flat-footed 24; Dodge, Mobility (+7 Dex, +14 natural) hp 190 (20 HD); DR 15/cold iron and magic Immune disease, poison SR 23 Fort +12, Ref +19, Will +15 Speed 40 ft. (8 squares), fly 40 ft. (perfect) Melee +2 adamantine light mace +20/+15 (1d6+7) Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Base Atk +10; Grp +15 Special Actions bardic music (countersong, fascinate 4 creatures, inspire courage +2, inspire confidence, suggstion, inspire greatness 2 creatures, song of freedom), call ruin elemental, infirmity of body, infirmity of mind Spell-Like Abilities (CL 20th): 3/day—crushing despair (DC 21), rusting grasp (+15 melee touch, DC 21), spike stones (DC 21) Abilities Str 20, Dex 25, Con 23, Int 18, Wis 17, Cha 25 SA bardic music, call ruin elemental, infirmity of mind, infirmity of body, spell-like abilities Feats Combat Expertise, Dodge, Endurance, Improved Initiative, Mobility, Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus (light mace) Skills Concentration +15, Hide +30, Knowledge (architecture and engineering) +27, Knowledge (history) +27, Listen +26, Move Silently +30, Perform (singing) +30, Search +20, Spot +26, Survival +26, Tumble +30 Advancement 21–40 HD (Medium) Bardic Music (Su) A ruin chanter has the bardic music ability of a 12th-level bard (PH 29).
Call Ruin Elemental (Su) Once per week, when a ruin chanter is aware of interlopers within the ruins it calls home, the ruin chanter can conjure a ruin elemental (page 134) after an hour-long ritual. During the ritual, a storm (DMG 94) appropriate for the climate strikes the ruin chanter’s home. When the ritual is complete, the storm disappears suddenly and a ruin elemental appears, ready to do the ruin chanter’s bidding. Since the ruin elemental serves the ruin chanter until the elemental is destroyed, it’s possible for a ruin chanter to have more than one ruin elemental serving it.
Infirmity of Body (Su) By pointing its finger, a ruin chanter can prematurely age an enemy’s body. Doing so imposes a –6 penalty to Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution, and causes the victim’s hair to turn white, skin to wrinkle, and posture to stoop (Fortitude DC 27 negates). The penalty lasts for 1 hour or until the victim receives a remove curse spell. A ruin chanter cannot place both infirmity of body and infirmity of mind on the same creature. The save DC is Charisma-based.
Infirmity of Mind (Su) With a wave of its hand, a ruin chanter can render a creature senile and unable to reliably tell friend from foe. This ability functions as a confusion spell (Will DC 27 negates) and makes victims appear elderly just as infirmity of body does. Infirmity of mind lasts for 1 hour or until the victim receives a remove curse spell.
A ruin chanter cannot place both infirmity of body and infirmity of mind on the same creature. The save DC is Charisma-based.
Ruin chanters, personifications of worldly decay, act as guardians of ancient sites. They channel their sorrow into melancholy songs of glories past and powers of decomposition.
STRATEGIES AND TACTICS When invaders come to a ruin chanter’s home, that chanter calls a ruin elemental as soon as it can. It then sends the elemental against the trespassers, while the ruin chanter uses its infirmity abilities to prematurely age intruders it deems to be the greatest threats. Intermittently, the ruin chanter sings dirges commemorating the ruins’ past glory to inspire courage or inspire greatness in itself and its allies.
Ruin chanters are nimble foes, using their feats and f light to deliver precise strikes or maneuver into a good position to use a spell-like ability. They don’t give away the fact that they can fly, seeming to move easily over difficult terrain or leap great distances. They use this secret to great advantage in combat, weightlessly “springing” onto unstable structures and luring their opponents into following them, then “stepping off” the construction just as it collapses.
pqqqqqqqqqrs RUIN CHANTER LORE Characters who have ranks in Knowledge (nature) can learn more about ruin chanters. When a character makes a successful skill check, the following lore is revealed, including the information from lower DCs.
Knowledge (Nature) DC Result 24 This is a ruin chanter, a fey guardian of ancient ruins. It is a nimble combatant that can summon biting stones on the ground. Beware its pretenses at being earthbound, for it can actually fl y.
29 Ruin chanters have powers that can confuse, depress, and age mortals, as well as corrode metal. They can use a ritual to call ruin elementals to aid them, but this ritual can’t be performed during combat.
34 A ruin chanter is as enduring as its ruins. It can’t be harmed by disease or poison, and it is resistant to all sorts of spells. Only magic weapons made of cold iron can effectively harm it.
SAMPLE ENCOUNTER Ruin chanters are solitary creatures, but they’re usually found with ruin elemental servants. Occasionally, a bonded pair of ruin chanters can be found in a single locale.
Urban Renewal (EL 15): In ruins from a bygone age under a major city, a ruin chanter and two ruin elementals have taken up residence. The powers that be have decided to demolish the ruins to build an underground ward for dwarves, bringing them into direct confl ict with the ruin chanter and its allies.
ECOLOGY Ruin chanters, like other types of fey, are spirits born of the land. In the case of a ruin chanter, sadness and loss have given it life, rather than natural vibrancy and abundance. A ruin chanter ref lects these former qualities in its solitary, introspective, and melancholy manner.
Male and female ruin chanters exist. On the rare occasion when two ruin chanters of opposite sexes meet, they mate and produce children the way most mortal creatures do. Young ruin chanters seek their own domains far from their parents.
Ruin chanters eat ash and dust, and they drink whatever water they find within their ruined homes. To them, air full of ancient grit is like a fl oral perfume.
They sleep on piles of rubble.
Environment: These elusive fey are found in locales ravaged by magic or war, or where time has seen the fall of civilization. They haunt the ruins of lost cities, ancient temples, and toppled fortresses. Ruin chanters revel in the dissolution imposed by time, so most of them shy away from populated areas.
Typical Physical Characteristics: Ruin chanters are lanky humanlike creatures, standing between 5 and 6 feet tall. Their skin is weathered, colored tan to gray, with patches of wind-burned red. Eyes sparkle darkly, no whites to be seen, within those hairless faces, and ruin chanters have silvery locks as an aged human might.
Alignment: A ruin chanter is selfi sh and pessimistic.
Caring little for events and creatures outside its demesne, a ruin chanter is openly hostile to those who raid its home for loot. It can be deadly in such a case, though it doesn’t try to cause undue suffering. Ruin chanters are usually chaotic neutral, and they are seldom good. Evil ruin chanters try to create ruins from thriving societies.
SOCIETY A creature that enters a ruin chanter’s ruins to do anything other than subsist or restore the glories of the past becomes the ruin chanter’s enemy. Ruin chanters harry their foes relentlessly, intent on preserving the grandeur of ages past. Although it is content to drive away adversaries, a ruin chanter isn’t gentle or diplomatic.
Solitary creatures by nature, ruin chanters nonetheless occasionally attract followers who share their views. A ruin chanter tolerates constructs, undead, and other creatures native to its chosen ruins. It also abides creatures devoted to restoration.
Ruin chanters dress in earth-toned clothes, wearing cloaks, hats, scarves, or goggles to conceal their features. They carry ornate melee weapons, most commonly an adamantine mace. Though the mace sometimes has decorations similar to those found in the ruins, it isn’t necessarily from a former age.
Individual ruin chanters sometimes seek companionship among their kind, often to mate.
They respect one another’s territory, though, and a visiting ruin chanter sings an announcement to let a potential host know of its approach.
The ruin’s owner can respond with a song of welcome or a song of warning, greeting or rejecting the wouldbe guest.
TYPICAL TREASURE Ruin chanters don’t collect treasure, but the antiquities and wonders of the ancients are under their guard. They effectively have double standard treasure for their Challenge Rating. This wealth is spread around the chanter’s home ruin, and those who take even the smallest item draw the fey’s ire.

SHAEDLING

A short, humanlike creature with raven skin and equally dark eyes f lutters on fine wings like those of a dragonf ly. Its lower abdomen is distended. Two spinnerets there exude wisps of thick darkness as the creature zips by, leaving a trail of shadow in its wake.
Shaedling CR 2 Always CE Medium fey Init +4; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Listen +4, Spot +4 Languages Common, Sylvan AC 15, touch 14, flat-footed 11 (+4 Dex, +1 buckler) hp 22 (4 HD); DR 5/cold iron Fort +3, Ref +8, Will +5 Speed 30 ft. (6 squares), fly 60 ft. (good) Melee spiked chain +6 (2d4) Ranged bolas +6 (1d4 nonlethal) or Ranged javelin +6 (1d6) Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft. (10 ft. with spiked chain) Base Atk +2; Grp +2 Atk Options Combat Reflexes, Point Blank Shot, shadow gossamer, sleeping curse, wall of darkness Abilities Str 10, Dex 18, Con 15, Int 13, Wis 13, Cha 16 SA shadow gossamer, sleeping curse, wall of darkness Feats Combat Reflexes, Point Blank Shot, Weapon Finesse Skills Appraise +1 (+3 weapons), Bluff +10, Craft (weaponsmithing) +8, Diplomacy +5, Escape Artist +11 (+13 ropes), Hide +11, Intimidate +6, Listen +4, Move Silently +11, Spot +4, Use Rope +11 Advancement by character class; Favored Class rogue Possessions shadow gossamer buckler Shadow Gossamer (Ex) As a swift action, a shaedling can generate a 15-pound or lighter item out of shadow gossamer, and it usually crafts a weapon just before attacking. A shaedling is proficient with any weapon it creates from shadow gossamer, and such weapons have a range increment 10 feet longer than usual. Shields constructed of this substance have their armor check penalty lessened by 1. Shadow gossamer implements dissipate to nothingness if they leave the hands of a shaedling for longer than 1 round.
Sleeping Curse (Su) Once per day, a shaedling can target an opponent within 30 feet with a special javelin of venomous shadow gossamer. A foe struck by this javelin must succeed on a DC 15 Fortitude save or fall asleep for 1d6 rounds. A remove curse spell ends this effect. The save DC is Charisma-based.
Wall of Darkness (Su) Once per day, a shaedling can generate a wall of darkness up to 30 feet long. The wall blocks line of sight for all creatures except those that have darkvision.
Shaedlings are malignant fey that have turned their back on nature in favor of the Spider Queen, Lolth.
STRATEGIES AND TACTICS A shaedling attacks from above and at range, hovering and throwing shadow gossamer weapons. It uses its sleeping curse immediately to take out the creature among its foes that seems the weakest. If it can, it uses a wall of darkness to cordon the combat zone to its liking.
In a group, shaedlings use walls of darkness to divide their foes and control the battlefield. They divide into two attack formations. One formation flies high above, throwing javelins, while the second group hovers 10 feet above the enemy, attacking with spiked chains. The shaedlings using chains try their best to harry foes that can attack the throwers.
SAMPLE ENCOUNTERS Shaedlings prefer the tactical superiority that numbers provide. When caught alone, a shaedling has a particular task or goal, which it completes, fl eeing afterward.
Dark Raider (EL 2): A shaedling that was left behind by its kin when it overslept hurries to catch up. It hasn’t had a good meal in 24 hours, so it raids the PCs’ camp to snatch a backpack or sack and make off with some food. If it can kill a mortal in the process, all the better.
Retrieval Crew (EL 9): A banshrae (page 10) with four shaedlings in tow pursues the PCs. It seems their dark mistress wants a treasure the characters acquired on their last adventure, and she won’t take no for an answer. In fact, if the banshrae has its way, she’ll get her treasure and the heads of a few mortals to boot.
ECOLOGY Shaedlings’ origins are linked to the same schism that drove elves and drow apart. A small number of pixies followed the drow in their reverence for Lolth, but they didn’t follow the drow underground. The Queen of the Demonweb Pits blessed these pixies to become a terror in the places other fey and elves love best. She gave them their ability to weave shadow as spiders weave webs.
pqqqqqqqqqrs SHAEDLING LORE Characters who have ranks in Knowledge (nature) can learn more about shaedlings. When a character makes a successful skill check, the following lore is revealed, including the information from lower DCs.
Knowledge (Nature) DC Result 12 This creature is a shaedling, a hateful fey with command over shadow. This result reveals all fey traits.
17 The spinnerets on a shaedling’s belly allow it to form weapons and other implements from shadowy strands. A shaedling can also weave a wall of shadow to block sight.
22 Shaedlings can use a special javelin to put a creature and, potentially, all who touch that creature to sleep. Their tough skin is best cut by cold iron.
Like drow, shaedlings are a true race. Their transformation made them bigger and stronger than normal pixies, and largely incompatible with any other sprite. They can’t mate with their good-aligned kin.
However, they do produce shaedling offspring, and prolifi cally. Female and male shaedlings couple wantonly, and the females lay eggs. These eggs hatch within a month, and infant shaedlings are fully grown within a year. Newborn shaedlings require little care, and that’s fortunate for them, because they receive little. Some are born without any guardian, and such siblings fi ght among themselves until a pack of the toughest ones emerges alive from the fray with a clear leader.
Shaedlings do suffer a side effect of their powers and spiderlike life cycle. Unlike other fey, shaedlings have short lives. Few survive past twenty years of age.
Environment: Shaedlings prefer temperate forests where other fey and elves live.
Typical Physical Characteristics: Shaedlings resemble drow elves of short stature with solid black eyes and dark dragonfl y wings.
They stand about 4 feet tall and weigh no more than 80 pounds. Spinnerets sprout from their stomachs, allowing them to weave shadow gossamer—a light, tensile substance stronger than a spider’s webbing.
Alignment: These pernicious fey enjoy causing suffering and bedlam. Whenever they can, they torment and kill those unfortunate enough to wander into their territory, working the scene so that others are blamed. Shaedlings are born chaotic evil.
SOCIETY Shaedlings have a society the way a group of brigands might be said to have a culture. The strongest creatures lead, and the weak submit or die. A shaedling band produces nothing aside from momentarily useful implements of shadow gossamer. Whatever else they need, they kill or steal to obtain.
These fey do have an affinity for other evil arachnid creatures, as well as monstrous spiders. When they can, shaedlings live among or near evil araneas, ettercaps, and even driders.
Other fey usually shun these vile creatures, if they don’t kill them on sight. Malevolent nymphs and degenerate verdant princes sometimes welcome shaedlings into corrupt fey courts. In such cases, shaedlings serve as spies, assassins, and burglars, overseen by another more powerful evil fey such as a banshrae.
Shaedlings serve only in hope of being offered the opportunity to wreak mayhem on communities of humanoid races. They respect only displays of power and creatures capable of destroying them. Their limited life span makes them short-sighted.
That trait, coupled with their evil nature, makes them especially wasteful and greedy, as well as prone to fi ts of rage if their whims are not instantly gratifi ed.
TYPICAL TREASURE Shaedlings disdain clothing and artwork, but they enjoy shiny baubles and magic items. A shaedling has standard treasure for its Challenge Rating. Elite NPC shaedlings have equipment based on their Challenge Rating instead of their character level.
SHAEDLINGS WITH CLASS LEVELS Shaedlings don’t have the discipline to pursue classes that require commitment and concentration, but they are crafty and versatile. They usually advance as rogues, becoming sneaky and highly skilled, but a few have natural talent as sorcerers. Rogue is considered an associated class, but sorcerer is not.
Level Adjustment: +3.

