Maliadi
Level 17Attacks
Abilities
The maliadi can hold its breath for 1 day.
A constant spell affects the monster without the monster needing to cast it, and its duration is unlimited. If a constant spell gets counteracted, the monster can reactivate it by spending the normal spellcasting actions the spell requires.
The maliadi has resistance 20 to physical ranged attacks, such as arrows, bolts, javelins, and thrown rocks, as such attacks are magically diverted through its collar of fire. Nonmagical weapons and ammunition affected by this ability are incinerated and destroyed.
Trigger A creature within 100 feet of the maliadi that the maliadi can see Casts a Spell that targets the maliadi Effect The maliadi casts one of its innate Wall of Fire spells, with a duration of 1 round. If the spell that triggered this reaction passes through the wall of fire, the wall attempts to counteract it, with a counteract modifier of +28.
The maliadi tries to capsize an adjacent aquatic vessel of its size or smaller. The maliadi must succeed at a DC 35 athletics check (reduced by 5 for each size smaller the vessel is than the maliadi) or the pilot's Sailing Lore DC, whichever is higher.
The maliadi can take on the appearance of any Large, Huge, or Gargantuan animal. This doesn't change its Speed or Strikes. The monster changes its shape indefinitely. It can use this action again to return to its natural shape or adopt a new shape. Unless otherwise noted, a monster cannot use Change Shape to appear as a specific individual. Using Change Shape counts as creating a disguise for the Impersonate use of Deception. The monster's transformation automatically defeats Perception DCs to determine whether the creature is a member of the ancestry or creature type into which it transformed, and it gains a +4 status bonus to its Deception DC to prevent others from seeing through its disguise. Change Shape abilities specify what shapes the monster can adopt. The monster doesn't gain any special abilities of the new shape, only its physical form. For example, in each shape, it replaces its normal Speeds and Strikes, and might potentially change its senses or size. Any changes are listed in its stat block.
The maliadi takes on the form of a stretch of river, with the effects of Migration, except the maliadi can only affect itself, appears as a section of a flowing river that takes up the same space as the maliadi, and can't leave the ground.
Huge, (3d10+17) bludgeoning damage, Rupture 35 The monster attempts to swallow a creature of the listed size or smaller that it has grabbed or restrained in its jaws or mouth. If a swallowed creature is of the maximum size listed, the monster can't use Swallow Whole again. If the creature is smaller than the maximum, the monster can usually swallow more creatures; the GM determines the maximum. The monster attempts an athletics check opposed by the grabbed creature's Reflex DC. If it succeeds, it swallows the creature. The monster's mouth or jaws no longer grab a creature it has swallowed, so the monster is free to use them to Strike or Grab once again. The monster can't attack creatures it has swallowed. A swallowed creature is Grabbed, is Slowed 1, and has to hold its breath or start suffocating. The swallowed creature takes the listed amount of damage when first swallowed and at the end of each of its turns while it's swallowed. If the victim Escapes this ability's grabbed condition, it exits through the monster's mouth. This frees any other creature grabbed in the monster's mouth or jaws. A swallowed creature can attack the monster that has swallowed it, but only with unarmed attacks or with weapons of light Bulk or less. The swallowing creature is Off-Guard against the attack. If the monster takes piercing or slashing damage equaling or exceeding the listed Rupture value from a single attack or spell, the swallowed creature cuts itself free. A creature that gets free by either Escaping or cutting itself free can immediately breathe and exits the swallowing monster's space. Effect: Engulf and Swallow Whole If the monster dies, a swallowed creature can be freed by creatures adjacent to the corpse if they spend a combined total of 3 actions cutting the monster open with a weapon or unarmed attack that deals piercing or slashing damage.
Huge or smaller, foot, DC 38 reflex The monster Strides up to double its Speed and can move through the spaces of creatures of the listed size, Trampling each creature whose space it enters. The monster can attempt to Trample the same creature only once in a single use of Trample. The monster deals the damage of the listed Strike, but trampled creatures can attempt a basic Reflex save at the listed DC (no damage on a critical success, half damage on a success, double damage on a critical failure).
Trigger The monster's last action was a successful Strike that lists Improved Grab in its damage entry, or the monster has a creature Grabbed or Restrained Effect If used after a Strike, the monster attempts to Grapple the creature using the body part it attacked with as a free action. This attempt neither applies nor counts toward the creature's multiple attack penalty. The monster can instead use Improved Grab as an action and choose one creature it's grabbing or restraining with an appendage that has Improved Grab to automatically extend that condition to the end of the monster's next turn.
Description
A maliadi resembles a massive hippopotamus surrounded by a collar of flame. Maliadis are arrogant and tyrannical, and demand tribute from everyone they encounter-whether lone travelers or entire villages-to avert destruction. Many pay them off, for maliadis can hurl parts of their flaming collars to form geysers of flame or fiery walls, and they're also powerful shapeshifters.