Arathad

Colossal Ooze

Hit Dice: 30d10+270 (435 hp),dying/dead –10/–28 Initiative: –3 Speed: 20 feet AC: 21 (–4 size,–3 Dexterity,+18 natural),touch 3, flat-footed 21 Base Attack/Grapple: +22/+48 Attack: Tentacle +28 melee (3d6+10) Full Attack: 8 tentacles +28 melee (3d6+10) Space/Reach: 20 feet/15 feet (Face/Reach:20 feet by 20 feet/15 feet) Special Attacks: Combat adaptations,trail ofdestruction Special Qualities: Blindsight 400 feet,DR 10/good (or 25/+3), immunity to acid and fire,ooze traits,SR 30 Saves: Fort +19,Ref+7,Will +11 Abilities: Str 30,Dex 4,Con 28,Int —,Wis 12,Cha 7 Skills: — Feats: —

Environment: Any Organization: Solitary Challenge Rating: 18 Treasure: Standard Advancement: 31–50 HD (Colossal) Level Adjustment: +6

An arathad,also known as a dramojh battle ooze,looks like a large,bluish-white blob.It has a tough outer membrane that is as hard as stone to the touch yet flexible enough to contain its liquid interior.These creatures leave in their wake a trail ofdevastation that forms a path as wide as they can reach.Though few exist,their great size and mighty combat abilities have allowed them to overcome most opponents.

Rightly feared as perhaps the deadliest creatures spawned by the dramojh,these machines ofpure destruction creep across the land seeking to fulfill commands given to them in the final days oftheir masters’ reign.In battle,an arathad displays its true abilities.Driven by powerful magic,its inner core can produce and deploy a bewildering array ofattacks.By drawing on the abilities ofcreatures it has absorbed,an arathad can belch gouts offire from draconic heads suspended on long tentacles,spurt acid from pores it opens on its body,spray an area with a horde ofgrasping feelers to grab prey and drag it into its interior,and so forth.

Battle oozes are mindless creatures that lack the capacity to do anything more than devour and destroy whatever stumbles into their path.They were forged in the hellish workshops ofthe dramojh empire in the final days ofthe dragon scions’ war with the giants.They were designed to spearhead a last,decisive push to break the giants’ momentum and turn the tide ofthe war against them.This plan failed when a band ofheroes penetrated the dramojh spawning pools and destroyed most ofthese creatures before they could be unleashed.The few that did emerge to spread horror across the land are a testament to the apocalyptic level of destruction that the dramojh were on the verge ofloosing upon the world.

Combat

Arathads never employ complex tactics or other plans in battle.Instead,they merely march forward in search ofnew victims and fresh targets for their destructive urges.With their daunting array ofabilities and powerful attacks,they have no need for subtle methods or clever stratagems.

Combat Adaptations (Su): A dramojh battle ooze can duplicate almost any attack that a creature it has devoured could utilize.It gains spellcasting ability by drawing on magical energy,and it learns to duplicate organs,both mundane and arcane,that grant it a variety ofextraordinary,spell-like,and supernatural abilities.This adaptability means that no two ofthese creatures are alike.When using one as part ofan adventure,you need to determine which talents the creature can currently employ.The table below lists a variety ofeffects and abilities that a battle ooze might obtain.Roll three times to identify the talents that a specific ooze possesses,rerolling any duplicate results. Alternatively,you can simply pick three abilities that suit your needs.

d20 Ability

1–4 Improved Grab (Ex): A battle ooze with this ability can transform its tentacles into a horrid,squirming mass ofsmaller but equally strong,grasping limbs. This cluster oftentacles allows a battle ooze to make a free grapple check that does not provoke an attack ofopportunity when it hits an opponent with a melee attack.This transformation takes place as the battle ooze strikes its foe. 5–6 Breath Weapon (Su): A battle ooze with this ability can duplicate the head and the breath weapon ofa creature that it defeated and consumed.A battle ooze’s breath weapon is a 60-foot cone that deals 15d6 points ofdamage,with a Reflex save for half damage (DC 10 + halfooze’s HD + ooze’s Dexterity modifier,or 22 for a standard battle ooze). Determine its energy type by rolling 1d8 each time it uses this ability,referring to the various breath