TIRBANA

At the fringes of civilization, ghost towns echo with the chittering din of countless tirbanas. Endlessly toiling, endlessly breeding, these fearsome creatures spread and thrive by overwhelming the folk of isolated villages, placing those victims into a magical slumber, then implanting eggs into them.
To sustain their existence, tirbanas need living hosts. Because animals and other wildlife seldom congregate in suffi cient numbers for their needs, these creatures have evolved to seek out the consistently populous communities of sentient races. In such places, tirbanas fi nd more than enough hosts to propagate new generations.
Tirbanas take one of four known forms. The least of their kind are the eyewings, odd creatures that resemble overly large dragonf lies. Above them are the drowsers, worker-drones charged with magically subduing the residents of a settlement. Slayers are the warriors of the tirbanas, quashing any resistance in the colony’s target population of sentient creatures. At the top are the spawners that implant tirbana eggs into doomed hosts.
TIRBANA EYEWING What appears to be a large black dragonfl y slips through the air with incredible grace, watching you with large green eyes. Tirbana Eyewing CR 1/2 Usually LN Tiny magical beast Init +3; Senses all-around vision, darkvision 60 ft.; Listen +3, Spot +7 Languages Tirbana AC 15, touch 15, flat-footed 12 (+2 size, +3 Dex) hp 6 (1 HD) Fort +3, Ref +5, Will +1 Speed 20 ft. (4 squares), fly 60 ft. (perfect) Melee bite +6 (1d4–3 plus poison) or Melee touch +6 (disorienting touch) Space 2-1/2 ft.; Reach 0 ft.
Base Atk +1; Grp –10 Special Actions negate enchantment Spell-Like Abilities (CL 1st): 3/day—detect magic Abilities Str 5, Dex 16, Con 13, Int 3, Wis 13, Cha 10 SA disorienting touch, negate enchantment, poison, spelllike abilities Feats Weapon Finesse Skills Hide +11, Listen +3, Search +0, Spot +7 Advancement 2 HD (Tiny) All-Around Vision (Ex) An eyewing’s eyes allow it to look in any direction, providing a +4 racial bonus on Spot and Search checks. Opponents gain no benefit when flanking an eyewing.
Disorienting Touch (Su) With a successful melee touch attack, an eyewing causes a creature to take a –1 penalty on Will saves for 1 minute. The effect of multiple touches does not stack.
Poison (Ex) Injury, Fortitude DC 13 or take a –5 penalty on Listen and Spot checks and a –2 penalty on Will saves against sleep effects for 5 rounds. The save DC is Constitution-based and includes a +2 racial bonus.
Negate Enchantment (Su) An eyewing can attempt to negate an enchantment affecting any creature it touches. The target is allowed a new saving throw for one enchantment spell or effect, at the original DC. If multiple enchantments are in effect on the target creature, it receives a new save for the most recent effect.
The gentle tirbana eyewings are all but harmless. They serve their colony as scouts and as nursemaids, keeping host creatures alive until the eggs within those hosts hatch. The only tirbanas ever found outside a colony, eyewings sometimes serve as familiars for wizards and sorcerers. They are valued for their ability to sense magical auras and negate enchantment effects.
Strategies and Tactics When it is encountered alone, an eyewing fl ees enemies, returning to the colony to alert its kin. It then leads several drowsers back to the site of danger. It uses its poisoned bite in combat, hoping to make victims more susceptible to the drowsers’ sleep ability.
When not threatened, an eyewing is a carefree, goodnatured creature. These tirbanas happily follow any creatures they come across, demonstrating complete docility in return for morsels of food or a playful scratch between the wings. If given the opportunity, they follow creatures for up to two days in the hope of being led to a settlement. Once there, they immediately fl ee back to the colony to report the location. For Player Characters An eyewing can be used as an improved familiar (DMG 200).
A spellcaster must be lawful neutral or lawful evil, have an arcane spellcaster level of 5th, and take the Improved Familiar feat to acquire an eyewing familiar.
TIRBANA DROWSER A buzzing noise precedes the approach of an insectlike creature the size of a dog. Its wide, armored body shambles forward on six legs. A seventh limb, ending in a handlike appendage, projects from the front of its body. The creature’s triangular head has bulging green eyes. Slung beneath them is a pair of dripping mandibles that exude a yeasty stench.
Tirbana Drowser CR 2 Usually LN Small magical beast Init +2; Senses all-around vision, darkvision 60 ft.; Listen +4, Spot +8 Languages Tirbana AC 15, touch 13, flat-footed 13 (+1 size, +2 Dex, +2 natural) hp 19 (3 HD) Fort +4, Ref +5, Will +2 (+4 against enchantments) Speed 30 ft. (6 squares), burrow 20 ft., fly 30 ft. (average) Melee bite +7 (1d4 plus poison) Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Base Atk +3; Grp –1 Atk Options strength in numbers Spell-Like Abilities (CL 3rd): At will—detect magic, sleep (DC 12) 1/day—blur Abilities Str 11, Dex 14, Con 13, Int 3, Wis 12, Cha 13 SA poison, spell-like abilities Feats Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus (bite) Skills Hide +6, Listen +4, Search +0, Spot +8 Advancement 4–5 HD (Small) All-Around Vision (Ex) A drowser’s eyes allow it to look in any direction, providing a +4 racial bonus on Spot and Search checks. Opponents gain no benefit when flanking a drowser.
Poison (Ex) Injury, Fortitude DC 14 or take a –5 penalty on Listen and Spot checks and a –2 penalty on Will saves against sleep effects for 5 rounds. The save DC is Constitution-based and includes a +2 racial bonus.
Strength in Numbers (Ex) Whenever a drowser begins its turn in a space adjacent to another drowser, it gains a +2 circumstance bonus on attack rolls and damage rolls. A tirbana colony relies on drowsers to slip stealthily into settlements and subdue the population with their sleep ability. The colony also contains a small number of modifi ed drowser drones whose job is to impregnate the spawner. Once that task is complete, they fill the same place in the colony as regular drowsers.
Strategies and Tactics Drowsers are naturally cooperative, and they work especially well together. They are a colony’s fi rst line of defense, meeting any threat head on with their sleep ability. A few drowsers typically hold back to use blur on themselves, but these join the battle quickly, surrounding opponents to help their fellows bring those foes down.
Eyewings and slayers occasionally accompany drowsers on combat missions. The smaller eyewings zoom in to nip at their foes, hoping to make their enemies more susceptible to the drowsers’ sleep ability. If slayers are present, a handful of drowsers bestow a blur effect on those warriors instead of themselves. Once they have protected the slayers, drowsers f ling themselves into the fray, maneuvering to f lank opponents and thereby aid their larger allies.
TIRBANA SLAYER The creature lurching toward you looks like some great beetle, hoary fur sprouting from the joints of its mud-caked carapace. Its forelegs end in jagged claws, and a pair of dripping mandibles tremble beneath bulbous red eyes.
Tirbana Slayer CR 4 Usually LN Medium magical beast Init +1; Senses all-around vision, darkvision 60 ft.; Listen +4, Spot +8 Languages Tirbana AC 17, touch 11, flat-footed 16 (+1 Dex, +6 natural) hp 45 (6 HD); DR 5/magic Fort +9, Ref +6, Will +3 (+7 against enchantments) Speed 30 ft. (6 squares), fly 10 ft. (clumsy) Melee bite +9 (1d6+3 plus poison) and 2 claws +7 each (1d4+1) Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Base Atk +6; Grp +9 Atk Options Cleave, Power Attack, magic strike, skirmish (+1d6, +1 AC) Special Actions second wind Abilities Str 17, Dex 12, Con 15, Int 3, Wis 13, Cha 4 SA magic strike, poison, skirmish Feats Cleave, Great FortitudeB, Multiattack, Power Attack Skills Listen +4, Search +3, Spot +8 Advancement 7–12 HD (Medium); 13–18 HD (Large) All-Around Vision (Ex) A slayer’s eyes allow it to look in any direction, providing a +4 racial bonus on Spot and Search checks. Opponents gain no benefit when flanking a slayer.
Poison (Ex) Injury, Fortitude DC 17 or become stunned for 1 round, plus take a –5 penalty on Listen and Spot checks and a –2 penalty on Will saves against sleep effects for 5 rounds. The save DC is Constitution-based and includes a +2 racial bonus.
Skirmish (Ex) A slayer deals an extra 1d6 points of damage on all attacks it makes during any round in which it moves at least 10 feet. The extra damage applies only to attacks made on the slayer’s turn. The extra damage applies only against living creatures that have a discernible anatomy.
In addition, a slayer gains a +1 competence bonus to AC during any round in which it moves at least 10 feet. This bonus lasts until the start of the slayer’s next turn.
Second Wind (Ex) As a standard action, once per encounter, a slayer can temporarily give up its skirmish ability to heal 10 hit points. It recovers its skirmish ability after it rests for 1 hour.
Slayers are the warriors of a tirbana colony. Their principal responsibility is to destroy those creatures that resist the drowsers’ sleep ability. Strategies and Tactics Slayers are not as numerous as eyewings and drowsers, so they fight singly or in pairs. A slayer is typically accompanied by a number of drowsers, with one of the smaller tirbanas giving the warrior the benefit of blur while the others fan out to surround the enemy. The slayer then races into combat, tearing through foes with its bite attack boosted by its skirmish ability. If prevented from moving, it attacks with bite and claws before taking a 5-foot step, hoping to gain enough space to use its skirmish ability during the next round.
Slayers are unsubtle combatants, typically maximizing their Power Attack feat in the hope of landing dreadful blows on their enemies. If its bite attack successfully stuns an opponent, a slayer directs its drowser allies to flank and finish that foe off, moving to skirmish with another adversary. If the slayer loses its skirmish ability to heal itself with its second wind ability, it focuses on one foe at a time, f lanking if possible as it makes successive bite and claw attacks.
TIRBANA SPAWNER A yeasty odor precedes this strange bipedal creature, which looks like a cross between a human and a giant cockroach. Its upper limbs end in handlike appendages. A pair of large violet eyes dominates its triangular head, overshadowing mandibles that slaver with a sickening eagerness.
Tirbana Spawner CR 5 Usually LN Medium magical beast Init +4; Senses all-around vision, darkvision 60 ft.; Listen +9, Spot +13 Languages Tirbana, understands Common and Elven AC 18, touch 14, flat-footed 14; Dodge (+4 Dex, +4 natural) hp 57 (6 HD); DR 10/magic Fort +11, Ref +9, Will +4 (+8 against enchantments) Speed 30 ft. (6 squares) Melee 2 bites +10 each (1d6+4 plus poison) Ranged acid orb +10 (1d6 acid) Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Base Atk +6; Grp +10 Atk Options Combat Reflexes, Power Attack, magic strike Special Actions sleep drone Spell-Like Abilities (CL 6th): At will—detect magic 2/day—displacement Abilities Str 18, Dex 19, Con 18, Int 11, Wis 14, Cha 13 SA magic strike, poison, sleep drone, spell-like abilities Feats Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Great FortitudeB, Power Attack Skills Knowledge (local) +4, Listen +9, Search +4, Spot +13 Advancement 7–12 HD (Medium); 13–18 HD (Large) All-Around Vision (Ex) A spawner’s eyes allow it to look in any direction, providing a +4 racial bonus on Spot and Search checks. Opponents gain no benefit when flanking a spawner.
Poison (Ex) Injury, Fortitude DC 19 or take a –5 penalty on Listen and Spot checks and a –2 penalty on Will saves against sleep effects for 5 rounds. The save DC is Constitution-based and includes a +2 racial bonus.
Acid Orb (Ex) As a standard action, a spawner can project an orb of acid to a range of 100 feet. Creatures struck by the orb take 1d6 points of acid damage, plus an additional 1d6 points of acid damage in the following round at the beginning of the spawner’s turn.
Sleep Drone (Su) As a full-round action, a spawner can cause living creatures within a 60-foot-radius spread to fall asleep unless they succeed on a DC 16 Will save. An affected creature stays asleep until it takes damage or is awakened by another creature (a standard action). The save DC is Charisma-based and includes a +2 racial bonus.
The spawner is the leader of a tirbana colony. These bipedal creatures are far more intelligent than their lesser kin, HANDS OF THE TIRBANAS Tirbana spawners and drowsers have hands, and these creatures are clever enough to utilize tools and other handy objects. A tirbana spawner is as bright as a human, so it can exploit items in its possession on a strategic and tactical level. It can even figure out how to operate complex devices. A tirbana drowser is only slightly smarter than a chimpanzee, so on its own, it might use simple tools for accomplishing mundane tasks. It could, for example, employ a bucket for food gathering.
Since they have the required appendages, tirbana spawners and drowsers can handle weapons. A drowser can wield onehanded or light weapons designed for Small creatures, but it only gains proficiency with such armaments if trained. It’s usually better off using its natural attacks in battle, making use of its dexterous hand for other tasks. Spawners are more likely to learn to use a weapon. Only an advanced spawner could take the feat required to gain proficiency with a weapon, and such a creature never bothers learning to wield a weapon that deals less damage than its mandibles.
Tirbana spawners sometimes educate drowsers on how to work with objects and machines in ways the dull-witted drowsers would never think of on their own. Spawners also devise plans and instruct their tirbana underlings on how to implement those plans. For instance, a spawner might teach its drowsers how to open and close a complex system of gates, along with how to use those gates to protect the tirbana colony. The same spawner could show the drowsers how to throw splash weapons, which require no proficiency to use.
If you design a tirbana-based adventure, consider the location and the objects available there. Many implements present in, say, a small keep, could be dangerous in the hands of the tirbanas. If you allow the tirbanas to take advantage of these items, your encounters will be that much more surprising and fundriving the colony to conquer populated settlements and spread their kind across the world. Strategies and Tactics A spawner is the brains of a colony, and without its presence and guiding infl uence, all the tirbanas of the colony lose their way. As a result, two to three slayers typically protect a single spawner. Since a spawner rarely ventures out of its lair, combat with one of these creatures is on its terms. Given time to prepare, a spawner uses its displacement ability and takes cover, trusting its sleep drones and its fanatically loyal slayers to defend it. If directly threatened, it emerges from cover to bite or fl ing acid orbs at its foes.
A spawner’s instincts direct it to whatever action best serves the health of the colony. However, a spawner’s awareness and intellect sometimes makes the tirbanas’ antipathy for elves (see Society) manifest as a dark rage. If face to face with elves in its lair, a spawner attacks incessantly with its acid orbs, not caring if it runs the risk of hitting its slayer or drowser allies.
SAMPLE ENCOUNTERS Tirbanas live only to subdue settlements and implant eggs in their captives. Once established, these creatures rarely venture outside a community except to seek water and food. Tirbanas are not wantonly violent by nature, and when they do attack, it is with the intent of taking their victims alive.
If encountered in an overrun settlement, tirbanas become far more aggressive. They do not tolerate intruders, quick to drive out any who do not belong. If alerted to attack, strike teams of slayers and drowsers prowl the streets while eye wings speed through the air. All fight independently, sharing the common goal of defending the spawner in the safety of its lair.
Scouts (EL 1/2–4): Before making an attack against a settlement, the spawner sends out teams of eyewings to locate populations of prospective hosts. Each eyewing travels independently and fi ghts only if it cannot fl ee. However, an eyewing that is attacked returns in 1d10 minutes with two drowsers ready to fi ght.
Strike Teams (EL 4–6): Once a site is located, the spawner sends in teams of two eyewings and two to four drowsers to pacify the populace. These creatures avoid well-armed or well-armored foes, and they ignore enemies that succeed on two successive saves against their sleep ability. They know that the suppressor force set to follow them can deal with any creatures they cannot.
