Help me CR this creature

[Kyrail]

Simon, James, Craig, Steve... no lookie.

Help me assign a proper CR to this guy.

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Chukatti Breath Stealer
Large Aberration
HD: 6d8+18 (47 hp)
Initiative: +4
Speed: 40 ft (8 squares)
Armor Class:18 (+1 Dex +8 natural -1 size) Touch 11, Flatfooted 16
BAB/Grapple: +4/+15
Attack: +8 Bite 2d4+4
Full Attack: +6 Claw/Claw 1d4+4, +8 Bite 1d6+4
Special Attacks: Steal Essence
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft, Scent, DR 5/Peircing
Saves: Ref 8 Fort 7 Will 11
Abilities: Str:19 Dex:13 Con:17 Wis:13 Int:9 Cha:12
Skills: Hide 12, Move Silently 12, Listen 13, Spot 1
Feats: Pounce, Multiattack, Improved Grab
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: ??
Alignment: Neutral Evil

Chukatti Breath Stealers

Steal Breath- As a full around action a Breath Stealer may attempt to suck the breath from any creature within reach. The target must make a fort save DC 16 or take 1d6 points of constitution damage. The target dies when his constitution reaches 0. The Chukatti Breath Stealer heals 3 hp for every point of con drained, any excess added as temp. hit points.
A Breath Stealer may attempt to Steal Essence while in a grapple, which grants a +2 bonus to the saving throw. (DC 18)
If a Breath Stealer has pinned a creature, or the creature is helpless, attempting to steal essence gives a +4 to the saving throw (DC 20)
Chukatti Breath Stealers gain a +5 bonus to Grapple and Climb Checks

Gas attacks (like cloud kill) that effect Breath Stealers act as if empowered.

 

[Cheiromancer]

I'd estimate them as CR 4.

You know, I don't think I've ever seen a creature before who has DR /piercing. I wonder why they would be resistant to bludgeoning and slashing weapons, but vulnerable to piercing ones? Do they look like big balloons?

 

[Kyrail]

I'd estimate them as CR 4.

You know, I don't think I've ever seen a creature before who has DR /piercing. I wonder why they would be resistant to bludgeoning and slashing weapons, but vulnerable to piercing ones? Do they look like big balloons?

No, resistant but slightly flexible armor plating... like a big armadillo. Actually now that I think about it's design it's alot like a humanoid armadillo with big big teeth.

 

[RithTheAwakener]

id say 6 or 7, seems pretty beefy for a lvl 4, but thats just me. his great grapple check combined with the high save dc while being (which is almost guarenteed) would be extreemly rough for a lvl 4, but 6 would be about right, given HD, and BAB, and great abilities... and high saves.

 

[SteelDraco]

As written, I'd say 5. Pretty decent combatant (not a bad AC for that level, DR 5, and a nasty stat-damaging atack bulk the thing up quite a bit). It will win most grapple checks at that level, fairly easily. A 5th level fighter-type isn't often going to have a grapple roll above +10. Unfortunately, even when grappling and draining Con it could easily do more damage with its claws.

Of note, I think you've got a miscalculation somewhere in your figuring of the thing's grapple check. By my math, it should be +17 (+4 BAB, +4 Str, +4 size, +5 racial modifier).

Does the Steal Breath ability provoke AoOs from creatures around the grapple? If it's damaged, does that prevent the effect?

Having Pounce and Improved Grab as feats is somewhat unusual. Normally, critters with those have them as extraordinary racial abilities, rather than feats. If you want to beef the thing up a bit, you might consider adding those as part of the race, and giving it two additional feats. I'd consider Improved Natural Attack (claw) and.... the feat from Complete Warrior that gives a bonus to Grapple checks. I forget the name. If you do that, though, I'd drop the racial bonus to climb and grapple, and just give it a Climb speed.

