Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="BOZ" data-source="post: 50332" data-attributes="member: 1241">ALGUDUIRMedium-Size Magical Beast (aquatic)Hit Dice: 4d10+4 (26 hp)Initiative:  +3 (Dex)Speed: 20 ft, fly 60 ft. (good), swim 40 ft.AC:  17 (+3 Dex, +4 natural)Attacks:  Bill +5 melee, 2 claws +0 meleeDamage:  Bill 1d6+1, claws 1d4+1Face/Reach:  5 ft. by 5 ft./5 ftSpecial Attacks:  Improved grabSpecial Qualities:  Spell reflection, SR 19Saves:  Fort +5, Ref +7, Will +1Abilities:  Str 12, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 7, Wis 10, Cha 11Skills:  Hide +8, Listen +5, Move Silently +7, Spot +5, Swim +6Feats:  AlertnessClimate/Terrain:  Any marshOrganization:  Solitary, family (2-4)Challenge Rating:  2Treasure:  NoneAlignment:  Always neutralAdvancement:  5-8 HD (Medium-Size), 9-12 HD (Large)The alguduir, sometimes called the swamp dragon, is a rare carnivore that inhabits only large freshwater or saltwater marshes.  This creature is a large, amphibious, bipedal bird, standing about 7' tall.  An alguduir's body is fat but sleek, covered with tough, durable oil-glistening scales.  Its front feet have five black talons each, its rear feet have only four talons each.  Its wings are usually a mottled white, brown, and gray.  Its head and body are gray or green-gray, and are readily camouflaged by marsh plants.  Its eyes are yellow or green.  Its gills are located in the throat area behind and beneath the gill.   Its feathered eagle-like wings are oily and can shed water rapidly.  This allows the alguduir to swim to the surface, shake its wings out to full span, and fly away without pause.  This oil is not flammable and an alguduir suffers no extra damage from fire-based attacks.  Its nickname comes from its scaled body that erroneously makes people believe it to be related to dragons.   They cannot speak, although they may understand a word or two, or even complete phrases of any language spoken by intelligent creatures within their hunting ground.  Alguduir snarl, grunt, or shriek, showing the full scope of emotion, but when hunting they are eerily silent. COMBATA repeated marsh-bird call may be an alguduir signaling its position to its mate.  This allows the two alguduirs to position an enemy between the two.  When this occurs, one attacks, driving the opponent to the other, opening the victim to flank and back attacks.   Alguduirs often battle creatures underwater.  They commonly capture these aquatic animals in their rear claws, lifting them out of the water to suffocate them.  They also like to drag down avian or surface-dwelling creatures and hold them underwater until the prey drowns.  They employ their rear claws in combat only when clinging to, or when wrapped around an opponent.   Swoop (Ex):  A capable swimmer, the alguduir can breathe underwater and dive with great force and accuracy from the air to an underwater target, gaining a +2 attack bonus.   Improved Grab (Ex):  If an adult alguduir (not a young one) hits with both front claw attacks, it may attempt to grapple its victim.  If successful, this allows the alguduir to attack with its two rear claws in addition to its normal attacks, giving it 4 claw attacks and a bill.   Spell Reflection (Su?):  Alguduirs possess a curious and effective ability to reflect or turn spells and spell-like abilities back at the caster.  This natural phenomenon is presently inexplicable.  This spell reflection is an unconscious act, and the alguduir cannot willfully negate the reflection deliberately, nor can it willfully exercise it.  Even the carcasses of dead alguduir retain the ability for 4d4 minutes.   When a spell is cast upon an alguduir, there is a 65% chance (-2% per effective level of the caster above 10th level, and -5% per spell level of the spell above 6) that it wholly reflects back upon the caster with full effects, and saving throws are applicable.  If the caster is completely protected against such an occurrence, the spell reflects upon a randomly chosen unprotected creature within 10 feet of the caster.  If unprotected prey is not within range, the reflected spell dissipates.  The creature's Spell Resistance should be rolled only if the Spell Reflection fails.   Skills:  Alguduir are naturally camouflaged, and receive a +4 to Hide checks while in any type of marsh. SOCIETYAlguduir lair in the tangled, weedy clumps of solid ground found at the heart of their large marsh.  They protect these small locations with their lives.  At any sign of danger, the young go to the ground there while the parents stalk the intruders.  If the adults are faced with trespassers that are too strong to defeat, the adults lead them from the nest, flying or diving to escape when the danger no longer threatens the lair.  If the alguduirs deem the trespassers edible and easily killed, they hunt or attempt to ambush the prey, feeding the victims to their young.  They always deposit the remains far from the lair to avoid calling attention to their safe haven.   The alguduir feeds on fish, snakes, frogs, mussels that it smashes open on rocks, and other aquatic life.  The alguduir even feasts upon the giant varieties of these animals if they are available.  It usually hunts by flying low over the marsh plants.  With its claws and bill it stabs at creatures in the reeds and boggy ground in the marsh and nearby areas.ALGUDUIR YOUNGAlguduir young are 1 HD creatures and have the same abilities as their parents, with the following exceptions:  their natural armor is only 2, their speed is 10 (fly 40, swim 30), their beak only does 1d4 damage, their front claws only do 1d2 damage and they can't attack with rear claws.  They are Small creatures, only 1'-4' long.  They are otherwise identical to adults.The alguduir first appeared in MC11, Forgotten Realms Monstrous Compendium Appendix II (1991, David "Zeb" Cook)</blockquote>

Verification