 The Moldering Emperor
Viscous black ooze covers every inch of this writhing mass of flailing tendrils and vestigial appendages. Whatever it might have once been lies hidden beneath spatters of noxious, tar-like filth, which sprays across everything nearby it as the thing lashes and leaks madly. A wave of cold rushes before the disgusting abomination as it comes, an icy, fetid breath like that from a chill sepulcher.The Moldering Emperor CR 16Source Pathfinder #18: Descent into Midnight pg. 82
Black-blooded neothelid (aquatic)
CE Gargantuan aberration
Init +3; Senses blindsight 100 ft.; Listen +30, Spot +30DefenseAC 31, touch 5, flat-footed 31 (-1 Dex, +26 natural, -4 size)
hp 362 (25d8+250)
Fort +18, Ref +7, Will +16
DR 5/—; Immune ability drain, cold, energy drain, poison; SR 25OffenseSpeed 20 ft., swim 20 ft.
Melee 4 tentacle rakes +25 (3d6+11 plus 1d6 cold/19-20)
Space 20 ft., Reach 20 ft.
Special Attacks breath weapon, improved grab, swallow whole
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 15th)
At will—detect thoughts (DC 17), charm monster (DC 19), clairvoyance/clairaudience, levitate, suggestion (DC 18), telekinesis (DC 20), teleport, trace teleport, poison (DC 19)
3/day—mind thrust (DC 23), psychic crush, quickened suggestion (DC 18)StatisticsStr 32, Dex 9, Con 31, Int 12, Wis 15, Cha 22
Base Atk +18; Grapple +41
Feats Awesome Blow, Cleave, Combat Casting, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Critical (tentacle rake), Improved Initiative, Improved Natural Attack (tentacle rake), Power Attack, Quicken Spell-Like Ability (suggestion)
Skills Climb +39, Knowledge (arcana) +29, Listen +30, Spellcraft +29, Spot +30, Swim +19
Languages Aklo, Orvian, Undercommon; telepathy 100 ft.
SQ amphibious, blood rain, tainted lifeSpecial AbilitiesBlood Rain (Su) Any creature within 15 feet of the Moldering Emperor takes 8 points of cold damage.
Breath Weapon (Su) The Moldering Emperor has two breath attacks. One is a 50-foot cone of acid, once every 1d4 rounds, damage 14d10 acid, Reflex half DC 32. The other is a 30-foot cone of black blood, once every 1d4 rounds, damage 6d6 cold. Reflex DC 32.
Improved Grab (Ex) To use this ability, the Moldering Emperor must hit a creature with two tentacles. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. If it wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold and can attempt to swallow the foe.
Mind Thrust (Sp) The Moldering Emperor delivers a massive blast of mental energy at any one target within 60 feet, inflicting 15d10 points of damage. A successful DC 24 Will save negates the effect. This is a mind-affecting effect.
Psychic Crush (Sp) The Moldering Emperor attempts to crush the mind of a single creature within 60 feet. The target must make a DC 24 Will save with a +4 bonus or collapse, becoming unconscious and dying at –1 hit points. If the target succeeds on the save, it takes 6d6 points of damage.
Swallow Whole (Ex) The Moldering Emperor can try to swallow a grabbed opponent of a smaller size than itself by making a successful grapple check. Once inside, the opponent takes 2d8+15 points of crushing damage plus 2d6 points of acid damage per round from stomach secretions. A swallowed creature can cut its way out by using a light slashing or piercing weapon to deal 25 points of damage to the stomach (AC 22). Once the creature exits, muscular action closes the hole; any additional swallowed opponents must cut their own way out. The Moldering Emperor’s interior can hold 1 Huge, 2 Large, 8 Medium, 32 Small, 128 Tiny, or 512 Diminutive or smaller opponents.
Trace Teleport (Sp) This ability affects a spread with a 60-feet radius. The Moldering Emperor learns the mental coordinates of the teleport destination of all creatures that teleported in the area over the previous minute, gaining an awareness of the location equivalent to “seen casually.” This power does not grant any environmental information about the conditions of the destination.
