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

7
Skull of the Deep
Large Undead (Aquatic)
Hit Dice: 10d12 (65 hp)
Initiative: +7
Speed: Swim 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 20 (-1 size, +3 Dex, +8
natural), touch 12, flat-footed 17
Base Attack/Grapple: +5/+14
Attack: Tentacle +9 melee (1d8+5)
Full Attack: 7 tentacles +9 melee (1d8+5)
and bite +4 melee (2d6+2)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks: Constrict 1d8+5, energy
drain, improved grab,
Special Qualities: Animate dead,
darkvision 60 ft., ink cloud, jet, sunlight
powerlessness, undead traits
Out of the murky water swims a nightmarish
form, much like an enormous rotting skull with an
unearthly red light burning in its empty sockets.
It propels itself along with a mass of wriggling
tentacles.
Combat
Skulls of the deep strike opponents with their
tentacles, draining the life from their prey before
finishing their victims with their powerful jaws. If
a skull of the deep encounters a large number of
foes or a powerful opponent, it resorts to using its
animating ink to create undead allies or simply to
cover its escape.
Constrict (Ex): A skull of the deep deals
automatic tentacle damage with a successful
grapple check.
Energy Drain (Su): Living creatures hit
by a skull of the deep’s tentacle attack gain one
negative level. The DC is 16 for the Fortitude
save to remove a negative level. The save DC
is Charisma-based. For each such negative level
bestowed, the skull of the deep gains 5 temporary
hit points.
Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a
skull of the deep must hit with its tentacle attack. It
can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action
without provoking an attack of opportunity. If it
wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold and
can constrict. A skull of the deep can drain energy
each round the hold is maintained.
140
Saves: Fort +3, Ref +6, Will +9
Abilities: Str 21, Dex 17, Con —, Int 13,
Wis 14, Cha 12
Skills: Hide +12, Knowledge (any one) +14,
Listen +17, Search +14, Spot +17, Survival
+2 (+4 following tracks), Swim +13
Feats: Alertness, Blind-Fight, Dodge,
Improved Initiative
Environment: Any aquatic
Organization: Solitary, pair, or fleet (3-9)
Challenge Rating: 7
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always chaotic evil
Advancement: 11-20 HD (Large); 21-30
HD (Huge)
Level Adjustment: —
Animate Dead (Su): Twice per day, a skull
of the deep may choose to have its ink cloud (see
below) animate any corpse with which it comes
into contact. A skull of the deep may use this
ability after emitting its ink cloud, in the same
round as a standard action. A single cloud can
animate up to 12 HD of undead, as if it were a
single casting of the animate dead spell (caster
level 12th). These undead do not attack the skull of
the deep, but attack any living foes within reach.
A skull of the deep cannot have more than 24 HD
worth of undead animated at one time.
Ink Cloud (Ex): A skull of the deep can emit
a cloud of jet-black ink in a 60-foot spread four
times per day as a free action. The cloud provides
total concealment, which the skull of the deep
normally uses to escape a combat that is going
badly or to cover itself when exposed to sunlight.
Creatures within the cloud are considered to be in
total darkness.
Jet (Ex): A skull of the deep can jet backward
once per round as a full-round action, at a speed of
180 feet. It must move in a straight line, but does
not provoke attacks of opportunity while jetting.
Sunlight Powerlessness (Ex): Skulls of the
deep are utterly powerless in natural sunlight (not
merely a daylight spell) and flee from it.
Skills: A skull of the deep 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.