Dark Young, Mature

Mature Dark Young CR 15

This tree-like beast lurches forward on broad hooves. It has no face or eyes, but its oval body is ringed with gaping, whistling mouths. Long grasping tentacles wave madly from its dorsal side, slapping together like a dying fish flopping on a pile of carcasses.

XP 51,200
CE Large aberration
Init +10; Senses all-around vision, blindsight 30 ft., darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +28
Aura unnerving susurrus (90 ft.; Will DC 27)

DEFENSE

AC 30, touch 15, flat-footed 24 (+6 Dex, +15 natural, –1 size)
hp 225 (18d8+144); fast healing 10
Fort +14, Ref +12, Will +18
Defensive Abilities all-around vision; Immune acid, disease, mind-affecting effects, poison; Resist cold 20, fire 20; SR 26

OFFENSE

Speed 30 ft.
Melee 5 tentacles +23 (1d6+10/19–20 plus grab)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 20 ft.
Special Attacks constrict (1d6+10), disorienting grapple, powerful tentacles
Sorcerer Spells Known (CL 13th; concentration +21)

6th (5/day)—acid fog, greater dispel magic
5th (7/day)—nightmare (DC 23), tree stride, wall of thorns
4th (8/day)—air walk, black tentacles, command plants (DC 22), phantasmal killer (DC 22)
3rd (8/day)—contagion (DC 21), displacement, greater magic fang, plant growth
2nd (8/day)—barkskin, blindness/deafness (DC 20), darkness, detect thoughts (DC 20), spider climb
1st (8/day)—cure light wounds, entangle (DC 19), expeditious retreat, grease (DC 19), obscuring mist
0 (at will)—bleed (DC 18), dancing lights, detect magic, flare (DC 18), ghost sound (DC 18), guidance, mage hand, message, touch of fatigue (DC 18)

STATISTICS

Str 31, Dex 22, Con 26, Int 15, Wis 25, Cha 26
Base Atk +13; CMB +24 (+30 grapple); CMD 40 (42 vs. grapple)
Feats Combat Expertise, Combat Reflexes, Eschew Materials, Extend Spell, Improved Critical (tentacles), Improved Grapple^B, Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Quicken Spell, Weapon Focus (tentacles)
Skills Knowledge (nature) +23, Profession (Yog-Sothothery philosopher) +20, Perception +28, Sense Motive +25, Stealth +23 (+31 in forests), Survival +28; Racial Modifiers +8 Stealth in forests
Languages Aklo, Sylvan
SQ freeze, toxic flesh

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Disorienting Grapple (Ex)

When a mature dark young grapples a creature that is smaller than itself, it tosses and juggles the creature in the air. The juggled creature still has the grappled condition during this disorienting juggling, and in fact the nature of the grappling means that any attempt to escape the grapple suffers a –4 penalty to the roll.

Spellcasting

A mature dark young casts spells as a 13th-level sorcerer, and can choose spells from the druid list in addition to those from the sorcerer/wizard spell list. All of these spells are arcane spells (and do not require divine focus components) when cast.

Toxic Flesh (Ex)

A dark young’s flesh is toxic if eaten.

Mature Dark Young Flesh—ingested; save Fort DC 27; frequency 1/round for 8 rounds; effect 1d2 Constitution damage and 1 Wisdom drain; cure 2 consecutive saves.

A creature that eats dark young flesh is ten times as likely to fertilize a partner or become pregnant during intercourse for 24 hours after being affected by eating dark young flesh. All children born or sired from such couplings are Mythos satyrs, outer mutants, or other strange horrors. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Unnerving Susurrus (Su)

A mature dark young’s unnerving susurrus affects creatures at a range of 90 feet.

The dark young is a terrifying spawn either of Shub- Niggurath herself or one of her daughters. The creatures are typically nurtured somewhere outside the normal dimensions of space-time and only unleashed into the normal universe when fully adult.

A dark young can attack in any direction easily.

It cannot be surprised or attacked from “behind.” It attacks with numerous tentacles, grasping and constricting and crushing. It likes to throw people in the air with its tentacles, catch them, then toss them again, playing a macabre juggling act with its victims to disorient them and make it that much harder for them to break free from their clutches. Each time the victim lands, the dark young swiftly constricts and crushes them, then tosses him again.