The Writhing Death
Hello, everyone, and welcome to your doom. No, wait, sorry, that’s not right. Well, maybe it is, a little. As you know, it’s APOCALYPSE! Week here at the Necromancers of the Northwest office, and since Masters and Minions is all about providing the stats for big, bad, nasties…it’s a fair bet that your players won’t be thanking you for stopping by today. But if you’re looking for a Ragnarok-level foe for your party to face, I don’t think you’re going to be disappointed.
Today’s master (there’s not much chance of this guy being called a minion—at least, not by anyone who wants to live) is Slsorth’thilax, the Writhing Death. This powerful black dragon is made even more frightening by his twisted form as a worm that walks, inhabiting the corpses of other dragons.
Background
Slsorth’thilax is a great wyrm black dragon who is beyond ancient, and is in fact incalculably old. He long ago sought immortality not by becoming a dracolich or ravener, as so many do, but instead used a terrible and profane ritual to bind his mind and soul with the rank and fetid swamp in which he dwelled.
The ritual went wrong, however, and the dragon’s essence was instead bonded with the thousands of worms and leeches that filled the swamp. Though it was not what the dragon had intended, it still rendered him effectively immortal, and after a century or so he was able to fully control the many separate, tiny, wriggling components that now made up his body.
Rather than simply form a body of worms, as similar humanoid creatures often do, Slsorth’thilax was vain, and desired his old body once more. Crawling inside his half-decayed and rotting corpse, he wore it like a second skin, the various worms and leeches eating his own insides, and then filling the husk that was left.
Slsorth’thilax then began a campaign to spread his dark realm, ultimately planning to cover the entire world in a dark and primordial swamp, where he would draw upon the many leeches and worms to become immense and unstoppable. He animated undead hordes and began terrorizing the countryside, until a band of heroes rose to meet him in battle.
The fight was long and terrible, and ended with only one of the 12 mighty heroes remaining alive. Slsorth’thilax himself was thought to be completely destroyed, but, in fact, a single worm from his body escaped. It began breeding and multiplying, and now, centuries later, the Writhing Death is finally back to his old power, and hungry to continue where he left off.
Though Slsorth’thilax’s own body is long since destroyed, he was forced even before his death to keep his desired form by slaying other Gargantuan dragons and inhabiting their corpses, much as he once did his own.
Tactics
Slsorth’thilax is arrogant, even after his defeat, and is certain that no force exists today which can stand against him. He makes no attempt to hide his return, and tends to fly lazily about the countryside, trailing a horde of undead, and using his corrupt water ability to pervert rainwater and spread taint and corruption like a plague everywhere he goes. He cultivates a growing following of maddened clerics, oracles, and such who are devoted to deities of death and decay, and they do his bidding by following after him as well, spreading contagions and poisoning wells.
His only goal is corruption and death to other living things, and Slsorth’thilax cannot be reasoned with. In fact, the dragon is half-insane from his long ordeal as a writhing mass of worms, from wearing the skins of other dragons, and from the centuries it took him to recover from his last death. He has little interest in gold or other treasures, and exists only to bring an end to the world as we know it.
In combat, Slsorth’thilax dives directly into the fray, trusting in his incredible strength and numerous natural attacks to see him through. If possible, he attempts to “swallow” his first target by successfully grabbing it with his bite attack and using his squirming embrace ability to pull it into the writhing mass of worms and leeches within his skin. Slsorth’thilax knows that his current form provides him with an almost insurmountable protection, and trusts that few living creatures will be able to offer any kind of real danger.
In the rare event that Slsorth’thilax does find a foe that can threaten him, he retreats to a distance and uses his spellcasting ability, trying to either enslave the foe with dominate monster if he seems more susceptible to mental attacks, horrid wilting if he seems vulnerable to physical attacks, and forcecage if it seems like he’ll have trouble dodging (alternatively, he might just target characters with low Reflex saves with his breath weapon over and over again as long as they can’t reach him).
Acid Pool (Su): An ancient or older black dragon can use its breath weapon to create an acid pool as a standard action. This acid pool has a radius of 5 feet per age category of the dragon. When an acid pool is created, anyone inside its area takes an amount of damage equal to the dragon's breath weapon (Reflex half). Any creature that starts its turn touching this pool takes damage, but can make a Reflex save for half. Each round, the total damage dice of the pool is halved until the result would be less than 1d6. The acid pool floats on water, and deals damage to anything on the surface.
Acidic Bite (Su): At old age, a black dragon's bite deals an additional 2d6 points of acid damage. An ancient dragon's damage increases to 4d6, and a great wrym's to 6d6.
Charm Reptiles (Sp): A great wyrm black dragon can use this ability three times per day. It works as a mass charm monster spell that affects only reptilian animals. This ability is the equivalent of an 8th-level spell.
