Behir
Behir (CR 14)
These arrogant and often suddenly violent reptiles resemble monstrous 40-foot long blue serpents, but can unfold six pairs of legs with jagged claws when necessary. They often slither about as a snake would, but the legs enable them to climb sheer surfaces or grab foes in combat. Behirs are highly territorial and often claim large swaths of land as their own, even when they can't necessarily hold it against all nearby foes. That doesn't stop them from aggressively punishing anyone who dares to enter.
Behirs are also notorious for their ability to fire blasts of lightning from their mouths, causing many to speculate that they might be related to blue dragons. However, behirs are flightless, and frankly, not as bright as dragons, though they are smarter than one might expect, usually at the worst possible times.
Behirs maintain tight-knit families, similar to a pride of lions, and usually travel together as a pack, maintaining numerous lairs within their territory, and migrating among them in no discernible pattern.
General
CR 14 Hit Dice 20
XP 38,400
N Huge Magical Beast
Init +6; Senses Low-Light Vision 120 ft., Perception +21
Defense
AC 36, touch 25, flat-footed 32 (+9 armor, +4 dex, +6 natural, +7 deflection)
hp 315
Fort +17, Ref +13, Will +13
Aura -
SR -
Special Defenses -
Immunities Electricity
Weaknesses -
Offense
Speed 50 ft., Greater Climb 50 ft.
Space / Reach: 15 ft. / 10 ft.
Single Melee Bite +23 (2d8+17/x2)
Full Melee Bite +23 (2d8+17/x2) plus Swallow Whole, 2x Claws +23 (2d6+6/x2)
Ranged none, but see Breath Weapon
Special Attacks Breath Weapon, Constrict, Swallow Whole
Action Points 0
Statistics
Str 25, Dex 21, Con 19, Int 9, Wis 14, Cha 12
Base Atk +14; CMB +23 (+25 for grapples); CMD 31
Feats
- Combat Reflexes (EFFECT: 5 attacks of opportunity each round)
- Improved Grapple (EFFECT: doesn't provoke with grappling, +2 to CMB for grapples)
Skills Diplomacy +18, Sense Motive +18, Bluff +18
Languages Common, Nagaji
Special Abilities
- Breath Weapon
As a standard action, the Behir can fire a 50-foot line of lightning dealing 7d6+1 points of damage to any target struck (Reflex save, DC 22, for half). To determine which creatures are struck by a line attack, choose the origin square (any square adjacent to the caster) and any target square within range, and draw a straight line between the center of the two squares. The target square may be closer than the line's maximum range but it may not be further. Note that the line's range is not shortened by choosing a square closer than the maximum range; the effect simply passes through that square to its maximum range. Any square that the line crosses, even partially, is considered to be within the line's area of effect. If there is some doubt that the line has actually passed through a square, rather than just nicking its edge or corner, the GM should generally rule conservatively, (i.e. the line doesn't cross that square), since lines are intended to be somewhat limited in area of effect.
- Constrict
As a standard attack action, the Behir may attempt to grab and Constrict an enemy within reach. To do so, it makes a CMB check (at +2 because of the Improved Grapple feat: 25 + 1d20) versus the target's CMD. If it succeeds, the Behir grapples the target and immediately deals 7d6+1 bludgeoning damage to the target. The Behir makes additional CMB checks to maintain the grapple as a free action each round, and each round it succeeds, it continues to deal 7d6+1 bludgeoning damage to the target.
A Behir can have only a single creature, sized-large or smaller, grappled at a time. While in a grapple that the Behir initiated with the Constrict ability, the Behir does not suffer from any of the penalties normally associated with being in a grapple, can make standard and even full attack actions, attacks of opportunity (using its bite attack) against nearby enemies who provoke it, and it retains its full move speed.
If the Behir fails its grapple check, the target creature is not grappled and takes no damage.
- Swallow Whole
After a successful bite attack made as part of a full attack action, the Behir can make a Grapple check to attempt to swallow the enemy whole. The opponent can be up to one size category Smaller than the Behir, and if the grapple check beats the target's CMD, the target is swallowed.
Being swallowed causes a creature to take 7d6+1 Acid damage each round after the first round. A swallowed creature keeps the Grappled condition, while the Behir remains un-grappled. A swallowed creature can try to cut its way free with any light slashing, light piercing or close weapon. It requires 63 points of damage to successfully cut free of the Behir's belly, and this damage is NOT applied against the Behir's hit points, instead coming from a separate pool. The Armor Class of the interior of the Behir is equal to its Touch AC (AC 21). If a swallowed creature cuts its way out, the Behir cannot use swallow whole again until the damage is healed.
A creature which cuts its way free of the Behir is deposited on an interior square of the Behir's space, allowing it to set up Interior Flanks for his allies. Assuming the escaped creature is size Medium or smaller, he is not considered squeezing while occupying this interior space (and neither is the Behir).
A Behir can only have a single creature sized-large or smaller swallowed whole at a time. However, while doing so, it suffers none of the penalties normally associated with being in a grapple, can make standard and even full attack actions, attacks of opportunity (using its bite attack) against nearby enemies who provoke it, and it retains its full move speed.
Treasure
sell value of approximately 13,750 gp
Combat Tactics
A single Behir can usefully engage up to three opponents at once, but it takes some time to set that up. To that end, a Behir will look to initiate a full attack action as soon as it can manage one, triggering Swallow Whole if its bite attack hits.
On any round in which it cannot get a full attack action, it will instead move to an enemy and initiate a Constrict attack.
If it can't reach anything after a move action, it will instead line up the most efficient line of enemies for it's lightning breath weapon.
Note that a behir can maintain a constrict-grapple and a swallow-whole grapple every round as free actions, once they are initiated, and still perform all its other actions that round unimpeded. Taking into account that a standard encounter with Behirs will mean there's one Behir per player character, they are quite fearsome opponents indeed.
One oddity of Behirs is that they're actually pretty smart. They can speak both Common and Nagaji, and have even been known to negotiate peacefully with travelers, though it's rare enough that most people think behirs are stupid beasts who attack anything that will fit in their mouths.