Cheliceram
Cheliceram
CR 4 N Magical Beast
This creature looks something like a purplish-black scorpion with the head of a beetle. It walks on six legs held underneath its body, and a pair of pincers clacks menacingly. A fan of filamentous antennae rises from its head and back.
Chelicerams are monstrous hybrids of arachnid and insect, capable of using psychic magic to protect and maneuver themselves through the wastes. They spend most of their lives underground, burrowing in sandy soil but preferring some sort of hard substrate to lurk near, such as a boulder or buried ruin. When a cheliceram detects movement, it teleports up to attack. Most chelicerams prefer to ignore foes of their own size, instead attacking a larger target. A horse or camel sized prize can feed a cheliceram over an extended period, and they may be found near half-eaten, desiccated carcasses buried in the sand.
A cheliceram uses its powers by instinct. They use anticipate peril when first detecting prey items, teleport if surrounded or overwhelmed, cast placebo effect if affected with status effects, and use thought shield if attacked with mind-influencing magic. A cheliceram’s venom causes tissue death, and creatures that survive its sting suffer from hideous scars if not healed with magic. In high traffic areas, they may hunt in groups, but such associations are more opportunistic than cooperative. Once prey sources run dry, the chelicerams typically separate quickly, lest the strongest of them decide to start eating its fellows.
Cheliceram CR 4
XP 1,200
N Small magical beast
Init +4; Senses darkvision 60 ft., Perception +8, tremorsense 30 ft.
Defense
AC 18, touch 15, flat-footed 14 (+1 size, +4 Dex, +3 natural)
hp 34 (4d10+12)
Fort +7, Ref +8, Will +2
Offense
Speed 30 ft., burrow 10 ft., unstable location
Melee sting +6 (1d4+1 plus poison), 2 claws +6 (1d6+1), bite +6 (1d4+1)
Psychic Magic CL 4th, concentration +6
5 PE—anticipate peril (1 PE), placebo effect (2 PE), thought shield I (2 PE)
Statistics
Str 13, Dex 18, Con 16, Int 1, Wis13, Cha 14
Base Atk +4; CMB +4; CMD 18 (26 vs. trip)
Feats Nimble Moves, Skill Focus (Perception)
Skills Acrobatics +8,Climb +5, Perception +8, Stealth +12
Ecology
Environment warm and temperate deserts
Organization solitary, pair or colony (3-5)
Treasure incidental
Special Abilities
Poison (Ex) Sting—injury; save Fort DC 15; duration 1/round for 3 rounds; damage 1d2 Con damage; cure 1 save. The save DC is Constitution based.
Unstable Location (Su) A cheliceram can teleport up to 30 feet as a swift action without provoking an attack of opportunity. It can use this ability a number of times per day equal to its Hit Dice plus its Charisma modifier (6/day for the average cheliceram).