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

Mud Elemental
Large Elemental (Earth, Native, Water)
Hit Dice: 8d8+32 (68 hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares), swim 20 ft. (4
squares)
Armor Class: 15 (-1 size, +6 natural), touch
9, flat-footed 15
Base Attack/Grapple: +6/+16
Attack: Slam +11 melee (2d6+9)
Full Attack: Slam +11 melee (2d6+9)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks: Engulf, improved grab,
smother
Special Qualities: Damage reduction 5/—,
darkvision 60 ft., elemental traits
A strange fusion of earth and water elemental
energies, the mud elemental dwells in damp, wet
marshes and jungles. While only dimly intelligent,
these creatures have a fundamentally malevolent
nature that drives them to lurk in hiding and pounce
upon adventurers, travelers, and others who come
close to their hiding spots. Mud elementals have
no need to eat organic matter. Rather, they hunt
simply because they love the feel of a dying
creature trapped in their suffocating embrace.
Mud elementals are a deadly threat to
most animals and folk, as their ability to remain
hidden until they strike allows them to attack from
ambush and quickly overwhelm a victim before he
can offer any real resistance. Luckily, they lack the
intelligence to employ hit and run tactics. Usually,
after a few beasts and people go missing along a
trail, the local folk send a hunting party to root out
and destroy the creature.
Combat
In battle, the mud elemental relies on surprise
and its ability to grab and engulf its opponents.
Typically, it hides within a pool of stagnant water
or a patch of quicksand located beside a jungle
pathway. When a potential victim wanders by, the
elemental surges forth to attack. Mud elementals
are cowardly, preferring to strike lone travelers or
small, seemingly defenseless creatures. They lack
the intelligence to deduce a creature’s abilities
from its dress and equipment, leading them to
attack creatures based exclusively on size. Thus,
a mud elemental might allow a cow to pass
unmolested while it attacks a heavily armed and
armored human.
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Saves: Fort +10, Ref +2, Will +3
Abilities: Str 22, Dex 10, Con 18, Int 6, Wis
12, Cha 10
Skills: Hide +7, Listen +4, Move Silently
+2, Spot +4, Swim +14
Feats: Alertness, Power Attack, Stealthy
Environment: Warm forest and marsh
Organization: Solitary or swarm (2-12)
Challenge Rating: 8
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Usually neutral evil
Advancement: 9-16 HD (Large); 17-24 HD
(Huge)
Level Adjustment: —
Engulf (Ex): A mud elemental can attempt
to pull a Large or smaller creature into its body by
making a successful grapple check. An engulfed
creature is surrounded with mud and slime,
and is subject to being smothered. An engulfed
creature may be freed with a successful Strength
check. An engulfed creature can attack the
mud elemental with a light slashing or piercing
weapon, and cannot cast spells with verbal or
somatic components. Creatures trapped within a
mud elemental are immediately freed if it dies.
Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability,
a mud elemental must hit with its slam 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 engulf its foe in the following round.
Smother (Ex): A creature engulfed within a
mud elemental must succeed on a DC 18 Fortitude
save or swallow some of the mud elemental’s
muddy substance and begin to suffocate (page 32).
An opponent that fails its initial Fortitude save can
attempt another DC 18 Fortitude save once every
2d6 rounds, until it succeeds by coughing out the
mud. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Skills: A mud elemental 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.
*Due to the mud and water composition of
their physical bodies, mud elementals have a +10
circumstance bonus on Hide checks while lurking
within mud, water, quicksand, and similar materials.
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