Monster Geographica - Marsh & Aquatic.pdf - The Secrets of the ...

6
Melboreth
Large Magical Beast (Aquatic)
Hit Dice: 7d10+21 (59 hp)
Initiative: +6
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares), swim 40 ft. (8
squares)
Armor Class: 20 (-1 size, +2 Dex, +9
natural), touch 11, flat-footed 18
Base Attack/Grapple: +7/+14
Attack: Claw +9 melee (1d6+3)
Full Attack: 2 claws +9 melee (1d6+3)
and bite +7 melee (2d6+1) and tail slam +7
melee (2d4+1)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Sonic cone
Special Qualities: Amphibious, darkvision
60 ft., low-light vision
Melboreths are amphibious monsters that
wreak havoc on sea-faring vessels.
Most prevalent in cold northern waters,
melboreths have froglike bodies with wide,
webbed claws, and oval mouths filled with teeth
capable of splintering wood and rending flesh.
Their long, spiny tails end in wide bone fins, and
gills behind their eyes allow them to breathe both
in and out of water. A typical melboreth is 10 feet
long and weighs about 600 pounds.
Families of melboreths live and hunt
together, making their lairs in moss-lined caves
just below the shoreline. They spend their days
swimming and hunting, attacking creatures and
vessels they discover in their territories–areas
which extend for miles around their caves.
Melboreths are omnivores, preferring meat, but
also eating kelp and moss when other sources
of food are scarce. They can crawl on land, but
prefer to stay in the ocean, as their skin dries out
easily. On rare occasions, they sun themselves on
offshore reefs.
Melboreths communicate with each other in
a primitive fashion via sonar, but do not learn other
languages.
Combat
Melboreths use their sonic cones from a
distance, then engage their injured opponents
in melee. They attack weaker enemies first,
preferring to gang up on stronger creatures once
their opponents’ ranks have thinned.
112
Saves: Fort +8, Ref +7, Will +2
Abilities: Str 17, Dex 14, Con 16, Int 4, Wis
11, Cha 7
Skills: Listen +10, Spot +4, Swim +11
Feats: Improved Initiative, Mob Mentality,
Multiattack
Environment: Cold aquatic
Organization: Solitary or family (3-6)
Challenge Rating: 6
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always chaotic neutral
Advancement: 8-14 HD (Large); 15-21 HD
(Huge)
Level Adjustment: —
Sonic Cone (Ex): To use this ability, a group
of three or more melboreths must gather within 15
feet of each other (usually in a triangle), each taking
a standard action to let out a high-pitched screech
during the same round. The final melboreth to join
the group can focus the screeches, releasing a cone
of sonic energy 10 feet long for each melboreth
in the group and causing 1d10 points of sonic
damage per melboreth to creatures and unattended
objects (Reflex DC 16 half). Creatures who fail
their saving throws are also stunned for 1 round,
and deafened for 2 rounds. Forcing a melboreth
to stop screeching prevents the sonic energy from
being focused. A melboreth can only focus a cone
once per day, but can participate in any number of
groups. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Amphibious (Ex): Although melboreths are
aquatic, they can survive indefinitely on land.
Skills: A melboreth has a +4 racial bonus on
Listen checks. A melboreth 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.
Feats: See page 27 for Mob Mentality.