weapons described below.Creatures that fail to save against the breath weapon suffer the additional effects noted below for each energy type. 1 Acid: A searing stream ofcaustic liquid causes a –2 competence penalty to attack rolls,checks, and saves on its next action due to the intense pain it causes. 2 Cold: Deep cold echoes through a victim’s body, slowing his muscles and nerves.On the creature’s next action,it suffers a –4 penalty to Dexterity. 3 Electricity: The electrical shock overwhelms the victim’s nervous system,stunning him for 1 round. 4 Fire: Intense heat ignites affected creatures. Each must make a Reflex save (DC 15) after its turn each round or take 1d6 points offire damage.Ifa character uses a standard action to beat at the flames,he gains a +4 bonus to this save. 5 Negative Energy: This breath weapon takes the form ofa deep,black wave ofenergy.Creatures that fail their saves against it suffer one negative level.The DC ofthe Fortitude save to remove the negative level is equal to the breath weapon’s save Difficulty Class. 6 Positive Energy: This breath weapon manifests as a searing blast oflight.Creatures that fail their saves are blinded for 1d10 rounds. 7 Sonic: Concussive waves ofsound energy batter creatures within the breath weapon’s area. Creatures that fail their saves are deafened for 1d10 rounds. 8 Roll twice,ignoring this result: The arathad’s breath weapon has two energy types and gains the effect ofeach one,though the damage dealt by the breath weapon is not doubled. 7–10 Spell-Like Ability (Sp): A battle ooze with this talent can cast one spell of5th,6th,or 7th level three times per day as an 18th-level magister.The ooze uses its Wisdom modifier to determine the spell’s save DC. 11 Ability Score Damage (Su): Each time an ooze with this ability strikes an opponent with a tentacle, its target must make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + half ooze’s HD,or 25 for a standard battle ooze) or take 2 points oftemporary damage to a randomly chosen ability score.You can roll 1d6 a single time to determine the affected ability and use that result for all ofthe ooze’s attacks,or you can roll 1d6 each time it strikes a foe (1 = Strength,2 = Dexterity, and so on). 12–15 Constrict (Ex): Ifan ooze with this ability grapples an opponent,it can crush the foe within the grip of its powerful tentacles.The ooze deals 3d6+10 points ofbludgeoning damage after making a successful grapple check.Ifit also has the improved grab ability,it deals constriction damage in addition to damage dealt by the tentacle as part ofits normal melee attack. 16 Energy Drain (Su): An ooze with this ability inflicts one negative level on any opponent it strikes with a tentacle attack.The Fortitude save DC to remove this negative level equals 10 + half ooze’s HD + ooze’s Charisma modifier,or 23 for a standard battle ooze. 17 Fast Healing (Ex): A battle ooze with this ability rapidly heals damage,allowing it to quickly recover from even the most grievous wounds.It gains fast healing 5. 18 Paralysis (Su): An arathad with this ability can paralyze its opponents on a successful hit with its tentacles.The Fortitude save DC to avoid this paralysis effect equals 10 + halfooze’s HD + ooze’s Charisma modifier,or 23 for a standard battle ooze. 19 Poison (Ex): Each ofthe tentacles ofan ooze with this ability is covered with a foul,rancid poison that affects any creature it hits.The Fortitude save DC to avoid this Touch poison equals 10 + half ooze’s HD,or 25 for a standard battle ooze.The poison’s initial damage is 1d6 points oftemporary Strength damage,and its secondary effect is 1d4 points oftemporary Strength damage. 20 Trample (Ex): As a full-round action,an ooze with this ability can move up to twice its speed and literally run over any opponents at least one size category smaller than itself.The ooze merely has to move over the opponents in its path.Any creature whose space is completely covered by the ooze is subject to the trample attack.Ifa target’s space is larger than 5 feet,it is only considered trampled if the ooze moves over all the squares it occupies. Should the ooze move over only some ofa target’s space,the target can make an attack ofopportunity against the ooze at a –4 penalty.This trample attack deals 3d6+15 points ofdamage. Trampled opponents can attempt attacks of opportunity,but these attacks suffer a –4 penalty.If they do not make attacks ofopportunity,trampled opponents can attempt Reflex saves (DC 35) to take halfdamage.

Trail ofDestruction (Ex): Battle oozes create a pool of horrific,acidic slime around their bodies,allowing them to cut a swath ofdestruction across the land merely by moving from one location to the next.The area in a 30-foot radius around a battle ooze is always soaked with a caustic, slippery slime.Creatures must make Fortitude saves (DC 20) when they enter this area and when they begin their actions within it.Creatures that fail this save take 2d8 points ofdamage and can move at only halftheir normal speed.Creatures that succeed take halfdamage and can move as normal.

In addition to the area directly around an ooze,this effect persists in areas that it visits as the ooze moves around.The acid lasts for 1d4 hours before it loses its caustic properties.Plants and other creatures that cannot move from an affected area continue to take damage each round. During an encounter,track the area that the ooze covers with this ability.

Arathad Encounter (EL 18)

The appearance ofa battle ooze in a region heralds a state ofpanic and desperate planning to destroy the beast,or at least divert it into an uninhabited area.These creatures are mindless automatons.Their only goal is to kill as many creatures as possible and destroy any settlements they encounter.They tear trees from the ground,despoil farmland,and foul bodies ofwater they encounter.Even ruins and other remnants ofcivilization face their rage,since these monsters are too simple to discern a viable settlement from an empty one.

Arathads rarely remain in the same place for long.Their insatiable appetite for chaos and destruction pushes them to constantly migrate across the world.When one ofthese beasts appears,most folk organize a defense and work to destroy it.Petty disagreements and other differences fade into the background for the duration ofthe emergency. Entire armies might march into battle against one ofthese menaces,often fighting to buy time for spellcasters and other heroes who need to ready a final defense against the creature.

Characters ofany level could participate in such an effort. Low-level heroes may be asked to shadow an ooze from horseback,watching it from a distance and reporting on its course and actions.Mid-level PCs may lead forays against the monster,quick strikes designed to slowly wear down its strength in preparation for the final showdown.High-level characters can expect to stand against it during the final confrontation,with the future ofan entire city or even a kingdom resting on their shoulders.