Suppressors (EL 6–7): Invariably, a settlement contains folk who resist the tirbanas’ sleep abilities. A slayer and two to four drowsers are sent in to crush any such residents. The suppressor force uses divide-and-conquer tactics, preventing targets from aiding each other in combat. Directed by the slayer, the drowsers target the most powerful foes fi rst, hoping to slay leaders to break the morale of those still alive. Maintenance Team (EL 7–8): As soon as tirbanas take control, maintenance teams of six to eight drowsers make the rounds of host creatures to ensure those hosts remain asleep. If their work is interrupted, half the drowsers focus on ensuring that any host creatures that awaken are sent back to sleep, while the other half defend against intruders.
Spawner and Entourage (EL 7–10): In the fi nal stage of colonization, the spawner and two to six slayers prowl the community, implanting eggs in host creatures. ECOLOGY Tirbanas take nourishment from anything that can be consumed, and they can survive on dead wood and other creatures’ leavings if need be. They have no natural enemies, for only the most voracious of predators can tolerate the taste of their f lesh. As a result, tirbanas are free to do as they like.
Though tirbanas can sustain themselves in nearly any environment, they cannot reproduce without laying their eggs in other creatures. The warm body of a living creature incubates the eggs and provides food for tirbana larvae when they hatch. A spawner produces up to one hundred eggs in a single clutch, each needing at least 15 pounds of fresh meat to sustain it. Only populated settlements can typically meet the needs of a tirbana colony’s breeding program.
Tirbanas need to keep their host creatures alive, and so they have evolved a number of unusual abilities dedicated to inducing a deep sleep in their victims. Once the hosts succumb to sleep, the spawner inserts four eggs into each victim’s throat. An acidic gel coats the eggs and enables them to attach within the host’s stomach. After a week, the egg hatches to release a pale white larva (1 hit point) that grows into one of the four types of tirbanas.
Each sleeping creature is an ideal meal, providing the larvae with suffi cient energy to complete their transformation. A victim takes 1d6 points of Constitution damage each day the larvae feed. When its Constitution is reduced to 0, the host dies. The larvae then emerge and feed on the corpse.
As long as its Constitution has not reached 0, a host creature can be saved by the application of a cure disease or heal spell. This kills the parasitic larvae and allows any Constitution damage to be healed normally.
Once a new generation of tirbanas has hatched, the bodies of their hosts fuel the growth of the young over a period of two weeks. During this time, the elder colony begins to die. Eyewings, drowsers, and slayers grow weak and collapse one by one. By the time the spawner perishes, the larvae have completed their transformations, and a new generation of tirbanas is born. Among the young are 1d3+1 spawners that divide the rest of the colony between them. Each group then sets out to find a population of new hosts to continue the cycle.
Environment: Tirbanas are hardy and adaptable, settling anywhere that isolated communities spring up. As such, these creatures can be found in any land or underground environment. Their lairs are ghastly places, fi lled with the bodies of host creatures slowly starving in their sleep, or corpses being devoured by the larvae that have hatched inside them.
Typical Physical Characteristics: Tirbanas resemble giant insects, blending the features and body parts of mantises, beetles, roaches, fl ies, and other vermin. An eyewing looks like an oversized dragonfl y, 1 foot long and weighing 2 pounds, with two large green orbs for eyes. It fl ies by means of 2-foot-wide translucent wings that allow it to reach great speeds. An eyewing is at home in the air, moving with an uncanny grace.
Drowsers have wings as eyewings do, but they lack the maneuverability and speed of their smaller kin. Resembling giant cockroaches, these creatures move about on six legs and have a seventh limb equipped with a grasping hand. They have flat, shiny bodies and the triangular head common to all tirbanas. All drowsers are about 3 feet long and weigh 30 pounds.
The brutish slayers are larger than drowsers—about 5 feet long and weighing 200 pounds. Scarcely contained by their waxen shells, their bodies are filthy, covered with muck and debris that forms an effective second carapace. Their triangular heads have large red eyes.
Spawners are the strangest tirbanas of all. Unlike others of their kind, they stand upright, walking on their hind legs. Though their second set of limbs is withered and useless, the upper set is strong and equipped with fully functioning hands. They stand just under 6 feet tall and weigh 150 pounds.
Alignment: Tirbanas are not evil, but the act of subduing and slaying host creatures is an intrinsic part of their nature. Though these creatures do their best to care for victims while their larvae grow, they don’t recognize the immorality of trading the lives of unwilling sentient hosts for their own survival. Tirbanas have an unshakeable commitment to their colony and its survival, and these creatures are usually lawful neutral. A few tirbanas display evil tendencies, which manifest as unnecessary cruelty.
TIRBANA LORE Characters who have ranks in Knowledge (arcana) can learn more about tirbanas. When a character makes a successful skill check, the following lore is revealed, including the information from lower DCs.
Knowledge (Arcana) DC Result 11 This creature is a tirbana, a member of a menacing insectile race that invades humanoid settlements. This result reveals all magical beast traits. 16 All tirbanas have highly developed eyes, making them dangerously perceptive and impossible to fl ank. Though capable in combat, tirbanas can send their foes to sleep using poison and magical abilities.
21 Of the four types of tirbanas, the large slayers are the most deadly. However, all these creatures fi ght in concert, using their poison to make foes more susceptible to their sleep effects.
26 Tirbanas put creatures into a deep sleep not for defense, but for reproduction. The bipedal spawner is the leader of a tirbana colony, and the eggs it lays within a magically sleeping host eventually hatch, resulting in the host’s death.
SOCIETY Tirbanas are disciplined and keenly aware of their roles within the hierarchy of the colony. Lesser tirbanas follow the commands of a spawner without question, giving their lives if need be to ensure the colony’s well-being. Eyewing tirbanas work primarily as scouts. Skilled fl yers, they can cover vast territory as they seek out isolated communities for the colony. Once tirbanas have taken over a settlement, eyewings work tirelessly to tend to the health of host creatures. They scour the environs for fresh water, collecting it in specially designed pockets in their legs. They then f lutter back to the colony’s sleeping victims to dribble water into their mouths. Eyewings also give nourishment to smaller or weaker host creatures (typically children) whose Constitution might not be suffi cient to allow a brood of eggs to successfully hatch. From the food it eats, an eyewing disgorges a pasty mass that heals 2 points of Constitution damage when forced down a helpless victim’s throat. However, most hosts are allowed to starve where they lie.
Drowsers come next in the tirbana hierarchy. It falls to these creatures to place the residents of a target settlement into the deep sleep that sees them turned into tirbana hosts. Drowsers spread out in small teams when a settlement is invaded, blanketing victims with their sleep ability. Once a settlement is overrun, drowsers work in coordinated teams, constantly renewing their sleep effect to keep host creatures helpless.
Especially in larger settlements that cannot be taken in one fell swoop, slayers are sent in to deal with any pockets of physical resistance. These warriors tear apart any creatures that attempt to stand in the way of the colony’s survival.
When the battle is done, the corpses of their victims feed the colony as the sleeping host creatures are prepared for implantation.
Heading up the tirbana colony is a single spawner. More intelligent than their lesser kin, spawners understand the fate that awaits the colony once the eggs hatch, and they are the only tirbanas who can truly appreciate the horror that the colony’s host creatures undergo. To a spawner, however, the continued spread of the tirbana race outweighs any other concern.
Though a tirbana colony is strongly lawful, the destruction of the spawner does not leave lesser tirbanas helpless. As long as the spawner has laid any eggs, tirbanas fight for the overall defense of the colony, knowing that the continued survival of their kind depends on their ability to defend the host creatures that are growing the next generation of tirbanas.
Although tirbanas are indifferent to their victims, they reserve a special hatred for elves, whom they fear because of that race’s innate immunity to sleep effects. They instinctively give elf settlements a wide berth, but elves who share territory with humans, halfl ings, and other good humanoid races sometimes send out hunting parties to destroy tirbana colonies before they spread.
SAMPLE LAIR: TIRBANA THORP Before the tirbanas came, Martuk was a peaceful community of fi fty souls in a wide rural realm. Elders passed down the secrets of coaxing plants from the soil for generations. Using these methods, the folk of Martuk have sustained themselves and grown enough surplus to trade with an enclave of wood elves ten miles to the east. The farmers and hunters of this land regard the natural world as an expression of the divine.
They respect nature, killing only out of necessity and ensuring that no part of a creature goes to waste.
The gentle and trusting nature of the residents of Martuk proved to be their downfall, however. When a hunter encountered a tirbana eyewing in the nearby woods, its beauty amazed him. After leading it back to Martuk with offers of food, he showed his fellow townsfolk the graceful creature he had found. Shortly after its arrival, however, the eyewing sped off. Locals saw the creature’s appearance as a sign of providence, and so they kept an eye out in case it or others of its kind returned.
Three days after the initial encounter, return they did. A host of tirbanas poured out of the woods and set upon the town. Eyewings filled the air, while drowsers worked their fell magic to incapacitate the residents. Though a few fought back, they were slain almost to the last (see area 5). It was over quickly. Tirbanas had claimed the community for themselves, and their spawner set about implanting its eggs in the slumbering bodies of the fallen.
Now, the tirbana colony has just about run its course. Half of the new generation of eggs have hatched and as many of the original attackers have collapsed, rotting where they fell. The sight that greets any approaching party is a macabre one. Dismembered and devoured human corpses litter the ground, and a few sluggish tirbanas crawl through the area, awaiting the end. A pervasive stench hangs in the air.
When using this site, seed treasure among the encounters as you see fi t; see Typical Treasure.
Tirbana Husks: Each location marked with tirbana remains indicates a place where a member of the colony succumbed to the death that awaits them all. These repellent remains stink far worse than do the human corpses. Tirbana carcasses weep a pale yellow fl uid from their joints. Each dead tirbana swarms with fl ies.
Trees: The trees around the thorp are medium forest (DMG 87). To a casual observer, this appears to be an ordinary wood. However, a character who succeeds on a DC 15 Knowledge (nature) check knows that this forest is carefully maintained. Any search of the area reveals a number of stone amulets hanging from woven cords in the trees’ lower branches. A DC 20 Knowledge (religion) check suggests that residents placed these ornaments here to ward away evil spirits. 1. River (EL 1–2): The river moves at a brisk pace, and any bodies that fell here have long since washed downstream. The water is potable, but every 10 minutes, 1d4+1 eyewings arrive to gather water for the colony’s sleeping host creatures.
2. Huts (EL 5–7): Eleven huts fi ll the center of the clearing, situated around a bigger structure (area 3). Though largely constructed of mud, wood, and leaves, the huts are sturdy. Their roofs are made of tightly woven reeds, and these structures have a hole in the center through which smoke from a central fi re pit can escape.
Every hut holds 1d4+1 emaciated residents of varying ages and genders. Half their number are in a deep magical slumber, their mouths slack. The other residents are dead and currently being eaten by the hut’s other inhabitants—1d3 tirbana drowsers and a single tirbana slayer.
3. Chieftain’s Hut (EL 8): This large hut once housed the thorp’s chieftain. His remains are spread a few feet away, face down and rotting in the mud. Unlike the smaller structures, this hut is separated by interior walls into four rooms. The tirbana spawner claimed this place as its lair, posting two slayers out front as sentries.
4. Dire Boar Corpse (EL 4): Two drowsers dismember this corpse to bring back as food for the spawner. They have carefully peeled off parts of its bristly skin and carved away hunks of meat that they stacked nearby.
5. Survivors: Against all odds, two residents who were immune to the tirbanas’ sleep attacks managed to fl ee into the woods when the onslaught came. For the last week, Oolasien (CG female elf ranger 4) and her daughter Spyra (CG half-elf ranger 1) have hidden here, surviving on nuts and berries. Oolasien watched her human husband slain in the defense of the thorp, and the destruction of her community has taxed her sanity, leaving her periodically catatonic. With eyewings in constant fl ight around the area, Spyra is afraid to try to move her mother to a safer location. She has noticed the tirbanas have recently begun to die, however, and is preparing to return to the community to fi nd out why.
6. Fields (EL 3): The stench of death has attracted an ankheg, which now lurks beneath the thorp’s fi elds. At night, the monster burrows out of its subterranean nest to snatch a juicy corpse or two. A DC 15 Spot check allows characters to notice that the ground here has been disturbed as if recently dug. A DC 10 Search check reveals the same information, and someone who has the Track feet can make a DC 15 Survival check to identify the creature that has been living and digging here.
TYPICAL TREASURE Tirbanas have no use for wealth, and anything they cannot consume or use is left where it falls. Because tirbanas attack small and out-of-the-way communities, treasure from a tirbana encounter usually takes the form of silver and copper coins, gems, trade goods, and occasional magic items and art objects. These creatures do not carry or hoard treasure, but valuables are found in the areas where tirbanas live.
Eyewings have no treasure, whether they are encountered in the open as scouts or ministering to sleeping host creatures. Drowsers have half standard treasure for their Challenge Rating. Slayers have half standard treasure for their Challenge Rating. Spawners lair in the largest and most secure building in a settlement, such as a chieftain’s hut, a great hall, or where the common wealth of the villagers is stored. They have double standard treasure for their Challenge Rating.
Trade goods found as tirbana treasure are consistent with the size of a village and the area in which it is found. Common trade goods might include livestock and horses that escaped the initial tirbana attack plus salt, furs, linen, fl our, and spices. See Wealth Other than Coins, PH 112.
TIRBANAS IN EBERRON Tirbanas are confined to Xen’drik, where they primarily colonize tribal settlements of lizardfolk. Though more numerous, the drow are immune to the tirbanas’ sleep abilities. Moreover, the tirbana spawners have come to see the xenophobic drow as an impediment to widespread settlement in Xen’drik. Tirbanas in Xen’drik sometimes breed attack swarms of slayers whose only goal is to destroy drow outposts. As a result, the drow have begun to actively hunt tirbanas.
TIRBANAS IN FAERÛN A group of Halruaan explorers recently returned from a foray into the Mhair Jungles beyond the West Wall, telling strange tales of ghost villages overgrown by vines and brush. Though these places showed signs of battle, all were full of skeletons laid out in repose, as if the villagers had simply died in their sleep. The explorers suspect plague, but the wild dwarves of the area claim this to be the work of the tirbanas—strange insect beasts that come to snatch away a sleeper’s soul. So unsettling are these sites that the wild dwarves refuse to go near them.

