Drider Husk Harvester

Drider Husk Harvester (Heavy; CR 13)

Lawful Evil - Large - Aberration

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

Initiative

19

Perception:
31	+21
Passive	Active

Ambush:

10+

on a d20

Senses:

• Standard Senses
• Low-Light Vision
• Darkvision 60 ft.

Movement Types:

• Walk 40 ft.
• Greater Climb 50 ft.

Defense

AC

34

Man Def

33

Monster Health
672	336	25
Hit Points	Bloodied	Hit Dice

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

Strong Against:

• (Heavy Role) Immunity (partial 3): Heavies are immune to the first three conditions applied to them during an encounter. If a fourth condition is applied to a heavy, it is resolved normally. A 'condition' is defined as any non-instantaneous harmful effect applied to the monster, other than damage, but is most commonly one of the defined Status Conditions (but it doesn't have to be). Statuses related to damage (such as injured, bloodied, staggered, dying, or dead) are not 'conditions', and cannot be negated or avoided with this ability.

Weak Against:

Offense

Size:	Large
10 ft.		10 ft.
Space		Reach

To-Hit

+20

Man Off

+21

Action

1

Points

Standard Attack (Melee):

• 2x Driders Claws +20 (4d8+15/19-20 x2)
  as slashing (physical, common)
  plus: Drider Poison

Full Attack (Melee):

• 4x Driders Claws +20 (4d8+15/19-20 x2)
  as slashing (physical, common)
  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

Poison (Ex) Automatic after successful attack

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) Save: Fort DC 23;     Frequency: 1/round for 3 rounds Effect: 1d4 STR damage and 4d8+15 poison (physical, uncommon) damage each interval Fruition: Victim becomes Paralyzed Fruition Duration: 1 hour Victims of the poison frequently wake up to discover themselves mummified in a cocoon of unbreakable spider silk, and the horrors only grow worse from that point...

Throw Web (Ex) Standard Action 1/Rnd

Once per round as a standard action, Driders may throw a specially prepared web. This is resolved as a ranged touch attack at 1d20 + 24 vs. AC (always hits on a 17+ on the die), with a range increment of 10 feet, and a max range of 50 feet. Creatures struck by the web take 4d8+15 points of acid (energy, common) damage from the Drider Poison soaking it. There is no saving throw against this acid damage. (However, in addition to ER vs. Acid, this is a poison effect and is negated by immunity to poisons.) All affected targets must make a Reflex save against a DC of 23. 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 move action to free a pinned or hindered victim.

Drain Husk (Ex) Automatic with conditions, 1/Rnd

Once per round, if a Drider is able to make a successful melee attack on a foe that is both Pinned and suffering STR damage from Drider Poison, 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 4d8+15 points of poison (physical, uncommon) damage and suffers 1d4 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) Swift Action

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) Standard Action

Concentration: 1d20 + 15 vs. a DC of 29 (14 needed on the die) As a standard action, Driders may cast Bolt, a 60-foot line of eldritch black-edged lightning which erupts from their fingertips. Bolt inflicts 4d8+15 points of lightning (energy, common) damage to all creatures caught in its area of effect, though a Reflex save, DC 23, 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 trace a path 12 squares long (60 feet), with each new square in the path being adjacent (corner or edge) to the previous square, and either equally distant from or further away from the casting drider's space. That is, no part of the path may move closer to the drider, but it can move laterally or further away. Any creature whose space is wholly or partially crossed by the path is affected by the Blackened Bolt, once per casting per creature, ie, squares may overlap, but no creature is ever affected twice.

Cocoon (Ex; Heavy Role) Auto Upon Death

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 Drider is immune to all damage, but melee continues. When their next action comes, the Cocoon bursts, inflicting 4d8+15 points of slashing (physical, common) damage and Hindered on enemy creatures within fifteen feet of their space. There is no save against this effect. Within, the Drider is healed to half its normal maximum hit points (336 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

This creature possesses the Heavy role, and therefore counts as 2 monsters for purposes of encounter size, XP award, and treasure.

This monster frequently has the Heavy role, but may be set to other roles if desired.

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 immediately (next round, or using its action point if it has one) 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. if they are mobbed in melee, they may use a Drider's Bolt to 'wrap around' their space and strike as many adjacent targets as they can.

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, and a pack of Harvesters is a deadly menace.

Rewards

XP: 51,200 (Heavy role included.)

Treasure: Sellable Goods worth 35,250 gp.

Weight: 260 lbs.     Volume: 10.4 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 - 8	Nothing Found
9 - 12	1 Languid Remnant (tier 1)
13 - 15	1 Pale Remnant (tier 2)
16 - 18	1 Bright Remnant (tier 3)
19 - 20	Roll on Table 2
###	Nothing to see here!
###	Or here. Move along.

Table 2: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 3	4 Languid Remnants (tier 1)
4 - 7	4 Pale Remnants (tier 2)
8 - 11	1 Intense Remnant (tier 4)
12 - 15	1 Blazing Remnant (tier 5)
16 - 18	1 Vital Remnant (tier 6)
19 - 20	Roll on Table 3
###	Or here. Move along.

Table 3: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 3	4 Bright Remnants (tier 3)
4 - 5	4 Intense Remnants (tier 4)
6 - 8	4 Blazing Remnants (tier 5)
9 - 11	4 Vital Remnants (tier 6)
12 - 15	1 Prime Remnant (tier 7)
16 - 18	1 Mythic Remnant (tier 8)
19 - 20	1 Empyrean Remnant (tier 9)