Giant Urchin
Medium Vermin (Aquatic)
Hit Dice: 3d8+9 (22 hp)
Initiative: -2
Speed: 10 ft. (2 squares), Climb 10 ft.
Armor Class: 16 (-2 Dex, +8 Natural), touch 8, flat-footed 16
Base Attack/Grapple: +2/+4
Attack: Spine Jab +4 melee (1d6+2 plus poison)
Full Attack: Spine Jab +4 melee (1d6+2 plus poison)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Spiny Defense, Poison
Special Qualities: Vermin traits, 360 degree sight, Immunities, Mindless, Recuperate
Saves: Fort +5, Ref -1, Will +0
Abilities: Str 14, Dex 6, Con 16, Int -, Wis 10, Cha 2
Skills: -
Feats: -
Environment: Any Aquatic
Organization: Solitary or Colony (5-10)
Challenge Rating: 4
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always Neutral
Advancement: 4-6 HD (Medium)
Level Adjustment: ---


"Bert? Let me make sure Ah got this straight. We're diving into the water nekkid, attacking a poisonous spiny ball, and if we survive we have to haul the damn thing up to the surface and repeat. All while avoidin' bein' eaten by sharks."

"Yup."

"Howcum we never get normal assignments like killing a buncha Kobolds?"

"Have you forgotten the M.A.D.D. lawsuit?"

Apparently even Sea Urchins have Dire forms. Often harvested as food and for other purposes, divers who confront them have definite problems killing them and bringing them to the surface. After all they're basically a 200 pound ball of poison spikes. And when cut up they become new Sea Urchins eventually, making them a plague on some communities. Even worse Sea Urchins appear to be effectively immune to disease, and don't really age. So they're effectively immortal unless killed. Unfortunately they are also quite hyperactive compared to their smaller cousins.

Spiny Defense (Ex): Being covered in spikes, Sea Urchins are difficult to attack. Anything attacking the Urchin in melee without using a Reach weapon takes 1d6 plus it's own Strength Modifier in piercing damage, and is possibly poisoned.

Poison (Ex): Injury or Ingestion, Fort Save DC 14, Initial and Secondary damage is 1d6 Dexterity.

360 Degree Sight (Ex): Sea Urchins can only really detect variations in light and dark as opposed to actual images. Nevertheless they can see in pretty much all directions and thus cannot be flanked. Due to their poor vision they are invulnerable to all attacks/effects requiring them to be able to see.

Immunities (Ex): Sea Urchins are immune to aging effects, disease, flanking, and critical hits.

Recuperate (Ex): A Sea Urchin Regenerates 1 hit point per hour, and can regenerate any significant amount of lost bodily material. If a significant chunk of it's body is cut away (at least 20%), the piece will heal 1 hit point per hour until it becomes an entirely new Sea Urchin.

Combat: Sea Urchins generally jab opponents and let their venom do the rest of the work. Once they finally succumb to it the Urchin brings it's grinding mouthplates to bear and devours them.



Giant Sea Urchins
"Good evening, and welcome to Mutual of Gnomeahaw's Wild Kingdom! As always, I'm your host Harlan Jergens! Today on Wild Kingdom Farmer Brown is showing us his latest: an animal that can be raised as food or to sabotage your enemies!"

As Close To Immortal As It Gets
"These seem fairly innoffensive."

"They are voracious bottom feeders. We use them for invertebrate farms, and even in the fisheries many of their attackers sometimes die from their venom."

"Hardly seems worth the effort. Which I imagine is why you also eat them"


You Eat What?

"Who would want to eat a giant, spiny ball?"

"The truly wealthy. They'll eat anything if you refer to it as a delicacy."