Tarridin Viper
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Size/Type | Large Magical Beast |
| Hit Dice | 4d10+4 (27 hp) |
| Initiative | +3 |
| Speed | 20 ft. (4 squares), climb 10 ft., swim 10 ft. |
| Armor Class | 16 (-1 size, +3 Dex, +4 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 13 |
| Base Attack/Grapple | +4/+9 |
| Attack | Bite +6 melee (1d4+1 plus poison) |
| Full Attack | Bite +6 melee (1d4+1 plus poison) |
| Space/Reach | 10 ft./5 ft. |
| Special Attacks | Poison |
| Special Qualities | Darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, all-around vision, regeneration 4, split, vulnerable to cold and salt, scent |
| Saves | Fort +5, Ref +7, Will +2 |
| Abilities | Str 12, Dex 16, Con 13, Int 1, Wis 12, Cha 2 |
| Skills | Climb +3, Listen +5, Spot +7, Survival +2 |
| Feats | Alertness, Weapon Finesse |
| Environment | Warm forest |
| Organization | Solitary |
| Challenge Rating | 3 |
| Treasure | None |
| Alignment | Always neutral |
| Advancement | 5–9 HD (Large) |
| Level Adjustment | ― |
Description
A giant serpent lifts its head, revealing a brilliant yellow hide with a black and orange pattern running down its back. It has four unblinking, gold-hued eyes and a flickering forked tongue.
This dangerous serpent is bright yellow in hue, with a black and orange hash pattern across the back. The bright coloration is a warning to other creatures that this viper has a toxic bite. It can grow to a length of twelve feet and has a girth of six inches. The tarridin can distend its mouth and body to engulf Small creatures. It has four eyes, allowing it to see in all directions at once.
This serpent prefers a warm environment, and favors the tropical forest. It can tolerate temperate settings, but must find warm shelter during the winter months. It can go for long periods without food: up to a month if it has consumed a Small animal beforehand.
Combat
The serpent prefers to surprise its prey, either striking from ambush or dropping down on its victim from above. Once it has bitten its prey it waits for the toxin to take effect before closing for the kill.
The tarridin viper is a magical snake that has the ability to regenerate. If it is cut in two by a critical hit, the two halves form separate tarridin vipers. These eventually grow to become full-sized tarridin vipers.
Poison (Su): Injury, Fortitude DC 13; initial damage 1d6 Con and fatigued; secondary damage 1d6 Con and exhausted. The save DC is Constitution-based.
All-Around Vision (Ex): The four eyes of a tarridin viper give them a +2 racial bonus on Spot checks, and they can't be flanked.
Regeneration (Su): Cold and salt deal normal damage to a tarridin viper. It can not regenerate in salt water.
Split (Su): A critical hit will split a tarridin viper into two tarridin vipers one size category smaller, each with half of the original's current hit points (round down) and base attack bonus. All other statistics remain the same.
The half of a severed tarridin viper without the head is blind and is unable to bite. It regenerates a new head from the stump after a full round, after which it can bite and see normally. A Small tarridin can not be split further. Each split tarridin viper grows to size Large after a full year.
Advanced Benefits
In addition to the standard changes due to Hit Dice advancement, tarridin vipers also gain the following special benefits.
- The save DC of the poison is equal to 10 + ½ HD + Constitution modifier.
- 7+ HD ― Natural armor improves to +5.
- 9+ HD ― Regeneration improves to 5.
Also in this section of the source
Thermic Elemental
Author: Sean K. Reynolds.
Thermic elemental creatures are earth elementals that come from a particularly hot part of the Elemental Plane of Earth. They have fire powers in addition to their normal abilities.
The Plane of Elemental Earth is a big place, and sometimes pockets of other elements cross weak planar boundaries and suffuse the earth with their substance. Thus there are portions of the Earth plane that are extremely hot, wet, cold, and so on. Sometimes a summon monster spell used to call an earth elemental creature draws an elemental from a place suffused with fire energy, and the result is a thermic elemental.
Thermic elemental creatures look like normal elementals of their type but are often blackened as if from fire or glow from heat in the recessed portions of their body. Thermics do not suffer any personality changes from this alteration. Thermic elementals removed from the source of their fire energy (such as by being summoned to the Material Plane) lose this template in 1d4 hours. Larger elementals are more likely to have this template than smaller ones.
Sample Thermic Elemental
An immense mount of rocks and dirt rises on two legs, with waves of heat rising off its faintly glowing body. Two great clubs of arms project out from its sides.
This example uses a Large earth elemental as the base creature.