River Encounters
Neighbors
Crucian
Medium Humanoid
Hit Dice: 3d8+9 (22 hp)
Initiative: -1
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares)
Armor Class: 21 (-1 Dex, +8 natural, +2 leather, +2 heavy shield), touch 9, flat-footed 21
Base Attack/Grapple: +2/+4
Attack: Warhammer +5 melee (1d8+2/x3)
Full Attack: Warhammer +5 melee (1d8+2/x3)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: —
Special Qualities: Low-light vision
Saves: Fort +6, Ref +0, Will +3
Abilities: Str 15, Dex 8, Con 17, Int 11, Wis 10, Cha 8
Skills: Diplomacy +1, Sense Motive +6, Spot +6
Feats: Iron Will, Weapon Focus (warhammer)
Environment: Warm deserts
Organization: Pair, crew (2-5 plus 50% chance for 1 4th-level leader), squad (5-10 plus 1 4th level leader plus 50% chance tor 1 5th-level leader)
Challenge Rating: 2
Treasure: 50% coins, double goods, 50% items
Alignment: Usually lawful neutral
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: +2
A crablike shell covers the upper body of this otherwise humanoid form. Its shell is heavily inscribed and painted, and it wears simple equipment and clothing.
Comfortable in the brutal heat of the desert, battle-hardened crucians rely on their natural shell armor to protect them in all situations. Crucians are humanoids that sport broad, flat shells, like desert crabs, encompassing their upper bodies in natural protection. Not content with just their shells, they often wear additional leather chaps and armlets to protect the rest of their bodies. They decorate their shells with brightly colored painted sigils, as well as deeply etched tallies of their personal triumphs on the sandy field of conflict. Most crucians prefer to wield enormous warhammers, weighted to crack even the hardest enemy shells. Crucians are highly territorial, and they organize into small bands, each group protecting a prized water source. Crucian bands regularly raid one another's oases, which accounts for their warlike demeanor. Every twenty years or so, a leader rises among the crucians and forges the vari-ous bands into a mighty force. This crucian army strikes out into cooler lands for booty and conquest, only to fall back into the desert once the creatures have wreaked their fill of misery. In negotiations, crucians are known to be cunning. They often employ verbal feints to draw others out and get a better read on them, and they are keenly interested in figuring out how both friends and enemies think. Crucians speak Common and Draconic. More intelligent crucians learn Sphinx, the language of the creatures that share their desert homes.
COMBAT
When they can, crucians prefer to attack as a solid line to prevent enemies from getting at their flanks.
Favored Class: Druid
Locathah
Merfolk
Wildlife
CR 1/4
Monstrous Diving Spider, Tiny
Size/Type:Tiny Vermin
Hit Dice:½ d8 (2 hp)
Initiative:+3
Speed:20 ft. (4 squares), climb 10 ft., swim 30 ft.
Armor Class:15 (+2 size, +3 Dex), touch 15, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple:+0/-12
Attack:Bite +5 melee (1d3-4 plus poison)
Full Attack:Bite +5 melee (1d3-4 plus poison)
Space/Reach:2½ ft./0 ft.
Special Attacks:Poison
Special Qualities:Darkvision 60 ft., tremorsense 60 ft., vermin traits
Saves:Fort +2, Ref +3, Will +0
Abilities:Str 3, Dex 17, Con 10, Int Ø, Wis 10, Cha 2
Skills: Climb +11, Hide +15, Jump -4, Spot +4
Feats: Weapon Finesse (b)
Environment: Temperate forests
Organization: Colony (8-16)
Challenge Rating: ¼
Treasure: None
Advancement: —
Level Adjustment: —
Poison (Ex): A tiny diving spider has a poisonous bite. Fort DC 10, primary and secondary damage 1d2 str.
Tremorsense (Ex): A diving spider can detect and pinpoint any creature or object within 60 feet in contact with the ground or in the water.
Hold Breath (Ex): A diving spider can hold its breath for a number of rounds equal to 4 × its Constitution score before it risks drowning. For a typical tiny diving spider this is 40 rounds, or 4 minutes.
Skills: Diving spiders have a +4 racial bonus on Hide and Spot checks and a +8 racial bonus on Climb checks. A monstrous spider can always choose to take 10 on Climb checks, even if rushed or threatened. Monstrous spiders use either their Strength or Dexterity modifier for Climb checks, whichever is higher. A tiny diving spider takes a -4 on Swim checks due to its low strength. It has a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform some special action or avoid a hazard. It can always choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered. It can use the run action while swimming, provided it swims in a straight line.
