#kython

[thecreaturecodex]

Chyth Broodling

“Khythons” by Lars Grant-West, © Wizards of the Coast. Accessed at the Book of Vile Darkness Art Gallery here

[Once upon a time, Monte Cook wanted to use some Tyranid miniatures from Warhammer 40,000 in his D&D game. So he cooked up a homebrew race of “kythons” to fit them. When Cook was the head developer on Book of Vile Darkness in D&D 3.0, he imported his kythons to published D&D, although he left their creators behind. These were the Galchutt, who were pretty clearly lifted from WH40K’s chaos daemons. Maybe he thought that was a bridge too far, maybe he just wanted to hang onto his IP (the Galchutt later appeared in Cook’s third party projects, Ptolus and Chaositech).

So we have the kythons (spelled khythons in the Art Gallery, and with a one piece that didn’t appear in the finished book). A ripoff of a ripoff (as the Tyranids borrow heavily from the Xenomorphs from Aliens). They got tweaked, neutered, into the kruthiks in 3.5′s Miniatures Handbook, which took out their most interesting ability, the signature weapons. We’ll get to those with the next entry, but the broodlings don’t have hands. I never used kythons back in the day because they were extremely overpowered. The juvenile kython, for example, is supposedly a CR 3, but has 41 hp, an AC of 20 and an average damage output of 21 hp (and two different poison saves) per round! In 2002, I was already writing my own monsters and could tell the kythons needed a tweak. Now is that time.

One last thing: the names. In the BOVD, the castes have goofy names like “slaymaster” and “slaughterking”. I’m just calling those “queen” and “king”. The BOVD makes it sound like the kythons are all fertile as adults and just randomly develop into greater forms. I’m making them work more like genuine eusocial insects. Kythons were named in a setting that already had kytons, for some reason. I’ve altered the name to incorporate more of the alternate spelling from the Art Gallery. If you call Pathfinder’s Hellraiser fiends “velstracs”, you may want to stick to calling these “kythons”. Or heck, call them kruthiks!]

Chyth On a distant world in the Material Plane, a triad of powerful fiends attempted an experiment. One each of daemon, demon and devil, they sought to cooperate instead of competing with each other in the ruination of a world. To this end, they each collaborated on creating a new life form, a relentless predator without compassion or pity, a perfect killing machine. The chyth were the result of their labors. That original planet has since been stripped of life except for small enclaves of devil worshipers and ever-warring chyth hives. And some of the monsters themselves have moved on, establishing colonies on other worlds.

The chyth are a colonial, eusocial species. Their reproductive castes are the king and the queen, of which each hive has a single individual. Broodlings are raised by their older brothers and sisters, and dead chyth and their waste products are recycled into modular weapons that the workers can fuse to their limbs. Chyth hives are ferociously loyal to their own members, but view most other hives as competitors to be eliminated and reprocessed. When a hive does reproduce, its young king and queen move very far from their parents before establishing a new colony.

Chyth speak their own language, a pidgin of Abyssal and Infernal. Anyone who speaks one of these languages can decipher a chyth’s speech with a DC 20 Linguistics check—the DC drops to 15 if they speak both languages. Chyth speak almost exclusively amongst themselves instead of talking to meat, but they do keep records of each hive’s accomplishments. Their writing is in raised glyphs and read through touch.

Chyth Traits “Chyth” is a subtype of aberration with the following characteristics

blind. Immune to visual spells and effects and gaze attacks

blindsight, of a variable range between castes. This blindsight is based on vibrations, scent and other subtler frequencies. A chyth in the area of a strong smell, such as a stinking cloud or similar effect, is limited to blindsense in the area.

Immune to acid and cold

Resist electricity 10 and fire 10

Stealthy as a bonus feat

Chyth Broodling CR 1 NE Aberration This long lean creature has a pointed, eyeless head, short legs but no arms, and a barbed stinger at the end of its tail.

Chyth broodlings are the juveniles of the chyth race, and their primary duties to the hive are to eat and grow. Most of them never leave their hives, instead being fed butchered flesh brought to them by their older, stronger kin. In addition to meat, they are given doses of enzymes and protein excreted by the queen—these determine whether each individual broodling will grow into a minor, median or major worker.

