General Rules: Monsters - Shadow Constrictor Snake

Shadow Constrictor Snake (from the Freeport Trilogy)
Medium Undead (Incorporeal)

Hit Dice: 3d12+3 (22 hit points)
Initiative: +3
Speed: fly 30 feet (good)
Armor Class: 14 (+3 Dexterity, +1 deflection); touch 14; flat-footed 11
BAB/Grapple: +1/+1
Attack: Incorporeal touch +5 melee (0)

Full Attack: Incorporeal touch +5 melee (0)

Space/Reach: 5 feet by 5 feet/5 feet
Special Attacks: Incorporeal constriction, incorporeal improved grab
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 feet, incorporeal traits, +4 turn resistance, undead traits
Saves: Fortitude +1, Reflex +4, Will +4
Abilities: Str -, Int 1, Wis 12, Dex 17, Con -, Cha 2
Skills: Hide +7, Listen +6, Search +0, Spot +6
Feats: Skill Augmentation (Listen and Spot), Toughness
Environment: Warm forest, aquatic, or underground
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 4
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 4 - 5 Hit Dice (Medium), 6 - 10 Hit Dice (Large)

Shadow snakes are undead created by evil mages or the anger of a deity. They haunt the area where they lived in life and can be commanded by those that create them to guard and area or an item.

Combat
Shadow constrictors use their ability to hide and move through solid objects to their best advantage in combat. They have the unique ability to grapple and constrict corporeal targets. Unlike a normal shadow, shadow constrictors reduce their opponents' Constitution and lack the ability to create spawn.

Incorporeal Constriction (Su): On a successful grapple check, a shadow constrictor deals 1 point of temporary Constitution damage. Any creature that is reduced to 0 Constitution by a shadow constrictor dies.

Incorporeal Improved Grab (Su): To use this ability, a shadow constrictor must hit with its touch attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. This is an exception to the normal rule that incorporeal creatures cannot grapple or be grappled. If it wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold and can constrict. This ability is identical to Improved Grab except that it can affect both incorporeal and corporeal targets.

Incorporeal Traits: Has no physical body. Can be harmed only by other incorporeal creatures, magic weapons or creatures that strike as magic weapons, and spells, spell-like abilities, or supernatural abilities. Immune to all nonmagical attack forms. Even when hit by spells or magic weapons, has a 50% chance to ignore any damage from a corporeal source (except for positive energy, negative energy, force effects such as magic missile, or attacks made with ghost touch weapons). Holy water can affect incorporeal undead, but a hit with holy water has a 50% chance of not affecting it.

Can enter or pass through solid objects, but must remain adjacent to the object’s exterior, and so cannot pass entirely through an object whose space is larger than its own. Can sense the presence of creatures or objects within a square adjacent to its current location, but enemies have total concealment (50% miss chance) from an incorporeal creature that is inside an object. Must emerge to see farther from the object it is in and attack normally.Has total cover while inside an object, but when it attacks a creature outside the object it only has cover, so a creature outside with a readied action could strike at it as it attacks. Cannot pass through a force effect.

Attacks pass through (ignore) natural armor, armor, and shields, although deflection bonuses and force effects (such as mage armor) work normally against it. Can pass through and operate in water as easily as air. Cannot fall or take falling damage. Cannot make trip or grapple attacks, nor can it be tripped or grappled. Cannot take any physical action that would move or manipulate an opponent or its equipment, not subject to such actions. Has no weight and does not set off traps that are triggered by weight.

Moves silently and cannot be heard with Listen checks if it doesn’t wish to be. Has no Strength score, so its Dexterity modifier applies to both its melee attacks and its ranged attacks. Nonvisual senses, such as scent and blindsight, are either ineffective or only partly effective with regard to it. Has an innate sense of direction and can move at full speed even when it cannot see.

Undead Traits: Immune to all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects), immune to poison, sleep effects, paralysis, stunning, disease, and death effects. Not subject to critical hits, nonlethal damage, ability drain, fatigue, or exhaustion effects. Cannot heal damage on its own. Immune to any effect that requires a Fortitude save unless it also works on objects or is harmless. Not a risk of death due to massive damage. Does not eat, breathe, or sleep.

Skills: Shadow snakes have a +2 racial bonus on Listen and Spot checks abd a +4 racial bonus on Search checks. A shadow snake gains a +4 racial bonus on Hide checks in area of shadowy illuminations; in brightly lit areas, it takes a -4 penalty on Hide checks.

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