Monstrous Scorpion, Tiny
CR 1/3
Giant Fire Beetle*
Giant Leech
Small Vermin (Aquatic)
Hit Dice: 1d8 (4 hp)
Initiative: +1
Speed: Swim 10 ft. (2 squares)
Armor Class: 12 (+1 size, +1 Dex), touch 12, flat-footed 11
BaseAttack/Grapple: +0/–6
Attack: Bite +2 melee (1 plus blood drain)
Full Attack: Bite +2 melee (1 plus blood drain)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Anesthetize, attach, blood drain, disease
Special Qualities: Blindsight 10 ft., scent
Saves: Fort +2, Ref +1, Will –1
Abilities: Str 6, Dex 12, Con 11, Int —, Wis 8, Cha 2
Skills: Hide +9, Swim +6
Feats: Weapon Finesse (b)
Environment: Warm marsh
Organization: Colony (2–5) or swarm (6–11)
Challenge Rating: 1/3
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 2–3 HD (Small)
Level Adjustment: —
This wormlike creature is the size of a human forearm. Its mouth is a round, suckerlike orifice.Giant leeches have little ability to attack foes in open water or clear terrain but can pose a serious danger to characters wading or swimming in murky or muddy water.
COMBAT
Giant leeches are found in murky water, where they can approach prey unseen. Characters might be attacked without even noticing. (DM Tip: Take note of the PCs’ Spot checks and AC before running an encounter with giant leeches. Record damage dealt by an undetected leech, but do not inform the player of the damage until his or her character notices the attack.)
Anesthetize (Ex): A creature bitten by a giant leech must succeed on a Spot check (opposed by the giant leech’s Hide check) to notice the attack if both the leech and its target are in murky water at least 2 feet deep. Each round of blood drain entitles the creature to another Spot check to notice the leech, with a cumulative +2 bonus on the check per round after the first. Characters attacked in clear water, or who have some means of detecting the leech without seeing it, notice the attack automatically.
Attach (Ex): If a giant leech hits with its bite attack, it uses its suckerlike mouth to latch onto the opponent’s body. It deals no additional damage when it is attached, but it drains blood (see below). An attached leech loses its Dexterity bonus to AC and has an AC of 11. An attached leech can be struck with a weapon or grappled itself. To remove an attached leech through grappling, the opponent must achieve a pin against the creature.
Blood Drain (Ex): A leech that is attached to its opponent deals 1 point of Constitution damage per round until it deals a total of 6 points, at which point it detaches from its target and swims off to digest its meal.
Disease (Ex): A creature bitten by a giant leech must succeed on a DC 15 Fortitude save or contract red ache (see page 292 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide).
Skills: Giant leeches have a +4 racial bonus on Hide checks. A giant leech has a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform a special action or avoid a hazard. It can always choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered. It can use the run action while swimming, provided it swims in a straight line.
Jackal
CR 1/2
Monstrous Diving Spider, Small
Size/Type:Small Vermin
Hit Dice:1d8 (4 hp)
Initiative:+3
Speed:30 ft. (6 squares), climb 20 ft., swim 30 ft.
Armor Class:14 (+1 size, +3 Dex), touch 14, flat-footed 11
Base Attack/Grapple:+0/-6
Attack:Bite +4 melee (1d4-2 plus poison)
Full Attack:Bite +4 melee (1d4-2 plus poison)
Space/Reach:5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks:Poison
Special Qualities:Darkvision 60 ft., tremorsense 60 ft., vermin traits
Saves:Fort +2, Ref +3, Will +0
Abilities:Str 7, Dex 17, Con 10, Int Ø, Wis 10, Cha 2
Skills:Climb +11, Hide +11, Jump -2, Spot +4
Feats:Weapon Finesse (b)
Environment:Temperate forests
Organization:Colony (2-5) or swarm (6-11)
Challenge Rating:½
Treasure:None
Advancement:—
Level Adjustment:—
Poison (Ex): A small diving spider has a poisonous bite. Fort DC 10, primary and secondary damage 1d3 str.
Tremorsense (Ex): A diving spider can detect and pinpoint any creature or object within 60 feet in contact with the ground or in the water.
Hold Breath (Ex): A diving spider can hold its breath for a number of rounds equal to 4 × its Constitution score before it risks drowning. For a typical small diving spider this is 40 rounds, or 4 minutes.
Skills: Diving spiders have a +4 racial bonus on Hide and Spot checks and a +8 racial bonus on Climb checks. A monstrous spider can always choose to take 10 on Climb checks, even if rushed or threatened. Monstrous spiders use either their Strength or Dexterity modifier for Climb checks, whichever is higher. A small diving spider takes a -2 on Swim checks due to its low strength. It has a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform some special action or avoid a hazard. It can always choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered. It can use the run action while swimming, provided it swims in a straight line.