VERDANT REAVER

A creature resembling animated driftwood shambles into view, roots and undergrowth springing up from the ground where it walks. You hear the creak of twisting wood as it strides forward, thick limbs thrashing the ground as they reach for you.
Verdant Reaver CR 5 Usually N Large plant Init +0; Senses low-light vision; Listen +5, Spot +4 Languages Sylvan AC 16, touch 9, flat-footed 16 (–1 size, +7 natural) hp 63 (6 HD) Immune plant immunities Fort +11, Ref +2, Will +2 Weakness vulnerability to fire Speed 30 ft. (6 squares); woodland stride Melee 2 slams +8 each (1d8+5) Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
Base Atk +4; Grp +13 Atk Options Cleave, Power Attack, Powerful Charge, verdant growth, verdant rend 1d8+7 Abilities Str 20, Dex 10, Con 22, Int 6, Wis 10, Cha 6 SA verdant growth, verdant rend SQ plant traits Feats Cleave, Power Attack, Powerful Charge Skills Listen +5, Spot +4 Advancement 7–12 HD (Large); 13–18 HD (Huge) Woodland Stride (Ex) A verdant reaver can move through any sort of undergrowth (such as natural thorns, briars, overgrown areas, and similar terrain) at its normal speed and without taking damage or suffering any other impairment. However, thorns, briars, and overgrown areas that have been magically manipulated to impede motion still affect it.
Verdant Growth (Su) Squares adjacent to a verdant reaver spring up with low brush and tangled roots, even if they are actually bare stone. It costs 2 squares of movement to enter a square of verdant growth, and the DC of Tumble checks increases by 2 in such squares. This growth also imposes a –2 penalty on Move Silently checks. Squares of verdant growth revert to their normal state as soon as a verdant reaver is no longer adjacent.
Verdant Rend (Ex) If both of a verdant reaver’s slams hit a single target that is touching the ground and adjacent to the reaver, verdant growth tears at that target, dealing an extra 1d8+7 points of damage.
Those who live their lives in the service of a dryad become changed over time, becoming one with the natural world of their mistress. In the end, they are transformed into verdant reavers, losing all memory of their former lives as they become thralls of the fey.
STRATEGIES AND TACTICS A verdant reaver typically begins combat with a Powerful Charge to measure a foe’s relative strength. Against weaker melee threats or creatures that have reach, a verdant reaver tries to remain adjacent to make use of its verdant rend ability. Foes that make multiple attacks in melee are instead kept 5 feet away, forcing them to move into the area of the reaver’s verdant growth if they wish to attack. Since this movement cannot be accomplished with merely a 5-foot step, such foes cannot make a full attack. Additionally, they might provoke an attack of opportunity when they move through the verdant reaver’s threatened area.
SAMPLE ENCOUNTER Verdant reavers are typically encountered with their dryad mistresses or some other controller. However, since they are not bound to a particular tree as dryads are, they can range a considerable distance as they carry out their mistress’s commands.
Mistaken Identity (EL 9): A pair of dryads (MM 90) has mistaken the PCs for the woodcutters who slew their sister. The dryads’ three verdant reaver servants launch an attack while the dryads hang back using tree shape.
After 1 round of combat, the dryads take their normal forms and use tree stride to move behind the PCs. From that position, they use suggestion against spellcasters and try to catch other characters with deep slumber or entangle, taking care to avoid the verdant reavers in the process.
The PCs might be able to talk to the dryads and end the fight, but the verdant reavers stop attacking only if a dryad orders them to.
ECOLOGY When a dryad charms a humanoid creature to her service, that creature slowly begins to absorb the essence of his fey mistress and the forest she defends. The life of a dryad’s thrall is a harsh one. Such creatures experience all the wildness of the weather and the changing of the seasons, pqqqqqqqqqrs VERDANT REAVER LORE Characters who have ranks in Knowledge (nature) can learn more about verdant reavers. When a character makes a successful skill check, the following lore is revealed, including the information from lower DCs.
Knowledge (Nature) DC Result 15 This creature is a verdant reaver, a plant creature transformed from a subject enthralled to the service of the fey.
20 Verdant reavers are born of creatures charmed by a dryad. They defend their dryad mistresses fi ercely, but they are sometimes found wandering in search of a new mistress to serve.
25 A verdant reaver causes a riot of plant growth in the nearby area. This growth impedes the movement of creatures attacking it and can deal extra damage to those struck by the verdant reaver.
and they are forced to scramble for shelter, warmth, and food. Thralls must also survive the tasks their dryads set for them, including defending the dryad from threats, delivering messages to other dryads in the area, and searching through the forest for shiny stones, weathered wood, and other items that strike the dryad’s fancy.
If a humanoid survives this treatment for a year and a day (and assuming the dryad does not simply grow bored and dismiss him), he awakens to fi nd himself rooted to the ground. His transformation into a plant creature takes place over the course of that day. The creature’s hair falls out, and his skin takes on the texture of bark. The thrall’s dryad mistress might attempt to comfort him during this distressing and painful process. Attempting to cut or tear the creature from the ground kills it instantly, but a remove disease or remove curse spell frees the thrall from the transformation process.
If not freed before sundown, the thrall becomes a verdant reaver, forgetting nearly all its past life and possessing undying loyalty to the dryad who created it.
Evil and neutral dryads delight in creating verdant reaver servants, seeking out those hapless souls who pass too close to their domains. Good dryads rarely make verdant reavers intentionally, sometimes discovering the process only after a romantic attraction to a humanoid turns to dark possessiveness. Thereafter, a good dryad creates a verdant reaver only if she believes a thrall is worthy of the punishment.
Freeing a thrall from a dryad can be a simple matter of dispelling the charm effect that binds it, but such creatures can also be easily freed while they sleep. A dryad’s charm person spell-like ability normally lasts 6 hours and can be used three times per day. This leaves a 6-hour period during which the thrall is free of the dryad’s charm. Dryads typically use suggestion to order the thrall to sleep and take shelter until morning, whereupon the dryad can renew her charm. If approached and awakened during this period, a thrall might be easily convinced to escape its servitude.
Environment: Verdant reavers live primarily in the temperate forests where dryads are found. However, those that have broken with or been dismissed by their dryad mistresses wander far afi eld in search of another mistress to obey and protect.
If properly commanded and treated well, a verdant reaver might follow a new mistress even out of its normal forest environment. Rumors sometimes tell of these creatures living entirely underground as the servants of strange druid sects.
Typical Physical Characteristics: Weighing 600 to 1,000 pounds, verdant reavers resemble animated fallen logs or driftwood more than living plants.
They stand 12 to 15 feet tall, but their hunched posture makes them appear slightly shorter.
Alignment: Verdant reavers are creatures of raw nature, so they have no moral connection to their former lives or even the dryads who created them. They are almost always neutral.
SOCIETY Once its transformation is complete, a verdant reaver loses almost all connection to the being it once was. As creatures devoted to the individual dryads who created them, verdant reavers have no society of their own. However, they all share common traits. Verdant reavers must serve a mistress—a female creature (or one that appears to be female) willing to give the verdant reaver orders. In the absence of its creator dryad, a verdant reaver seeks out another mistress.
Verdant reavers in search of a new mistress seek out nymphs, sprites, and forest-dwelling humanoids who commonly speak Sylvan, such as druids and elves. If it goes without a mistress for a year and a day, a verdant reaver dies.
In the service of the fey or other creatures that protect nature, these creatures can live indefi nitely.
TYPICAL TREASURE Verdant reavers have little use for treasure, but they are compelled to collect valuables. They give this wealth to their mistresses as tribute. A verdant reaver without a mistress carries its treasure in the hollows of its barklike skin. Verdant reavers have half standard treasure for their Challenge Rating, mostly in gems and magic items.
VINESPAWN As you approach it, the vine-covered tree before you suddenly shudders.
A towering mass of tendrils peels away from the trunk to form a distinct creature, the tight mesh of its vine form thrashing as it lurches toward you.
Vinespawn CR 7 Usually N Large plant Init +5; Senses low-light vision; Listen +3, Spot +4 Languages — AC 18, touch 14, flat-footed 13; Dodge, Mobility (–1 size, +5 Dex, +4 natural) hp 102 (12 HD); DR 5/slashing Immune plant immunities Weakness vulnerability to fire Fort +11, Ref +11, Will +4 Speed 30 ft. (6 squares), climb 30 ft.
Melee 2 slams +14 each (1d8+6) Ranged vine net +13 touch (entangle) Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
Base Atk +9; Grp +19 Atk Options Power Attack Special Actions engulf, spawning Abilities Str 22, Dex 21, Con 17, Int 5, Wis 10, Cha 12 SA engulf, spawning SQ plant traits Feats Dodge, Improved Natural Attack (slam), Lightning Reflexes, Mobility, Power Attack Skills Climb +14, Hide +14 (+22 in forest), Listen +3, Move Silently +8, Spot +4 Advancement 13–24 HD (Large); 25–36 HD (Huge) Vine Net (Ex) A vinespawn can hurl parts of its body up to 30 feet as a ranged attack. Each of these tightly wound balls of vine opens in flight to form a net that can entangle a creature up to one size category larger than the vinespawn. A vinespawn can create one vine net per day for every 4 Hit Dice that it has (normally three per day).
