General Rules: Monsters - Reef Eel

Reef Eel (from Creatures of Freeport)

Medium Animal (Aquatic)

Hit Dice: 2d8 (9 hit points)
Initiative: +7
Speed: Swim 25 feet
Armor Class: 14 (+2 Dexterity, +2 natural); touch 12, flat-footed 12
BAB/Grapple: +1/+2 (+3 when attached)
Attack: Bite +4 melee (1d6+1, bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing, 20 x2)

Full Attack: Bite +4 melee (1d6+1, bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing, 20 x2)

Space/Reach: 5 feet by 5 feet/5 feet
Special Attacks: Attach, cripple
Special Qualities: Backward motion, low-light vision
Saves: Fortitude +3, Reflex +6, Will +2
Abilities: Str 12, Int 1, Wis 12, Dex 16, Con 11, Cha 2

Skills: Hide +7, Spot +5, Swim +10

Feats: Improved Initiative, Weapon Finesse
Environment: Warm aquatic
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 1
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: -

The reef eel is an aquatic predator, ranging from 4 to 7 feet in length. it has a narrow, ribbonlike body and a pointed head armed with a mouth full of vicious teeth. They hunt small fish at night and spend the day hiding in cracks and crevices in the reef. their lairs are seldom any wider than their bodies, and they back into them, leaving their head facing outward. if disturbed or threatened, a reef eel can lunge forward and bite with greats peed, possibly withdrawing into its lair between strikes.

Combat
While reef eels do not hunt humans, they will attack almost any creature if disturbed or provoked. An eel that is resting in its reef lair can strike seemingly from out of nowhere, inflicting a crippling wound before disappearing again.

While it is in its lair, a reef eel has improved concealment. This provides it with improved evasion, a +8 bonus to Armor Class, a +4 bonus to Reflex saves, and a +10 bonus to Hide checks. Typically, the eel will strike without completely leaving its lair; in this case, the creature still receives a +4 bonus to Armor Class and a +2 bonus to Reflex saves. The standard limitations on cover bonuses apply.

Attach (Ex): A reef eel has tremendously powerful jaws. When dealing with a single opponent, it will usually clamp onto its victim. If a reef eel hits with a bite attack, it can latch onto its opponent's body, automatically dealing bite damage each round until it is detached. An attached eel receives a +2 Strength bonus for the purposes of grappling and inflicting damage, but loses its dexterity bonus to Armor Class.

An attached eel can be struck by a weapon or grappled. The eel can be removed if the opponent grapples with the creature and successfully achieves a pin.

Backward Motion (Ex): A reef eel can swim backwards at full speed.

Cripple (Ex): The vicious bite of the reef eel is powerful enough to chip bone and cause severe muscle damage. Whenever an eel makes a successful bite attack, the victim must make a DC 11 Fortitude save or suffer 1 point of Strength damage.

Skills: A reef eel receives +4 racial bonus on Spot and Hide checks. It receives a +8 racial bonus on any Swim checks to perform a special action or avoid a hazard. It can always choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even when distracted or endangered. The eel can use the run action while swimming, provided that it moves in a straight line.

Reef Eels as Familiars
Reef eels can serve as familiars for characters eligible to obtain familiars including arcane engineers, hexblades, mind weavers, shadowsworn, sorcerers, and wizards. To do so, the character must take the Improved Familiar feat, and be at least a 2^nd-level caster. Arcane casters with reef eel familiars gain a +3 bonus to Swim checks.

Reef Eels as Animal Companions
If raised from a hatchling, a reef eel may be trained using Handle Animal. Eels are sometimes trained as guard and hunting beasts by members of aquatic races. A 1^st-level druid, 3^rd-level outdoorsman, or 1^st-level ranger may take a reef eel as an animal companion.

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