Spined Grappler

Small Magical Beast

Hit Dice: 1d10 (5 hp),dying/dead –1/–10 Initiative: +6 Speed: 30 feet AC: 15 (+1 size,+2 Dexterity,+2 natural),touch 13,flat-footed 13 Base Attack/Grapple: +1/–3 Attack: Claw +2 melee (1d4) Full Attack: 2 claws +2 melee (1d4) Space/Reach: 5 feet/5 feet (Face/Reach:5 feet by 5 feet/5 feet) Special Attacks: Horde attack Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 feet,evasion,spiny shell Saves: Fort +2,Ref+6,Will +0 Abilities: Str 10,Dex 14,Con 10,Int 5,Wis 10,Cha 6 Skills: Climb +2,Spot +2 Feats: Improved Grapple*,Improved Initiative B , Lightning

Reflexes B , Resistance to Poison

Environment: Any subterranean Organization: Swarm (3–36),colony (10–200),or horde (201–1,000) Challenge Rating: 1/4 Treasure: Standard Advancement: 2–4 HD (Medium) Level Adjustment: —

*Denotes a feat from the Player’s Handbook.

This odd,subterranean predator has a central body protected by a tough,spiny shell.Its long,muscular legs and arms are surprisingly strong for such a small creature, though it is no match for a giant or a trained warrior.In battle,it uses its speed and power to leap upon enemies and grapple them.Spined grapplers typically appear in large numbers,and they have learned to fight as a group in order to defeat larger and stronger opponents.

Spined grapplers are generally regarded as little more than nuisances,but at times they can gather in numbers great enough to pose a threat to those who wander near their territory.In the absence ofpredators to keep their numbers down,spined grapplers can exhaust a cavern’s food supply. Since most creatures cannot stomach their taste,and their hard,spiked shells make them difficult for most beasts to devour,their population often outgrows the caverns where they lurk.When this happens,the spined grapplers migrate from their territory in search ofa new home.Typically,they descend deeper into the earth,where more powerful monsters and other threats keep them from overpopulating their new lair.

Ifthe grapplers find a passage to the surface,they can quickly become a daunting threat to those who live nearby. While their flesh is wholly unpalatable,in some areas smiths craft their hard,spiny shells into armor,shields,and other equipment.A colony or horde ofthese creatures that reaches the surface has the potential to turn into a looming disaster ifinattention,laziness,or other factors render a community unable to cope with the problem before it grows out ofcontrol.

Combat

Spined grapplers use simple but effective tactics to defeat opponents who are larger and stronger than they are.Their small size and high degree ofcooperation allows them to fight in close ranks.They mob around an opponent,with over a dozen grapplers attacking a foe at once.They have learned to use their numbers to their advantage,employing grapple attacks to pull an opponent to the ground and grind him against their sharp spines.What these tactics lack in finesse,they compensate for with sheer,brutal efficiency.Even a heavily armored and trained warmain thinks twice before taking on more than a handful ofspined grapplers alone.

Horde Attack (Ex): Spined grapplers excel at using group tactics to overwhelm larger,stronger opponents.When attempting to grapple an opponent,they work together to ruin a target’s defenses and drag her down with sheer weight ofnumbers.Whenever a grappler attacks or attempts a grapple check against a target,it receives a +1 competence bonus to its attack roll or check for each spined grappler that currently grapples the attacker.In addition,spined grapplers can crowd together to attack a single target.Two grapplers can occupy the same 5-foot-by-5 foot space while attacking, moving,or taking any other actions.However,grapplers who share a space in this manner lose their evasion special ability;they are too closely packed together to dodge with their usual speed.

Evasion (Ex): Ifexposed to any effect that normally allows a creature to attempt a Reflex saving throw for halfdamage,a spined grappler takes no damage with a successful saving throw.Grapplers have quick reflexes that allow them to take cover and avoid damage before an attack strikes them.

Spiny Shell (Ex): Spined grapplers get their name from the hard,sharp spines on their shell-like outer covering.Any creature that attempts to grapple one ofthese monsters automatically takes 1d4 points ofdamage ifit succeeds in getting a hold.Each time a spined grappler succeeds at a grapple check,regardless ofthe reason for the check or the maneuver it attempts,it deals 1 point ofpiercing damage to its target.

The March of the Horde

The sight ofa horde ofspined grapplers on the march is enough to fill even an experienced soldier with cold dread. When a horde is driven from its lair by overpopulation,the monsters wander until they can find a new area that offers enough space and food to support their now diminished numbers.Predators and the environment take their toll on a horde’s

population,slowly wearing it away until the group is small enough to form a viable colony based on the resources at hand.

Once a horde is on the move,little can halt or slow its progress.The grapplers press on through fierce storms and difficult terrain,cutting a swath through any settlements they encounter.Since it is on a constant search for food,a horde will avoid any area that does not promise sustenance; it will not knowingly march through fire,into a barren area, or into a river or large body ofwater.Some settlements that have been hit by a horde before have learned to use bonfires or controlled flooding by means ofdams and irrigation ditches to divert a marching horde away from the boundaries ofthe town.Killing all the grapplers in a horde is almost always out ofthe question,unless a settlement includes a powerful spellcaster who can call upon a variety ofdestructive spells.Even in those cases,spined grapplers exhibit an uncanny ability to avoid such effects.

Changing the path ofa horde can make it someone else’s problem.Border skirmishes and full-scale wars have been sparked by one group’s attempt to send a rampaging horde into its neighbor’s territory.Spined grapplers often cause problems that have repercussions far beyond the simple physical threat they present.

Armor and Shields

A spined grappler’s outer shell is tough enough that a smith can forge it into armor ifhe has enough ofthe material on hand.Two grapplers provide enough material for a small shield with shield spikes,while four bear enough chitinous material to craft a medium shield with spikes.Eight ofthese creatures can produce a large shield with spikes.A smith can produce any shield ofthe given size in this manner.A smith can harvest enough material from eight spined grapplers to produce a suit of hide armor with the armor spikes extra,while 20 of these creatures provide enough material for banded mail with the armor spikes extra.The prices ofthese armors and shields are the same as for normal armors and shields ofthe same type,but an artisan with the necessary number ofshells can produce armor or a shield in halfthe time normally required.He can cut this time in halfagain, but the finished product’s maximum Dexterity bonus is reduced by 2 (to a minimum of0) and its armor bonus is reduced by 1.

Spined Grappler Encounter (EL 8)

A horde ofgrapplers has begun to emerge from a cave entrance in the foothills near a town,catching the townsfolk offguard.The town has a long history oftroubles with grappler hordes and has developed the strategy ofsending out hunting expeditions to seek colonies ofgrapplers and trim their population.According to the town’s records,a 20-year gap between hunts is enough to keep the monsters in check without overly taxing the area’s resources—but the last grappler hunt took place only a little over a decade ago, so the townsfolk had no reason to expect an incursion by a horde this soon.

The reason for the grapplers’ early exit can be found in the caverns they are escaping from.Ifthe characters investigate these caverns,they discover that a small gang ofbandits has intentionally collapsed part ofthe cave network to force the grapplers out earlier than normal.By cutting offaccess to the lower regions ofthe caves,the bandits ensured that the grapplers would march on the nearby town.The thugs hope to pick over the ruins left in the monsters’ wake,giving them an easy opportunity to ransack the town.