Vorsoth (Homebrew Monster)

[Jergmo]

Please feel free to comment and/or use this creature.

Vorgoth
Size/Type: Large Aberration
Hit Dice: 6d8+30 (57 hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares), climb 20 ft.
Armor Class: 14 (-1 Size, +5 natural), touch 9, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +4/+17
Attack: Tentacle +8 melee (2d6+7)
Full Attack: 2 tentacles +8 melee (2d6+7) and two claws +6 melee (1d6+2) and bite +6 melee (1d8+2)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./10 ft. (15 ft. tentacles)
Special Attacks: Improved grab, sonic blast
Special Qualities: Blindsight 120 ft., immune to poison, protection from sonics, resistance to acid and cold 10
Saves: Fort +7, Ref +2, Will +7
Abilities: Str 21, Dex 10, Con 21, Int 10, Wis 15, Cha 12
Skills: Climb +18, Jump +13, Listen +21
Feats: Alertness, Multiattack, Ability Focus (sonic blast)
Environment: Underground
Organization: Solitary or pair
Challenge Rating: 5
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Usually chaotic evil
Advancement: 7-12 HD (Large)
Level Adjustment: +5

For the purpose of standard campaigns, a vorgoth can speak and commonly knows Undercommon.

The vorgoth is an enormous, bipedal creature standing over nine feet tall and weighing an average of 700 pounds. It is very solidly built, its limbs not particularly thick but wound with tightly corded muscle, as well as having digitigrade legs, smooth, carapaced black hide and a long crested head. There is a hollow space in the vorgoth's back which can be used to retract or extract its long, whiplike tentacles. The crest of a vorgoth's head contains a specialized vocalization chamber which the vorgoth can use to release a cone of sonic energy, creating a high-pitched whine and reverberating before emitting an ear-splitting screech. This chamber also acts as the vorgoth's ear canal, enhancing its hearing abilities.

The vocalizations of a vorgoth normally sound like echoing bat calls, leading spelunkers to believe there are merely bats calling in the distance - but often they are surprised to find a hungry vorgoth around the next corner.

The vorgoth originates from a perpetually dark and distant world home to many other deadly aberrations, the special attacks of which (and the harsh environment) the vorgoth has adapted to remarkably well.

Combat
Vorgoth stun their prey with sonic blast and strike with their long, tensile tentacles, establishing a hold of their prey and dragging their victims toward their bodies to be torn apart by their claws and teeth. An opponent can make sunder attempts against a vorgoth’s tentacles or arms as if they were weapons. A vorgoth's tentacles have 19 HP (total HP/3), hardness 5. The vorgoth's tentacles grow back in 1d4-1 (minimum 1) days.

Blindsight (Ex): A vorgoth can use hearing to ascertain all foes within 120 feet as a sighted creature would.

Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a vorgoth must hit a Small, Medium, or Large creature with its tentacle attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity with a +4 racial bonus. If it wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold and makes a full attack the next round.

Protection from Sonics (Ex): While they can be affected by loud noises and sonic spells (such as ghost sound or silence), vorgoth are less vulnerable to sonic attacks (+4 circumstance bonus on all saves), due to the vorgoth's special adaptations handling vocalizations and hearing. A vorgoth whose sense of hearing is impaired is effectively blinded, and all targets are treated as having total concealment.

Sonic Blast (Ex): This psionic attack is a cone 30 feet long. Anyone caught in this cone must succeed a DC 16 Will save or be stunned and deafened for 1d4 rounds, as well as deafened for an additional 1d4 rounds. The save DC is Charisma-based.

Skills
A vorgoth has a +8 racial bonus on Listen checks. Vorgoth have a +8 racial bonus on climb checks and can always choose to take 10 on climb checks, even if rushed or threatened.

[wayfare]

Please feel free to comment and/or use this creature.

