LuscaThis beast has three sharklike heads on short, scaly necks, while
its lower body appears to be that of an octopus.Lusca CR 17Source Bestiary 5 pg. 161, Isles of the Shackles pg. 53
XP 102,400
CE Gargantuan magical beast (aquatic)
Init +4; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +28DefenseAC 32, touch 6, flat-footed 32 (+26 natural, –4 size)
hp 270 (20d10+160)
Fort +20, Ref +12, Will +11
Immune electricity, poisonOffenseSpeed 10 ft., swim 40 ft., jet 200 ft.
Melee 3 bites +27 (2d8+11/19–20), 8 tentacles +26 (1d8+5
plus grab)
Space 20 ft., Reach 20 ft.
Special Attacks constrict (1d8+5 plus
poison), rend ship, vicious grapple
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 18th;
concentration +22)
3/day—chain lightning (DC 20),
geyser (DC 19)
1/day—summon (level 8,
1d4+1 dire sharks 50%),
vortex (DC 21)StatisticsStr 32, Dex 11, Con 26, Int 13, Wis 21, Cha 18
Base Atk +20; CMB +35 (+39 grapple); CMD 45
Feats Awesome Blow, Critical Focus, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Critical (bite), Improved Initiative, Multiattack, Power
Attack, Sickening Critical, Snatch, Weapon Focus (tentacle)
Skills Perception +28, Stealth +11, Swim +42
Languages Aquan, Common
SQ vicious grappleEcologyEnvironment warm oceans
Organization solitary
Treasure doubleSpecial AbilitiesPoison (Ex) Constrict—injury; save Fort DC 28; frequency 1/
round for 6 rounds; effect 1d6 Dex; cure 2 consecutive saves.
Rend Ship (Ex) As a full-round action, a lusca can attempt
to use four of its tentacles to grapple a ship of its size or
smaller by attempting a combat maneuver check opposed
by the ship captain’s Profession (sailor) check; the lusca
receives a cumulative +4 bonus on the check for each
size category smaller than Gargantuan the ship is. If the
lusca grapples the ship, it holds the ship motionless; it
can attack targets anywhere on or within the ship with its
remaining four tentacles, but can’t attack foes at all with its
shark heads. Each round it maintains its hold on the ship,
it automatically deals bite damage from all three heads to
the ship’s hull.
Vicious Grapple (Ex) A lusca does not gain the grappled
condition if it grabs a foe with its tentacles. It can attempt
to maintain a grapple against any number of creatures in its
tentacles as a swift action.DescriptionLuscas are among the most feared predators in the
open ocean—their snapping shark heads and writhing
tentacles spell the end for many crews. A lusca’s presence
can first be felt in the air, as its body naturally conducts
electricity. Sailors who have encountered the being
and survived claim that thunderclouds seem to roll
in alongside the creature and strange electrical f ires
dance in the air before it attacks, lending an eerie aura
of foreboding to the oncoming assault. Ravenous and
unpredictable, a lusca claims wide swaths of territory
in order to maximize the number of ships it can sink
and crews it can feast upon; luscas brook no other large
predators in their claimed territory, and battle even
mighty krakens for control. They are equally territorial
with their own kind, and an encounter between two
luscas, except to mate, almost always ends with one dead or
driven off. While luscas prefer to make quick meals of the
sailors onboard a ship, they will eat just about any aquatic
creature, and even giant octopuses and whales know to
steer clear of a hungry lusca’s vicinity.
The average lusca is 90 feet from tentacle to snout and
weighs 3,800 pounds. Legends tell of even larger luscas
that can sink Colossal ships.
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