Dire Hagfish
Large Animal (Aquatic)
Hit Dice: 7d8+7 (38 hp)
Initiative: +3
Speed: Swim 60 ft. (12 squares)
Armor Class: 15 (-1 Size, +3 Dex, +3 Natural), touch 12, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +5/+11
Attack: Bite +6 melee (1d8+3)
Full Attack: Bite +6 melee (1d8+3)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Torque
Special Qualities: Slime Defense, Mindless, Sluggish Metabolism, Blindsense, Scent, Blind
Saves: Fort +6, Ref +8, Will +3
Abilities: Str 15, Dex 17, Con 13, Int -, Wis 12, Cha 2
Skills: Escape Artist +7, Swim +10
Feats: ---
Environment: Cold Aquatic
Organization: Solitary or Colony (10-30)
Challenge Rating: 3
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always Neutral
Advancement: 8-12 HD (Large), 13-24 HD (Huge)
Level Adjustment: ---

"Our one chance ta go fishin' in ages and it has ta be these 'bominations. I tell ya Abner I really do think were cursed."

Hagfish are truly bizarre creatures, alone among the Animal Kingdom as the only creatures possessing a skull but no vertebral column. They are scavengers who scour the area of corpses, even feeding on injured creatures from the inside. Despite their disgusting nature they are often used as food and clothing.

Torque (Ex): Hagfish use a twisting maneuver to rip prey open, to get inside them. If the Dire Hagfish makes a Full Attack, and succeeds with it's Bite attack, it automatically does maximum damage.

Slime Defense (Ex): Once per Minute the Dire Hagfish can emit a 20 ft. x 20 ft. x 20 ft cloud of slime. The cloud provides Total Concealment, and all Grapple Checks made within it receive a -10 Circumstance Penalty. It also clogs the gills of other creatures with the Aquatic Subtype, who immediately begin to Suffocate (see the DMG). The Dire Hagfish itself is immune to this suffocation effect. The slime cloud persists for a number of rounds equal to the Dire Hagfishes Constitution score.

Sluggish Metabolism (Ex): Unlike normal, a Dire Hagfish can go three months without food as opposed to three days.

Blindsense (Ex): A Dire Hagfish can locate creatures underwater within a 30-foot radius. This ability works only when the Dire Hagfish is underwater.

Blind (Ex): The Dire Hagfishes eyes are little used and extremely ineffective, making it all but blind. Attacks relying on vision such as purely visual illusions or flashes of light have no effect on them. They are used to being Blind, and take none of the penalties otherwise associated with the condition.

Skills: Hagfish gain a +4 Racial Bonus on Escape Artist Checks. They also gain a +8 Racial Bonus on Swim Checks, and may always Take 10 on a Swim Check.

Combat: Most Hagfish aren't particularly aggressive, and are perfectly content with carrion. Most will blast opponents with slime and flee, but there are a few stubborn ones.



Giant Hagfish
"Good evening, and welcome to Mutual of Gnomeahaw's Wild Kingdom! As always, I'm your host Harlan Jergens! Today on Wild Kingdom Jim and I will be showing you an abomination."

Mostly Scavengers. Mostly.
"I'm afraid I agree with Harlan on this one."

"Gentlemen, open your minds please. They're great for clearing out the pools of dead matter."

"They don't seem to be picky about living matter either."


A Horrible Way To Die

"I've never seen a fish devoured from the inside."

"I'll admit, some of them are a tad aggressive..."