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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Cleon" data-source="post: 4632058" data-attributes="member: 57383">Fearsome Critters from Lumberjack Tales - The Dart SnakeDart Snake (Arrowhead Snake)Diminutive Magical BeastHit Dice: ½d10+1 (3 hp)Initiative: +11Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares), climb 20 ft., glide 30 ft. (clumsy)[See Gliding Flight and Spring Into Flight]; swim 20 ft.Armor Class: 24 (+4 size, +7 Dex, +3 natural), touch 21, flat-footed 17Base Attack/Grapple: +1/-12Attack: Head-dart +12 melee (1d3-1/18-20×2 plus poison)Full Attack: Head-dart +12 melee (1d3-1/18-20×2 plus poison)Space/Reach: 1 ft./ 0 ft.Special Attacks: Lancehead charge, poisonSpecial Qualities: DR 10/slashing or piercing, elastic body[half falling damage], gliding flight, low-light vision, scent, spring into flightSaves: Fort +3, Ref +9, Will +2Abilities: Str 9, Dex 25, Con 13, Int 2, Wis 15, Cha 2Skills: Balance +15, Climb +15, Hide +23*[+27 in foliage], Jump +15, Listen +6, Spot +12, Swim +7Feats: Improved Initiative, RunB, Weapon FinesseBEnvironment: Temperate or warm forestsOrganization: Solitary, flight (2-12), sheaf (8-16), or quiver (20-40)Challenge Rating: 1/3Treasure: NoneAlignment: Always neutralAdvancement: 1 HD (Tiny), 2 HD (Small), 3 HD (Medium)Level Adjustment: —A slim snake with a flattened body strikingly patterned in greens and browns, its triangular head is shaped just like a barb-less arrowhead, including the sharp edges that taper straight to a pointed tip.Dart snakes, also called arrowhead snake or javelin snake, are a species very similar to the Jaculi snake of the old world. These are relatively petite for Lumberwood serpents, the above statistics represent the smallest adults (½ HD), who span as little as thirty inches from nose to tail tip and weigh only a couple of ounces. Bigger specimens do exist, nicknamed javelin snakes (1 HD, about 5 feet long and a pound in weight), spear snakes (2 HD, 7-8 feet long, 6-10 pounds in weight) and catapult-bolt snakes (3 HD, 10-12 feet long and 50-80 pounds), although specimens larger than javelin-sized are rare. A typical population of dart snakes is approximately 60% Diminutive dart snakes, 35% Tiny javelin snakes, 4% Small spear snakes and 1% Medium catapult-bolt snakes.Dart snakes are fast moving snakes that live in and around trees, they can be found in woodlands ranging from warm-temperate to tropical climes. As well as being proficient climbers, dart snakes can use their flattened bodies to glide through the air, both to travel from tree to tree and to attack or flee from other creatures. They are most active in warm weather when the trees are in leaf, since this gives them the benefit of foliage cover and a balmy climate to quicken their cold blood. When the trees are bare and the weather cold, dart snakes will retire to a sheltered spot to enter a state of torpor.The flattened head of a dart snake is remarkably tough but flexible, with a razor-sharp edge and needlelike point. It requires little work to turn the preserved head of a dart snake into an actual arrowhead or spearhead. These reptiles have venomous fangs, but do not use them to bite their prey, their fangs are set horizontally and protrude from either side of the snake's mouth, so they can inject venom into opponents they slash or stab with their heads. Dart snakes can eat prey larger than they can swallow whole by slicing bits off their victim with the knifelike edges of their head.These snakes live and hunt communally, a most unusual habit for reptiles. Social position is a simple matter of size, with all the snakes following the lead of the biggest individual. Dart snakes can communicate with each other, mainly through smell and a simple but effective language of body-shape and posture. A colony of dart snakes can number up to two score and cooperates to watch for threats or prey, defend territory and share out kills.At the end of the spring mating season, the females lay their eggs in communal nests, each of which is guarded by one of the largest snakes. These nests may be close together or far apart, depending on the local terrain and the temperament of their nursemaids, and each may contain anywhere from a dozen to over a hundred eggs. After eight weeks or so, all the eggs in a nest hatch at the same time, and the newborns live under the protection of their nursemaid for a month or so, eating insects and other miniscule prey, before scattering to make their own way in the world.Juvenile dart snakes lack the specialized leaping muscles and the razor-edged head of the adults, they only acquire these when