Buy me a coffeeSea Worm, Giant King Ragworm
“An ancient, titanic sea predator whose immense size and venomous bite can swallow ships whole, the Giant King Ragworm rules the deep trenches, striking terror into all who dare approach its domain.”
The Giant King Ragworm is a colossal sea terror, a mutation born of eldritch forces and primal hunger. With its segmented, bioluminescent body stretching over 40 feet, it terrorizes the deepest ocean trenches, preying on large sea creatures and ships alike. Its venomous bite paralyzes victims in seconds, and its terrifying roar can summon storms or lesser sea creatures to its aid. Revered as an ancient guardian or feared as a force of nature, the Giant King Ragworm remains one of the ocean’s most dreaded and destructive predators.
Appearance:
The Giant King Ragworm is a massive, segmented creature that can stretch over 40 feet in length. Its thick, chitinous armor is covered in glowing bioluminescent patches that shine eerily in the dark waters of the deep. The worm’s segmented body is lined with sharp bristles, capable of raking through stone or steel. Its enormous head houses glowing, predatory eyes and a gaping mouth full of jagged, razor-sharp teeth capable of swallowing ships whole. The tail ends in a bulbous, shockwave-producing mass that is used to strike the seabed.
Behavior:
As an apex predator, the Giant King Ragworm is merciless in its pursuit of prey, feeding on anything that crosses its path, including large sea creatures and coastal settlements. It is a territorial creature, often defending its domain with ruthless aggression. While it typically lies in wait, burrowing through the ocean floor or lurking beneath sunken ruins, it strikes with terrifying speed, using its massive jaws to bite and constrict its victims. When threatened, it unleashes a deafening roar that causes violent water currents and can summon sea creatures to its aid.
Habitat:
The Giant King Ragworm dwells in the deep ocean trenches, where it is nearly impossible for most creatures to venture. Its lair is often hidden beneath ancient sunken cities or beneath layers of rock, where it can remain undisturbed for centuries. The ocean floor around its home is marked by tremors and shifting ground caused by its burrowing. It claims vast territories and rarely leaves its domain, making it a creature of legend to sailors and coastal dwellers.
Modus Operandi:
The Giant King Ragworm prefers to ambush its prey by burrowing through the seabed, causing tremors and eruptions of sand and rock. It waits for prey to come close before emerging from the ground with incredible speed. Once it has grasped its prey with its jaws, it uses its constricting body to crush or swallow it whole. It is also capable of poisoning its victims with its venomous bite, paralyzing them for easy consumption. When threatened, it can summon violent storms and whirlpools, disrupting the surrounding area and disorienting enemies.
Motivation:
The Giant King Ragworm is driven by an insatiable hunger and the instinct to defend its territory. It is a creature of pure predatory instinct, hunting anything that threatens its domain or ventures too close. While its primary goal is to feed, it also fiercely protects its lair and the treasures it has claimed over centuries. Its ancient power is tied to the deepest depths of the ocean, where it has ruled for millennia.
Giant King Ragworm 5.5e
Giant King Ragworm
Giant King Ragworm
Huge beast, unaligned
Armor Class 17 (natural armor)
Hit Points 350 (28d12 + 168)
Speed 20 ft., swim 50 ft., burrow 20 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 (+8) | 14 (+2) | 23 (+6) | 2 (-4) | 14 (+2) | 5 (-3) |
Saving Throws Con +11, Wis +7
Skills Perception +7, Stealth +7
Senses darkvision 60 ft., tremorsense 60 ft., passive Perception 17
Languages —
Challenge 16 (15,000 XP)
Proficiency Bonus +5
Amphibious. The giant king ragworm can breathe air and water.
Tremorsense Hunter. While in contact with the ground, mud, stone, silt, or the seabed, the giant king ragworm can pinpoint the location of creatures touching the same surface within 60 feet of it.
Bristling Body. A creature that touches the giant king ragworm or hits it with a melee attack while within 5 feet of it takes 7 (2d6) slashing damage.
Actions
Multiattack. The giant king ragworm makes three attacks: one with its bite, one with its tail slam, and one with its bristle lash.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +13 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 30 (4d10 + 8) piercing damage plus 10 (3d6) poison damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 19 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned until the end of its next turn.
