Vathugu (CR 12)

Large Outsider (Chaotic, Extraplanar, Evil, and Tanar'ri)
Alignment: Always chaotic evil
Initiative: +5 (+1 Dex, +4 Improved Initiative); Senses: darkvision 60 ft., tremorsense 60 ft., and Listen +18
Languages: Telepathy 100 ft.

AC: 25 (-1 size, +1 Dex, +15 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 24
Hit Dice: 12d8+144 (198 hp); DR: 10/good and slashing
Fort +20, Ref +9, Will +11
Speed: 30 ft., climb 30 ft.
Space: 10 ft./10 ft.
Base Attack +12; Grapple +25
Attack: Bite +20 melee
Full Attack: Bite +20 melee and 3 tentacles +15 melee
Damage: Bite 2d6+9/19-20, tentacles 1d6+4 plus corrupting touch
Special Attacks/Actions: Control body, corrupting touch, spell-like abilities, summon Tanarri, trample 1d6+13
Abilities: Str 28, Dex 12, Con 34, Int 12, Wis 17, Cha 20
Special Qualities: immunity to electricity and poison, plant traits, resistance to acid 10, cold 10, and fire 10, SR 22, stability
Feats: Cleave; Improved Critical (bite); Improved Initiative; Power Attack; Quicken Spell-Like Ability (contagion)
Skills: Balance +16, Climb +32, Concentration +27, Hide +12, Jump +24, Knowledge (nature) +16, Knowledge (the planes) +16, Listen +18, and Move Silently +16
Advancement: 13-18 RD (Large), 19-30 HD (Huge), 31-34 RD (Gargantuan)
Climate/Terrain: Infinite Layers of the Abyss
Organization: Solitary
Treasure/Possessions: Standard

Source: Dragon #337

Control Body (Su): Once per round as a standard action, a vathugu can lash out at any corporeal living creature within 15 feet with the tendrils that grow from its head and back. If it makes a successful touch attack, the tendrils quickly burrow into the victim's body and deal 2d6 points of damage. The victim must then make a DC 21 Will save. Success indicates that the tendrils are unable to establish a link with the victim's body and instantly withdraw, dealing another 2d6 points of damage in the process. The save DC is Charisma-based.

If the saving throw is failed, the vathugu releases the tendrils from its body (a new set of tendrils grows in over the course of 24 hours; these are not tentacle attacks and the loss of tendrils does not affect a vathugu's total number of attacks). The tendrils writhe into the victim's body and establish a link between the victim's flesh and the vathugu's mind. The vathugu can't read the victim's thoughts (although it can communicate telepathically across any distance with the victim), but by concentrating the vathugu can sense and observe the world through the victim's senses (although this renders the actual vathugu blind and deaf and negates its tremorsense). The vathugu can also control the victim's physical movements independent of the target's will. It can force the victim to move, but forcing the victim to speak requires a move action on the vathugu's part. It can also hold the subject immobile, rendering him helpless. It cannot force the victim to cast spells or use any special ability that is not a function of just its body movements. If the vathugu loses line of sight to the subject, it can only control the subject's body while it is using the subject's senses (thus negating its own).

If the vathugu forces the victim to engage in combat, the subject's base attack bonus is equal to the vathugu's base attack bonus, not the subject's actual base attack Attack rolls (ranged or melee) and weapon damage rolls are modified by the vathugu's Charisma modifier, not the subject's Strength or Dexterity scores. The subject gains no benefit to Armor Class from its Dexterity, but it does gain a bonus to its AC equal to the vathugu's Charisma bonus (this bonus is subject to any limitations that affect the subject's Dexterity bonus to AC, such as armor).

The subject's mind at all times remains under its own control, and it can take purely mental actions (including casting spells that have no components) as it wills while its body is controlled. It can even speak, unless the vathugu takes a move action to suppress this part of the victim's body. Normally, the vathugu lets its controlled victim say what it will, as the demon takes perverse delight in listening to the victim's shrieks of despair as it is forced to commit atrocities.

If the controlled body is reduced to 0 or fewer hit points, the vathugu can continue to control it (although the body continues to bleed for 1 point of damage per round). The controlled body dies at -10 hit points, at which point the vathugu's link to the body is severed and the tendrils inside the body rot away.

