Description
These young rays are shaped roughly like hoods (hence their name), and drag themselves awkwardly about with their thin tentacles. Once an executioner's hood finds a suitable hunting ground, usually a cavern or dungeon room, it hauls itself up to a high perch and hangs there, disguising itself as an irregular stone formation or a strange bit of masonry on a dungeon wall. When suitable prey walks beneath it, the young lurking ray drops, attempting to engulf the creature's head and suffocate it, after which the ray can slowly dissolve the meat at its leisure.
Executioner's hoods are hatched from eggs laid by trappers. They stay with the mother for a month, then leave to hunt for themselves.
Combat Stats
AC
16, touch 13, flat-footed 15 (+1 Dex, +3 natural, +2 size)
- Melee
- slam +3 (1d4 plus grab)
- Space
- 2-1/2 ft.
- Reach
- 0 ft.
- Defensive Abilities
- amorphous
Ability Scores
Special Attacks
constrict (1d4)
Engulfing Drop — Though it is a Tiny monster, the hood can drop onto the head of a Medium or smaller creature and make a slam attack as a standard action. If the hood's attack succeeds, it can immediately attempt a grapple check against the target, and if successful, the executioner's hood can constrict.
Strangle — A grappling executioner's hood entirely covers its opponent's head with an airtight grip. A creature that is grappled by the hood cannot speak or cast spells with verbal components and must hold its breath (see Suffocation, Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook 445), unless it doesn't speak or breathe through its head. Any attacks against the hood deal half damage to the hood and the other half to the creature that it's strangling.
Feats
Special Abilities
Universal Monster Rules
Grab
Grab
(slam)
Ex
from Universal Monster Rule
If a creature with this special attack hits with the indicated attack (usually a claw or bite attack), it deals normal damage and attempts to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. The creature has the option to conduct the grapple normally, or simply to use the part of its body it used in the grab to hold the opponent. If it chooses to do the latter, it takes a –20 penalty on its combat maneuver check to make and maintain the grapple, but does not gain the grappled condition itself. A successful hold does not deal any extra damage unless the creature also has the constrict special attack. If the creature does not constrict, each successful grapple check it makes during successive rounds automatically deals the damage indicated for the attack that established the hold. Otherwise, it deals constriction damage as well (the amount is given in the creature's descriptive text). Creatures with grab receive a +4 bonus on combat maneuver checks made to start and maintain a grapple. Unless otherwise noted, grab works only against opponents no larger than the same size category as the creature. If the creature can use grab on sizes other than the default, this is noted in the creature's Special Attacks line.
Constrict
(1d4)
Ex
from Universal Monster Rule
A creature with this special attack can crush an opponent, dealing bludgeoning damage, when it makes a successful grapple check (in addition to any other effects caused by a successful check, including additional damage). The amount of damage is given in the creature's entry and is typically equal to the amount of damage caused by the creature's melee attack.
The creature's body is malleable and shapeless. It is immune to precision damage (like sneak attacks) and critical hits.
An opponent grappled by the creature cannot speak or cast spells with verbal components.
Special Abilities
Engulfing Drop
from text
Though it is a Tiny monster, the hood can drop onto the head of a Medium or smaller creature and make a slam attack as a standard action. If the hood's attack succeeds, it can immediately attempt a grapple check against the target, and if successful, the executioner's hood can constrict.
Feats, Traits & Items
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.
Calculated: +3 Skill Bonus
Skills
Climb +8, Perception +8, Stealth +13