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The Demented One
2008-03-20, 01:49 AM
Black Hole Squid

http://img166.imageshack.us/img166/5760/blackholesquidpa9.jpg

Size/Type: Colossal Magical Beast
Hit Dice: 25d10+325 (462 hp)
Initiative: +12
Speed: Swim 40 ft. (8 squares)
Armor Class: 36 (-8 size, +4 Dex, +30 natural), touch 6, flatfooted 31
Base Attack/Grapple: +25/+64
Attack: Tentacle +42 melee (3d8+23)
Full Attack: 2 Tentacles +42 melee (3d8+23) and 6 Arms +37 melee (1d8+11) and Bite +37 melee (5d6+11)
Space/Reach: 20 ft./15 ft. (30 ft. with arms, 60 ft. with tentacles)
Special Attacks: Constrict 3d8+34, improved grab, singularity, swallow whole
Special Qualities: Antimagic ink, blindsight 60 ft., damage reduction 20/epic, darkvision 60 ft., fast healing 20, immunity to cold, jet, resistance to electricity 50 and fire 50, spell resistance 40, void swim
Saves: Fort +24, Ref +18, Will +18
Abilities: Str 56, Dex 18, Con 34, Int 5, Wis 26, Cha 5
Skills: Spot +29, Swim +38
Feats: Power Attack, Improved Bull Rush, Awesome Blow, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Improved Toughness
Epic Feats: Dire Charge, Supreme Initiative
Environment: Space or other void environments
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 22
Treasure: None
Alignment: Usually True Neutral
Advancement: 26+ (Colossal)
Level Adjustment: –

The Black Hole Squid is truly one of the most bizarre creatures known to exist throughout the multiverse. It is essentially a giant squid that swims throughout the void of outer space, sustained by a minuscule black hole within its gullet. To date, a dozen mortal xenobiologists have committed suicide after trying to figure out how such a creature could evolve or even exist, and yet, the Black Hole Squids exist, plain as day. They typically swim deep in the void of space, and thus are only encountered typically by adventurers travelling on spelljamming vehicles, from whom most reports of the creature are drawn. It looks, strangely enough, like any terrestrial squid, save for the fact that it is in space, and everything around it seems to be sucked into it, caught by the gravitational pull of the squid’s singularity. Apart from foolish adventurers, void sharks (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=75399) have been reported as common prey of the squid, and they have been reported eating asteroids and similar debris. It is possible that it can sustain itself on anything, using the black hole to break down any form of matter and nourishing itself on the resulting energy. Adventurers encountering this deep space kraken are advised to be wary of its complete imperviousness to cold; its rapid regeneration; its powerful gravitational pull; its ink, which negates all magic; and above all, its maw, and the singularity that lies within it.

Constrict (Ex)
A Black Hole Squid deals automatic tentacle damage with a successful grapple check.

Improved Grab (Ex)
To use this ability, a Black Hole Squid must hit with an arm or tentacle attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. If it wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold and can constrict and swallow whole.

Singularity (Su)
The singularity within a Black Hole Squid exerts considerable gravitational forces on everything around it, allowing it to draws its prey to itself. Each round, on the Black Hole Squid’s turn, all creatures within 60 ft. of it must make a DC 35 Strength check. Each creature that fails the check is drawn towards the squid one square for every one it failed the check by, and takes 1d6 bludgeoning damage for every one it failed the check by as the squid’s gravitational forces batter its physical body.

Swallow Whole (Ex)
A Black Hole Squid can try to swallow a grabbed opponent of Colossal or smaller size by making a successful grapple check. Once inside, the opponent is exposed directly to the singularity within the Black Hole Squid, taking 20d6 bludgeoning damage each round as the gravitational forces suck it in. A swallowed creature can cut its way out by dealing 50 points of damage to the Black Hole Squid’s digestive tract (AC 19). In addition, it must make a DC 30 Strength check to overcome the gravitational force of the singularity, or else it remains trapped Once the creature exits or fails its check, the squid’s fast healing closes the hole; another swallowed opponent must cut its own way out. A Black Hole Squid’s gullet can hold 1 Colossal, 2 Gargantuan, 8 Huge, or 32 Large or smaller creatures.