Engulf (Ex) As a standard action, a vinespawn can flow over Medium or smaller creatures, entrapping them within its form. The vinespawn simply moves into the opponents’ space; any creature whose space it completely covers is subject to the engulf attack. A vinespawn cannot make slam or vine net attacks during a round in which it engulfs. It can engulf as many creatures as can fit in its space.
Opponents can make attacks of opportunity against a vinespawn, but if they do they are not entitled to a saving throw. Those who do not attempt attacks of opportunity must succeed on a DC 18 Reflex save or be engulfed; on a success, a creature moves aside or back (opponent’s choice) to move out of the vinespawn’s path. The save DC is Strength-based.
As a swift action, a vinespawn can crush engulfed creatures, dealing 2d6+12 points of nonlethal damage.
Engulfed creatures are considered grappled and trapped within the vinespawn’s body, but they can attempt to damage the vinespawn or escape from it as with a normal grapple. A vinespawn is not considered to be grappling when it has engulfed a creature, and it cannot be pinned by an engulfed creature.
A creature engulfed by a vinespawn is subject to any area effect to which the vinespawn is subjected. Grappled and engulfed creatures lose any Dexterity bonus to AC but gain a +4 bonus on Reflex saves for having cover.
An engulfed creature takes half damage from any attack that deals piercing damage to the vinespawn. This half damage is calculated before the vinespawn’s damage reduction is applied to the attack.
A vinespawn can choose to expel engulfed creatures as a standard action. If a vinespawn is killed, any engulfed creatures are freed.
Spawning (Ex) As a standard action, a vinespawn can attempt to insert its spawning root down the throat of an engulfed humanoid, monstrous humanoid, or giant.
An unconscious engulfed creature cannot resist the spawning root. A vinespawn must succeed on a grapple check to infect any other creature. The engulfed creature takes 1d6+8 points of damage as the thorny appendage burrows into its stomach. The presence of a spawning root prevents talking, the casting of any spells with verbal components, and other activities requiring speech.
Removing a spawning root requires a successful grapple check by the creature invaded by the root, but doing so deals an extra 1d6 points of damage. If the vinespawn is killed, the spawning root can be removed without dealing damage.
A spawning root nourishes an unconscious creature, keeping it breathing while the vinespawn uses periodic swift actions to deal nonlethal damage and keep the target unconscious. If the target creature is left in this state for 1 day, vines grow through its veins. On the fourth day in this state, the victim dies as an adult vinespawn exits the body of its parent.
A vinespawn that is attacked during the spawning process can fight back but cannot move without disengaging its spawning root. Only if reduced to 20 or fewer hit points does it break off, disengaging the vine, dealing damage as above, and fleeing with engulfed creatures in tow.
If extracted before the fourth day, the victim is sickened even when returned to consciousness. Such victims die in 2d4 days unless remove disease is used to destroy the vines that can be seen growing beneath their skin.
pqqqqqqqqqrs VINESPAWN LORE Characters who have ranks in Knowledge (nature) can learn more about vinespawns. When a character makes a successful skill check, the following lore is revealed, including the information from lower DCs.
Knowledge (Nature) DC Result 17 This mobile mass of vines is a vinespawn, a skilled and cunning hunter.
22 A vinespawn has a vicious slam attack and can hurl parts of its own body at opponents as vine nets. It can engulf opponents by simply rolling over them, trapping and crushing creatures within the mesh of its body.
27 Vinespawns do not feed on living creatures, but those they hunt meet a more grisly fate.
Vinespawns reproduce by spawning within a living host, which becomes a new vinespawn after four days.
Skills Vinespawns have a +8 racial bonus on Climb checks and Hide checks. They can choose to take 10 on Climb checks even if rushed or threatened. In forested areas, a vinespawn’s racial bonus on Hide checks increases to +16.
Creatures of the deep woodlands, vinespawns are cunning hunters who strike without warning.
STRATEGIES AND TACTICS Vinespawns prefer to ambush prey, and they usually flee from a fight in which they are at a disadvantage from the start.
Vinespawns initiate combat by hurling vine nets at those bearing slashing weapons, then charge into melee.
A vinespawn batters its opponents with slams, engulfing any creatures it can. It uses further vine nets to hinder ranged attackers and fl anking foes.
When it has rendered an engulfed victim unconscious, a vinespawn retreats into the surrounding trees.
Once it is in a place of safety, a vinespawn engages in spawning. Unless attacked, the vinespawn stays hidden until the process is complete.
SAMPLE ENCOUNTERS Vinespawns are cunning hunters driven solely by their need to spawn. Vinespawns typically dwell alone in the deep forest, though groups of these creatures are known to lurk along trade routes. Such groups typically number six or fewer vinespawns, led by the largest and most aggressive specimen. The members of larger packs inevitably turn on each other in their competition for suitable spawning hosts and space.
Creeping Death (EL 7): A single vinespawn lurks in the trees near a well-traveled path, waiting for unsuspecting creatures to pass beneath it. Once it has engulfed its prey, it returns to its nearby lair.
Bivouac Bushwack (EL 11): Four vinespawns lurk in the woodlands around an established campsite. Though merchant caravans and adventurers regularly stop here, no travelers have been through the area in a number of weeks.
Members of the pack are growing bold.
The vinespawns attack when campers settle in for the night. When battle begins, three of the creatures hurl vine nets from different directions before charging. The fourth hangs back to use its vine nets against those who fl ee or who deal signifi cant damage with ranged attacks.
ECOLOGY As plant creatures, vinespawns do not hunt for food. They are thus indifferent to the birds and animals sharing their woodlands. Only Small or larger creatures are suitable for spawning, so vinespawns ignore all others.
During the day, vinespawns sun themselves on the highest boughs of the trees they call home, keeping watch for suitable prey. As dusk falls, they creep forth to seek water in secluded pools and streams, and then they begin to hunt.
Environment: Vinespawns dwell in vine-choked groves of tall trees in temperate and warm forests. Within the vines, they fashion intricate nests that have several distinct chambers. The nests of a vinespawn pack are interconnected. In areas where vine growth rises well above the ground, vinespawn nests rise with it. These creatures sometimes lair high in the forest canopy, spawning safely out of reach of any threats.
Typical Physical Characteristics: Vinespawns are towering creatures composed of living vines in a tightly woven mesh. Their bodies are supple but strong.
A vinespawn stands 12 feet tall and weighs 1,500 pounds.
Alignment: Vinespawns are creatures focused only on the need to spawn. They are neutral.
SOCIETY When strong winds batter the forest, vinespawns climb to the highest branches of their tree sanctuaries. There, they contort their bodies to catch and funnel the wind, creating a cacophony of strange wailing sounds that can be heard for miles. Though the creatures’ reasons for doing so remain a mystery, they do so in unison. Those who hear these sounds describe them as the cries of the damned. Numerous stories of haunted woodlands have no doubt been inspired by the presence of vinespawns.
TYPICAL TREASURE Vinespawns have no interest in treasure, but the gear of those they have engulfed sometimes remains caught up in the tight vine mesh of their bodies. Such gear might include weapons, jewelry, and magic items. Vinespawns have standard treasure for their Challenge Rating.
.

APE

Large Animal
Hit Dice: 4d8+11 (29 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares), climb 30 ft.
Armor Class: 14 (â€“1 size, +2 Dex, +3 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+12
Attack: Claws +7 melee (1d6+5)
Full Attack: 2 claws +7 melee (1d6+5) and bite +2 melee (1d6+2)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks: â€”
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +6, Ref +6, Will +2
Abilities: Str 21, Dex 15, Con 14, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 7
Skills: Climb +14, Listen +6, Spot +6
Feats: Alertness, Toughness
Environment: Warm forests
Organization: Solitary, pair, or company (3â€“5)
Challenge Rating: 2
Advancement: 5â€“8 HD (Large)
Level Adjustment: â€”
These powerful omnivores resemble gorillas but are far more aggressive; they kill and eat anything they can catch. An adult male ape is 5-1/2 to 6 feet tall and weighs 300 to 400 pounds.

Combat

Skills: Apes have a +8 racial bonus on Climb checks and can always choose to take 10 on Climb checks, even if rushed or threatened.

BADGER

Small Animal
Hit Dice: 1d8+2 (6 hp)
Initiative: +3
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares), burrow 10 ft.
Armor Class: 15 (+1 size, +3 Dex, +1 natural), touch 14, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +0/â€“5
Attack: Claw +4 melee (1d2â€“1)
Full Attack: 2 claws +4 melee (1d2â€“1) and bite â€“1 melee (1d3â€“1)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Rage
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +4, Ref +5, Will +1
Abilities: Str 8, Dex 17, Con 15, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 6
Skills: Escape Artist +9, Listen +3, Spot +3
Feats: Agile, Track^B, Weapon Finesse^B
Environment: Temperate forests
Organization: Solitary, pair, or cete (3â€“5)
Challenge Rating: 1/2
Advancement: 2 HD (Small)
Level Adjustment: â€”
The badger is a furry animal with a squat, powerful body. Its strong forelimbs are armed with long claws for digging.
An adult badger is 2 to 3 feet long and weighs 25 to 35 pounds.

Combat

Badgers attack with their sharp claws and teeth.

