Executioner’s Hood — Juvenile Lurking Ray
The juvenile lurking ray: a living hood that drops onto a victim’s head, seals out air and refuses to let go.
The Executioner’s Hood is the juvenile stage of the Lurking Ray family. Roughly the size of a satchel, it resembles a wrinkled leathery bag with dark markings that can look like the eyeholes of a hood. Its underside carries pale tentacles, small teeth and adhesive tissue used to clamp over a victim’s head.
At a Glance
Run It Tonight
Put the hood somewhere players might mistake it for rubbish, hanging hide or irregular stone. Let it fall on the first creature that walks directly below. Once attached, the encounter stops being about damage and becomes a rescue: the victim cannot see, cannot speak normally and is running out of air.
Rules by Edition
Executioner’s Hood
Tiny Aberration, Unaligned
AC 15; Initiative +3 (13)
HP 27 (6d4 + 12)
Speed 10 ft., Climb 20 ft.
10 (+0)
16 (+3)
14 (+2)
3 (−4)
13 (+1)
9 (−1)
Skills Perception +5, Stealth +7
Immunities Prone; magical Sleep
Senses Blindsight 10 ft., Darkvision 60 ft.; Passive Perception 15
Languages —
CR 2 (450 XP); PB +2
Traits
Amorphous. The hood can move through an opening as narrow as 1 inch without squeezing.
Ceiling Crawler. The hood can climb across ceilings without making an ability check.
False Appearance. While motionless against stone, timber or hanging debris, the hood is difficult to distinguish from an irregular patch of material.
Light Sensitivity. In Bright Light, the hood has Disadvantage on attack rolls and Wisdom (Perception) checks relying on sight.
Alcohol Susceptibility. A flask or similar quantity of strong alcohol splashed directly on the hood deals 2 Acid damage. If it takes 8 or more damage from alcohol before the end of its next turn, it has the Incapacitated condition until the end of its following turn and immediately releases any creature it is Grappling.
Actions
Engulfing Drop. Dexterity Saving Throw: DC 13, one Medium or smaller creature directly beneath the hood within 10 feet. Failure: The hood drops onto the creature’s head. The target has the Grappled condition (escape DC 13), the Blinded condition and cannot speak or provide Verbal spell components. If it needs to breathe, it must hold its breath.
Constrict. One creature Grappled by the hood takes 7 (2d4 + 2) Bludgeoning damage.
Damage Transfer
While the hood is attached to a creature’s head, damage from an attack that hits the hood is divided equally between the hood and the Grappled creature, rounded down for the victim.
This is an original 2024 compatibility adaptation of the open Pathfinder creature, not an official SRD 5.2.1 monster.
Executioner’s Hood
Tiny aberration, unaligned
Armor Class 15 (natural armor)
Hit Points 27 (6d4 + 12)
Speed 10 ft., climb 20 ft.
10 (+0)
16 (+3)
14 (+2)
3 (−4)
13 (+1)
9 (−1)
Skills Perception +5, Stealth +7
Condition Immunities prone
Senses blindsight 10 ft., darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 15
Languages —
Challenge 2 (450 XP)
Traits
Amorphous. The hood can move through openings as narrow as 1 inch without squeezing.
False Appearance. While motionless against an overhead surface, the hood resembles leathery debris or irregular stone.
Light Sensitivity. In bright light, the hood has disadvantage on attack rolls and Wisdom (Perception) checks relying on sight.
Susceptible to Alcohol. Strong alcohol damages the hood’s tissues. A substantial splash deals 2 damage; 8 damage from alcohol within 1 round forces it to release a grappled victim and become incapacitated until the end of its next turn.
Actions
Engulfing Drop. One Medium or smaller creature directly beneath the hood within 10 feet must succeed on a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw or become grappled (escape DC 13), blinded and unable to speak or use verbal spell components. A creature that needs air begins holding its breath.
Constrict. One creature grappled by the hood takes 7 (2d4 + 2) bludgeoning damage.
Damage Transfer. While attached, half the damage dealt to the hood is instead dealt to the creature whose head it covers.
This is a 2014 fifth-edition compatibility adaptation rather than an official SRD 5.1 monster.
Executioner’s Hood CR 2
XP 600
N Tiny aberration
Init +1; Senses blindsense 10 ft., darkvision 60 ft., scent; Perception +8
Defense
AC 16, touch 13, flat-footed 15 (+1 Dex, +3 natural, +2 size)
hp 11 (2d8+2)
Fort +1, Ref +1, Will +4
Defensive Abilities amorphous; Immune sleep effects
Weaknesses light sensitivity, susceptible to alcohol
Offense
Speed 10 ft., climb 5 ft.
Melee slam +3 (1d4 plus grab)
Space 2-1/2 ft.; Reach 0 ft.