Chyth broodlings are as vicious as the adult forms, even if they are not nearly so powerful. Their stings contain potent venom, and their bites are remarkably strong for their size. Possibly their most dangerous weapon is their blood—when spilled, it sends all chyth that sense it into a state of heightened alertness and agitation. 

Chyth Broodling      CR 1 XP 400 NE Small aberration (chyth) Init +2; Senses blind, blindsight 30 ft., Perception +6 Defense AC 14, touch 13, flat-footed 12 (+1 size, +2 Dex, +1 natural) hp 11 (2d8+2) Fort +2, Ref +3, Will +4 Immune acid, cold, gaze attacks, visual spells and effects; Resist electricity 10, fire 10 Defensive Abilities alarm pheromone Offense Speed 20 ft. Melee bite +3 (1d6+1), sting +3 (1d4+1 plus poison) Statistics Str 13, Dex 15, Con 12, Int 7, Wis 12, Cha 9 Base Atk +1; CMB +1; CMD 13 Feats Stealthy (B), Weapon Finesse Skills Escape Artist +8, Perception +6, Stealth +12 Languages Chyth Ecology Environment any land or underground Organization solitary, pair or swarm (3-20) Treasure none Special Abilities Alarm Pheromone (Ex) When injured, the scent of a chyth broodling’s blood drives other chyth into a frenzy. All chyth that can detect that broodling with their blindsight gain a +2 alchemical bonus to initiative that lasts for 1 minute. Poison (Ex) Sting—injury; save Fort DC 12; duration 1/round for 4 rounds; damage 1d2 Con damage; cure 1 save. The save DC is Constitution based.

[noblecrumpet-dorkvision]

Inspired Encounter: Kython Hive Mother

I certainly took my sweet time writing an encounter for Fighter Week, but here it is, better late than never. I was inspired by the Kythons from the Book of Vile Darkness. I wanted to use them to make a multi-stage battle that highlights a fighter’s skill at using a variety of weapons. The creature is resistant or immune to certain damage types in certain stages of the battle, meaning that the fighter will have to switch between weapons to take it down. Meanwhile, the boss and her goons are resistant to a lot of energy types which make them difficult for mages to deal with. The rest of the party will certainly have their hands full keeping the mobs off of the fighter.

Kython Hive Mother (CR 15)

An evil aberration of fiendish origin and a breeding vessel for the Kython, cruel creatures invented by fiends trapped on the earth.

This creature is treated as a complex boss encounter with 3 stages.

The battle begins with 4 adult kythons (see below) defending the hive mother. The hive mother initially appears as a colossal tower of chitin and scaled flesh fringed with spines.

Stage 1: Armored Swarm

The hive mother has no movement speed, and mostly just shifts and pulses. She has a thick exoskeleton of armored chitin that is largely immune to most damage. She has four wedges of this armor surrounding her that are being forced closed by muscular action. Some of the muscles are exposed near the top of her colossal form, 60 ft. high. Each of the four muscles has about 20 HP and is resistant to bludgeoning and slashing damage, but vulnerable to piercing damage. Once all of the muscles have been reduced to 0 HP, the armored plates will return to their natural open position, exposing its underbelly.

Armor Muscle (x4): 20 HP, 19 AC. Immune: Acid, Cold. Resistant: Fire, Lightning, Bludgeoning and Slashing damage from nonmagic items.

Actions:

Spawn (recharge 5-6): During this stage, its armored wedges will periodically lift and release 2d6 Juvenile Kythons (see below) to defend itself. I... would advise against crawling inside the armor because you will likely get trapped inside and have to take on her tentacle attacks (see stage 2) each round.

Stage 2: Exposed Tentacles

After the armored plates have been disabled, the hive mother's underbelly becomes exposed. This, however, only makes her more dangerous. Her egg sacks are visible. If any of these four sacks are dealt 15 or more slashing damage they will spew out a dozen or more eggs, 1d4 of which are mature enough to fight and are treated as kythons.

The hive mother has four barbed tentacles that it uses to defend itself. Each tentacle has 30 HP and is resistant to bludgeoning and piercing damage but vulnerable to slashing damage. It uses its tentacles to keep melee attackers away from its egg sacks.

