Shredding Creature

'Shredding Creature' is a pattern that can be added to any creature to give them a hefty offensive 'punch'. Shredding creatures have bigger, scarier, jagged and awful weapons, claws or teeth, compared to a 'normal' version of that creature. Perhaps they are primitive, atavistic Cave Orcs with jagged stone weapons, or Drow with fish-hook swords, or a Dragon who has two rows of serrated teeth like a giant, flying, intelligent, horrific shark that breathes fire and can roar so loud your bones break.

Maybe there's a glowing red magical field around their fists or tentacles, or jagged 'ghost spikes' surround them, or they have magical echoes from the Universe of Pain. Maybe they have special Ragesteel weapons stolen from an Imperial convoy, or an eldritch poison that drips and smokes from their various appendages. The GM has many storytelling options with this pattern, so have fun!

A Shredding Creature uses all of the base creature's statistics and abilities except as noted below.

CR (challenge rating)

Same as base creature +2.

Size and Type

The creature's Size does not change. Its Type remains the same but it gains the subtype Shredding.

Initiative Modifier

The creature's initiative modifier increases by +1.

Senses

All senses such as scent, tremorsense, keen hearing, etc are unchanged. A Shredding Creature gains +3 on Perception skill rolls.

Armor Class

Shredding Creatures gain +2 AC.

Hit Dice

Shredding Creatures gain +2 hp per Hit Die of their adjusted CR.

Defensive Ability

The Shredding Creature gains the following abilities, which may be added to their Bestiary entry:

Aura: - Same as Base Creature

SR: - Same as Base Creature

Special Defenses: Same as Base Creature

• Shredding Creatures gain a +1 untyped bonus on all Saving Throws.

Immunities: Same as Base Creature.

Weaknesses: Same as Base Creature

Out of Combat

Same as Base Creature.

Speed

A Shredding Creatures base speed improves by ten feet in all movement categories it has.

Melee Attacks

The Shredding Creature retains all the base creature's attacks . It gains a +4 untyped bonus to-hit with all attacks.

Damage

The Shredding Creature does the same damage and effects as the base creature. It gains a +1 untyped bonus to all damage it inflicts, and all DC's are raised by +1.

Space and Reach

No Changes.

Offensive Ability

Shredding Attacks (Ex): If desired, a shredding creature may change the damage it inflicts with its melee or ranged attacks to flensing (physical, rare), obliteration (physical, rare), or spindling (physical, rare) damage. It may do this for any of its attacks, or all of them, at-will.

When a shredding creature hits with two or more attacks it does additional bonus damage as it shreds its foes. As bonus damage, this power is not affected if the triggering attack was a critical hit. The additional damage is equal to Special Standard Attack damage for its adjusted CR, and is added to the first attack which triggers this ability each round. Check the Monster Pattern Damage Chart to calculate this value. This additional damage is inflicted as the same damage type as the triggering attack (which can be changed by the ability above), and is added to that attack for purposes of overcoming DR. If the shredding creature doesn't have two or more attacks, every attack that hits adds this 'shredding attacks' damage.

Ability Scores

No changes.

Maneuver Offense and Maneuver Defense

The Shredding Creature gains a +2 untyped bonus to Maneuver Offense and Maneuver Defense rolls.

Feats

Optionally, add one non-combat oriented feat, for flavor. Or just wing it! DM fiat is a wonderful thing.

Skills

Optionally, add one skill at CR+10.