Dumping a few that caught my eye perusing the GiantITP LA reassignment thread for future reference, may actually scratch some out later:
Wickerman: (Fiend Folio page 188)
It's a CR 11 Huge Grappler Golem-in-all-but-name (Hardness, Spell Resistance, big strong-but-lol-mentals Construct), but can catch on fire! While being immune to Fire damage otherwise, and healed by Entangle. Also has a Swallow Whole-alike in the form of a cage; if on fire, does damage to the things inside, if not, there's no damage to it.
Implementation as a monster class can have interesting notes with the manipulation of the being-on-fire property, like having a slightly longer reach of purely Fire damage, a Breath attack compromising the Encage damage, or assorted Desert Wind stuff. Can also make use of its purpose as a sacrificial totem for exotic effects tied to burning things in the cage.
Boneyard: (Libre Mortis page 89)
It's a CR 14 Huge skeletal Undead focused on Grappling. With Fast Healing, a Fort save vs. Str, Con,
and Dexterity on Bites, high spell resistance, the ability to summon Skeleton minions, a
Grapple check save-or-die, and rearranging its layout. Though that last one sadly lacks an express ability, it just gets loads of Climb, Jump, Hide, and Move Silently.
The rearrangement, as noted, lacks an express ability, being the fluff behind the summon and presumably the skill list. However, it allows for having a central mechanic for both the minions and the progression as a pile of numbers, making it "focus" on one method of fighting at a time, resulting in a back-and-forth of counterplay without a settled "do X to beat Y".
Skulking Cyst: (Libre Mortis page 120)
CR 4 Small Undead product of the Mother Cyst-granted of spells, they have a lot of design space available as a monster class. The "canonical" version goes +8 Dexterity with usual stealth-type skills, aided by 3/day Darkness SLA, with a hit with one of its two basically-tentacles allowing an automatic Attach that deals 1d4 Con damage per round. At 7, it pops its 1/day Necrotic Cyst SLA and runs.
What I'd look for it being rendered as is actually a parasite, where Attach turns to implanting itself for Necrotic Cyst shenanigans. Add Vile/Constitution damage outside the Necrotic spells and Attach for something to do, streamline the darkness effect, then a Mother Cyst PRC for wider use of the Cysts implanted and some method of control. Progress with Dex/Cha, flipped prominence for the PRC.
Blood Elemental/Blood Mother (
Elemental here,
Mother here)
CR 6 and 18 respectively, they're misidentified Outsiders with Grapple-to-suffocate, escapees take Wisdom damage. They're also immune to Mind-Affecting, Critical Hits, Stuns, and Tongues due to being "alien". Also 1/day Insanity. The Blood Mother picks up 13th level Cleric casting, SR 20, (Sp) summoning, Frightful Presence, and the
allowance to speak Common plus Alter Self.
My thinking is extending the Wisdom damage with more spread out Confusion access than just the Insanity SLA. Strength/Charisma for abilities on the Elemental, then have the Mother take 2nd-level Divine spells, the
Alter Self feat we have around here somewhere, and cross-class size Sense Motive and Intimidate, being 9 levels long for "catchup" casting, Fear effects, and SR.
Black Cyst (
archive-of-archive here)
CR 18 Large Outsider with save-every-round-or-suck aura, Cha to AC and saves, DR 15 and Regeneration/Lawful and Silver, vulnerable to Sonic, minor Resistance to the four "main" energy types, SR 28, 100 ft. (Perfect) Fly, and it gets a 1/day or 50 damage taken recharge CL 15 Harm, alongside spitting out a random Elder Elemental when below 200 health. Can advance to Huge with +12 RHD (CR ~24), caps at +33 RHD (CR ~30). Finally, at-will Confusion and Ethereal Jaunt, as well as 1/day Insanity, Power Word Stun, and Waves of Exhaustion.
Obviously, the gimmick to go with here is spewing Elemental effects in response to damage with Negative Energy recharged by damage taken, being maddening all the while with Insight penalties and Confusion, with a small side of somehow doing this unnoticed. Constitution and Charisma bonuses, possible Strength tertiary given the room. Sometimes spit an Elemental, sometimes a reactive damage Cone, perhaps choose the element
or the effect, but not both. Overall effect is likely one of the few ways to do an MMO-like tank.
