Library / Bestiary

Nightshade, Nightcrawler

CR 18.00 Undead CE Gargantuan
This immense worm is covered with plates of dead-black, chitinous armor. Its toothy maw yawns like a cave.

Although the nightcrawler might appear to be little more than an immense and frightening vermin, with its centipede-like body and numerous glowing eyes, it is actually incredibly intelligent. When not cleansing the deep caverns of life, the nightcrawler spends its time plotting how best to carry out its own private stages of the overall nightshade plan to expunge life from all worlds, conferring with its undead minions and, when necessary, observing living creatures from afar while invisible to learn about hidden enclaves that its depredations might otherwise have missed.

It would be one thing if the nightcrawlers remained in the deep caverns, for these regions are rife with foul life the world is better off without. Yet unfortunately for those who dwell upon the surface, nightcrawlers often crawl up through the tunnels to bring their devastation to the night above. Although they always retreat underground before the first tentative rays of dawn color the eastern skies, they can spread an incredible amount of ruin in the span of a few short hours each night.

A nightcrawler is 60 feet long and weighs 10,000 pounds.

STR
41
DEX
10
CON
-
INT
20
WIS
21
CHA
23
HP
312 (25d8+200)
AC
33, touch 6, flat-footed 33 (+27 natural, -4 size)
Speed
30 ft., burrow 60 ft.
Init
+4
Melee
bite +32 (4d10+18/19-20 plus 4d6 cold and grab), sting +32 (4d6+18/19-20 plus 4d6 cold and poison)
Space
20 ft.
Reach
20 ft.
BAB
+18
CMB
+37 (+41 grapple)
CMD
47 (can't be tripped)
Fort
+16
Ref
+10
Will
+23
DR
15/good and silver
SR
29
Racial Modifiers
+8 Stealth in dim light and darkness

Weapons: Simple

channel negative energy (9d6, DC 31, 9/day)

Energy Drain — A creature that has been swallowed whole by a nightcrawler gains 1 negative level each round.

swallow whole (4d10+22 bludgeoning plus energy drain, AC 23, 31 hp)

Combat Expertise from Feat

<p class="stat-block-1"> You can choose to take a &ndash;1 penalty on melee attack rolls and combat maneuver checks to gain a +1 dodge bonus to your Armor Class. When your base attack bonus reaches +4, and every +4 thereafter, the penalty increases by &ndash;1 and the dodge bonus increases by +1. You can only choose to use this feat when you declare that you are making an attack or a full-attack action with a melee weapon. The effects of this feat last until your next turn.</p>

Command Undead from Feat

<p class="stat-block-1"> As a standard action, you can use one of your uses of channel negative energy to enslave undead within 30 feet. Undead receive a Will save to negate the effect. The DC for this Will save is equal to 10 + 1/2 your cleric level + your Charisma modifier. Undead that fail their saves fall under your control, obeying your commands to the best of their ability, as if under the effects of <i>control undead</i>. Intelligent undead receive a new saving throw each day to resist your command. You can control any number of undead, so long as their total Hit Dice do not exceed your cleric level. If you use channel energy in this way, it has no other effect (it does not heal or harm nearby creatures). If an undead creature is under the control of another creature, you must make an opposed Charisma check whenever your orders conflict.</p>

Critical Focus from Feat

<p class="stat-block-1"> You receive a +4 circumstance bonus on attack rolls made to confirm critical hits.</p>

<p class="stat-block-1"> 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 four times and add the results together before adding bonuses from Strength, weapon abilities (such as <i>flaming</i>), 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.</p>

Improved Critical from Feat

<p class="stat-block-1"> When using the weapon you selected, your threat range is doubled.</p>

Improved Critical from Feat

<p class="stat-block-1"> When using the weapon you selected, your threat range is doubled.</p>

<p class="stat-block-1"> You get a +4 bonus on initiative checks.</p>

<p class="stat-block-1"> 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 three times and add the results together before adding bonuses from Strength, weapon special abilities (such as <i>flaming</i>), 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.</p>

Iron Will from Feat

<p class="stat-block-1"> You get a +2 bonus on all Will saving throws.</p>

Power Attack from Feat

<p class="stat-block-1"> You can choose to take a &ndash;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 (&ndash;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 &ndash;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.</p>

<p class="stat-block-1"> Whenever you score a critical hit, your opponent becomes staggered for 1d4+1 rounds. A successful Fortitude save reduces the duration to 1 round. The DC of this Fortitude save is equal to 10 + your base attack bonus. The effects of this feat do not stack. Additional hits instead add to the duration.</p>

Vital Strike from Feat

<p class="stat-block-1"> 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 <i>flaming</i>), 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.</p>

Intimidate +34, Knowledge (arcana) +33, Knowledge (planes) +30, Knowledge (religion) +33, Perception +33, Sense Motive +33, Spellcraft +33, Stealth +16 (+24 in darkness), Swim +40

spell-like abilities:
Constant—Air Walk, Constant—Detect Magic, Constant—Magic Fang, At will—Contagion, At will—Deeper Darkness, At will—Dispel Magic, Greater, At will—Invisibility, At will—Unholy Blight, 3/day—Cone Of Cold, 3/day—Confusion, 3/day—Haste, 3/day—Hold Monster, 1/day—Finger Of Death, 1/day—Hold Monster, Mass, 1/day—Plane Shift
Details
Type
Undead
Alignment
CE
Size
Gargantuan
Environment
any (Negative Energy Plane)
Organization
solitary or pair
Treasure
standard
Senses
darksense, darkvision 120 ft., detect magic, low-light vision, tremorsense 120 ft.; Perception +33
Languages
Abyssal, Common, Infernal; telepathy 100 ft.
Source
Bestiary 2
Sources Used in This Record
27 House/Core
  • Uses feat: Combat Expertise (Feat)
    House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.
  • Uses feat: Command Undead (Feat)
    House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.
  • Uses feat: Critical Focus (Feat)
    House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.
  • Uses feat: Greater Vital Strike (Feat)
    House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.
  • Uses feat: Improved Critical (Feat)
    House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.
  • Uses feat: Improved Critical (Feat)
    House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.
  • Uses feat: Improved Initiative (Feat)
    House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.
  • Uses feat: Improved Vital Strike (Feat)
    House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.
  • Uses feat: Iron Will (Feat)
    House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.
  • Uses feat: Power Attack (Feat)
    House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.
  • Uses feat: Staggering Critical (Feat)
    House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.
  • Uses feat: Vital Strike (Feat)
    House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.
  • Knows spell: Air Walk (Spell)
    House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.
  • Knows spell: Detect Magic (Spell)
    House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.
  • Knows spell: Magic Fang (Spell)
    House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.
  • Knows spell: Contagion (Spell)
    House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.
  • Knows spell: Deeper Darkness (Spell)
    House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.
  • Knows spell: Dispel Magic, Greater (Spell)
    House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.
  • Knows spell: Invisibility (Spell)
    House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.
  • Knows spell: Unholy Blight (Spell)
    House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.
  • Knows spell: Cone Of Cold (Spell)
    House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.
  • Knows spell: Confusion (Spell)
    House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.
  • Knows spell: Haste (Spell)
    House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.
  • Knows spell: Hold Monster (Spell)
    House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.
  • Knows spell: Finger Of Death (Spell)
    House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.
  • Knows spell: Hold Monster, Mass (Spell)
    House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.
  • Knows spell: Plane Shift (Spell)
    House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.
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