Dhirgiska
CR: 13 XP: 25,600
N Huge magical beast
Init: +6 Senses: darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent Perception: +12
Defense
AC: 22, touch 10, flat-footed 20 (+2 Dex, +12 natural, –2 size)
HP: 138 (12d10+72), fast healing 12
Fort: +15 Ref: +12 Will: +7
DR: 10/cold iron
Immune: disease, poison HYDRA LARVAE The larvae of a hydra can be just as imposing foes as the matured brute itself. The noxious eggs and writhing tadpoles are placed by their parent in shallow bog holes and trenches, and in these lairs, hydra larvae prey upon those creatures that fail to watch their step as they cross the marshy terrain. Creatures that succeed at a DC 15 Perception check or Knowledge (nature) check notice hydra larvae swimming in a bog hole. Hydra larvae can detect creatures outside of their pit, and burst from beneath the water to feast upon prey. Any creature within 5 feet of a larva-infested bog hole must succeed at a DC 15 Reflex save or become infested with hydra larvae. A creature that becomes infested takes 1d2 points of Constitution damage and becomes sickened. Hydra larvae can be detached from a creature they dig into by prying them out with a slashing weapon (which requires a DC 20 Heal check that deals 1d6 points of damage regardless of whether or not the check succeeds) or by dealing acid damage to the larvae at any time, which deals half damage to the creature the larvae are infesting. Remove disease or a similar effect kills any hydra larvae on the host. Hydra
Offense
Speed: 20 ft., swim 20 ft.
Melee: 12 bites +14 (1d8+4 plus poison)
Space: 20 ft. Reach: 15 ft.
Special Attacks: breath weapon (15-ft. cone, cloudkill, Fort DC 21 partial, usable every 1d4 rounds), pounce
Statistics
Str: 19 Dex: 14 Con: 20 Int: 2 Wis: 13 Cha: 11
Base Atk: +12 CMB: +18 CMD: 30 (34 vs. trip)
Feats: Combat Reflexes, Great Fortitude, Improved Initiative, Improved Natural Attack (bite), Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Toughness, Snatch
Skills: Perception +12, Swim +21, Racial Modifiers +2 Perception
SQ: bloodspray, hydra traits, regenerate head
Description
Miasma hydra
Bloodspray (Ex) Whenever a creature sunders one of a miasma hydra’s heads, strikes it with a melee attack that does bleed damage, or confirms a successful critical hit against the miasma hydra with a melee piercing or slashing weapon, the creature must succeed at a DC 21 Fortitude save or be affected by the miasma hydra’s poison as though it had been bitten.
Breath Weapon (Ex) A miasma hydra’s breath weapon is identical in effect to cloudkill, except that it has a duration of instantaneous, covers a 15-foot-cone area, and is usable every 1d4 rounds by each of the miasma hydra’s heads. A creature in the area of multiple breaths in the same round must make multiple saves, but can only be affected by the cloudkill effect once per round.
Fast Healing (Ex) A miasma hydra’s fast healing ability is equal to its current number of heads (minimum fast healing 12). This fast healing applies only to damage dealt to the miasma hydra’s body.
Poison (Ex) Bite—injury; save Fort DC 21; frequency 1/round for 6 rounds; effect 1d3 Str damage and sickened for 1 minute; cure 2 consecutive saves.
West of Kokutang in the Sodden Lands, there lies the remains of a once-proud and now-nameless village, destroyed when the massive Eye of Abendego consumed the gulf and buried the young nation of Yamasa and its secrets more than 100 years ago. Within the flooded ruins of this small settlement, the miasma hydra known to local Koboto tribespeople as Dhirgiska scavenges the wreckage and makes its lair in the vast caverns carved out of the marshy earth beneath the village. Attacking any who dare to near the destroyed village, the hydra has made it impossible for the people of Kokutang to fully explore the ruins and discover what importance the site once held for their people, if any. It is unknown what drives Dhirgiska to protect its lair so fervently, and some think that the beast was left by the deceased people of the village in order to protect their secrets and treasures. Whatever the case, it is well known that those who dare face the ruins and the beast that dwells within rarely come back alive.
Though it is generally known that any foreigners who try to interact with the people of Kokutang will be met with ravenous hostility, it is thought that should some brave adventurer bring the heart of the treacherous Dhirgiska to them, she would be praised as a hero in their eyes.
Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Mythical Monsters Revisited Kraken BENEATH THE CEASELESS WAVES THERE ARE SAID TO DWELL BLASPHEMOUS BEASTS OF IMMENSE POWER, LEGENDARY CREATURES WHOSE VERY BEING SEEMS TO DEFY ANY LOGIC LAND-DWELLERS MIGHT SUMMON IN OPPOSITION. MOST INCONCEIVABLE, PERHAPS, ARE THEIR ALIEN FORMS, THOSE OF BEHEMOTH SQUIDS; IF NOT THESE, THEN THEIR COLD, CALCULATIVE REASONING, FOR VOID ARE THEY OF COMPASSION AND PITY. REGARDLESS OF WHO MAY DOUBT THEIR EXISTENCE, THE DREAD KRAKENS ARE AS REAL AS THE BLOOD THEY SPILL, AND THE TIME OF THEIR ASCENT MAY BE FAST APPROACHING... —ILIA COLIDAR, BENEATH THE MARBLE TIDES Kraken F ew creatures cause such fear among mariners as the dreaded krakens—gargantuan squidlike beings that dwell in the deepest and darkest trenches of the ocean, emerging only to spread mayhem and horror among sailors and land-dwellers alike. While those who know little of the sea and the terrors it contains refer to krakens as mythical creatures, experienced mariners know such talk only amounts to the wishful musings of the unenlightened, and that krakens are far from mere legend.
Most land-dwelling folk know of krakens only from stories, where the creatures are usually allegorical representations of the primal forces of nature, symbolic of mortals’ follies and their futile attempts to defy the natural will of the ocean. These folk regard such tales as parables, lessons to be considered but still regarded as mostly fictional. Those who earn their living at sea know better. While actual sightings of krakens are rare, and those who encounter the monsters rarely live to tell their tales, krakens’ habits and appearance are well known among fisherfolk and nomadic seafarers alike. Traditions passed down through families of mariners tell which seas are regarded as most dangerous, when krakens are likely to be encountered, and what activities attract their attention. Shamans and priests of seafaring tribespeople know to invoke the aid of the gods and spirits before individuals venture into the wild and unforgiving ocean, asking their deities for help in warding off the evil krakens. Some barbaric peoples take a different approach entirely, throwing various sacrifices and offerings into the sea in order to placate those who dwell below, and particularly perverse clans have gone so far as to give themselves up to the worship of krakens, believing them to be agents of ancient gods, or perhaps even gods themselves.
Even the bravest captain quails in the face of a kraken attack, and most sailors sailing through known kraken territory carefully consider the fact that this voyage may be their last, and make peace with their gods before setting sail across the briny deep. Superstitious mariners deal with krakens by avoiding them as much as possible, and the cowardly consider even the slightest mention of the creatures to be bad luck. Woe to the unwary traveler who mentions krakens in conversation with an irrational captain while aboard her ship—at the very least he will be shunned, and at worst he will be thrown overboard in an attempt to ward off ill fortune or as a sacrifice to keep the lurking terrors away. However, there do exist tales of brave warriors fighting back against the treacherous krakens, summoning their courage and giving the beasts nothing until they are either driven off or slain outright. Such tales inspire bravery within sailors in times of peril, but if there’s one thing the hateful krakens actively punish, it’s resistance from those they considers their inferiors.
Source: Mythical Monsters Revisited, p. 33