Merrow, Saltwater
Description
Merrows are best described as the aquatic cousins of ogres. Although their green, scaled skin and webbed hands and feet make them appear different, merrows are just as cruel, savage, and wicked as their ogre relatives. The saltwater variety grows much larger than the freshwater variety, but the behavior and society of the two types are otherwise similar.
Merrows are known for pillaging small fishing villages and towns under cover of night. Similar to ogres, merrows have a strong sense of family and typically hunt in gangs, preferring to grab a couple of villagers and head back into the water rather than sticking around and dealing with armed resistance. Merrows have a stronger sense of unity than ogres do, and rarely will the leader of a tribe be challenged. When they have chosen a village or town to plunder, they attack as a gang and share the spoils.
A freshwater merrow is 12 feet tall and weighs 500 pounds. Saltwater merrows easily reach 20 feet tall and 4,000 pounds, and have been known to hunt whales. The two species do not often come in contact, but when they do, feuding and conflict are swift to develop.
Combat Stats
- Melee
- 2 claws +11 (1d8+7 plus grab)
- Ranged
- javelin +6 (2d6+7)
- Space
- 15 ft.
- Reach
- 15 ft.
- Racial Modifiers
- +4 Stealth in water
Ability Scores
Proficiencies
Weapons: Simple
Special Qualities
Feats
Special Abilities
Universal Monster Rules
Feats, Traits & Items
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.
When you use the attack action, you can make one attack at your highest base attack bonus that deals additional damage. Roll the weapon's damage dice for the attack twice and add the results together before adding bonuses from Strength, weapon abilities (such as flaming), precision based damage, and other damage bonuses. These extra weapon damage dice are not multiplied on a critical hit, but are added to the total.
You gain a +1 bonus on all attack rolls you make using the selected weapon.
Skills
Perception +7, Stealth -2 (+2 in water), Swim +15
- Type
- Humanoid
- Alignment
- NE
- Size
- Huge
- Environment
- temperate oceans
- Organization
- solitary, pair, gang (3-4), or family (5-16)
- Treasure
- standard (2 javelins, other treasure)
- Senses
- low-light vision; Perception +7
- Languages
- Giant
- Source
- Bestiary 2