| | SPAWNWRITHE |
Size/Type: | Large Magical Beast |
Hit Dice: | 5d10+25 (52 hp) |
Initiative: | +5 |
Speed: | 15 ft. (3 squares) |
Armor Class: | 17 (+1 Dex, +7 natural, -1 size), touch 10, flat-footed 16 |
Base Attack/Grapple: | +5/+12 |
Attack: | Bite +8 (1d4+3) |
Full Attack: | 2 Bites +8 (1d4+3) |
Space/Reach: | 10 ft./5 ft.* |
Special Attacks: | Blood drain, damage reduction 5/slashing, entangle, vicious lunge |
Special Qualities: | Plant traits, split |
Saves: | Fort +8, Ref +5, Will +2 |
Abilities: | Str 16, Dex 12, Con 19, Int 3, Wis 13, Cha 10 |
Skills: | Perception +5, Stealth +11 |
Feats: | Improved Initiative, Improved Toughness |
Environment: | Any forest |
Organization: | Solitary or cluster (1 plus 2-8 writhespawn) |
Challenge Rating: | 4 |
Treasure: | Half standard |
Alignment: | Always neutral |
Advancement: | 6-8 HD (Large), 9-14 HD (Huge), 15-20 HD (Gargantuan), 21-30 HD (Colossal) |
Level Adjustment: | -- |
*See the vicious lunge ability.
A spawnwrithe is a vicious creature, a writhing tangle that is as much toxic vine as deadly viper. These monsters lurk in forests, hiding inside hollow logs, waiting for victims to pass close enough for them to latch on and bleed them dry. They reproduce by a form of budding, splitting off smaller but no less violent colonies when they have gorged sufficiently. These writhespawn are, while marginally less dangerous, fully capable of participating in combat, and can even split themselves if they feed sufficiently. They grow to maturity over the course of several months. The groves these creatures inhabit are often littered with the corpses of those they've slain, their gear and treasure lying out for the taking.
An advanced spawnwrithe grows even more deadly. Whenever it increases a size category, increase the die size of the Constitution damage dealt by its blood drain, and increase the temporary hit points required for it to split by 10. For each size category gained, it gains 2 primary bite attacks. A Huge spawnwrithe's writhespawn are each essentially equivalent to an ordinary spawnwrithe. Similarly, a Gargantuan spawnwrithe's writhespawn have 9 Hit Dice, and a Colossal spawnwrithe's have 15. However, writhespawn never split off smaller versions of themselves. Whenever they accumulate sufficient temporary hit points to split, they simply produce another writhespawn of the same kind their parent created, with the same number of hit points as the writhespawn in question required in order to split.
CombatBlood Drain (Ex): A spawnwrithe can deal 1d4 points of Constitution damage to each ensnared opponent by succeeding on an opposed grapple check as a swift action. The spawnwrithe makes a single check, which becomes the DC for each ensnared creature. The spawnwrithe heals 5 hit points for each point of Constitution damage it deals with this ability, gaining any extra hit points as temporary hit points that last for 1 hour. These temporary hit points stack with each other, but not with other sources of temporary hit points.
Ensnare (Ex): Whenever a spawnwrithe hits with its bite attack, it can attempt to catch an opponent in the coils of its body. It and the opponent it hit make an opposed grapple check as a free action. If the spawnwrithe wins, the opponent is immobilized and entangled, anchored to its current square. For each creature it has ensnared, a spawnwrithe loses access to a bite attack. It can regain a bite attack as a free action by releasing an ensnared creature, and it regains this bite attack if the creature escapes.
Plant Traits (Ex): A spawnwrithe has immunity to poison, magic sleep effects, paralysis, polymorph, stunning, and mind-affecting spells and abilities (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects). It is not subject to extra damage from critical hits.
Skills (Ex): A spawnwrithe has a +10 bonus on Stealth checks made in a forested environment. This bonus has been factored into the statistics above.
