Fearsome Critters from Lumberjack Tales - The Snoligoster
Snoligoster
Huge Magical Beast
Hit Dice: 7d10+28 (66 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 10 ft. (2 squares), swim 30 ft.
Armor Class: 17 (-2 size, +2 Dex, +7 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 15
Base Attack/Grapple: +7/+23
Attack: Tail slap +13 melee (2d6+12)
Full Attack: Tail slap +13 melee (2d6+12) or bite/slam +13 melee (2d6+12)
Space/Reach: 15 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks: Impale, improved grab, ram
Special Qualities: Hold breath, low-light vision, scent, propeller
Saves: Fort +9, Ref +6, Will +3
Abilities: Str 27, Dex 15, Con 19, Int 1, Wis 12, Cha 2
Skills: Hide +0*, Listen +7, Spot +7, Swim +16
Feats: Alertness, Endurance, Run
Environment: Warm marshes
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 5
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 8-14 HD (Huge)
Level Adjustment: —
An enormous animal resembling a limbless crocodile covered in long, glossy fur with a single long spike or fin protruding from its back. On the tip of its tail are three bony plates resembling a propeller.
Snoligosters are strange and dangerous predators which lurk in tropical swamps, favouring areas with cypress groves. They are credited with a voracious lust for human flesh, in particular those people native to their lands, since the dim-witted creatures will often fail to recognize strangers who differ from the locals in clothing or complexion as being the same species as their favourite prey.
An average sized snoligoster spans twenty five feet from nose to propeller and weighs 4000 pounds.
A snoligoster can revolve the three bony plates on the end of its tail at a terrific rate just like a ship's propeller, driving the animal as fast as a torpedo boat through both water and liquid mud. When a snoligoster catches prey, such as the local humans upon which it delights to feed, it tosses the unfortunate victim upwards with its tail and impales them upon its dorsal spine. They can carry several victims upon their spike fin, like onions upon a skewer, until sufficient for a meal have been collected. The snoligoster then uses revolutions of its tail flukes to excavate a hole in a bank of earth, into which it tosses its victims after scraping them off its spike with its tail. The snoligoster then uses rapid rotations of its propeller to batter the bodies of its prey until the hole contains an unrecognizable gory stew, which it eagerly guzzles down.
Combat
Snoligosters prefer to ambush opponents in the water, but occasionally ram small boats at high speed in a bid to sink or overturn them. They try to seize victims with their tail-slap's improved grab, then impale them on their spike fin. Being both vicious and dim-witted they rarely retreat until reduced to a third of their hit points (22 hp) or less, whereupon they use their propellers to zoom away underwater.
Hold Breath (Ex)
A snoligoster can hold its breath for a number of rounds equal to 4 times its Constitution score before it risks drowning.
Impale (Ex)
On a successful grapple check, a snoligoster can deal 4d6+16 points of damage to a smaller opponent held in its tail by slamming them against the spike on its back. A snoligoster can carry multiple victims impaled upon its dorsal spine - it has space for one Large creature, two Medium, four Small or eight Tiny creatures.
Improved Grab (Ex)
If a snoligoster hits with its tail-slap it can attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. If it wins the grapple check, the snoligoster establishes a hold on the opponent with the bony flukes of its tail tip and attempt to impale its victim upon the spike on its back (see above).
Propeller (Ex)
A snoligoster can increase its swim speed to up to 90 ft. by spinning the organic propeller at the end of its tail. They can not use their tail-slap or impale attacks in a round they employ propeller-propulsion.
Ram (Ex)
When a snoligoster charges at its maximum propeller-speed, it can deliver a slam attack dealing 4d6+16 points of damage.
Skills
A snoligoster 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. Snoligosters keen senses give them a +4 racial bonus to Listen and Spot checks.
*A snoligoster gains a +8 racial bonus on Hide checks in swampy terrain. Furthermore, a snoligoster can lie in the water with only its eyes, nostrils and dorsal spine showing, gaining a +6 cover bonus on Hide checks.
Lore Checks
DC 15 - A snoligoster is an enormous swamp monster shaped like a crocodile which lacks legs or fins, except for a long spike on its back and three flukes upon its tail tip. Ravenous man-eaters, they grasp victims with their tail to be impaled upon their dorsal spine.
DC 20 - Snoligosters have the weird ability to rotate their tail-flukes about the axle of their backbone, by which means they can propel themselves through mud and water at remarkable speeds. They can only flop around slowly upon land.
DC 25 - These monsters preferred lair is an earth bank in a cypress swamp, marked by holes in which they batter their prey to pulp with their churning tails before eating it. Most snoligosters only recognize the local humans as tasty meals, so if you appear different from the natives you may escape an attack.
[note Lumberwood Critters generally lack darkvision, unlike standard Magical Beasts]
