General Rules: Monsters - Tomb Viper

Tomb Viper (from Dungeon Crawl Classics #45: Malice of the Medusa)
Medium Undead

Hit Dice: 2d12+2 (15 hit points)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 20 feet, climb 20 feet, swim 20 feet
Armor Class: 17 (+2 Dexterity, +5 natural); touch 12; flat-footed 15
BAB/Grapple: +1/+1
Attack: Bite +3 melee (1d6 plus 1d6 necrotic poison, bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing, 20 x2)

Full Attack: Bite +3 melee (1d6 plus 1d6 necrotic poison, bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing, 20 x2)

Space/Reach: 5 feet by 5 feet/5 feet
Special Attacks: Necrotic poison
Special Qualities: Damage reduction 5/-, darkvision 60 feet, meld with stone, surprise, undead, vulnerability to fire
Saves: Fortitude +0, Reflex +2, Will +3
Abilities: Str 10, Int 1, Wis 10, Dex 15, Con -, Cha 1
Skills: Balance +11, Climb +8, Hide +8, Listen +5, Spot +5, Swim +8
Feats: Weapon Finesse, Toughness
Environment: Any tomb
Organization: Solitary or swarm (4 - 9)
Challenge Rating: 2
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 3 - 5 Hit Dice (Large), 6 - 18 Hit Dice (Huge)

A tomb viper is an undead snake that has been preserved by alchemical means and bound magically to a crypt or vault to serve as an eternal guardian. it has the ability to meld with stone and innocuously blend itself with bas-reliefs and other wall carvings. As a result, it almost always achieves surprise.

Tomb vipers are always derived from poisonous snakes, most often asps, but also frequently from cobras and sidewinders.

Combat
Tomb vipers are aggressive, biting with the expectation that their necrotic poison will kill their prey.

Meld with Stone (Sp): A tomb viper can enter a stone surface once per day as a standard action as per the spell meld with stone. While inside the wall, any carvings or paintings alter to accommodate the viper's image. The undead snake can see and hear out of the stone surface.

Necrotic Poison (Su): Necrotic energy courses though the tomb viper, infusing its fangs with the raw energy of undeath. This deals an extra 1d6 points of damage from the negative energy with each successful melee attack. A successful Fortitude save (DC 11) halves this additional damage. Characters killed by the poison rise in 2d6 minutes as zombies. necrotic poison heals undead rather than harms them.

Surprise (Ex): When melded with stone, a tomb viper receives a +15 circumstance bonus to Hide and Move Silently checks the round after emerging.

Vulnerability to Fire (Ex): Tomb vipers take double damage from fire except on a successful saving throw.

Undead: 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: Tomb vipers have a +4 racial bonus on Hide, Listen, and Spot checks, and a +8 racial bonus on Balance and Climb checks. A tomb viper can always choose to take 10 on a Climb check, even if rushed or threatened. A tomb viper has a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform some special action or avoid a hazard. It can always choose to take 10 on a Swim check even if distracted or endangered. It can use the run action while swimming provided it swims in a straight line.

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