Library / Bestiary

Worm That Walks

CR 14.00 Vermin NE Medium

Although this robed wizard stands and moves like a man, his body is a writhing mass of squirming, slippery worms.

Description

When a powerful spellcaster with a strong personality, a lust for life, and a remorselessly evil soul dies and is buried in a graveyard infused with eldritch magic, a strange phenomenon sometimes occurs. The flesh of the decaying body fats and instructs the very worms that gnaw, and these graveworms quicken not only on corruption but upon the spellcaster's memories and magical power. The spellcaster's very soul is consumed in this vile process, only to be split apart to inhabit each of the individual chewing worms in so many fragments. The result is a hideous hive mind of slithering life known as a worm that walks—a mass of worms that clings to the vague shape of the body that granted it this new existence, and can wield the powers and magic the spellcaster had in life. A worm that walks retains memories of its life as a spellcaster before its death, but is not undead—it is a hideous new form of undulant life.

“Worm that walks” is a template that can be added to any evil spellcasting creature. A worm that walks retains all the base creature's statistics and abilities except as noted here.

Ability Scores

STR

DEX

CON

INT

WIS

CHA

Combat Stats

HP: 113 (13d6+65); fast healing 14
AC: 23, touch 17, flat-footed 18 (+6 armor, +4 Dex, +1 dodge, +2 insight)
Speed: 30 ft.
Init: +8
Melee: slam +10 (1d4-1 plus grab)
BAB: +6
CMB: +5 (+13 grapple)
CMD: 26
Fort: +11
Ref: +12
Will: +13
DR: 15/-
Defensive Abilities: worm that walks traits
Racial Modifiers: +8 Perception, +8 Sense Motive, +8 Stealth

Special Attacks

discorporate

grab (Large)

squirming embrace

Special Qualities

arcane bond (staff)

summoner's charm (6 rounds)

Feats

Arcane Armor Training, Combat Casting, Combat Reflexes, Craft Magic Arms and Armor, Craft Wondrous Item, Diehard, Dodge, Improved Initiative, Light Armor Proficiency, Scribe Scroll, Toughness, Weapon Finesse

Special Abilities

Arcane Armor Training from Feat

As a swift action, reduce the arcane spell failure chance due to the armor you are wearing by 10% for any spells you cast this round.

Combat Casting from Feat

You get a +4 bonus on concentration checks made to cast a spell or use a spell-like ability when casting on the defensive or while grappled.

Combat Reflexes from Feat

You may make a number of additional attacks of opportunity per round equal to your Dexterity bonus. With this feat, you may also make attacks of opportunity while flat-footed.

Craft Magic Arms and Armor from Feat

You can create magic weapons, armor, or shields. Enhancing a weapon, suit of armor, or shield takes 1 day for each 1,000 gp in the price of its magical features. To enhance a weapon, suit of armor, or shield, you must use up raw materials costing half of this total price. See the magic item creation rules in Magic Items for more information.The weapon, armor, or shield to be enhanced must be a masterwork item that you provide. Its cost is not included in the above cost.You can also mend a broken magic weapon, suit of armor, or shield if it is one that you could make. Doing so costs half the raw materials and half the time it would take to craft that item in the first place.

Craft Wondrous Item from Feat

You can create a wide variety of magic wondrous items. Crafting a wondrous item takes 1 day for each 1,000 gp in its price. To create a wondrous item, you must use up raw materials costing half of its base price. See the magic item creation rules in Magic Items for more information.You can also mend a broken wondrous item if it is one that you could make. Doing so costs half the raw materials and half the time it would take to craft that item.

Diehard from Feat

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.

Dodge from Feat

You gain a +1 dodge bonus to your AC. A condition that makes you lose your Dex bonus to AC also makes you lose the benefits of this feat.

Improved Initiative from Feat

You get a +4 bonus on initiative checks.

Scribe Scroll from Feat

You can create a scroll of any spell that you know. Scribing a scroll takes 2 hours if its base price is 250 gp or less, otherwise scribing a scroll takes 1 day for each 1,000 gp in its base price. To scribe a scroll, you must use up raw materials costing half of this base price. See the magic item creation rules in Magic Items for more information.

Toughness from Feat

You gain +3 hit points. For every Hit Die you possess beyond 3, you gain an additional +1 hit point. If you have more than 3 Hit Dice, you gain +1 hit points whenever you gain a Hit Die (such as when you gain a level).

