Oni, Sazae-oni

Source Demiurge113
Originally posted on Probing the Membrane of Science

This creature’s torso resembles that of a shapely woman, but the rest of its body is anything but. A thick tail grows where the legs should be, and its head is the shell of an immense snail. Two probing eyes on stalks emerge from the shell.

Sazae-oni are one of the few fully aquatic oni, being formed from spirits envious of the free lives of the merfolk and other ocean-dwelling humanoids. Despite their power, they are among the most petty and spiteful of the oni, wreaking massive havoc to avenge trivial slights.

Like the gastropods they superficially resemble, all sazae-oni are hermaphroditic, capable of acting as a male or female as they please. Sazae-oni are lustful creatures, and many half-fiends and tieflings with oni blood can trace their ancestry back to one of these creatures. Sazae-oni are sculptors of flesh, capable of removing and attaching appendages from their victims as easily as a human can change clothes. Sazae-oni use this power to extort tributes of gold or slaves from their victims and the mightiest of sazae-oni have armies of slaves befuddled by mind-influencing magic and rendered monstrous through stolen, grafted body parts.

Sazae-oni prefer to avoid fair fights, beguiling their way into an enemy’s confidence with a false face and charming words before slaying or enthralling him. If discovered and forced into battle, sazae-oni remain mobile and strike with their tails and sharp, harpoon-like sting. This sting delivers potent paralytic venom, incapacitating enemies for the oni to remove or replace appendages from at its discretion.

Sazae-oni CR 10

XP 9,600 NE Medium outsider (aquatic, native, oni) Init +5; Senses darkvision 60 ft., Perception +19

DEFENSE

AC 25, touch 15, flat-footed 20 (+5 Dexterity, +10 natural) hp 123 (13d10+52); regeneration 5 (acid or fire) Fort +8, Ref +13, Will +11

OFFENSE

Speed 20 ft., Swim 60 ft. Attacks sting +16 (1d4+3 plus poison), tail slap +16 (1d8+3) Special Attacks sneak attack +4d6, steal appendage Spell-like Abilities CL 13th, concentration +17 (+21 casting defensively)   At will – charm person (DC 15), invisibility, water breathing   3/day – fly, gentle repose, hold person (DC 16), suggestion (DC 17)   1/day – charm monster (DC 18), dominate person (DC 19), mass suggestion (DC 20), song of discord (DC 19)

STATISTICS

Strength 17, Dexterity 21, Constitution 18, Intelligence 15, Wisdom 16, Charisma 18 Base Atk +13; CMB +16; CMD 31 Feats Combat Casting, Combat Expertise, Deceitful, Dodge, Improved Feint, Mobility, Spring Attack Skills Bluff +25, Disguise +25, Knowledge (local) +18, Knowledge (nature) +18, Perception +19, Sense Motive +19, Stealth +21, Swim +19 Languages Common, Aquan, Elven SQ amphibious, change shape (humanoid, alter self), reattach

ECOLOGY

Environment temperate aquatic and costal Organization solitary or pair Treasure double standard

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Poison (Ex) Injury—sting; Fort DC 22; damage 1d6 Dexterity; duration 6 rounds; cure 2 saves. The save DC is Constitution based.   Reattach (Su) A sazae-oni can, as a full round action that provokes attacks of opportunity, attach a minor appendage to a willing or helpless living creature. Such new appendages can grant the creature a claw attack, low-light vision, darkvision or Scent or other minor extraordinary abilities at GM discretion.   Steal Appendage (Su) As a full-round action that provokes attacks of opportunity, a sazae-oni can steal a minor appendage from a willing or helpless creature. A sazae-oni can steal a hand, foot, eye, ear or nose. A creature with a stolen hand cannot use that hand and takes a -4 penalty on skill checks requiring the use of both hands, such as Disable Device or Climb. A creature with a stolen foot reduces its land speed by 10 feet. A creature with a stolen sensory appendage takes a -4 to Perception checks. A sazae-oni can steal other body parts of similar size, at GM discretion.