Scuttling Visage (3.5e Monster)
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| Scuttling Visage | |
|---|---|
| Size/Type: | Tiny Vermin |
| Hit Dice: | 8d8+16 (52 hp) |
| Initiative: | +5 |
| Speed: | 40 ft, climb 40 ft |
| Armor Class: | 22 (+5 dex, +5 natural, +2 size), touch 17, flat-footed 17 |
| Base Attack/Grapple: | +6/+3 (+18) |
| Attack: | Tail Whip +13 melee (6 nonlethal, 20/x2) |
| Full Attack: | Tail Whip +13 melee (6 nonlethal, 20/x2) |
| Space/Reach: | 2½ ft/0 ft |
| Special Attacks: | Leap Attack, Takeover |
| Special Qualities: | Blind, Blindsight 60 ft, Camouflage, Evasion |
| Saves: | Fort +8, Ref +7, Will +4 |
| Abilities: | Str 6, Dex 20, Con 14, Int -, Wis 15, Cha 10 |
| Skills: | Bluff +10, Hide +21, Jump +29, Move Silently +13 |
| Feats: | Ability Focus (takeover)B, Codex Weapon FinesseB |
| Environment: | Urban |
| Organization: | Solitary |
| Challenge Rating: | 5 |
| Treasure: | None |
| Alignment: | Any Evil |
| Advancement: | 9-16 HD (Tiny) |
| Level Adjustment: |
This bug is shaped somewhat like a horseshoe crab, with strange patterns on its shell, and a long whip-like tail. It leaps at your face, and everything goes black...
The scuttling visage is a dangerous parasite whose favored prey is children at Halloween, for the visage grapples its target and attaches itself to its face like a mask. Its shell takes on new shapes and patterns to appear like a festive mask, and it puppets its host body around causing all manner of trouble from mere pranks to outright murder. Though promoting chaos and fear, it promotes the ideal environment for its eggs to grow. The exact nature of this fear essence and their biology is ill understood, leading to believe that these creatures were once native not to the material, but the abyss. To make matters worse is their eggs: small triangular orange shells which resemble traditional "candy corn". If consumed, the target will become sick and soon birth scuttling visages through expulsion.
Scuttling visages are most successful at Halloween for obvious reasons, but can be found anywhere masks are expected, such as certain parties and even military organizations.
Combat[edit]
A scuttling visage is an ambush predator, striking from surprise and grabbing onto the face. If unsuccessful it won't stick around long, using its tail whip only if pushed or if it thinks it can strike down a target in a single blow. It's tail whip only deals a single point of non-lethal damage (plus Dexterity).
Once in control of a target, it is not the visage who fights but its host. If its host is lost, it will make a takeover attempt and hide if wildly unsuccessful.
Camouflage (Ex): Scuttling visage have minor shapeshifting abilities, able to alter the pattern, shape, and texture of their shells. It is a DC 25 Spot check to recognize it as a creature when taking over a host.
Leap Attack (Ex): As a full attack action the scuttling visage can move up to its move speed and make a touch attack against a creature, starting a grapple without provoking an attack of opportunity. When grappling in this way it gains a +15 bonus on grapple attempts for as long as it maintains the grapple. In addition to the normal abilities of grappling, it can attempt a takeover.
Takeover (Ex): Instead of pinning a creature, on a successful grapple it can force a Will save DC 18, or become control as if by dominate person for as long as it remains attached to the face. It may make bluff checks in this state to continue acting normal, and has surface memories of its target who is affected by detect thoughts. Lastly, the scuttling visage benefits from the target's mental ability scores and is effectively sapient as long as it is taking over.
Creatures can attempt to remove the mask forcefully by pinning the host and making grapple checks against the scuttling visage (add the +15 grapple bonus from leap attack). The mask can also be targeted itself by taking a -8 penalty to attack, but the damage applies both to the scuttling visage and its host.
While acting as a mask, the creature (and the scuttling visage) maintains (or gains) its usual visual abilities. The scuttling visage is only blind when not attached to other creatures.
Skills: Scuttling visages have a +8 racial bonus on Hide and Move Silently checks, and a +29 racial bonus on Jump checks. When taking a creature over, it gets a +10 bonus on Bluff checks.
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