Rage (Ex): A badger that takes damage in combat flies into a berserk rage on its next turn, clawing and biting madly until either it or its opponent is dead. It gains +4 to Strength, +4 to Constitution, and â€“2 to Armor Class. The creature cannot end its rage voluntarily.

Skills: A badger has a +4 racial bonus on Escape Artist checks.

BEAR, BLACK

Medium Animal
Hit Dice: 3d8+6 (19 hp)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares)
Armor Class: 13 (+1 Dex, +2 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +2/+6
Attack: Claw +6 melee (1d4+4)
Full Attack: 2 claws +6 melee (1d4+4) and bite +1 melee (1d6+2)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: â€”
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +5, Ref +4, Will +2
Abilities: Str 19, Dex 13, Con 15, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 6
Skills: Climb +4, Listen +4, Spot +4, Swim +8
Feats: Endurance, Run
Environment: Temperate forests
Organization: Solitary or pair
Challenge Rating: 2
Advancement: 4â€“5 HD (Medium)
Level Adjustment: â€”
The black bear is a forest-dwelling omnivore that usually is not dangerous unless an interloper threatens its cubs or food supply.
Black bears can be pure black, blond, or cinnamon in color and are rarely more than 5 feet long.

Combat

Black bears rip prey with their claws and teeth.

Skills: A black bear has a +4 racial bonus on Swim checks.

BEAR, BROWN

Large Animal
Hit Dice: 6d8+24 (51 hp)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares)
Armor Class: 15 (â€“1 size, +1 Dex, +5 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +4/+16
Attack: Claw +11 melee (1d8+8)
Full Attack: 2 claws +11 melee (1d8+8) and bite +6 melee (2d6+4)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Improved grab
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +9, Ref +6, Will +3
Abilities: Str 27, Dex 13, Con 19, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 6
Skills: Listen +4, Spot +7, Swim +12
Feats: Endurance, Run, Track
Environment: Cold forests
Organization: Solitary or pair
Challenge Rating: 4
Advancement: 7â€“10 HD (Large)
Level Adjustment: â€”
These massive carnivores weigh more than 1,800 pounds and stand nearly 9 feet tall when they rear up on their hind legs. They are bad-tempered and territorial. The brown bearâ€™s statistics can be used for almost any big bear, including the grizzly.

Combat

A brown bear attacks mainly by tearing at opponents with its claws.

Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a brown bear must hit with a claw attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity.

Skills: A brown bear has a +4 racial bonus on Swim checks.

BOAR

Medium Animal
Hit Dice: 3d8+12 (25 hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares)
Armor Class: 16 (+6 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 16
Base Attack/Grapple: +2/+4
Attack: Gore +4 melee (1d8+3)
Full Attack: Gore +4 melee (1d8+3)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Ferocity
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +6, Ref +3, Will +2
Abilities: Str 15, Dex 10, Con 17, Int 2, Wis 13, Cha 4
Skills: Listen +7, Spot +5
Feats: Alertness, Toughness
Environment: Temperate forests
Organization: Solitary or herd (5â€“8)
Challenge Rating: 2
Advancement: 4â€“5 HD (Medium)
Level Adjustment: â€”
Though not carnivores, these wild swine are bad-tempered and usually charge anyone who disturbs them.
A boar is covered in coarse, grayish-black fur. Adult males are about 4 feet long and 3 feet high at the shoulder.

Combat

Ferocity (Ex): A boar is such a tenacious combatant that it continues to fight without penalty even while disabled or dying.

EAGLE

Small Animal
Hit Dice: 1d8+1 (5 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 10 ft. (2 squares), fly 80 ft. (average)
Armor Class: 14 (+1 size, +2 Dex, +1 natural), touch 13, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +0/â€“4
Attack: Talons +3 melee (1d4)
Full Attack: 2 talons +3 melee (1d4) and bite â€“2 melee (1d4)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: â€”
Special Qualities: Low-light vision
Saves: Fort +3, Ref +4, Will +2
Abilities: Str 10, Dex 15, Con 12, Int 2, Wis 14, Cha 6
Skills: Listen +4, Spot +16
Feats: Alertness, Weapon Finesse^B
Environment: Temperate mountains
Organization: Solitary or pair
Challenge Rating: 1/2
Advancement: 2â€“3 HD (Medium)
Level Adjustment: â€”
These birds of prey inhabit nearly every terrain and climate, though they all prefer high, secluded nesting spots.
A typical eagle is about 3 feet long and has a wingspan of about 7 feet. The statistics presented here can describe any similar-sized, diurnal bird of prey.

Combat

Eagles dive at prey, raking with their powerful talons.

Skills: Eagles have a +8 racial bonus on Spot checks.

HAWK

Tiny Animal
Hit Dice: 1d8 (4 hp)
Initiative: +3
Speed: 10 ft. (2 squares), fly 60 ft. (average)
Armor Class: 17 (+2 size, +3 Dex, +2 natural), touch 15, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +0/â€“10
Attack: Talons +5 melee (1d4â€“2)
Full Attack: Talons +5 melee (1d4â€“2)
Space/Reach: 2-1/2 ft./0 ft.
Special Attacks: â€”
Special Qualities: Low-light vision
Saves: Fort +2, Ref +5, Will +2
Abilities: Str 6, Dex 17, Con 10, Int 2, Wis 14, Cha 6
Skills: Listen +4, Spot +16
Feats: Alertness, Weapon Finesse^B
Environment: Temperate forests
Organization: Solitary or pair
Challenge Rating: 1/3
Advancement: â€”
Level Adjustment: â€”

These creatures are similar to eagles but slightly smaller: 1 to 2 feet long, with wingspans of 6 feet or less.

Combat

Hawks combine both talons into a single attack.

Skills: Hawks have a +8 racial bonus on Spot checks.

LEOPARD

Medium Animal
Hit Dice: 3d8+6 (19 hp)
Initiative: +4
Speed: 40 ft (8 squares), climb 20 ft.
Armor Class: 15 (+4 Dex, +1 natural), touch 14, flat-footed 11
Base Attack/Grapple: +2/+5
Attack: Bite +6 melee (1d6+3)
Full Attack: Bite +6 melee (1d6+3) and 2 claws +1 melee (1d3+1)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Improved grab, pounce, rake 1d3+1
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +5, Ref +7, Will +2
Abilities: Str 16, Dex 19, Con 15, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 6
Skills: Balance +12, Climb +11, Hide +8*, Jump +11, Listen +6, Move Silently +8, Spot +6
Feats: Alertness, Weapon Finesse
Environment: Warm forests
Organization: Solitary or pair
Challenge Rating: 2
Advancement: 4â€“5 HD (Medium)
Level Adjustment: â€”
These jungle cats are about 4 feet long and weigh about 120 pounds. They usually hunt at night.
The statistics presented here can describe any feline of similar size, such as jaguars, panthers, and mountain lions.

Combat

Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a leopard must hit 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 rake.

Pounce (Ex): If a leopard charges a foe, it can make a full attack, including two rake attacks.

Rake (Ex): Attack bonus +6 melee, damage 1d3+1.

Skills: Leopards have a +8 racial bonus on Jump checks and a +4 racial bonus on Hide and Move Silently checks. Leopards have a +8 racial bonus on Balance and Climb checks. A leopard can always choose to take 10 on a Climb check, even if rushed or threatened. *In areas of tall grass or heavy undergrowth, the Hide bonus improves to +8.

MONKEY

Tiny Animal
Hit Dice: 1d8 (4 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares), climb 30 ft.
Armor Class: 14 (+2 size, +2 Dex), touch 14, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +0/â€“12
Attack: Bite +4 melee (1d3â€“4)
Full Attack: Bite +4 melee (1d3â€“4)
Space/Reach: 2-1/2 ft./0 ft.
Special Attacks: â€”
Special Qualities: Low-light vision
Saves: Fort +2, Ref +4, Will +1
Abilities: Str 3, Dex 15, Con 10, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 5
Skills: Balance + 12, Climb +10, Hide +10, Listen +3, Spot +3
Feats: Agile, Weapon Finesse^B
Environment: Warm forests
Organization: Troop (10â€“40)
Challenge Rating: 1/6
Advancement: 2â€“3 HD (Small)
Level Adjustment: â€”
The statistics presented here can describe any arboreal monkey that is no bigger than a housecat, such as a colobus or capuchin.

Combat

Monkeys generally flee into the safety of the trees, but if cornered can fight ferociously.

Skills: Monkeys have a +8 racial bonus on Balance and Climb checks. They can always choose to take 10 on Climb checks, even if rushed or threatened. They use their Dexterity modifier instead of their Strength modifier for Climb checks.

OWL

Tiny Animal
Hit Dice: 1d8 (4 hp)
Initiative: +3
Speed: 10 ft. (2 squares), fly 40 ft. (average)
Armor Class: 17 (+2 size, +3 Dex, +2 natural), touch 15, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +0/â€“11
Attack: Talons +5 melee (1d4â€“3)
Full Attack: Talons +5 melee (1d4â€“3)
Space/Reach: 2-1/2 ft./0 ft.
Special Attacks: â€”
Special Qualities: Low-light vision
Saves: Fort +2, Ref +5, Will +2
Abilities: Str 4, Dex 17, Con 10, Int 2, Wis 14, Cha 4
Skills: Listen +16, Move Silently +17, Spot +8*
Feats: Alertness, Weapon Finesse^B
Environment: Temperate forests
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 1/4
Advancement: 2 HD (Small)
Level Adjustment: â€”
The statistics presented here describe nocturnal birds of prey from 1 to 2 feet long, with wingspans up to 6 feet. They combine both talons into a single attack.

Combat

Owls swoop quietly down onto prey, attacking with their powerful talons.

Skills: Owls have a +8 racial bonus on Listen checks and a +14 racial bonus on Move Silently checks. *They have a +8 racial bonus on Spot checks in areas of shadowy illumination.

RAT

Tiny Animal
Hit Dice: 1/4 d8 (1 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 15 ft. (3 squares), climb 15 ft., swim 15 ft.
Armor Class: 14 (+2 size, +2 Dex), touch 14, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +0/â€“12
Attack: Bite +4 melee (1d3â€“4)
Full Attack: Bite +4 melee (1d3â€“4)
Space/Reach: 2-1/2 ft./0 ft.
Special Attacks: â€”
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +2, Ref +4, Will +1
Abilities: Str 2, Dex 15, Con 10, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 2
Skills: Balance +10, Climb +12, Hide +16, Move Silently +12, Swim +10
Feats: Stealthy, Weapon Finesse^B
Environment: Any
Organization: Plague (10â€“100)
Challenge Rating: 1/8
Advancement: â€”
Level Adjustment: â€”
These omnivorous rodents thrive almost anywhere.

Combat

Rats usually run away. They bite only as a last resort.

Skills: Rats have a +4 racial bonus on Hide and Move Silently checks, and a +8 racial bonus on Balance, Climb, and Swim checks. A rat can always choose to take 10 on Climb checks, even if rushed or threatened.
A rat uses its Dexterity modifier instead of its Strength modifier for Climb and Swim checks.
A rat 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.

RAT

Combat

Rats usually run away. They bite only as a last resort.

RAVEN

Tiny Animal
Hit Dice: 1/4 d8 (1 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 10 ft. (2 squares), fly 40 ft. (average)
Armor Class: 14 (+2 size, +2 Dex), touch 14, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +0/â€“13
Attack: Claws +4 melee (1d2â€“5)
Full Attack: Claws +4 melee (1d2â€“5)
Space/Reach: 2-1/2 ft./0 ft.
Special Attacks: â€”
Special Qualities: Low-light vision
Saves: Fort +2, Ref +4, Will +2
Abilities: Str 1, Dex 15, Con 10, Int 2, Wis 14, Cha 6
Skills: Listen +5, Spot +7
Feats: Alertness, Weapon Finesse^B
Environment: Temperate forests
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 1/6
Advancement: â€”
Level Adjustment: â€”
These glossy black birds are about 2 feet long and have wingspans of about 4 feet. They combine both claws into a single attack.
The statistics presented here can describe most nonpredatory birds of similar size

Constrictor Snake

Medium Animal
Hit Dice: 3d8+6 (19 hp)
Initiative: +3
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares), climb 20 ft., swim 20 ft.
Armor Class: 15 (+3 Dex, +2 natural), touch 13, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +2/+5
Attack: Bite +5 melee (1d3+4)
Full Attack: Bite +5 melee (1d3+4)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Constrict 1d3+4, improved grab
Special Qualities: Scent
Saves: Fort +4, Ref +6, Will +2
Abilities: Str 17, Dex 17, Con 13, Int 1, Wis 12, Cha 2
Skills: Balance +11, Climb +14, Hide +10, Listen +7, Spot +7, Swim +11
Feats: Alertness, Toughness
Environment: Warm forests
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 2
Advancement: 4â€“5 HD (Medium); 6â€“10 HD (Large)
Level Adjustment: â€”
Constrictor snakes usually are not aggressive and flee when confronted. They hunt for food but do not attempt to make a meal out of any creature that is too large to constrict.

