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

16
War Snail
Colossal Vermin
Hit Dice: 53d8+477 (715 hp)
Initiative: -3
Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares)
Armor Class: 27 (-8 size, -3 Dex, +28
natural), touch –1, flat-footed 27
Base Attack/Grapple: +39/+70
Attack: Bite +46 melee (5d8+22)
Full Attack: Bite +46 melee (5d8+22)
Space/Reach: 30 ft./20 ft. (30 ft. with bite)
Special Attacks: Adhesive, roar, smother,
squash, swallow whole
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent
These colossal gastropods have mottled green
skin with yellow spots and shells with marbling in
greens and browns. They require warm tropical
conditions and are strict vegetarians. Some adults
surpass a height of 50 feet and weigh as much a few
hundred thousand pounds. Solitary by nature, some
warlords “tame” these giants for their combative
aims, making them mobile war machines.
Combat
War snails are not complex creatures. They
simply crush everything in their path.
Because of its size, it is virtually impossible
for the snail to sneak up on opponents. Still,
for something of that extreme bulk, the snail is
surprisingly quiet as it moves. Those on the jungle
floor hear the sound of the snail slithering forward in
pulsing waves only three or four rounds before the
snail looms out of the jungle.
War snails rarely use their bite attack, as
most opponents are too small for it to notice. They
typically use their bite on those who have dealt them
serious damage (50 or more points from a single
attack), trying to swallow the opponent whole.
Adhesive (Ex): A war snail exudes a thick
slime that acts as a powerful adhesive, holding fast
any creatures or items that touch it. Anyone walking
over the trail it leaves, or caught by its squash
attack is considered automatically grappled by the
adhesive slime. Opponents so grappled cannot get
free while the war snail is alive without removing
the adhesive first, or unless they succeed on a DC 35
Strength check or Escape Artist check.
A weapon that strikes a war snail is stuck fast
unless the wielder succeeds on a DC 20 Reflex save.
A successful DC 20 Strength check is needed to pry
it off.
Strong alcohol dissolves the adhesive. Those
stuck to the side of a war snail are not attacked by
198
Saves: Fort +37, Ref +25, Will +10
Abilities: Str 40, Dex 5, Con 28, Int —, Wis
1, Cha 2
Skills: —
Feats: —
Environment: Warm marsh
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 16
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 54+ HD (Colossal)
Level Adjustment: —
the war snail, merely dragged along until they free
themselves. The adhesive naturally dissolves after 2
days.
Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a
war snail must hit with its bite 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 try to
swallow the foe the following round.
Roar (Ex): A war snail can loose a terrifying
roar every 1d4 rounds. All creatures (except other war
snails and those riding in the fortress atop a war snail)
within 120 feet must succeed on a DC 32 Will save
or be affected as though by a fear spell for 12 rounds.
Those within 30 feet become deafened for 2d6 rounds;
creatures with 9 or more Hit Dice must succeed on a
DC 32 Fortitude save to negate this effect. Deafened
creatures cannot be affected again by the war snail’s
roar. The save DCs are Charisma-based.
Smother (Ex): Any foe squashed for one full
round must succeed on a DC 45 Fortitude save on
every subsequent round or begin to suffocate as the
war snail’s weight crushes the air out of the creature
(see Suffocation rules on page 32). The save DC is
Constitution-based.
Squash (Ex): As a standard action during
its turn each round, a war snail can use its mass to
squash opponents at least one size category smaller
than itself by moving forward at its normal speed.
A squash attack affects as many creatures as can fit
under the war snail’s body. A squash attack deals
4d12+22 points of bludgeoning damage. Squashed
opponents can attempt attacks of opportunity, but
these take a –4 penalty. If they do not make attacks
of opportunity, squashed opponents can attempt DC
51 Reflex saves to take half damage. A successful
saving throw indicates that the target has been
pushed back or aside (target’s choice) as the war
snail moves forward. The save DC is Strengthbased.