Tentacle (x4): 30 HP, 17 AC. Immune: Acid, Cold. Resistant: Fire, Lightning, Piercing and Bludgeoning damage.

Actions:

Multiattack: The hive mother can make up to 4 tentacle attacks on its turn. If the hive mother has less than 4 tentacles, it can only make a number of attacks equal to the number of remaining tentacles.

Tentacle: Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 30 ft., one creature. Hit: 10 (2d6+3) slashing damage and 10 (2d8) poison damage. When a creature is hit by a tentacle attack, the creature must make a DC 18 STR check or be pushed 20 ft. away from the hive mother.

Egg Sack (x4): 15 HP, immunity to bludgeoning and piercing damage. If destroyed, 4d4 Broodling Kythons (see below) emerge.

Stage 3: Endoskeleton

Once the tentacles have been destroyed, the hive mother begins to defend herself with what would be considered her actual body: an eyeless, reptilian torso covered in spines with a gaping toothed maw and four clawed arms. Its chitinous hide is resistant to piercing and slashing damage, but it is affected normally by bludgeoning damage which can crack its armor or damage it internally.

Endoskeleton:

Large Fiend

AC: 17, HP: 100, Speed: 0 ft.

STR 17; DEX 15; CON 16; INT 10; WIS 14; CHA 11  

Saving Throws: DEX +2, CON +4

Resistances: Fire, Lightning, Piercing and Slashing damage.

Immunities: Acid, Cold.

Senses: Blindsight 30 ft.

Immobile: The endoskeleton has disadvantage on DEX saving throws as it cannot move from its space, leaving only its disruptive field, claws, and whatever is left from its tentacles to defend itself.

Actions:

Multiattack: The hive mother’s endoskeleton can make one Poison Spray attack and four Claw attacks. The endoskeleton can use its Summon Kythons ability instead of its Poison Spray ability if it has recharged.

Poison Spray: Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, range 45 ft., one creature. Hit: 21 (4d6+9) poison damage. A creature hit by this attack must make a DC 18 CON save or become poisoned for 1 minute.

Claw: Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 10 ft., one creature. Hit: 13 (2d8+4) slashing damage.

Summon Kythons (recharge 5-6): The hive mother screeches, calling 1d4 Adult Kythons from deeper in the lair. This ability only takes

Field of Disruption: The endoskeleton can project one of two auras and may switch between them as a bonus action.

Field of Despair: A blue miasma. Attackers within 30 ft. have disadvantage on all attack rolls against the endoskeleton or other kythons.

Defensive Field: An aura of purple static. The endoskeleton gains +2 AC and immunity to spells of 3rd level or lower.

Here are the stats for the various kythons that spawn throughout the encounter. Double their HP totals if you want to use them outside of this encounter.

Broodling Kython (CR 1)

Small Fiend

AC: 13, HP: 18, Speed: 20 ft.

STR 13; DEX 15; CON 12; INT 7; WIS 12; CHA 9

Saving Throws: DEX +4, CON +3

Resistances: Fire, Lightning.

Immunities: Acid, Cold.

Senses: Blindsight 60 ft.

Actions:

Sting: Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 2 (1d4) piercing damage and 8 (3d4) poison damage.

Juvenile Kython (CR 3)

Small Fiend

AC: 13, HP: 45, Speed: 30 ft.

STR 15; DEX 15; CON 14; INT 10; WIS 13; CHA 9

Saving Throws: DEX +4, CON +4

Resistances: Fire, Lightning.

Immunities: Acid, Cold.

Senses: Blindsight 60 ft.

Actions:

Multiattack: The Adult Kython makes three attacks, one with its Bite and two with its Claw.

Bite: Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 4 (1d4+1) piercing damage and 10 (3d6) poison damage.

Claw: Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 7 (1d6+3) piercing damage.

Adult Kython (CR 5)

Medium Fiend

AC: 15, HP: 66, Speed: 30 ft.

STR 17; DEX 15; CON 16; INT 10; WIS 14; CHA 11  

Saving Throws: DEX +5, CON +6

Resistances: Fire, Lightning.

Immunities: Acid, Cold.

Senses: Blindsight 60 ft.