Combat

Constrictor snakes hunt by grabbing prey with their mouths and then squeezing it with their powerful bodies.

Constrict (Ex): On a successful grapple check, a constrictor snake deals 1d3+4 points of damage.

Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a constrictor snake must hit 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 constrict.

Constrictor Snake, Giant

Huge Animal
Hit Dice: 11d8+14 (63 hp)
Initiative: +3
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares), climb 20 ft., swim 20 ft.
Armor Class: 15 (â€“2 size, +3 Dex, +4 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +8/+23
Attack: Bite +13 melee (1d8+10)
Full Attack: Bite +13 melee (1d8+10)
Space/Reach: 15 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks: Constrict 1d8+10, improved grab
Special Qualities: Scent
Saves: Fort +8, Ref +10, Will +4
Abilities: Str 25, Dex 17, Con 13, Int 1, Wis 12, Cha 2
Skills: Balance +11, Climb +17, Hide +10, Listen +9, Spot +9, Swim +16
Feats: Alertness, Endurance, Skill Focus (Hide), Toughness
Environment: Warm forests
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 5
Advancement: 12â€“16 HD (Huge); 17â€“33 HD (Gargantuan)
Level Adjustment: â€”
Giant constrictor snakes are more aggressive than their smaller cousins, principally because they need a great amount of food to survive.

TIGER

Large Animal
Hit Dice: 6d8+18 (45 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares)
Armor Class: 14 (â€“1 size, +2 Dex, +3 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +4/+14
Attack: Claw +9 melee (1d8+6)
Full Attack: 2 claws +9 melee (1d8+6) and bite +4 melee (2d6+3)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Improved grab, pounce, rake 1d8+3
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +8, Ref +7, Will +3
Abilities: Str 23, Dex 15, Con 17, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 6
Skills: Balance +6, Hide +3*, Listen +3, Move Silently +9, Spot +3, Swim +11
Feats: Alertness, Improved Natural Weapon (bite), and Improved Natural Weapon (claw).
Environment: Warm forests
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 4
Advancement: 7â€“12 HD (Large); 13â€“18 HD (Huge)
Level Adjustment: â€”
These great cats stand more than 3 feet tall at the shoulder and are about 9 feet long. They weigh from 400 to 600 pounds.

Combat

Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a tiger must hit with a claw or 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 rake.

Pounce (Ex): If a tiger charges a foe, it can make a full attack, including two rake attacks.

Rake (Ex): Attack bonus +9 melee, damage 1d8+3.

Skills: Tigers have a +4 racial bonus on Balance, Hide, and Move Silently checks. *In areas of tall grass or heavy undergrowth, the Hide bonus improves to +8.

WOLF

Medium Animal
Hit Dice: 2d8+4 (13 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 50 ft. (10 squares)
Armor Class: 14 (+2 Dex, +2 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +1/+2
Attack: Bite +3 melee (1d6+1)
Full Attack: Bite +3 melee (1d6+1)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Trip
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +5, Ref +5, Will +1
Abilities: Str 13, Dex 15, Con 15, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 6
Skills: Hide +2, Listen +3, Move Silently +3, Spot +3, Survival +1*
Feats: TrackB, Weapon Focus (bite)
Environment: Temperate forests
Organization: Solitary, pair, or pack (7â€“16)
Challenge Rating: 1
Advancement: 3 HD (Medium); 4â€“6 HD (Large)
Level Adjustment: â€”
Wolves are pack hunters known for their persistence and cunning.

Combat

A favorite tactic is to send a few individuals against the foeâ€™s front while the rest of the pack circles and attacks from the flanks or rear.

Trip (Ex): A wolf that hits with a bite attack can attempt to trip the opponent (+1 check modifier) as a free action without making a touch attack or provoking an attack of opportunity. If the attempt fails, the opponent cannot react to trip the wolf.

Skills: *Wolves have a +4 racial bonus on Survival checks when tracking by scent.

WOLVERINE

Medium Animal
Hit Dice: 3d8+15 (28 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares), burrow 10 ft., climb 10 ft.
Armor Class: 14 (+2 Dex, +2 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +2/+4
Attack: Claw +4 melee (1d4+2)
Full Attack: 2 claws +4 melee (1d4+2) and bite â€“1 melee (1d6+1)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Rage
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +7, Ref +5, Will +2
Abilities: Str 14, Dex 15, Con 19, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 10
Skills: Climb +10, Listen +6, Spot +6
Feats: Alertness, Toughness, TrackB
Environment: Cold forests
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 2
Advancement: 4â€“5 HD (Large)
Level Adjustment: â€”
These creatures are similar to badgers but are bigger, stronger, and even more ferocious.

Combat

Rage (Ex): A wolverine that takes damage in combat flies into a berserk rage on its next turn, clawing and biting madly until either it or its opponent is dead. It gains +4 to Strength, +4 to Constitution, and â€“2 to Armor Class. The creature cannot end its rage voluntarily.

Skills: Wolverines have a +8 racial bonus on Climb checks and can always choose to take 10 on Climb checks, even if rushed or threatened.

RUIN SWARM

Tiny Vermin (Swarm)

Hit Dice: 50d8+500 (725 hp)
Initiative: +16
Speed: 20 ft., climb 20 ft., fly 90 ft. (perfect) They can only fly every 3rd round (EMF)
Armor Class: 30 (+2 size, +16 Dex, +2 natural), touch 28, flatfooted 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +37/-
Attack: Swarm (5d6)
Full Attack: Swarm (5d6)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./0 ft.
Special Attacks: Blinding, distraction (DC 45)
Special Qualities: Blindsense, fast healing 15, swarm traits, vermin traits
Saves: Fort +37, Ref +34, Will +22
Abilities: Str 3, Dex 42, Con 30, Int-, Wis 23, Cha 32
Environment: Any
Organization: Solitary, cloud (2-4 swarms), or plague (5-8 swarms)
Challenge Rating: 23
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: None
COMBAT A ruin swarm has only one tactic: swoop in and engulf any creature, in order to feed its never-ending hunger. They have no clear front or back and are therefore not subject to critical hits or flanking. Oozes are blind but have the blindsight special quality. They have no Intelligence scoresand are therefore immune to all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects).
Engulf (Ex): A ruin swarm has only to fly into the area occupied by any Gargantuan or smaller creature to engulf it. Alternatively, a ruin swarm can change its shape as a move-equivalent action in order to engulf a creature. (For instance, it can flatten itself into a blunt cylindrical shape with a side-to-side diameter of 200 feet but a height of only 10 feet.) In effect, treat the swarm as a spread effect that moves under its own volition. Creatures that enter the swarm’s space or who are engulfed by the swarm’s movement take 6d6 points of damage (Reflex DC 46 half). Creatures must save each round they remain within the swarm’s space. Concentration checks are necessary to cast spells while engulfed.
Besides taking damage every round, creatures within the ruin swarm are buffeted by the swarming, stinging vermin. They cannot see (not even with darkvision) and are slowed to one-half normal movement.
Creatures attempting to run must succeed at a Reflex save (DC 46) or fall down.
Creatures killed by being engulfed are stripped of all flesh, and only a few bones remain (if the victim had bones).
Blinding (Ex): Any living creature that begins its turn with a ruin swarm in its space must make a Fortitude save (DC 51) or be blinded for one round. The save DC is Dexterity-based.
Blindsense (Ex): The ruin swarm notices and locates creatures within 200 ft. Opponents still have 100% concealment against the swarm (but swarm attacks ignore concealment).
Distraction (Ex): Any living creature vulnerable to the swarm’s damage that begins its turn with a swarm in its square is nauseated for 1 round; a DC 45 Fortitude save negates the effect. Even with a successful save, spellcasting or concentrating on spells within the area of a swarm requires a Concentration check (DC 20 + spell level). Using skills requiring patience and concentration requires a Concentration check (DC 20). The save DC is Constitution-based.
Swarm Traits: A swarm has no clear front or back and no discernable anatomy, so it is not subject to critical hits or flanking. A swarm made up of Tiny creatures takes half damage from slashing and piercing weapons.
Reducing a swarm to 0 hit points or fewer causes the swarm to break up, though damage taken until that point does not degrade its ability to attack or resist attack. Swarms are never staggered or reduced to a dying state by damage. Also, they cannot be tripped, grappled, or bull rushed, and they cannot grapple another.
A swarm is immune to any spell or effect that targets a specific number of creatures (including single-target spells such as disintegrate), with the exception of mind-affecting effects if the swarm has an intelligence score and a hive mind. A swarm takes a -10 penalty on saving throws against spells or effects that affect an area, such as many evocation spells or grenadelike weapons. If the area effect attack does not allow a saving throw, the swarm takes double damage instead.
A swarm rendered unconscious by means of subdual damage becomes disorganized and dispersed, and does not re-form until its hit points exceed its subdual damage.
Vermin Traits: A ruin swarm is immune to all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects). It also has darkvision (60-foot range). Ooze Traits: An ooze is an amorphous or mutable creature. Oozes are immune to poison, sleep, paralysis, stunning, and polymorphing.

Description: A ruin swarm is composed of tens of thousands of vermin acting as a single malevolent organism—a flying ooze of colossal size. A ruin swarm appears as an amorphous, mutable cloud of darkness 100 feet or more in diameter that rises into the sky like billows of smoke marking a scene of destruction.
A swarm emits a thunderous roar that can be heard (as a rumbling drone) from up to a mile away; within a distance of 90 feet from a swarm, its roar drowns out all other sound. As the flying ooze wings through the air, its shape constantly spirals, twists, and mutates, and sometimes even divides into two or more distinct units before rejoining again moments later.
A ruin swarm originates in areas of magical contamination or leakage, or possibly through the design of an arcane experimentalist. Once formed, a ruin swarm is for all intents and purposes a single organism of the ooze type-—its individual particulates have no more bearing on its vulnerabilities or powers.
A ruin swarm possesses vestigial intelligence but speaks no languages.

GHOST TREANT
Huge Undead
Hit Dice: 7d12+35 (90 hp)
Initiative: –1
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares), Fly 30'
Armor Class: 20 (–2 size, –1 Dex, +13 natural), touch 7,
flat-footed 20
Base Attack/Grapple: +5/+22 (Against Etherial Only)
Attack: Slam +12 melee (2d6+9) (Against Etherial Only)
Full Attack: 2 slams +12 melee (2d6+9) (Against Etherial Only)
Space/Reach: 15 ft./15 ft.
Special Attacks: Animate trees, double damage against objects, trample 2d6+13
Ghostly Special Attacks: Manifestation,
Special Qualities: Damage reduction 10/slashing, low-light
vision, plant traits, vulnerability to fire
Saves: Fort +10, Ref +1, Will +7
Abilities: Str 29, Dex 8, Con 21, Int 12, Wis 16, Cha 12
Skills: Diplomacy +3, Hide –9*, Intimidate +6, Knowledge
(nature) +6, Listen +8, Sense Motive +8, Spot +8, Survival +8
(+10 aboveground)
Feats: Improved Sunder, Iron Will, Power Attack
Environment: Temperate forests
Organization: Solitary or grove (4–7)
Challenge Rating: 8
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Chaotic Evil (Insane)
Advancement: 8–16 HD (Huge); 17–21
HD (Gargantuan)
Level Adjustment: +5
Turn Resistance (Ex): A ghost has +4 turn resistance.
Abilities: No Constitution score, and its Charisma score increases by +4.
Skills: Ghosts have a +8 racial bonus on Hide, Listen, Search, and Spot checks.
Environment: Any, often as base creature.
Organization: Solitary, gang (2–4), or mob (7–12).
Challenge Rating: Same as the base creature +2.
Level Adjustment: Same as the base creature +5
.
Undead Treants are grey trees who's branches and leaves a whipped about as in a great but non-existant wind. This tall being looks much like an animated tree. Its arms are gnarled like branches, and its legs look like the split trunk of a tree. Above the eyes and along the head are dozens of smaller branches from which hang great leaves.
Treants combine features of trees and humans.
Treants speak their own language, plus Common and Sylvan. Most also can manage a smattering of just about all other humanoid tongues—at least enough to say “Get away from my trees!”
COMBAT
They often charge suddenly from cover to trample the despoilers of forests. *Treants have a +16 racial bonus on Hide checks made in forested areas. If sorely pressed, they animate trees as reinforcements.
Animate Trees (Sp): A treant can animate trees within 180 feet at will, controlling up to two trees at a time. It takes 1 full round for a normal tree to uproot itself. Thereafter it moves at a speed of 10 feet and fights as a treant in all respects. Animated trees lose their ability to move if the treant that animated them is incapacitated or moves out of range. The ability is otherwise similar to liveoak (caster level 12th). Animated trees have the same vulnerability to fire that a treant has.
Trample (Ex): Reflex DC 22 half. The save DC is Strengthbased. Skills:
Double Damage against Objects (Ex): A treant or animated tree that makes a full attack against an object or structure deals double damage. This can only be done when the object is on the etherial plane.

