#planar void

[whospeaksgnoll]

Fetid Shark

Another of the dangers I’ve come up with for random encounters in the planar void, fetid sharks are the apex predators of the planar void. Capable of eating whole crews, there are many tales that the fetid sharks have a cruel intelligence behind their jet-black eyes.

Fetid sharks are frightfully large, creatures with skin like jagged knives along a distended putty-soft flesh. Their specially adapted fins allow them to glide through the void. Often, there will be other creatures living on or within the fetid shark, sometimes including ramshackle settlements.

Fetid Shark

N Colossal animal (extraplanar)

Init +2; Perception +38; frightful presence (360 ft., DC 30)

AC 39, touch 0, flat-footed 39 (-2 Dex, +39 natural, -8 size)

hp 449 (29d12+261)

Fort +25, Ref +14, Will +24

DR 20/magic; Spell Pestilence 33

Speed 40 ft., fly 250 ft. (clumsy)

Melee bite +37 (4d8+24/19-20 plus grab), 2 slams +37 (4d6+16), tail slap +35 (4d6+24)

Space 30 ft.; Reach 20 ft. (30 ft. with bite)

Special Attacks swallow whole (5d6 acid damage, AC 49, 45 hp), crush (Large creatures, DC 33, 4d6+24), tail sweep (Medium creatures, DC 27, 2d8+24)

Str 43, Dex 6, Con 29, Int 2, Wis 23, Cha 6

Base Atk +29; CMB +53; CMD 61 (65 vs. trip)

Feats Cleave, Critical Focus, Staggering Critical Greater Vital Strike, Improved Critical (bite), Improved Initiative, Improved Iron Will, Improved Vital Strike, Iron Will, Multiattack, Power Attack, Improved Grapple, Stunning Critical, Vital Strike, Flyby Attack

Skills Fly +14, Perception +38, Stealth +14, Swim +20

Languages none

Capsize (Ex)

A fetid shark can attempt to capsize a boat or ship by ramming it as a charge attack and making a CMB check. The DC of this check is 25, or the result of the captain’s Profession (sailor) check, whichever is higher. For each size category the ship is larger than the shark’s size, the whale takes a cumulative –10 penalty on this CMB check.

Spell Pestilence (Ex)

Anyone who casts a harmful spell on a fetid shark must make a DC 33 caster level check. If they fail, the spell either fails and the caster is sickened, or the caster becomes staggered for one round and sickened for one minute.

[whospeaksgnoll]

Coross

The coross is a creature at home in the space between planes. It hungers for planar material, because it makes a more substantial meal than anything in its environs. The creature is a little dumb, and unused to truly dangerous prey.

It looks like a man-eating squid that was stuffed into a hawk with rust chips instead of feathers. Instead of a beak, it shows a chittering insectile head.

This creature is essentially an extraplanar version of the rust monster, and it has several nasty tricks for an unprepared party. You might consider taking mercy if a coross happens onto the deck of their interplanar ship and have it flee after grabbing a bite to eat.

Coross

N Large aberration

Init +3; Senses Lifesense 100 ft., darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +12

DEFENSE

AC 22, touch 12, flat-footed 19 (+3 Dex, +10 natural, –1 size)

hp 95 (10d8+50)

Fort +9, Ref +8, Will +8

Resist fire 10; SR 16

OFFENSE

Speed 40 ft., burrow 20 ft., climb 20 ft.

Melee 2 tendrils +12 touch (shatter or annihilate), bite +14 (1d8+8)

Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft. (15 ft. with antennae)

Special Attacks bloodrust, rust

STATISTICS

Str 27, Dex 17, Con 19, Int 2, Wis 13, Cha 8

Base Atk +7; CMB +16; CMD 29 (33 vs. trip)

Feats Great Fortitude, Lightning Reflexes, Multiattack, Skill Focus (Perception), Toughness

Skills Perception +12, Stealth +7

SQ lifesense

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Shatter (Ex)

A coross that makes a successful touch attack with a tendril causes the target metal to corrode, falling to pieces and becoming useless immediately. The touch can destroy up to a 10-foot cube of metal instantly. Magic armor and weapons, and other magic items made of metal, must succeed on a DC 23 Fortitude save or be dissolved. Against creatures made of metal, a corosss tendril deals 6d6+10 points of damage. The save DC is Constitution-based and includes a +4 racial bonus. A metal weapon that deals damage to a coross corrodes immediately. Wooden, stone, and other nonmetallic weapons are not immediately affected.

Lifesense (Ex)

A coross can sense the thrumming slush of organic beings to such a fine degree that it can perfectly discern the location of any organic creature, including undead, as if it could see it clearly, out to a range of 100 feet. Stone, wood, invisibility, and magical barriers are incapable of blocking this sense.

Annihilate (Ex)

A brush from a coross’s tendrils against flesh or thin clothing instantly consumes some of the target, tearing through the skin in a fine mist and causing 1d4 points of Constitution damage.

Spell Halving (Ex)

Anyone who casts a harmful spell on a coross must make a DC 20 caster level check. If they fail, the spell either fails or affects both the coross and the individual, caster’s choice.