Cockatrice, Crossbred

This emaciated serpent has a bird’s head, leathery bat-wings, and eyes that glow a brilliant green.

Crossbred Cockatrice CR 6

XP 2,400
Skilled
N Medium magical beast
Init +8; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +16

DEFENSE

AC 20, touch 15, flat-footed 15 (+4 Dex, +1 dodge, +5 natural)
hp 73 (7d8+42)
Fort +8, Ref +9, Will +5

OFFENSE

Speed 20 ft., fly 40 ft. (poor)
Melee bite +10 (1d6+5 plus grab and petrification), 2 wings +5 (1d4+2)
Size 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft. (bite 10 ft.)
Special Attacks constrict (1d6+5), crushing coils, gaze, petrification, strangle, swallow whole (1d6 acid damage, AC 15, 14 hp)

STATISTICS

Str 20, Dex 18, Con 22, Int 7, Wis 17, Cha 17
Base Atk +5; CMB +10 (+14 grapple); CMD 24 (can’t be tripped)
Feats Blind-Fight, Dodge, Improved Initiative, Skill Focus (Perception)
Skills Fly +10, Perception +16, Stealth +22, Survival +13; Racial Modifiers +8 Stealth
Languages Common (can’t speak)

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Crushing Coils (Ex)

A creature that takes damage from the crossbred cockatrice’s constrict attack must succeed on a DC 18 Fortitude save or lose consciousness for 1 round. The save DC is Strength-based.

Gaze (Ex)

Turn to stone permanently (as flesh to stone), range 30 feet, Fortitude DC 16 negates. A creature petrified in this matter that is then coated (not just splashed) with fresh crossbred cockatrice blood (taken from a crossbred cockatrice no more than 1 hour dead) is instantly restored to flesh (this effect also functions as a restorative for the crossbred cockatrice’s petrification ability). A single corpse contains enough blood to coat 1d3 Medium creatures in this manner. The save DC is Charisma-based.

Petrification (Su)

A crossbred cockatrice’s bite causes flesh to calcify and harden multiple bites can cause a living creature to fossilize into stone. Each time a creature is damaged by a crossbred cockatrice’s bite attack, it must succeed on a DC 19 Fortitude save or take 1d4 points of Dexterity damage as its flesh and bones stiffen and harden. (This slow petrification does not alter a bitten creature’s natural armor.) A creature that is reduced to 0 Dexterity by a crossbred cockatrice’s bites immediately turns completely to stone, as if petrified by a flesh to stone spell. Every day, a creature petrified by a crossbred cockatrice in this manner can attempt a new DC 19 Fortitude save to recover from the petrification, at which point the victim returns to flesh with 1 Dexterity (and thereafter can be restored to full Dexterity by natural healing or magic as normal) but after a petrified creature fails three of these Fortitude saves in a row, the petrified state becomes permanent. A creature restored to flesh via magic has its Dexterity damage caused by crossbred cockatrice bites removed, but not any existing Dexterity damage from other sources. A crossbred cockatrice is immune to the petrification ability of itself and of other crossbred cockatrices, but other petrification attacks affect them normally. The save DC is Constitution-based.

ECOLOGY

Environment any
Organization solitary
Treasure incidental

Experimentation into magical crossbreeding can produce infertile hybrids of the basilisk and cockatrice. The creature combines the most magical aspects of both, and the total appears greater than the sum of the parts. Most creators make the mistake of thinking the hybrid as stupid as its forebears, but the crossbreed possesses far more than base cunning. Rankling at slavery and training imposed by their maker, most beasts try escaping into the wild. In freedom, they find little solace, forced to live a solitary and lonely existence.