Scylla (3.5e Creature)
You barely make out the dark shadow underneath the boat, so massive is the undulating worm that it seems to be a living current of water. Suddenly it's head breaches the surface, letting you see not a single massive visage but eight, giant dragon heads on long squirming necks. Each seems wild and independently sentient, as they all turn their gaze unto you, the center where their heads meet opening into a tooth lined black hole.
| Scylla | Scylla (Head) | |
|---|---|---|
| Size/Type: | Colossal Magical Beast (Water, Aquatic) | Large Magical Beast (Water, Aquatic) |
| Hit Dice: | 24d10+230 (362 hp) | As Body (45 hp) |
| Initiative: | +1 | As Body |
| Speed: | 10 ft., 60 ft. swim | Connected to Body |
| Armor Class: | 25 (size -8, dex 1, natural armor 22), touch 3, flat-footed 24 | 32 (size -1, dex 1, natural armor 22), touch 10, flat-footed 31 |
| Base Attack/Grapple: | +24/+40 | +24/+28 |
| Attack: | Eight Head Bites melee +29 (3d6+16, 19-20/x2) or Bite melee +22 (6d8+16, 19-20/x2) | Head Bite melee +29 (3d6+16, 19-20/x2) |
| Full Attack: | Eight Head Bites (3d6+16, 19-20/x2) and Bite melee +22 (6d8+16, 19-20/x2) | Eight Head Bites melee +29 (3d6+16, 19-20/x2) |
| Space/Reach: | 30 ft./20 ft. | 10 ft./20 ft. |
| Special Attacks: | Swallow Whole | Breath Weapon, Improved Grab |
| Special Qualities: | Darkvision 60 ft., Fast Healing 24, Low-Light Vision, Sonar, Multitarget, Fire Resistance 10 | Darkvision 60 ft., Fast Healing 24, Low-Light Vision, Sonar, Fire Scarring, Fire Resistance 10 |
| Saves: | Fort +23, Ref +15, Will +9 | Fort As Body, Ref As Body, Will As Body |
| Abilities: | Str 42, Dex 12, Con 28, Int 12, Wis 10, Cha 9 | Str 42, Dex 12, Con 28, Int 12, Wis 10, Cha 9 |
| Skills: | Intimidate +42, Listen +29, Spot +2, Swim +24 | As Body |
| Feats: | Improved ToughnessComplete Warrior, Iron Will, Improved Natural Attack (Bite), Swim-By AttackStormwrack, Improved Critical (Bite), Rapid SwimmingStormwrack, Combat Reflexes, Spellcasting Harrier, Energy Resistance (Fire) | As Body |
| Environment: | Underwater | As Body |
| Organization: | Solitary | As Body |
| Challenge Rating: | 17 | Part of Body |
| Treasure: | None | As Body |
| Alignment: | Usually CE | As Body |
| Advancement: | 25-48 HD (Colossal), 49-72 (Titanic) | 25-48 HD (Large), 49-72 (Huge) |
| Level Adjustment: | — | — |
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Scylla is a massive beast, part sea serpent and part hydra. A massive snaking body is tipped with an octopus head, with four eyes in a radial pattern around it's body, and a mouth covered with 'tentacles'. These eight tentacles are tipped with dragon heads of their own, which are independent but mentally linked to the whole, a collective hivemind. Usually they work together, sometimes they don't. In any case, the space between the ring of tentacles and heads is a massive lamprey maw ringed with a thousand teeth. Typically the smaller hands grab their victim and proceed to shovel them into the ever-hungry maw within their center.
While aquatic, a scylla is capable of existing on land, though it is slow, plodding, and quite unhappy about being dry. It will seek water as soon as possible, snaking over the ground.
Combat
Prone to attacking ships, they usually come from below, allowing their heads to surface and soften the target. Few realize the 8 dragons they fight are really one, until its too late and the water below suddenly swallows them in a whirlpool of fangs and blood.
Fast Healing (Ex): Scylla heals damage equal to its HD.
Sonar (Ex): Scylla releases ultrasonic pulses of sound. Highly effective in water, it has blindsight to 60 ft and blindsense to 120 ft. However, above water, it merely possesses blindsense to 60 ft.
Multitarget: Due to the nature of it's form, opponents may attack either the body, or any of the eight heads as if each were a separate creature. In fact, they even take different size penalties, though they maintain the body's overall strength. As the heads are dependent on the body, if the body dies, the heads die, but not the other way around. Likewise, the eight heads and body are separate targets for spells, and can be afflicted individually (such as one head being charmed, while another is petrified). Each of a scylla’s heads has hit points equal to the creature’s full normal hit point total, divided by its original number of heads (8). Losing a head deals damage to the body equal to half the head’s full normal hit points. A natural reflex seals the neck shut to prevent further blood loss. A scylla can no longer attack with a severed head but takes no other penalties (but see Fire Scarring).
Fire Scarring (Ex): Fire is a bane to a scylla. While resistant, fire can prevent the regeneration of it's heads. When a head is defeated, it continues to 'live' while in the negatives as the fast healing regenerates it, until it springs back to health. If a fallen head takes fire damage (or dropped into the negatives due to fire damage), it will not regenerate again, and only begins to heal after 1d10 days have past.
Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a scylla's head must hit an opponent least one size category smaller than itself with its bite attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. If it wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold and can attempt to shovel the opponent into its main body in the following round.
Swallow Whole (Ex): When a scylla begins its turn with a grappled opponent in its mouth, it can shovel that opponent into the main body with a successful grapple check. Once inside, the opponent takes 6d8+16 points of bludgeoning damage plus 2d6 points of acid damage per round from the scylla’s gizzard. A swallowed creature can cut its way out by using a light slashing or piercing weapon to deal 25 points of damage to the gizzard (AC 21). Once the creature exits, muscular action closes the hole; another swallowed opponent must cut its own way out. A Colossal scylla’s interior can hold 2 Gargantuan, 4 Huge, 8 Large, 32 Medium, 128 Small, 512 Tiny, 2048 Diminutive, or 8192 Fine or smaller opponents.
Breath Weapon (Su): Each of the eight heads has its own breath weapon which it can employ as a standard action at will. Below are the breaths for each head and their effects. Saving throws are Constitution based (DC 31). A scylla is immune to its own breath weapons.
- 1st:80 ft. line of acid, 6d6 acid damage, Reflex save.
- 2nd:Gooey blob which works as a tanglefoot bag.
- 3rd:40 ft. cone of cold, 6d6 cold damage, Reflex save.
- 4th:As Grease caused by an ice slick, CL 24.
- 5th:Ray of Dessication, dealing 6d4 damage, no save, and 6d8 vs water based or plant type.
- 6th:Ranged touch attack out to 60 ft. which poisons for 1d8 Dex/1d8 Dex. When the target hits Dex 0, they are petrified in salt crystals.
- 7th:40 ft. cone of superheated steam, Reflex save plus a Fort save vs falling prone from the force.
- 8th:As Fog Cloud, CL 24.
Skills: Scylla have a +2 racial bonus on Listen and Spot checks, thanks to their multiple heads.
A scylla has a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform some special action or avoid a hazard. It can always choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered. It can use the run action while swimming, provided it swims in a straight line.
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