Buy me a coffeeDungavenhooter
“Terrifying Leathery Beast That Hunts with Deadly Gas—Meet the Mysterious Dungavenhooter!”
The Dungavenhooter is a large, fearsome aberration, measuring between 15 to 20 feet in length, with its lengthy tail accounting for half of its total size. Its stout, sturdy legs support a hefty body, making it a powerful terrestrial and aquatic predator. A striking feature of the Dungavenhooter is its fused jaws, which render it incapable of chewing or devouring flesh. Instead, its two immense nostrils dominate its snout, allowing it to excel in detecting gaseous substances in its environment. The creature’s tail ends in a massive bony club, used for both offense and balance as it navigates through its habitat.
Behavior:
Dungavenhooters are solitary creatures, typically avoiding interaction with others except during mating seasons. They thrive in both terrestrial and aquatic environments but prefer to stay near water sources. Their call, a distinctive whiffling snort, serves as a form of communication, with males boasting the loudest and sharpest calls often attracting females. The females exhibit a nurturing side, creating nests out of rotting vegetation to lay their eggs, though they abandon them shortly after hatching, leaving the young to fend for themselves.
Habitat:
These creatures are primarily found in cold forests and freshwater swamps, where dense vegetation and murky waters provide cover and abundant sources of gaseous nutrients. Their ability to blend into the swampy environment allows them to remain hidden from potential threats and prey alike.
Modus Operandi:
Despite being carnivorous, the Dungavenhooter possesses a unique method of sustenance; it cannot consume flesh. Instead, it relies on its finely-tuned digestive system, extracting nutrients from gases and vapors in its environment. A Dungavenhooter can even survive by merely smelling other creatures, although it becomes gaunt and irritable without more substantial sustenance. When it attacks, it employs its snort ability, inhaling gaseous creatures or the vapors of those it has vaporized. This bizarre feeding method allows it to gain healing benefits akin to a heal spell, while simultaneously eliminating its prey, which cannot be revived without powerful magic.
Motivation:
The primary motivation of the Dungavenhooter is to feed and ensure its survival in the challenging conditions of its habitat. Although it can sustain itself by smelling its prey, it prefers to vaporize creatures entirely for a more nourishing intake of gas. Its territorial nature drives it to protect its hunting grounds, leading to aggression towards intruders. The Dungavenhooter embodies a primal force of nature, with instincts finely honed for survival, making it a formidable predator in the dark, mysterious depths of the swamps.
Dungavenhooter 5e
Dungavenhooter Pathfinder
Dungavenhooter
Large aberration, neutral
Armor Class 18 (natural armor)
Hit Points 200 (16d10 + 96)
Speed 30 ft., swim 40 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 (+8) | 14 (+2) | 22 (+6) | 1 (-5) | 12 (+1) | 7 (-2) |
Saving Throws Dex +8, Con +12, Wis +7
Skills Perception +11, Stealth +10 (+18 in swamp)
Damage Resistances Cold, Fire; Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from nonmagical attacks
Condition Immunities Blinded, Charmed, Deafened, Frightened, Paralyzed
Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Tremorsense 60 ft., Passive Perception 21
Languages Understands Deep Speech but cannot speak
Challenge 13 (10,000 XP)
Proficiency Bonus +4
Traits
- Filtration:
The Dungavenhooter has advantage on saving throws against inhaled gases, poisons, and similar effects. - Superior Scent:
The Dungavenhooter can detect creatures by scent up to 120 feet away and pinpoint their location up to 30 feet away. This ability works even if the Dungavenhooter is underwater. - Hold Breath:
The Dungavenhooter can hold its breath for 30 minutes.
Actions
- Multiattack:
The Dungavenhooter makes two Slam attacks. - Slam:
Melee Weapon Attack: +12 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target.
Hit: 27 (4d10 + 8) bludgeoning damage and the target must succeed on a DC 18 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. - Vaporizing Strike (Recharge 5-6):
The Dungavenhooter can make a slam attack against a creature. On a hit, the target must succeed on a DC 20 Constitution saving throw or take an additional 22 (4d10) necrotic damage and have its Strength and Constitution scores reduced by 1d6 each. If either score is reduced to 0, the creature is slain and completely vaporized, requiring a resurrection spell or similar magic to return. - Snort (Recharge 6):
The Dungavenhooter inhales deeply, drawing in vapors from nearby creatures. Each creature within 15 feet of the Dungavenhooter must make a DC 20 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, a creature takes 33 (6d10) necrotic damage and is incapacitated until the end of its next turn. On a successful save, the creature takes half damage and is not incapacitated.
Legendary Actions
The Dungavenhooter can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. The Dungavenhooter regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
- Detect: The Dungavenhooter makes a Wisdom (Perception) check.
- Tail Swipe: The Dungavenhooter makes one tail attack against a target within 15 feet.