Corrupt Water (Sp): Once per day an adult or older black dragon can stagnate 10 cubic feet of still water, making it foul and unable to support water-breathing life. The ability spoils liquids containing water. Liquid-based magic items (such as potions) and items in a creature's possession must succeed on a Will save (DC equal to the dragon's frightful presence) or become ruined. This ability is the equivalent of a 1st-level spell. Its range is equal to that of the dragon's frightful presence.
Crush (Ex): A flying or jumping Huge or larger dragon can land on foes as a standard action, using its whole body to crush them. Crush attacks are effective only against opponents three or more size categories smaller than the dragon. A crush attack affects as many creatures as fit in the dragon's space. Creatures in the affected area must succeed on a Reflex save (DC equal to that of the dragon's breath weapon) or be pinned, automatically taking bludgeoning damage during the next round unless the dragon moves off them. If the dragon chooses to maintain the pin, it must succeed at a combat maneuver check as normal. Pinned foes take damage from the crush each round if they don't escape. A crush attack deals the indicated damage plus 1-1/2 times the dragon's Strength bonus.
Discorporate (Su): A worm that walks can collapse into a shapeless swarm of worms as a free action. All held, worn, and carried items fall and its Strength score drops to 1. The worm that walks functions as a true swarm while discorporated, with a reach of 0 feet (its space remains unchanged). While discorporated, the worm that walks loses all of its defensive abilities and gains all of the standard swarm traits. It loses its slam attacks and all special abilities and special attacks, but can make a swarm attack that deals damage equal to its engulf attack. A worm that walks can reform into its true form (including equipping all gear in reach) as a full-round action as long as it has at least 1 hit point.
Empty Husk (Ex): Slsorth’thilax can inhabit the corpses of other creatures, the various worms that make up his own body animating the corpse like a puppet.
As a full-round action, Slsorth’thilax can inhabit any Huge, Gargantuan, or Colossal corpse within 5 feet of him. If he does so, he gains that creature’s natural armor bonus to AC, as well as any of its natural attacks. He retains his own ability scores, and keeps his own extraordinary, supernatural, and spell-like abilities.
Such bodies are fragile, though, and for every two points of damage Slsorth’thilax takes, the body takes 1 point of damage. Huge bodies have 50 hit points, Gargantuan bodies have 100, and Colossal bodies have 150. When a body is reduced to 0 hit points it rips open, and Slsorth’thilax erupts from it, unable to animate it further.
The statistics presented here assume that Slsorth’thilax is currently using this ability on a Gargantuan dragon.
Greater Worms (Ex): Slsorth’thilax is comprised of much larger and more primordial vermin than most worms that walk, and so his racial Hit Dice remain d12s, even though a worm that walks would normally have d8s.
Speak with Reptiles (Sp): A young or older black dragon gains the constant spell-like ability to speak with reptiles. This functions as speak with animals, but only with reptilian animals.
Squirming Embrace (Ex): If a worm that walks grapples a foe, as a swift action, it can cause a swarm of worms to squirm over the grappled creature. These worms deal automatic swarm damage with no attack roll needed (see the table below). If a creature takes damage from the swarm, it is also subject to the swarm’s distraction ability, and must make a Fortitude save or be nauseated for 1 round. The save DC equals 10 + 1/2 the worm that walks’s HD + its Con modifier.
A worm that walks can only have one embraced target at a time, but it does not have to continue grappling in order to maintain the embrace. If the worm that walks moves more than 5 feet from the swarm or dismisses the swarm (a free action), the swarm dies. Any area attack that damages the swarm or any severe or stronger wind effect that affects the swarm’s target kills it.
Swamp Stride (Ex): A very young or older black dragon can move through bogs and quicksand without penalty at its normal speed.
Tail Sweep (Ex): This allows a Gargantuan or larger dragon to sweep with its tail as a standard action. The sweep affects a half-circle with a radius of 30 feet (or 40 feet for a Colossal dragon), extending from an intersection on the edge of the dragon’s space in any direction. Creatures within the swept area are affected if they are four or more size categories smaller than the dragon. A tail sweep automatically deals the indicated damage plus 1-1/2 times the dragon’s Strength bonus (round down). Affected creatures can attempt Reflex saves to take half damage (DC equal to that of the dragon’s breath weapon).
Water Breathing (Ex): A black dragon can breathe underwater indefinitely and can freely use its breath weapon, spells, and other abilities while submerged.
Worm that Walks Traits: A worm that walks has no discernible anatomy, and is not subject to critical hits or flanking. Reducing a worm that walks to 0 hit points causes it to discorporate (see above)—a worm that walks at 0 hit points is staggered, and one at negative hit points is dying. Worms that walk are immune to any physical spell or effect that targets a specific number of creatures (including single-target spells such as disintegrate), with the exception of such spells and effects generated by the worm that walks itself, which treat the worm that walks as one single creature if it so chooses.
Mind-affecting effects that target single creatures function normally against a worm that walks, since the creature’s individual components share a hive mind. A worm that walks takes half again as much damage (+50%) from damaging area effects, such as fireball and splash weapons. Worms that walk are susceptible to high winds—treat a worm that walks as a Fine creature for the purposes of determining wind effects.