#stygionyx

[thecreaturecodex]

Stygionyx

Image © Brian Engh. Visit his site dontmestwithdinosaurs.com

[Commissioned by @glarnboudin. The original image was posted to Twitter, possibly as part of the #buildabetterfaketheropod movement, but appears to have been deleted. The little horns got me thinking “devil dinosaur”, and then it kept going. In the Pathfinder setting, my favorite daemonic harbinger is Deceid, the lord of invasive species and ecosystem collapses. I think he had a hand in these guys’ creation.]

Stygionyx CR 15 NE Magical Beast This massive reptile looks like a cross between a dinosaur and a crocodile, with white eyes and a pair of horns over its fanged maw. A jagged ridge grows along its back, and its long arms end with scythe-like claws.

Even the Outer Planes can suffer the effects of invasive species. Dinosaurs are not uncommon in the Abyss, particularly with the fiendish template, as various demon lords maintain primeval aspects to their layers or count reptilian humanoids as their worshippers. Among the carnivorous dinosaurs, the spinosaurus is one of the largest and most resilient, and they eventually escaped into the River Styx. Rather than being locked into a fugue state and becoming just another casualty of that mighty river, they were molded into even more fearsome semiaquatic predators. Stygionyxes now patrol all of the Lower Planes, seeking to make petitioners and fiends alike into toothsome snacks.

A stygionix is sapient, but they act much as their animal ancestors did, as ambush predators of waterways. Their claws and teeth pass through the hides of fiends with ease, and they radiate an aura that makes teleportation impossible. Once combat is joined, they will often fight until slain, still thrashing and slashing to the bitter end.

Acclimation to the River Styx has granted stygionyxes immunity to all manner of mind influencing effects and spells, making them difficult monsters to control. They can be negotiated with, but their single minded dedication towards hunting and eating leaves little room for compromise. Some fiends turn them against their enemies with promises of novel delicacies (such as celestial beings or mortals), or merely lure them into positions where their depredations can play a purpose. Fiendish warriors of many species hunt them for trophies or sport, but the hunter frequently ends up the hunted.

A stygionyx grows more than fifty feet long. The oldest specimens can live for a century.

Stygionyx            CR 15 XP 51,200 NE Gargantuan magical beast (extraplanar) Init +8; Senses darkvision 120 ft., Perception +22, scent Aura interdiction (30 ft.) Defense AC 30, touch 10, flat-footed 26 (-4 size, +4 Dex, +20 natural) hp 230 (20d10+120); fast healing 5 Fort +18, Ref +18, Will +11 Immune mind-influencing effects; Resist acid 10, cold 10, fire 10; SR 26 Defensive Abilities ferocity Offense Speed 40 ft., swim 50 ft. Melee 2 claws +28 (2d8+12/19-20), bite +28 (3d6+12/19-20) Space 20 ft.; Reach 20 ft. Special Attacks capsize, rend (2 claws, 2d8+18), swallow whole (AC 20, 23 hp, 2d8+18 bludgeoning) Statistics Str 34, Dex 19, Con 22, Int 6, Wis 17, Cha 17 Base Atk +20; CMB +36 (+40 grapple); CMD 50 Feats Combat Reflexes, Critical Focus, Improved Critical (bite, claw), Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Skill Focus (Perception, Stealth), Staggering Critical Skills Perception +22, Stealth +11 (+19 underwater), Swim +20; Racial Modifiers +8 Stealth underwater Languages Abyssal, Infernal SQ fiendslayer, hold breath Ecology Environment any aquatic (River Styx) Organization solitary, pair or float (3-6) Treasure incidental Special Abilities Fiendslayer (Su) A stygionyx’s natural weapons penetrate all damage reduction, except for damage reduction /epic, of any outsider with the evil subtype. Interdiction Aura (Su) All interdimensional travel within a 30 foot radius of a stygionyx is impossible, as per a dimensional lock spell.