Skills The Moldering Emperor 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.DescriptionLurking amid the depths of the Caltherium at the heart of the Land of Black Blood writhes one of the vault’s deadliest hunters, the fearsome Moldering Emperor. Once, perhaps, this monstrosity was an ancient neothelid, but centuries of exposure or experimentation with the black blood has perverted the beast into a terrible new form. Burdened with mutations, out-of-control tendrils, and wing-like fins, this hunter of the depths claims every black-bloodsoaked region of the vast cavern as its personal domain, and it doesn’t take kindly to trespassers.Black-BloodedNone can claim to fully understand all of the properties of the black blood that courses through the depths of the Darklands. Freezing regardless of temperature and fundamentally charged with deadly negative energies, the viscous ooze empowers the magic of the dead while it fouls and destroys nearly every living thing it touches. Yet not everything is destroyed by the profane substance’s corruptive touch. Some rare beings refuse to be drained of life, and for their tenacity the black blood disfigures them as if by some cruel whim.
Black-blooded creatures are monstrosities warped by exposure to the vile fluids that pervade the Land of Black Blood. Sometimes born of creatures living on the shores of the Caltherium or those subjected to the necromantic fluids as part of cruel experiments, such beings prove exceedingly rare. Those that do exist, however, are crazed and physically warped abominations, living manifestations of the destructive black blood, their paths tainted by endless secretions of the freezing pollution and the ruined lifeless forms of all they encounter. Fortunately, most mutated by the black blood don’t live for long, as no mortal form can suffer the negatively charged. But, in the depths of the Darklands—to the fright of the inhabitants of those already deadly realms—there are known to be some terrifying exceptions.Creating a Black-Blooded Creature"Black-blooded" is an acquired template that can be added to any corporeal aberration, animal, dragon, fey, giant, humanoid, magical beast, monstrous humanoid, ooze, plant, or vermin (referred to hereafter as the base creature).
A black-blooded creature uses all the base creaturefs statistics and abilities except as noted here.
Size and Type: The creature’s type changes to aberration and it gains the aquatic subtype. Do not recalculate Hit Dice, base attack bonus, or saves. Size is unchanged.
Speed: A black-blooded creature gains a swim speed equal to its base movement speed. If it can already swim, use the higher of the two swim speeds.
Armor Class: Natural armor increases by +2 (this stacks with any natural armor bonus the base creature has).
Damage: A black-blooded creature retains all of the attacks and damage of the base creature, but deals an additional 1d6 points of cold damage on all attacks.
Special Attacks: A black-blooded creature retains all the special attacks of the base creature and gains the following special attack.
Breath Weapon (Su): 30-foot cone of black blood, once every 1d4 rounds, damage 6d6 cold. A successful Reflex save (DC 10 + 1.2 black-blooded creaturefs racial HD + black-blooded creaturefs Con modifier) reduces damage by half.
Special Qualities: A black-blooded creature has all the special qualities of the base creature, plus darkvision out to 120 feet, low-light vision, and the amphibious quality. A black-blooded creature has immunity to ability drain, cold, energy drain, and poison.
Blood Rain (Su): Black-blooded creatures constantly leak and spray bursts of freezing black blood. Any creature within 15 feet of a black-blooded creature takes an amount of cold damage equal to the black-blooded creature’s Constitution modifier.
Tainted Life (Ex): The black blood is antithetical to all life and consumes all but the heartiest hosts. Any creature with the black-blooded template must make a DC 15 Fortitude save every day or take 1d4 points of Constitution damage.
Abilities: Increase from the base creature as follows: Str +2, Dex +2, Con +4, Int –4, Cha +2.
Skills: A black-blooded creature 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.
Environment: The Land of Black Blood.
Challenge Rating: Same as base creature +1.
Alignment: Always chaotic evil.
Level Adjustment: Same as base creature +3.
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