Briney Podlet

Briney Podlet (CR 9)

Chaotic Evil - Medium - Monstrous Humanoid

Lore:	Know (Nature)
16		31
Basic DC		Full DC

Initiative

16

Perception:
26	+16
Passive	Active

Ambush:

10+

on a d20

• Lore Notes: NOTE: Often identified as Sahaugin or Aboleth's on a failed lore check, at DM's discretion.

Senses:

• Standard Senses
• Low-Light Vision

Movement Types:

• Walk 20 ft.
• Vaulting 30 ft.
• Greater Swim 60 ft.

Defense

AC

27

Man Def

26

Monster Health
178	89	14
Hit Points	Bloodied	Hit Dice

Saving Throws
Fort:	+6
Refl:	+11
Will:	+6

Strong Against:

• ER 14/cold (energy, common)

Weak Against:

Offense

Size:	Medium
5 ft.		10 ft.
Space		Reach

To-Hit

+15

Man Off

+14

Action

0

Points

Standard Attack (Melee):

• 1x Thrash Mouth +15 (2d8+6/19-20 x2)
  as Slashing (physical, common)
  Their tongue attack has ten feet of reach.

Full Attack (Melee):

• 3x Thrash Mouth +15 (2d8+6/19-20 x2)
  as Slashing (physical, common)
  Their tongue attack has ten feet of reach.

Standard Attack (Ranged):

• 1x Frothy Spume +15 (3d8+7/19-20 x2)
  as Acid (energy, common)
  (Increment: 30 ft.; Max Range: 150 ft.)
  Roll an attack against the intended target, and also against all creatures, friend or foe, in or adjacent to the attacked space. All creatures successfuly struck take full damage, which is rolled once and applied to all creatures.

Full Attack (Ranged):

Siege Damage: Not siege capable

Statistics

22

STR

16

DEX

24

CON

12

INT

14

WIS

6

CHA

Skills:

• Intimidate: 14
• Movement: 14
• Perception: 16
• Stealth: 14
• All other skills: 9 (no ranks)

Languages: Urbleburblelou, Gurahn'lloig

Feats:

Special Abilities

Flailing Tongue (Ex) Standard Action

As a Standard Attack, a Briney can extend it's long, powerful, bladed tongue and with a writhing flex of its squat body, make a Thrash Mouth attack (see above) against all enemy creatures within it's reach. It must make a seperate attack roll for each creature, and a single damage roll that is applied to all creatures struck. In addition, all struck creatures must make a Fort save against a DC of 19, as their extended tongue is coated with sticky, slimy, and paralytic slime. If the save is failed, they suffer the Immobilized condition. If the save is made, there is no effect. Note: As a standard attack, they may use Flailing Tongue as the first attack of a full attack action.

Belly Plunge (Ex) Part of a Move Action, 1/Enc

Once per encounter, as part of a Move action (typically using Vault or their Greater Swim), a Briney Podlet can use their Flailing Tongue ability at the end of a move action as part of that move action. They will typically plunge into the midst of their enemies using Belly Plunge, then immediately hit as many of them as they can with their Flailing Tongue.

Briney Podlet

Briney's are a race of heavily-built, strong, warty, and slimy-green-brown-yellow toad-like humanoids. As aquatic monsters they are often confused with things like sahaugin, or embarrassingly, Aboleth. In truth, Briney's intensely dislike and contest with Sahaugin and to a lesser degree, the mighty Aboleth. This mistaken identity is easy to understand, as all of the aquatic-based races, to the eyes of the shore-dwelling, tend to look alike. The fact that most land-living beings rarely get a clear look at their watery foes may contribute to this. A wet scary thing attacking in the water is hard to see, after all.

In truth, Brineys are a completely seperate race, amphibian in nature, more closely resembling giant and frightening toads than anything jelly, fishy, spiney, or crustacean. Indeed, just as Elves have a dark 'twin race' in the Drow, and Dwarves are evilly reflected in the Duergar, and Humans are reflected by the Orcs, Brineys are often classed by mages and cyphers and scribes as the dark reflection of the Grippli. While grippli are decidedly non-human, they are wonderful people who possess the Spark in full measure. Brineys, on the other hand, are vile in the extreme, at least as awful as Orcs in contrast to Humans, if not considerably worse.

