Melth, Wizard of the 7th House: "So, are you sure you have empowered yourself with the correct divine energies for this undertaking?"
Tarek, Cleric of Pelor: "I have prayed to Pelor for my the spells I usually prepare when expecting to face the undead...."
Melth, Wizard of the 7th House: "You disappoint me comrade. How could you fail to gain as much as possible of the ability to summon cleansing water to wash the filth from us?"
Tarek, Cleric of Pelor: "Err... actually those were the FIRST spells I beseeched him for in my devotions... and then again at the end, just to be sure... In truth I was sorely tempted to forgo some of my slightly more powerful spells in favor of additional usages of Create Water, but I chose against it... I trust we all are carrying sufficient soap for this endeavor?"
Melth, Wizard of the 7th House: "I checked that myself, all are so equiped... it occurs to me that the research of an improved decanter of endless water that is capable of pouring forth soapy, as well as ordinary water might prove a logical endeavor for the future."
Tarek, Cleric of Pelor: "There may be wisdom in what you say..."
Gut Snake
(Open Spoiler for Stat block table)
Spoiler
Show
{table="head"]~|Gut Snake, Tiny|Gut Snake, Small|Gut Snake, Medium|Gut Snake, Large|Gut Snake, Huge|Gut Snake, Gargantuan|Gut Snake, Colossal
Size and Type|Tiny Undead|Small Undead|Medium Undead|Large Undead|Huge Undead|Gargantuan Undead|Colossal Undead
Hit Dice|1/2d12 (3 hp)|1d12 (6 hp)|3d12 (19 hp)|6d12 (39 hp)|12d12 (78 hp)|24d12 (156 hp)|48d12 (312 hp)
Speed|20 ft. (4 squares), climb 20 ft., swim 20 ft.|20 ft. (4 squares), climb 20 ft., swim 20 ft.|20 ft. (4 squares), climb 20 ft., swim 20 ft.|20 ft. (4 squares), climb 20 ft., swim 20 ft.|20 ft. (4 squares), climb 20 ft., swim 20 ft.|20 ft. (4 squares), climb 20 ft., swim 20 ft.|20 ft. (4 squares), climb 20 ft., swim 20 ft.
Initiative|+8|+7|+7|+7|+7|+6|+5
AC|17 (+4 Dex, +2 size, +1 natural); touch 16; flat-footed 13|16 (+3 Dex, +1 size, +2 natural); touch 14; flat-footed 13|16 (+3 Dex, +3 natural); touch 13; flat-footed 13|15 (+3 Dex, -1 size, +3 natural); touch 12; flat-footed 12|16 (+3 Dex, -2 size, +5 natural); touch 11; flat-footed 13|17 (+2 Dex, -4 size, +9 natural); touch 8; flat-footed 15|17 (+1 Dex, -8 size, +14 natural); touch 3; flat-footed 16
BAB|+0|+0|+1|+3|+6|+12|+24
Grapple|-4|+2|+8|+15|+25|+39|+59
Attack|(Grapple attempt +6 melee touch)|(Grapple attempt +4 melee touch)|(Grapple attempt +4 melee touch)|(Grapple attempt +6 melee touch)|(Grapple attempt +10 melee touch)|(Grapple attempt +19 melee touch)|(Grapple attempt +31 melee touch)
Full Attack|(Grapple attempt +6 melee touch)|(Grapple attempt +4 melee touch)|(Grapple attempt +4 melee touch)|(Grapple attempt +6 melee touch)| (Grapple attempt +11 melee touch)|(Grapple attempt +19 melee touch)|(Grapple attempt +31 melee touch)
Space/Reach|2 1/2 ft./0 ft.|5 ft./5 ft.|5 ft./5 ft.|10 ft./5 ft.|15 ft./10 ft|20 ft./15 ft.|30 ft./20 ft.
