Spear Urchin
This strange-looking creature has a spherical body covered with hundreds or thousands of two-foot-long bright purple spines that darken to ominous black tips.
Spear Urchin (CR 4)
Large Vermin (Aquatic)Alignment: Neutral
Initiative: -4
Senses: All-Around Vision, Low-Light Vision, Scent, Tremorsense 30 feet; Perception +4
Speed: 5 feet
Space: 10 feet
Defense
Armor Class: 17, touch 5, flat-footed 17 (-4 Dex, +12 natural, -1 size)Hit Points: 42 (5d8+20)
Saving Throws: Fort +8, Ref -3, Will +1
stability
Immunity: mind-affecting effects
Offense
Melee: 2 spines +8 (1d6+6 plus poison)Reach: 5 feet
Ranged: 2 spines +3 (1d6+6 plus poison)
Special Attacks: spines (+8, 1d6+6 plus poison)
Statistics
| Str | Dex | Con | Int | Wis | Cha |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 (+6) | 3 (-4) | 18 (+4) | - | 11 (+0) | 2 (-4) |
CMB +10
CMD 16 (24 vs. Bull Rush or Trip)
Feats:
Skills: Perception +4
- Racial Modifiers: +4 Perception
Special Qualities: Amphibious
Special Abilities
Poison (Ex)
Spear urchin venom causes horrific pain that weakens the muscles and causes intense nausea.- Delivery: Spines-injury
- Fortitude Save: 16
- Frequency: 1/round for 6 rounds
- Track: Moderate Strength
- Initial Effect: nauseated for 1 round
- Saves: 1 save
Spines (Ex)
A spear urchin's spines can swivel and rotate to face any approaching creature that attacks it. Any creature that attacks a spear urchin with an unarmed strike or a natural attack, or any Large or smaller creature that attacks with a onehanded weapon or light weapon, is automatically attacked by the spear urchin's spines as an immediate action. If the spines hit, they can poison the target as well. In addition, a spear urchin can fire up to two spines each round as if they were javelins with a range increment of 30 feet. As long as its target is within range of its tremorsense (30 feet), a spear urchin ignores its Dexterity penalty on ranged attack rolls, but beyond this range the penalty functions normally, effectively increasing a spear urchin's penalty to hit by -4 over its standard penalty for range. A spear urchin's spines function equally well underwater as they do above water.Ecology
Environment: Temperate or Warm Ocean or CoastlineOrganization: solitary, pair, or cluster (3-6)
Treasure: none
Much more dangerous than their smaller kin, giant sea urchins are dangerous predators of opportunity. With the exception of the hunter urchin, giant sea urchins lie in wait for food to come to them, typically carried within reach of their attacks via ocean currents or, more commonly, tides.
Hunter Urchins: These urchins can adjust their spines to effect an awkward method of locomotion on land. They actively seek prey, and possess long, rasp-like tongues that can whip out and pull food to them.
Spear Urchins: These brightly colored creatures can fire spines like javelins, relying upon poison to slow down prey or eventually immobilize it so they can crawl over to feed.
Glass Urchins: So named for their transparency, these beautiful creatures shimmer like delicate crystals. Yet for all the damage their spines can inflict, victims of glass urchins generally do more damage to themselves or their allies due to the potent hallucinatory effects of this urchin's venom.
Sea Urchins as Difficult Terrain
The giant sea urchins presented here are fantastic evolutions of their much more common, smaller, and less offensive kin. Yet even the smaller common urchins can pose a problem for unwary adventurers. Sea urchins live in vast colonies on tidal rocks, and moving across a field of urchins can be quite awkward and painful. Their thousands of spines are just as sharp as those possessed by their larger kin, and they function as caltrops to anyone that walks over them.
Worse, these spines are venomous, and can poison those who take damage from them. Those who succumb to the poison suffer searing pain that can sicken them for several minutes. Though uncomfortable, fortunately this venom doesn't actually inflict either ability damage or ability drain.
Sea Urchin Venom: Spines-injury; save Fort 11; frequency 1/minute for 6 minutes; effect victim is sickened for 1 minute; cure 1 save.
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