Stygian Minion (3.5e Creature)

	Stygian Minion
Size/Type:	Large Monstrous Humanoid (Aquatic)
Hit Dice:	6d8+24 (51 hp)
Initiative:	+0
Speed:	20 ft. (4 squares), swim 40 ft.
Armor Class:	16 (-1 size, +7 natural), touch 9, flat-footed 16
Base Attack/Grapple:	+6/+12
Attack:	Slam +7 melee (1d8+2 plus stygian parching)
Full Attack:	2 slams +7 melee (1d8+2 plus stygian parching)
Space/Reach:	10 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks:	Maddening visage, stygian parching
Special Qualities:	Darkvision 60 ft., regeneration 5, water dependent
Saves:	Fort +6, Ref +5, Will +7
Abilities:	Str 15, Dex 10, Con 18, Int 3, Wis 10, Cha 8
Skills:	Survival +9
Feats:	Blind-Fight, Iron Will, Power Attack
Environment:	Cold aquatic
Organization:	Solitary, pair, gang (3-4) or band (5-8)
Challenge Rating:	5
Treasure:	Double goods (gems and jewelery only)
Alignment:	Chaotic Evil
Advancement:	7-14 HD (Large)
Level Adjustment:	—

Stygian minions would wish for their own death, if wish they could.

Staring out into the moon-lit sea, you experience a moment of beautiful peace: the world seems to make sense, somehow. Your eyelids feel heavy and you almost fall asleep, but are awoken by a sudden rush of adrenaline as your mind is filled with utter terror. Something approaches: an abomination, rising from the sea, its flesh like tallow and its all-too-human eyes fixed on you.

Created by stygian gods of the deepest deeps, stygian minions are a race created by corruptions of mortal forms with magical torture. Eventually, the stygian minions don't resemble the creatures they were made of in the least. A stygian minion is visually most related to aquatic creatures: they often have crustacean and fish-like features incorporated into a roughly humanoid form. Their skin is scaly, and often half-formed, flowing like wax on a candle. No two stygian minions look exactly alike, thanks to the horrible processes they're born from.

Combat

Stygian minions are nigh-mindless creatures that have no tactics or strategy: they rush directly into combat and start bashing foes at random. Their natural abilities mean that foes are at danger even if the creature's stupidity means that the fight itself isn't challenging. A stygian minion usually concentrates its slams on a single target, and fights until it or all foes are dead.

Maddening Visage (Su): Any sentient creature within 60 feet that views a stygian minion must succeed on a DC 12 Will save each round or take a point of Wisdom damage. Any creature that succeeds on its save but remains within 60 feet of the stygian minion must continue to save each round. Other stygian minions are immune to this effect. The save DC is Charisma-based.

Stygian Parching (Su): Supernatural disease—slam, Fortitude DC 17, incubation period 1 day; damage 1d4 Str, 1d4 Dex and 1d4 Con. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Unlike normal diseases, stygian parching continues until the victim reaches Constitution 0 (and dies) or is cured as described below.

Stygian parching is a powerful curse, not a natural disease. A character attempting to cast any conjuration (healing) spell on a creature afflicted with stygian parching must succeed on a DC 20 caster level check, or the spell has no effect on the afflicted character.

To eliminate stygian parching, the curse must first be broken with break enchantment or remove curse (requiring a DC 20 caster level check for either spell), after which a caster level check is no longer necessary to cast healing spells on the victim, and the stygian parching can be magically cured as any normal disease.

An afflicted creature who dies of stygian parching becomes a shriveled, desiccated shell that barely resembles the creature it was in life.

Regeneration (Ex): Fire and acid deal normal damage to a stygian minion. If a stygian minion loses a limb or body part, the lost portion regrows in 3d6 minutes. The creature can reattach the severed member instantly by holding it to the stump.

Water Dependent (Ex): Stygian minions can survive out of the water for 1 hour per 2 points of Constitution (after that, refer to the drowning rules).

Skills: A stygian minion has a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform some special action or avoid a hazard. It can always choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered. It can use the run action while swimming, provided it swims in a straight line.

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