Antimagic Ink (Su)
A Black Hole Squid’s ink naturally absorbs magical energies, a defense evolved against magical creatures even more horrible than the squid that roam the void. A Black Hole Squid can emit a cloud of jet-black ink in an 80-foot spread once per minute as a free action. The cloud provides total concealment. Creatures within the cloud are considered to be in darkness. In addition, the ink cloud suppresses magic, as if it were an antimagic field. A Black Hole Squid's ink is unaffected by its singularity ability.

Jet (Ex)
A Black Hole Squid can jet backward once per round as a full-round action, at a speed of 280 feet. It must move in a straight line, but does not provoke attacks of opportunity while jetting.

Void Swim (Ex)
A Black Hole Squid evolved in the airless, pressureless environment of outer space. Because of this, Black Hole Squids immune to all the hazardous effects of any void. They require no air or water, and require only one eighth the food a normal squid of their size requires. Black Hole Squids also treat a void as if it were water for the purposes of swimming.

Skills
A Black Hole Squid has a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform some special action or avoid a hazard. It can always choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered. It can use the run action while swimming, provided it swims in a straight line.

DracoDei
2008-03-20, 03:38 AM
Nice riff off the void sharks...

Now I want to see a Super-Nova Whale, a White-Dwarf Dolphin, and Asteroid Tuna... OK maybe not that last one but the first two could be good perhaps.

Lacking any knowledge, profession, or craft skills and with an intelligence of 5 I rather doubt that many adventurers would CONSULT this creature... (OK it is just a minor typo, but I found it rather funny... "A squid is a squid of course of course...")

Black Mage
2008-03-20, 03:55 AM
and yet, the Black Hole Squids exist, plane as day
Another typo.

Anyways, really awesome...one question about the ink though. Is the ink actual liquid ink or gas, or is it just pure magic (antimagic). If the ink was like a liquid or gas, wouldn't it be sucked into the black hole of the squid almost instantly, thus rendering it useless, and at the same time shutting down the black hole since it's a supernatural ability?

Nebo_
2008-03-20, 07:49 AM
This is pretty cool, but the CR is way off. The saves and AC are too low.

DracoDei
2008-03-20, 08:33 AM
So it is an offense rather than defense oriented monster... I mean DC 40 STR checks??? You have to have a Strength score of 50 to even get a roll... That plus the anti-magic ink means you have about 1 round to put the hurt on this thing before you are going to need to spend at least one True Res. to rectify the situation... CR 30 could, therefore be justified even with the lowish saves (the worst is Reflex, which is the least bad to fail usually...)

Someone tell me if I am missing something...

The Demented One
2008-03-20, 09:16 AM
Another typo.
Anyways, really awesome...one question about the ink though. Is the ink actual liquid ink or gas, or is it just pure magic (antimagic). If the ink was like a liquid or gas, wouldn't it be sucked into the black hole of the squid almost instantly, thus rendering it useless, and at the same time shutting down the black hole since it's a supernatural ability?
Liquid, I've given it an exception to the singularity ability.


This is pretty cool, but the CR is way off. The saves and AC are too low.
Point, I've lowered the CR.


So it is an offense rather than defense oriented monster... I mean DC 40 STR checks??? You have to have a Strength score of 50 to even get a roll... That plus the anti-magic ink means you have about 1 round to put the hurt on this thing before you are going to need to spend at least one True Res. to rectify the situation... CR 30 could, therefore be justified even with the lowish saves (the worst is Reflex, which is the least bad to fail usually...)
The Strength check probably is too high, but I don't think it's too bad. Casters can easily hang around outside the gravitational field, and melee types will probably be close enough that it can't drag them far, and have hp to spare.

Stycotl
2008-03-20, 11:08 AM
i swear you and krimm're always in cahoots together. you sure you're not both the same person with two different accounts?

ok, this is a pretty cool creature. i have to admit that i'm a fan of the void between the stars. creatures, abominations, gods, classes, etc, that have a tie to the void always rate a point or two higher in my book just for the cool-factor.

The Demented One
2008-03-20, 12:31 PM
i swear you and krimm're always in cahoots together. you sure you're not both the same person with two different accounts?
Me and him chat on AIM pretty incessantly. Just about anything homebrew either of us have done in the past couple months has had some level of input from the other.

Stycotl
2008-03-20, 12:38 PM
that's handy to have that kind of feedback.