Tail Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +13 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 34 (4d12 + 8) bludgeoning damage.
Bristle Lash. Melee Weapon Attack: +13 to hit, reach 20 ft., one target. Hit: 21 (3d8 + 8) slashing damage.
Seabed Shock (Recharge 5–6). The giant king ragworm slams its massive body into the seabed or lashes violently through the water, releasing a concussive shockwave. Each creature within 20 feet of the ragworm must make a DC 19 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, a creature takes 18 (4d8) thunder damage and is knocked prone if it is on the ground, or pushed up to 15 feet away if it is swimming. On a successful save, the creature takes half as much damage and suffers no other effect.
Bonus Actions
Burrow Surge. The giant king ragworm moves up to half its burrow speed without provoking opportunity attacks, provided it ends this movement in sand, mud, silt, or earth.
Reactions
Reflexive Thrash. When a creature the giant king ragworm can sense ends its turn within 10 feet of it, the ragworm makes one bristle lash attack against that creature.
Treasure
A Giant King Ragworm does not hoard treasure, but its burrows and feeding grounds often contain the remains of drowned sailors, wrecked vessels, and prey dragged beneath the seabed. A typical lair holds 1,500–6,000 gp in mixed coinage, barnacle-crusted weapons, broken armor, 1d4 gems worth 100 gp each, 1d6 pearls worth 50 gp each, and a 25% chance of one magic item from a sunken wreck or lost coastal grave.
Giant King Ragworm
This enormous segmented worm shimmers with iridescent colors, and large bristles run along its sides.
King Ragworm CR 13
XP 25,600
N Gargantuan vermin (aquatic)
Init +9; Senses darkvision 60 ft., tremorsense 60 ft.; Perception +3
DEFENSE
AC 28, touch 15, flat-footed 19 (+9 Dex, +13 natural, –4 size)
hp 187 (15d8+120)
Fort +17, Ref +14, Will +8
Immune mind-affecting effects
OFFENSE
Speed 30 ft., burrow 20 ft., swim 40 ft.
Melee bite +20 (2d8+13/19–20 plus grab), slam +20 (2d6+13 plus poison), tail slap +15 (2d8+6 plus poison)
Space 20 ft.; Reach 20 ft. (25 ft. with bite)
Special Attacks reversible pharynx, fast swallow, poison, swallow whole (4d6 bludgeoning damage, AC 16, 18 hp), vortex attack
STATISTICS
Str 37, Dex 28, Con 27, Int —, Wis 17, Cha 2
Base Atk +11; CMB +28; CMD 47 (can’t be tripped)
Feats Improved Critical B (bite)
Skills Swim +21
SQ compression
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Reversible Pharynx (Ex)
The king ragworm’s jaws sit deep within its throat. When making a bite attack, the ragworm turns its throat inside out and extends its jaws with surprising speed. This not only extends the ragworm’s reach with its bite attack, but it also gives it a +4 bonus on attack rolls with its bite during surprise rounds.
Poison (Ex)
Slam or tail slap—injury; save Fort DC 25; frequency 1/round for 6 rounds; effect 1d4 Dex damage and 1d2 Con damage; cure 2 consecutive saves. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Vortex Attack (Ex)
Three times per day as a standard action, a king ragworm can undulate its body inside its burrow to create a vortex, drawing anything within a 15-foot cone toward the burrow’s entrance. Large and smaller creatures caught in this vortex must succeed at a DC 26 Reflex save or be pulled into the ragworm’s burrow, potentially provoking attacks of opportunity. Attacks of opportunity caused by this ability can’t be avoided with Acrobatics (though attacks of opportunity provoked in other ways, such as by moving out of one of the ragworm’s threatened squares, can be avoided as normal). The save DC is Dexterity-based.
ECOLOGY
Environment any oceans
Organization solitary
Treasure incidental
The giant king ragworm, found in the far depths of the ocean, is among the largest of the sea worms. It creates a slime-lined burrow in the ocean floor, where it resides most of the time.
Section 15: Copyright Notice
Pathfinder Adventure Path #124: City in the Deep © 2017, Paizo Inc.; Authors: Amber E. Scott, with Alex Greenshields, Mikko Kallio, Mark Moreland, Tim Nightengale, and Kalervo Oikarinen.