Also known as the "Skolex" in the Indus River Valley region., W. indicus is a very large species of saw-toothed worm, closely related and morphologically similar to its closest cousin, the now-extinct marine worm W. armstrongi.
Pale and carnivorous, Indus worms are native to the Indus river valley, characterized by long, white bodies, large venomous mandibles, and symmetrical pairs of parapodium (lateral outgrowths or protrusions from the body used to assist movement) on each body segment.. They tend to burrow in the mud of the river bed during the day, emerging in the cool of night to hunt easy livestock prey like horses, cows, donkeys, camels, but also occasionally humans. They will also attack potential prey who happen to walk over their sleeping place, though this is more likely to occur near sunset or sunrise.
The skōlex, also known as the Indus worm, is a monster from ancient Greek mythology. Described as an enormous white worm, it was believed to live in the Indus River in the Indian subcontinent.
Said to be the only creature living in the Indus River, the skōlex is carnivorous, eating cows, donkeys and camels at night. During the day, it burrows into the mud at the bottom the river. Valuable, flammable oil could be harvested from the skōlex, and was used by Indian kings as a weapon.
[The Indus worm comes to us from Greek writings about India. Following the exploits of Alexander the Great, there was a whole slew of books about India, and the adventures of Alexander persisted as a genre well into the Middle Ages. The manticore is the most famous of the Greek monsters placed in India, but by no means the only one. I love how shaggy, saggy and gross this Indus worm looks. The name “skolex” is Ancient Greek for worm, and survives to the present day as the name for the attachment organ of tapeworms. The hollow stinger is inspired by the breathing apparatus of numerous families of aquatic fly larvae, the mosquitoes the most notorious]
Skolex
CR 5 N Aberration
This creature resembles a beady-eyed maggot larger than a horse. It has a vertical beak for a mouth, and a stinger on its tail. An oily slime oozes from its every surface.
The skolex, or river worm, is a monstrous maggot, an offshoot of insect development gone awry. They usually form in response to the larvae of giant vermin consuming the corpse of a highly magical entity, but they can also form from mundane insects exposed to arcane energies or alchemical runoff. They are ambush predators, feeding on animals, humanoids, or anything else they can sink their two oversized teeth into.
A skolex constantly oozes a pale slime, which assists its movement over land and makes it difficult for possible predators to grab onto. It can cause this grease to spurt in enormous gouts around it, making the ground incredibly slippery. They preferentially attack prone victims. This grease is very flammable, which makes using fire attacks around a skolex dangerous—the monster can catch on fire and burn to death, but so might all other creatures in the area. They are sometimes hunted in pursuit of this grease, or even kept in captivity, but both of these strategies are quite risky.
A skolex spends most of its time underwater. They must breathe air, but their stingers are hollow and act as snorkels, allowing them to be almost completely buried in mud or water for much of the time and still breathe. They tolerate each other’s presence when times are good, but during lean seasons turn on each other cannibalistically. They are sterile but long lived, surviving decades if unmolested. Thus, populations of skolexes can boom in response to magical pollution, and disappear for extended periods if the conditions for their creation are not met.
Skolex CR 5
XP 1,600
N Large aberration
Init +3; Senses darkvision 60 ft., Perception +6, tremorsense 30 ft.
Defense
AC 16, touch 8, flat-footed 16 (-1 size, -1 Dex, +8 natural)
hp 63 (6d8+36)
Fort +7, Ref +1, Will +7
DR 10/piercing; Resist acid 10, cold 10; SR 16
Weakness flammable
Offense
Speed 15 ft., swim 30 ft.
Melee bite +7 (2d8+4 plus grab), sting +7 (1d6+4)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Special Attacks grease pulse
Statistics
Str 18, Dex 9, Con 20, Int 1, Wis 13, Cha 4
Base Atk +4; CMB +9 (+13 grapple); CMD 18 (22 vs. grapple, cannot be tripped)
Feats Improved Initiative, Stealthy, Toughness
Skills Escape Artist +5, Perception +6, Stealth +4, Swim +12; Racial Modifiers +4 Escape Artist
SQ greasy, hold breath
Ecology
Environment warm marshes and freshwater
Organization solitary, pair or cluster (3-12)
Treasure incidental
Special Abilities
Flammable (Ex) Whenever a skolex takes damage from a fire spell or effect, it must succeed a DC 10 Reflex save or catch on fire. If the spell or effect would ordinarily cause a creature to catch on fire (such as alchemist fire or a burn effect), the skolex suffers a -2 penalty to its saving throw.
Grease Pulse (Ex) As a standard action, a skolex can cause the ground in a 10 foot radius around it to be coated in grease, as per the grease spell (CL 6th, Reflex DC 16 negates). This grease is flammable; if a fire spell or effect comes into contact with the grease, it combusts, dealing 4d6 points of fire damage to all creatures in the area and setting them on fire. A successful DC 16 Reflex save halves the fire damage and negates being set on fire. The grease is consumed in this fire, ending the effect’s duration. The save DC is Constitution based and includes a -2 racial penalty.
Greasy (Ex) A skolex gains a +4 racial bonus to Escape Artist checks and to its CMD to avoid being grappled. It does not suffer movement penalties in naturally occurring difficult terrain or in the area of ordinary or supernatural grease or oil.
