Lukwata
Description
Lukwatas slip through dark tropical waters, preying upon all who dare enter their deep jungle rivers and pools, including beasts typically considered apex predators. While scholars say the beasts favor the dark, light doesn't deter them in their relentless pursuit of prey. Their long, flat bodies are reminiscent of those of dolphins or large fish, but lukwatas' heads are distinctively eel-like. A lukwata's unusual ability to disrupt magical effects rises from the strange crystalline growths that line its throat and stomach—crystals that allow the lukwata to gain nutrients from magical items as efficiently as from flesh and blood. These same growths give the lukwata an unusually strong resistance to all manner of magic attacks.
Lukwatas hate crocodiles, their chief predatory rivals, and attack them on sight, even if the lukwata has recently fed. Most crocodilians are not large enough to pose a significant threat; however, some accounts exist of lukwatas and dire crocodiles crossing paths. These fights are renowned for inflicting great destruction, with the embattled creatures smashing to bits piers, flotillas, and even dams in their fury.
A lukwata is 20 feet long and weighs 4,000 pounds.
Combat Stats
- Melee
- bite +22 (4d10+15/19-20 plus grab)
- Space
- 15 ft.
- Reach
- 15 ft.
- DR
- 10/nonmagical weapons
- SR
- 27
Ability Scores
Special Attacks
capsize (DC 25)
Digest Magic — A magic item swallowed by a lukwata must make a DC 22 Fortitude save after an hour or become permanently nonmagical. Artifacts are immune to this effect. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Dispelling Bite — When a lukwata scores a critical hit with its bite, the victim is affected as if targeted by a greater dispel magic spell. The caster level for this effect is equal to the lukwata's Hit Dice (CL 14th for most lukwatas).
Feats
Awesome Blow, Bleeding Critical, Critical Focus, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Critical (bite), Iron Will, Power Attack
Special Abilities
Universal Monster Rules
Special Abilities
Feats, Traits & Items
As a standard action, the creature may perform an awesome blow combat maneuver. If the creature's maneuver succeeds against a corporeal opponent smaller than itself, its opponent takes damage (typically slam damage plus Strength bonus) and is knocked flying 10 feet in a direction of the attacking creature's choice and falls prone. The attacking creature can only push the opponent in a straight line, and the opponent can't move closer to the attacking creature than the square it started in. If an obstacle prevents the completion of the opponent's move, the opponent and the obstacle each take 1d6 points of damage, and the opponent is knocked prone in the space adjacent to the obstacle.
Whenever you score a critical hit with a slashing or piercing weapon, your opponent takes 2d6 points of bleed damage (see Conditions) each round on his turn, in addition to the damage dealt by the critical hit. Bleed damage can be stopped by a DC 15 Heal skill check or through any magical healing. The effects of this feat stack.
You receive a +4 circumstance bonus on attack rolls made to confirm critical hits.
You do not provoke an attack of opportunity when performing a bull rush combat maneuver. In addition, you receive a +2 bonus on checks made to bull rush a foe. You also receive a +2 bonus to your Combat Maneuver Defense whenever an opponent tries to bull rush you.
When using the weapon you selected, your threat range is doubled.
You can choose to take a –1 penalty on all melee attack rolls and combat maneuver checks to gain a +2 bonus on all melee damage rolls. This bonus to damage is increased by half (+50%) if you are making an attack with a two-handed weapon, a one handed weapon using two hands, or a primary natural weapon that adds 1-1/2 times your Strength modifier on damage rolls. This bonus to damage is halved (–50%) if you are making an attack with an off-hand weapon or secondary natural weapon. When your base attack bonus reaches +4, and every 4 points thereafter, the penalty increases by –1 and the bonus to damage increases by +2. You must choose to use this feat before making an attack roll, and its effects last until your next turn. The bonus damage does not apply to touch attacks or effects that do not deal hit point damage.
Skills
Perception +9, Stealth +0, Swim +30
- Type
- Magical Beast
- Alignment
- N
- Size
- Huge
- Environment
- warm rivers, lakes, and swamps
- Organization
- solitary, pair, or school (3-8)
- Treasure
- standard
- Senses
- darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent; Perception +9
- Source
- Bestiary 3