Jabberwocky

This creature has a stout draconic torso with sturdy hind legs, long forearms that end in four long feathery talons, and a long thin tail. It flies about on a pair of elegant wings. Its neck is long and sinuous and its head is enormous. Its malevolent yellow eyes have red pupils and appear to emit beams of light that cut through the shadows. Its scales are a tawny color of mixed gold and brown, and the tiny cracks between the scales are filled in with moss.

Originally Posted Creature Catalogue on the En World forums.

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The jabberwock is a peculiar creature that prowls dense, virgin forests. Though it resembles true dragons somewhat, it has no breath weapon or treasure-hording instinct. The low, rumbling bubbling sound it creates makes it hard for creatures to remember what it looks like – thus, accurate descriptions of a jabberwock are hard to come by.

This solitary predator will hunt anything moving in its woods. It ignores druids altogether, and some creatures such as fey, treants, centaurs, and Gnomes that live in the woods know what signs to look for to withdraw when a jabberwock approaches. A jabberwock is a protector of the woodlands themselves, existing to ensure that no creature exploits or destroys them. Each large, ancient primal forest is theorized to have its own jabberwock.

A jabberwock is 30 feet long with a 20-foot tail, and weighs about 4,000 pounds.

Jabberwocky
Huge Dragon
Hit Dice	15d12+75 (172 hp)
Initiative	+0
Speed	40 ft (8 squares), Fly 40 ft (average)
Armor Class	30 (-2 size, +22 natural), touch 8, flat-footed 30
Base Attack/Grapple	+15/+31
Attack	Bite +21 melee (3d8+8/19-20)
Full Attack	Bite +21 melee (3d8+8/19-20), 2 claws +19 melee (1d6+4), 2 wings +19 melee (2d8+4), 2 stomps +19 melee (2d4+4), and tail slap +19 melee (2d6+4)
Space/Reach	15 ft/10 ft (20 ft with bite)
Special Attacks	Burble, crush, frightful presence, Paralysis gaze
Special Qualities	Blindsense 60 ft, damage reduction 20/magic and slashing, fast healing 3, keen senses, regeneration 1, Spell Resistance 27, vulnerability to vorpal weapons
Saves	Fort +14, Ref +9, Will +10
Abilities	Strength 26, Dexterity 11, Constitution 20, Intelligence 4, Wisdom 12, Charisma 17
Skills	Knowledge (nature) +6, Listen +14, Search +4, Spot +14, Survival +19 (+21 aboveground, +21 following tracks)
Feats	Ability Focus (burble), Alertness, Improved Critical (bite), Multiattack, Snatch, Track
Environment	Any forest
Organization	Solitary
Challenge Rating	17
Treasure	None
Alignment	Always neutral
Advancement	16-30 HD (Huge), 31-45 HD (Gargantuan)
Level Adjustment	—

COMBAT

The jabberwock is fiercely territorial and will slay anything intruding in its woods. This fearsome opponent will choose a single target, concentrating on it and pursuing it relentlessly until the victim is killed and devoured. The jabberwock only chooses a new foe when its intended target is killed or leaves the forest.

The jabberwock prefers to bite with its huge front teeth. Its long snaky neck enables the head to dart out a surprising distance to reach foes. A jabberwock can rear up on its hind legs and even walk as a biped for a short distance if it needs to. Though it can fly, the jabberwock prefers not to.

Burble (Su): A jabberwock constantly mutters and burbles to itself, creating a confusing effect. All sane creatures within 200 feet of the jabberwock must succeed on a DC 22 Will save or be affected as though by a confusion spell for as long as the victim is within range. Creatures in the area of effect must make a saving throw every round, even if they succeeded in previous rounds. This is a sonic mind-affecting compulsion effect. The save DC is Charisma-based.

This sound also distorts an affected creature’s depth perception, causing a skewed judgment of distance. Creatures, objects, and parts of objects may appear to be much closer or further away than they actually are, causing an affected creature to suffer a –3 circumstance penalty on attack rolls.

This sound also distorts the way an affected creature speaks: words slide, shift, and blend, producing odd hybrids that make communication very difficult. Any affected creature trying to speak or cast a spell with a verbal component must succeed on a DC 20 Concentration check. The check DC is Charisma-based. This also cancels any tongues or comprehend languages effects while a creature is affected.

Crush (Ex): A flying jabberwock can land on opponents three or more sizes smaller than itself as a standard action, using its whole body to crush them. A crush attack affects as many creatures as can fit under the jabberwock’s body. Each creature in the affected area must succeed on a DC 22 Reflex save or be pinned, automatically taking 2d8+12 points of bludgeoning damage. The save DC is Constitution-based. Thereafter, if the jabberwock chooses to maintain the pin, treat it as a normal grapple attack. While pinned, the opponent takes crush damage each round.

Frightful Presence (Ex): A jabberwock can unsettle foes with its mere presence. This ability takes effect whenever the jabberwock attacks, charges, or flies overhead. Creatures within a 200-foot radius are subject to the effect if they have fewer than 15 HD. A potentially affected creature must succeed on a DC 20 Will save to remain immune to that jabberwock’s frightful presence for 24 hours. On a failure, creatures with 4 or less HD become panicked for 4d6 rounds and those with 5 or more HD become shaken for 4d6 rounds. Jabberwocks ignore the frightful presence of other jabberwocks.

Paralysis Gaze (Su): Paralyzed for 1d6+2 minutes, range 50 feet; Fortitude DC 20 negates. The save DC is Charisma-based.

Keen Senses (Ex): A jabberwock sees four times as well a human in shadowy illumination and twice as well in normal light. It also has Darkvision out to 120 feet.

Regeneration (Ex): Magic slashing weapons deal normal damage to a jabberwock.

Vulnerability to vorpal Weapons (Ex): A vorpal weapon threatens a critical hit on a range of 19-20 when wielded against a jabberwock.

1996 Wizards of the Coast, Inc.

Originally found in Monstrous Compendium Annual Three (1996). Different versions also found in Dragon Magazine #54 (“Beware the Jabberwock,” October 1981, Mark Nuiver) and module EX2 – Land Beyond the Magic Mirror (1983)