Drider Husk Harvester

Drider Husk Harvester (CR 13)

LE - Large - Aberration

Lore:	K. (Dungeoneer)
28		44
Basic DC		Full DC

Initiative

21

Perception:
31	+21
Passive	Active

Ambush:

10+

on a d20

Senses:

• Standard Senses

Movement Types:

Defense

AC

34

Man Def

33

Monster Health
336	168	25
Hit Points	Bloodied	Hit Dice

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

• 1x Driders Claws +20 (3d8+11/19-20 x2)
  as undefined damage type
  plus Drider Poison

Full Attack (Melee):

• 3x Driders Claws +20 (3d8+11/19-20 x2)
  as undefined damage type
  plus Drider Poison

Standard Attack (Ranged):

Full Attack (Ranged):

Siege Damage: Not siege capable

Statistics

26

STR

16

DEX

22

CON

14

INT

10

WIS

6

CHA

Skills:

• Intimidate: 24
• Perception: 21
• Sense Motive: 21
• Stealth: 23
• All other skills: 16 (no ranks)

Languages: Undercommon

Feats:

• Mobility (EFFECT: +4 AC against attacks of opportunity from movement)

Special Abilities

Drider Poison (Ex)

A Drider oozes poison from its vile body. Surprisingly, this is not the ubiquitous Languishroot so beloved by the Drow, but something...less natural. Drider Poison (Injury vector; Poisoned intensity) Fort DC ; Frequency: 1/rounds for 3 rounds Effect: STR damage and non-lethal damage per interval; Fruition: Victim becomes Paralyzed for 1 hour. Generally you wake up mummified in unbreakable spider silk...if you're unlucky.

Throw Web (Ex)

Once per round, as a standard action, Driders may throw a specially prepared web. This is resolved as a ranged touch attack ( to-hit, ranged touch, range increment 10, max range 50 feet). Creatures struck by the web take points of acid damage from the Drider Poison soaking it. There is no saving throw against this acid damage. (However, in addition to ER/Acid, this is a poison effect and is negated by immunity to poisons, and can also be reduced by ER /-.) All affected targets must make a reflex saving throw against a DC of . Those who fail the saving throw gain the Pinned condition. Those who make the saving throw gain the Hindered condition. Either condition may be removed by expending a standard action to carefully unwrap the poisoned webbing. Note that adjacent allies may spend a standard action to free a pinned or hindered victim.

Drain Husk (Ex)

Once per round, if a Drider is able to make a melee attack on a foe that is both Pinned and suffering a loss of Str from Drider Poison, and the Drider successfully hits with that melee attack, their Drain Husk ability kicks in (a triggered free action) as they sink their fangs into their foe and drain it of delicious fluids. The struck creature takes an additional points of subdual damage and suffers points of Con Drain. If a foe is rendered unconscious via Drain Husk (in combination with other damage), they will be carried away by the Drider (assuming it wins the battle) and eaten at its leisure at a later date.

Venom Cup (Ex)

As a swift action, a Drider Harvester can reapply poison to one of his claws. This is done with a practiced economy, as the vicious appendage is dipped into a cup-like device on his belt, right above his bloated thorax. The cup-like device contains 10 doses of Drider Poison, and can be refilled outside of combat. Driders produce their own poison within their wretched bodies, but the way they produce it means they cannot use it in combat without a Venom Cup. The details are quite unpleasant, and best not discussed.

Drider's Blackened Bolt (Sp)

Concentration: 1d20 + 15 vs. a DC of 29 (14 needed on the die) As a standard action, Driders may cast Bolt, a 120 foot line of eldritch black-edged lightning which erupts from their fingertips. Bolt inflicts points of electrical damage to all creatures caught in its area of effect, though a Reflex save, DC , will reduce this damage by 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.

Cocoon (Ex)

As a triggered immediate action, a Drider who is reduced to zero hit points is not slain. Instead, their spinnerets erupt in a flurry of activity and their wretched bodies are instantly wrapped in a massive cocoon of terrible dark silk. While so cocooned, the Driders are immune to all damage, but melee continues. When their next action comes the Cocoon bursts, inflicting points of physical slashing damage and Hindered on enemy creatures within fifteen feet of their space. A Reflex save versus a DC of will negate the Hindered condition, but the damage is unaffected. Within, the Drider is healed to half its normal maximum hit points, all status conditions are removed, and it may use Throw Web on a single target within range, all as a free action. Once the free Throw Web attack is resolved, the Drider may take its full normal set of actions.

Drider Husk Harvester

When the Drow first created the Driders, the great houses could not have been more pleased. Finally, the Drow had a form of loyal trooper that could stand toe-to-toe with the toughest enemies out there!

But the Matriarchs and the mighty Regents felt that the new Driders could be made even stronger, and so the Cocoons were warped even further to produce the Husk Harvester.

The Husk Harvester gave up some flexibility and utility to gain even more punch in melee, and the ability to capture foes alive, which was very strongly desired by certain elements among the Regents.

Unfortunately, the Husk Harvester strain of Driders proved to be MUCH more difficult to control than expected. Indeed, over the millennia since they were created, entire populations of Harvesters have broken off into the wild and live as free-roaming beasts. Since Driders live as long as Elves do, they tend to accumulate over time.

Due to their tendency to 'go rogue', Husk Harvesters are less popular with Matriarchs than other Driders. Regents, on the other hand, love Husk Harvesters for their ability to capture foes, and as a result, there are many Husk Harvesters created each year, despite their drawbacks.

Combat Tactics

Husk Harvesters do not follow orders in combat well. As a result, they do not mount the crushing "alpha strike' some other Driders do. Instead, Husk Harvesters try to set up the chance to capture food.

They typically rush to close the range, and then will lurk five feet away from a foe and Throw Web at it, hoping to Pin it. If the foe resists and closes in, the Husk Harvester will take a five foot step away and continue throwing webs. The instant any foe fails a save and gains the Pinned condition, the Husk Harvester will use its action point to make a standard claw attack, looking for the Drain Husk ability to fire off.

If foes are maneuvering at range or consistently making saves, Husk Harvesters will close in and go to full melee attacks, regardless of Pinned conditions, or back away and start firing Drider's Bolts, depending on circumstances and their whims.

If melee is working well, Husk Harvesters will use Drider's Bolt only if they are taking significant ranged or spellcaster damage, and they will typically move away from melee, fire a Drider's Bolt, and if all foes look well armored or if they have made all their saves against Throw Web, they will use their action point to fire a second Drider's Bolt, again targeting ranged attackers in preference.

Once combat is joined, a Husk Harvester will never consider flight unless they have an unconscious victim. If they have a meal secured, they almost always flee immediately.

Out of Combat

Husk Harvesters who are working for the Drow will have collars and chains, finely made of silver, but firmly reminding them of their duties. If a female Drow is present, they tend to be quite obedient in front of her. If it is only Drow males, their obedience becomes...less certain. They will only rarely turn on other Drow, but they will certainly be less than helpful.

Husk Harvesters on their own tend to be pack ambush predators, delighting in hunting, eating, and killing anything tasty. They are not exactly fearless, but they are well aware of their abilities. They will often try to set ambushes, hoping to snatch a victim, but sometimes they will volley with Bolts instead, having developed a taste for cooked food.

Either tactic is unpleasant, to put it mildly, and a pack of Harvesters is a deadly menace.

Rewards

XP: 25,600

Treasure: Sellable Goods worth 17,625 gp.

Weight: 130 lbs.     Volume: 5.2 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)