Swamp Barracuda

This elongated, olive fish has a thick set of jaws with a prominent underbite, and its body is covered in a layer of thick algae.

Swamp Barracuda (CR 2)

Medium Animal (Aquatic)
Alignment: Neutral
Initiative: +6
Senses: Keen Scent, Low-Light Vision; Perception +9

Speed: 10 feet, Swim 60 feet
Space: 5 feet

Defense

Armor Class: 14, touch 12, flat-footed 12 (+2 Dex, +2 natural)
Hit Points: 18 (4d8)
Saving Throws: Fort +4, Ref +6, Will +2

Offense

Melee: bite +6 (1d6+3), tail slap +1 (1d6+1)
Reach: 5 feet

Statistics

Str	Dex	Con	Int	Wis	Cha
16 (+3)	14 (+2)	11 (+0)	1 (-5)	12 (+1)	3 (-4)

Base Attack Bonus: +3
CMB +6
CMD 18 (can't be tripped)

Feats: Improved Initiative, Skill Focus (Perception)

Skills: Perception +9, Stealth +7 (+11 in water), Swim +11

• Racial Modifiers: +4 Stealth in water

Languages:

Special Qualities: Amphibious

Special Abilities

NONE

Ecology

Environment: Temperate or Warm Marshes
Organization: solitary, pack (2-5), or school (6-11)
Treasure: none


These carnivorous fish have long, writhing bodies and pointed heads. Their overdeveloped pectoral fins and widely separated dorsal fins make them swift swimmers, and their powerful jaws promise a quick and brutal death for any prey they might catch. Their tails serve as potent secondary weapons, which they use to bludgeon particularly hardy opponents before tearing them limb from limb.

Swamp barracuda thrive in the tropical waters surrounding the continent of Garund, and are particularly prominent throughout the Sodden Lands and Mwangi Expanse. To the north, they can occasionally be found in the Mushfens and the Varisian Gulf in the warmer months, heading south when winter cools the waters. While they normally hunt alone or in small groups, during their migratory season, massive schools of swamp barracuda can be spotted traveling down the western Avistani coastline, where they feed on small whales as well as terrestrial creatures that wander too close to their waters.

While swamp barracuda are most often found in the wild, particularly daring hunters sometimes capture them to serve either as food or pets. Swamp barracuda can survive for a long time outside their preferred climates, but often grow lax and weak if their owners fail to feed them properly or don't take care of their holding tank. Magnimar's infamous Sczarni gang, the Gallowed, uses swamp barracuda as a coercion technique against wealthy patsies as well as borrowers who fail to make a payment on time (an act made difficult by the exorbitant interest rate the Gallowed put on any loans they give out).

Called the Fish Tank by those who know of it, the saltwater aquarium that houses Jaster Frallino's precious barracuda is stored in a dilapidated blue caravan wagon owned by the Gallowed, and more than one failed business partner has lost an eye, toe, or hand to \"the Boss's Fish.\" It is also known that the Sczarni boss keeps a collection of rusty keys at the bottom of the Fish Tank, though the purpose of these mysterious items is a secret held by Frallino alone.

An average swamp barracuda is about 6 feet long and weighs over 60 pounds, though specimens up to 12 feet long have been spotted in particularly remote locations.