Chuul

Chuul (CR 12)

Pure or Chaotic Evil - Large - Aberration

Lore:	K. (Dungeoneer)
27		41
Basic DC		Full DC

Initiative

20

Perception:
30	+20
Passive	Active

Ambush:

10+

on a d20

Senses:

• Standard Senses
• Low-Light Vision
• Darkvision 60 ft.
• SPECIAL: A Chuul only has low-light vision underwater.

Movement Types:

• Walk 30 ft.
• Greater Climb 30 ft.
• Greater Swim 30 ft.

Defense

AC

32

Man Def

32

Monster Health
289	144	22
Hit Points	Bloodied	Hit Dice

Saving Throws
Fort:	+15
Refl:	+10
Will:	+10

Strong Against:

Weak Against:

Offense

Size:	Large
10 ft.		10 ft.
Space		Reach

To-Hit

+20

Man Off

+21

Action

0

Points

Standard Attack (Melee):

• 2x Crackling Claws +20 (3d6+5/x2)
  as Crushing (physical, common)
  plus: Claw Grab, and Deathgrip

Full Attack (Melee):

• 1x Crunching Bite +20 (3d10+14/x2)
  as Crushing (physical, common)
• 2x Crackling Claws +20 (3d6+5/x2)
  as Crushing (physical, common)
  plus: Claw Grab, and Deathgrip

Standard Attack (Ranged):

• 1x Disgusting Squirt +20 (3d10+14/x2)
  as slime (physical, common)
  (Increment: 30 ft.; Max Range: 150 ft.)
  plus: REFL save (DC 22) or be Sickened

Full Attack (Ranged):

• 3x Disgusting Squirt +20 (3d10+14/x2)
  as slime (physical, common)
  (Increment: 30 ft.; Max Range: 150 ft.)
  plus: REFL save (DC 22) or be Sickened

Siege Damage: Not siege capable

Statistics

24

STR

16

DEX

18

CON

10

INT

14

WIS

5

CHA

Skills:

• Knowledge (Local): 19
• Perception: 20
• Stealth: 23
• All other skills: 14 (no ranks)

Languages: Aquan

Feats:

Special Abilities

Claw Grab (Ex) Free Action after successful Claw attack

A Chuul can initiate a Claw Grab as a free action after any successful claw attack, rolling a d20 plus its Maneuver Offense of 19 against the Maneuver Defense of its struck foe. It can sustain the grapple per the standard Grapple rules. A Chuul can have up to one foe grappled with its claws at a time (no larger than size large), in addition to any foe it may have entangled by its Slimy Doom power (see below).

Deathgrip (Ex) Part of Grapple

While it has a foe Grappled with its claws, the Chuul may use Deathgrip as a damage action, which inflicts 3d8+9 points of crushing (physical, common) damage. (It must use a standard action to sustain the grapple, making a Maneuver Offense check of a d20 plus its 19 against the foe's Maneuver Defense. If successful, it deals the Deathgrip damage automatically, if it chooses to perform a damage action.)

Slimy Doom (Ex) Move action after Grapple

If the Chuul begins its turn with a foe Grappled in its claws, as a move action it may make the Grapple check to sustain the grapple, and if successful, stuff its victim into the fringe of slimy paralytic palps hanging from its head...parts. A Chuul can have one foe (no larger than size large) trapped in its Slimy Doom. Having a foe in Slimy Doom grapples that foe, but the Chuul is NOT considered to be in a grapple and retains its full array of actions in each following round. In all future rounds, the check to sustain the grapple and perform a damage action to victims of Slimy Doom are free actions for the Chuul. In addition, damage actions inflicted on a victim of Slimy Doom use the Chuul's Deathgrip damage (see above). To make things worse, each time a foe takes damage from Slimy Doom, they must make a Fort save, DC 20, or become Paralyzed. Making the save negates the condition, but the Chuul may certainly try again in future rounds. Paralyzed victims may make additional Fortitude saves at the end of each of their turns to attempt to end the condition.

Chuul

A chuul is a massive beast, and truly horrible to behold. Its appearance is all armored chitin and massive snapping claws and wet, dangling palps. Chuuls are scavengers and ambush predators, and are more than willing to feed on carrion, rotting plant matter, any undead they can catch, and whatever else they can get a death grip on.

