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Behir

This slithering, multilegged blue reptile has a fearsome head crowned with two large, curling horns.

Behir CR 8

XP 4,800
N Huge magical beast
Init +1; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +8

 DEFENSE

AC 21, touch 9, flat-footed 20 (+1 Dex, +12 natural, –2 size)
hp 105 (10d10+50)
Fort +12, Ref +8, Will +5
Immune electricity

 OFFENSE

Speed 40 ft., climb 20 ft.
Melee bite +15 (2d6+9 plus grab)
Space 15 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
Special Attacks breath weapon (20-foot line, 7d6 electricity damage, Reflex DC 20 for half, usable every 1d4 rounds), constrict (2d6+9), rake (6 claws +14, 1d4+6), swallow whole (2d8+9 bludgeoning damage, AC 16, 10 hp)

 STATISTICS

Str 23, Dex 12, Con 21, Int 7, Wis 14, Cha 12
Base Atk +10; CMB +18 (+22 grapple); CMD 29 (can't be tripped)
Feats Alertness, Cleave, Great Cleave, Power Attack, Weapon Focus (bite)
Skills Climb +14, Perception +8, Stealth +5
Languages Common

 SPECIAL ABILITIES

Grab (Ex)

A behir's grab attack works against creatures of any size category. It can constrict the same round it establishes a hold. On any round thereafter that it maintains its hold, the behir can choose to rake the grappled target or swallow it whole.

Publisher's Choice Quality Stock Art (c) Rick Hershey / Fat Goblin Games

Lore

Characters with ranks in Knowledge (arcana) can learn more about behirs. When a character makes a successful skill check, the following lore is revealed, including the information from lower DCs.

Knowledge (Arcana)

DC Result

18 This huge monster is a behir, a serpentine creature that can slither like a snake or expand its dozen legs to run upon. This result reveals all magical beast traits.

23 These creatures have a nasty breath weapon in the form of a bolt of electricity. Much like a snake, they are also capable of oppening their gullets to swallow creatures whole. Though somewhat draconic in appearance, behirs are unrelated to those creatures, and typically speak just the common tongue.

28 Close combat with behirs is inadvisable. As well as a nasty bite, these creatures are natural grapplers, can constrict opponents in the coils of their bodies and can inflict multiple rake attacks on grappled foes with their six pairs of legs.

33 Though fearsome to behold, behirs are not necesarily aggressive. They have a similar outlook on life as many animals, are only guaranteed to attack if they feel threatened or are exceptionally hungry. They are also intelligent enough to be able to determine if the foe they face is likely to be stronger than they are. One of the few things they feel passionate about is dragonkind, with whom they refuse to coexist with peacefully. If a dragon moves in on a behir's territory, the behir will either drive it away if it can, or if not then move off to find a new home.

Monster Lore from WOTC Community Forums - Monsters and Races - Monster Lore Compendium. Copyright 2007-2008, Author: Evandar_TAybara



 ECOLOGY

Environment warm hills and deserts
Organization solitary or pair
Treasure double

3rd Party Publisher Options (NwP)

When captured by a monster trainer, behirs grant the trainer access to new spells.

Temperamental and avaricious, the behir spends most of its time slithering through the sandy hills and desert cliffs that make up its territory, preying upon all creatures who dare to enter its hunting grounds. The creature's six pairs of powerful, clawed legs remain folded against its sides most of the time, only extending in combat to grapple foes or carry the behir forward in a terrifying, low-slung gallop, or else when climbing the sheer cliff faces common to behir lairs.

The average behir is 40 feet long and weighs 4,000 pounds. In addition to the two prominent horns on its head, many have additional decorative spines at regular intervals along the central ridges of their backs.

While territorial and bestial in its fury, the behir is neither stupid nor necessarily evil, though its self-centeredness and tendency to lay claim to everything visible from its high lairs frequently bring it into conflict with other races. As such, a behir can often be bought off or reasoned with by those brave negotiators willing to get close enough to make their pitch. In these cases, a behir's tendency to attack first and ask questions later (or not at all) means that anyone seeking to strike a deal must bring powerful incentives and impress the behir immediately with his offer.

It's often been speculated that behirs are somehow related to blue dragons, but the exact nature of this link remains unknown. Most dragons deny any such association and look down on the behir for its relative lack of intelligence—a snubbing that infuriates the already short-tempered behir. Thanks to this casual disparagement, many behirs carry deep grudges against dragons, and attack without pause any who cross into their territories.