Monstrous Scorpion, Small
CR 1
Hyena
Leech Swarm
Fine Vermin (Aquatic, Swarm)
Hit Dice: 2d8–2 (7 hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: Swim 10 ft. (2 squares)
Armor Class: 18 (+8 size, +0 Dex, +0 natural), touch 18, flat-footed 18
BaseAttack/Grapple: +1/—
Attack: Swarm (1d6 plus blood drain)
Full Attack: Swarm (1d6 plus blood drain)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./0 ft.
Special Attacks: Anesthetize, blood drain, disease, distraction
Special Qualities: Immune to weapon damage, low-light vision, swarm traits
Saves: Fort +2, Ref +0, Will +1
Abilities: Str 1, Dex 11, Con 8, Int —, Wis 12, Cha 2
Skills: Hide +16, Swim +3
Feats: —
Environment: Warm marsh
Organization: Solitary or plague (2–4 swarms)
Challenge Rating: 1
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: None
Level Adjustment: —
The water squirms with uncounted thumb-sized sluglike crea-tures, each one wriggling in an unsettling manner.Leeches are found in murky water, where they can approach prey unseen.
Combat
A leech swarm relies on stealth and blood drain to quietly disable its target. An unobservant creature can be drained dry without even realizing the cause of its weakness. (DM Tip: Take note of the PCs’ Spot checks and AC before running an encounter with a leech swarm. Record damage dealt by undetected leeches, but do not inform the player of the damage until his or her character notices the attack.)
Anesthetize (Ex): A creature attacked by a leech swarm must succeed on a Spot check (opposed by the swarm’s Hide check) to notice the attack if both the leech swarm and its target are in murky water at least 2 feet deep. Each round of blood drain entitles the creature to another Spot check to notice the leeches, with a cumulative +2 bonus on the check per round after the first. Characters attacked in clear water, or who have some means of detecting the leech swarm without seeing it, notice the attack automatically.
Blood Drain (Ex): Any living creature damaged by a leech swarm also takes 1 point of Constitution damage as the swarm drains its blood. This damage repeats every round thereafter unless the creature successfully exits the swarm and spends a full-round action removing leeches from its body.
Disease (Ex): A creature damaged by a leech swarm must succeed on a DC 15 Fortitude save or contract red ache (see page 292 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide).Distraction (Ex): Any living creature vulnerable to the leech swarm’s damage who notices the swarm and begins its turn with a swarm in its square is nauseated for 1 round; a DC 10 Fortitude save negates the effect. Even with a successful save, spellcasting or concentrating on spells within the area of a swarm requires a Concentration check (DC 20 + spell level). Using skills requiring patience and concentration requires a DC 20 Concentration check. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Swarm Traits (Ex): See page 316 of the Monster Manual.
Skills: A leech swarm has a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform a special action or avoid a hazard. It can always choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered. It can use the run action while swimming, provided it swims in a straight line.
Monstrous Scorpion, Medium
Serval (Savannah Wildcat)
Small Animal
Hit Dice: 1d8+1 (5 hp)
Initiative: +3
Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares)
Armor Class: 15 (+1 size, +3 Dex, +1 natural), touch 14, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +0/–3
Attack: Claw +4 melee (1d3+1)
Full Attack: 2 claws +4 melee (1d3+1) and bite –1 melee (1d4)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Improved grab, pounce, rake 1d3
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +3, Ref +5, Will +1
Abilities: Str 12, Dex 17, Con 13, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 7
Skills: Balance +7, Climb +7, Hide +11*, Jump +17, Listen +9, Move Silently +7, Spot +3
Feats: Weapon Finesse
Environment: Warm plains
Organization: Solitary, pair, or family (3–5)
Challenge Rating: 1
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 2–3 HD (Small)
Level Adjustment: —
Servals are wildcats that hunt small animals in savannahs and desert regions. A typical serval is about 3 feet long and weighs around 40 pounds; males are somewhat heavier than females.
Combat
Servals are accomplished jumpers and can leap 10 feet into the air to snatch birds. They are also capable of great bursts of speed.
Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a serval must hit with its bite attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking attacks of opportunity. If it wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold and can rake.
Pounce (Ex): If a serval charges a foe, it can make a full attack, including two rake attacks.
Rake (Ex): Attack bonus +4 melee, damage 1d3.
Skills: Servals have a +4 racial bonus on Balance, Climb, Hide, and Move Silently checks, and a +8 racial bonus on Jump and Listen checks. They use their Dexterity modifier instead of their Strength modifier for Jump checks. *In areas of tall grass or heavy undergrowth, the Hide bonus increases to +8.
CR 2
Ashworm
Large Magical Beast
Hit Dice: 3d10+9 (25 hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares), burrow 30 ft., climb 5 ft.
