Turtle, Giant Swamp Snapping
by Jamie BatyCM9
Huge Animal
Hit Dice: 20d8+120 (210 hp)
Initiative: +3 (-1 Dex, +4 Improved Initiative)
Speed: 10 ft. (2 squares), swim 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armour Class: 25* (-2 size, -1 Dex, +18 natural), touch 7, flat-footed 25 (* If the turtle's head is retracted into its shell, it gains an additional +4 natural armour class bonus)
Base Attack/Grapple: +15/+34
Attack: Bite +25 melee (3d6 +13)
Full Attack: Bite +25 melee (3d6 +13)
Space/Reach: 15 ft. /10 ft. (Neck can reach up to 30 ft)
Special Attacks: Improved grab, swallow whole
Special Qualities: Hold breath, low-light vision
Saves: Fort +18, Ref +11, Will +8
Abilities: Str 32, Dex 8, Con 22, Int 2, Wis 14, Cha 4
Skills: Hide -3*, Listen +7, Move Silently +2, Spot +7, Survival +5, Swim +20
Feats: Alertness, Cleave ,Improved Critical (bite), Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Weapon Focus(Bite), Weapon Specialisation (Bite)
Environment: Any marshes
Organisation: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 15
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 21-40 HD (Huge); 41-60 HD (Gargantuan)
Level Adjustment: -
This ornery swamp creature can be mistaken for a dragon turtle at a glance, though it is smaller and actually has few dragon traits. Among other things, it does not collect treasure nor does it breathe anything.
Combat
The main tactic of the giant snapping turtle is to wait by a main waterway, looking like a hummock of ground. As a boat passes, it snaps its head out of the shell and reaches as much as 30' for one of the occupants of the boat. Once it has either taken a bite out of a victim or swallowed him whole, its head snaps back into the shell and it depends on its armoured back for protection.
Improved Grab (Ex): If a giant swamp snapping turtle hits with its bite attack, it deals normal damage and attempts to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. If the grapple succeeds, the giant swamp snapping turtle may hold the victim and inflict bite damage automatically each round. After the hold is established, it may attempt to swallow the creature in any following round.
Swallow Whole (Ex): A giant swamp snapping turtle can try to swallow a grabbed opponent of up to two sizes smaller by making a successful grapple check. The swallowed creature takes 2d6+5 points of bludgeoning damage and 1d6 points of acid damage per round from the giant swamp snapping turtle's gizzard. A swallowed creature can cut its way out by using a light slashing or piercing weapon to deal 30 points of damage to the gizzard (AC 19). Once the creature exits, muscular action closes the hole; another swallowed opponent must cut its own way out.
A huge giant swamp snapping turtle's gizzard can hold 2 medium, 8 small, 32 tiny, 128 diminutive or 512 fine or smaller opponents.
Hold Breath (Ex): A giant swamp snapping turtle can hold its breath for a number of rounds equal to 10x its Constitution score before it risks drowning. For a typical tylosaurus, this equals 220 rounds, or a little over 36 minutes.
Skills: A giant swamp snapping turtle gains a +4 racial bonus to any swim check. *A giant swamp snapping turtle has a +12 racial bonus to all hide checks when it is in water.