Neothelid (CR 15)

Gargantuan Aberration
Alignment: Always lawful evil
Initiative: +2 (-2 Dex, +4 Improved Initiative); Senses: blindsight and Listen +20


AC: 19 (-4 size, -2 Dex, +15 natural), touch 4, flat-footed 19
Hit Dice: 25d8+200 (312 hp); DR: DR 15/iron
Fort +16, Ref +6, Will +16
Speed: 20 ft.
Space: 30 ft. (coiled)/25 ft.
Base Attack +18; Grapple +26
Attack: 4 tentacle rakes +24 melee
Full Attack: 4 tentacle rakes +24 melee
Damage: Tentacle rake 2d6+10
Special Attacks: Breath weapon, improved grab, swallow whole, psionics
Abilities: Str 30, Dex 7, Con 27, Int 16, Wis 15, Cha 9
Special Qualities: Psionics, power resistance 25
Feats: Alertness; Cleave; Improved Initiative; Power Attack; Psychic Bastion
Skills: Climb +26, Knowlege (psionics) +21, and Listen +20
Advancement: 26-45 HD (Colossal)
Climate/Terrain: Any underground
Organization: Solitary
Treasure/Possessions: Standard

Source: Psionics Handbook

A neothelid is a slime-covered, tentacled worm of dragon-like proportions. Only slightly less terrible than being dissolved by the creature's acid breath is being pulled whole into its ravenous maw.

A mature neothelid is 10 feet in diameter and 100 feet long, weighing about 55,000 pounds. Four 25-foot-long tentacles sprout from its eyeless head, writhing around a lamprey-like mouth grown to nightmarish size. A revolting mucus trail marks the wake of the horror.

Neothelids are a rare result of the mind flayer reproductive cycle gone horribly wrong. Their very existence is a taboo topic among illithids. For their part, neothelids brood in darkness, minds a bubble with desires too insane to record. Although they understand Undercommon, they rarely communicate in a meaningful way.

Combat

In battle, a neothelid forms into a coil 30 feet across. Its favored tactic is liquefying foes with its breath weapon. Against more distant opponents it may use psionics while its tentacles make short work of closer ones.

Breath Weapon (Su): Cone of acid 50 feet long, once every 1d4 rounds; damage 14d10, Reflex half DC 30.

Psionics (Sp): At will -- body equilibrium, charm monster, clairaudience/clairvoyance, detect thoughts, levitate, suggestion, teleport, and true telekinesis. These abilities are as the powers manifested by an 18th-level psion.

Attack/Defense Modes (Sp): At will -- all/all.

Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability the neothelid must hit a creature with two tentacles during the same attack. If it gets a hold, it automatically deals tentacle damage and can attempt to swallow the foe.

Swallow Whole (Ex): A neothelid can try to swallow a grabbed opponent of Large or smaller size by making a successful grapple check. Once inside, the opponent takes 2d8+12 points 1 of crushing damage plus 1d8 points of acid damage per round from the neothelid's flesh-dissolving secretions. A swallowed creature can climb out with a successful grapple check. This places the escapee in the neothelid's tentacled maw, where another successful grapple check is needed to get free. A swallowed creature can also cut its way out by using claws or a Small or Tiny slashing weapon to deal 25 points of damage to the stomach (AC 20). Once the creature exits, muscular action closes the hole; another swallowed opponent must cut its own way out.

The neothelid's interior can hold one Large, two Medium-size, four Small, eight Tiny, sixteen Diminutive, or thirty-two Fine or smaller opponents.

Blindsight (Ex): The neothelid can ascertain creatures by non-visual means within 500 feet. Beyond that range, they treat all targets as having total concealment (see Concealment in Chapter 8 of the Player's Handbook).