Humbaba (CR 15)

Large Undead
Alignment: Usually lawful neutral
Initiative: +0; Senses: Listen +31 and Spot +31
Languages: Celestial, Common, and Infernal


AC: 19 (+10 natural, -1 size), touch 9, flat-footed 19
Hit Dice: 26d12 (169 hp)
Fort +8, Ref +8, Will +19
Speed: 40 ft., swim 20 ft.
Space: 10 ft./10 ft.
Base Attack +13; Grapple +23
Attack: Slam +18 melee or rock +12 ranged
Full Attack: 2 slams +18 melee or 4 rocks +10/+10/+5/+0 ranged
Damage: Slam 2d12+7, rocks 2d6+6
Special Attacks/Actions: Absorb weapon, endless arms, improved grab, melding touch, spell-like abilities, throw rocks
Abilities: Str 22, Dex 10, Con -, Int 15, Wis 14, Cha 12
Special Qualities: Play dead, undead traits
Feats: Cleave; Great Cleave; Improved Bull Rush; Improved Overrun; Improved Sunder; Iron Will; Point Blank Shot; Power Attack; Rapid Shot
Skills: Concentration +29, Disguise +30, Intimidate +30, Listen +31, Spellcraft +31, and Spot +31
Advancement: 27 to 34 HD (Large), 35 to 42 (Huge)
Climate/Terrain: Any warm
Organization: Solitary or pair
Treasure/Possessions: Standard

Source: Dragon #334

Absorb Weapons (Ex): A humbaba can attempt to absorb any melee weapon that strikes it by succeeding at an opposed Strength check. If the check succeeds, one of the humbaba's constituent creatures drags the weapon away from its wielder. Any weapon stolen in this manner is not destroyed and can be taken back from the humbaba with a successful disarm attempt or upon the humbaba's death. Weapons taken are held and not used.

Endless Arms (Ex): A humbaba can grapple up to one Large, two Medium, or four Small or smaller creatures while still making its normal attacks and threatening the area around it. Once these limits are exceeded, a humbaba must take a -20 penalty on all of its grapple checks, as normal, to threaten the area around it and can no longer make additional grapple attempts.

Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a humbaba must hit a creature of its size or smaller with its slam attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity.

Melding Touch (Su): A humbaba can absorb living creatures into itself. At the end of each round that a grapple is maintained, those grappled take 1d4 points of Constitution drain. Upon reaching 0 Constitution, the target is killed and absorbed into the humbaba. Those absorbed in this way cannot be raised or resurrected without first destroying the humbaba.

A humbaba advances in Hit Dice by absorbing creatures in this manner. For every 12 Hit Dice absorbed, the humbaba gains 1 Hit Die. If this increases its size, the humbaba gains a +8 bonus to Strength and a +4 bonus to its natural armor.

Spell-like Abilities (Sp): At will - enervation; 3/day - circle of death (DC 18), control undead (DC 19), crushing despair (DC 16); 1/day - repulsion (DC 19), slay living (DC 17), soul bind (DC 21). Caster level 20th. The save DCs are Wisdom-based.

Rock Throwing (Ex): A humbaba can throw large rocks with a range increment of 100 feet These rocks can be thrown a maximum of five range increments.

Play Dead (Ex): A humbaba reduced to fewer than 10% of its starting hit points may deliberately discorporate as a free action, falling apart into its constituent bodies and acting as if destroyed. This deception can be noticed with a Spot check opposed by the humbaba's Disguise check. The parts can rejoin one another as a full-round action. While discorporated, the humbaba is immune to turning and only half the damage done to any part is subtracted from the humbaba's hit point total.

A humbaba does not fight unless its territory is entered or threatened, and it typically avoids attacking clerics of the deities of death. Humbabas seek to intimidate others into leaving the areas they protect. Some of them talk rather than fight, and do so with a strange buzzing voice that comes from several rotted throats at once.

Once attacked or threatened, a humbaba first throws rocks from a distance. Just before reaching melee range, it casts enervation and then uses its melding touch to destroy opponents as quickly as possible.

If overmatched, a humbaba attempts to play dead.

Humbabas are 20-foot-tall undead giants constructed out of dozens of smaller bodies and set to guard the border between the lands of the living and the lands of the dead, such as the River Styx. They are composite creatures controlled by a single powerful will.

Most humbabas guard sacred places such as the Forest of Cedars, an abode of the gods, or the many necropolises where the bodies of heroes lie buried in splendor. They are not evil, but they are relentless in their defense of certain tombs and borderlands. Some believe that they were first created by the gods of the afterlife.