Krooth

Krooth Creature8

N Large Amphibious Animal

Senses Perception +16; low-light vision, scent (imprecise) 60 feet

Skills Athletics +18, Stealth +18 (+20 in water), Survival +17 (+20 to Track a bleeding creature)

Str +6, Dex +3, Con +6, Int -4, Wis +2, Cha +0

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AC 26; Fort +20, Ref +17, Will +14, +4 status to all saves vs. fear

HP 150

Attack of Opportunity [reaction] Tail only.

Pain Frenzy Whenever the krooth is damaged by a critical hit, it gains a +2 status bonus to attack and damage rolls until the end of its next turn. It can’t use reactions while this frenzy lasts.

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Speed 40 feet, swim 30 feet

Melee [one-action] jaws +20 (deadly 1d10, poison, reach 10 feet), Damage 2d12+9 piercing plus Poison Tooth

Melee [one-action] claw +20 (agile), Damage 2d8+9 slashing

Melee [one-action] tail +20 (reach 15 feet), Damage 2d8+9 piercing Aquatic Ambush [one-action]

Poison Tooth [one-action] (poison); Requirements The krooth damaged a creature with its jaws on its most recent action this turn. Effect The krooth snaps off one of its teeth in the creature it hit. The creature takes 1d6 persistent bleed damage and is drained 1.

Neither can be healed while the tooth remains.

Removing the tooth safely requires a successful DC 26 check to Administer First Aid. Instead of ending bleeding or stabilizing, this removes the drained condition, but it doesn’t automatically end the bleed damage.

About

Krooths, sometimes called crocodile eaters, are fast and vicious hunters of bogs and wetlands. While they are known to hunt and eat crocodiles, alligators, and virtually any creature with flesh, their favorite prey are lizardfolk, boggards, and dinosaurs.

Krooths are found alone or in packs. Male krooths are solitary and territorial creatures-fierce, bold, and bloodthirsty. Female krooths, on the other hand, are likely to shy away from potential predators but swiftly turn violent when their brood is threatened. Because their offspring are so vulnerable, female krooths gather in packs to raise their young, sending smaller groups to hunt for food while the rest of the pack watches the brood. Krooths mate only once every 4 or 5 years, and the mating process is a curiously gruesome spectacle. An entire pack of females will hunt as a group for a lone male krooth, claiming their prize in an orgiastic frenzy that can last for an entire day and night. After the mating has finished, the females slay their mate and devour his nutrient-rich flesh, and his organs in particular. These organs contain a unique chemical compound vital to gestation. Many naturalists will pay handsomely for the fresh remains of a male krooth so they can study the strange properties of the creature’s blood and organs. In addition, krooths have poisonous, hollow teeth. When these creatures bite their prey, a tooth breaks off and causes the victim to bleed profusely as their blood pours through the hollow tooth.

Whether male or female, krooths seem to be repelled by goblinoid flesh, especially that of bugbears. This doesn’t mean krooths won’t kill goblinoids, especially those threatening their young, but they typically do so using only their claws and tails, and they take great care to clean themselves thoroughly after such a killing.