Nightshade, Nightcrawler

This immense worm is covered with plates of dead-black, chitinous armor. Its toothy maw yawns like a cave.

Nightcrawler CR 18

XP 153,600
CE Gargantuan undead (extraplanar, nightshade)
Init +4; Senses darksense, darkvision 120 ft., low-light vision, detect magic, tremorsense 120 ft.; Perception +33
Aura desecrating aura (30 ft.)

DEFENSE

AC 33, touch 6, flat-footed 33 (+27 natural, –4 size)
hp 312 (25d8+200)
Fort +16, Ref +10, Will +23
DR 15/good and silver; Immune cold, undead traits; SR 29
Weaknesses light aversion

OFFENSE

Speed 30 ft., burrow 60 ft.
Melee bite +32 (4d10+18/19–20 plus 4d6 cold and grab), sting +32 (4d6+18/19–20 plus 4d6 cold and poison)
Space 20 ft.; Reach 20 ft.
Special Attacks channel negative energy (9d6, DC 31, 9/day), energy drain (1 level, DC 28), swallow whole (4d10+22 bludgeoning plus energy drain, AC 23, 31 hp)
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 18th; concentration +24)

Constant—air walk, detect magic, magic fang
At will—contagion (DC 20), deeper darkness, greater dispel magic, invisibility, unholy blight (DC 20)
3/day—quickened cone of cold (DC 21), confusion (DC 20), haste, hold monster (DC 21)
1/day—finger of death (DC 23), mass hold monster (DC 25), plane shift (DC 23), summon (level 8, 6 greater shadows)

STATISTICS

Str 41, Dex 10, Con —, Int 20, Wis 21, Cha 23
Base Atk +18; CMB* +37 (+41 grapple); CMD 47 (can’t be tripped)
Feats Combat Expertise, Command Undead, Critical Focus, Greater Vital Strike, Improved Critical (bite), Improved Critical (sting), Improved Initiative, Improved Vital Strike, Iron Will, Power Attack, Quicken Spell-Like Ability (cone of cold), Staggering Critical, Vital Strike
Skills Intimidate +34, Knowledge (arcana) +33, Knowledge (planes) +30, Knowledge (religion) +33, Perception +33, Sense Motive +33, Spellcraft +33, Stealth +16 (+24 in darkness), Swim +40; Racial Modifiers +8 Stealth in dim light and darkness
Languages Abyssal, Common, Infernal; telepathy 100 ft.

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Energy Drain (Su)

A creature that has been swallowed whole by a nightcrawler gains 1 negative level each round.

Poison (Su)

Sting—injury; save Fort DC 28; frequency 1/round for 6 rounds; effect 1d4 Constitution drain and 1 negative level; cure 3 consecutive saves.

The save DC is Charisma-based.

ECOLOGY

Environment any (Negative Energy Plane)
Organization solitary or pair
Treasure standard

Although the nightcrawler might appear to be little more than an immense and frightening vermin, with its centipede-like body and numerous glowing eyes, it is actually incredibly intelligent. When not cleansing the deep caverns of life, the nightcrawler spends its time plotting how best to carry out its own private stages of the overall nightshade plan to expunge life from all worlds, conferring with its undead minions and, when necessary, observing living creatures from afar while invisible to learn about hidden enclaves that its depredations might otherwise have missed.

It would be one thing if the nightcrawlers remained in the deep caverns, for these regions are rife with foul life the world is better off without. Yet unfortunately for those who dwell upon the surface, nightcrawlers often crawl up through the tunnels to bring their devastation to the night above. Although they always retreat underground before the first tentative rays of dawn color the eastern skies, they can spread an incredible amount of ruin in the span of a few short hours each night.

A nightcrawler is 60 feet long and weighs 10,000 pounds.

Variant: Nightcrawler, Prismcrawler (CR 17)

[Source]

This immense worm is covered with plates of bright color-shifting, chitinous armor. Its toothy maw yawns like a cave. Prismcrawlers are the result of nightcrawlers being trapped on the Plane of Radiance. They tend to hide in high places during the night and rarely if ever do they burrow. They tend to be lone assassins, saboteurs, and spies, rather than serving as generals. Thus, they are far more likely to be encountered by surface dwellers.

Lightsense (Ex)

Prismcrawlers gain true seeing in dim light and bright light. Regardless of light conditions, they can detect living creatures and their health within 60 ft., as blindsense with deathwatch continuously active. Mind blank and nondetection prevent the latter effect but not the prismcrawler’s true seeing.

This replaces a nightcrawler’s dark sense.

Darkness Aversion (Ex)

A prismcrawler in darkness becomes sickened—the penalties from this condition are doubled when the prismcrawler is in natural darkness.

This replaces a nightcrawler’s light aversion weakness.

Melee bite +32 (4d10+18/19–20 plus 4d6 fire and grab), sting +32 (4d6+18/19–20 plus 4d6 fire and poison).

Prismatic Bite (Su)

The bite of a prismcrawler infuses its foe with prismatic energy. When a prismcrawler bites a foe, the victim must make a DC 23 Will save or be affected by all the colors of a prismatic spray (DC for each effect is the same as this save). A successful initial save results in the subject being affected by a 1d8 random roll on the prismatic spray. The negative level from the bite attack is inflicted before the save against this ability is made. The save DC is Charisma-based.

This replaces a nightwalker’s poison attack.

Spell-Like Abilities (CL 14th; concentration +19)

Environment any non-underground (Radiant Energy Planes).

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary 2, © 2010, Paizo Publishing, LLC; Authors Wolfgang Baur, Jason Bulmahn, Adam Daigle, Graeme Davis, Crystal Frasier, Joshua J. Frost, Tim Hitchcock, Brandon Hodge, James Jacobs, Steve Kenson, Hal MacLean, Martin Mason, Rob McCreary, Erik Mona, Jason Nelson, Patrick Renie, Sean K Reynolds, F. Wesley Schneider, Owen K.C. Stephens, James L. Sutter, Russ Taylor, and Greg A. Vaughan, based on material by Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, and Skip Williams.

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