#stygionyx #spinosaurus #brian engh #pathfinder 1e #dinosaur

[thecreaturecodex]

Infernal Duke, Saurafer

Dinosaurs Attack! © The Topps Company Inc. Image accessed on Flickr here

[Monster 1000, everyone! I think! In updating my indices, I found that that’s harder to pin down than I had thought, what with templates, multiple monsters in one entry, and non-monster but game mechanics posts. But I’ll be treating this as Monster 1000 because even if it isn’t officially, it’s darn close.

I figured I would commemorate the milestone with a monster that embodies the Codex somewhat. I’ve been thinking about how to do it for a while (since around monster 900 or so). I was eventually inspired by some of the major themes of the blog. There’s a lot of dinosaurs and a lot of fiends around here. So here’s a patron for them both. The Supreme Monstrosity originally appeared in the Dinosaurs Attack! series of super-violent trading cards (seriously, be aware if you’re going to click through the source link) as the leader of an army of time-displaced, ferociously murderous prehistoric beasts.]

Infernal Duke, Saurafer CR 26 LE Outsider This orange scaled horror is a bipedal reptilian humanoid taller than a giant. Its skull is swollen and features a crown of horns and six eyes. Its arms end in muscular paws, leathery wings grow from its back, and its tail ends in an immense spiked club.

Saurafer Devil Dinosaur, the Supreme Monstrosity Concerns dinosaurs, competitions of strength, savagery Domains Evil, Law, Scalykind, Strength Subdomains Devil, Ferocity, Judgment, Saurian Worshipers evil druids, reptilian humanoids, gladiators Minions fiendish and half-fiend dinosaurs, horned devils, stygionyx Unholy Symbol a fanged maw biting a globe Favored Weapon heavy flail (or natural weapons) Obedience win a competition of strength. If you are alone, spend 1 hour writing an argument about why one individual or creature would win in a fight with another one. Gain a +4 profane bonus on Intimidate checks, and add 4 to the DC needed to successfully intimidate you. Boons 1: rage 1/day; 2: mass bull’s strength 1/day; 3: extended frightful aspect 1/day

Saurafer, the Supreme Monstrosity, is an infernal duke who rules over violent competitions of strength. He is perhaps the physical embodiment of the doctrine of “might makes right”, and seeks forever to test his power against other creatures. His chosen species are dinosaurs, which he sees as emblems of ferocity and power. Saurafer delights in pitting creatures against each other, especially dinosaurs against creatures of other eras and worlds, in order to see who is the superior. He is a sore winner, but an even sorer loser. He despises birds, as they are a reminder that in many worlds, dinosaurs succeeded not by becoming larger and stronger, but smaller and more intelligent.

As to be expected of the patron of savage combat, Saurafer is an absolute terror on the battlefield. He toys with weaker foes, using his fear abilities to send them scattering and then picking them off one by one. Those that resist are blasted with spells and breath weapons. If all else fails, Saurafer flies into a savage rage, which rarely ends until either he or his enemies are slain. Although he delights in one-on-one battles, if he fights multiple foes at once, he evens the odds by summoning devils and dinosaurs to aid him, or even uses animal shapes to turn devils into dinosaurs and improve their melee abilities.

Saurafer stalks the blighted realm of Avernus, single-handedly destroying armies that attempt to make a foothold in Hell and testing the forces of other infernal dukes. He is an example of a malabranche promoted, as he was successful in dragging an entire planet into the clutches of Hell. He hopes to someday repeat this performance, and is looking for ways of summoning and controlling enough dinosaurs at once to invade a whole world. Although he is not terribly intelligent by the standards of the hosts of Hell, he does not tolerate condescension, and is a shrewd judge of character. He has eaten at least one malebranche who did not show him proper respect.

