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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Cleon" data-source="post: 4641902" data-attributes="member: 57383">Fearsome Critters from Lumberjack Tales - The Corkscrew SnakeCorkscrew Snake (Screw Worm)Medium Magical BeastHit Dice: 3d10+6 (22 hp)Initiative: +7Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares), burrow 5 ft, climb 20 ft., swim 60 ft.Armor Class: 18 (+3 Dex, +5 natural), touch 13, flat-footed 15Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+7Attack: Tail +8 melee (1d8+4) or bite +7 melee (1d4+4 plus poison)Full Attack: Tail +8 melee (1d8+4) and bite +3 melee (1d4+2 plus poison) or bite +7 melee (1d4+4 plus poison) and tail +3 melee (1d8+2)Space/Reach: 5 ft./ 5 ft.Special Attacks: Corkscrew, fore-and-aft attack, impale, poisonSpecial Qualities: DR 10/slashing or piercing, elastic body[half falling damage], hold breath, low-light vision, scentSaves: Fort +5, Ref +6, Will +2Abilities: Str 19, Dex 17, Con 15, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 2Skills: Balance +11, Climb +12, Jump +16 [+24 swimming], Hide +10, Listen +5, Spot +8, Swim +12Feats: Improved Initiative, Weapon Focus (tail)Environment: Temperate forests, swamps and freshwaterOrganization: Solitary, pair or nest (1-2 adults plus 2-20 eggs or young)Challenge Rating: 3Treasure: NoneAlignment: Always neutralAdvancement: 4-6 HD (Medium), 7-12 (Large)Level Adjustment: —The tail of this sizeable snake is shaped just like a woodscrew, with a twisted, sharpened edge running its entire length, to end in a dagger-like point. It curls like a corkscrew when it moves, rather than slithering from side-to-side like a normal snake.A close relative of the bedspring snake is the corkscrew snake, sometimes called the screw worm. Rather than strangling its prey, this serpent impales them with the bladed tip of its tail and then twists its helical body into the wound. A typical specimen is ten feet in length and 60 pounds in weight.Corkscrew snakes are not desert-dwellers like the bedspring snake, indeed they prefer areas with plenty of water and tree cover. They often lair on the banks of freshwater bodies of inside small isles or hollowed-out logs in swampy areas.While corkscrew snakes can't bounce along like a bedspring snake, they can slither faster by rapidly straightening and coiling their bodies and swim at great speed by literally screwing their way through the water. In addition, they can burrow tail-first through earth and soft wood, and use this ability to excavate lairs.A corkscrew snake normally travels with tail pointing forward, ready to attack or fight off any creature it encounters. They are one of the most vicious serpents known to Lumberjack Lore, a screw worm would rather assault a perceived threat than flee it.These serpents form pair bonds like a bedspring snake, but do not socialize in larger groups. Encounters between corkscrew snakes that are not mated or courting often end in bloodshed when ritualized threats and tail-menacing fail.CombatA corkscrew snake usually initiates an attack by charging or jumping from cover and trying to Impale an opponent with its tail. If successful, it will then start a Corkscrew attack as soon as possible. A corkscrew snake facing multiple opponents tries to use Fore-and-Aft Attack to engage two foes at once, normally it uses its tail as its primary attack if it has yet to Impale a victim, and its bite as its primary attack if it's already Corkscrewing.These reptiles are pugnacious, so rarely consider retreat unless they've taken serious damage (half hit points or more), or their foe is obviously overwhelming.Note that corkscrew snakes, like their cousins the bedspring, shipborer and rockdrill snake, have the Reach of a tall creature, not a long one.Corkscrew (Ex)A corkscrew snake can automatically inflict its tail damage (1d8+4) at the start of its turn to a any creature it is impaling. The snake can double its tail damage (to 2d8+8) by making a successful grapple check (see Impale, below).Elastic Body (Ex)The amazing elasticity of a corkscrew 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 corkscrew snake normally.Fore-and-Aft Attack (Ex)A corkscrew snake can make a Corkscrew attack and a bite attack as a full attack action, with