Armor Class: 14 (-1 size, +5 natural), touch 9, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+12
Attack: Sting +7 melee (1d6+7 plus poison)
Full Attack: Sting +7 melee (1d6+7 plus poison)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Poison
Special Qualities: Evasive diver, tremorsense 60 ft.
Saves: Fort +4, Ref +5, Will +4
Abilities: Str 21, Dex 10, Con 17, Int 1, Wis 13, Cha 6
Skills: Climb +16, Listen +6, Spot +3
Feats: Alertness, Lightning Reflexes
Environment: Warm deserts or plains
Organization: Solitary, cluster (2-4), or herd (6-30)
Challenge Rating: 2
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 4-6 HD (Large); 6-9 HD (Huge)
Level Adjustment: —
This large, eyeless worm is as big as a horse. It is covered in a thin chitinous layer of pale purple plates. A nasty stinger quivers at the end of its tail. Wild ashworms are distant cousins to the purple worm, but not nearly as large or aggressive (not able to gulp down prey in a single mouthful). Traveling in vast herds both above and below the desert sands, the sound of a herd's approach is akin t0 thunder. As a result, ashworms are sometimes called thunderherders. Ashworms are sometimes caught and trained as mounts, though a trainer clips off the dangerous stinger. Ashworms can be induced to travel on the sand's surface (or even packed earth or stone) exclusively by a skilled rider. However, the rider must succeed on a DC 15 Ride check once every 24 hours it in a sandy environment or be swept off the back of the ashworm as it dives below the surface for ld4 rounds before returning to the surface. Expert riders who put up with this behavior are somewhat mollified by the ashworm's ability to secrete a substance that allows it to stick to vertical surfaces; a rider securely strapped to an ashworm's back can climb up walls or other impediments with his mount, albeit slowly. An ashworm is hard to control in combat (see Mounted Combat, page 157 of the Player's Handbook), unless it belongs to an ashworm dragoon (see page 66).
Carrying Capacity: A light load for an ashworm is up to 500 pounds; a medium load, up to 900 pounds; and a heavy load, up to 1,400 pounds. An ashworm can drag 6,900 pounds.
COMBAT
Ashworms hunt prey from beneath the sand, then rise to confront their targets. In battle, an ashworm forms into a coil, stinging anything in reach.
Poison (Ex): Injury, Fortitude DC 14, initial and secondary damage 2d6 Str. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Evasive Diver (Ex): In areas of sand (not packed earth or stone), the ashworm feels more secure because of its evasive diver ability. If the ashworm makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, the ashworm instead manages to instantly dive below the protective sand or earth and takes no damage. An ashworm's rider might be swept from the ash-worm's back unless it makes a DC 15 Reflex save when the ashworm dives below the sand. If the rider tails this save, it is swept from the ashworm's back. Particu-larly skilled riders, such as ashworm dragoons with the sand rider ability, go along for the dive and also take no damage from the effect that prompted the ashworm's Reflex save.
Cheetah*
Crocodile
CR 3
Brine Swimmer
Large Vermin
Hit Dice: 5d8+10 (32 hp)
Initiative: +3
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares), swim 40 ft.
Armor Class: 17 (–1 size, +3 Dex, +5 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+10
Attack: Bite +5 melee (1d6+4)
Full Attack: Bite +5 melee (1d6+4)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Improved grab, rake 1d4+1
Special Qualities: Immunity to acid and dehydration, low-light vision, snap turn, vermin traits
Saves: Fort +6, Ref +4, Will +1
Abilities: Str 17, Dex 16, Con 15, Int —, Wis 10, Cha 4
Skills: Swim +3
Feats: —
Environment: Warm aquatic
Organization: Solitary or colony (6–30)
Challenge Rating: 3
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 6–10 HD (Large); 11–15 HD (Huge)
Level Adjustment: —
This large crustacean has dozens of feathery, flat legs and crushing mandibles. It flips through the salt water with great agility.Brine swimmers are a giant form of brine shrimp, perfectly adapted to the salty, shallow lakes of the waste. While ordinary brine shrimp feed on algae, these giant creatures eat fish, larval brine swimmers, and even young crocodiles if they can get them. They are a danger to any creature of Medium or smaller size that enters their territory. A brine swimmer’s many legs act as fins, gills, and food-gathering tools. They are fringed with bristles that both filter food from the water and tear at prey held in the creature’s mandibles. Brine swimmers swim constantly and seem to cavort as they twist and spin in the water. Brine swimmer eggs are able to withstand extended periods of drought. If a salt lake dries up, the eggs can survive for several years in a crystalline form, hatching within hours once they are immersed again. Brine swimmers and their eggs are an important food source for many waste-dwellers, although hunting the creatures is by no means safe.