- Lurking Ambush (Costs 2 Actions): The Dungavenhooter can use its superior scent to move up to its speed without provoking opportunity attacks and make a slam attack against a surprised creature.
Tactics
- Ambush Predator:
The Dungavenhooter prefers to fight from a position of stealth, utilizing its environment to remain hidden until prey is close enough to attack. It often lurks beneath the surface of the water, waiting for the right moment to strike. - Use of Terrain:
It takes advantage of swampy terrain to limit its enemies’ movement, retreating to deeper waters if outnumbered. The Dungavenhooter can also use its tail to sweep aside difficult terrain or obstacles. - Tactical Snort:
When surrounded, the Dungavenhooter uses its Snort ability to incapacitate multiple enemies, creating an opening to escape or reposition itself. - Target Weakness:
The Dungavenhooter focuses on weaker or isolated foes first, using its Vaporizing Strike to eliminate key threats swiftly and instill fear in its opponents.
Environment
The Dungavenhooter is typically found in cold forests and freshwater swamps, where it uses the dense undergrowth and murky waters to its advantage, creating a haunting atmosphere that reflects its sinister nature.
Lore
The Dungavenhooter is a creature of legends, known for its grotesque appearance and lethal abilities. Its insatiable hunger for gaseous nutrients drives it to seek out living creatures, which it captures using its cunning and strength. Many adventurers tell tales of encountering this creature in the dark depths of swampy landscapes, where few dare to tread.
Taken from the Creature Codex
This creature looks like a crocodile with stout legs and a long, flexible tail. The tail ends in a massive bony club. Strangely, its jaws are fused shut, and two immense nostrils take up most of its snout.
Dungavenhooters are bizarre carnivorous beasts that are nevertheless incapable of devouring flesh. Their digestive systems are so finely tuned that they can extract nutrient from gases and vapors alone. Although a dungavenhooter can survive merely by smelling other creatures, it will be thin and peevish unless it inhales the entirety of a creature after reducing it to a gas.
A dungavenhooter is a solitary creature, and they rarely associate with each other except to mate. They are comfortable both on land and in the water, but they tend to remain near water sources. Their call is a whiffling snort, and the males with the loudest and sharpest calls tend to attract the attention of females. The females make nests out of rotting vegetation and guard their eggs, but abandon them shortly after they hatch.
A dungavenhooter grows between fifteen and twenty feet long, half of which is tail. They are heavyset beasts that weigh about 2500 pounds on average.
Dungavenhooter CR 13
XP 25,600
N Large aberration
Init +5; Senses darkvision 60 ft., Perception +15, superior scent
Defense
AC 28, touch 10, flat-footed 27(-1 size, +1 Dex, +18 natural)
hp 170 (20d8+80)
Fort +10, Ref +9, Will +14; +4 vs. inhaled gases and poisons
DR 10/cold iron
Defensive Abilities filtration
Offense
Speed 30 ft., swim 40 ft.
Melee slam +22 (4d6+12/19-20 plus trip plus vaporizing strike)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
Special Attacks snort
Statistics
Str 26, Dex 13, Con 18, Int 1, Wis14, Cha 7
Base Atk +15; CMB +24; CMD 35 (39 vs. trip)
Feats Cleave, Critical Focus, Great Cleave, Improved Initiative, Improved Vital Strike, Lightning Reflexes, Power Attack, Skill Focus (Stealth), Staggering Critical, Vital Strike
Skills Perception +15, Stealth +16 (+24 in forest or underwater), Swim +16; Racial Modifiers +8 Stealth in forest or underwater
SQ hold breath
Ecology
Environment cold forests and freshwater
Organization solitary or pair
Treasure incidental
Special Abilities
- Filtration (Ex) A dungavenhooter gains a +4 on all saves against inhaled gases, poisons and other effects that are vapors or gaseous.
- Snort (Su) A dungavenhooter can inhale a gaseous creature, or the gases left behind by a vaporized creature, as a standard action. If it does, it gains the benefits of a heal spell with a CL equal to the HD of the inhaled creature. A gaseous creature can resist this effect with a DC 24 Fortitude save; if it fails, it is slain instantly. Creatures consumed by this effect can only be returned to life with a true resurrection, miracle or wish spell. The save DC is Constitution based.
- Superior Scent (Ex) This functions as per the scent ability, but the dungavenhooter can detect creatures by scent up to 120 feet away and pinpoint their square up to 30 feet away. Even though a dungavenhooter cannot breathe water, it can use this ability underwater.
- Vaporizing Strike (Su) A creature struck by a dungavenhooter’s slam attack must succeed a DC 24 Fortitude save or take 1d6 points of Str drain and 1d6 points of Con drain as parts of its body are vaporized. A creature reduced to 0 Str or Con by this ability is completely vaporized and slain—it can only be returned to life by a resurrection spell or a greater effect. The save DC is Constitution based.