Cave Fisher (CR 2)
Medium Vermin
Alignment: Always neutral
Initiative: +1 (Dex); Senses: darkvision 60 ft., blind, and Spot +3
AC: 16 (+1 Dex, +5 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 15
Hit Dice: 3d8+9 (22 hp)
Fort +6, Ref +2, Will +1
Speed: 10 ft.
Space: 5 ft./5 ft. (60 ft. with filament)
Base Attack +2; Grapple -2
Attack: Filament +3 ranged, or 2 claws +8 melee
Full Attack: Filament +3 ranged, or 2 claws +8 melee
Damage: 2 claws 2d4+9
Special Attacks/Actions: Filament
Abilities: Str 23, Dex 12, Con 16, Int 3, Wis 10, Cha 8
Special Qualities: Vermin
Feats: -
Skills: Climb +17, Hide +4, Move Silently +2, and Spot +3
Advancement: 4-6 HD (Medium), 7-9 HD (Large)
Climate/Terrain: Any underground
Organization: Gang (1-4)
Treasure/Possessions: Standard
Source:
Dragon #355
Filament (Ex): If the filament hits the prey, it deals no damage but draws the prey 10 feet closer each subsequent round (no attack of opportunity) unless the creature breaks free, which requires a successful Escape Artist check (DC 27) or Strength check (DC 23). The cave fisher can draw a creature within 10 feet of itself and use its claw attack with a +4 attack bonus in that round. A single attack with a slashing weapon that deals at least 10 points of damage severs the filament. Also, any liquid with high alcohol content (such as the cave fisher's blood) will dissolve the adhesiveness of the filament, as will an application of the universal solvent.
Cave fishers receive a +8 racial bonus to Climb checks.
The cave fisher has two ways of hunting. Its preferred method is to use its adhesive to anchor itself to a ledge and then string its long filament in the vicinity of its lair. If more than one fisher inhabits a lair, they will frequently pool their resources to catch larger prey. Once the victim is trapped in the filament, the cave fisher draws its prey in, reeling its filament in like a fishing line.
Should a tempting target escape the monster's neatly laid traps, the cave fisher will try another mode of attack. It will spend one round drawing its filament in before shooting it at the prey. It will try to snare its prey in this manner so long as it remains within the fisher's established territory.
Cave fishers prefer living on ledges and caves located above well-traveled paths, sharing their lairs with others of their kind. Their filaments are always strung before their lair, and they attempt to kill anything they trap, often storing food for future use.
The cave fisher appears as a large insectoid that combines many of the characteristics of a spider and a lobster. It has a hard, chitinous shell of overlapping plates and eight legs. The six rear legs are used for movement and traction on stony walls and corridors. The front pair of legs is equipped with powerful pincers, which are used for killing and dismembering prey. The most unusual feature of the cave fisher is its long snout, which can fire a strong, adhesive filament.
The filaments of the cave fisher are highly prized by many thieves' guilds, for they can be made into thin and very strong rope that is nearly invisible. The filaments are wound onto reels and then specially treated to dilute the adhesive. The resulting strands are made into ropes, while the diluted adhesive is turned into a special solution, which when applied to gloves and boots greatly increases traction for climbing (treat as masterwork gloves and boots which provide a +4 to Climb checks).
The Cave Fisher first appeared in A4 In the Dungeons of the Slave Lords (Lawrence Schick, 1981).