Actions:

Multiattack: The Adult Kython makes three attacks, one with its Bite and two with its Claw. Alternatively, it can make one Mouth Launcher attack if it has successfully recharged.

Bite: Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 6 (1d4+3) piercing damage and 14 (4d6) poison damage.

Claw: Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 10 (2d6+3) piercing damage.

Mouth Launcher (recharge 5-6): Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 15 ft., one creature. Hit: 7 (1d6+3) piercing damage. A creature of medium size or smaller hit by this attack must make a DC 15 STR saving throw or be dragged into its mouth. A creature that fails their saving throw is dealt damage automatically by the kython’s claw attacks and bite attack.

[thecreaturecodex]

Chyth King

"Kython Slaughterking” by Lars Grant West, © Wizards of the Coast

[The last of the kythons, this art piece didn’t make it into the official web gallery for Book of Vile Darkness. I like how grasshopper-like the textures on the limbs are.]

Chyth King CR 13 NE Aberration This armored giant has four arms and an eyeless head with a serrated beak. Its claws are like the pincers of a lobster or crab. Spines grow along its arms, legs and head, and several smaller appendages twitch along its chest.

Chyth kings are the last line of defense for the queen and colony. They are created from ordinary workers, forced to fight to the death by the virgin queen. The winner devours the corpse of the loser, as well as hormones secreted by the queen, in order to develop into this oversized form, then mates with the queen in order to father the new colony. In addition to regular matings, the chyth king is the record keeper for the hive, recording maps and events in a raised script that can be read by touch.

A chyth king is the physically strongest and fastest of the chyth types. He rarely leaves the colony’s location, but may go on a raid with major workers as a show of power, or as a distraction effort against creatures who do not know that the colony will survive its king. Chyth kings can create an aura by limiting their blindsight—this aura creates a maddening buzz in the heads of other creatures that impedes their abilities and disrupts their spellcasting.

The claws of a chyth king are too clumsy to manipulate objects, but its chest appendages are as dexterous as a human hand. A chyth king stands about twelve feet tall. 

Chyth King    CR 13 XP 25,600 NE Large aberration (chyth) Init +8; Senses blind, blindsight 90 ft., Perception +23 Aura disruption (30 ft., Will DC 23) Defense AC 27, touch 14, flat-footed 22 (-1 size, +4 Dex, +1 dodge, +13 natural) hp 171 (18d8+90) Fort +13, Ref +10, Will +15 Immune acid, cold, gaze attacks, visual spells and effects; Resist electricity 10, fire 10 Offense Speed 40 ft. Melee bite +20 (2d6+8 plus entangling slime), 4 claws +20 (1d8+8/19-20) Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft. Special Attacks breath weapon (30 ft. cone, 13d6 acid, Ref DC 24), rend (4 claws, 1d8+12) Statistics Str 27, Dex 18, Con 20, Int 18, Wis 19, Cha 19 Base Atk +13; CMB +22; CMD 37 Feats Cleave, Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Great Fortitude, Improved Critical (claw), Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Stand Still, Stealthy (B), Step Up Skills Acrobatics +23, Climb +27, Escape Artist +29, Intimidate +23, Knowledge (history) +23, Perception +23, Sense Motive +23, Stealth +25, Survival +23 Languages Abyssal, Chyth, Infernal, Undercommon Ecology Environment any land and underground Organization solitary or colony (1 plus 3-20 chyth broodlings, 3-20 minor workers, 3-20 median workers, 1-12 major workers and 1 chyth queen) Treasure standard Special Abilities Disruptive Aura (Su) As a move action, a chyth king can reduce the range of its blindsight by 30 feet in order to create a field that disrupts the minds of non-chyth. All creatures in the aura other than chyth must succeed a DC 23 Will save or take a -4 morale penalty to attack rolls, saving throws and skill checks as long as they are in the aura and for 1 round thereafter. A creature that succeeds this save is immune to the disruptive aura of that chyth king for the next 24 hours. All creatures other than chyth in the aura, whether or not they succeeded the save, must succeed on a DC 23 concentration check whenever they try to cast a spell or the spell is lost. This is a mind-influencing effect, and the save DC is Charisma based. Entangling Slime (Ex) A creature bitten by a chyth king must succeed a DC 24 Reflex save or be coated in slime and entangled for 1 minute. Multiple bites do not increase the penalty, but do increase the duration. A pint of strong alcohol or a universal solvent can remove the slime. The save DC is Constitution based.