they grow to a couple of feet in length. Once they reach this size they instinctively seek out others of their kind. They are attracted to the scent of their relatives, so they usually join their parent colony or form a new colony with other near-adults from their mothers' communal laying, whether their own nest or another. Adult dart snakes are quite accepting of strange juveniles, so it's not uncommon for near-adults to bond with neighbouring colonies or pre-adults from alien nests.CombatDart snakes will usually be encountered in trees, even a nursemaid snake will prefer to be on low branches overhanging their nest rather than on the ground. They are constantly on the lookout, as soon as one dart snake Spots the approach of creatures which appear to be potential threats or prey it signals to the rest of its colony, and all the snake will Hide and take a full-round action to prime their bodies to Spring Into Flight.If they judge the creature to be a threat, they usually wait until the creature gets too close for comfort (about thirty feet), and then all the dart snakes Spring into the air and fly away. However, if there is a nearby nursemaid guarding a nest, they may attack instead – the nursemaid is usually one of the largest snakes, so the rest of the colony will follow its lead if it decides to defend the eggs by attacking the intruder(s).A colony of dart snakes will judge the prey-worthiness of an approaching creature by its size. A group of 4 or so average sized snakes (typically 2 Tiny and 2 Diminutive) will attack creatures up to Small size, at around 6-8 snakes they will consider attacking Medium sized prey, while 15 or more dart snakes will tackle Large victims. To the snakes' minds, this is more a question of their ability to eat the victim than them being able to kill it. The number of opponents is not an issue.The snakes follow the lead of the colony's largest member, so they act on that individuals initiative. When the potential prey get within the snakes 120 foot range the alpha snake will Springs Into Flight to make a Lancehead charge against its chosen victim, followed by all the other snakes. The dart snakes may not all attack the same victim, but will concentrate upon a few opponents. Those snakes that miss will glide back into the trees to prime themselves for another attack, those that hit will stay with their victim and repeatedly strike them with their venomous head-darts if the creature puts up little resistance, but will Jump into the air and glide for the trees if they suffer more than 25% or so damage from retaliatory attacks from their prey.Elastic Body (Ex)The amazing elasticity of a dart snake's body allows it to take half damage from falls, and gives it a DR 10 against bludgeoning damage. Slashing and piercing weapons injure a dart snake normally. See also Spring Into Flight, below.Gliding Flight (Ex)A dart snake glides rather than flies most of the time, hence it is listed with a glide 30 ft (clumsy) movement speed. The snake's gliding flight works like regular flight except that the dark snake can never glide upwards, instead the snake must descend at least 10 feet during each round of gliding. A dart snake can gain altitude while flying when using its Spring Into Flight ability.Lancehead Charge (Ex)A dart snake's head-dart attack does double damage (2d3-2) in a charge attack, including an attack made with a dive manoeuvre while gliding or the Spring portion of the snake's Spring Into Flight ability.Spring Into Flight (Ex)A dart snake's super-elastic flesh allows it to store energy by curling its body and tail as a living spring, which it can then release to catapult itself through the air. It takes a full-round action for a dart snake to 'prime' its spring, the dart snake is then reduced to half its normal terrestrial and aquatic speed (to 15 ft land & climb, 10 ft. swim) until it releases the tension in its body.A dart snake that decides it no longer wants to be primed to Spring Into Flight may relax its body back to a normal state of tension by spending a full-round action.A primed dart snake can Spring Into Flight as a standard action, during which it jumps 120 feet horizontally or 60 feet straight up. The dart snake can end this movement with a charge attack at any point along the jump, it does not require the normal 30 feet distance of a Dive attack. A dart snake Springs as fast as a javelin, moving so rapidly it can not be struck by normal Attacks of Opportunity; only characters with the Deflect Arrows feat or similar abilities may attempt an AoO against a dart snake during the Spring portion of its Spring Into Flight.If the dart snake has a Move action remaining