Marsh Lurkers (3.5 Creature)

[Deca]

The Gyraskine is one of many of the dangers in the Vesan Marshes. They have little defined shape, being nothing more but great masses of rubbery flesh, their only defining feature being their circular mouthes, ringed by several rows of teeth.
They wallow slowly in the marshes, their oily hides blending in superbly. They are creatures of great patience and malevolence, staying still for days at a time, waiting for prey to stray close to their hiding spots.
Many of them lurk near the pathways for this very purpose.


Gyraskine
Large Aberration
Hit Dice 10d8 +40 (85 hp)
Speed 20 ft. (2 squares); Swim 40ft
Initiative: +5
Armor Class 18; touch 10; flat-footed 17
(+1 Dex, -1 size, +8 natural armour)
Base Attack/Grapple +10/+17
Attack Slam +12 melee (1d6+6)
Full-Attack Slam +12 melee (1d6+6) and Bite +7 melee (1d8+4)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Special Attacks: Disgusting Spray, Improved Grab, Spawn
Special Qualities Immunity to Fire, Immunity to Electricity, Marsh-Kin, Amphibious, Aberration Traits
Saves Fort +9 Ref +4 Will +13
Abilities Str 22, Dex 12, Con 19, Int 9, Wis 15, Cha 1
Skills Search 13, Spot 13, Listen 13, Hide 16*
Feats Improved Initiative, Steadfast Determination, Iron Will, Great Fortitude
Environment: Warm Marshes and Swamps
Organization Solitary, Pair, Trio, Slump (4-10)
Challenge Rating 9?
Treasure: Standard
Alignment Neutral Evil

Combat
A Gyraskine prefers to lurk in the marshes, where it is easily camouflaged. It usually waits for potential prey to get close before it attacks, as it cannot move very fast. While it will attack prey that get within movement range, it prefers for the prey to be within five foot, so the Gyraskine can attempt to bite them. For this purpose, Gyraskines usually lurk near pathways through the marsh.
Once it has attacked, it will attempt to soften up the prey by slamming its malformed appendages at it before moving in to rip the prey’s tender flesh with its teeth. If there is more than one prey or if they quickly move out of the Gyraskines movement range, it will immediately begin using it’s Disgusting Spray in an attempt to paralyse them and stop them from outrunning it.

Marsh-Kin (Ex):
Gyraskines are supremely adapted for swamp life. Their mottled hide blends in well. When a Gyraskine is in marshy or swampy environment, its –1 size modifier for Hide checks is negated. It also gains a +16 Hide bonus.

Amphibious (Ex):
A Gyraskine can breathe freely in both aquatic and non-aquatic environments.

Disgusting Spray (Ex):
As a standard action, a Gyraskine can expel a mass of disgusting fluids out of its mouth. This is represented as a 30ft cone originating from the Gyraskine. Anything caught in the spray must make a Fortitude Save with a DC of 21. If the save is failed, target is paralysed for 1d6 turns. Once a Gyraskine has sprayed, it cannot spray again for 1d8 rounds.

Improved Grab (Ex):
To use this ability, a Gyraskine must hit the target with a bite attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity.

Spawn (Ex):
Gyraskines reproduce asexually by budding youngsters in special pouches inside them. If in need of help, the Gyraskine can give birth prematurely by emptying all of its pouches and setting it’s children to attack enemies.
As a full-round action, a Gyraskine can create 1d6 Gyraspawn. For each Gyraspawn made, there is a 10% chance that it dies immediately, unready to emerge from its parent’s gestation pouches.
A Gyraskine can only do this once a day.

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Gyraspawn are the younger form of Gyraskines. A great multitude of them lurk in the marshes. Unlike the adults, which posess a cold intelligence and cunning, Gyraspawn are completely animalistic. All they do is eat and eat and eat some more.
Eventually, a Gyraspawn will find a suitably deep marsh pool and dive down into the bottom. There, it will cover itself in a crysalis half formed of mud, half formed of the Gyraspawn's own bodily excretions. After several years, it will emerge from the cocoon as a fully-formed adult Gyraskine.
Few spawn ever survive long enough to reach the cocoon stage. Fewer still actually live through the cocooning.

Gyraspawn
Small Aberration
Hit Dice 1d8 (4 hp)
Speed 10 ft. (2 squares); Swim 20 ft
Initiative: +7
Armor Class 15; touch 14; flat-footed 12
(+1 Size, +1 Natural Armour, +3 Dex)
Base Attack/Grapple +0/-6
Attack Slam +4 melee (1d4)
Full-Attack Slam +4 melee (1d4) and bite +2 melee (1d2)
Space 5 ft.; Reach 2.5ft.
Special Attacks: Improved Grab
Special Qualities: Resistance 5 against Fire and Electricity, Marsh-Kin, Amphibious, Aberration Traits
Saves Fort +0 Ref +3 Will +3
Abilities Str 6, Dex 17, Con 11, Int 1, Wis 12, Cha 1
Skills Hide 28*
Feats Improved Initiative
Environment: Warm marshes and Swamps
Organization Solitary, Pair, Brood (3-6)
Challenge Rating 3?
Treasure None
Alignment: Neutral

Combat:
Gyraspawn are hardly great strategists. They lack the great patience of their older kin and rarely lie in wait to ambush foes, preferring to go for melee as soon as possible.

Marsh-Kin (Ex):
Exactly the same as the Gyraskine’s ability only that it’s size modifier is not negated.

Amphibious (Ex):
See Gyraskine’s entry

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I'm going to be using these in an upcoming campaign. They need a bit of evaluation. I'm still not sure about those CRs...

[Debihuman]

Small creatures have a +4 bonus to Hide, not a penalty (see Gyraspawn's Marsh-Kin ability). It looks like it should be Hide +28 (4 ranks [its only skill so I put all its points there] +4 Dex bonus, +4 size Bonus, +16 bonus from marsh kin).

I'm not sure how many ranks you gave the gyraskine.

Debby

[Deca]

.Fixed it.