Mythic Monster Monday: The Eborsisk

                                   Picture by CerberusLives and taken from www.deviantART.com

By Andrew Hoskins

The Eborsisk

With slimy mottled flesh and a bloated stomach, this creature lumbers around on two pairs of mismatched legs. Its two heads peer around atop elongated necks; engorged flesh sacs hang from each of its flabby jowls.

Mythic Giant Two-Headed Troll                               CR 11/MR 4

XP 12,800

CE Huge mutated humanoid (giant, mythic)

Init +0; Senses darkvision 90 ft., low-light vision, scent; Perception +19

DEFENSE

AC24, touch 7, flat-footed 24 (-1 Dex, +17 natural, -2 size)

hp206 (12d8+120+32); regeneration 10 (acid or fire)

Fort +15, Ref +3, Will+6

Defensive Abilities Absorb Water, fortification (50%);DR10/epic

Weaknesses Flame Sacs

OFFENSE

Speed40 ft., climb 20 ft., swim 20 ft.

Melee2 bites +20 (2d6+12 plus grab)

Space15 ft.; Reach10 ft. (15 ft. with bite)

Special Attacksbreath weapon (30 ft. cone, 6d6 fire, Reflex DC 26 for half, usable every 1d4 rounds), grab, mythic power (4/day, surge +1d8), rend (2 bites, 2d6+18), swallow whole (4d6 acid damage, AC 18, DR 10/epic, 20 hp)

TACTICS

Before Combat Eborsisks are not usually around long enough to develop behaviors outside of combat, but when they do, they’re usually lumbering around looking for food and screeching. Though they retain the intelligence of their humanoid origins, they don’t bother with tools or weapons, preferring brute strength and a direct approach to meeting their basic needs.

During Combat Because damage to their flame sacs is so painful, they go out of their way to kill creatures trying to harm them by puncturing the tender sacs. Otherwise, they will try to swallow whatever food happens to be near. When faced with particularly hard to catch creatures, or when three or more morsels cluster together, the Eborsisk will try to get them to stop moving with its flaming breath. Sometimes the heads fight over food and will continue to try to tear the food from the other head’s mouth. They continue like this until they rip the food in half and each can swallow their own portion.

Morale Not being particularly bright, the Eborsisk will continue trying to eat everything in sight until it dies, relying on its regeneration to heal its wounds.

STATISTICS

Str35, Dex9, Con30, Int8, Wis10, Cha6

Base Atk +9; CMB +23 (+27 to grapple); CMD32 (36 vs. trip)

FeatsDazzling Display, Intimidating Prowess, Iron Will^M, Power Attack^M, Skill Focus (Perception), Weapon Focus (bite)

SkillsIntimidate +15, Perception +19

LanguagesGiant

SQOsmotic Growth, Twin Heads

ECOLOGY

Environmentunderground

Organization solitary

Treasurenone

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Breath Attack (Su) When the Eborsisk uses it’s breath weapon, either of its heads can breathe a 30-foot-long cone of flame. When using both heads at once, these cones can be directed to affect separate squares (dealing 6d6 points of fire damage to those within), or can cover the same area (wholly or partially; dealing 12d6 points of fire damage to those within). The save DC is Constitution-based.

Flame Sacs (Ex) Each of the Eborsisk’s heads has a massive sack of skin hanging from its jowls. When the creature’s breath weapon is recharging, it becomes engorged. Once the breath weapon is ready, the sac is bulbous and vulnerable. To puncture a flame sac, an opponent must make a sunder attempt with a piercing weapon targeting a sac. A sac is considered a separate weapon with DR 10/epic and 12 hit points. To puncture a sac, an opponent must inflict enough damage to reduce the sac’s hit points to 0 or less.

        Puncturing a fully engorged sac causes 6d6 points of fire damage in a 30 ft. burst. For each round remaining until the breath weapon is recharged, subtract 1d6 points of fire damage and 5 ft. from the burst area. If the sac is punctured while fully engorged, that head is also destroyed and cannot be regrown through regeneration. Otherwise, the damage to the sac is healed in 1 round of successful regeneration and starts recharging with 4 rounds remaining. The Eborsisk cannot attack with a destroyed head and loses the Twin Heads special ability. If both heads are destroyed, the Eborsisk is slain.

Osmotic Growth (Su) The Eborsisk absorbs water through its skin at an alarming rate. If exposed to a volume of water equal to its size, the Eborsisk can spend a full-round action and absorb the water, gaining the giant simple template,3 extra hit dice, and increasing its natural armor by +2. If the Eborsisk is already colossal in size, it gains the advanced simple template instead of the giant simple template. An Eborsisk may also absorb spells with the water keyword; when it has absorbed a number of spell levels equal to its number of hit dice, it grows in size.

Twin Heads (Ex)Because the Eborsisk has two brains, it can easily control multiple attacks without penalty. It never takes penalties to attack or damage from making multiple attacks. As a standard action, it can make two attacks. If these two attacks are the same form of attack, the Eborsisk gets special advantages. If they are they both bite attacks, then add 1 1/2 times the creatures Strength bonus to damage. When making a breath attack, it can take a standard action and use both heads for the attack, increasing the saving throw DC by +2, and the delay before they can be used again is halved.

The Eborsisk first appeared at the Azata Academae, a bardic college of some renown. During one of the graduation ceremonies, the two-headed monstrosity burst from the courtyard fountain and ate two of the head professors, for which the beast is named.  Since then there have been mercifully few sightings, so little is known of the creature.

What has been recorded, mostly from eyewitness accounts and study of the creatures’ remains, is unreliable at best. Most mages agree that an Eborsisk is only created by magic, often when a poorly executed polymorph spell interacts with creatures with regenerative abilities. Since the few accounts have all involved trying to transmute a troll, the most common belief is that this is regressing the troll to a previous state.

These heavily mutated creatures have never had a long enough lifespan to develop proper living habits, that scholars are aware of. If one were to get to a large body of water, such as a lake or ocean, the horror it would become could be catastrophic.