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The Stabbing Beast

This cottage-sized scorpion-man moves with an eerie grace and an intelligent, murderous intent.

The Stabbing Beast CR 15

XP 51,200
NE Medium outsider (evil, extraplanar, herald, shapechanger)
Init +16; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, see in darkness, see invisibility; Perception +26

DEFENSE

AC 31, touch 23, flat-footed 18 (+12 Dex, +1 dodge, +8 natural)
hp 212 (17d10+119)
Fort +17, Ref +17, Will +14; +4 vs. mind–affecting
Defensive Abilities all-around vision; DR 10/good and magic; Immune poison; Resist acid 30, cold 10, electricity 10, fire 10; SR 26

OFFENSE

Speed 50 ft.
Melee +1 keen short swords +28/+28/+23/+18/+13 (1d6+4/17–20 plus bleed), sting +24 (1d6+4 plus bleed and poison)
Ranged poison stream +29 touch (blindness 1d4+1 rounds)
Special Attacks bleed (2d6), poison, sudden strike
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 17th; concentration +19)

Constant—see invisibility
At will—absorbing touch, alchemical allocation, charm person (DC 13), keen edge, poison (DC 16), true strike
3/day—false alibi* (DC 15), greater teleport (self plus 50 lbs. of objects only), invisibility, modify memory (DC 16), suggestion (DC 15), summon (level 6, 1 fiendish deadfall scorpion 100%)

STATISTICS

Str 16, Dex 35, Con 24, Int 13, Wis 15, Cha 14
Base Atk +17; CMB +20; CMD 43
Feats Combat Expertise, Combat Reflexes, Deflect Arrows B, Dodge, Greater Feint B, Improved Feint B, Improved Initiative, Improved Iron Will, Iron Will, Mobility, Scorpion Style B, Spring Attack, Two-Weapon Fighting, Weapon Finesse B
Skills Appraise +12, Bluff +22, Climb +11, Craft (alchemy) +13, Knowledge (arcana, nature) +10, Knowledge (local) +13, Knowledge (planes) +12, Knowledge (religion) +9, Perception +26, Sense Motive +13, Stealth +32; Racial Modifiers +8 Bluff, +4 Perception
Languages Abyssal, Celestial, Common, Infernal, Protean; telepathy 100 ft.
SQ change shape (Huge scorpion or scorpion-tailed human; shapechange), murderer's reward

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Change Shape (Su)

In its scorpion form, replace or add the following statistics:

Size Huge; Init +14; AC 31, touch 21, flat-footed 20 (+10 Dex, +1 dodge, +10 natural); Ref +16; Melee claws +28 (2d6+13 plus bleed and grab), sting +26 (2d6+11 plus bleed and poison); Space 15 ft.; Reach 15 ft.; Special Attacks constrict (2d6+12); Str 32, Dex 31; CMB +30 (+34 grapple); CMD 53 (65 vs. trip); Skills Climb +20, Stealth +24.

Murderer's Reward (Su)

If the Stabbing Beast's attack reduces a target to fewer than 0 hit points, the herald immediately gains 2d6 temporary hit points (or 3d8, if the attack kills the target), but no more than the target's maximum hit points.

The temporary hit points last for 1 hour.

Poison (Ex)

Sting—injury; save Fort DC 25; frequency 1/round for 6 rounds; effect 1d6 Str; cure 2 consecutive saves.

Poison Stream (Ex)

As a ranged attack (or in place of a melee sting attack), the Stabbing Beast can fire a stream of poison up to 180 feet at an opponent's eyes. The target must succeed at a save against the Stabbing Beast's poison or be blinded for 1d4+1 rounds.

Sudden Strike (Ex)

During a surprise round, the herald may act as if it had a full round to act, rather than just one standard action.


ECOLOGY

Environment any land or urban
Organization solitary
Treasure standard (2 +1 short swords)

The Stabbing Beast is the herald of the god of greed, murder, secrets, and poison. It is an incredibly dangerous predator that uses its keen intellect and deadly poison to stalk and kill its prey. Its natural form is that of a huge scorpion, but it can also assume an armored humanoid shape suitable for stealth or interacting with followers. Though its main purpose is to kill, it has also been called to aid great thefts and bury terrible secrets.

The Stabbing Beast is an incredibly dangerous predator, a creature of immense strength that uses its keen intellect and deadly poison to stalk and kill its prey. Its natural form is that of an huge scorpion, but it can also assume an armored humanoid shape suitable for stealth. Though its main purpose is to kill, it has also been called to aid great thefts and bury terrible secrets.

The Stabbing Beast enjoys the company of mortals in the same way that a well-fed barn cat enjoys the company of mice. It sometimes “plays” with these toys, teaching them secrets of alchemy or assassination, though it just as often maims or kills them as it sees fit. It ignores most creatures as if they were unimportant or not even alive, bowling over these irrelevant people in its way and casually murdering those who make nuisances of themselves.

The Stabbing Beast is guilty of thousands of killings and has no fear of death. It does not believe that anything other than its master can kill it, despite mortal records showing that it has been killed in the past. It is normally emotionless and cold, showing no remorse or regret for any death or injury. When a cult summons the Stabbing Beast, the mortals may present it with several choice targets to hunt and slay, though predicting its interests is difficult and the Beast may select its own target—or none at all— in exchange for its services. The Beast keeps trophies of its kills by covering the corpses in a preservative bile, swallowing them in its scorpion form, and regurgitating them when it returns to its lair.

The Stabbing Beast lives only to serve his dark master, whose mandates may come to the Stabbing Beast in a steady stream of evil deeds or sporadically and with long periods of dormancy between. When idle for too long, it tends to turn off its mind and simply waits in stasis, completely inert like a clockwork device that has run down.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Inner Sea Gods © 2014, Paizo Publishing, LLC; Authors: Sean K Reynolds, with Amanda Hamon, James Jacobs, John Ling, Mark Moreland, David N. Ross, F. Wesley Schneider, Amber E. Scott, Tork Shaw, James L. Sutter, Jerome Virnich.