Khala

This dragon has broad, ragged wings. Its serpentine body ends in three long, flailing necks with hissing, triangular heads.

Khala CR 17

XP 102,400
CE Large dragon (cold)
Init +10; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +30

DEFENSE

AC 31, touch 15, flat-footed 25 (+6 Dex, +16 natural, –1 size)
hp 261 (18d12+144)
Fort +19, Ref +17, Will +16
Immune cold, disease, paralysis, sleep; Resist acid 10, electricity 10
Weaknesses vulnerable to fire

OFFENSE

Speed 30 ft., fly 90 ft. (good)
Melee 3 bites +27 (2d10+10/19–20 plus disease), tail +25 (2d8+10 plus grab)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
Special Attacks breath weapon (60-ft. line, 16d6 cold damage, Reflex DC 27 half, usable every 1d4 rounds), constrict (2d8+10), rend (2 bites, 2d10+15), tenacious grapple
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 16th; concentration +23)

3/dayfire shield (chill shield only), empowered ice storm, incendiary cloud (DC 25, deals cold damage), suggestion (DC 20)
1/daycontrol weather, polar ray

STATISTICS

Str 30, Dex 22, Con 27, Int 22, Wis 21, Cha 25
Base Atk +18; CMB +29 (+33 grapple); CMD 45 (can’t be tripped)
Feats Alertness, Critical Focus, Empower Spell-Like Ability (ice storm), Flyby Attack, Improved Critical (bite), Improved Initiative, Multiattack B, Power Attack, Staggering Critical, Stunning Critical
Skills Appraise +27, Bluff +28, Diplomacy +28, Fly +29, Intimidate +28, Knowledge (geography) +27, Knowledge (local) +27, Knowledge (nature) +27, Perception +30, Sense Motive +30, Stealth +23, Survival +26
Languages Abyssal, Aquan, Common, Draconic, Giant, Goblin

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Breath Weapon (Su)

A khala can fire a jet of frigid liquid from one of its three mouths, dealing 16d6 points of cold damage (Reflex DC 27 half). Even if they succeed at the Reflex save, creatures caught in the line must succeed at a DC 27 Fortitude save or be encased in ice.

A trapped creature must succeed at a DC 25 Strength check or DC 26 Escape Artist check as a full-round action to break free.

Disease (Ex)

Chillbane Fever: Bite—injury; save Fortitude DC 27; onset 1 day; frequency 1/day; effect 1d4 Con damage, sickened, and fatigued; cure 2 consecutive saves.

Tenacious Grapple (Ex)

A khala does not gain the grappled condition if it grabs a foe with its tail, and it can maintain a grapple with its tail as a swift action.

ECOLOGY

Environment any cold
Organization solitary
Treasure double

It is rumored that the khala was a rare breed of amphibious dragon before Baba Yaga came. Her arrival and the supernatural winter that came with her warped these once-proud creatures into voracious, wicked things that delight in the suffering of others. Each of a khala’s three heads can strike at a separate target, though if two or more heads hit a single target, they cause horrific wounds as they viciously fight to devour chunks of its flesh. Along with suffering terrible injuries, those bitten by a khala risk contracting chillbane fever, a unique disease. The creature can ambulate like a snake, slithering along the ground or through the boughs of trees with its batlike wings drawn close to its body, but it prefers flight whenever possible. The khala’s breath weapon, usable by a single head every 1d4 rounds, is a jet of freezing liquid that freezes on contact, trapping the target in ice.

All khala are female, and scholars debate how the creature procreates. Some believe that the males of the species, known in legend as the zmey, were wiped out in a war with the khala prior to Baba Yaga’s arrival.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary 5 © 2015, Paizo Inc.; Authors: Dennis Baker, Jesse Benner, John Bennett, Logan Bonner, Creighton Broadhurst, Robert Brookes, Benjamin Bruck, Jason Bulmahn, Adam Daigle, Thurston Hillman, Eric Hindley, Joe Homes, James Jacobs, Amanda Hamon Kunz, Ben McFarland, Jason Nelson, Thom Phillips, Stephen Radney-MacFarland, Alistair Rigg, Alex Riggs, David N. Ross, Wes Schneider, David Schwartz, Mark Seifter, Mike Shel, James L. Sutter, and Linda Zayas-Palmer.

Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Irrisen, Land of Eternal Winter © 2013 Paizo Publishing, LLC; Author: Mike Shel.

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