after its 120 ft Spring, the snake can expend it to fly 60 ft. with clumsy manoeuvrability under the normal Tactical Aerial Movement rules (so it can dive 120 ft. or climb 30 ft. at 45°, and turn 45° per 10 ft it flies et cetera). During this Flight portion of Spring Into Flight, the dart snake is not moving quickly enough to evade opportunity attacks.Poison (Ex)If a dart snake hits with a head-dart attack, it delivers a venom which deals initial and secondary damage of 1d2 Con if the victim fails a DC 11 Fortitudesave. The save DC is Constitution-based. SkillsDart snakes have a +4 racial bonus on Hide and Listen checks, a +6 racial bonus on Spot checks and a +8 racial bonus on Balance, Climb and Jump checks. In treetops and other areas covered in leaves the Hide bonus improves to +8. Dart snakes use either their Strength modifier or Dexterity modifier for Climb and Jump checks, whichever is higher. A dart snake can always choose to take 10 on a Jump check, even if rushed or endangered, and never suffers a doubling of Jump DCs when it lacks a running start. A snake can always choose to take 10 on a Climb check, even if rushed or threatened. A snake 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.Lore ChecksDC 10 - You've heard of dart snakes, right? Those vipers that fly through the air like arrows? I reckon they aren't real animals at all. Remember that Evil Priest whose staff turned into a giant cobra? I think them forest goblin shamans turned a bunch of poisoned darts into snakes, then scattered them about the woods to turn honest folk into pincushions.DC 15 - Dart snakes don't really fly you know, they flatten their bodies and glide. However, they can launch themselves through the air as fast as a crossbow bolt to pierce their prey with their heads, which have got edges and a point just like an arrowhead. They've got poison teeth sticking out of the sides of their mouths too, so if a dart snake cuts a victim with its head the wound becomes envenomed.DC 20 - The worst thing about dart snakes is they attack en masse. We calls a big party of dart snakes a quiver, cause there may be dozens or scores of the cursed beasts, like how many arrows you gets in a quiver. They always follows the biggest snake's lead, so first you'll get a monster as big as a harpoon flying towards ye, then all the other snakes swarming behind 'em in volleys.Different Sizes of Dart SnakeHere are compact stat-blocks for all sizes of Dart Snake, including the non combat worthy juveniles.Baby Dart Snake (Fine Magical Beast, Hit Dice: ¼d10+1 (3hp); Init: +12; Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares), climb 20 ft., glide 30 ft.(clumsy)[See Gliding], swim 20 ft.; AC: 29(+8 size, +8 Dex, +3 natural) touch 26, flat-footed 21; Base Attack/Grapple: +1/-16; Full Attack: Bite +17 melee (1d2-1 plus poison); Space/Reach: ½ ft./0 ft.; Special Attacks: poison [Fort DC11 1/1 Con]; Special Qualities: DR 10/slashing or piercing, elastic body[half falling damage], gliding flight, low-light vision, scent; Saves: Fort +3, Ref +10, Will +2; Abilities: Str 9, Dex 27, Con 13, Int 2, Wis 15, Cha 2; Skills: Balance +16, Climb +16, Hide +28*[+32 in foliage], Jump +16, Listen +6, Spot +12, Swim +7; Feats: Improved Initiative, RunB, Weapon FinesseB; CR: 1/6)Dart Snake (Diminutive Magical Beast, Hit Dice: ½d10+1 (3hp); Init: +11; Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares), climb 20 ft., glide 30 ft.(clumsy)[See Gliding and Spring Into Flight], swim 20 ft.; AC: 24(+4 size, +7 Dex, +3 natural) touch 21, flat-footed 17; Base Attack/Grapple: +1/-12; Full Attack: Head-dart +12 melee (1d3-1/18-20×2 plus poison); Space/Reach: 1 ft./0 ft.; Special Attacks: Lancehead charge [2d3-2/18-20×2], poison [Fort DC11 1d2/1d2 Con]; Special Qualities: DR 10/slashing or piercing, elastic body[half falling damage], gliding flight, low-light vision, scent, spring into flight; Saves: Fort +3, Ref +9, Will +2; Abilities: Str 9, Dex 25, Con 13, Int 2, Wis 15, Cha 2; Skills: Balance +15, Climb +15, Hide +23*[+27 in foliage], Jump +15, Listen +6, Spot +12, Swim +7; Feats: Improved Initiative, RunB, Weapon FinesseB; CR: 1/3)Javelin Snake (Tiny Magical Beast, Hit Dice: 1d10+1 (6hp); Init: +6; Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares), climb 20 ft., glide 30 ft.