Combat
A brine swimmer grabs at prey with its mandibles, then holds on and rakes with its legs. Brine swimmers can make sudden turns by flexing their segmented abdomens, and they use this surprising maneuverability both when hunting and when attempting to escape danger. Brine swimmers generally travel in large groups, and a movement by one toward a food source soon brings dozens of others.
Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a brine swimmer must hit an opponent with its bite attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking attacks of opportunity. If it wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold and can rake.
Rake (Ex): Six legs, attack bonus +5 melee, damage 1d4 +1.
Snap Turn (Ex): A brine swimmer can change direction quickly once each round as a free action. It can turn 180 degrees without expending any of its swim speed and can even use the run action after executing such a turn.
Skills: A brine swimmer has a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform some special action or avoid a hazard. It can always choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered. It can use the run action while swimming, provided it swims in a straight line
Dire Eel
Large Animal (Aquatic)
Hit Dice: 6d8+15 (42 hp)
Initiative: +5
Speed: Swim 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 13 (–1 size, +1 Dex, +3 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 12
BaseAttack/Grapple: +4/+12
Attack: Bite +8 melee (1d8+6)
Full Attack: Bite +8 melee (1d8+6)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Attach
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +7, Ref +6, Will +3
Abilities: Str 19, Dex 13, Con 14, Int 1, Wis 12, Cha 2
Skills: Hide +1 (+5 in coral, rock, or kelp), Listen +5, Spot +6, Swim +12
Feats: Improved Initiative, Toughness, Weapon Focus (bite)
Environment: Warm aquatic
Organization: Solitary or pair
Challenge Rating: 3
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 7–12 HD (Large); 13–18 HD (Huge)
Level Adjustment: —
The dire eel is a moraylike animal of unusual size. It can reach lengths of 20 feet or more and weigh up to 500 pounds. It resembles its smaller relations in other respects.
Attach (Ex): If a dire eel hits with its bite attack, it uses its powerful jaws to latch onto the opponent’s body and automatically deals bite damage each round it remains attached. An attached eel loses its Dexterity bonus to AC and has an AC of 12. An attached eel can be struck with a weapon or grappled itself. To remove an attached eel through grappling, the opponent must achieve a pin against the creature.
Skills: Dire eels have a +4 racial bonus on Hide checks, which improves to +8 in areas of coral, rock, or heavy kelp. An eel has a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform a special action or avoid a hazard. It can always choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered. It can use the run action while swimming, provided it swims in a straight line.
Dire Vulture
Large Animal
Hit Dice: 6d8+42 (69 hp)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares), fly 80 ft. (average)
Armor Class: 17 (-1 size, +1 Dex, +7 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 16
Base Attack/Grapple: +4/+11
Attack: Bite +6 melee (1d8+4)
Full Attack: Bite +6 melee (1d8+4)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Stench
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, resistance to disease, scent
Saves: Fort +12, Ref +6, Will +7
Abilities: Str 16, Dex 13, Con 25, Int 2, Wis 14, Cha 4
Skills: Listen +4, Spot +12, Survival +11
Feats: Alertness, Flyby Attack, Track
Environment: Warm deserts
Organization: Solitary or flock (4-20)
Challenge Rating: 3
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 7-12 HD (Large); 13-18 HD (Huge)
Level Adjustment: —
This enormous bird of prey has a mottled, naked head and neck with a wicked, hooked beak. A stink of carrion surrounds the beast.
A dire vulture, like its normal cousin, is a carrion feeder. It takes a very large carcass, or many small ones, to keep such a monster fed.
A dire vulture is 8 to 12 feet long and has a wingspan of 20 feet or more.
Combat
Dire vultures are much more aggressive than mundane vultures, and one might attack a creature that is two or more size categories smaller than itself.
Stench (Ex): Scraps of rotting flesh cling to a dire vulture's feathers, and the fetid wind of its wings can fell even the hardiest opponent. A creature within 20 feet of a dire vulture must succeed on a DC 20 Forti-tude save or be sickened for ld6 rounds. A creature that successfully saves can't be affected by that dire vulture's stench ability for 24 hours. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Resistance to Disease (Ex): A dire vulture has a cast-iron stomach. It has a +2 bonus on Fortitude saves to resist normal diseases, but not supernatural or magical diseases such as mummy rot.
Skills: A dire vulture has a +4 racial bonus on Spot and Survival checks
Monstrous Scorpion, Large
Protoceratops
Medium Animal
Hit Dice: 5d8+20 (42 hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 18 (+8 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 18
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+6
Attack: Bite +6 melee (1d8+4)
Full Attack: Bite +6 melee (1d8+4)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Powerful charge
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +8, Ref +4, Will +2
Abilities: Str 16, Dex 11, Con 19, Int 1, Wis 12, Cha 6
Skills: Listen +5, Spot +5, Survival +9
Feats: Alertness, Endurance
Environment: Warm deserts
Organization: Solitary, pair, or herd (4-7)
Challenge Rating: 3
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 6-10 HD (Medium); 11-15 HD (Large)
Level Adjustment: —
Protoceratops is a desert-dwelling herbivorous dinosaur that roots for tubers below the baked earth and grazes on the rough leaves of desert weeds. It has a thick, bony skull and a tough hide to protect it from climate and predators. A protoceratops is 6 to 8 feet long and weighs about 900 pounds.
