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

7
Dank
Large Aberration (Aquatic)
Hit Dice: 12d8+36 (90 hp)
Initiative: +10
Speed: 10 ft. (2 squares), climb 10 ft. (2
squares), swim 40 ft. (8 squares)
Armor Class: 19 (-1 size, +6 Dex, +4 natural),
touch 15, flat-footed 13
Base Attack/Grapple: +9/+21
Attack: Tentacle rake +16 melee (1d6+8)
Full Attack: 10 tentacle rakes +16 melee
(1d6+8) and bite +14 melee (1d10+4)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft. (30 ft. with tentacle
rakes)
Special Attacks: Improved grab, ink cloud,
spines
The dank is a monstrously mutated form of
marine life, thought to have evolved from octopi
whose waters were polluted by foul magics. The
dank has a small central body, round and spiky, with
enormous tentacles sprouting in every conceivable
direction. Hidden within the spikes and the tentacles
of the body is a large beaklike mouth. Its ten arms
stretch out from the central body to a length of 30 feet,
each one covered in sharp, needlelike spines. These
spines are not so much weapons as they are devices to
keep prey held tightly within the dank’s arms.
The dank keeps itself well fed by attacking
boats and ships, pulling the sailors into the water
to drown them, then feasting once they cease
struggling. This method has proven quite effective,
as there are huge areas of many seas and oceans that
are avoided by seagoing vessels due to the dank.
Combat
A dank typically initiates an encounter by
latching onto the side of a ship, using two or three
of its arms to anchor itself in place. It then feels
around on the deck above with its other arms for
living creatures. The dank can see with its tentacles,
so it tries to position its body where it can’t be seen
or attacked from above. Once it detects a creature,
it attacks with its tentacles, attempting to grab its
prey. Once a hold is achieved, it pulls the victim off
the ship and holds him underwater to drown, away
from both the ship and the dank’s body. It continues
to attack other targets on board the ship with its
other arms while drowning a held victim. Once
the dank has successfully grabbed three victims, it
detaches from the ship and sinks below to feed.
The dank can survive out of the water,
although it doesn’t like to leave the water for
extended periods of time. It often pulls its body
out of the water to attack tall ships. If the dank is
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Special Qualities: Amphibious, blindsight 60
ft., darkvision 60 ft.
Saves: Fort +9, Ref +10, Will +9
Abilities: Str 26, Dex 23, Con 17, Int 4, Wis
13, Cha 7
Skills: Climb +16, Hide +10, Listen +5, Move
Silently +12, Spot +4, Swim +16
Feats: Combat Reflexes, Great Fortitude,
Improved Initiative, Multiattack, Stealthy
Environment: Any aquatic
Organization: Solitary, pair, or swarm (2-8)
Challenge Rating: 7
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 13-24 HD (Large); 24-36 HD
(Huge)
Level Adjustment: —
attacked by an underwater opponent, it uses its ink
cloud to blind the attacker. If the dank is reduced
to fewer than 20 hit points, it flees, taking with it
anyone still held in its grip.
Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a
dank must hit a smaller opponent with a tentacle
rake attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple
as a free action without provoking an attack of
opportunity.
Ink Cloud (Ex): If attacked underwater, the
dank can spray a thick cloud of black ink into the
water around it as a standard action. This cloud
extends outward in a 20-foot radius sphere. The ink
obscures all sight, including darkvision, beyond 5
feet. A creature within 5 feet has concealment (20%
miss chance). Creatures farther away have total
concealment (50% miss chance, and the attacker
can’t use sight to locate the target).
Spines (Ex): Any creature that escapes from
a grapple with a dank while the dank is still alive
suffers 1d6 points of damage from tearing away
from its spines.
Amphibious (Ex): Although danks are
aquatic, they can survive indefinitely on land.
Blindsight (Ex): The tentacles of the dank
discern temperature variations, motion, and
vibration. It can “see” perfectly from any point
on any of its arms, giving it a large field of vision
extending 60 feet beyond its body. It can even see
around corners if it extends its arms far enough.
Skills: A dank 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.
Danks have a +8 racial bonus on Climb
checks and can always choose to take 10 on Climb
checks, even if rushed or threatened.