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The Vorpal Tribble 01-11-05, 05:46 PM

Kelp Worm A vast forest of thickly growing giant leaves and stalks sway in the glowing green current, off the coast, beyond the pounding breakers. Dazzling light from the sun above turns to shadow and back again, changing with the rythym of the swaying kelp. Suddenly one section of kelp seems to come loose from the rocks below, but quickly swings around, revealing a creature of scales and fins, with a very large mouth opened wide to engulf you... Gargantuan Aberation Hit-dice: 12d8+84 (136 hp) Initiative: +4 Speed: 15 ft., (swim) 120 ft. Armor class: 20 (-4 size, +14 natural) Base attack/grapple: +9/+39 Attack: Bite +19 melee (4d6 +18) Full attack: Bite +19 melee (4d6 +18) Space/reach: 20 ft./20 ft. Special Attacks: Capsize, constrict, swallow whole Special Qualities: Aquatic subtype, camouflage, darkvision 100 ft., low-light vision Saves: Fort +15, Ref +4, Will +10 Abilities: Str 35, Dex 11, Con 25, Int 3, Wis 14, Cha 6 Skills: Hide +20, Knowledge (nature) +2, Search +20, Sneak +15, Spot +20 Feats: Blind-Fight, Improved Grapple, Improved Initiative, Run Enviroment: Temperate and Warm Aquatic Organization: Solitary or pair Challenge Rating: Treasure: double standard goods, standard coins, standard items Alignment: Usually neutral Advancement: 13-34 HD (gargantuan), 35+ (colossal) Level Adjustment: -- Kelp worms are sneaky and stealthy, with jagged, irregularly shaped scales of a murky dark green and grey color. They have no legs, but are covered with ripples of waving, flat fins grown at seemingly random all about its body and tail. The head is mishapen and hardly more than a thickening at one end, with a wide mouth filled with rings of inwardly curving teeth even within its throat. Four eyes like green mirrored domes ring around the head-area. Its two arms have several large scales overlapping one another, with four crooked looking, webbed fingers possessed of retractible claws. The tail is covered in an assorted array of fins of all types and shapes and ends in four, huge frond-like fins. All in all it appears not so much a worm as a small forest of soaring kelp. Full-grown kelp worms can measure up to 120 feet long, and 20-28 feet in circumphrence. Kelp worms live solitary lives, generally in large kelp forests, where they hang by the claws to the rocky floor near underwater caves and position their tails upwards to wave in the current. More rarely they float about the open ocean, appearing as a wad of drifting seaweed, awaiting prey to come near. Most can understand Aquan, but cannot speak any but a crude body-language amongst their own kind. Combat: Kelp worms while in their kelp stance wait for a creature of sufficient size to come near them, and they then wrap their tales tightly about the creature, and bring it to their mouths. The prey is put inside, live, and tightly constricting muscles within its throat crush the creature within against the barb-like teeth. Kelp worms are notorious for taking advantage of ships that have tangled with the seaweed, leaping high out of the water, and onboard. If the vessle is smaller, it merely grasps the edges and pulls it over. Capsize (Ex): A submerged kelp-worm that surfaces under or grabs hold of a boat or ship less than 25 feet long has a 90% chance of capsizing the vessel. It has a 45% to capsize a vessel from 25-60 feet long and a 15% chance to capsize one over 60 feet long. Camouflage (Ex): A kelp worm has a +10 camouflage bonus on Move silently and Hide checks when submerged and a +20 bonus to hide checks while in forests of kelp. Once it has been noticed a DC 20 Knowledge (nature) check must be made to recognize it for what it is. Swallow Whole (Ex): A kelp worm once successfully grappling its prey will attempt to swallow it whole if Large or smaller, using its inner teeth, if successful, to add a 4d6 additional hit points to its bite damage. It is impossible to climb out of the creature's mouth because of the constricted barrier of inner teeth, forcing a meal to cut its way out by dealing 3d8 points of damage. Skills: A kelp worm gains a +20 to search and spot checks, and +2 to Knowledge (nature) checks to track prey.