(3.5 Eberron) Monster - Xoriat madspawn

[GoatBoy]

Just designing a simple yet terrible monstrosity for my players when the portal to Xoriat opens in the middle of Sharn. Please share your thoughts or criticisms, thanks!

Xoriat Madspawn

This tangled mass of limbs might have been a person once, but now resembles some unholy monster formed of torn-apart and hastily reassembled limbs.

Medium Aberration
Hit Dice: 8d8+16 (52 hp)
Initiative: +6
Speed: 30 feet (6 squares)
Armor Class: 16 (+2 Dex, +4 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +6/+8
Attack: Slam +11 melee (1d6+4) or bite +10 melee (see text) (1d6+4)
Full Attack: 2 slams +11 melee (1d6+4)
Space/Reach: 5 ft/5 ft
Special Attacks: Sudden bite, spell-like abilities
Special Qualities: Tremorsense 30 ft, grotesque form, DR 5/byeshk, 25% fortification
Saves: Fort +4, Ref +4, Will +8
Abilities: Str 18, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 11, Wis 15, Cha 11
Skills: Climb +15, Escape Artist +13, Hide +13, Tumble +13
Feats: Improved Initiative, Weapon Focus (slam), Dodge
Environment: Any
Organization: Solitary, cluster (2-5)
Challenge Rating: 6
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral evil
Advancement: 9-15 HD (Medium); 16-24 (Large)
Level Adjustment: -

Xoriat madspawn are the result of direct exposure of the unmitigated, primal essence of the plane of madness on unprepared life-forms native to the material plane. They resemble exactly what they are: once-normal creatures broken down and re-built by the unfathomable energies of Xoriat. Madspawn appear whenever the barriers between worlds break down, which is a fortunately rare even thanks to the dimensional seals crafted by the Gatekeepers after the last daelkyr invasion. The only reported sightings of madspawn date back to this time, but there is reason to expect that a new batch of these monstrosities would result if Xoriat touches Eberron again.

Medium-sized or larger creatures who are near planar passages to Xoriat run the risk of turning into madspawn. Failing a DC 15 Fortitude save means that the energies of the realm of madness have infused their bodies, and they twist and tangle into a madspawn over the course of 1d6 rounds. Once formed, madspawn attack all other creatures in the area, but their unstable nature means that they break down and die after only a few days. Larger creatures result in proportionately larger madspawn, and sometimes multiple creatures who are close to each other when the transformation occurs may fuse into a single, large-sized madspawn.

A creature turned into a madspawn is effectively dead and requires the appropriate magic to be restored.

Combat

Madspawn simply lash out at any living creature they see, as if driven by some sort of hunger, though they do not consume the creatures they kill. They do not attack one another, or other Xoriat natives, but they do not co-operate or co-ordinate with each other, either. Madspawn usually start with a slam attack, and use their sudden bite ability if their target appears especially nimble.

Grotesque form (Ex): The appearance of a Xoriat madspawn is so unnatural and unsettling that any intelligent nonaberration or creature not native to Xoriat takes a -1 penalty to attacks against it.
Spell-like abilities: True strike (1/day)
Sudden bite (Ex): As a full-round action, a Xoriat madspawn may make a single bite attack. Due to the unexpected appearance of the mouth, the target of this attack is denied its dexterity bonus to AC, unless it possesses the uncanny dodge ability.

[wayfare]

I feel like the CR might be a tad off, with the DR, Tremorsense, and Fortification.

Why is it neutral evil? Seems like it would be pretty chaotic, what with it being a mass of bodyparts and all?

Does sudden bite do slam damage?

[GoatBoy]

Do you think bumping the CR up by 1 would be sufficient?

I thought neutral evil was a bit odd, too, but the daelkyr themselves are neutral evil, for some reason. I prefer to play fast and loose with alignment in my games, so I wasn't too concerned.

I forgot to include the attack stats for sudden bite. Whoops.

Thanks for the feedback.

[Steward]

Awesome monster, awesome description. I can just see these guys pouring out of a nightmare portal into our universe, bringing the chaos of the Far Realm Xoriat with them.

[GoatBoy]

Thanks! That's kind of what I was thinking, but it's actually more like normal people standing near a portal suddenly shifting and deforming into monstrosities, a la John Carpenter's The Thing.

[Steward]

Oh, well that's just sad!

Do you have to kill the madspawn before you can use resurrection magic to bring the person back?