Combat
Protoceratops are not very aggressive, but because they are the favored prey of larger creatures, they have developed Protoceratops travel in herds effective defenses. A threatened protoceratops lowers its head and charges, attempting to bull rush an enemy and escape. If it cannot get away, it attempts to charge as often as possible.
Powerful Charge (Ex): A protoceratops deals 2d8+11 points of damage when it makes a charge.
Skills: Protoceratops have a +4 racial bonus on Survival checks.
CR 4
Janni
Piranah Swarm
Tiny Animal (Aquatic, Swarm)
Hit Dice: 8d8+11 (47 hp)
Initiative: +6
Speed: Swim 40 ft. (8 squares)
Armor Class: 15 (+2 size, +2 Dex, +1 natural), touch 14, flat-footed 13
BaseAttack/Grapple: +6/—
Attack: Swarm (3d6)
Full Attack: Swarm (3d6)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./0 ft.
Special Attacks: Distraction
Special Qualities: Half damage from slashing and piercing weapons, low-light vision, scent, swarm traits
Saves: Fort +7, Ref +8, Will +3
Abilities: Str 4, Dex 15, Con 12, Int 1, Wis 12, Cha 2
Skills: Hide +10, Listen +9, Spot +8, Swim +5
Feats: Alertness, Improved Initiative, Toughness
Environment: Warm aquatic
Organization: Solitary or school (2–4 swarms)
Challenge Rating: 4
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: None
Level Adjustment: —
The water boils with small, darting fish, each armed with a jawful of razor-sharp teeth.One of the most feared denizens of warm aquatic environments is the piranha swarm, capable of devouring even a Large creature with amazing quickness.
Combat
Due to a piranha’s unusually strong jaws and sharp teeth, piranha swarms deal more damage than a swarm of their Hit Dice normally would.
Distraction (Ex): Any living creature vulnerable to the piranha swarm’s damage that begins its turn with a swarm in its square is nauseated for 1 round; a DC 15 Fortitude save negates the effect. Even with a successful save, spellcasting or concentrating on spells within the area of a swarm requires a Concentration check (DC 20 + spell level). Using skills requiring patience and concentration requires a DC 20 Concentration check. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Swarm Traits (Ex): See page 316 of the Monster Manual.
Skills: A piranha swarm has a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform a special action or avoid a hazard. It can always choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered. It can use the run action while swimming, provided it swims in a straight line.
CR 5
Diprotodon
Large Animal
Hit Dice: 9d8+36 (76 hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares), burrow 10 ft.
Armor Class: 14 (-1 size, +5 natural), touch 9, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +6/+18
Attack: Gore +13 melee (1d8+8)
Full Attack: Gore +13 melee (1d8+8) and 2 claws +8 melee (1d8+4)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Trample 2d6+12
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +10, Ref +6, Will +6
Abilities: Str 27, Dex 10, Con 18, Int 2, Wis 13, Cha 11
Skills: Listen +9, Spot +9
Feats: Alertness, Improved Natural Attack (claw), Iron Will, Run
Environment: Warm deserts
Organization: Solitary or pair
Challenge Rating: 5
Treasure: None Alignment:
Always neutral Advancement: 12-18 HD (Large); 19-27 HD (Huge)
Level Adjustment: —
This hippopotamus-sized beast is covered with short, grizzled fur. Its thick legs end in massive digging claws, and two large tusks project horizontally from its lower jaw. It shakes its head threateningly and prepares to charge. A diprotodon is a giant relative of the wombat, an herbivorous, powerfully built marsupial.
Diprotodons are built to graze dry grasses and other tough desert vegetation. Their powerful teeth grind the fibrous plant matter to a fine pulp, and their digestive systems slowly process the food, extracting every drop of water and scrap of nourishment. Their powerful legs and claws are built for digging, and a diprotodons habitat is easy to identify from the large entrances to its nesting burrow.
Combat
Although mild mannered in general, a diprotodon is intensely territorial and does not hesitate to stamp an intruder into the ground. A diprotodon can move as quickly as a camel, despite its lumbering appear-ance, and when it charges, it often catches opponents off guard.
Trample (Ex): Reflex half DC 22. The save DC is Strength-based.
Hieracosphinx
Manticore*
CR 6
Hippopotamus
Large Animal
Hit Dice: 8d8+40 (76 hp)
Initiative: -1
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares), swim 20 ft.
