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Whirlmaw

This creature glides on undulating folds of leathery skin. Its spinning, circular mouth is lined with rows of razor-sharp teeth.

Whirlmaw CR 8

XP 4,800
N Medium aberration
Init +10; Senses darkvision 60 ft., keen sight, tremorsense 30 ft.; Perception +8

DEFENSE

AC 20, touch 16, flat-footed 14 (+6 Dex, +4 natural)
hp 102 (12d8+48)
Fort +8, Ref +10, Will +8
Immune fire

OFFENSE

Speed 10 ft., burrow 10 ft., fly 90 ft. (perfect)
Melee bite +16 (2d6+9 plus burrowing bite)
Special Attacks flying charge

STATISTICS

Str 23, Dex 22, Con 18, Int 3, Wis 10, Cha 3
Base Atk +9; CMB +15; CMD 31 (can't be tripped)
Feats Flyby Attack, Hover, Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Weapon Focus (bite), Wingover
Skills Fly +18, Perception +8, Stealth +15
SQ dust cloud

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Burrowing Bite (Ex)

If a whirlmaw successful hits a Small or larger creature with its bite attack, it immediately attempts to start a grapple as a free action with a +4 bonus on the grapple check. If the grapple check is successful, the whirlmaw's spinning, saw-like mouth immediately begins to burrow into the flesh of the creature, dealing 4d6+12 points of damage per round until the grapple is broken.

Dust Cloud (Ex)

By rapidly beating the leathery flaps of skin attached along its body, a whirlmaw can raise a cloud of debris while using its Hover feat just as if it were a Large creature.

Flying Charge (Ex)

When a whirlmaw makes a charge attack while flying, it gains a +4 bonus on its attack roll (rather than the normal +2 bonus), and does not take the normal –2 penalty to Armor Class.

Keen Sight (Ex)

A whirlmaw is extremely sharp-sighted. It takes only half the penalty on Perception checks for distance, and can see creatures in open terrain clearly from up to a mile away.


ECOLOGY

Environment warm deserts
Organization solitary or flight (2–9)
Treasure none (eye gems worth 300 gp each)

 Little more than flying eaters, these creatures rise singly or in flights, and attack all other living creatures that enter their territory. They are equally at home nestled in shallow burrows beneath sand dunes or resting in the rocky crevices of mountains. When they hunt, they soar upon the high thermals and keep an eye out for potential prey through the stony orbs that serve as their eyes.

These bizarre hunters prefer to burrow into the torsos of their victims and consume the blood-rich organs, leaving the corpses' peripheral parts for scavengers. Few that encounter these vicious predators live to tell of it. The skeletal remains of whirlmaws' victims can be identified by the suspiciously circular sections of their torsos missing where the creatures burrowed through and consumed the flesh, bone, and organs in their entirety.

The green, gem-like eyes of a whirlmaw are prized by those who seek exotic and dangerous treasures in the desert. It is speculated by some that these mystical orbs are the source of the whirlmaw's natural fire immunity, and alchemists and wizards often use them as components in creating magic items that bestow that form of energy resistance.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Inner Sea Bestiary © 2012, Paizo Publishing, LLC; Authors: Jim Groves, James Jacobs, Rob McCreary, Erik Mona, Jason Nelson, Patrick Renie, F. Wesley Schneider, James L. Sutter, Russ Taylor, and Greg A. Vaughan.