[thecreaturecodex]

Chyth, Minor Worker

“Khythons” by Lars Grant West. © Wizards of the Coast. Accessed at the Book of Vile Darkness Art Gallery here

[There are six stat-blocks for the kythons/chyth, and only three pieces of art. One of these didn’t even appear in the published book! So I hope y’all don’t mind seeing the same piece of art four times in twelve days on your dash.

These were originally “juvenile kythons”, and were the most notably broken of them. I toned down the AC, boosted the hit points by 5 and still raised the CR by 2! I’ve also gotten rid of them being poisonous in both their bite and stings. In addition, I’m adding new abilities to all three of the worker castes, so they have something more to distinguish them beyond HD. For basic information on the chyth, see here]

Chyth Modular Weapons Chyth weaponry is bio-organic, able to fuse seamlessly with the limbs of a chyth worker. All chyth workers (minor, median and major) are proficient in all chyth weapons. Any worker chyth may have one or more modular weapons—these cannot be disarmed, as they literally fuse with a limb, but can be sundered (hardness 5, 10 hp). A chyth worker can attach or detach a modular weapon as a full-round action that provokes attacks of opportunity. If a chyth’s modular weapon is sundered, it still must spend this action to free its limb or limbs for use. If determining modular weapons at random, roll on the following table:

d8 modular weapons 1: acid spewer 2: bone shard launcher 3: boneblade 4: chitin shield 5: extensible limbs 6: mucus pod 7: phase organ 8: roll twice

Acid Spewer: this sac-like organ fuses with two of the limbs, conjoining them into a fleshy tube. A chyth with an acid spewer loses two of its claw attacks, but can fire a glob of acid as a standard action. This acid functions as a ranged touch attack with a range of 30 feet and no range increment. A creature struck by the acid takes 3d6 points of acid damage.

Bone Shard Launcher: this somewhat resembles a repeating crossbow, and fuses with a single limb. A chyth with a bone shard launcher loses one of its claw attacks, but treats the launcher as a light repeating crossbow. A chyth with a bone shard launcher can make iterative attacks with the weapon, and never runs out of ammunition. It cannot make both melee and ranged attacks in the same full attack action, however.

Boneblade: this is merely a long spine made of bone, cut through with bluish veins. A chyth with a boneblade loses one of its claw attacks. The boneblade is treated as a manufactured weapon that deals 1d10 points of slashing and piercing damage. A chyth with a boneblade can use it to make iterative attacks. A chyth with a boneblade can make melee attacks with its natural weapons on the same full attack action, but treats them as secondary natural weapons.

Chitin Shield: A chitin shield replaces one of a chyth’s claw attacks, and grants it a +2 shield bonus to AC. Multiple chitin shields stack with each other, but not with other shields.

Extensible Limbs: A chyth with an extensible limb module fuses its lower two limbs to its upper two limbs, forming an organic telescoping action. A chyth with extensible limbs gains +5 foot reach with its claw attacks, but can only make two claw attacks a round. A minor chyth worker cannot make use of extensible limbs.

Mucus Pod: A chyth with a mucus pod loses the use of one claw attack, as that limb becomes tipped with a throbbing cyst with tubes extending to the other claws. Any creature hit with a claw attack by a chyth wielding a mucus pod must make a DC 15 Reflex save or become entangled for 1 minute. Multiple hits do not increase the penalty, but do extend the duration. A pint of strong alcohol or a dose universal solvent can remove the mucus.

Phase Organ: A chyth with a phase organ loses the use of two of its limbs, but can use ethereal jaunt as a supernatural ability once per day (CL = the chyth’s Hit Dice).

Chyth, Minor Worker CR 5 NE Aberration This lithe biped has a long eyeless head counterbalanced by a stinging tail. Its arms end in clawed hands, and its body is covered in a layer of chitin.

Minor chyth workers are the weakest of the three worker castes, but they are still lethal opponents. Their roles in the colony include tending the broodlings, distributing food, grooming the queen, and general hygienic practices. A chyth colony typically contains a midden filled with unusable scraps and broken bits of chyth weaponry. Minor workers deliver waste products to these trash heaps, as well as keep them free of scavengers and parasites.