Split (Su): If a spawnwrithe has at least 20 temporary hit points, it is able to bud off a lesser version of itself. Using this ability is a free action. A writhespawn appears in an adjacent square of the spawnwrithe's choice. The spawnwrithe loses 20 temporary hit points, and the writhespawn appears with 20 hit points. A spawnwrithe automatically uses this ability as soon as it's able; it cannot choose to wait. The writhespawn acts on its creator's initiative count, after its creator.
Vicious Lunge (Ex): A spawnwrithe's coiled body is much longer than the volume it occupies might at first suggest, though it takes significant balance and coordination to use this fact to its full advantage. Whenever it makes a bite attack on its turn, a spawnwrithe has 30 ft. reach with that bite attack. This ability doesn't alter its threatened area or change its reach with other attacks.
| | WRITHESPAWN |
Size/Type: | Medium Magical Beast |
Hit Dice: | 3d10+6 (21 hp) |
Initiative: | +5 |
Speed: | 10 ft. (2 squares) |
Armor Class: | 16 (+1 Dex, +5 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 15 |
Base Attack/Grapple: | +3/+4 |
Attack: | Bite +4 (1d3+1) |
Full Attack: | 2 Bites +8 (1d3+1) |
Space/Reach: | 5 ft./5 ft.* |
Special Attacks: | Blood drain, damage reduction 5/slashing, entangle, vicious lunge |
Special Qualities: | Plant traits, split |
Saves: | Fort +5, Ref +4, Will +2 |
Abilities: | Str 12, Dex 12, Con 14, Int 3, Wis 13, Cha 10 |
Skills: | Perception +4, Stealth +15 |
Feats: | Improved Initiative, Improved Toughness |
Environment: | Any forest |
Organization: | Solitary or cluster (2-8 plus spawnwrithe) |
Challenge Rating: | 2 |
Treasure: | Half standard |
Alignment: | Always neutral |
Advancement: | To Spawnwrithe |
Level Adjustment: | -- |
*See the vicious lunge ability.
CombatBlood Drain (Ex): A writhespawn can deal 1d3 points of Constitution damage to each ensnared opponent by succeeding on an opposed grapple check as a swift action. The writhespawn makes a single check, which becomes the DC for each ensnared creature. The writhespawn heals 5 hit points for each point of Constitution damage it deals with this ability, gaining any extra hit points as temporary hit points that last for 1 hour. These temporary hit points stack with each other, but not with other sources of temporary hit points.
Ensnare (Ex): Whenever a writhespawn hits with its bite attack, it can attempt to catch an opponent in the coils of its body. It and the opponent it hit make an opposed grapple check as a free action. If the writhespawn wins, the opponent is immobilized and entangled, anchored to its current square. For each creature it has ensnared, a writhespawn loses access to a bite attack. It can regain a bite attack as a free action by releasing an ensnared creature, and it regains this bite attack if the creature escapes.
Plant Traits (Ex): A writhespawn has immunity to poison, magic sleep effects, paralysis, polymorph, stunning, and mind-affecting spells and abilities (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects). It is not subject to extra damage from critical hits.
Skills (Ex): A writhespawn has a +10 bonus on Stealth checks made in a forested environment. This bonus has been factored into the statistics above.
Split (Su): If a writhespawn has at least 20 temporary hit points, it is able to bud off a lesser version of itself. Using this ability is a free action. A new writhespawn appears in an adjacent square of the writhespawn's choice. The writhespawn loses 20 temporary hit points, and the new writhespawn appears with 20 hit points. A writhespawn automatically uses this ability as soon as it's able; it cannot choose to wait. The new writhespawn acts on its creator's initiative count, after its creator.
Vicious Lunge (Ex): A writhespawn's coiled body is much longer than the volume it occupies might at first suggest, though it takes significant balance and coordination to use this fact to its full advantage. Whenever it makes a bite attack on its turn, a writhespawn has 15 ft. reach with that bite attack. This ability doesn't alter its threatened area or change its reach with other attacks.