Special Attacks|Constrict 1, Explosive Diarrhoetic Discharge, Flatulate|Constrict 1d2+3, Explosive Diarrhoetic Discharge, Flatulate|Constrict 1d3+4, Explosive Diarrhoetic Discharge, Flatulate|Constrict 1d6+6, Explosive Diarrhoetic Discharge, Flatulate|Constrict 1d8+10, Explosive Diarrhoetic Discharge, Flatulate|Constrict 2d6+16, Explosive Diarrhoetic Discharge, Flatulate|Constrict 2d8+22, Explosive Diarrhoetic Discharge, Flatulate
Special Qualities|Dark Vision 60 ft., D.R. 5/Slashing or Piercing, Undead Traits|Dark Vision 60 ft., D.R. 10/Slashing or Piercing, Undead Traits|Dark Vision 60 ft., D.R. 10/Slashing or Piercing, Undead Traits|Dark Vision 60 ft., D.R. 10/Slashing or Piercing, Undead Traits|Dark Vision 60 ft., D.R. 10/Slashing or Piercing, Undead Traits|Dark Vision 60 ft., D.R. 10/Slashing or Piercing, Undead Traits|Dark Vision 60 ft., D.R. 10/Slashing or Piercing, Undead Traits
Saves|Fort +0, Ref +4, Will +2|Fort +0, Ref +3, Will +2|Fort +1, Ref +4, Will +3|Fort +2, Ref +5, Will +5|Fort +4, Ref +7, Will +8|Fort +8, Ref +10, Will +14|Fort +12, Ref +13, Will +26
Abilities|Str 10, Dex 19, Con -, Int -, Wis 10, Cha 1|Str 14, Dex 17, Con -, Int -, Wis 10, Cha 1|Str 17, Dex 17, Con -, Int -, Wis 10, Cha 1|Str 19, Dex 17, Con -, Int -, Wis 10, Cha 1|Str 25, Dex 17, Con -, Int -, Wis 10, Cha 1|Str 33, Dex 15, Con -, Int -, Wis 10, Cha 1|Str 41, Dex 13, Con -, Int -, Wis 10, Cha 1
Skills|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
Feats|Improved Grapple(B), Improved Initiative(B), Weapon Finesse(B)|Improved Grapple(B), Improved Initiative(B), Weapon Finesse(B)|Improved Grapple(B), Improved Initiative(B)|Improved Grapple(B), Improved Initiative(B)|Improved Grapple(B), Improved Initiative(B)|Improved Grapple(B), Improved Initiative(B)|Improved Grapple(B), Improved Initiative(B)
Environment|Any|Any|Any|Any|Any|Any|Any
Organization|Any|Any|Any|Any|Any|Any|Any
Challenge Rating|1/4|1|2|4|6|10|15
Treasure|None|None|None|None|None|None|None
Alignment|Always Neutral Evil|Always Neutral Evil|Always Neutral Evil|Always Neutral Evil|Always Neutral Evil|Always Neutral Evil|Always Neutral Evil
Advancement|None|2 HD (Small)|4-5 HD (Medium)|7-11 HD (Large)|13-23 HD (Huge)|25-47 HD (Gargantuan)|49-96 (Colossal)
Level Adjustment|~|~|~|~|~|~|~[/table]
The creature is worm like and reeks like an open sewer. Its motions are that of a writhing coiled snake. It possesses no facial features except what might be a puckered, ring-shaped mouth.
Gut snakes are the intestines of corpses reanimated through dark and sinister magic. (See "Creation" below)
Combat
Because of their utter lack of intelligence, the instructions given to a newly created gut snake must be very simple. They are generally end up simply attempting to grapple whichever foe is nearest to them and crush it to death before seeking a new target.
Flatulate(Ex): As a full round action once per minute a gut snake may noisily release a cloud of reeking putrid gas centered on itself which can sicken those within it. The radius of the cloud and the Fortitude D.C. (for the unadvanced version in each size class) to avoid being sickened for as long as the victim stays in the cloud plus 1d4+1 rounds afterward are listed on the following table. The DC is strength based. The cloud is invisible and persists for one round per hit die of the gut snake. A moderate wind (11+ mph) halves the duration of the cloud; a strong wind (21+ mph) disperses the cloud in 1 round.
{table="head"]
Size|
D.C.*|
Radius
Tiny|10|2 1/2 feet**
Small|12|5 feet
Medium|14|7.5 feet***
Large|15|10 feet
Huge|19|15 feet
Gargantuan|27|20 feet
Colossal|37|25 feet[/table]
* In the general case (including for calculating D.C.s for advanced gut snakes) the formula for the D.C. is 10+1/2HD+Strength Modifier
