Carnictis sordicus

From King Kong Wiki

Carnictis sordicus (vile meat-weasel) is a huge wormlike creature that lives in the abyssal chasms of Skull Island. They can be 7-13 feet long.

“Writhing, serpentine, vermicular predators of the tepid sludge that suffocated the depths of the chasms, they are feeders on the dead and wounded. Carnictises are slow-moving but relentless. Lacking eyes or a face of any sort, they are little more than an animated stomach that folds in and out of itself with obscene undulation.

Intestinal parasites similar to the tapeworms that can infest humans, the ancestors of Carnictis lived in the guts of large predatory dinosaurs, where they devoured the half-digested flesh swallowed by their hosts. At some point in their history, these gut parasites must have evolved so that they could survive outside the confines of their hosts’ intestinal tracts. They made their new homes in the geothermal spring-fed sludge that clotted the bowls of the island. It is theorized that long ago, a V. rex-like predator fell into one of the chasms and died, its parasite cargo disgorging slowly from the carcass to find themselves in the rich organic river in the pit’s base. Instead of drying up and dying, they thrived. Warmed by the hot, geothermal water bubbling into the syrup of the pits, thw worms were sustained on the flesh of animals falling into the chasm from the jungle above. Parasites no longer, they swelled to disturbing new proportions and became carrion eaters in the abyss. With their new size and strength, they could overwhelm and consume live prey, dragging the slow or wounded to their deaths below the surface.

Requiring very specific environmental conditions, Carnictises are restricted to a few cavernous rents and sinkholes that suited their particular needs. Squirming downstream through the muck to where the chasms open into rivers is death. The cooling water sucks their lives away, while any pit that saw a drought of carrion or fresh meat would similarly devastate the Meat-weasel.

However, Carnictis developed a Survival strategy. While the adults are susceptible to change, eggs can survive for decades in a dormant state, waiting for a return of favourable conditions to hatch and spread.”

Originally Posted by TheCrawlingSpleen of the Wizards Community forums.

On this Thread

Up ahead, what you had taken for an inorganic mass lurches around to face you. The mud-gray cylinder is longer than a warhorse and appears to be segmented like an earthworm. The mass twitches, heaves, and extrudes a long, flesh-colored trunk ending in a circular mouth ringed with needle-sharp teeth.

Carnictises are massive worms that inhabit the darkest, deepest swamps, feeding upon the dead, wounded and any creature unable to flee. It is thought that they evolved from tapeworms or similar intestinal parasites, although how they reached their current state is unclear. Carnictises normally dwell in hot, humid swamps, but any combination of muddy water and heat can support them, and there is a rare variant that crawls through some underdark hot springs.

A typical carnictis is between 8 and 12 feet long, somewhat over a foot in diameter, and weighs about 500 pounds.

Carnictis Large vermin Hit Dice 8d8+24 (60 hp) Initiative +0 Speed 10 ft. (2 squares) Armor Class 15 (-1 size, +6 natural), touch 9, flat-footed 15 Base Attack/Grapple +6/+16 Attack Bite +14 melee (1d8+9) Full Attack Bite +14 melee (1d8+9) Space/Reach 10 ft./5 ft. Special Attacks Improved grab, lethal grappler, swallow whole Special Qualities Cluster, tremorsense 30 ft., vermin traits Saves Fort +9, Ref +2, Will +2 Abilities Strength 22, Dexterity 10, Constitution 16, Intelligence—, Wisdom 10, Charisma 2 Skills Hide +4, Move Silently +4, Listen +8 Feats ToughnessB Environment Warm marshes Organization Solitary, tangle (2-5), or den (6-12) Challenge Rating 5 Treasure None Alignment Always neutral Advancement 9-12 HD (Large); 13-19 HD (Huge) Level Adjustment —

Combat

Carnictises lurk in the swamp muck, depending on their camouflage to keep them hidden until prey wanders within reach. The creatures attempt to grapple their opponents, swallowing smaller prey and dragging larger foes into the mud to drown. The monsters are incredibly slow and are outrun easily, but they are incredibly tenacious, and opponents find it horrifyingly difficult to break free once the worms grab hold.

Improved Grab (Ex):To use this ability, a carnictis must hit with a bite attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity.

Lethal Grappler (Ex): A carnictis grapples normally by clamping onto its foe with its teeth. However, the worm will also swallow exposed limbs and even envelope the head of an opponent, given the chance. If the initial attack roll (the one on which the carnictus decided to use its Improved Grab) threatens a critical, the worm swallows a random limb (roll 1d4). If the attack roll scores a critical, the carnictis swallows the foe’s head. If an arm is swallowed, the foe loses the weapon- or shield-wielding ability of that hand. A character whose head is swallowed is considered blind and must hold his breath. An opposed grapple check allows the character to pull the worm off of his head or limb, provided that he has at least one free hand.

Swallow Whole (Ex):A carnictis can try to swallow a grabbed opponent of Small size or smaller by making a successful grapple check. Once inside, the opponent takes 1d6+3 points of acid damage from the carnictis’s digestive juices. A swallowed creature can cut its way out using a light slashing or piercing weapon to deal 12 points of damage to the carnictis’s digestive tract (AC 13). Once the creature exits, muscular action closes the hole; another swallowed creature must cut its own way out. The digestive tract of a Large carnictis can hold 2 Small, 4 Tiny, 8 Diminutive, or 16 Fine or smaller opponents.

Cluster (Ex):A carnictis is long, boneless, and extremely flexible. Up to six carnictises can fit into the same 10 ft. space, crawling over, under, and around each other. This same number of the monstrous worms can grapple on Medium-sized opponent simultaneously.

Tremorsense (Ex): A carnictis is eyeless and blind, but it is very sensitive to vibrations, and can detect and pinpoint any creature or object within 30 feet in contact with the ground.

vermin Traits:A carnictis is immune to all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns and morale effects).

Skills:A carnictis has a +4 racial bonus on Hide and Move Silently checks made in its native marsh environment. Its extreme sensitivity to vibrations grants the carnictis a +8 racial bonus on Listen checks.