Boojum Snark

APPEARANCE

A bizarre creature heaves its bulk into view, its massive walrus-like body half-covered in feathers and partly encased in an enormous seashell, pulling itself along with clawed flippers.

Boojum Snark CR 10/MR 4

XP 9,600
N Large magical beast (aquatic, mythic)
Init +10MA; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +13

DEFENSE

AC 23, touch 11, flat-footed 21 (+2 Dex, +12 natural, -1 size)
hp 135 (10d10+80); regeneration 5 (electricity)^MA
Fort +11, Ref +11, Will +7; second save
Defensive Abilities elusive, shell^MA; DR 10/epic, piercing, and silver; Immune fire
Weaknesses charmed by soap

OFFENSE

Speed 20 ft., swim 50 ft.
Melee bite +17 (1d8+8), 2 claws +17 (1d6+8), tentacle +12 (1d8+4 plus grab)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft. (15 ft. with tentacle)
Special Attacks breath weapon (30-ft. cone, DC 19, 10d6 fire, usable every 1d4 rounds), mythic power (4/day, surge +1d8), vanishing gaze^MMA

STATISTICS

Str 27, Dex 15, Con 18, Int 2, Wis 14, Cha 19
Base Atk +10; CMB +17 (+21 grapple); CMD 29 (can’t be tripped)
Feats Improved Initiative^MF, Iron Will^MF, Lightning Reflexes, Skill Focus (Perception), Skill Focus (Stealth)
Skills Perception +13, Stealth +17, Swim +14; Racial Modifiers +8 Perception
SQ amphibious, planar acclimation

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Charmed By Soap (Ex)

A boojum snark receives a -2 penalty on saving throws versus spells with the charm descriptor if the caster uses at least 1 pound of soap as an additional material component. Similarly, wild empathy checks made against a boojum snark receive a +4 bonus if at least 1 pound of soap is offered to it.

Elusive (Su)

Despite many attempts to hunt them, boojum snarks are rarely encountered unless they wish it. As a full-round action while in water, a boojum snark can move up to its run speed (200 ft.) without leaving any trace of its passing (identical in effect to a pass without trace). An elusive boojum snark gains a +40 circumstance bonus to its Stealth check. In addition, except when in combat, a boojum snark is considered to be under the effects of a nondetection spell. Both of these spell effects are at caster level 20th and cannot be dispelled. If the caster of a divination effect wears thimbles during the casting, the DC of the caster level check to detect a boojum snark is reduced by 10.

Planar Acclimation (Ex)

A boojum snark is always considered to be on its home plane, regardless of what plane it finds itself upon. It never gains the extraplanar subtype.

Shell (Ex)

A boojum snark carries a giant empty seashell into which its whole body can retract for defense and camouflage. While in its shell, a boojum snark gains a +6 armor bonus to AC, 50% fortification, and the block attacks universal monster rule, but cannot use its tentacle attack. A boojum snark’s shell has hardness 10 and 45 hit points. A boojum snark can move into or out of its shell as a move action.

Vanishing Gaze (Su)

Plane shift (fey realm only), 30 feet, Will DC 21 negates. An opponent that succeeds on the saving throw is immune to that boojum snark’s vanishing gaze for 24 hours. The save DC is Charisma-based and includes a +2 racial bonus. A boojum snark can activate and deactivate its vanishing gaze as a swift action.

ABOUT

Environment any aquatic
Organization solitary or pair
Treasure incidental (Large seashell)

A boojum snark’s body has the general form of a large walrus or sea lion, with a thick, coarse hide covering rolls of blubber, yet with gills along its upper flanks. Surrounding its jaws, that are lined with large, sharp teeth, is a mass of stiff bristles that give the creature a whiskered appearance. Its front flippers are equipped with long claws, but instead of rear flippers, its body tapers to a long, powerful, prehensile tail akin to a suckered tentacle of a giant octopus. On the creature’s chest, and from about midway along its body as it tapers toward the tail are feathers; dull and drab on some boojums—easy mistaken as just a variation in the hue of its otherwise dark skin—yet bright, colorful, and unmistakeable on others. The body of a boojum is around 12 feet long, with its tail adding an additional 15 feet in total length. It weighs 4,000 lbs.

Like a bizarre hermit crab, the creature also carries a large empty seashell. On land, the boojum usually remains in its shell, using its strong and dextrous front flippers to drag itself around while its suckered tail grips the shell tightly from inside. In the water, it frequently emerges fully from the shell, but will not range far from it. It swims using sinuous whole-body movements while using its tentacle to hold the tip of its shell, which it pulls along behind it. Snarks are very rare and highly elusive creatures yet they can sometimes be found lairing in the shallows around isolated volcanic islands filled with chasms and crags in uncharted reaches of oceans. Rarer still, are the boojums, mythic snarks who can cause those who meet their gazes to softly and suddenly vanish away, and never be met with again.

Usually active only in the twilight hours of late evening, a snark spends most of its time sleeping in a salvaged seashell it carries and into which its whole body can retract—either for defensive purposes, or to hide from a predator or from prey. Most frequently, snarks use the shells of giant sea snails, although the shells of other giant sea creatures, and even hollow pieces of coral, wood, and stone are sometimes used.

Snarks are carnivorous and feed on a diverse variety of creatures for which they hunt or forage. Larger marine animals such as dolphins, seals, sea lions, sharks, and orcas are particularly relished though they will happily dredge through mud for molluscs and other bottom-dwellers. Strangely, snarks are also particularly attracted to the taste of soap.

Snarks were once native to the primal world of the fey. As with other legendary creatures from this realm, such as the bandersnatch, jabberwock, and jubjub bird, snarks belong to a group of creatures known collectively as the “Tane” of which it, and not the jubjub bird as previously thought, is the least powerful.