| DESCRIPTION: Gelatinous tyrants are large, translucent cephalopod-like predators whose gelatinous bodies measure about 7–8' tall and 5–6' across. Their nearly transparent flesh bears only the faintest bluish cast, making them almost invisible beneath the water. At the center of the body rests a single large eye, likewise clear and glassy, with only subtle hints of color surrounding its pupil. Two long, muscular feeding tentacles extend from the body, each reaching nearly 10' in length and ending in a powerful circular sucker lined with rings of fine, needle-like teeth. Beneath the body hangs a dense fringe of short sensory cilia that trail constantly in the current. ABILITIES: Aquatic. Gelatinous tyrants breathe only underwater and cannot survive long out of it. After spending more than 3 consecutive rounds out of water, the creature begins to dry rapidly, suffering 1 point of damage each round until it is fully submerged again. Feeding Tentacles. Rather than inflicting normal damage, a successful tentacle attack latches securely onto its victim with its toothed sucker. Beginning immediately on the round of the successful attack, the attached tentacle drains 1d6 hit points each round as it feeds. Each tentacle feeds independently, allowing the creature to drain multiple victims—or a single victim with both tentacles—simultaneously. A latched tentacle remains attached until the victim dies, the tentacle is forcibly removed (on a successful Open Doors roll), or the gelatinous tyrant has consumed approximately 40 hit points of blood, after which it typically releases its prey and retreats to digest. Each tentacle has AC 5 and 8 hit points. Damage dealt to a tentacle does not affect the gelatinous tyrant's normal hit points. A severed tentacle immediately releases any attached victim and cannot regenerate. The tyrant loses one tentacle attack for each tentacle destroyed. A severed tentacle regrows completely in 1d4+2 weeks. Eye Beam. Once every 5 rounds, a gelatinous tyrant may project a shimmering ray from its central eye at a single creature within 60'. The target must Save vs. Spells or have its buoyancy magically altered (the tyrant's choice), becoming either unnaturally heavy or unnaturally buoyant for 1d6 rounds, regardless of its actual weight or encumbrance. Affected creatures immediately sink toward the bottom or rise toward the surface at a rapid rate. If a creature ascends or descends more than 60 feet before the effect ends, it must Save vs. Paralysis or suffer 1d6 damage for each full 60 feet traveled due to the effects of rapid pressure change. While affected, the creature's movement rate is halved. Transparent Body. A gelatinous tyrant's nearly invisible body is extraordinarily difficult to detect beneath the water. It surprises opponents on a roll of 1–5 (on 1d6), and all "to hit" rolls made against it while submerged suffer a –4 penalty. However, as it feeds, the tyrant's transparent body gradually takes on a faint pink coloration from the absorbed blood. This coloration reduces the creature's concealment, decreasing its Transparent Body attack penalty by 1 for every 10 hit points drained (–3 after 10 hp, –2 after 20 hp, –1 after 30 hp, and no penalty after 40 hp). The pink coloration persists for 1 turn after feeding ends before gradually being absorbed into the tyrant's body, allowing it to become nearly transparent once again. ECOLOGY: Gelatinous tyrants inhabit deep lakes, flooded caverns, subterranean rivers, and other dark bodies of still or slow-moving water where their transparent bodies render them almost impossible to detect. They are solitary ambush predators, remaining nearly motionless until prey ventures within reach of their feeding tentacles. Once attached, they rarely relinquish a victim until fully sated, often retreating afterward into deep water or submerged crevices to digest. | STATS INTELLIGENCE: Animal LOCATION: Deep lakes, subterranean rivers, flooded caverns, coastal reefs |
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