Yamata-no-Orochi

Yamata-no-orochi CR 30/MR 10

XP 9,830,400
NE Colossal dragon (aquatic, kaiju, mythic)
Init –2; Senses all-around vision, darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, tremorsense 60 ft.; Perception +47
Aura frightful presence (180 ft., DC 35)

DEFENSE

AC 52, touch 0, flat-footed 52 (–2 Dex, +52 natural, –8 size)
hp 710 (37d12+470)
Fort +30, Ref +18, Will +25; second save
Defenses independent minds, intercept attacks; DR 20/epic, good, and magic; Immune paralysis, sleep; Resist acid 30, cold 30, electricity 30, fire 30, sonic 30; SR 46
Weaknesses sake addict

OFFENSE

Speed 80 ft., swim 50 ft.
Melee 4 bites +45 (3d6+22/19–20), slam +44 (4d6+15), 8 tail slaps +39 (2d6+7 plus grab)
Space 30 ft.; Reach 30 ft.
Special Attacks all-out charge, beheading bite, breath weapons (DC 38), constrict (2d6+15), mythic power (10/day, surge +1d12), powerful blows (bite), seismic jump, trample (4d6+22, DC 43), swallow whole (10d6 acid damage, AC 36, 71 hp)

STATISTICS

Str 41, Dex 7, Con 30, Int 13, Wis 16, Cha 24
Base Atk +37; CMB +60 (+67 bull rush, +64 grapple); CMD 68 (75 vs. bull rush, can’t be tripped)
Feats Alertness, Antagonize, Awesome Blow, Bull Rush Strike, Crippling Critical, Critical Focus, Dazzling Display, Disheartening Display, Greater Vital Strike, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Critical (bite), Improved Vital Strike, Intimidating Prowess, Iron Will, Power Attack, Quick Bull Rush, Shatter Defenses, Vital Strike, Weapon Focus (bite)
Skills Appraise +41, Craft (alchemy) +17, Intimidate +62, Knowledge (arcana, local, nobility) +19, Perception +47, Sense Motive +47, Spellcraft +20, Swim +23, Use Magic Device +47
Languages Common, Draconic
SQ hydra-like heads, massive, regenerate head

SPECIAL ABILITIES

All-Around Vision (Ex)

Yamata-no-Orochi loses this ability if it has fewer than 3 heads.

All-Out Charge (Ex)

Once per day, Yamata-no-Orochi can make bite and tail attacks against creatures within reach as it makes a charge.

Beheading Bite (Ex)

Yamata-no-Orochi can expend one use of mythic power as an immediate action after rolling a natural 20 and confirming a critical hit with a bite attack. If it does, its bite severs the target’s head from its body, as per the vorpal magic weapon special ability.

Breath Weapons (Su)

Yamata-no-Orochi possesses an array of eight different heads, each capable of producing a breath weapon. It can use two of its heads’ breath weapons each round, and each head requires 1d4 rounds before Yamata-no-Orochi can use its breath weapon again. Each of the heads and effects follows: aquamarine band (100-ft. line, DC 38, 18d10 bludgeoning plus Awesome Blow), black band (100- ft. line, DC 38, 18d10 acid), green band (60-ft. cone, DC 38 partial, nauseated for 1d6 rounds [save reduces to sickened]), polychromatic band (60-ft. cone, DC 38 partial, confused for 2d6 rounds [save reduces to confused for 1 round]), red band (60-ft. cone, DC 38, 18d10 fire), unbanded (60-ft. cone, DC 38, 18d10 sonic plus stunned for 1d4 rounds) white band (60- ft. cone, DC 38, 18d10 cold), yellow band (100-ft. line, DC 38, 18d10 electricity).

The aquamarine banded head produces a gout of water that deals bludgeoning damage and can move creatures that failed their saves back as if Yamata-no-Orochi used its Awesome Blow feat. Its unbanded head produces a sonic roar causing creatures that failed their saves to become stunned for 1d4 rounds.

As a swift action which requires one use of mythic power, Yamata-no-Orochi can negate the wait time between breath weapon uses for one of its heads.

Burning Breath (Ex)

Yamata-no-Orochi can expend one use of mythic power as a swift action to cause all damage-dealing breath weapons it uses during its turn to inflict burn (4d6, DC 38) for 2d4 rounds.

Constrict (Ex)

Yamata-no-Orochi can only constrict with its tails.

Hydra-like Heads (Ex)

Yamata-no-Orochi can be killed by severing all of its heads or slaying the body. Any attack that is not an attempt to sever a head affects the body, including area attacks or attacks that cause piercing or bludgeoning damage.

To sever a head, an opponent must make a sunder attempt with a slashing weapon targeting a head. A head is considered a separate weapon with hardness 0 and hit points equal to Yamata-no-Orochi’s HD + its mythic rank. Severing a head deals damage to Yamata-no-Orochi’s equal to its current HD.

It can’t attack or use a breath weapon with a severed head but takes no other penalties.

