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Benthic Worm

Creature 15 — amphibious, animal

CrasherAnvilLANDAQUATICSUBTERRANEANanimal

The benthic worm is a deep-blue creature that is more at home in flooded tunnels than dry caves. While a benthic worm is a strong swimmer, it prefers to lie in wait within the walls, floor, or even ceiling of flooded caverns, ready to spring out and ambush creatures swimming past its hiding spot. The benthic worm is particularly hated and feared by Darklands-dwelling cultures, due to the fact that a benthic worm that burrows into a tunnel often brings with it waters from the submerged river or l

Source: pathfinder-monster-core

Perception +22; darkvision, tremorsense (imprecise) 100 feet
Skills athletics +33, stealth +20 (+25 in water)
Str
+10
Dex
-1
Con
+8
Int
-5
Wis
-1
Cha
-1
AC 35 Fort +32 Ref +20 Will +23
HP 320
Speed 40 feet, burrow 40 feet, swim 60 feet

Offense

Melee Jaws (deadly-2d10, reach-15, unarmed) +31, Damage 3d12+16 piercing plus Improved Grab
Melee Stinger (agile, poison, reach-15) +31, Damage 4d6+16 piercing plus Azure Worm Venom
Melee Body (reach-15) +29, Damage 2d8+14 bludgeoning

Abilities

Tremorsense (Imprecise) 100 feet — Tremorsense allows a monster to feel the vibrations through a solid surface caused by movement. It is an imprecise sense with a limited range (listed in the ability). Tremorsense functions only if the monster is on the same surface as the subject, and only if the subject is moving along (or burrowing through) the surface.
Inexorable — The benthic worm recovers from the Paralyzed, Slowed, and Stunned conditions at the end of its turn. It's also immune to penalties to its Speeds and the Immobilized condition, and it ignores difficult terrain and greater difficult terrain.
Slough SkinFrequency once per day

Trigger The benthic worm would be affected by a condition or adverse effect (such as Cursed Metamorphosis)

Effect The benthic worm negates the triggering condition or effect by sloughing an outer layer of its skin. Effects from artifacts, deities, or a similarly powerful source can't be avoided in this way.
Benthic Worm Venom (poison) — Saving Throw DC 37 Fortitude

Maximum Duration 6 rounds

Stage 1 3d6 poison damage and Clumsy 2 (1 round)

Stage 2 4d6 poison damage and clumsy 2 (1 round)

Stage 3 6d6 poison damage and clumsy 2 (1 round)
Breach — The benthic worm Swims up to its swim Speed, then Leaps vertically out of the water up to 30 feet, making a Strike against a creature at the apex of the jump (this lets it attack a creature within 45 feet of the water's surface). After the Strike, the worm splashes back down. It can use Improved Grab on this Strike and follow it up with Fast Swallow.
Fast Swallow
Swallow Whole (attack) — Huge, 3d8+10 bludgeoning, Rupture 27

The monster attempts to swallow a creature of the listed size or smaller that it has grabbed or restrained in its jaws or mouth. If a swallowed creature is of the maximum size listed, the monster can't use Swallow Whole again. If the creature is smaller than the maximum, the monster can usually swallow more creatures; the GM determines the maximum. The monster attempts an Athletics check opposed by the grabbed creature's Reflex DC. If it succeeds, it swallows the creature. The monster's mouth or jaws no longer grab a creature it has swallowed, so the monster is free to use them to Strike or Grab once again. The monster can't attack creatures it has swallowed.

A swallowed creature is Grabbed, is Slowed 1, and has to hold its breath or start suffocating. The swallowed creature takes the listed amount of damage when first swallowed and at the end of each of its turns while it's swallowed. If the victim Escapes this ability's grabbed condition, it exits through the monster's mouth. This frees any other creature grabbed in the monster's mouth or jaws. A swallowed creature can attack the monster that has swallowed it, but only with unarmed attacks or with weapons of light Bulk or less. The swallowing creature is Off-Guard against the attack. If the monster takes piercing or slashing damage equaling or exceeding the listed Rupture value from a single attack or spell, the swallowed creature cuts itself free. A creature that gets free by either Escaping or cutting itself free can immediately breathe and exits the swallowing monster's space.

Effect: Engulf and Swallow Whole

If the monster dies, a swallowed creature can be freed by creatures adjacent to the corpse if they spend a combined total of 3 actions cutting the monster open with a weapon or unarmed attack that deals piercing or slashing damage.
Thrash — The worm makes a Strike once against each creature in its reach. It can Strike up to once with its jaws, up to once with its stinger, and any number of times with its body. Each attack counts toward the worm's multiple attack penalty, but the multiple attack penalty doesn't increase until after it makes all the attacks.
Improved Grab

WORKS WELL WITH

SnareAQUATIC / LANDA controller that pins the party in difficult terrain keeps them within this worm's long reach for its multi-target Thrash.
SniperAQUATIC / LAND / SUBTERRANEANA ranged attacker can keep pressure on the party from a distance while this worm's reach and Swallow Whole threaten anyone who gets close.
ShadeAQUATIC / SUBTERRANEANAn ambush predator can strike after the worm's Breach forces the party into the open where its own attack goes unanswered.

PUNISHES

✖ clumping (Thrash hits each creature in reach)✖ standing still✖ low Fortitude
Avoid pairing with another reach-based melee brute; the party's positioning options collapse to a single desperate retreat.
Works well with · Punishes · Pairing advice Unlock with Tactics

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Stat block data sourced from the Foundry VTT PF2E system under the Apache License 2.0. Source book: Pathfinder Monster Core.

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