Dispel magic cannot disrupt a vathugu's control, but break enchantment can if the caster makes a level check equal to the initial Fortitude save DC to resist the effect. Dispel evil, dispel chaos, or heal automatically ends the vathugu's control.

Corrupting Touch (Su): Any creature struck by a vathugu's tentacle attack must make a DC 28 Fortitude save or take 2 points of Strength, Dexterity; and Constitution drain as his flesh and bones wither and rot away into a drippy fungous mess. The vathugu heals 5 points of damage each time it successfully uses corrupting touch against a creature, but it can only gain this healing once per creature per round. As a result, the vathugu generally tries to strike at as many different opponents with its tentacle attacks as it can. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Spell-Like Abilities: At will - chaos hammer (DC 19), contagion (DC 18), entangle (DC 16), greater teleport (self plus 50 pounds of objects only), soften earth and stone, unholy blight (DC 19), warp wood (DC 17); 3/day - quickened contagion (DC 18), transmute rock to mud, wall of thorns (DC 20); 1/day - control plants (DC 23), finger of death (DC 22) Caster level 14th. The save DCs are Charisma-based.

Summon Tanar'ri (Sp): Once per day, a vathugu can attempt to summon 2d6 rutterkin, or 1d2 vrocks with a 50% of success or another vathugu with a 20% chance of success. This ability is the equivalent of a 4th-level spell.

Trample (Ex): Reflex half DC 25. This is Strength-based.

Plant Traits (Ex): Although not itself a plant, a vathugu's body is closely analogous to monstrous fungus. It is immune to all mind-affecting effects, sleep effects, paralysis, polymorph, and stunning. It cannot be critically hit or sneak attacked.

Stability (Ex): A vathugu is remarkably stable on its feet and gains a +8 bonus on ability checks made to resist being bull rushed or tripped when standing on the ground (but not when climbing or otherwise not standing firmly on the ground).

Chaotic Subtype

A subtype usually applied only to outsiders native to the chaotic-aligned Outer Planes. Most creatures that have this subtype also have chaotic alignments; however, if their alignments change they still retain the subtype. Any effect that depends on alignment affects a creature with this subtype as if the creature has a chaotic alignment, no matter what its alignment actually is. The creature also suffers effects according to its actual alignment. A creature with the chaotic subtype overcomes damage reduction as if its natural weapons and any weapons it wields were chaotic-aligned (see Damage Reduction).

Extraplanar Subtype

A subtype applied to any creature when it is on a plane other than its native plane. A creature that travels the planes can gain or lose this subtype as it goes from plane to plane. This book assumes that encounters with creatures take place on the Material Plane, and every creature whose native plane is not the Material Plane has the extraplanar subtype (but would not have when on its home plane). An extraplanar creatures usually has a home plane mentioned in its description. These home planes are taken from the Great Wheel cosmology of the D&D game (see Chapter 5 of the Dungeon Master's Guide). If your campaign uses a different cosmology, you will need to assign different home planes to extraplanar creatures.

Creatures not labeled as extraplanar are natives of the Material Plane, and they gain the extraplanar subtype if they leave the Material Plane. No creature has the extraplanar subtype when it is on a transitive plane; the transitive planes in the D&D cosmology are the Astral Plane, the Ethereal Plane, and the Plane of Shadow.

Evil Subtype

A subtype usually applied only to outsiders native to the evil-aligned Outer Planes. Evil outsiders are also called fiends. Most creatures that have this subtype also have evil alignments; however, if their alignments change, they still retain the subtype. Any effect that depends on alignment affects a creature with this subtype as if the creature has an evil alignment, no matter what its alignment actually is. The creature also suffers effects according to its actual alignment. A creature with the evil subtype overcomes damage reduction as if its natural weapons and any weapons it wields were evil-aligned (see Damage Reduction).

Tanarri Subtype

Most demons encountered outside of the Abyss are tanar'ri. The most populous of the demon subtypes, the tanar'ri form the largest and most diverse group of demons. They are the unchallenged masters of the Abyss at this time. The first tanar'ri were forged from the souls of the first humanoids drawn to the Abyss. Most tanar'ri incorporate humanoid features into their forms as a result of their close ties to the mortal realm.

Traits: A tanar'ri possesses the following traits (unless otherwise noted in a creature's entry).