 

[Kyrail]

I was heavily modding the creature while working on it, it should be Ref 10, Fort 7, Will 10... which is actually better. Hrm. Well it's all according to the book, the abilities are improved abit, but it's supposed to be a solitary monster the PC's will fight 1 on 4.

Hide should be four lower than it is however since I made it large.

 

[Kyrail]

As written, I'd say 5. Pretty decent combatant (not a bad AC for that level, DR 5, and a nasty stat-damaging atack bulk the thing up quite a bit). It will win most grapple checks at that level, fairly easily. A 5th level fighter-type isn't often going to have a grapple roll above +10. Unfortunately, even when grappling and draining Con it could easily do more damage with its claws.

Of note, I think you've got a miscalculation somewhere in your figuring of the thing's grapple check. By my math, it should be +17 (+4 BAB, +4 Str, +4 size, +5 racial modifier).

Does the Steal Breath ability provoke AoOs from creatures around the grapple? If it's damaged, does that prevent the effect?

Having Pounce and Improved Grab as feats is somewhat unusual. Normally, critters with those have them as extraordinary racial abilities, rather than feats. If you want to beef the thing up a bit, you might consider adding those as part of the race, and giving it two additional feats. I'd consider Improved Natural Attack (claw) and.... the feat from Complete Warrior that gives a bonus to Grapple checks. I forget the name. If you do that, though, I'd drop the racial bonus to climb and grapple, and just give it a Climb speed.

Geez, you're right, +17 grapple, ouch. It gets added grapple and climb because of it's odd "cameleon" like claws, with whats basically two clamping fingers on each side. Im pretty sure I'm gonna drop the con drain to 1d4, cause I dont think they'll be making those saves. As it's designed as a single monster fighter, I'm not going to call for an AOO when it uses steal breath, as it is really, just breathing, an AOOs would probabley get it killed really quick.

I could only find Clever Wresteling in CW, helps escape grapples, not engage them.

 

[Kyrail]

Updated, modified alot of things since I gave it a new size of large, which I didn't take into account before. Gave it less Cha, more Con, as it's not particuarlly charismatic. Gave it Iron Will for meta gaming reasons as to not have the damn thing knocked out or taken over at the beginning of the fight.

Should the Con damage be dropped to 1d4?

Chukatti Breath Stealer
Large Aberration
HD: 6d8+24 (59 hp)
Initiative: +4
Speed: Run, 40 ft (8 squares) Climb, 20
Armor Class:18 (+1 Dex +8 natural -1 size) Touch 10, Flatfooted 17
BAB/Grapple: +4/+17
Space/Reach: 10ft/10ft
Attack: +8 Bite 2d4+4
Full Attack: +6 Claw/Claw 1d6+4, +8 Bite 1d8+4
Special Attacks: Steal Breath
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft, Scent, Pounce, Improved Grab, DR 5/Peircing
Saves: Ref 10 Fort 7 Will 12
Abilities: Str:19 Dex:13 Con:18 Wis:13 Int:9 Cha:8
Skills: Hide 8, Move Silently 12, Listen 13, Spot 1
Feats: Multiattack, Iron Will
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: ??
Alignment: Neutral Evil

Steal Breath- As a full around action a Breath Stealer may attempt to suck the breath from any creature within reach. The target must make a fort save DC 16 or take 1d6 points of constitution damage. The target dies when his constitution reaches 0. The Chukatti Breath Stealer heals 3 hp for every point of con drained, any excess added as temp. hit points.
A Breath Stealer may attempt to Steal Essence while in a grapple, which grants a +2 bonus to the saving throw. (DC 18)
If a Breath Stealer has pinned a creature, or the creature is helpless, attempting to steal essence gives a +4 to the saving throw (DC 20)

Chukatti Breath Stealers gain a +5 bonus to Grapple Checks due to it's specialized claws

Gas attacks (like cloud kill) that effect Breath Stealers act as if empowered.

 

[Kyrail]

Bump. Need some more opinions on this.