Catoblepas
Description
The catoblepas is an aggressive beast at the best of times, willing to knock down trees, fences, even small houses to eat whatever it finds interesting, be that meal plant or animal or human being. Though it prefers swamps, the catoblepas has been known to forage in plains and forests for short periods before returning to the buoyant support of water and mud. Few creatures linger near a catoblepas's feeding ground because of the monster's bad temper and poisonous breath, and only rot-loving predators such as oozes or exceptionally large otyughs have any interest in hunting them.
A catoblepas' primary motivation is hunting and exerting its dominance over lesser creatures in its territory. Easily detected by its foul odor, the creature tolerates the presence of wild animals, humanoid tribes, and even predators that it can bully as long as these things flee or act submissive when the poisonous brute lumbers into view. The catoblepas is known to engage in physical battles with other Large swamp creatures such as crocodiles or even froghemoths. Some humanoid tribes claim to know techniques to domesticate a catoblepas for use as a guard animal, but the monster's intractable nature and not insignificant intelligence almost certainly means magic is involved, as the creature has little need for alliances and can wipe out entire villages with its breath. Some have been known to use their breath underwater, creating a churning cloud of bubbles that kills fish in the area and starves out other creatures.
A catoblepas's sense of smell is blunted by its own ungodly stench, and it can't easily recognize rival odors such as skunk musk (though this provides the beast no immunity to odor-based effects from other creatures).
A catoblepas is 15 feet long and weighs 2,200 pounds.
Combat Stats
- Melee
- bite +18 (3d6+5), gore +18 (2d8+5/19-20), 2 hooves +16 (1d8+2)
- Space
- 15 ft.
- Reach
- 15 ft.
- SR
- 23
- Aura
- stench (30 ft., DC 23, 10 rounds)
Ability Scores
Special Attacks
breath weapon (60-ft. cone, poison, Fortitude DC 23, usable every 1d4 rounds)
trample (4d6+7, DC 22)
Feats
Diehard, Endurance, Improved Critical (gore), Improved Iron Will, Iron Will, Multiattack, Skill Focus (Perception)
Special Abilities
Universal Monster Rules
Feats, Traits & Items
When your hit point total is below 0, but you are not dead, you automatically stabilize. You do not need to make a Constitution check each round to avoid losing additional hit points. You may choose to act as if you were disabled, rather than dying. You must make this decision as soon as you are reduced to negative hit points (even if it isn't your turn). If you do not choose to act as if you were disabled, you immediately fall unconscious.
When using this feat, you are staggered. You can take a move action without further injuring yourself, but if you perform any standard action (or any other action deemed as strenuous, including some swift actions, such as casting a quickened spell) you take 1 point of damage after completing the act. If your negative hit points are equal to or greater than your Constitution score, you immediately die.
You gain a +4 bonus on the following checks and saves: Swim checks made to resist nonlethal damage from exhaustion; Constitution checks made to continue running; Constitution checks made to avoid nonlethal damage from a forced march; Constitution checks made to hold your breath; Constitution checks made to avoid nonlethal damage from starvation or thirst; Fortitude saves made to avoid nonlethal damage from hot or cold environments; and Fortitude saves made to resist damage from suffocation.
You may sleep in light or medium armor without becoming fatigued.
When using the weapon you selected, your threat range is doubled.
Once per day, you may reroll a Will save. You must decide to use this ability before the results are revealed. You must take the second roll, even if it is worse.
The creature's secondary attacks with natural weapons take only a –2 penalty.
You get a +3 bonus on all checks involving the chosen skill. If you have 10 or more ranks in that skill, this bonus increases to +6.
Skills
Perception +25, Swim +13
- Type
- Magical Beast
- Alignment
- N
- Size
- Large
- Environment
- any swamps
- Organization
- solitary, pair, or herd (3-6)
- Treasure
- incidental
- Senses
- darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +25
- Aura
- stench (30 ft., DC 23, 10 rounds)
- Languages
- Aklo
- Source
- Bestiary 2