(clumsy)[See Gliding and Spring Into Flight], swim 20 ft.; AC: 21(+2 size, +6 Dex, +3 natural) touch 18, flat-footed 15; Base Attack/Grapple: +1/-7; Full Attack: Head-dart +9 melee (1d4/18-20×2 plus poison); Space/Reach: 2½ ft./0 ft.; Special Attacks: Lancehead charge [2d4/18-20×2], poison [Fort DC11 1d3/1d3 Con]; Special Qualities: DR 10/slashing or piercing, elastic body[half falling damage], gliding flight, low-light vision, scent, spring into flight; Saves: Fort +3, Ref +8, Will +2; Abilities: Str 11, Dex 23, Con 13, Int 2, Wis 15, Cha 2; Skills: Balance +14, Climb +14, Hide +18*[+22 in foliage], Jump +14, Listen +6, Spot +12, Swim +8; Feats: Improved Initiative, RunB, Weapon FinesseB; CR: ½)Spear Snake (Small Magical Beast, Hit Dice: 2d10+2 (13hp); Init: +5; Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares), climb 20 ft., glide 30 ft.(clumsy)[See Gliding and Spring Into Flight], swim 20 ft.; AC: 19(+1 size, +5 Dex, +3 natural) touch 16, flat-footed 14; Base Attack/Grapple: +2/+0; Full Attack: Head-dart +7 melee (1d6+3/18-20×2 plus poison); Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.; Special Attacks: Lancehead charge [2d6+6/18-20×2], poison [Fort DC12 1d4/1d4 Con]; Special Qualities: DR 10/slashing or piercing, elastic body[half falling damage], gliding flight, low-light vision, scent, spring into flight; Saves: Fort +4, Ref +8, Will +2; Abilities: Str 15, Dex 21, Con 13, Int 2, Wis 15, Cha 2; Skills: Balance +13, Climb +13, Hide +14*[+18 in foliage], Jump +13, Listen +6, Spot +12, Swim +10; Feats: Improved Initiative, RunB, Weapon FinesseB; CR: 1)Catapult-Bolt Snake (Medium Magical Beast, Hit Dice: 3d10+6 (22hp); Init: +4; Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares), climb 20 ft., glide 30 ft.(clumsy)[See Gliding and Spring Into Flight], swim 20 ft.; AC: 17(+4 Dex, +3 natural) touch 14, flat-footed 13; Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+7; Full Attack: Head-dart +8 melee (1d8+6/18-20×2 plus poison); Space/Reach: 1 ft./0 ft.; Special Attacks: Lancehead charge [2d8+12/18-20×2], poison [Fort DC13 1d6/1d6 Con]; Special Qualities: DR 10/slashing or piercing, elastic body[half falling damage], gliding flight, low-light vision, scent, spring into flight; Saves: Fort +5, Ref +7, Will +3; Abilities: Str 19, Dex 19, Con 15, Int 2, Wis 15, Cha 2; Skills: Balance +12, Climb +12, Hide +10*[+14 in foliage], Jump +12, Listen +6, Spot +12, Swim +12; Feats: Improved Initiative, RunB, Weapon FinesseB; Weapon Focus (head-dart), CR: 2)NotesThe Dart Snake is not actually a traditional North American monster, but is my interpretation of a legendary Old World serpent, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaculus" target="_blank">Jaculus</a>.Jaculi seemed such an excellent fit for a Lumberjack monster that I thought I'd throw them in to play. After all, there are tales of tree snakes that hurl themselves from trees like javelins all around the world, so why can't North America have them too?There are old stories in Virginia about the Horn Snake, a serpent with a horn on its nose that hurls itself at foes. However that snake is quite different from the Dart Snake I've statted up - a Horn Snake's horn is deadly venomous, and it cannot fly or glide. Furthermore, a Horn Snake often has the horn on its tail-tip instead of its nose, and is often identified as a Hoop Snake, including the ability to roll in a hoop.There are many different versions of a Jaculus's appearance - many accounts give them wings, others add a single pair of legs like a wyvern, while a few say they have the arrowhead on the tip of their tail and fly backwards to strike their prey. I had to choose one of these options. Legs and wings was too "dragon-ey" (e.g. a common <a href="http://bestiary.ca/beasts/beast273.htm" target="_blank">medieval bestiary version of a Jaculus</a>), I wanted something that was unmistakeably a snake, so that left the question of which end the blade went on, which was far trickier. I was very tempted to put the blade on the tail-tip, since I've got a lot of Lumberjack Serpents with tail-tip weapons and one more would fit in the "family", but I just didn't like the idea of it flying about back-to-front , plus I liked the picture of the Jaculi in the original Fiend Folio, so I opted to make it an arrowhead snake.It doesn't make any mechanical difference, it's easy enough to call the Head-Dart attack a Tail-Dart instead, with a Lancetail Special Attack, and winged and legged variants are simple enough:Winged Dart Snake: Increase climb speed to 30 ft., change glide 30 ft. (clumsy) to fly 40 ft. (average), reduce swim speed to 10 ft., remove Gliding Flight, distances & aerial manoeuvrability of Spring Into Flight  remain unchanged.Winged Bipedal Dart Snake: Increase land speed and climb speed to 30 ft., change glide 30 ft. (clumsy) to fly 40 ft. (average), reduce swim speed to 10 ft., remove Gliding Flight, distances & aerial manoeuvrability of Spring Into Flight  remain unchanged. </blockquote>

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