Weapon Finesse from Feat

With a light weapon, rapier, whip, or spiked chain made for a creature of your size category, you may use your Dexterity modifier instead of your Strength modifier on attack rolls. If you carry a shield, its armor check penalty applies to your attack rolls.

Skills

Craft (alchemy) +21, Fly +20, Intimidate +13, Knowledge (arcana, dungeoneering, planes) +21, Perception +22, Sense Motive +9, Spellcraft +21, Stealth +12

Spells

arcane school spell-like abilities:

(CL 13th; concentration +18)

At will-dimensional steps (390 feet/day)

8/day-acid dart (1d6+6 acid)

conjurer spells prepared:

7th—Plane Shift, 7th—Project Image, 6th—Acid Fog, 6th—Disintegrate, 6th—Summon Monster VI, 5th—Cloudkill, 5th—Dismissal, 5th—Shadow Evocation, 5th—Telekinesis, 5th—Teleport, 4th—Black Tentacles, 4th—Confusion, 4th—Dimension Door, 4th—Phantasmal Killer, 4th—Summon Monster IV, 3rd—Dispel Magic, 3rd—Fly, 3rd—Protection From Energy, 3rd—Slow, 3rd—Stinking Cloud, 3rd—Summon Monster III, 2nd—Acid Arrow, 2nd—Detect Thoughts, 2nd—Fog Cloud, 2nd—Glitterdust, 2nd—Invisibility, 2nd—Summon Swarm, 1st—Charm Person, 1st—Feather Fall, 1st—Grease, 1st—Obscuring Mist, 1st—Protection From Good, 1st—Reduce Person, 1st—Shield, At will—Detect Magic, At will—Mage Hand, At will—Prestidigitation, At will—Read Magic

Details

Type: Vermin
Alignment: NE
Size: Medium
Environment: any
Organization: solitary
Treasure: NPC Gear (+4 leather armor, cloak of resistance +4, staff of charming)
Senses: blindsight 30 ft., darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +22
Languages: Abyssal, Aklo, Common, Infernal
Source: Bestiary 2

Sources Used in This Record

49 House/Core

Uses feat: Arcane Armor Training (Feat)

House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.
Uses feat: Combat Casting (Feat)

House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.
Uses feat: Combat Reflexes (Feat)

House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.
Uses feat: Craft Magic Arms and Armor (Feat)

House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.
Uses feat: Craft Wondrous Item (Feat)

House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.
Uses feat: Diehard (Feat)

House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.
Uses feat: Dodge (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: Scribe Scroll (Feat)

House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.
Uses feat: Toughness (Feat)

House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.
Uses feat: Weapon Finesse (Feat)

House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.
Knows spell: Plane Shift (Spell)

House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.
Knows spell: Project Image (Spell)

House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.
Knows spell: Acid Fog (Spell)

House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.
Knows spell: Disintegrate (Spell)

House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.
Knows spell: Summon Monster VI (Spell)

House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.
Knows spell: Cloudkill (Spell)

House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.
Knows spell: Dismissal (Spell)

House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.
Knows spell: Shadow Evocation (Spell)

House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.
Knows spell: Telekinesis (Spell)

House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.
Knows spell: Teleport (Spell)

House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.
Knows spell: Black Tentacles (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: Dimension Door (Spell)

House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.
Knows spell: Phantasmal Killer (Spell)

House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.
Knows spell: Summon Monster IV (Spell)

House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.
Knows spell: Dispel Magic (Spell)

House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.
Knows spell: Fly (Spell)

House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.
Knows spell: Protection From Energy (Spell)

House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.
Knows spell: Slow (Spell)

House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.
Knows spell: Stinking Cloud (Spell)

House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.
Knows spell: Summon Monster III (Spell)

House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.
Knows spell: Acid Arrow (Spell)

House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.
Knows spell: Detect Thoughts (Spell)

House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.
Knows spell: Fog Cloud (Spell)

House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.
Knows spell: Glitterdust (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: Summon Swarm (Spell)

House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.
Knows spell: Charm Person (Spell)

House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.
Knows spell: Feather Fall (Spell)

House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.
Knows spell: Grease (Spell)

House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.
Knows spell: Obscuring Mist (Spell)

House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.
Knows spell: Protection From Good (Spell)

House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.
Knows spell: Reduce Person (Spell)

House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.
Knows spell: Shield (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: Mage Hand (Spell)

House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.
Knows spell: Prestidigitation (Spell)

House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.
Knows spell: Read Magic (Spell)

House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.

Rules