Protean, OshagerosThis crocodile-jawed creature has two talon-tipped hands and
luminescent tentacles extending from its back.Oshageros CR 13Source Bestiary 6 pg. 212 XP 25,600 CN Medium outsider (chaotic, extraplanar, protean, shapechanger) Init +11; Senses blindsense 30 ft., darkvision 60 ft., detect law;
Perception +24DefenseAC 28, touch 18, flat-footed 20 (+7 Dex, +1 dodge, +10 natural) hp 195 (17d10+102) Fort +13, Ref +19, Will +16 Defensive Abilities amorphous anatomy, freedom of
movement; DR 10/lawful; Immune acid, polymorph effects; Resist electricity 10, sonic 10; SR 24OffenseSpeed 30 ft., fly 30 ft. (perfect), swim 30 ft. Melee bite +23 (1d8+6 plus warpwave), 2 claws +23 (1d8+6),
tail slap +18 (1d4+3 plus grab), 4 tentacles +18
(1d4+3 plus drain) Special Attacks constrict (1d4+6), draining
tentacles, warpwave burst Spell-Like Abilities (CL 13th; concentration +18) Constant—detect law At will—greater dispel magic, greater teleport (self plus 50 lbs. of objects only) 3/day—chaos hammer (DC 19) 1/day—dispel law (DC 20), dismissal (DC 20), summon (level 5, 2 imenteshes 75%)StatisticsStr 22, Dex 25, Con 22, Int 21, Wis 18, Cha 21 Base Atk +17; CMB +23; CMD 41 (can’t be tripped) Feats Combat Expertise, Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Great Fortitude, Improved Initiative, Improved Lightning Reflexes, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Mobility Skills Acrobatics +27, Bluff +25, Diplomacy +25,
Fly +35, Intimidate +25, Knowledge
(planes) +25, Perception +24,
Sense Motive +24, Stealth +27,
Survival +24, Swim +31 Languages Abyssal, Protean SQ change shape
(greater polymorph)EcologyEnvironment any
(Maelstrom) Organization solitary, pair,
or school (3–8 oshageroses) Treasure standardSpecial AbilitiesDraining Tentacles (Ex) An oshageros’s tentacles flicker with chaotic energies that sap the vigor of those they strike. A creature struck by a tentacle takes 1 point of Dexterity drain and is staggered for 1 round; this effect is negated with a successful DC 24 Fortitude save, but a new saving throw must be attempted for each tentacle hit. The duration of the staggered effect stacks with multiple hits. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Warpwave Burst (Su) As a standard action once every 1d4 rounds, an oshageros can unleash a powerful chaotic force in a 20-foot radius burst centered on itself. This burst affects all creatures in the area save for other proteans. Affected creatures are struck by a warpwave (see page 306) and are staggered for 1 round. A successful DC 24 Fortitude save negates this effect. The save DC is Constitution-based.DescriptionOshageroses exist to destroy or ward away creatures seen as antithetical to true chaos.
An oshageros is 8 feet long and weighs 220 pounds.Creatures in "Protean" CategorySource Bestiary 2 pg. 213 Beings of pure chaos, the serpentine proteans slither through the anarchic improbabilities of Limbo, remaking reality according to their whims. According to their own history, they were already here when the first gods pulled forth the other planes from raw chaos—and they have been battling against the indignity ever since. Hereditary and ideological enemies of Axis, Heaven, and Hell, and especially of the residents of those planes, all proteans see it as their sacred duty to return the bland, static expanses of mundane reality to the beautiful incongruities of Limbo, for the planes' own good and for the greater glory of their mysterious god, a dualistic deity which may be a living aspect of Limbo itself. They are Limbo's living, breathing immune system, rooting out infections of mundanity and replacing them with beautiful entropy.
Primeval in shape and philosophy, proteans are the race that most perfectly embodies the twin aspects of creation and destruction (although certain aeons might contest this claim). Even their language is mutable, evolving so quickly that few outsiders can understand it without magical aid. Ecological study is nearly impossible, as reproduction can take a wide variety of forms, from sexual union to fission to spontaneous generation. Despite their deceptively similar natural appearances, the two things that truly unify the protean race are slavish devotion to their strange god and a fervent desire for the dissolution of reality as we know it.
Proteans are organized into several sub-races or castes, each with its own individual abilities and roles. Other proteans than the four presented here doubtless exist, but they do not interact with other races nearly to the extent that these four types do.
Voidworms: Disowned by greater proteans, who find these tiny beings shameful, voidworms nevertheless retain all the characteristics of true proteans, and are frequently found swimming through Limbo in vast schools or serving as spellcasters' familiars.
Naunets: Possessing little in the way of culture, the powerful naunets are the most bestial of the true proteans, representing the lowest recognized caste. Naunets are the shock troops of the protean race, and patrol the borderlands between Limbo and other planes, seeking out lawful incursions and making daring, savage raids into the realms of their enemies.
Imenteshes: These cunning proteans seek to subvert the forces of order from within their own systems, whispering information and insinuations where they can do the most damage. Endlessly creative, they adore reforming the landscapes of Limbo to suit their fancies, but enjoy warping the vistas and creatures of other planes even more.
Keketars: Priest-kings and voices of Limbo itself, keketars rule their fellows in the name of their bizarre god. Though their forms are extremely mutable, keketars can always be recognized thanks to eyes that glow amber or violet and floating crowns of swirling and changing symbols that often appear above their heads. Organized into cabals called choruses, keketars seek only to understand and follow the will of entropy. Protean Lords While the keketars are the highest caste of the protean race, there exist a few scattered individuals who put even the mightiest chorus to shame. Equal in power to demon lords or empyreal lords, the beings known as protean lords are an enigma, far older than other proteans and perhaps spawned in a previous iteration of the multiverse or somewhere beyond the depths of Limbo. Disdaining direct leadership, protean lords act according to their own desires, occasionally appearing to advise their lesser kin or keep an inscrutable eye on entities whose powers rival their own. Warpwaves Many proteans, particularly the imenteshes, have the ability to create and manipulate ripples in reality known as warpwaves. Yet even a protean can't predict what effects a warpwave might have. When a creature is affected by a warpwave, roll 1d20 and consult the table below to see what effect the entropic energies have.
d20 | Warpwave effect | 1 | Target takes 2 Strength damage. | 2 | Target takes 2 Dexterity damage. | 3 | Target takes 2 Constitution damage. | 4 | Target takes 2 Intelligence damage. | 5 | Target takes 2 Wisdom damage. | 6 | Target takes 2 Charisma damage. | 7 | Target gains 1 negative level. | 8 | Target is blinded or deafened for 1d4 rounds. | 9 | Target is confused for 1d4 rounds. | 10 | Target is entangled by filaments of energy for 1d4 rounds. | 11 | Target becomes fatigued (or exhausted if already fatigued). | 12 | Target becomes nauseated for 1d4 rounds. | 13 | Target is stunned for 1d4 rounds. | 14 | Target is sickened for 1d4 rounds. | 15 | Target is staggered for 1d4 rounds. | 16 | Target gains 4d6 temporary hit points. | 17 | Target is affected by a heal spell (CL = protean's CR). | 18 | Target is turned to stone. | 19 | Target is affected by baleful polymorph (CL = protean's CR). | 20 | Portions of target's body burst with energy of a random type (choose between acid, cold, electricity, or fire), dealing 4d6 points of damage of the appropriate type to the target. |
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