Vorsoth
Size/Type: Large Aberration
Hit Dice: 6d8+30 (57 hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares), climb 20 ft.
Armor Class: 14 (-1 Size, +5 natural), touch 9, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +4/+17
Attack: Tentacle +8 melee (2d6+7)
Full Attack: 2 tentacles +8 melee (2d6+7) and two claws +6 melee (1d6+2) and bite +6 melee (1d8+2)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./10 ft. (15 ft. tentacles)
Special Attacks: Improved grab, sonic blast
Special Qualities: Darkvision 120 ft., immune to poison, protection from sonics, resistance to acid and cold 10
Saves: Fort +7, Ref +2, Will +7
Abilities: Str 21, Dex 10, Con 21, Int 10, Wis 15, Cha 12
Skills: Climb +13, Jump +9, Listen +21, Spot +13
Feats: Alertness, Multiattack, Ability Focus (sonic blast)
Environment: Underground
Organization: Solitary or pack (2-4)
Challenge Rating: 5
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Usually chaotic evil
Advancement: 7-12 HD (Large)
Level Adjustment: +5

For the purpose of standard campaigns, a vorsoth can speak and commonly knows Undercommon.

The vorsoth is an enormous, bipedal creature standing over nine feet tall and weighing an average of 700 pounds. It is very solidly built, its limbs not particularly thick but wound with tightly corded muscle, as well as having digitigrade legs, smooth, carapaced black hide and a long crested head with red eyes. There is a hollow space in the vorsoth's back which can be used to retract or extract its long, whiplike tentacles. The crest of a vorsoth's head contains a specialized vocalization chamber which the vorsoth can use to release a cone of sonic energy, creating a high-pitched whine and reverberating before emitting an ear-splitting screech. This chamber also acts as the vorsoth's ear canal, enhancing its hearing abilities.

The vorsoth originates from a perpetually dark and distant world home to many other deadly aberrations, the special attacks of which (and the harsh environment) the vorsoth has adapted to remarkably well.

Combat
Vorsoth stun their prey with sonic blast and strike with their long, tensile tentacles, establishing a hold of their prey and dragging their victims toward their bodies to be torn apart by their claws and teeth. An opponent can make sunder attempts against a vorsoth’s tentacles or arms as if they were weapons. A vorsoth's tentacles have 19 HP (total HP/3), hardness 5. The vorsoth's tentacles grow back in 1d4-1 (minimum 1) days.

Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a vorsoth must hit a Small, Medium, or Large creature with its tentacle attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity with a +4 racial bonus. If it wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold and makes a full attack the next round.

Protection from Sonics (Ex): While they can be affected by loud noises and sonic spells (such as ghost sound or silence), vorsoth are less vulnerable to sonic attacks (+4 circumstance bonus on all saves), due to the vorsoth's special adaptations handling vocalizations and hearing.

Sonic Blast (Ex): This psionic attack is a cone 30 feet long. Anyone caught in this cone must succeed a DC 16 Will save or be stunned and deafened for 1d4 rounds, as well as deafened for an additional 1d4 rounds. The save DC is Charisma-based.

Skills
A vorsoth has a +8 racial bonus on Listen checks. Vorsoth have a +8 racial bonus on climb checks and can always choose to take 10 on climb checks, even if rushed or threatened.

Nice, like a Yrthak, but a ground creature.

I would recommend making it a "solitary or pair" creature, as the sonics of several of these in a cavernous area might make it a bit difficult for the creature to hunt.

Also (and this might just be me), but hypersonic ability always shouts Tremorsense to me, rather than darkvision. If these are underground creatures, they may not have eyes. Plus, you can do the cool "loses temeorsense in a magically silenced area" thing.

All in all, a very cool monster!

[Jergmo]

Thank you! I added a bit extra about its vocalizations above. I feel it's a nice touch. I've actually never used a yrthak or looked at it, other than skimming through and seeing what appeared to be a blind pterodactyl. I'll have to check it out. I was considering giving them blindsight.

Hmm...

Yeah, blindsight is making more sense to me than tremorsense, based on the creatures that possess either ability.