Special Attacks constrict (1d4), engulfing drop, strangle
Statistics
Str 10, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 3, Wis 13, Cha 9
Base Atk +1; CMB +0 (+4 grapple); CMD 10 (can’t be tripped)
Feats Skill Focus (Perception)
Skills Climb +8, Perception +8, Stealth +13
Special Abilities
Engulfing Drop (Ex). Although Tiny, the hood can drop onto the head of a Medium or smaller creature and make a slam attack as a standard action. On a hit it can immediately attempt a grapple and constrict if the grapple succeeds.
Strangle (Ex). A grappling hood covers its victim’s head with an airtight grip. The target cannot speak or cast spells with verbal components and must hold its breath. Attacks against the hood deal half their damage to the hood and half to the creature being strangled.
Susceptible to Alcohol (Ex). Each quart of strong alcohol poured onto the hood deals 1 point of damage. Four quarts incapacitate it and force it to release a grappled target.
Ecology
Environment any underground
Organization solitary
Treasure standard
Executioner’s Hood
Tiny Aberration
Hit Dice 2d8+2 (11 hp)
Initiative +1
Speed 10 ft. (2 squares), climb 5 ft.
Armor Class 16 (+2 size, +1 Dex, +3 natural), touch 13, flat-footed 15
Base Attack/Grapple +1/−7 (+4 racial bonus on grapple checks after Engulfing Drop)
Attack slam +4 melee (1d4)
Full Attack slam +4 melee (1d4)
Space/Reach 2-1/2 ft./0 ft.
Special Attacks constrict 1d4, improved grab, engulfing drop, strangle
Special Qualities amorphous, blindsense 10 ft., darkvision 60 ft., scent, immunity to sleep, light sensitivity, susceptible to alcohol
Saves Fort +1, Ref +1, Will +4
Abilities Str 10, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 3, Wis 13, Cha 9
Skills Climb +8, Hide +17, Listen +8, Spot +8
Feats Skill Focus (Spot)
Environment underground
Organization solitary
Challenge Rating 2
Treasure standard
Alignment usually neutral
Engulfing Drop (Ex)
The hood can drop onto the head of a Medium or smaller creature, make a slam attack and immediately attempt to start a grapple. If it establishes a hold, it begins constricting and strangling.
Strangle (Ex)
The hood seals over the victim’s head. The target cannot speak or use verbal spell components and must hold its breath. Attacks against the hood divide their damage evenly between the hood and the victim.
Susceptible to Alcohol (Ex)
Strong alcohol damages the hood. Four quarts poured over it incapacitate it and force it to release its victim.
This is a D&D 3.5e compatibility conversion of the open Pathfinder creature rather than an official 3.5 SRD monster.
Behaviour
Executioner’s hoods are simple ambush predators. They climb to a perch, remain still and wait for movement below. They do not select spellcasters, recognise armour quality or coordinate sophisticated attacks. If several occupy the same chamber, each drops when prey enters its own reach rather than following a shared plan.
Signs Before Initiative
- A leathery “sack” hangs where no one could sensibly have stored one.
- Scrape marks climb a wall to a narrow ceiling ledge.
- Victims show suffocation and crushing injuries around the head and neck.
- Strong spirits spilled on the floor have left partly dissolved scraps of strange membrane.
- Small bones and belongings collect beneath one overhead perch.
- Nearby bats or cave insects avoid one patch of ceiling.
If Violence Starts
The hood drops, attaches and stays attached. Once it has a victim, it constricts rather than changing targets. Its danger comes from denying sight, speech and breathing while also making careless attacks risky because damage can pass through into the captured creature.
Counterplay
Strong alcohol is the signature weakness. It chemically damages juvenile tissue and can force the hood to release its victim. Parties familiar with lurking rays may carry spirits for exactly this reason.
Bright light also makes the juvenile easier to expose, while helmets, rigid face protection and pole-testing ceilings can stop the ideal ambush before it begins.
Life Cycle
Executioner’s hoods hatch beneath a female Trapper and spend roughly their first month near the mother while learning to feed. Survivors then disperse through nearby tunnels.
As they mature, males become ceiling-hunting Lurkers Above. Females become intelligent Trappers. The juvenile alcohol weakness disappears during that transformation.
Using an Executioner’s Hood in an Encounter
The ruined storeroom. Several dark sacks hang from roof beams. Most really are sacks.
The missing lantern bearer. A scout vanishes without a cry because the creature that caught them prevented speech immediately.
The tavern cure. Delvers know that a bottle of strong spirits is useful underground for reasons unrelated to drinking.
The growing specimen. A collector’s captive hood begins changing shape, revealing that it will not remain a Tiny curiosity for much longer.
Related Creatures
Return to the Lurking Ray family, compare the adult male Lurker Above and adult female Trapper, or browse the Aberration Bestiary.
Rules Sources and Licensing
The Pathfinder 1e Executioner’s Hood derives from Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary 4, © 2013 Paizo Publishing, LLC, using open game material. The 5.5e/2024, 5e/2014 and D&D 3.5e presentations are compatibility adaptations created for this entry and are not official SRD versions.