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

9
Fisherman
Large Outsider (Aquatic, Evil, Native)
Hit Dice: 15d8+45 (112 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares), swim 30 ft. (6
squares)
Armor Class: 14 (-1 size, +2 Dex, +3 natural),
touch 11, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +15/+24
Attack: Gaff +19 melee (1d6+5/19-20/x3) or
net +16 ranged touch (entangle)
Full Attack: Gaff +17/+12/+7 melee (1d4+5/
19-20/x3) and gaff +17 melee (1d4+2/19-20/
x3) or net +16 ranged touch (entangle)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks: Fear aura, soul cage
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft.,
deathwatch, sea sense
Saves: Fort +12, Ref +11, Will +14
A fisherman is a humanoid reaching up to ten
feet tall, clad in the garb of a mundane fisherman. Its
eyes glow with an eerie blue light, and its grizzled
face is usually trimmed with a gnarled beard in
which dwell small crabs, fish and shrimps. All
fishermen seem to be male; no female of the species
has ever been witnessed by any sailor. They are
powerful creatures that enjoy tormenting seafarers
and work hard to collect the souls of those who die
at the hands of the sea. At the bottom of the ocean
they may be found tending to devices called soul
cages that look for all the world like ordinary lobster
traps, though they are used to imprison the spirits of
the drowned. The territory of a fisherman can extend
over a dozen miles from its lair.
An individual fisherman may tend to as many
as 3d6 soul cages, each containing the incarcerated
spirits of 1d6 unfortunate sailors, all of which have
met their deaths through storm, shipwreck or some
other maritime disaster. The fisherman always
leaves those slain by intentional violence to wander
the depths. They are very competitive with others
of their kind but occasionally will swap souls to
enhance their own collections. Fishermen are also
fond of games and gambling and should they be
offered a fair chance of odds, may find a wager
impossible to resist. In this way, it may be possible
to bargain for the release of a soul of a companion or
loved one.
Combat
Although they do not often engage in melee
combat, many have found to their own detriment
that fishermen are quite skilled. Fighting with a wide
variety of maritime tools and weapons, fishermen
favor gaff hooks and nets to ensnare and slay those
162
Abilities: Str 20, Dex 15, Con 16, Int 15, Wis
16, Cha 14
Skills: Bluff +12, Climb +14, Craft (soul cage)
+20, Diplomacy +14, Disguise +2 (+4 acting),
Escape Artist +18, Gather Information +16,
Intimidate +22, Jump +9, Knowledge (local)
+20, Listen +17, Search +20, Sense Motive
+12, Spot +18, Survival +15 (+17 following
tracks), Swim +20, Use Rope +2 (+4 bindings)
Feats: Athletic, Combat Expertise, Exotic
Weapon Proficiency (gaff) B , Exotic Weapon
Proficiency (net), Improved Critical (gaff), Iron
Will, Two-Weapon Fighting
Environment: Any aquatic
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 9
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Always lawful evil
Advancement: 16-30 HD (Large), 31-45 HD
(Huge)
Level Adjustment: —
who intrude upon their habitat. When a fisherman
detects a great storm at sea or is otherwise aware that
sailors are meeting watery deaths, it will rise to the
surface in order to start collecting as many souls as
it can.
A fisherman’s natural weapons, as well as any
weapons it wields, are treated as evil-aligned for the
purpose of overcoming damage reduction.
Fear Aura (Su): A fisherman radiates a 60foot-radius
fear aura as a free action. A creature in
the area must succeed on a DC 19 Will save or be
affected as though by a fear spell (caster level 15th).
A creature that successfully saves cannot be affected
again by the same fisherman’s aura for 24 hours. The
save DC is Charisma-based.
Soul Cage (Su): By simply constructing a
lobster cage out of the debris that floats to the bottom
of the ocean, a fisherman may craft a soul cage. The
soul cage is a magical construction that, through its
crafting, has been enchanted with a trap the soul
spell (caster level 15th). This allows the cage to
function as either version of the spell, and can affect
as many creatures as the fisherman has Hit Dice.
When the fisherman is using the cage as a part of a
spell completion, affected creatures must succeed on
a DC 19 Will save to avoid being affected. The magic
of a soul cage will only function for a fisherman and
the souls remain trapped for as long as the fisherman
wishes and remains in the material world. Only upon
the death of the fisherman may the trapped souls be
released. The save DC is Charisma-based.
Deathwatch (Su): This ability functions like
the deathwatch spell (caster level 15th), except that
it is always active and the fisherman always knows
how near death all creatures within range are. The