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

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Sloth Viper
Large Magical Beast
Hit Dice: 5d10 (27 hp)
Initiative: +8
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares), climb 30 ft., swim
30 ft.
Armor Class: 17 (-1 size, +4 Dex, +4
natural), touch 13, flat-footed 13
Base Attack/Grapple: +5/+10
Attack: Bite +8 melee (1d4+1 plus poison)
Full Attack: Bite +8 melee (1d4+1 plus
poison)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Poison
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., lowlight
vision, quickness
This emerald-colored snake has bands of
gold and black ringing its body. Its tail is blacktipped
and its eyes are amber.
The sloth viper is a lightning-quick predator
most often found in dense, thick jungles or
overgrown swamplands. They subsist on a diet of
small animals, preferring birds, lizards, and small
mammals to others. They are fearless however,
and do not hesitate to attack much larger prey
such as cheetahs, leopards, and even lions. Once
the sloth viper has fed, it often recoils high above
the ground, under the thicket and blanket of leaves,
branches, and limbs where it sleeps for the next
1d6 days.
The sloth viper is a solitary predator; rarely
is more than one encountered. If such an encounter
takes place, they are often a mated pair, with a
nest of eggs nearby. A sloth viper’s lair is a dense
thicket of natural underbrush and trees. A typical
nest contains 1d4 emerald colored eggs.
The typical adult sloth viper is 20 feet long,
though they can grow to a length of 40 or more
feet.
Sloth vipers are hunted by some humanoids
for their scales and poison (which is rumored to be
valued by spellcasters for its properties).
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Saves: Fort +4, Ref +8, Will +2
Abilities: Str 12, Dex 19, Con 11, lnt 2, Wis
12, Cha 2
Skills: Balance +12, Climb +12, Hide +4,
Listen +7, Spot +7, Swim +9
Feats: Alertness, Improved Initiative B ,
Weapon Finesse
Terrain: Temperate and warm forests and
marshes
Organization: Solitary or pair
Challenge Rating: 3
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 6-10 HD (Large); 11-15
HD (Huge)
Level Adjustment: —
Combat
Sloth vipers are ambush hunters and wait
patiently among the limbs and branches of trees
for potential prey to pass underneath it. When
unsuspecting prey is in range, the viper either
drops on it from above, or snaps down quickly
with its vicious bite, recoiling back into the trees
afterwards.
Poison (Ex): Injury, Fort DC 14 negates,
initial damage slows victim for 1 minute (as the
slow spell, caster level 7th), no secondary damage.
The save DC is Constitution-based and includes a
+2 racial bonus.
Quickness (Ex): A sloth viper is inherently
quick and can take an extra standard action or
move action during its turn each round.
Skills: Sloth vipers have a +4 racial bonus
on Hide, Listen, and Spot checks and a +8 racial
bonus on Balance and Climb checks. A sloth
viper uses either its Strength modifier or Dexterity
modifier for Climb checks, whichever is higher.
A sloth viper can always choose to take 10 on
a Climb check, even if rushed or threatened.
A sloth viper 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.