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Legacy of the Dragons
Bog Salamander Large Magical Beast Hit Dice: 14d10+70 (147 hp), dying/dead –6/–20 Initiative: +0 Speed: 20 feet, swim 40 feet AC: 19 (–1 size, +10 natural), touch 9, flat-footed 19 Base Attack/Grapple: +14/+25 Attack: Bite +20 melee (2d8+7) Full Attack: Bite +20 melee (2d8+7) and 4 claws +15 melee (1d8+3) Space/Reach: 10 feet/10 feet (Face/Reach: 10 feet by 10 feet/10 feet) Special Attacks: Force wave, murky vortex Special Qualities: Bog lurker, darkvision 60 feet, low-light vision Saves: Fort +14, Ref +9, Will +6 Abilities: Str 24, Dex 11, Con 20, Int 6, Wis 14, Cha 6 Skills: Listen +12, Sneak +7 Feats: Cleave, Fast Healer, Improved Cleave, Power Attack, Stomp, Trample Environment: Warm swamps Organization: Solitary, pair, or clutch (3–5) Challenge Rating: 10 Treasure: Standard Advancement: 15–20 HD (Large); 21–30 HD (Huge) Level Adjustment: +6 Bog salamanders lurk in isolated swamps and fens. Strong and vicious, they are compact enough to hide in shallow water. When prey wanders by, they rear up from the murk to rip and tear the victim with their claws and fangs. They enjoy a magical bond with their swampy environment, allowing them to turn the terrain against their victims. The black, scaled bog salamander resembles an eightlegged lizard with a large, fanged maw. Over 10 feet long, its powerful body barely reaches 5 feet off the ground. Even in the shallows, a bog salamander can slip beneath the water and hide, leaving only its eyes and nostrils above the surface. These creatures’ bodies are imbued with magical energy that forges a bond with the water and mud around them, allowing them to exercise a crude level of control over their environment. When a clutch of bog salamanders settles in a swampy area, the land slowly becomes wilder and more dangerous. Quicksand becomes more common, the fens’ waters expand outward from their old borders, and the trees and undergrowth seem to grow thicker and more menacing. The salamanders’ magical attunement to plant life not only draws on the swamp’s nature, but it also feeds back into the terrain and causes the land to flourish. While humans and giants
may consider a wild, overgrown swamp to be dangerous, many greenbonds would disagree with that assessment. They point to the bog salamanders as important children of the Green, predators that help maintain the balance between the wilds and the encroaching forces of civilization. Greenbonds who dwell within swamps rely on these creatures as guardians and allies. The spells of greenbonds allow them to forge relationships with these normally predatory, voracious beasts.
Combat Salamanders prefer to remain in hiding for as long as possible. While vicious, they are also cautious and patient. A salamander would prefer to let a dozen potential targets wander just out of reach of its jaws before rising up to overwhelm that unlucky thirteenth traveler who stumbles into its hiding spot. Salamanders usually pick shallow pools of water near pathways or similar areas that see frequent traffic. They remain below the surface until an obviously vulnerable opponent moves past them. If a salamander spots a wounded or apparently weak foe, it remains in hiding but uses its murky vortex ability to drag its meal to it. Force Wave (Su): A bog salamander’s affinity for its watery environment allows it to create sudden, powerful surges of water that batter its foes. As a standard action, a salamander can project a 60-foot cone of water in the form of a crashing wave. All creatures in this area must make Reflex saves (DC 17) or take 4d6 points of damage and be knocked prone. On a successful save, a creature takes half damage and remains on its feet. The save DC is Strength based. A salamander can only use this ability in water that is at least 2 feet deep. Murky Vortex (Su): A bog salamander can form a powerful vortex around its body that drags opponents toward it. As a free action, a salamander causes a strong flow of water that forces any opponent within 60 feet who fails a Strength check (DC 15) to move 10 feet closer to it each round. A creature makes this check immediately after taking its actions for the round. This ability only operates in areas where the water is deep enough to reach mid-thigh on a potential victim. For example, a swampy area might be deep enough for a salamander’s vortex to drag a human toward it, but too shallow for a giant to feel the effect of the vortex. Creatures already adjacent to a salamander using this ability fall prone if they fail their Strength checks. A creature that becomes prone in shallow water may begin to drown. Bog Lurker (Ex): Despite their great size, bog salamanders are adept at finding cover in swampy areas. A salamander can almost completely submerge in water as shallow as 4 feet. In such areas, it gains a +15 competence bonus on all Sneak checks to remain hidden from view.