ASSASSIN VINE

Large Plant
Hit Dice: 4d8+12 (30 hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 5 ft. (1 square)
Armor Class: 15 (–1 size, +6 natural), touch 9, flat-footed 15
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+12
Attack: Slam +7 melee (1d6+7)
Full Attack: Slam +7 melee (1d6+7)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./10 ft. (20 ft. with vine)
Special Attacks: Constrict 1d6+7, entangle, improved grab
Special Qualities: Blindsight 30 ft., camouflage, immunity to electricity, low-light vision, plant traits, resistance to cold 10 and fire 10
Saves: Fort +7, Ref +1, Will +2
Abilities: Str 20, Dex 10, Con 16, Int —, Wis 13, Cha 9
Environment: Temperate forests
Organization: Solitary or patch (2–4)
Challenge Rating: 3
Treasure: 1/10th coins; 50% goods; 50% items
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 5–16 HD (Huge); 17–32 HD (Gargantuan); 33+ HD (Colossal)
Level Adjustment:— This vine has a fibrous stem covered with brown, stringy bark and as thick as a human’s forearm. Its leaves are shaped like human hands.
The assassin vine is a semimobile plant that collects its own grisly fertilizer by grabbing and crushing animals and depositing the carcasses near its roots.
A mature plant consists of a main vine, about 20 feet long.
Smaller vines up to 5 feet long branch off from the main vine about every 6 inches. These small vines bear clusters of leaves, and in late summer they produce bunches of small fruits that resemble wild grapes. The fruit is tough and has a hearty but bitter flavor. Assassin vine berries make a heady wine.
An assassin vine can move about, albeit very slowly, but usually stays put unless it needs to seek prey in a new vicinity.
A subterranean version of the assassin vine grows near hot springs, volcanic vents, and other sources of thermal energy.
These plants have thin, wiry stems and gray leaves shot through with silver, brown, and white veins so that they resemble mineral deposits. An assassin vine growing underground usually generates enough offal to support a thriving colony of mushrooms and other fungi, which spring up around the plant and help conceal it.
COMBAT An assassin vine uses simple tactics: It lies still until prey comes within reach, then attacks. It uses its entangle ability both to catch prey and to deter counterattacks.
Constrict (Ex): An assassin vine deals 1d6+7 points of damage with a successful grapple check.
Entangle (Su): An assassin vine can animate plants within 30 feet of itself as a free action (Ref DC 13 partial).
The effect lasts until the vine dies or decides to end it (also a free action). The save DC is Wisdom-based. The ability is otherwise similar to entangle (caster level 4th).
Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, an assassin vine must hit with its slam 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 constrict.
Blindsight (Ex): Assassin vines have no visual organs but can ascertain all foes within 30 feet using sound, scent, and vibration.
Camouflage (Ex): Since an assassin vine looks like a normal plant when at rest, it takes a DC 20 Spot check to notice it before it attacks.
Anyone with ranks in Survival or Knowledge (nature) can use one of those skills instead of Spot to notice the plant. Dwarves can use stonecunning to notice the subterranean version.

MU-SPORE

Colossal Plant

Hit Dice: 35d8+315 (472 hp)
Initiative: +5 (-3 Dex, +8 Superior Initiative)
Speed: 40 ft.
AC: 27 (-3 Dex, -8 size, +28 natural)
Base Attack/Grapple: +26/+55
Attack: Tendril +31 (2d6+13/19-20) melee
Full Attack: 4 tendrils +31 (2d6+13/19-20) melee, 1 bite +26 (4d6+6/19-20) melee
Space/Reach: 30 ft./30 ft.
Special Attacks: Spore cough, improved grab, swallow whole
Special Qualities: Acid resistance 20, blindsight 210 ft., DR 10/epic, fast healing 10, plant traits, sticky
Saves: Fort +28, Ref +8, Will +20
Abilities: Str 36, Dex 5, Con 29, Int 18, Wis 28, Cha 28
Skills: Bluff +47, Diplomacy +13, Gather Information +13, Hide +35, Intimidate +13, Jump +13, Knowledge (local, nature) +42, Listen +47, Spot +47
Feats: Cleave, Great Cleave, Improved Critical (bite), Improved Critical (tendril), Improved Initiative, Lightning Reflexes, Power Attack
Epic Feats: Epic Reflexes, Epic Toughness (x3), Superior Initiative
Climate/Terrain: Any
Organization: Solitary, pair, or polyp (3-7)
Challenge Rating: 21
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Usually chaotic neutral
Advancement: 36+ HD (Colossal)

Mu spores speak Common and Terran.

A mu spore’s natural weapons are treated as epic for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.
COMBAT

Spore Cough (Su): Once every 1d4 rounds a mu spore can release a cloud of burrowing spores. This spore cough is treated as a 100-foot-cone breath weapon. The burrowing spores deal 20d8 points of Damage to all creatures and structures in the area, or half Damage to any creatures that make a Reflex save (DC 36). The DC is Charisma-based.

Improved Grab (Ex): If a mu spore hits with a tendril, it deals normal Damage and attempts to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. Improved grab works only against Gargantuan and smaller opponents. The mu spore has the option to conduct the grapple normally, transfer the victim to its mouth as a free action, or simply use its tendril to hold the opponent. Each successful grapple check it makes during successive rounds automatically deals the Damage given for the tendril.

Swallow Whole (Ex): If the mu spore begins its turn with an opponent held in its mouth, it can attempt a new grapple check (as though attempting to pin the opponent). If it succeeds, it swallows its prey and the opponent takes bite Damage. A swallowed creature takes the twice the Damage given for the mu spore’s bite every round. A swallowed creature is considered grappled, while the creature that did the swallowing is not. A swallowed creature can try to cut its way free with any light piercing or slashing weapon, if it can deal 33 points of Damage in this fashion, or it can just try to escape the grapple. If the swallowed creature chooses the latter course, success puts it back in the mu spore’s mouth, where it may be bitten or swallowed again.

Sticky (Ex): Sticky tendrils cover a mu spore, many more than the four main tendrils it uses for combat. Any creature that touches or successfully attacks a mu spore with a melee weapon is subject to a free improved grab check by the mu spore, as if the mu spore had successfully attacked the creature with a tendril. A creature wielding a melee weapon must immediately relinquish its grip on its weapon, or proceed with the grapple check. If the subject relinquishes its grip on its weapon, the weapon is swallowed the following round. Creatures who attack the mu spore in melee without a weapon they can release (such as those with natural attacks only) do not have this option.

Plant Traits: Immune to poison, sleep, paralysis, stunning, and polymorphing; not subject to critical hits or mind-affecting effects.

BANYAN OCTOPUS TREE

Colossal Plant
Hit Dice: 14d8+70 (133 hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 10' (Transport Via Plant)
AC: 28 (–4 size, –4 Dex, +40 natural), touch 4, flatfooted 28
Base Attack/Grapple: +14/+32
Attack: Tentacle +20 melee
Full Attack: 8 tentacles +20 melee and 1 bite +14 melee
Damage: Tentacle 2d12+10/19–20, bite 3d20+5
Face/Reach: 150 ft./150 ft.
Special Attacks: Frightful presence, improved grab, spell-like abilities, swallow whole
Special Qualities: Acid immunity, plant traits, regeneration 15
Saves: Fort +14, Ref +0, Will +6
Abilities: Str 30, Dex 3, Con 20, Int 8, Wis 15, Cha 15
Skills: Listen +4, Spot +14, Swim +25
Feats: Alertness, Improved Critical (tentacle), Improved Initiative, Quicken Spell-Like Ability, Weapon Focus (tentacle)
Climate/Terrain: Myth Andoufhauer
Organization: Solitary or grove (2–12)
Challenge Rating: 15
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Usually neutral evil
Advancement: 36–42 HD (Colossal)
Banyan octopus trees grow only in one place; Myth Andoufhaur in the thickest part of the High Forest. The mythal that surrounds the area has become corrupted and in turn has corrupted some of the treeshouses the elves grew to live in. These are almost unidentifyable from a normal treehouse with the exception that their roots are far more exposed. The roots spread out around its base like a thick mat. These roots are mobile and can slowly propel the tree. It's primary mode of movement is the Transport Via Plants spell that it uses as a normal move action (not a standard action). The tree’s branches are 150' long, covered with sharpened banyon leaves. Hidden in the base of the tree’s trunk just below the water is a large maw filled with teeth.
COMBAT Octopus trees gain a fair amount of nourishment from photosynthesis, but without flesh, a tree ceases to grow in size. They use their tentacles to pluck food from the their surroundings. Octopus trees usually occupy areas with heavy growth of the same kind of plant so they can use their Transport to best advantage. This is a spell-like abilities, so they avoid the magic dead areas and hesitate to go into the Wild magic areas.
Transport Via Plants
This is a magical ability that allows the tree to move almost a will through specific areas. This ability requires the presense of a specific type of plant to work. The plant is a form of thistle that produces a growth that looks like an artichoke, but twice the size. This plant grows commonly in Magic Strong areas, but does appear less frequently all over the city
Still, the plants are not ubiquotous and thus the trees movement is somewhat erratic. When using this ability, the colossal tree seems to be sucked into the transport plant. There is a Banyan Octopuss tree in the area around Tree 11 (The Great Tree) and another in the area surrounding Tree 41.
Movement in a Magic Strong area - Identify the spot where the tree wants to end up. Roll a d10 and a d8. The d10 indicates the distance in 10' that the tree moves. the d8 indicates the compas direction from the desired spot. So a roll of 3 on d10 and 4 on d8 indicates the tree has moved 30' due south of the desired spot.
Movement in a normal Magic area As above except distance is rolled on a d20+3.
Movement in a Wild magic area: It is a spell, so use the normal rules for spells going wrong.
Movement in a Magic Dead area: The tree is limited to it's 10' movement rate. They hate this and so they aviod magic dead areas altogether.
Frightful Presence (Ex): An octopus tree may use this spell like ability as one of their 8 attacks or as a standard action. When used, the creature opens it's awsome maw and causes an earthquake like sub-sonic roar. This inspires terror in all creatures within 30 feet that have fewer Hit Dice or levels than it has. Each potentially affected opponent must succeed on a Will save (DC 19) or become shaken, a condition that lasts until the opponent is out of range. The range of this effect is 500'. A successful save leaves that opponent immune to that octopus tree’s frightful presence for one day.
Improved Grab (Ex): If an octopus tree hits an opponent that is at least one size category smaller than itself with a tentacle attack, it deals normal damage and attempts to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity (grapple bonus +28). If it gets a hold, it can transfer the opponent to its maw with another successful grapple check, dealing automatic bite damage.
Alternatively, the octopus tree has the option to conduct the grapple normally, or simply use its tentacle to hold the opponent (–20 penalty on grapple check, but the octopus tree is not considered grappled). In either case, each successful grapple check it makes during successive rounds automatically deals bite damage.
Spell-Like
Spell-like Abilities: Caster level 17th; save DC 15 + spell level.
At will—diminish plants, entangle, obscuring mist, plant growth, warp wood;
3/day—call lightning, turn wood, wall of thorns.
Swallow Whole (Ex): An octopus tree can swallow a single creature that is at least two size categories smaller than itself by making a successful grapple check (grapple bonus +28), provided it already has that opponent in its maw (see Improved Grab, above). Once inside the octopus tree, the opponent takes 2d6+9 points of bludgeoning damage and 2d4 points of acid damage per round from the plant’s internal cavity. A successful grapple check allows the swallowed creature to climb out of the internal cavity and return to the octopus tree’s maw, where another successful grapple check is needed to get free. Alternatively, a swallowed creature can try to cut its way out with either claws or a light piercing or slashing weapon. Dealing a total of at least 20 points of damage to the internal cavity (AC 22) in this way creates an opening large enough to permit escape. Once a single swallowed creature exits, rapid growth closes the hole; thus, another swallowed opponent must cut its own way out. An octopus tree’s cavity can hold 1 Large, 4 Medium-size, or 16 Small or smaller opponents.
Plant Traits (Ex): An octopus tree is immune to poison, sleep, paralysis, stunning, and polymorphing. It is not subject to critical hits or mind-affecting effects. The creature also has low-light vision.
Regeneration (Ex): An octopus tree takes normal damage from fire and cold. Attack forms that don’t deal hit point damage ignore regeneration, and an octopus tree does not restore hit points lost from starvation, thirst, or suffocation.