Armor Class: 14 (–1 size, –1 Dex, +6 natural), touch 8, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +6/+17
Attack: Bite +12 melee (2d6+10)
Full Attack: Bite +12 melee (2d6+10)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: —
Special Qualities: Hold breath, scent
Saves: Fort +11, Ref +5, Will +3
Abilities: Str 24, Dex 9, Con 20, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 3
Skills: Listen +7, Spot +6, Swim +15
Feats: Improved Bull Rush, Improved Overrun, Power Attack
Environment: Warm plains and forests (rivers)
Organization: Solitary, pair, or herd (10–15)
Challenge Rating: 6
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 9–16 HD (Large); 17–24 HD (Huge)
Level Adjustment: —
Sometimes known as the river horse, the hippopotamus is an immense mammal usually found in or near rivers, ponds, and lakes. It spends most of its daylight hours wallowing in mud or lounging in water to keep its skin from drying out. The typical river hippo has eyes on the top portion of its head (rather than the sides), so that it can see above water as it fl oats. Its large nostrils close tight when it submerges, and it can hold its breath for several minutes at a time. A hippopotamus can even sleep while submerged.
Combat
Hippopotami are often brutally territorial and do not hesitate to attack any thing they perceive as a threat. Their powerful, tusklike incisors can slice through wood and even thin metal with ease.
Hold Breath (Ex): A hippopotamus can hold its breath for a number of rounds equal to 8 × its Constitution score before it risks drowning.
Skills: A hippopotamus has a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform some special action or avoid a hazard. It can always choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered. It can use the run action while swimming, provided it swims in a straight line
CR 7
Criosphinx
Monstrous Scorpion, Huge
CR 8
Archelon (Giant snapper)
Huge Animal (Dinosaur)
Hit Dice: 12d8+84 (138 hp)
Initiative: –2
Speed: 10 ft. (2 squares), swim 20 ft.
Armor Class: 21 (–2 size, –2 Dex, +15 natural), touch 6, flat-footed 21
BaseAttack/Grapple: +9/+26
Attack: Bite +16 melee (2d6+13)
Full Attack: Bite +16 melee (2d6+13)
Space/Reach: 15 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks: —
Special Qualities: Hold breath, low-light vision
Saves: Fort +16, Ref +2, Will +5
Abilities: Str 28, Dex 7, Con 22, Int 2, Wis 13, Cha 7
Skills: Listen +11, Spot +6, Swim +17
Feats: Great Fortitude, Toughness (×4)
Environment: Warm aquatic
Organization: Solitary or pair
Challenge Rating: 8
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 13–24 HD (Huge); 25–36 HD (Gargantuan)
Level Adjustment: —
This huge, flat turtle is easily 15 feet from nose to tail, with a powerful beaked jaw. Its feet are large, paddlelike flippers.
The archelon is a large, primitive sea turtle. While it often feeds on floating carrion or shellfish it digs up out of the mud, it is highly aggressive and is not afraid to come up out of the water in order to reach a meal on shore.
Combat
The archelon attacks with a snap of its oversized jaws.
Hold Breath (Ex): An archelon can hold its breath for a number of rounds equal to 10 × its Constitution score before it risks drowning. For a typical archelon, this is 220 rounds, or 22 minutes.
Skills: An archelon has a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform a special action or avoid a hazard. It can always choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered. It can use the run action while swimming, provided it swims in a straight line.
Dire Tortoise
Huge Animal
Hit Dice: 14d8+107 (170 hp)
Initiative: -2
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares), burrow 20 ft.
Armor Class: 25 (-2 size, -2 Dex, +19 natural), touch 6, flat-footed 25
Base Attack/Grapple: +10/+26
Attack: Bite +16 melee (1d8+12)
Full Attack: Bite +16 melee (1d8+12)
Space/Reach: 15 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks: Lightning strike, trample 4d8+12
Special Qualities: Low-light vision
Saves: Fort +16, Ref +7, Will +9 Abilities:
Str 26, Dex 6, Con 25, Int 2, Wis 10, Cha 6
Skills: Hide -1*, Listen +6, Spot +6
Feats: Alertness, Endurance, Toughness (3)
Environment: Warm deserts
Organization: Solitary or pair
Challenge Rating: 8
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 15-28 HD (Huge); 29-42 HD (Gargantuan)
Level Adjustment: —
This massive tortoise has a spiked, rocky shell as big as a house. Its large head ends in a wickedly sharp beak. A dire tortoise moves slowly about the waste, consuming cactuses, mesquite shrubs, and tough desert grasses. It is an ill-tempered beast and quick to lash out at intruders. A dire tortoise is 20 to 30 feet long and can weigh 12,000 pounds or more.
