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Giant Starfish

This bright orange creature has seven arms radiating from its core and is covered with thick, ridged hide.

Giant Starfish CR 8

Source Bestiary 6 pg. 257
XP 4,800
N Large vermin (aquatic)
Init +1; Senses darkvision 60 ft., tremorsense 30 ft.; Perception +0

Defense

AC 21, touch 10, flat-footed 20 (+1 Dex, +11 natural, –1 size)
hp 104 (11d8+55)
Fort +12, Ref +4, Will +3
Defensive Abilities slow regeneration; Immune mind-affecting effects

Offense

Speed 10 ft., climb 10 ft.
Melee 3 slams +12 (1d8+5 plus grab), stomach +12 (1d6+5 plus grab)
Space 10 ft., Reach 10 ft. (20 ft. with stomach)
Special Attacks firm grip, stomach, swallow whole (2d6+7 bludgeoning, AC 15, 10 hp)

Statistics

Str 20, Dex 13, Con 20, Int —, Wis 11, Cha 3
Base Atk +8; CMB +14 (+22 grapple); CMD 25 (can’t be tripped)
Skills Climb +13

Ecology

Environment any coastlines or oceans
Organization solitary, pair, or cluster (3–10)
Treasure incidental

Special Abilities

Firm Grip (Ex) The giant starfish excels at grappling prey, and gains a +8 racial bonus on grapple checks (rather than the standard +4 bonus most monsters gain as a result of having the grab ability).

Slow Regeneration (Ex) A giant starfish has regeneration but heals very slowly, regaining a number of hit points each hour equal to its Hit Dice (11 hp per hour for the typical giant starfish). Acid, cold, or fire damage suppresses this regeneration for 24 hours.

Stomach (Ex) The giant starfish can invert its stomach to attack prey up to 20 feet away. The hook-lined opening to the starfish’s stomach is a primary attack that deals piercing damage. If a giant starfish successfully grapples a foe with its stomach, it gains the benefit of the fast swallow universal monster rule and can swallow the target immediately rather than waiting until the start of its next turn. It does not trigger a fast swallow effect if it grapples a foe with a slam attack.

Description

The giant starfish dwells along coastlines and in other shallow marine areas. The undersides of each of the giant starfish’s arms are lined with thousands of small tube feet that propel it along and aid in grappling and pinning its prey. The tube feet at the end of the arms are also sensory organs, detecting scents and textures. The starfish moves via a water vascular system, drawing in ocean water and pumping the water throughout its body and out to its tube feet. Because of this, the giant starfish is highly dependent on water to remain mobile and alive.

The giant starfish can be an active hunter, relentlessly attacking marine mammals and coastal avian life alike, but just as often it lies in wait along the water’s edge for its prey to venture into reach. When attacking, the giant starfish latches on with up to three of its arms and attempts to pin its opponent. It then extends its stomach outside of its inner cavity in order to begin digesting the pinned or grappled creature. The giant starfish’s stomach can also shoot out as an elongated tubelike stalk to strike potential prey up to 20 feet away. When the series of barbed hooks at the end of the stomach stalk catch the targeted creature, the starfish begins to pull it closer, in order to more thoroughly secure its meal with its multiple arms. A giant starfish can have anywhere from five to 24 arms, and while the total number of arms can result in a wildly differentlooking creature, the number of limbs has no effect on its statistics since a giant starfish of any size can attack with only up to three of its limbs at a time.

A giant starfish typically measures 15 feet in diameter and weighs 800 pounds.