Gandauvor
Today’s article presents a brand new magical beast for mid- to high-level games, the gandauvor. Like many of the best magical beasts, it’s a mix of two real-world monsters, with a bit of an extra theme thrown in to help blend the two together.
Gandauvor
This hulking creature resembles a massive boar, but with six beady, insectile eyes, a pair of glistening transparent wings, six legs ending in hooves, and a pair of oversized pincers that extend to either side just above its curved, jagged tusks.
GANDAUVOR CR 10
XP 9,600
N Large magical beast
Init +5; Senses darkvision 60 ft., keen scent; Perception +18
DEFENSE
AC 22, touch 10, flat-footed 21 (+1 Dex, +12 natural, –1 size)
hp 162 (13d10+91)
Fort +14, Ref +9, Will +8
Immune disease
OFFENSE
Speed 40 ft., burrow 20 ft., fly 40 ft. (clumsy)
Melee gore +21 (2d6+9/19–20 plus disease), pincers +16 (1d8+4 plus grab)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
Special Attacks destructive, powerful charge (gore, 4d6+18/19–20), razor tusks, trample (2d6+13, DC 25), wasting curse
STATISTICS
Str 28, Dex 12, Con 23, Int 4, Wis 15, Cha 9
Base Atk +13; CMB +23 (+27 grapple); CMD 34 (42 vs. trip)
Feats Combat Reflexes, Diehard, Endurance, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Power Attack, Toughness
Skills Perception +18
ECOLOGY
Environment any
Organization solitary, pair, calamity (3–12)
Treasure incidental
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Destructive (Ex): A gandauvor is particularly adept at inflicting property damage, and treats any object it damages as though its hardness were half what it actually is.
Disease (Ex): Gandauvor plague: Gore—injury; save Fort DC 22; onset 2d4 hours; frequency 1/day; effect 1d3 Str, Dex, and Con damage; cure 2 consecutive saves. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Razor Tusks (Ex): A gandauvor’s tusks are razor sharp, giving its gore attack a critical threat range of 19–20. Additionally, whenever a gandauvor confirms a critical hit with its gore attack, it inflicts an additional 1d8 points of bleed damage to the target.
Wasting Curse (Ex): Any creature that slays a gandauvor is subject to its death curse, which renders them particularly susceptible to disease. The cursed creature suffers a –8 penalty on saving throws made to resist diseases. This penalty also applies on Heal checks and caster level checks made to treat the disease through mundane or magical means. The caster level for this curse is 13th.
Ecology
A horrifying cross between a boar and a beetle, the gandauvor is believed to have been the creation of an ancient god of plague and destruction, which has since fallen out of worship (in fact, some stories state that the god in question was responsible for the destruction of his own faith, having unleashed hordes of these creatures to punish his own flock, and inadvertently wiping them out, fading into obscurity soon after).
Gandauvors dine exclusively on rotting and disease-ridden remains, and will balk at any fresh foodstuff. While they are attracted to diseased creatures, and will often seek them out specifically in order to hunt them (making them particularly dangerous pests to leper colonies, quarantined quarters, and other places where the diseased gather), most gandauvors will simply kill any potential prey, regardless of whether or not it is diseased, then bury the remains in dung and offal, leaving it to rot for a week or so before consuming it. Most gandauvors maintain a “larder” specifically for this purpose, which can contain up to a half-dozen festering corpses at any given time.