** The square it occupies in other words.
*** The square it occupies and all adjacent squares (or cubes) in other words.
Explosive Diarrhoetic Discharge(Ex): When a gut snake deals constriction damage it may immediately attempt an additional grapple check which does no damage, if it succeeds in this check it sprays the face of the grappled creature forcefully with a Diarrhoetic excrement. So forceful is this that it can sometimes penetrate even between closed lips and eyelids, get far enough into the nasal passages to not be easily removed quickly or even, in extreme cases, individual droplets may acheive sufficient velocity to penetrate the skin slightly. The grappled creature must immediately make a fortitude save (same DC as for the gas from
Flatulate) or be nauseated and blinded for 2d4 rounds or until they get cleaned. Regardless of the result of this first save they must make another fortitude save against the same D.C. to avoid contracting Filth Fever with the usual onset time and ongoing D.C.'s for recovery and to avoid ability damage. HOWEVER if they fail 2 days of fortitude saves against the disease in a row there is a 25% chance they go blind until the disease is past and have a -4 penalty to all tasks involving visual acuity from that point forward due to the lingering effects of eye infection. A single
Remove Blindness spell will undo both these effects and prevent any further chance of blindness for the duration of the disease. The D.C.'s are the same as for Flatulate.
{table="head"]
Size|
D.C.*
Tiny|10
Small|12
Medium|14
Large|15
Huge|19
Gargantuan|27
Colossal|37[/table]
* In the general case (including for calculating D.C.s for advanced gut snakes) the formula for the D.C. is 10+1/2HD+Strength Modifier
Constrict (Ex): On a successful grapple check, a gut snake deals the listed amount of damage.
Usage:
Use them alone or mixed in with other mindless undead. They are especially popular for guarding areas against physically weak, or very heavily armored attackers. Some necromancers like to replace gut snakes into the corpses (especially bipedal or winged ones) they came from, which are animated as zombies or other undead. When the larger creature makes a melee attack the gut snake will immediately attempt a grapple against the creature that the larger undead attacked. If the touch attack succeeds the gut snake will leave the belly cavity to attempt to constrict, if it misses the gut snake will return to the belly cavity. The GM may rule that spot and/or heal checks (to notice that the intestine has been severed completely from the other organs and the inter-connective tissue that keeps it coiled up is gone) to avoid being flat footed against this tactic are required. With their good resistance to bludgeoning they also are popular for dropping on foes from above since they are likely to survive the fall... There are even rumors of a few rare individuals (mostly undead) wielding them in the fashion of whips or spiked chains (they deal no damage if wielded in this fashion, but if released upon a successful hit the gut snake may start a grapple as if it had made its touch attack). The size of gut snake that could be wielded in this manner would be one size class smaller than the wielder if wielded as a spiked chain, or two size classes smaller if wielded as a whip.
Creating a gut snake
First the intestines of one or more creatures must be harvested (including severing the connective tissues that keep the intestine coiled up, so that it may be laid out straight), each requiring a Heal or Profession(Butcher) check with a DC of 13, a failure ruins the intestine. This process takes 5 minutes per intestine for creatures of up to medium size, 10 minutes for a large creature, 20 minutes for a huge creature, 40 minutes for a Gargantuan creature, and 1 hour 20 minutes for a Colossal creature. The usual rules for taking 10 apply. The intestine(s) must be reasonably undecayed and mostly whole and the creature must have been corporeal and had a digestive tract that included intestines. Undead, and constructs, regardless of anatomy are not valid sources. Then either
Animate Dead (
provided the caster level is at least 10) or
Create Undead, Lesser must be cast. The material components for the spell must be placed inside the anus of each intestine to be animated. Each such casting may create up to 2 HD worth of gut snakes per caster level (The desecrate spell doubles this limit). For intestines harvested from the corpses of herbivores and omnivores the size of the gut snake is equal to the size of the creature the intestines were taken from. If the creature the intestine was taken from was a carnivore then the resulting gut-snake is one size class smaller. Gut snakes have hit dice equal to the minimum listed for a gut snake of that size, plus extra hit dice equal to 1/2 the number of extra hit dice above the minimum that creature needed to achieve its size class whose intestine they are made from had (up to the maximum listed HD a gut snake of the particular size category it is at may be advanced to). Gut Snakes of greater than 20 HD may not be created using
Animate Dead.
The remaining corpse is still suitable for animation into most types of undead. Especially note that with the right skill checks, spells, etc it is possible to generate a skeleton, a gut snake, a pair of
Floating Lungs, a
Dark Heart, an
Empty Skin, and a
Hopping Stomach(which I have now posted) from a single corpse.
Spellcasting:
Add 1 Small Gut-Snake to the list of things that may be summoned with
Summon Undead I (and multiples for later spells).
Add 1 Medium Gut-Snake to the list of things that may be summoned with
Summon Undead II (and multiples for later spells).
Add 1 Large Gut-Snake to the list of things that may be summoned with
Summon Undead IV (and multiples for later spells).