Minor workers do sometimes leave the hive to forage, especially with a party of median and major workers. They are the most agile of the worker castes and those that are equipped with chyth weaponry usually carry acid spewers or bone shard launchers. They act as support units, helping to defend stronger warriors that are in trouble, poisoning difficult opponents, setting up flanking or covering retreats. A minor worker has glands in its throat that allow it to regurgitate a healing paste that can seal wounds and even treat diseases or poison.

A minor chyth worker is about seven feet long and three feet high. They are the only of the three worker castes to have a long tail with a stinger.

Minor Chyth Worker          CR 5 XP 1,600 NE Medium aberration (chyth) Init +8; Senses blind, blindsight 60 ft., Perception +8 Defense AC 19, touch 15, flat-footed 14 (+4 Dex, +1 dodge, +4 natural) hp 45 (6d8+18) Fort +5, Ref +6, Will +6 Immune acid, cold, gaze attacks, visual spells and effects; Resist electricity 10, fire 10 Offense Speed 30 ft. Melee bite +8 (1d8+2), 2 claws +8 (1d6+2), sting +8 (1d4+2 plus poison) Statistics Str 15, Dex 19, Con 16, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 9 Base Atk +4; CMB +6; CMD 21 Feats Dodge, Improved Initiative, Stealthy (B), Weapon Finesse Skills Acrobatics +11, Climb +9, Escape Artist +13, Perception +8, Stealth +13, Survival +8 Languages Chyth SQ able assistant, healing paste (4/day) Ecology Environment any land and underground Organization solitary, pair, patrol (3-8 plus 3-8 median workers and 1-4 major workers) or swarm (3-20) Treasure incidental Special Abilities Able Assistant (Ex) Whenever a minor chyth worker succeeds a roll to aid another chyth, that chyth gains a +3 to its attack roll, skill check or Armor Class. Healing Paste (Su) A minor chyth worker can apply a healing paste to itself or an adjacent creature as a standard action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity. This paste functions as a single dose of restorative ointment. A minor chyth worker can use this ability a number of times a day equal to 1+ its Constitution modifier. Poison (Ex) Sting—injury; save Fort DC 16; duration 1/round for 4 rounds; effect 1d3 Con damage; cure 2 saves. The save DC is Constitution based.

[thecreaturecodex]

Chyth, Major Worker

“Kythons” © Wizards of the Coast, by Lars Grant West. Accessed at the Book of Vile Darkness Art Gallery here

[Last time using this image. Called the “kython impaler” in the original, even though its arm spines did less damage than its bite attack. I made the arm spines one of the modular weapons in this version, and drew inspiration from some of the more extreme warrior body plans of real termites and ants.]

Chyth, Major Worker CR 9 NE Aberration This humanoid creature is lean and tall, with a long eyeless head terminating in a beak-like jaw. Its four arms are all tipped with blades of bone.

Major chyth workers are sometimes called “impalers”, due to their impressive array of boneblades. These are equipped to their hands, and can be removed, but require support from another chyth to remove them. Major chyth workers almost never remove their boneblades, so as always to be ready for a fight, and are typically fed and groomed by their minor worker siblings.

Chyth impalers are bred only for battle. They guard the entrance of the colony, the king and queen, and are deployed with patrols if resistance is expected from the target of a raid. They almost always close into melee quickly, diving forward with their boneblades in order to tear apart the strongest looking target. A few major chyth workers are equipped with four bone shard crossbows instead, and can lay down enormous amounts of supporting fire for their allies. These ranged specialists have Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot and Rapid Shot instead of Dodge, Improved Critical, and Power Attack.

A major chyth worker stands about seven feet tall.

