Nautilus Giant

This gargantuan mollusk appears to be little more than an enormous, spirally coiled shell with numerous tentacles reaching out from the opening.

Originally Posted by Boz of the En World forums.

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While the giant nautilus resembles its diminutive cousin superficially, it has powers far beyond the reach of an ordinary nautilus. The giant nautilus is a native of the Elemental Plane of Water, but it can often be found in the various great waterways and oceans of the Outer Planes, as well as wandering the depths of the deepest Material Plane oceans. It has no permanent home or lair, spending the millennia wandering. It likely only returns to the plane of Water to mate.

The creature is often called the “druid of the deep” because of its absolute neutral alignment and insistence on maintaining the balance of the underwater world. A giant nautilus will usually be on good terms with most underwater races. A giant nautilus likes to keep the seas and oceans it encounters clean of things that don’t belong there. It considers a sunken ship a terrible eyesore and actively helps in its removal by protecting those removing the ship from the fearsome predators of the depths. A giant nautilus has no need for treasure but is not completely naive of avarice and greed; it will demand that ships without treasure or precious cargo be removed before more valuable ones, and that the entire vessel be removed rather than just its contents.

A giant nautilus only directly intervenes when creatures operate at the expense of the environment. It puts a stop to anyone over-fishing a particular location or polluting areas of the sea by dumping garbage. It attempts to negotiate a settlement at first, and if this fails to work, it then warns the offenders. If the warnings are not heeded, the giant nautilus forcibly puts a stop to the offending action. A giant nautilus will most find itself in conflict with the kraken, and will likely find itself forced to intervene with the kraken’s grandiose schemes of underwater empire.

The shell of the giant nautilus is a great prize. It can be converted into a roomy, virtually crush-proof submarine for exploring the depths of the ocean. A giant nautilus’s shell is from 50-60 feet in diameter.

A giant nautilus speaks with most creatures using its telepathy.

Giant Nautilus
Gargantuan magical beast (Extraplanar, Water)
Hit Dice	14d10+140 (217 hp)
Initiative	+3
Speed	Swim 50 ft (10 squares)
Armor Class	23 (-4 size, -1 Dexterity, +18 natural), touch 5, flat-footed 23
Base Attack/Grapple	+14/+40
Attack	Tentacle +24 melee (1d8+14/19-20)
Full Attack	20 tentacles +24 melee (1d8+14/19-20) and bite +19 melee (3d4+7)
Space/Reach	20 ft/15 ft (40 ft with tentacles)
Special Attacks	Constrict 1d8+14, constrict ship, improved grab, spell-like abilities, swallow whole
Special Qualities	Darkvision 60 ft, Low-Light Vision, Spell Resistance 17, telepathy 100 ft
Saves	Fort +19, Ref +8, Will +12
Abilities	Strength 38, Dexterity 9, Constitution 31, Intelligence 18, Wisdom 22, Charisma 20
Skills	Concentration+20, Diplomacy +7, Intimidate +15, Knowledge (nature) +19, Knowledge (the planes) +21, Listen +23, Sense Motive +11, Spot +23, Survival +6 (+8 aboveground, +8 on other planes), Swim +22, Use Magic Device +20
Feats	Alertness, Blind-Fight, Improved Critical (tentacle), Improved Initiative, Iron Will
Environment	Elemental Plane of Water
Organization	Solitary
Challenge Rating	12
Treasure	None
Alignment	Usually neutral
Advancement	15-28 HD (Gargantuan); 29-42 HD (Huge)
Level Adjustment	—

COMBAT

The giant nautilus has seldom been known to attack humans or any of the intelligent ocean-dwelling races, except in self-defense. The giant nautilus is a carnivore, and it preys on huge crustaceans such as giant crabs and giant lobsters. A giant nautilus can attack 20 separate targets or attack a single target with all 20 tentacles, though it generally only uses three tentacles per Medium opponent.

An opponent can attack a giant nautilus’s tentacles with a sunder attempt as if they were weapons. A giant nautilus’s tentacles have 15 hit points each. If a giant nautilus is currently grappling a target with the tentacle that is being attacked, it usually uses another limb to make its attack of opportunity against the opponent making the sunder attempt. Severing one of a giant nautilus’s tentacles deals 7 points of damage to the creature. A giant nautilus usually withdraws from combat if it loses 12 tentacles. The creature regrows severed limbs in 1d6+6 days.

Constrict (Ex): A giant nautilus deals automatic tentacle damage with a successful grapple check.

Constrict Ship (Ex): A giant nautilus can wrap six or more of its tentacles around all but the largest ships and crush them or drag them below the waves automatically. This can be done to rowboats (1 round), keelboats (3 rounds), longships (5 rounds), and sailing ships (10 rounds). Warships and galleys are too large for a giant nautilus to affect in this way.

Alternatively, a giant nautilus can attempt to crush a ship of any size in its tentacles. It must make a Strength check to breach the ship’s hull, which causes the ship to sink in 1d10 minutes. The break DC varies with the type of vessel, as follows: rowboat DC 20, keelboat DC 23, sailing ship or longship DC 25, warship DC 27, or galley DC 30.

Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, the giant nautilus must hit with a tentacle attack. 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 constrict.

Spell-Like Abilities:

• At will – charm animal (DC 16), charm person (DC 16), control water, detect magic, locate creature (aquatic animals or plants only), summon nature’s ally III (aquatic creatures only), wall of coral (as wall of stone);
• 3/day – summon monster VI (water elementals only);
• 1/day – plane shift.

Caster level 14th. The save DC is Charisma-based.

The following abilities are always active on a giant nautilus’ person, as the spells (caster level 14th): detect evil, detect good. They can be dispelled, but the giant nautilus can reactivate them as a free action.

Swallow Whole (Ex): A giant nautilus 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+12 points of crushing damage plus 12 points of acid damage per round from the nautilus’s gizzard. A swallowed creature can cut its way out by using a light slashing or piercing weapon to deal 50 points of damage to the gizzard (AC 19). Once the creature exits, muscular action closes the hole; another swallowed opponent must cut its own way out.

A Gargantuan giant nautilus’s interior can hold 1 Huge, 2 Large, 8 Medium, 32 Small, 128 Tiny, or 512 Diminutive or smaller opponents.

Skills: A giant nautilus 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. It can use the run action while swimming, provided it swims in a straight line.

Originally found in Dragon Magazine #193 (“The Dragon’s Bestiary,” May 1993, Randy Maxwell), and Monstrous Compendium Annual One (1994).