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

aid coastal settlements using their ability to create
fog. Their gray, rubbery skin allows them to blend
into the fog, while their fog sight allows them full
sight within the mist. Cloud walkers speak Aquan.
Combat
Cloud walkers use their create fog ability prior to
combat, and then attempt to sneak attack opponents.
Create Fog (Su): At will as a standard action,
cloud walkers can summon a cloying mist from the
seawater. The effect is similar to a fog cloud cast by
a 6th-level wizard.
Sneak Attack (Ex): A cloud walker can make a
sneak attack like a rogue, dealing an extra 1d6 points
of damage whenever a foe is denied its Dexterity
bonus or when the cloud walker is flanking.
Amphibious (Ex): Although cloud walker
are aquatic, they can survive indefinitely on land,
provided they are surrounded by fog.
Dire Piranha
Medium Animal (Aquatic)
Hit Dice: 2d8+4 (13 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: Swim 80 ft. (16 squares)
Armor Class: 14 (+2 Dex, +2 natural), touch
12, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +1/+1
Attack: Bite +3 melee (1d8)
Full Attack: Bite +3 melee (1d8)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Capsize, vicious
Special Qualities: Low-light vision
Dire piranhas are larger, more predatory
versions of the typical flesh-eating fish encountered
in tropical settings. They can reach up to 5 feet
in length, and are aggressive hunters that attack
humanoids and other large creatures without
provocation. While the typical piranha can
sometimes be captured and put to use as guardians
or obstacles, dire ones are exceedingly difficult to
domesticate. Some druids and wizards manage to
win these creatures’ loyalty, usually with magical
means such as charm monster or charm animal.
Orcs and hobgoblins of the jungle revere these
creatures as totem animals, sometimes keeping
large pools of them in which they cast captured
humanoids as sacrifices.
Combat
Dire piranhas lurk near the shoreline of lakes
and rivers, waiting for a creature to blunder into the
water. Usually, they swim in large swarms that work
together to strip the flesh from a creature, leaving
it little more than a bony husk. Dire piranhas have
been known to attack rafts and river boats, slamming
into them to overturn them and feast upon the
unfortunates who tumble into the water.
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Fog Sight (Ex): A transparent
nictitating membrane over the cloud walkers’
eyes allows it to see perfectly in fog of any kind,
whether mundane or magical. Additionally, it
treats murky water as if it were clear water for the
purposes of determining how far it can see.
Moisture Dependence (Ex): Cloud walkers
need moisture to survive. If they venture from the
water, they must surround themselves with fog. Once
out of the fog; they cannot breath and begin to drown.
Skills: A cloud walker has a +6 racial bonus on
Climb checks. A cloud walker 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.
Saves: Fort +5, Ref +5, Will +0
Abilities: Str 10, Dex 15, Con 14, Int 2, Wis 10,
Cha 6
Skills: Spot +5, Swim +8
Feats: Weapon Finesse
Environment: Warm aquatic
Organization: Solitary or school (4-24)
Challenge Rating: 1
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 3-4 HD (Medium); 5-6 HD
(Large)
Level Adjustment: —
Capsize (Ex): Dire piranhas sometimes strike
at the underside of boats and rafts in an attempt
to turn them over and dump their occupants into
the water. A submerged dire piranha that surfaces
under a boat or ship less than 20 feet long capsizes
the vessel 50% of the time. It has a 20% chance to
capsize a vessel from 20 to 40 feet long and a 0%
chance to capsize one over 40 feet long. Multiple
dire piranhas can work together to tip over a boat,
increasing the chance to capsize it by 5% for every
additional fish beyond the first.
Vicious (Ex): Like their smaller cousins, dire
piranhas are most dangerous when encountered in a
group. A dire piranha gains a +1 competence bonus
on attack rolls and damage for every two dire piranha
adjacent to the target of the dire piranha’s attack.
Skills: A dire piranha 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.
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