Leeches (Ghost Leeches) (CR 1/2)

Leech (Ghost) CR 1/2

XP 200

The standard leech is often not alone in muddy rivers. Both giant leeches and nauseating leech swarms make their homes here, and they are seldom content with a sip of the victim’s blood, preferring instead to drain her dry. Jungle streams are home to the translucent terror known as the ghost leech. A ghost leech is a 6-inch-long leech with almost completely clear skin, appearing as little more than a ripple in the water as it moves. A gentle attacker with an anesthetizing poison, it can often attach itself to a humanoid or other prey animal without being noticed (Stealth +20). Once attached, the ghost leech quietly drains its host of blood, inflicting 1 point of Constitution damage each round that it’s attached. As it fills with blood, it gradually becomes more and more visible, taking a cumulative -5 penalty on Stealth checks and allowing a new Perception check to notice it for each point of Constitution it drains. The ghost leech detaches itself once it has dealt at least 3 points of Constitution damage and slithers back into the water. Ghost leeches have no other combat abilities and negligible hit points and AC; an adventurer can kill one easily by tearing it off and squishing it, assuming she notices it before it drops away and leaves her weakened and pale. As such, it works better as a natural hazard of CR 1/2 than as an actual combat encounter.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Pathfinder Chronicles: Heart of the Jungle. Copyright 2010, Paizo Publishing, LLC; Authors: Tim Hitchcock, Jason Nelson, Amber Scott, Chris Self, and Todd Stewart.

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