SteelDraco's Coastal Ravager
The sea parts as a titanic, writhing mass of aquatic vermin, all moving as one creature, lumbers onto the shore. A series of black pearls glitter near where a head might be in the thing's bulk. It surges toward the nearest group of people, who barely have time to scream before disappearing into its body.
Coastal Ravager, CR 19
XP 204,800
N Colossal Construct (Aquatic)
Init -2;
Senses blindsense 120', darkvision 120'; Perception +0
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DEFENSE
AC 28, touch 10, flat-footed 28 (+8 deflection, -2 Dex, +20 natural, -8 size)
hp 262 (28d10+108)
Fort +9,
Ref +7,
Will +9
Special Defenses absorb vermin, all-around vision, amorphous, amphibious, aquatic healing, spell resistance 27, weapon resistance;
Immune construct traits
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OFFENSE
Speed 40 ft., swim 80 ft.
Melee 4 slams +37 (2d8+17 plus distraction)
Space 40 ft.;
Reach 30 ft.
Special Attacks distraction (DC 24), engulf (DC 41, 3d6 nonlethal plus distraction, mucus, and poison), spawn swarm, trample (2d8+25 plus distraction, DC 41 )
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STATISTICS
Str 44,
Dex 6,
Con --,
Int --,
Wis 11,
Cha 1
Base Atk +28,
CMB +53,
CMD 61
Feats Toughness (B)
Languages: None
Special Qualities compression, mental link
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ECOLOGY
Environment: Any aquatic or coastal
Organization: Solitary or war party (3-5 ravagers and 2-8 aboleth)
Treasure: 5d10 x 1,000 gp worth of black pearls
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SPECIAL ABILITIES
Absorb Vermin (Su): Any swarm of vermin or any vermin of size Large or smaller that comes into contact with a ravager must make a Fortitude save (DC 24) or be absorbed into the creature's mass, effectively destroying them. Absorbing a swarm or a vermin of size Medium or larger in this manner heals the ravager 3d10 hit points or grants it an equal number of temporary hit points, if it is already at full health. These temporary hit points dissipate after an hour. If the swarm was created by a ravager's spawn swarm ability, the ravager can choose whether or not to absorb the creatures.
Aquatic Healing (Su): While in an aquatic environment, the enchanted pearls at the heart of a coastal ravager attract aquatic vermin to join the mass of the creature if it is injured. It regains 10 hit points per hour while in such an environment.
Engulf (Ex): A creature engulfed by a coastal ravager is transferred to one of a number special water-filled cysts within the creature designed to capture enemies alive. They are pinned by stinging tentacles, similar to a jellyfish, and exposed to aboleth mucus stored there. Ravagers can engulf opponents of up to Huge size.
Mental Link (Su): A coastal ravager is mentally linked to its aboleth creator. The creator of a coastal ravager can use the creature's senses at will and give it orders from any distance.
Mucus (Ex): A creature engulfed by a coastal ravager is exposed to aboleth slime. They must make a DC 24 Fortitude save each round or lose the ability to breathe air (but gain the ability to breathe water) for 3 hours. Renewed contact with aboleth slime and failing another save extends the effect for another 3 hours. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Jellyfish Poison (Ex): Engulf - injury; save Fort DC 24, frequency 1/round for 6 rounds, effect 1d4 Dex; cure 2 consecutive saves
Spawn Swarm (Su): As a standard action, a coastal ravager can split part of its body off, creating an independent swarm. The creature can create crab swarms, jellyfish swarms, or leech swarms. The swarm is more powerful than normal; it deals 4d6 damage with its swarm attack and has 60 hit points, and the DC for their distraction and poison abilities are based on the coastal ravager's Hit Dice (normally DC 24). The ravager can fling the swarm from its body, allowing the swarm to start anywhere within 120', and acts immediately after the ravager in the initiative order. Using this ability deals 3d10 damage to the ravager as part of its body separates from it. A spawned swarm can survive for up to an hour away from the parent creature, after which it dissipates.
Weapon Resistance (Ex): The mass of vermin that comprise a coastal ravager's body are resistant to weapon damage, like a swarm. The creature takes half damage from all slashing and piercing attacks.
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DESCRIPTION
Coastal ravagers are created by the aboleth in the deepest and darkest trenches of the world's oceans. They are weapons against all other races, part of the aboleth's eternal quest for dominance and slaves. They are crafted to capture opponents, engulfing whole communities and storing the hapless captives inside the ravager's body for their aboleth masters. The ravagers then return to the depths, where the new slaves are put to work in sunken cities.
Physically, a ravager is titanic, nearly fifty feet high and more massive than all but the largest dragons. On land, it walks on a number of leg-like psudopods it uses to strike at opponents. Sometimes, a structure that resembles a maw is visible as it engulfs opponents, allowing the ravager to better sweep them into it waiting storage cysts. The black pearls that resemble eyes move all over the creature as different aboleths direct their vision to different areas, allowing the unseen masters a view of the entire battlefield.
In combat, a coastal ravager attempts to engulf as many people as possible. It only stops to use its slam attacks against targets that deal significant damage to it or escape from its engulf attack.It spawns swarms to deal with a large number of attackers, especially if it can't engulf everything nearby in a few turns. A ravager on a raid is nearly always under the direct control of an aboleth master, so it fights with surprising intelligence for a construct. It will retreat to the ocean if attacked by concentrated ranged fire, especially from flying opponents.
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PLOT HOOKS
- A series of small fishing villages along the coast have been destroyed, the homes smashed and all the people gone. A coastal ravager and its aboleth wizard maker have been raiding the coasts. Someone the PCs value has been taken - will the PCs be able to find their friend before they are dragged to the cyclopean depths? What was the aboleth looking for?
- The PCs find a fist-sized black pearl that radiates magic as part of a treasure horde. Unbeknownst to them, it is the locus pearl for a coastal ravager, and will begin growing into one if submerged. Assassins and thieves, sent by an aboleth artificer, hound the PCs until the item is returned.
- A coastal community's economy is devastated when the lobsters they depend on disappear. If the PCs investigate, they discover an underwater war between merfolk and aboleth, with multiple coastal ravagers being the cause of the missing wildlife. Can the PCs end the war before it spills over onto land?
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CONSTRUCTION
The body of a coastal ravager forms from an innumerable host of underwater vermin - all manner of crustaceans, anemones, corals, and other underwater life. They form around a group of black pearls, grown and magically enchanted by the aboleth. These pearls are tended on the ocean floor while the ravager's body grows, slowly attracting and absorbing nearby marine creatures. These pearls cost 50,000 gp.
COASTAL RAVAGER
CL 20th; Price 450,000 gp
Requirements Craft Construct, globe of invulnerability, insect plague, limited wish, sympathy, creator must be caster level 20th; Cost 225,000 gp