Major Chyth Worker          CR 9 XP 6,400 NE Medium aberration (chyth) Init +6; Senses blind, blindsight 60 ft., Perception +12 Defense AC 23, touch 13, flat-footed 20 (+2 Dex, +1 dodge, +10 natural) hp 110 (13d8+52) Fort +10, Ref +6, Will +11 Immune acid, cold, gaze attacks, visual spells and effects; Resist electricity 10, fire 10 Offense Speed 30 ft. Melee boneblade +15/10 (1d10+6/19-20), 3 boneblades +15 (1d10+6/19-20), bite +10 (2d6+3) Special Attacks impaling charge (boneblade +15, 5d10+9/19-20) Statistics Str 23, Dex 15, Con 18, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 9 Base Atk +9; CMB +15; CMD 28 Feats Dodge, Great Fortitude, Improved Critical (boneblade), Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Power Attack, Stealthy (B) Skills Acrobatics +13, Climb +17, Escape Artist +21, Perception +12, Stealth +21, Survival +12 Languages Chyth SQ multiweapon mastery Ecology Environment any land and underground Organization solitary, pair, patrol (1-4 plus 3-8 minor workers and 3-8 median workers) or honor guard (3-8) Treasure standard Special Abilities Impaling Charge (Ex) This functions as the powerful charge ability, except it only functions when the major chyth worker is equipped with at least one boneblade. It deals 2d10 damage, plus an additional 1d10 for each boneblade besides the first that the major chyth worker has equipped. Multiweapon Mastery (Ex) A major chyth worker suffers no penalty to attack and damage rolls when fighting with multiple weapons.

[thecreaturecodex]

Chyth, Median Worker

“Khython” © Wizards of the Coast, by Lars Grant West. Accessed at the Book of Vile Darkness Art Gallery here

[See here for general information about the chyth and here for the modular weapons. Again, my statistics are slightly toned down from the original “adult kython”, but I’ve raised the CR from 5 to 7.]

Chyth, Median Worker CR 7 NE Aberration This muscular biped has a long, eyeless head with a beak-like jaw. It has four clawed arms, and an armored carapace.

Median chyth workers are the ones most likely to be encountered outside the hive. They are the primary foragers of chyth colonies, responsible for most of the food gathering. That means meat, and median chyth workers raid herds, livestock and villages in order to gather as much meat as possible to return to their families. In addition to their foraging duties, median workers craft and repair weaponry for the chyth colony.

Median chyth workers are adept with using chyth weaponry. The statistics below assume that they have nothing equipped, but when on patrol, they are often outfitted with a chitin shield and either a bone shard launcher or boneblade on their lower set of limbs. Median chyth scouts may have a phase organ equipped, in order to pass through walls and doors and open them from the other side for their patrols. Median chyth workers specialized for ranged combat have Point Blank Shot and Precise Shot as feats instead of Power Attack and Skill Focus.

A median chyth worker stands between five and six feet tall.

Median Chyth Worker       CR 7 XP 3,200 NE Medium aberration (chyth) Init +7; Senses blind, blindsight 60 ft., Perception +8 Defense AC 21, touch 14, flat-footed 17 (+3 Dex, +1 dodge, +7 natural) hp 75 (10d8+30) Fort +8, Ref +6, Will +8 Immune acid, cold, gaze attacks, visual spells and effects; Resist electricity 10, fire 10 Offense Speed 30 ft. Melee bite +11 (1d10+4), 4 claws +11 (1d6+4) Statistics Str 19, Dex 17, Con 16, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 9 Base Atk +7; CMB +11; CMD 25 Feats Dodge, Great Fortitude, Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Skill Focus (Craft: alchemy), Stealthy (B) Skills Acrobatics +11, Climb +12, Craft (alchemy) +16, Escape Artist +13, Perception +8, Stealth +13, Survival +8 Languages Chyth SQ ant haul. chyth weapon mastery, craft chyth weaponry Ecology Environment any land and underground Organization solitary, pair, patrol (3-8 plus 3-8 minor workers and 1-4 major workers) or swarm (3-20) Treasure standard Special Abilities Ant Haul (Su) A median chyth worker is under the effects of a permanent ant haul spell as a supernatural ability. Chyth Weapon Mastery (Ex) A median chyth worker gains a +1 bonus on all attack rolls and damage rolls made with chyth weaponry. Craft Chyth Weapon (Ex) A median chyth worker can create a chyth weapon of its choice by expending 8 hours of work, 500 gp worth of reagents, and succeeding a DC 25 Craft (alchemy) check. If it fails the check, the reagents are wasted.