Buy me a coffeeQlippoth, Hydraggon
“Terrifying Hydraggons: Masters of the River Styx, wielding weapons with their sinister tongues!”
Appearance: The Hydraggons are fearsome aquatic creatures, resembling sinuous reptiles with coiled bodies and gaping, fanged mouths. Their most striking feature is their multi-tipped tongues, which extend from their jaws and are capable of manipulation akin to human hands. These tongues give them a menacing and alien appearance, often striking fear into those who encounter them.
Behavior: Hydraggons are cunning and opportunistic predators, lurking in the depths of the River Styx and other remote aquatic environments. They are solitary creatures by nature, preferring to hunt alone or in small groups, but can quickly band together when faced with a common threat. Despite their ferocious demeanor, they possess a keen intelligence and are known to employ strategic tactics in their hunts.
Habitat: Hydraggons primarily inhabit the deeper waters of the River Styx, where they are perfectly adapted to the murky and treacherous environment. They are rarely seen on the Material Plane but may occasionally venture into other aquatic realms or remote waterways where they can find suitable prey.
Modus Operandi: Hydraggons are adept hunters, using their stealth and agility to ambush unsuspecting victims. They rely on their swift swimming abilities and telepathic communication to coordinate attacks and evade danger. When confronted, they will utilize their multiple tongues to wield weapons with deadly precision, overwhelming their prey with a flurry of strikes.
Motivation: As creatures of chaos and evil, Hydraggons are driven by a primal instinct to hunt and feed. They seek to assert dominance over their territory and eliminate any threats to their survival. Additionally, they may serve as valuable assets to fiendish armies, lending their formidable combat skills to further the goals of their malevolent masters.
Qlippoth, Hydraggon 5e
Qlippoth, Hydraggon Pathfinder
Hydraggon
Large fiend (qlippoth), chaotic evil
Armor Class: 17 (natural armor)
Hit Points: 75 (10d10 + 20)
Speed: 30 ft., swim 40 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 (+4) | 12 (+1) | 15 (+2) | 8 (-1) | 10 (+0) | 10 (+0) |
Saving Throws: Str +7, Con +5
Skills: Perception +4, Stealth +4
Damage Resistances: Acid, lightning, fire
Senses: Darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 14
Languages: Abyssal, telepathy 60 ft.
Challenge: 5 (1,800 XP)
Amphibious. It can breathe air and water.
Multiple Tongues. The hydraggon has three manipulative tongues, which it can use to wield weapons and perform fine tasks as if they were hands.
Fascinating Presence. Creatures that start their turn within 30 feet of the hydraggon must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or be charmed by the hydraggon 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 hydraggon’s Fascinating Presence for the next 24 hours.
Innate Spellcasting. The hydraggon’s spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 12). The hydraggon can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:
- At will: charm person
- 3/day each: water breathing, darkness
Actions
Multiattack. It makes two attacks: one with its bite and one with its trident or two with its tongues.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d6 + 4) piercing damage.
Trident. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (2d6 + 4) piercing damage.
Tongues. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d8 + 4) bludgeoning damage.
Beacon (Recharge 5-6). The hydraggon emits a psychic beacon, creating an aura of telepathic energy in a 60-foot radius. Until the start of its next turn, all other hydraggons within the aura gain advantage on attack rolls.
Its ovoid body covered by fish-like scales and spines, this monster has a webbed tail and a grasping, multi-tipped tongue extending from its jaws.
Originally from The Book of Fiends
Designed By Aaron Loeb, Erik Mona, Chris Pramas, and Robert J. Schwalb
The stretch of the River Styx that winds its way through the Abyss used to positively team with hydraggons, the dominant form of aquatic qlippoth. When the celestial hosts began to ravage the Howling Threshold, legions of hydraggons rose up to fight them and died in a holocaust of holy fire. The remaining hydraggons fled into the depths of the river.
Since the Styx is incalculably long, the hydraggons split up and hid in stretches of the river throughout the Lower Planes. The celestial armies dared not follow them to Hell and Hades, lest they touch off a war even they could not win. Thousands of them were killed by devils, daemons, and other horrors of the Styx, but a core survived and even came to thrive in their adversity.
Now hydraggons can be found throughout the River Styx. Although they are clearly of fiendish origin, few know they are from the Abyss. It is rumored that a colony of hydraggons also escaped to the Material Plane, but if so their lair remains well hidden. They do not usually congregate in large numbers, since they’ve found it easier to pass unnoticed in small groups. In dire situations, though, it can be critical for all hydraggons in the area to coalesce quickly. The hydraggons developed their natural telepathic abilities so that now each can createa psychic homing beacon to make the most of their limited numbers.
They speak Abyssal but generally use their telepathic abilities.
| Hydraggon | |
| Large outsider (Aquatic, Chaotic, Evil, Extraplanar, Qlippoth) | |
| Hit Dice | 4d8+12 (30 hp) |
| Initiative | +4 |
| Speed | 10 ft. (2 squares), swim 40 ft. |
| Armor Class | 17 (-1 size, +8 natural), touch 9, flat-footed 17 |
| Base Attack/Grapple | +4/+12 |
| Attack | Trident +7 melee (2d6+4) or bite +7 melee (2d6+6) |
| Full Attack | Trident +3 melee (2d6+4) and morningstar +3 melee (2d6+2) or bite +7 melee (2d6+6) |
| Space/Reach | 10 ft./10 ft. |
| Special Attacks | Fascination, no-hand fighting |
| Special Qualities | Amphibious, beacon, Darkvision 60 ft., immunity to cold, mind-affecting effects, and poison, resistance to acid 10, electricity 10, and fire 10, Qlippoth traits, Styx immunity, telepathy 100 ft. |
| Saves | Fort +7, Ref +4, Will +4 |
| Abilities | Strength 19, Dexterity 10, Constitution 16, Intelligence 9, Wisdom 10, Charisma 12 |
| Skills | Escape Artist +7, Hide +3, Listen +7, move silently +7, Search +6, Spot +7, Survival +11 (+13 following tracks), Swim +12, Use Rope +0 (+2 with bindings) |
| Feats | Blind-Fight, Improved Initiative, Two-Weapon Fighting B |
| Environment | River Styx |
| Organization | Solitary, brood (2-5), or swarm (5-20) |
| Challenge Rating | 3 |
| Treasure | Standard |
| Alignment | Always chaotic evil |
| Advancement | 5-8 HD (Large); 9-12 HD (Huge) |
| Level Adjustment | – |
Combat
Underwater, hydraggons use speed to their advantage, swooping in with bite attacks and speeding away. On land their abilities are more limited. They stay close to water, let the enemy come to them, and then use their uncanny ability to wield weapons to their advantage. When a fight turns against them, they are not averse to fleeing. No one knows the value of living to fight another day more than they do. A hydraggon’s natural weapons, as well as any weapons it wields, are treated as chaotic-aligned and evil-aligned for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.
Fascination (Su): Resisting a hydraggons fascination ability requires a successful Will save (DC 13). The save DC is Charisma-based.
No-Hand Fighting (Ex): Itcan use its multitipped tongue to wield up to two weapons, a fact opponents find most disconcerting.
Beacon (Su): In addition to the telepathy shared by all Qlippoth, a hydraggoncan emit a psychic beacon in times of danger. This homing beacon alerts all hydraggons in a 100-mile radius.
Styx Immunity (Ex): They are immune to the memory-stealing effects of the River Styx.
Skills: A hydraggon has a +4 racial bonus on Survival checks and 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.