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kinem
2014-07-10, 09:02 PM
PISCOLOTH (3.5 revised)
Medium-Size Outsider (Evil, Yugoloth, Aquatic)
Hit Dice: 9d8+36 (76 hp)
Initiative: +6 (+2 Dex, +4 Improved Initiative)
Speed: 20 ft, swim 50 ft
AC: 20 (+2 Dex, +8 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 18
BAB / Grapple: +9 / +13
Attack: Claw +13 melee (2d6+4/19-20/x3)
Full Attack: 2 claws +13 melee (2d6+4/19-20/x3) and tentacle cluster +11 melee (1d6+2 plus paralysis poison (Fort neg DC 19) plus slow (Will neg DC 19))
Space/Reach: 5' / 5'
Special Attacks: Augmented critical, spell-like abilities, paralysis poison, slow, summon yugoloth
Special Qualities: Damage reduction 5/-, all-around vision, SR 23, yugoloth traits (immune to poison and acid; cold, fire, and electricity resistance 10; telepathy 100', darkvision 60'), amphibious, demand courage
Saves: Fort +9, Ref +8, Will +8
Abilities: Str 19, Dex 14, Con 16, Int 11, Wis 10, Cha 14
Skills: Intimidate +14, Hide +14, Listen +12, Move Silently +14, Search +12, Sense Motive +12, Spot +14, Swim +16
Feats: Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Multiattack, Improved Toughness
Environment: Any (Hades, Gehenna)
Organization: Solitary, team (2-4), squad (5-10), or company (5-10 plus 11-18 mezzoloths plus 3-8 canoloths) or company (5-10 plus 5-50 dergholoths)
Challenge Rating: 10
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Always neutral evil
Advancement: 10-18 HD (Medium-size); 19-27 HD (Large)
Level adjustment: +4

Piscoloths are the sergeants and commanders of the yugoloth armies in the Lower Planes. They are usually found commanding large companies of mezzoloths and and canoloths, or of dergholoths.

The fishtailed, wall-eyed piscoloth stands about 5 feet tall and has a body resembling that of a lobster, talons, and a head similar to that of the carrion crawler. Its arms end in a set of crab-like pincers.

Due to their odd anatomy, piscoloths never wear armor or wield weapons.

Piscoloths speak Abyssal, Draconic, and Infernal.

COMBAT

The piscoloth attacks using its pincers and makes one attack against an opponent using the cluster of tentacles around its mouth.

Spell-Like Abilities: At will — displacement (self only), fear (Will DC 16), deeper darkness, detect thoughts, jump, magic circle against evil, magic circle against good, see invisibility, unseen servant; 2/day—major image (Will DC 15), meld into stone, shadow conjuration (Will DC 16), stinking cloud (Fort DC 14), greater teleport (self plus 50 pounds of objects only). Caster level 9 (as HD); save DC 12 + spell level (Cha-based).

Augmented Critical (Ex): A piscoloth’s pincer attack threatens a critical hit on a natural attack roll of 19–20. On a successful critical hit with a pincer attack, it deals triple damage.

Paralysis poison (Ex): A target struck by the tentacle cluster must make a Fortitude save (DC 17, Con-based) or be paralyzed by the tentacles' stinging poison for 1d6+2 minutes.

Slow (Su): A target struck by the tentacle cluster must also make a Will save (DC 17, Cha-based) or be slowed as by the slow spell for 1d6+2 rounds.

All Around Vision (Ex): This piscoloth’s faceted eyes let it see in all directions, thus it cannot be flanked.

Summon Yugoloth (Sp): 2/day - A piscoloth can summon 1d4 canoloths or 1 dergholoth or 1 mezzoloth with a 100% chance of success.

Demand Courage (Su): Allies within 30' who can see the piscoloth receive a +1 morale bonus on saving throws against charm and fear effects and a +1 morale bonus on attack and damage rolls. Demand courage is a mind-affecting ability.

Yugoloth Traits: A yugoloth is immune to poison and acid. It has cold, fire, and electricity resistance 10. Yugoloths can communicate telepathically with any creature within 100 feet that has a language. Outsiders breathe, but do not need to eat or sleep (although they can do so if they wish).

Advancement: Increase SR by 1 for each class level, and by 1 for every 2 racial HD above 10.

Skills: Piscoloths have a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform some special action or avoid a hazard and can always choose to take 10 on Swim checks, even if distracted or endangered.

kinem
2014-07-10, 09:17 PM
Design notes:

Much like the MM2 yagnoloth, the Fiend Folio's piscoloth is overpowered and poorly thought out. The carrion crawler has 8 paralyzing tentacle attacks, and the piscoloth's head is described as similar, and that is the only reason the FF version has the same. With so many attacks, the creature is very likely to paralyze just about any foe. Even if PCs can handle that, a monster designer must never forget that spells can give PCs access to most monsters, e.g. planar ally, polymorph any object.

The solution is simple and has been used in previous editions: many tentacles fluff, but one attack.

Furthermore, it is listed as an Ex ability, but not specifically called out as a poison. But it is clearly a poison (what else could paralyze without magic?) and was described as such in previous editions, tentacles dripping with venom. Perhaps the worry was that most fiends are immune to poison, meaning that the creature's main attack would be useless against 99.999999% of the foes it actually fights, except for the very rare occasions when a small group of humans wanders by. That is why I threw it a bone by making the slow effect Su.

Debihuman
2014-07-23, 03:40 AM
3.5 update booklet for Fiend Folio gives them DR 10/good not DR 5/-. Thought I would mention it.

Debby