one attack being considered a primary attack and the other a secondary attack. If the Corkscrew is the secondary attack it has a -5 to the grapple check and does only 1d8+2 damage. The attacks need not be at the same target. The snake still needs a victim grappled within its tail to use Corkscrew.Hold Breath (Ex)A corkscrew snake can hold its breath for a number of rounds equal to 4 × its Constitution score before it risks drowning.Impale (Ex)To use this ability, a corkscrew snake must hit an opponent with its tail 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 Corkscrew.A corkscrew snake can automatically extract its tail from an impalement by spending a Move action. Another creature can twist a corkscrew snake out of its victim as a standard action by succeeding in a grapple check against a DC of 20 or the snake's grapple check, whichever is greater. The tail of a dead or incapacitated snake can be extracted from the victim with a DC 15 Heal check.Every time a creature makes a grapple or Heal check to extract the snake's tail, the impaled victim takes the snake's normal tail damage (1d8+4) unless the attempt succeeds by a margin of 10 or more.Poison (Ex)A corkscrew snake has a poisonous bite that deals initial and secondary damage of 1d6 Con if the victim fails a DC 13 Fortitudesave. The save DC is Constitution-based. SkillsCorkscrew snakes have a +4 racial bonus on Hide, Listen and Spot checks, a +8 racial bonus on Balance and Climb checks and a +12 racial bonus on Jump checks. A corkscrew snake suffers no penalty to Jump checks when its speed is lower than 30 ft, although it still receives a bonus for higher speeds, nor does it suffer a doubling of Jump DCs when it lacks a running start, they also have the same vertical reach for high jumps as a biped. Corkscrew snakes use either their Strength modifier or Dexterity modifier for Climb and Jump checks, whichever is higher. 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 13 - Let me tell you a tale. I was with a posse chasing Swampy Pete in the woods. We'd just about caught up with him when a corkscrew snake leapt from a pile of brush to skewer Pete in the belly with its tail. We ran up as Pete started yelling cause the snake'd begun spinning round to drill into Pete's guts. I grabbed hold of the corkscrew snake to pull it out, but it just wrapped its tail deep in Pete's insides and made him yell like his soul was afire, and then the damn thing bit me! But then Big Oscar – you know Oscar, the blacksmith? –came up and took hold of that snake, and pulled it between his hands so hard it stretched out straight as a poker, and he got it out of Pete smooth as anything. It was too late for Swampy Pete by then, he bled to death like a stuck pig. We all felt real sorry for Pete, even a dirty rotten horse-thief who smelt worse than a skunk like him didn't deserve to be fatally screwed like that.DC 18 - Corkscrew snakes are no faster than a man on foot, so if you spot one before it's close enough to leap at you – say thirty feet or so – it's easy enough to escape by taking to your heels. However, they can spin through water faster than a torpedo fish can swim. and often leap out of lakes and such to attack fishermen standing on the shore or in their boats. I heard tell of corkscrew snake sinking a punt by drilling holes in its hull, but never saw that myself.DC 23 - Knew a fellow once who had a corkscrew snake as a familiar. Told me they can tunnel through stuff if its soft enough by drilling in with their tails, and they do this to dig out lairs in the ground or softwood trees. They mate in pairs like birds, he said, and are right vicious when defending their mates and eggs. Course, them screw worms is vicious enough at the best of times. Worst of all, he told me, is if them eggs have hatched, then you risk getting drilled by a dozen or two baby screw worms and their mammy and pappy! Last I heard he's a waiter now, and uses his familiar to open wine bottles.Different Sizes of Corkscrew SnakesIt's an easy matter to convert the sample stat blocks of bedspring snakes into corkscrew snakes. Increase its land speed to 30 ft (6 squares) and its swim speed to 60 ft, remove Bouncing Speed, Constrict and Improved Grab, plus all the abilities derived from them, and add