Independent Minds (Su)

If Yamata-no-Orochi fails a Will save against a mind-affecting spell or effect, only one of its heads, chosen by Yamata-no-Orochi, is affected. For an effect that imposes penalties, this effect applies to attacks and other abilities from the chosen head as appropriate to the effect. If the head is paralyzed (as per hold monster), it cannot make attacks or use its breath weapon with that head. If the head comes under another creature’s control (as per dominate monster, for example), the head will act according to the controller’s wishes.

If the head becomes confused, Yamata-no-Orochi’s affected head is subject to the confusion effect at the beginning of its turn; a result of “attack nearest creature” causes the head to attack another of Yamata-no-Orochi’s heads.

Intercept Attacks (Ex)

For each head that has not made an attack or used its breath weapon, Yamata-no-Orochi can attempt a melee attack to prevent a hit by a melee or ranged attack. If the attack result exceeds the result from the attack against it, Yamata-no-Orochi is unaffected by the attack (as if the attack had missed).

Yamata-no-Orochi can expend one use of mythic power as a swift action to intercept an attack with a head that has already made an attack or used its breath weapon.

Regenerate Head (Ex)

If one of Yamata-no-Orochi’s heads is destroyed, it regrows in 1d4 rounds. To prevent new heads from growing, at least 10 points of damage from a goodaligned weapon or a spell or effect with the good descriptor must be dealt to the stump before it reappears. Area attacks can affect stumps and the body simultaneously. Yamata-no-Orochi does not die from losing its heads until all are cut off and the stumps have taken the appropriate good-aligned damage.

Yamata-no-Orochi can expend one use of mythic power as a swift action to instantly regrow a head. This even applies to heads for which the stumps have been treated with nonmythic sources of good-aligned damage.

Sake Addict (Ex)

If Yamata-no-Orochi can smell sake from an open container holding at least a gallon of sake, it is compelled to move toward it if it fails a Will save. The save’s DC is equal to the DC of the spell or effect producing the sake or the Craft DC to produce the sake. Once Yamata-no-Orochi reaches the sake, it will use one of its heads to drink it, rendering it impossible for the head to attack or use its breath weapon. Yamata-no-Orochi does not benefit from Iron Will on its save. Also while its reaction to sake is akin to a mind-affecting compulsion effect, it does not benefit from its independent minds ability.

Seismic Jump (Ex)

As a full-round action that doesn’t provoke attacks of opportunity, Yamata-no-Orochi can leap out of the water or jump straight up on land, after which it generates a non-magical effect as per tsunami or earthquake, as appropriate for the terrain, centered on Yamata-no-Orochi. It is unaffected by either effect.

Yamata-no-Orochi can expend uses of mythic power to have its seismic jump produce the effect from mythic tsunami or mythic earthquake, as appropriate, and augment the effect as per the spell description.

Trample (Ex)

If Yamatano-Orochi ends its movement with creatures in its space after a trample, it attempts a free combat maneuver check to grapple each creature (it makes a single check and applies the result to each creature). Each creature for which it succeeds on the check is pinned and automatically takes damage from Yamata-no-Orochi’s slam at the beginning of its turn, until the creature escapes the pin.

ECOLOGY

Environment any
Organization solitary (unique)
Treasure triple (Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi [+5 adamantine holy vorpal katana], other treasure)

The ground shakes when this flightless, eight-headed, eight-tailed dragon moves. All its heads, except for one, have a different-colored band encircling its neck.

Yamata-no-Orochi is a ferocious and nigh indestructible draconic creature that lairs in large rivers or along seashores. It has eight heads and eight tails, all capable of delivering ferocious blows. When the creature is not involved in hunting prey or battling opponents, the individual heads argue with each other. Once Yamata-no-Orochi has a goal in sight, it focuses all its attention on that goal. Yamata-no-Orochi is 30 feet in length and its heads reach another 30 feet high, while its strong serpentine tails extend about as long. The creature weighs 25 tons.

While Yamata-no-Orochi spends many months sleeping in its watery lair, where it can be near the treasure it has buried in the silt or sand, it makes forays to nearby kingdoms to demand its favorite food of humanoid flesh. Yamata-no-Orochi preys on large families and demands at least one child per visit. It relies on its massive size, impressive array of abilities, and generally imposing attitude to get what it wants. Typically a single child sates the dragon’s appetite and it returns to its lair to digest its meal and then return to sleep. Yamata-no-Orochi makes no secret of the location of its lair, and the wake of devastation on the land provides ample clues to the location. The temperamental creature throws a tantrum when it doesn’t get its way and leaps into the air over a body of water or on land to create devastating fissures in the ground or massive waves to harm those who keep it from what it wants.

Yamata-no-Orochi is extremely aggressive, especially when something rouses it from its slumber, an easy mistake to make since the creature can sense vibrations in the ground, readily alerting it to trespassers. However, Yamata-no-Orochi has a penchant for sake, which it sometimes crafts for itself. An expert craftsperson who brews a particularly fine brand of sake can lure the creature to its doom as it obsessively seeks out the drink, heedless of any dangers on the way to its prize.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Asian Monsters (PF1) © 2022, Legendary Games; Authors Jason Nelson, Robert J. Grady, Andrew Ha, Gord Henderson, Thurston Hillman, Aurélien Lainé, Jeff Lee, Alex Riggs, Loren Sieg, Mike Welham.

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