Sunday Surprise - Thunder Lizard

THUNDER LIZARD (Thunder Child Shocker Lizard) CR4

This dog-sized lizard has two horns, one on either side of its head, and blue scales that pulsate with lightning.

Thunder Child template (Advanced Bestiary pg 237)

XP 600
N Small Outsider (elemental, air, extraplanar)

Init +8; Senses darkvision 60 ft., electricity sense, low-light vision; Perception +8

DEFENSE

AC 20, touch 17, flat-footed 14 (+2 Dex, +3 natural, +1 size, +4 dodge)

hp 19 (3d10+3)
Fort +4, Ref +7, Will +3;
Immune electricity, inhaled poisons; Resistances Cold 10

Special Defenses electric aura, electric grapple

OFFENSE

Speed 80 ft., climb 40 ft., swim 40 ft.
Melee bite +4 (1d4+1d6 electical)
Space 5 ft. Reach 5 ft.
Special Attacks shock, breath weapon,

STATISTICS

Str 10, Dex 19, Con 13, Int 4, Wis 15, Cha 6;
Base Atk +3; CMB +2; CMD 18 (22 vs. trip)
Feats Improved Initiative, Skill Focus (Stealth), Lightning Reflexes, and Quick Draw
Skills Climb +8, Perception +8, Stealth +17, Swim +8; Racial Modifiers +2 Perception, +4 Stealth, +4 Survival, +4 Knowledge (nature)

Languages Auran

Spell-Like Abilities (CL 3rd)

3/day—fog cloud, gaseous form, sound burst (DC13)

ECOLOGY

Environment mountain lakes, elemental plane of air
Organization solitary, pair, clutch (3-6), or colony (7-12)
Treasure incidental

SQ Electricity Sense, Cloud Sight, Lightning Jump

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Electricity Sense (Ex) Shocker lizards automatically detect any electrical discharges within 100 feet.

Shock (Su) Shocker lizards can deliver an electrical shock to a single opponent within 5 feet. This attack deals 1d8 points of nonlethal electricity damage to living opponents (Reflex DC 12 half ). This save DC is Constitution-based. Additionally, if two or more shocker lizards are within 20 feet of each other, they can work together to create a lethal shock once every 1d4 rounds. This effect has a radius of 20 feet, centered on any one contributing lizard. All creatures within that radius take 2d8 points of lethal electricity damage for each lizard contributing to the shock, to a maximum of 12d8. A Reflex save (DC 10 + the number of lizards contributing) halves the damage.

Breath Weapon (Ex): Once every 1d4 rounds, a thunder child can breathe a 5-foot-wide line of lightning 100 feet long plus 10 feet per 2 character levels it possesses. If the thunder child wishes, it may breathe a line half as long but 10 feet wide. Every creature in the area must make a Refl ex save (DC 10 + 1/2 thunder child’s character level + thunder child’s Con modifi er) or take 1d6 points of electricity damage per 2 character levels the thunder child possesses (minimum 1d6). Success halves the damage.

Electric Aura (Ex): A thunder child emits an aura of electricity that can wound nearby creatures. Any creature within 10 feet of a thunder child must succeed on a Reflex save (DC 13) each round that it remains within range or take 1d6 points of electricity damage. A thunder child can suppress or resume the use of this ability as a free action.

Electric Grapple (Ex): Any creature grappling a thunder child takes 2d6 points of electricity damage each round that the grapple is maintained. Electricity (Ex): Each of a thunder child’s natural melee attacks and attacks with metallic melee weapons deals +1d6 points of electricity damage.

Cloud Sight (Ex): A thunder child can see through clouds, gases, fogs, mists, and smoke as though they didn’t inhibit vision. Creatures and objects do not gain concealment from a thunder child due to such conditions. A thunder child may use this ability while gaseous.

Immunities (Ex): A thunder child is immune to inhaled poisons and gas-, fog-, or cloud-based attacks and spells.

Lightning Jump (Ex): When a thunder child breathes lightning, it may teleport with no chance of error to any location within the area of the lightning attack as a free action. It must make this jump immediately after using its breath weapon.

A thunder lizard has a sky-blue underside, with bright blue scales elsewhere on its 3-foot-long body, and weighs about 25 pounds. Shocker lizards tend toward group living, as their electrical abilities grow in power when they are close to another lizard. A thunder lizard colony is usually located near a source of water, or high in the mountains. Once the colony has settled on a location, the lizards become very territorial and attack anything that intrudes on them. A solitary thunder lizard is timid but semi-intelligent creature —but when several of them gather they become formidable and fearsome opponents capable of killing creatures several times their own size.

A thunder lizard relies on its electricity abilities in combat, and a lizard tends to bite only after its shock has rendered an opponent unconscious, or when the shock seems to have no effect at all. A solitary lizard flees once it delivers its shocks, but if other shocker lizards are nearby, they all hone in on their comrade's discharges and attempt to administer lethal shocks to their foe.

Many have attempted to capture and tame thunder lizards, but this often proves a difficult and painful task. Alone and in captivity, thunder lizards attempt to use lightning jump to escape unless their keepers spend a lot of time grooming and playing with the lizards to keep them company. Kept in pairs or larger numbers, captive thunder lizards thrive, but their increasing electrical ability makes them more difficult to manage for keepers who aren't themselves immune to electricity.