Buy me a coffeeScitalis
This ophidian dragon’s scales and frills form a brightly colored pattern, backlit like stained glass by the creature’s inner glow.
Scitalises are horned dragons with long, ophidian bodies; beautiful, many-colored frills; and thin, tapered horns. Their heavy scales have an elliptical shape, and grow ragged and thicker as they age.
A scitalis glows from within, its scales and frill lighting up like a stained-glass window and projecting mesmerizing patterns that the dragon uses while hunting.
Scitalises covet territory and food more than the gold and gems that true dragons prize. They live in caves, forest grottoes, and rocky crags, and mark their territories with a combination of musk and their sour, bile-scented sedative.
The creatures often range up to 5 miles from their nests every few days to hunt large herd animals and livestock. Lacking forelegs with which to tear apart a meal,they allow their kills to ripen for a day or so in their lairs before eating them.
They keep some treasure and can be bribed, burying what they do attain in the walls and floors of their nests.
Scitalises lay clutches of one to three eggs, and males and females share duties guarding the nest. The pair remains together until the juveniles reach maturity after 2 years.
These eggs sell for 5,000 gp in large cities, and juveniles can command prices of 8,000 gp. Scitalises coexist with wyverns, but detest basilisks and griffons, which regularly devour the scitalises’ eggs when they run across them.
An average scitalis is between 14 and 18 feet long and weighs approximately 2,500 pounds.
Scitalis
The skin of this large snake is covered in an elegant pattern of intricate markings that scintillate with an eerie, supernatural brilliance. Its scales undulate a mesmerizing glamour as it slowly slithers forward.
Large monstrosity, unaligned
Armor Class 13 (natural armor)
Hit Points 58 (9d10 + 9)
Speed 20 ft., swim 30 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 (+3) | 12 (+1) | 12 (+1) | 2 (-4) | 18 (+4) | 3 (-4) |
Saving Throws Constitution +3, Wisdom +6, Charisma +2
Skills Perception +6
Damage Resistances cold
Senses blindsight 10 ft., passive Perception 16
Languages –
Challenge 2 (450 XP)
Special Traits
- Magic Resistance. The scitalis has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Actions
- Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 10 ft., one creature. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) piercing damage plus 9 (2d8) poison damage.
- Stunning Scales. Each creature of the scitalis’ choice that is within 60 feet of the scitalis and can see it must succeed on a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw or be stunned for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a creature’s saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the creature is immune to the scitalis’ Stunning Scales for the next 24 hours.
About
Hypnotic Serpents. The scitalis is a deadly serpentine monstrosity that stuns its prey with the marvelous glimmer of its magically-variegated skin. Unlike most ophidians, these venomous hunters move rather slowly and rely on the stupefying effects of their otherworldly scales to capture the fleet of foot. With its prey adequately disabled, the scitalis languidly closes in to feast.
Warm-bodied Wyrms. Due to the strange quality of its iridescent skin, the scitalis is actually a warm-blooded reptile. This torpid supernatural monstrosity is cold-resistant and can be seen wandering as far as the frigid climes of the arctic. The snakeskin of the scitalis maintains some of its enchanted properties once shed and can often fetch handsome rewards from purveyors of the arcane.
Eldritch Origins. The provenance of the scitalis is a mystery as stupefying as its gleaming scales. Some sages speculate a draconic pedigree, while others claim this beautiful but deadly ophidian is a true child of Yig, the blasphemous Father of Serpents. Scitalis sightings are infrequent enough to fuel speculative and disquieting reports of variant breeds-glittering serpents with sinister spines, bat-like wings, or several sharp-toothed heads.
Section 15: Copyright Notice
Creature Codex. © 2018 Open Design LLC; Authors Wolfgang Baur, Dan Dillon, Richard Green, James Haeck, Chris Harris, Jeremy Hochhalter, James Introcaso, Chris Lockey, Shawn Merwin, and Jon Sawatsky.
Scitalis CR 12
XP 19,200
N Large dragon
Init +8; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +19
DEFENSE
AC 27, touch 17, flat-footed 23 (+4 Dex, +10 natural, –1 size)
hp 175 (14d12+84)
Fort +15, Ref +13, Will +11
Immune paralysis, sleep
OFFENSE
Speed 50 ft.; fly 60 ft. (good)
Melee 2 frills +21 (2d6+8), gore +21 (1d8+8), bite +21 (2d6+8 plus sedative), tail slap +19 (1d8+4)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
Special Attacks breath weapon (40-ft. line, sedative, Fort DC 23, usable every 1d4 rounds), prismatic pattern
STATISTICS
Str 26, Dex 19, Con 22, Int 9, Wis 15, Cha 14
Base Atk +14; CMB +23; CMD 37 (can’t be tripped)
Feats Combat Reflexes, Flyby Attack, Hover, Improved Initiative, Multiattack, Power Attack, Wingover
Skills Fly +19, Intimidate +15, Perception +19, Sense Motive +17, Stealth +15, Survival +17
Languages Draconic
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Prismatic Pattern (Su)
Due to the hypnotic and distorting effects of a scitalis’s colorful pattern, creatures that can see the dragon take a penalty on attack rolls against it equal to the dragon’s Charisma modifier (a –2 penalty for a typical scitalis). As a standard action, a scitalis can enhance the pattern, causing all creatures within 60 feet of it that can see it to become stunned for 1d4+1 rounds (Will save DC 23 negates). Prismatic pattern is an illusion (pattern) effect. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Sedative (Ex)
A scitalis’s bite and breath weapon introduce a potent sedative into its victims, causing them to become staggered for 1d6 rounds. A successful DC 23 Fortitude save reduces the duration to 1 round. This is a poison effect. The save DC is Constitution based.
ECOLOGY
Environment any land
Organization solitary, pair, den (3–5)
Treasure standard
Section 15: Copyright Notice
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary 5 © 2015, Paizo Inc.; Authors: Dennis Baker, Jesse Benner, John Bennett, Logan Bonner, Creighton Broadhurst, Robert Brookes, Benjamin Bruck, Jason Bulmahn, Adam Daigle, Thurston Hillman, Eric Hindley, Joe Homes, James Jacobs, Amanda Hamon Kunz, Ben McFarland, Jason Nelson, Thom Phillips, Stephen Radney-MacFarland, Alistair Rigg, Alex Riggs, David N. Ross, Wes Schneider, David Schwartz, Mark Seifter, Mike Shel, James L. Sutter, and Linda Zayas-Palmer.