Saurafer               CR 26 XP 2,457, 600 LE Gargantuan outsider (devil, evil, extraplanar, law) Init +9; Senses darkvision 60 ft., Perception +37, scent, see in darkness, true seeing Aura frightful presence (150 ft., 5d6 rounds, Will DC 34), unholy aura (DC 27) Defense AC 45, touch 15, flat-footed 40 (-4 size, +5 Dex, +4 deflection, +30 natural) hp 555 (30d10+390); regeneration 10 (good and epic or silver and epic) Fort +27, Ref +26, Will +31 DR 20/good and silver; Immune charm and compulsion effects, death effects, fire, poison; Resist acid 30, cold 30; SR 37 Defensive Abilities fire shield, freedom of movement Offense Speed 50 ft., fly 100 ft. (average) Melee bite +42 (2d8+15 plus 2d6 fire and 2d6 acid), 2 claws +41 (2d6+15), gore +41 (2d8+15), tail slap +39 (3d8+22 plus reeling blow) Space 20 ft.; Reach 20 ft. Special Attacks breath weapon (100 ft. cone, 15d6 acid and 15d6 fire, Ref DC 38, 1d4 rounds), frenzy (75 rounds/day), powerful blows (tail slap), trample (2d6+22 plus 4d6 fire, Ref DC 40) Spell-like Abilities CL 26th, concentration +35 Constant—detect chaos, detect good, fire shield (warm), freedom of movement, speak with animals, true seeing, unholy aura (self only) At will—blasphemy (DC 26), fear (DC 23), flame strike (DC 24), greater teleport (self plus 50 lbs. only), mass charm monster (animals only, DC 25), telekinesis (DC 24) 3/day—greater shout (DC 27), quickened mass inflict pain (DC 25), primal regression (DC 26) 1/day—animal shapes, gate (DC 28), meteor swarm (DC 28), summon fiendish dinosaurs, summon (1 devil of CR 20 or lower, 100%, 9th level) Statistics Str 40, Dex 21, Con 36, Int 23, Wis 31, Cha 28 Base Atk +30; CMB +49 (+51 bull rush); CMD 68 (70 vs. bull rush) Feats Blind-fight, Cleave, Combat Reflexes, Dazzling Display, Flyby Attack, Great Cleave, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Initiative, Intimidating Prowess, Multiattack, Power Attack, Quicken SLA (mass inflict pain), Shatter Defenses, Snatch, Weapon Focus (bite) Skills Acrobatics +29 (+37 when jumping), Climb +39, Fly +26, Handle Animal +36, Intimidate +51, Knowledge (arcana) +30, Knowledge (nature, planes) +33, Perception +37, Sense Motive +37, Spellcraft +30, Stealth +20, Survival +34, Swim +39, Use Magic Device +33 Languages Celestial, Draconic, Infernal, speak with animals, telepathy 300 ft. SQ infernal duke traits Ecology Environment any land or underground (Hell) Organization solitary (unique) Treasure double standard Special Abilities Frenzy (Ex) Saurafer can enter a frenzy, granting him a +4 morale bonus on attack rolls, melee damage rolls and Will saves, as well as 120 temporary hit points.  These temporary hit points are lost first when Saurafer takes damage, and disappear when the frenzy ends. While in a frenzy, Saurafer suffers a -2 penalty to Armor Class and cannot use any Dexterity-, Intelligence- or Charisma-based skills, except for Acrobatics, Fly, Intimidate and Ride, or any ability that requires patience or concentration (such as using spell-like abilities). Saurafer can end his frenzy as a free action. If he frenzies again within 1 minute, he does not gain temporary hit points again. Treat this as the mighty rage and tireless rage ability of an unchained barbarian. Infernal Duke Traits (Ex/Su) Saurafer is an infernal duke, a powerful unique fiend. He possesses the following traits:

Immunity to charm and compulsion effects, death effects, fire, and poison.

Resistance to acid 30 and cold 30.

Telepathy 300 feet.

Saurafer’s natural weapons, as well as any weapon he wields, are treated as epic, evil and lawful for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.

Reeling Blow (Ex) A creature struck by Saurafer’s tail slap must succeed a DC 40 Fortitude save or be dazed for 1 round. On a critical hit, creatures that fail this save are instead stunned for 1d4+1 rounds. The save DC is Strength based. Summon Fiendish Dinosaurs (Sp) Once per day as a swift action, Saurafer can summon one or more fiendish dinosaurs with a combined CR of 20 or less. These dinosaurs obey his commands without question and remain for 1 hour or until slain. This is the equivalent of a 9th level spell.

#saurafer #devil #dinosaur #pathfinder 1e #dinosaurs attack