Snoligoster - CR 7 Magical Beast
Snoligoster
Hearing a sudden loud splash, you see a large crocodilian head leap out of the water and seize a porter near the edge of the swamp. With a scream, the porter is dragged under water. A few seconds later, a long spike emerges from the surface of the water, surrounded by soggy black fur that resembles the rotting vegetation around you. The creatures head rises just enough for you to make out the malevolent gleam in its eye and the struggling porter in its jaws. With a sudden flip of its head, the creature impales the porter on its dorsal spike. As the porter struggles to free itself, a long tail, its end tipped with blades, rises from the water and poises to strike.
Sloligoster CR 7
Usually NE Huge Magical beast
Init +1; Senses Lowlight Vision, Darkvision 60', Tremorsense 60'; Listen +6, Spot +6
Languages Aquan
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AC 17, touch 9, flat-footed 16, Cover of Water, Thin Bodied
(+1 Dex, -2 size, +8 natural)
hp 73 (7 HD)
Resist Hold Breath
Fort +7, Ref +3, Will +6
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Speed 10 ft. (2 squares), Swim 40 ft., Thin Bodied
Melee Bite +13 (1d12+7)and Tail Blades +8 (1d10+3/19-20)
Atk Options Improved Grapple
Special Actions Impale
Space 15 ft.; Reach 10 ft. (15 ft. with Tail Blades)
Base Atk +7; Grp +22
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Abilities Str 25, Dex 12, Con 21, Int 6, Wis 12, Cha 6
Feats Blind-Fight, Improved Critical (Tail Blades), Weapon Focus (Bite)
Skills Hide +1 (+9 when in vegetation or mud), Listen +6, Spot +6, Swim +15
Advancement 8-9 HD (Huge), 10-12 HD (Collosal)
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Cover of Water (Ex) The snoligoster is adept at using the water as protection when attacking its prey, revealing just the tip of its head. The snoligoster is treated as if it has improved cover (+8 bonus to AC, +4 bonus to Ref Saves, +8 to Hide check, Improved Evasion) vs. any opponent not underwater. To use this ability, the snoligoster must be in water at least 5 feet deep.
Hold Breath (Ex) A snoligoster can hold its breath for a number of rounds equal to 2 × its Constitution score (42 rounds) before it risks drowning.
Impale (Ex) The snoligoster's dorsal spike is often used to hold struggling prey until it has time to properly prepare it. As a full round action, the snoligoster can choose to impale a grappled opponent. An impaled opponent is dealt 1d10 points of damage per round from the snoligoster's movement, and also has a -4 penalty to AC and reflex saves. An impaled target
Improved Grapple To use this ability, a snoligoster must hit an opponent 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 attempt to Impale in the next round.
Thin Bodied (Ex) The snoligoster's long and lithe body allows it to squeeze into smaller spaces then most creatures of its size. The snoligoster is treated as if it were one size smaller when attempting to squeeze into smaller spaces.
Tremorsense (Ex) The snoligoster is treated as if it were of the aquatic subtype when using this ability.
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The snoligoster is a ruthless, greedy predator that dwells in swamps and muddy streams. It enjoys feeling the struggles of its prey on its dorsal spike and will often kill more then it needs to. It prefers humanoid prey over any other.
STRATEGIES AND TACTICS
The snoligoster prefers to attack from ambush. It lurks under the surface of the water near the shore, waiting for suitable prey to come close, then lashes out. Solitary opponents are 'played with,' as long as the snoligoster can keep its prey alive, and then devoured. If it faces multiple opponents, it will attempt to impale as many opponents as its spike can hold and then retreat. Any determined resistance will cause a snoligoster to retreat completely underwater, usually to return a few moments later to attempt another ambush.
A snoligoster prefers to target creatures on the surface, to better make use of its Cover of Water ability, and will not face opponents underwater unless it has a clear advantage. If forced to fight underwater opponents, it will attempt to lead them into shallower water or other tight areas that hamper their movement while leaving the snoligoster unaffected.
ECOLOGY
The snoligoster is a large predator that typically lives in areas of shallow water with plentiful vegetation. The snoligoster must eat a lot of food to keep its massive body going and occupies a large territory as a result. While a hungry snoligoster will eat anything, it has a distinct preference for humanoids, especially humans. It uses its tail blades like a saw, cutting a victim into more easily digestible chunks. Snoligosters dig out nests in areas of thick mud and often use these nests for butchering its food.
Snoligosters are solitary creatures, driving out any rivals. Females are fertile once every 5 years and males will compete with each other to see who can bring the female the most food during this time, the winner being chosen as a mate. Female snoligosters lay 1-3 eggs in clumps of vegetation at which point they are then abandoned. A young snoligoster typically reaches adulthood in 10 years, if they survive that long. Snolisgoters seem to enjoy the flesh of their own young almost as much as they like that of humans.
Environment: The snoligoster prefers to live in areas of slow moving, shallow water such as marshes and swamps.
Typical Physical Characteristics: The snoligoster resembles a large snake crossed with an alligator. Its long, limbless body is thick and squat, ending in a large alligator like head. Its semi-prehensile tail ends in a set of three large 'fan' blades which allow it to slice flesh into small chunks. On its back is a large, barbed spike that the snoligoster can lay flat against its back when not needed. Its entire body is covered with long, black fur that helps to conceal it in the rotting vegetation and mud where it lives.
Alignment: The snoligoster kills prey as much to entertain itself as to feed. It delights in slowly killing its food, usually by drowning or impalement, but is unconcerned in the more philosophical aspects of its nature. Most snoligosters are therefore neutral evil in alignment. Individual alignments do vary, but non-evil snoligosters are rare and good snoligosters are unheard of.
TYPICAL TREASURE
Snoligosters do not collect treasure; however their messy eating habits means they still collect a significant amount of loot from their victims. Items are often swallowed whole along with their previous owner’s body parts, or buried in the mud of a snolisgoster nest.
SOCIETY
Particularly canny snoligosters have been known to set up systems of tribute with local tribes, granting safe passage in exchange for 'gifts' of living humanoids.
CREATURE LORE
Characters with ranks in Knowledge (Arcane) and Knowledge (Nature) can learn more about the snoligoster. When a character makes a successful skill check, the following lore is revealed, including the information from lower DCs.
Knowledge (Arcane)
17 This is a snoligoster, a vicious predator that lives in shallow water. This reveals all magical beast traits.
22 The snoligoster has a large spike on its back that it can use to impale prey. It often uses this spike after siezing a victim in its jaws.
27 The thin, legless body of the snoligoster allows it to squeeze into a smaller space than many creatures of its size. It is also skilled in using the water around it as cover.
Knowledge (Nature)
19 From the look of its head and body, the snoligoster is an ambush predator and relatively clumsy on land.
