Giant Viper fish

A Giant Viper fish sports a massive set of jaws stuffed with sharp teeth. Twin rows of bioluminscent spots dot its sides, and more patches of bioluminscence glow from within its mouth. Whiplike growths protrude from the fish’s chin.

Originally Posted by Shade of the En World forums.

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Among the most vicious predators of the deepest and darkest reaches of oceans, giant viper fish swim swiftly through the cold waters hunting prey. The bioluminescent spots along their sides help to attract prey, which they quickly trap in their vicious jaws.

Normally solitary hunters, viperfish pair up during a brief mating season. The females abandons her clutch as soon as the eggs are layed.

Viperfish flesh is edible, although its taste is unpleasant.

A typical giant viper fish is 20 feet long and weighs 1,000 pounds.

Giant Viper Fish

Huge Animal (Aquatic)

Hit Dice: 10d8+40 (85 hp)

Initiative:+5

Speed: Swim 50 ft. (10 squares)

Armor Class: 13 (-2 size, +1 Dexterity, +4 natural), touch 9, flat-footed 12

Base Attack/Grapple: +7/+24

Attack: Bite +14 melee (3d6+13)

Full Attack: Bite +14 melee (3d6+13)

Space/Reach: 15 ft./10 ft.

Special Attacks: Improved grab, seizing maw

Special Qualities: Low-Light Vision

Saves: Fort +11, Ref +10, Will +3

Abilities: Strength 28, Dexterity 12, Constitution 19, Intelligence 1, Wisdom 10, Charisma 2

Skills: Listen +2, Spot +15, Swim +17

Feats: Alertness, Blind-Fight, Improved Initiative, lightning reflexes

Environment: Any aquatic

Organization: Solitary or pair

Challenge Rating: 7

Treasure: None

Alignment: Always neutral

Advancement: 11-20 HD (Huge); 21-30 HD (Gargantuan)

Level Adjustment: –

COMBAT

A giant viper fish attempts to bite prey and catch it in its seizing maw, digesting what remains.

Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a giant viper fish must hit a Huge or smaller opponent with its bite 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 immediately traps the victim in its seizing maw.

Seizing Maw (Ex): Once the a giant viper fish has successfully grappled an opponent, it automatically holds the victim in its mouth to slowly digest it. Each round that the victim spends in the viper fish’s mouth, it takes automatic bite damage and 1d8 points of acid damage. To escape the hold, the victim must succeed on either
a grapple check or an Escape Artist check opposed by the viper fish’s grapple check. If the victim successfully escapes, it immediately takes maximum bite damage
as it tears itself free of the viper fish’s backward-curving teeth. A giant viper fish can hold a creature up to one size category larger than itself within its mouth in this manner.

Skills: A giant viper fish has a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform some special action or avoid a hazard. It can choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered. It can use the run action when swimming, provided it swims in a straight line.

Variant Giant Viper Fish

Some giant viper fishes have whiplike tentacles which grow from their chins. Such giant viper fishes have the following changes to the statistics above:

Attack: Bite +14 melee (3d6+9) or tentacle +14 melee (1d8+9)

Full Attack: Bite +14 melee (3d6+9) and 2 tentacles +9 melee (1d8+4)

Space/Reach: 15 ft./10 ft. (15 ft. with tentacles)

Special Attacks: Constrict, improved grab, seizing maw

Challenge Rating: 8

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

Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a giant viper fish must hit a Huge or smaller opponent with its bite or 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 immediately traps the victim in its seizing maw (if a bite attack) or constricts (if a tentacle attack).

Originally appeared in Monstrous Compendium Annual 4.