Combat
Dire tortoises rely on their camouflage and protection. If approached, they lunge suddenly at any creature within reach of their powerful jaws.
Lightning Strike (Ex): A dire tortoise can lash out very rapidly. On the first round of combat, it gets a surprise round regardless of whether it has been noticed. A creature that notices the dire tortoise is still treated as flat-footed during this round.
Trample (Ex): Reflex half DC 25. The save DC is Strength-based. Skills: *A dire tortoise has a +12 racial bonus on Hide checks in rocky terrain.
Gynosphinx
Tyrannosaurus*
CR 9
Androsphinx
Encounters by CR
| CR | Wildlife Encounters | Neighbor Encounters |
| <0 | 1 jackal | 1 locathah, 1 merfolk |
| 1 | 2-4 giant fire beetles, 2-4 giant leeches, 2 small diving spiders, 2 small monstrous scorpions, 1 hyena, 1 leech swarm, 1 medium monstrous scorpion, 1 serval | 2 locathah, 2 merfolk |
| 2 | 8-9 tiny diving spiders, 8-9 tiny monstrous scorpions, 5-7 giant fire beetles, 5-7 giant leeches, 5-7 jackals, 3-4 small diving spiders, 3-4 small monstrous scorpions, 2 hyenas, 2 leech swarms, 2 medium monstrous scorpions, 2 servals, 1 ashworm, 1 cheetah, 1 crocodile | 3-4 locathah, 3-4 merfolk, 1 crucian |
| 3 | 10-13 tiny diving spiders, 10-13 tiny monstrous scorpions, 8-10 giant fire beetles, 8-10 giant leeches, 8-10 jackals, 5-6 small diving spiders, 5-6 small monstrous scorpions, 3 leech swarms, 3 medium monstrous scorpions, 3 servals, 1 brine swimmer, 1 dire eel, 1 large monstrous scorpion, 1 protoceratops | 1 merfolk brd3, 1 crucian dru1 |
| 4 | 14-16 tiny diving spiders, 14-16 tiny monstrous scorpions, 11 giant fire beetles, 11 giant leeches, 11-12 jackals, 7-9 small diving spiders, 7-9 small monstrous scorpions, 4 leech swarms, 4 medium monstrous scorpions, 4 servals, 2 ashworms, 2 cheetahs, 1 piranah swarm | 1 Janni, 2 crucians |
| 5 | 10-11 small diving spiders, 10-11 small monstrous scorpions, 5 medium monstrous scorpions, 5 servals, 3 ashworms, 3 cheetahs, 2 dire eels, 2 large monstrous scorpions, 2 protoceratops, 1 diprotodon, 1 hieracosphinx, 1 manticore | 3 crucians |
| 6 | 7-9 hyenas, 4 ashworms, 4 cheetahs, 3 large monstrous scorpions, 2 Janni, 2 piranah swarms, 1 hippopotamus | 4 crucians, crucian crew (2 + war3) |
| 7 | 10-13 hyenas, 5-7 ashworms, 5 cheetahs, 6 crocodiles, 4 dire vultures, 4 large monstrous scorpions, 4 protoceratops, 3 Janni, 3 piranah swarms, 2 diprotodons, 2 hieracosphinxes, 2 manticores, 1 huge monstrous scorpion | 1 criosphinx, 5 crucians, crucian crew (3-4 + war3) or (2-3 + dru3), small locathah patrol (11-13 + 2x war3 + ftr3), small merfolk patrol (11-13 + 2x war3 + brd3) |
| 8 | 14-16 hyenas, 7-9 ashworms, 7-9 crocodiles, 6 brine swimmers, 5-6 dire vultures, 5 large monstrous scorpions, 5-6 protoceratops, 4 Janni, 4 piranah swarms, 3 hieracosphinxes, 3 manticores, 2 hippopotami, 1 archelon, 1 dire tortoise, 1 tyrannosaurus | 1 gynosphinx, crucian crew (5 + war3) or (4-5 + dru3), med locathah patrol (11-14 + 2x war3 + ftr4-6), med merfolk patrol (11-14 + 2x war3 + brd4-6) |
| 9 | 10-13 ashworms, 10-11 crocodiles, 7-9 brine swimmers, 7-9 dire vultures, 7 protoceratops, 4 hieracosphinxes, 4 manticores, 2 huge monstrous scorpions | 1 androsphinx, 5 Janni, crucian squad (5-7 + dru4) large locathah patrol (15-20 + 2x war3 + ftr6), large merfolk patrol (15-20 + 2x war3 + brd6) |
Crucian: Organization: Pair, crew (2-5 plus 50% chance for 1 4th-level leader), squad (5-10 plus 1 4th level leader plus 50% chance tor 1 5th-level leader)
Challenge Rating: 2