Slaughterfiend

Huge Aberration

Hit Dice: 15d8+105 (172 hp),dying/dead –8/–24 Initiative: +6 Speed: 40 feet AC: 22 (–2 size,+2 Dexterity,+12 natural),touch 10, flat-footed 20 Base Attack/Grapple: +11/+28 Attack: Slam +20 melee (2d6+9) Full Attack: Slam +20 melee (2d6+9) and bite +18 melee (1d8+4) Space/Reach: 15 feet/15 feet (Face/Reach:10 feet by 10 feet/15 feet) Special Attacks: Improved grab,constrict Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 feet,tremorsense 50 feet, spines,water breathing Saves: Fort +11,Ref+9,Will +11 Abilities: Str 28,Dex 15,Con 24,Int 3,Wis 14,Cha 11 Skills: Listen +11,Spot +11 Feats: Defensive Move,Improved Initiative,Multiattack*,

Night Owl,Power Attack,Power Charge,Trample

Environment: Temperate desert or mountains,or temperate aquatic Organization: Solitary Challenge Rating: 11 Treasure: Standard Advancement: 16–30 HD (Huge) Level Adjustment: —

*Denotes a feat from the MM.

The slaughterfiend is a predator that dwells within rocky wastelands and mountainous regions,like the Southern Wastes or the Elder Mountains.Burkut’s Pass in the Elder range is known to be a particularly common hunting ground for them.The creature hunts deer,antelope,sheep,goats, cattle,and even other predators such as bears,wolves,and mountain lions.It is not averse to attacking humanoid targets or even giants for food.Its courage knows no bounds— it even attacks prey found in large numbers.Only the oldest slaughterfiends ever learn fear,and in turn,discretion.In a predator-heavy ecology such as the Lands ofthe Diamond Throne,where the most vicious creatures can become prey, even slaughterfiends often live short lives.

A slaughterfiend measures at least 25 feet long and weighs 3 tons.Its body is broad and covered in dark blue or purple flesh.It exudes a foul and distinct odor that creatures with the scent ability can detect up to 500 feet away.It is normally a silent creature,but in combat it looses a terrible roar.On its death,it keens a death knell that creatures up to a mile away can hear easily.

A slaughterfiend lair is usually a rock crevice or a small ravine,often close to a source offresh water (both for itself to use and to prey upon other creatures attempting to use it).Common beliefis that the slaughterfiend never needs to sleep.They do,however,build large nests ofgrass,leaves, and mud for their eggs.A slaughterfiend defends its nest to the death,but once the young are born,it forces them to fend for themselves.Young slaughterfiends dwell in or very near fresh water.Each is 1 to 2 feet long and feeds on fish. They take almost five years to mature and gain their full size.

Some tales speak ofa variant type ofslaughterfiend that lives in the high desert.This burrowing version ofthe beast waits in the sand,just below the surface,for prey to come by. When it senses something moving above it,it lunges to the surface,hoping to trap the creature in its spiny grip as it emerges,belly-up.The slaughterfiend then curls around its prey to kill it.

Combat

The slaughterfiend has a very specific way ofattacking prey. It lunges forward with surprising speed,slamming its body into the smaller creature.The spines on its belly impale and hook the prey,then trap it as the slaughterfiend’s muscles move it forward.This bull-rush attack is similar to a dragon’s snatch:It moves toward the victim,makes a slam/grab attack,then continues to move with the prey caught in its spines.Eventually,it curls around the creature until the trapped victim dies.It can reach down and bite a constricted foe,but it usually saves its bite attack for creatures ofits size or larger or uses it against other opponents while it constricts its prey.

Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability,a slaughterfiend must hit with its slam attack.It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity.Ifit wins the grapple check,it establishes a hold and can immediately constrict (ifthe foe is smaller than the slaughterfiend).

Constrict (Ex): The muscles on the slaughterfiend’s belly can cause the spines impaling a foe to draw it in and hold it (inflicting more damage as the action forces the spines deeper into the foe’s flesh).The slaughterfiend inflicts 2d6+9 points ofdamage each round as it holds a foe smaller than itself.

Spines (Ex):Any creature attempting to grapple a slaughterfiend automatically suffers 1d6 points ofdamage each round from its spines.

Tremorsense (Ex):A slaughterfiend automatically detects the presence and location ofany creature or object that stands on the ground within 50 feet ofit.

Water Breathing (Ex): The slaughterfiend can breathe water and air equally well.

Slaughterfiend Spines

Knowledgeable folks prize the largest slaughterfiend spines as weapons.Ifsuch a spine is affixed to a shaft,it makes the equivalent ofa masterwork spear.Likewise,one can use just the spine tips as arrowheads to make the equivalent ofmasterwork arrows or bolts.In all cases,the cost (in time and skill) required to make such a weapon is the normal,not the masterwork,cost.

There are enough large,quality spines on a typical slaughterfiend to produce 1d6+4 such weapons.Thus,each spine is worth about 150 gold pieces.

Slaughterfiend Encounter (EL 11)

The PCs are warned ofGrandfather Blue,a slaughterfiend that haunts the mountainous or rocky area they are about to traverse.The locals have named the creature and tell ofhow it has hunted the region for almost 50 years—longer than most ofthem remember.All their lives they have heard tales ofGrandfather Blue,and all ofthem agree that no one escapes his clutches.

Ifthe player characters enter the region despite the warnings,sure enough,they encounter a particularly large slaughterfiend.Grandfather Blue hasn’t reached old age by being foolish,however.Ifits chosen prey does not die easily,it retreats before it can suffer significant harm.Ifthe PCs allow it to escape,though,it waits until a more convenient time and strikes again—perhaps after they have faced another foe and are weakened,or perhaps at night while some ofthem are asleep.Ifdriven offtwice,Grandfather Blue leaves the PCs alone and looks for easier prey.

Hidden away in its lair,Grandfather Blue keeps a prized treasure:a shiny gem once carried by a stranger who wandered through this area long ago.The slaughterfiend does not realize it,but the gem is actually a gem ofseeing. However,the years it has spent in the vicious predator’s possession have given it a strange and potentially terrible curse. The now-tainted gem magically compels anyone possessing it to eat twice as much as a normal member ofits species (Will save,DC 20,negates for the day).The food must be fresh meat killed by the possessor himself.