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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Iron Sheep" data-source="post: 1419947" data-attributes="member: 4965">The PCs are almost certainly going to try to go after the wyvern mounts, so the more I think about this, the tougher the wyverns need to be simply to resist what's going to be thrown at them.  Remember that undead take falling damage just like everyone else, so it probably behooves the undead to have some sort of feather fall or fly ability available in case their mounts go out under them.To the end of more survivable mounts, here is the dread physowyvern.  Because they are two-headed and learnean with fast healing 12, they will likely survive long-range attacks, and they have enough hit points to survive a fireball or two.A corpse half-fiend (or winged) physohydra is also a possibility if you want even more heads.----Dread Physowyvern: Corpse Two-headed Learnean PhysowyvernLarge Undead (Acid, Augmented Dragon)Hit Dice: 9d12 (58 hp)Initiative: +1Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares), fly 60 ft. (clumsy)AC: 18 (-1 size, +9 natural), touch 9, flat-footed 18Base Attack/Grapple: +9/+20Attack: Sting +15 melee (1d6+7 plus poison) or talon +15 melee (2d6+7) or 2 bites +15 melee (2d8+7) or slam +15 melee (1d8+10)Full Attack: Sting +15 melee (1d6+7 plus poison) and 2 bites +13 melee (2d8+7) and 2 wings +13 melee (1d8+3) and 2 talons +13 melee (2d6+7); or slam +15 melee (1d8+10)Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft.Special Attacks: Acid breath, poison, improved grabSpecial Qualities: Darkvision 90 ft., immunity to acid, fast healing 12, low-light vision, multi-headed, scent, undead traitsSaves: Fort +5, Ref +5, Will +6Abilities: Str 24, Dex 10, Con --, Int 6, Wis 12, Cha 9Skills: Hide +8, Listen +17, Move Silently +12, Spot +20, Search +0Feats: Ability Focus (poison), Alertness, Combat Reflexes, Flyby Attack, Multiattack(B)Environment: Warm hillsOrganization: Solitary, pair, or flight (3-6)Challenge Rating: 10Treasure: StandardAlignment: Usually neutralAdvancement: 10-12 HD (Huge); 13-23 HD (Gargantuan)Level Adjustment: —A distant cousin to green dragons, the two-headed physowyvern is a huge flying lizard with a poisonous stinger in its tail and the ability to breath a cloud of acidic gas.  Necromancers use foul magic to animate their corpses in such a way that they keep all the special abilities they had in life.A two-headed physowyvern’s body is 15 feet long, and dark brown to gray; half that length is tail.  Its wingspan is about 20 feet.  A two-headed physowyvern weighs over one ton.Two-headed physowyverns speak Draconic, but usually don’t bother with anything more elaborate than a loud hiss or a deep-throated growl much like that of a bull alligator.COMBATTwo-headed physowyvern are rather stupid but always aggressive: they attack nearly anything that isn’t obviously more powerful than themselves. A two-headed physowyvern dives from the air, snatching the opponent with its talons and stinging it to death.  A two-headed physowyvern can slash with its talons only when making a flyby attack.A two-headed physowyvern can be killed either by severing both its heads or by slaying its body. To sever a head, an opponent must make a successful sunder attempt with a slashing weapon. (The player should declare where the attack is aimed before making the attack roll.) Making a sunder attempt provokes an attack of opportunity unless the foe has the Improved Sunder feat.  An opponent can strike at a physowyvern’s heads from any position in which he could strike at the physowyvern itself, because the physowyvern’s heads writhe and whip about in combat.  An opponent can ready an action to attempt to sunder a two-headed physowyvern’s head when the creature bites at him.  Each of a two-headed physowyvern’s heads has 29 hit points.  Losing a head deals 14 points of damage to the body. A natural reflex seals the neck shut to prevent further blood loss. A physowyvern can no longer attack with a severed head but takes no other penalties.Each time a head is severed, two new heads spring from the stump in 1d4 rounds. A physowyvern can never have more than four heads at any one time, and any extra heads it gains beyond its original number wither within a day. To prevent a severed head from growing back into two heads, at least 5 points of fire or electricity damage must be dealt to the stump (a touch attack to hit) before the new heads appear.  A flaming weapon (or similar effect) deals its energy damage to the stump in the same blow in which a head is severed.  Fire or electricity damage from an area effect may burn multiple stumps in addition to dealing damage to the physowyvern’s body.  A physowyvern does not die from losing its heads until all its heads have been cut off and the stumps seared by fire or acid. A physowyvern’s body can be slain just like any other creature’s, but physowyverns possess fast healing and are difficult to defeat in this fashion. Any attack that is not (or cannot be) an attempt to sunder a head affects the body.Targeted magical effects cannot sever a physowyvern’s heads (and thus must be directed at the body) unless they deal slashing damage and could be used to make sunder attempts.Two-headed physowyvern can attack with all their heads at no penalty, even if they move or charge during the round.Acid Breath (Su):  The two-headed physohydra can breathe a cloud of acid gas 10 feet high, 10 feet wide, and 20 feet long.  All heads breathe once every 1d4 rounds.  Each cloud deals 3d6 points of acid damage per head.  A successful Reflex save halves the damage.  The save DC is 14.  The DC is Constitution based.Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a two-headed physowyvern must hit with its talons. 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 stings. Poison (Ex): Injury, Fortitude DC 15, initial and secondary damage 2d6 Con. The save DC is Constitution-based.Fast Healing (Ex): Each round, a hydra heals damage equal to 10 + the number of its original heads. Skills: Wyverns have a +3 racial bonus on Spot checks.Two-headed physowyverns have a +2 racial bonus on Listen, Spot and Search checks, thanks to their multiple heads.Feats: A two-headed physowyvern’s Combat Reflexes feat allows it to use all its heads for attacks of opportunity.Note: Physo- is the greek root word for breath or gas, in parallel with pyro- and cryo-.  This creature uses the rules for hydras from 3.5 to replicate the learnean part of the template, rather than the 3.0 rules presented in the Savage Species template.  The template doesn't seem to have a CR adjustement for the Learnean ability, but CR 10 doesn't seem to be too bad a measure of the creature.  I made the saves based off the usual 10 + 1/2 HD + ability formula.You can add up to 2 more heads for a +1 CR, increasing the HD by 2 per head.Giving them the elite ability array also makes sense, for +1 CR.</blockquote>

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