Corkscrew, Hold Breath and Impale. The snake has the same skills and feats, except for losing the bonus feats from Bouncing Speed. Its Jump skill bonus while swimming is equal to a bedspring snake's Jump skill bonus when swimming with bouncing speed at maximum.Shipborer SnakeShipborer snakes are marine cousins to the corkscrew snake. They are very similar in appearance and habits to regular screw worms, but grow far bigger in size; an average-sized individual being around 20' in length (7HD Large-sized) and 500 pounds in weight, while record specimens can reach over 60 feet in length.. These serpents are a coastal species, for they have few adaptations to a saltwater life. While they have special glands to excrete excess salt from their bodies, they lack a true sea-snakes ability to snatch sleep between breaths of air, so must land on a bank or return to land to rest.Shipborer snakes earn their name, for they can hole even a sturdy ship with a few moments work with their tailscrews. Fortunately, such attacks are rare since these reptiles are seldom aggressive unless provoked. Shipborer snakes hunt large aquatic animals, with a particular taste for marine mammals such as dugongs, seals, porpoises or even whales.Use the same stats as a Corkscrew snake, except for the following changes:Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares), burrow 5 ft, climb 20 ft, swim 60 ft.Environment: Temperate or warm aquaticSkills: Reduce basic Jump bonus by 4, its Jump bonus while swimming does not change. A shipborer snake suffers normal penalties to Jump checks for low speed or a stationary start. It only gains a vertical jump reach equal to a biped when jumping from the water.Advancement: 3-6 HD (Medium), 7-12 HD (Large), 13-21HD (Huge)Huge Shipborer Snake (Huge Magical Beast, Hit Dice: 13d10+91(162hp); Init: +6; Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares), burrow 5 ft, climb 20 ft., swim 60 ft.; AC: 21(-2 size, +3 Dex, +10 natural) touch 11, flat-footed 18; Base Attack/Grapple: +13/+34; Attack: Tail +25 melee (3d6+13) or bite +24 melee (1d8+13 plus poison); Full Attack: Tail +25 melee (3d6+13) and bite +19 melee (1d8+6 plus poison) or bite +24 melee (1d8+13 plus poison) and tail +20 melee (3d6+6); Space/Reach: 15 ft./15 ft.; Special Attacks: Corkscrew, fore-and-aft attack, impale, poison[bite, DC23 or 1d10/1d10 Con]; Special Qualities: DR 10/slashing or piercing, elastic body[half falling damage], hold breath, low-light vision, scent; Saves: Fort +15, Ref +12, Will +7; Abilities: Str 36, Dex 14, Con 24, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 2; Skills: Balance +10, Climb +21, Jump +22[+34 if swimming], Hide +8, Listen +5, Spot +10, Swim +21; Feats: Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Power Attack, Weapon Focus (tail); CR: 8)Maximized Shipborer Snake (Huge Magical Beast, Hit Dice: 21d10+168(283hp); Init: +6; Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares), burrow 5 ft, climb 20 ft., swim 60 ft.; AC: 21(-2 size, +3 Dex, +10 natural) touch 11, flat-footed 18; Base Attack/Grapple: +21/+42; Attack: Tail +25 melee (4d6+13) or bite +24 melee (2d6+13 plus poison); Full Attack: Tail +25 melee (4d6+13) and bite +19 melee (2d6+6 plus poison) or bite +24 melee (2d6+13 plus poison) and tail +20 melee (4d6+6); Space/Reach: 15 ft./15 ft.; Special Attacks: Corkscrew, fore-and-aft attack, impale, poison[bite, DC25 or 1d10/1d10 Con]; Special Qualities: DR 10/slashing or piercing, elastic body[half falling damage], hold breath, low-light vision, scent; Saves: Fort +15, Ref +12, Will +7; Abilities: Str 36, Dex 14, Con 26, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 2; Skills: Balance +10, Climb +21, Jump +22[+34 if swimming], Hide +16, Listen +5, Spot +14, Swim +21; Feats: Ability Focus (poison), Improved Initiative, Improved Natural Attack (tail), Improved Natural Attack (bite), Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Power Attack, Weapon Focus (tail); CR: 11)Feat Progression: [1HD] Improved Initiative, Weapon FinesseB, [3HD] Weapon Focus (tail), [6HD] Power Attack, [9HD] Iron Will, [12HD] Lightning Reflexes, [15HD] Improved Natural Attack (tail), [18HD] Ability Focus (poison), [21HD] Improved Natural Attack (bite) </blockquote>

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