[3.5, Monsters] Where can I find a gargantuan eel-like creature?

[blargney the second]

I don't know many monsters, and I find myself in the market for a really big aquatic anguiform for my Savage Tide game. I would love to hear some advice for what to use!

Here are the essential criteria:
1) From any 3.5 source, including third party material
2) Gargantuan or larger and eel-shaped
3) CR 10 to 15 - this is a solo for a fresh 9th level party
4) Improved grab and (ideally) same-round swallow whole

Bonus points, but not absolutely necessary:
5) Powerful charge or the like
6) Escape tactic (attack that forces enemies away, high speed swim sprint, etc)
7) Ranged attack capability, even if mediocre
8) Artwork would be great!

I hope you can help,
-blarg

 

[Asha'man]

The simplest choice is to just use a Purple Worm. Those don't have any of the "bonus traits", though (well, except artwork). If you're willing to do a little extra work, take a Dragon Turtle, advance it to 25 hd (minimum for Gargantuan size), and give it these feats: Improved Snatch and Snatch and Swallow (both from Draconomicon, to give it a Swallow Whole attack) Awesome Blow (From monster manual, to give it a "knock away" attack), and Powerful Charge (from Monster Manual 3, to give it a powerful charge). It has ranged capabillity from its breath weapon (and it's far from mediocre!) and by the book it's a CR 15. That might be a tall order for your PCs, and it's supposed to be eel-like, so remove the claw attacks and lower its Natural Armor by 4 (or rather, don't apply the +4 natural armor bonus from the size increase) since it doesn't have a turtle's protective shell nor forelimbs to make claw attacks with.

 

[ppaladin123]

I got one for you...totally perfect:

Sea Drake (It is in the Fiend Folio, pg 147.)
Gargantuan Aquatic Dragon
CR: 15

notable abilities:

constrict ship
swallow whole
regeneration
crushing blow (tail slap)
Ink Cloud (for escape)
artwork

motives: It is intelligent and demands a toll from ships that pass through its territory.

enjoy

 

[blargney the second]

Good stuff, guys! Are there more cool sea serpents out there?
-blarg

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Good stuff, guys! Are there more cool sea serpents out there?
-blarg

The Sea Serpent topic seems to crop a few more times - there was a big thread approximately a year ago, complaining about the lack of good monsters in that regard, and alternative ways to implement them... I remember that I digged it up a while ago for another post, but I once again forgot what the thread title was exactly or how (with which keywords) I have found it.

 

[Phlebas]

As an alternative...

Apply the titanic template (MM2 p 217) to any aquatic beast / snake
then swap the trample (ex) to a swallow whole (ex) (which makes sense for an aquatic version)
doesn't have ranged attack or escape (other than the base creature)

A constrictor snake or squid (MM) look good candidates - both have improved grab, snake is the classic sea serpent, squid is good for the jules verne feel

neither is intelligent, which may or may not be important to your plot

as for art work - just take a generic sea serpent picture of the internet...

 

[freyar]

There's also the dragon eel in MM3 at CR 11.

Promoting recent conversions:
You could advance a giant gulper eel.
I recently converted the quelzarn, and the greater quelzarn version would work well, I think. In this PDF.

 

[megamania]

The two I was thinking of have been mentioned- Dragon Eel and using the Titanic Template.


If you use the two headed template (one oif the CC books) on the Dragon Eel it could make for a truely scarey encounter.

 

[CsonTep]

There are a bunch of sea serpents in DEAD MAN'S CHEST from Necromancer.

KDM27

 

[megamania]

oooohhhh oooo h....... must look for that one. Thanks for the heads up.