CordulegasterInterlocking plates of chitin cover this massive, six-legged beast’s face like a jagged mask.Cordulegaster CR 6Source Pathfinder #98: Turn of the Torrent pg. 82
XP 2,400
NE Large outsider (aquatic, evil, extraplanar)
Init +4; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +13DefenseAC 19, touch 9, flat-footed 19 (+10 natural, –1 size)
hp 76 (8d10+32)
Fort +10, Ref +4, Will +8
Defensive Abilities all-around vision; Immune waters of the River StyxOffenseSpeed 10 ft., swim 30 ft., jet 60 ft.
Melee bite +13 (2d6+9 plus grab and pull), tail slap +8 (1d8+3)
Space 10 ft., Reach 10 ft. (15 ft. with bite)
Special Attacks extending jaw, gnaw, powerful bite, pull (bite, 10 ft.), stygian bite (Will DC 13)StatisticsStr 23, Dex 11, Con 19, Int 6, Wis 14, Cha 6
Base Atk +8; CMB +15 (+19 grapple); CMD 25
Feats Alertness, Improved Initiative, Improved Natural Attack (bite), Lightning Reflexes
Skills Climb +15, Intimidate +0, Perception +13, Sense Motive +11, Stealth +6 (+11 in swampy terrain or underwater), Swim +24; Racial Modifiers +5 Stealth in swampy terrain or underwater
Languages Abyssal (can’t speak), Infernal (can’t speak)EcologyEnvironment any freshwater (River Styx)
Organization solitary or cluster (2–4)
Treasure noneSpecial AbilitiesExtending Jaw (Ex) A cordulegaster can extend its jaws with blinding speed. The reach of its primary bite attack is 15 feet. During the surprise round, it gains a +4 bonus on attack rolls to bite any flat-footed creature.
Gnaw (Ex) If a cordulegaster begins a round with a foe grappled in its jaws, it automatically deals bite damage as a standard action or part of a full-round action. A cordulegaster has a second set of jaws that shred captured food, allowing it to make a secondary bite attack (+8 attack, 1d8+3) against a foe it is currently grappling.
Jet (Ex) A cordulegaster can expand chambers within its abdomen to rapidly draw in and expel water, enabling it to swim forward or backward at a speed of 60 feet as a fullround action. It must move in a straight line while jetting, and does not provoke attacks of opportunity when it does so. The cordulegaster can use this ability to charge.
Powerful Bite (Ex) A cordulegaster applies 1-1/2 times its Strength modifier to its primary bite damage.
Stygian Bite (Su) A cordulegaster’s body is infused with the memory-robbing powers of the River Styx. Any creature bitten by a cordulegaster takes 1d4 points of Intelligence damage and a cumulative –2 penalty on all Craft, Knowledge, and Profession checks for 24 hours. A successful saving throw (Will DC 13) reduces the Intelligence damage to 1 point and eliminates the skill check penalty. A heal or restoration spell restores the lost memories immediately. The save DC is Charisma-based and includes a +2 racial bonus.DescriptionStrangely reminiscent of dragonfly nymphs, cordulegasters are monstrous creations that inhabit the waterways of the River Styx. Like hydrodaemons, cordulegasters can survive prolonged exposure to the Styx’s tainted waters, where they lurk near the river’s edge and lie in wait for prey to wander close. A cordulegaster’s mouth comprises a prehensile, extendable lower jaw and a secondary inner set of mandibles. Its lower jaw folds under its head as the cordulegaster rests, cupping over the mandibles like a mask of interlocking, irregular teeth. When a cordulegaster attacks, its jaws separate and shoot forward to grasp its prey, pulling it closer so the mandibles can begin to shred and devour its unlucky victim’s flesh.
Jagged russet plates cover the cordulegaster’s body, camouflaging the creature by mimicking natural rock formations found in Abadd0n’s waterways. Serrated edges line its protective chitin and run down the creature’s back, making it dangerous to grab or hold (and sparing it from larger predators). These serrated edges allow its lashing tail to open deep, jagged wounds with every blow. A typical cordulegaster can grow up to 12 feet long and 7 feet tall at the head, and can weigh as much as 2,000 pounds.EcologyThe precise origins of the cordulegaster remain unclear. Some believe Charon created these monstrosities to patrol the shorelines of the Styx and prevent trespassers from crossing without paying his tolls. Others suggest Trelmarixian the Black, Horseman of Famine, twisted and tortured souls to form the ravenous cordulegasters within the dark and sinister laboratories of the Weeping Tower and released them into the Bile Sluice. Whatever their origins, cordulegasters have since spread throughout the Styx river system and into adjoining Outer Planes.Habitat and SocietyCordulegasters primarily inhabit the River Styx and its connected bodies of water, which extend through Abaddon, Axis, Hell, and the borderlands of the Maelstrom. While not true daemons, they are native to Abaddon and make up an important part of the plane’s environment, filling the role of large ambush predators, much like crocodiles do on Golarion. Outside the River Styx, cordulegasters are most often found in shallow, slow-moving waters and swamps, especially Abaddon’s Bile Sluice and Plaguemere. Though the swamps of Stygia in Hell are devoid of daemons, many of these twisted beasts find purchase and thrive there. Cordulegasters are often found serving more powerful outsiders, particularly hydrodaemons and piscodaemons, and assist the daemons in harvesting souls.VariantsBecause cordulegasters’ range extends across multiple planes, many subpopulations have adapted to the strange, warped conditions of their environments.
Borderlands Cordulegaster: Populations in the expanse of the Styx that runs along the borders of the Maelstrom are subject to the whirling chaos just beyond. As a result, cordulegasters found in the borderlands have anatomies in a state of constant flux, giving them the following ability.
Amorphous Anatomy (Ex): The cordulegaster’s vital organs constantly shift and change shape, granting it a 50% chance to ignore additional damage caused by critical hits and sneak attacks, and rendering it immune to polymorph effects. Borderlands cordulegasters automatically recover from physical blindness or deafness after 1 round by growing new sensory organs to replace the compromised ones.
Elder Cordulegaster: Cordulegasters that dwell in the waters of the Styx long enough absorb memories from the river, and learn to consume entire souls. This grotesque insight transforms them into daemons (see below).
Planar Swamp Cordulegaster: The memory-stealing waters of the Styx become diluted once they trickle out into the foul swamps of the Outer Sphere. The Stygian bites of cordulegasters dwelling in these marshes have a weaker effect—those bitten must succeed at a DC 13 Will save or become confused for 1d4 rounds. Cordulegasters living in the Bile Sluice are immune to poison, whereas those residing in the Plaguemere are immune to disease.Creatures in "Cordulegaster" Category
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