An enormous, bristling worm flings itself across a dune, mouth gaping. Its skin is a mottled reddish-brown.
Dunewinders are a distant cousins of the remorhaz, native to waste climates instead of arctic zones. Their most distinctive characteristic is their sidewinding motion, which allows them to traverse loose sand with amazing speed.
A dunewinder’s long, mottled body can reach 40 feet in length, and it is covered with stiff, sharp bristles that drip with a green venom. The bristles let the creature get a grip in the desert’s shifting surface and provide a devastating attack against any prey the dunewinder seizes.
Dunewinders cannot speak.
Combat
Dunewinders do not have the wide maw of other serpentine creatures, so they “tenderize” a meal before consuming it. Generally a dunewinder lies in ambush, using its natural coloration to blend in with the sand. When it attacks, it rears up suddenly to blast prey with its breath weapon. It then wraps around the victim, shredding it with its poisonous bristles.
Dunewinder
Huge magical beast
Init +2; Senses darkvision, tremorsense 60 ft.; Perception +13
Defense
AC 21, touch 10, flat-footed 19 (−2 size, +2 Dex, +11 natural)
hp 150 (12d8+96)
Fort +12, Ref +10, Will +5
Immune dessication
Offense
Speed 50 ft., burrow 20 ft.
Melee bite +19 (2d8+12 plus grab)
Space 15 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
Special Attacks breath weapon (1/hour, 60-ft. line of fire, Reflex DC 20 half, 10d6), death throes, shred (3d4+12 plus poison)
Statistics
Str 26, Dex 15, Con 19, Int 5, Wis 12, Cha 12
Base Atk +12; CMB +22 (+26 grapple); CMD 34 (can’t be tripped)
Feats Awesome Blow, Improved Bull Rush, Power Attack, Skill Focus (Perception), Weapon Focus (bite)
Skills Perception +13, Stealth +11*, Survival +10
Morale mercenary (+0)
Ecology
Environment warm deserts
Organization solitary
Special Abilities
Death Throes (Ex)
When killed, a dunewinder explodes in a blast of spiked flesh that deals 12d4 points of piercing damage to everything within 60 feet (Reflex half, DC 20). The save DC is Constitution-based. In addition, all creatures injured by this attack must make Fortitude saves or be poisoned.
Grab (Ex)
If a dunewinder hits with its bite attack, it deals normal damage and attempts to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. The dunewinder can only grab targets two sizes smaller than itself, or smaller.
A dunewinder receives a +4 bonus on combat maneuver checks made to start and maintain a grapple.
Poison (Ex)
Shred—injury
save Fort DC 20
frequency 1/round for 4 rounds
effect 1 step on the Constitution damage track
cure 2 saves
Shred (Ex)
A dunewinder can shred a grabbed opponent with its bristles, dealing 3d4+12 points of piercing damage, when it makes a successful grapple check (in addition to any other effects caused by a successful check, including additional damage). In addition, the bristles inject poison into the wounds.
Dessication Immunity (Ex)
A dunewinder has immunity to any spell or effect that deals magical dessication damage (e.g. horrid wilting), as well as to any damage that results from failed Constitution checks to resist the effects of dehydration. A dunewinder cannot become dehydrated.
Skills
Dunewinders have a +8 racial bonus on Stealth checks. *In a sandy environment, this bonus increases to +12.