Brineys can be found anywhere there is water, although as they seem to be arisen from toads, they are very amphibious and have been found living and thriving amazing distances from water. Caves, dungeons, ruins, forests, especially swamps and marshes, beaches, and of course, in or near rivers, ponds, lakes, and the seas, Briney can be amazingly common if they are left to their awful devices.

Anywhere there is a Grippli, it is not unusual to find some Briney's. Indeed, Brineys are often a scourge for Vanx communities as well, and they are even known to haunt the sewers and alleys of the cities of other races.

Brineys are uniformly awful, hunting, scrounging, murdering, stealing, and ruining. They will take anything they can get, and are cheerful cannibals of all warm-blooded creatures, on top of all their other charming qualities. Brineys have long, sticky tongues, poison excretions, and claws and biting scutes in full measure, making them tough foes indeed.

Briney Podlets are the fully 'adult' Brineys, who, unlike the hungry and aggressive Spawnlings, are less likely to go out searching for things to eat and steal and murder...instead taking the things the Spawnlings bring back to the clan-pod as their own. Spawnlings that object too strongly wind up as meals.

Combat Tactics

In combat, Briney Podlets are surprisingly aggressive at the beginning of a battle and have little sense of tactics. They like to rush into close quarters using their Belly Plunge ability, then follow up with a Standard Action use of their Flailing Tongues ability. They will then Vault away as early as they can, and switch to using their Frothy Spume attack against foes who pursue them, or especially on foes who are hitting them from range.

Podlets are quite a bit cagier than Spawnlings, and will abandon Spawnlings in a battle without hesitating to move back and switch to ranged attacks.

They are well aware of their Vaulting ability and their slow Walk speed, so they will often Vault as their preferred move power.

Podlets are not interested in fighting to the death, and if pressed with readily retreat, using their Vault move to reach into water, and then swimming away.

Out of Combat

Despite their often clear antipathy toward Aboleth's, Brineys are often working for Aboleth interests. It is hard to say 'no' to an Aboleth, after all... Brineys usually have a basic clan-type social structure, living in fairly small and isolated pods even when they are quite abundant. If an Aboleth needs expendable and deniable foot soldiers, and Brineys are available, then the greater fiend will certainly use their resurces.

It is unusual for a Briney clan to ever ally with other such clans, but it is not unheard of for strong, capable, or charismatic Brineys to bring two, three, or even hundreds of clans into an alliance. Of course, such massive Briney movements are rare, and there is always the suspicion that such large-scale ambition might be mere cover for an Aboleth plot...although not always!

Podlets are not often seen away from the clan Pod home, but if there is a larger movement afoot, it is not unheard of for strong forces of these clan elders to be out and about. The existence of Briney Podlets makes chasing Spawnlings back to their nest a ricky proposition, as a wave of Belly Plunge attacks can blunt the enthusiasm of most adventuring parties!

Rewards

XP: 6,400

Treasure: Sellable Goods worth 5,125 gp.

Weight: 90 lbs.     Volume: 3.6 cu. ft.

Optional Treasure Rules: Roll a d20 on Table 1 below once per encounter (NOT per creature). Any items discovered are in addition to the normal treasure for the encounter.

Table 1: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 10	Nothing Found
11 - 14	1 Languid Remnant (tier 1)
15 - 17	1 Pale Remnant (tier 2)
18 - 19	1 Bright Remnant (tier 3)
20	Roll on Table 2
###	Nothing to see here!
###	Or here. Move along.

Table 2: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 5	3 Languid Remnants (tier 1)
6 - 10	3 Pale Remnants (tier 2)
11 - 14	1 Intense Remnant (tier 4)
15 - 17	1 Blazing Remnant (tier 5)
18 - 19	1 Vital Remnant (tier 6)
20	Roll on Table 3
###	Or here. Move along.

Table 3: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 5	3 Bright Remnants (tier 3)
6 - 8	3 Intense Remnants (tier 4)
9 - 11	3 Blazing Remnants (tier 5)
12 - 14	3 Vital Remnants (tier 6)
15 - 17	1 Prime Remnant (tier 7)
18 - 19	1 Mythic Remnant (tier 8)
20	1 Empyrean Remnant (tier 9)