Despite appearances, chuuls are not mindless beasts. That said, chuuls are certainly aberrant things, and there is little to no basis for conversation or peace between a chuul and anything not-chuul. Chuul's seem to exist to eat and reproduce and make weird spiky designs in mud, sand, trees, or whatever else happens to be to hand. Indeed, a sure sign of a chuul incursion is weird alien patterns showing up in unlikely places.

Chuul are amphibious, as well as aquatic. They swim very well, despite their massive bulk, and they can breathe both water and air, as well as hold their breath for five times as long as you would expect them to be able to and suffer no ill effects for it. Chuuls prefer to live in places where there is shallow water, and are not terribly picky beyond that. Chuul haunt deserted beaches, swamps, bogs, watery caves and tunnels, dark mountain lakes, sewers in cities, ruins and dungeons of all kinds, clear forest streams, crashing rocky surf, fens and marshes, mud pits, peat bogs and many more places besides. They are hardy and horrible, and can reach tremendous strength if they are allowed too, or are cultivated as allies by more civilized monsters.

They like to lurk and creep, and their hard outer surface is often crusted with debris from their environment, making them incredibly stealthy for their size.

Chuul are not aggressive. They will not raid settlements and kill wantonly. They prefer to pick off victims with more discretion, but they can and will eat sentient races without hesitation. A chuul infestation must be confronted, and quickly, before tragedy happens.

Combat Tactics

Chuuls are ambush predators and terribly, implacably, evil. They will hide in water, near trails and docks, and strike when their victims have their guard down. Chuul are clever, awful things, and will try to either begin battle in melee range using their astonishingly good stealth, or they will attack at range, hoping to sicken or outright kill one or two victims, then flee, planning to come back for their meal after the excitement has died down.

In all cases, every claw attack is a chance to start a grapple attempt, for free. Chuul always try for a grapple, but will move a victim into its Slimy Doom tentacles as fast as possible. This allows it to grapple a foe and damage or paralyze them, and still move and attack unimpeded.

Chuul who have attacked are likely hungry. They will never consider retreat unless they have a victim in their Slimy Doom. If they do, and the combat is going poorly, a chuul will not hesitate to flee battle, abandoning its comrades without a second thought.

Out of Combat

Chuul are usually found in small, furtive colonies, living apart from other creatures, killing and eating whatever they can catch, and hating everything in the universe, including themselves.

Especially themselves....

That said, Chuul are terrible armored death machines with highly effective catch and kill melee abilities, that can swim and climb with frightening ease. There are always factions of bad guys who are willing to work with pods of chuul, just to have the extra muscle and big stack of abilities available, plus having allies who can guard that secret underwater entrance is a big plus. Chuul can grow to frightening levels of power if they are allowed too, and can be found in the lairs of some truly mighty and terrifying foes.

Chuul who are able to work with other monsters tend to be completely, horribly, utterly, pure evil. Chuul that are found as separate encounters tend to be less evil, believe it or not, but more chaotic, so that they cannot work well with others.

Rewards

XP: 19,200

Treasure: Sellable Goods worth 12,875 gp.

Weight: 120 lbs.     Volume: 4.8 cu. ft.

Optional Treasure Rules: Roll a d20 on Table 1 below once per encounter (NOT per creature). Any items discovered are in addition to the normal treasure for the encounter.

Table 1: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 10	Nothing Found
11 - 14	1 Languid Remnant (tier 1)
15 - 17	1 Pale Remnant (tier 2)
18 - 19	1 Bright Remnant (tier 3)
20	Roll on Table 2
###	Nothing to see here!
###	Or here. Move along.

Table 2: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 5	3 Languid Remnants (tier 1)
6 - 10	3 Pale Remnants (tier 2)
11 - 14	1 Intense Remnant (tier 4)
15 - 17	1 Blazing Remnant (tier 5)
18 - 19	1 Vital Remnant (tier 6)
20	Roll on Table 3
###	Or here. Move along.

Table 3: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 5	3 Bright Remnants (tier 3)
6 - 8	3 Intense Remnants (tier 4)
9 - 11	3 Blazing Remnants (tier 5)
12 - 14	3 Vital Remnants (tier 6)
15 - 17	1 Prime Remnant (tier 7)
18 - 19	1 Mythic Remnant (tier 8)
20	1 Empyrean Remnant (tier 9)