Ya-te-veo (3.5e Monster)



''The leaves suddenly unfurl from the nearby tree, revealing a large maw which radiated heat. Pulsing swollen blobs dot its surface, growing suddenly active and agitated... and... my god... I think one of those blisters has a human body in it!''

The Ya-te-veo (known as 'I see you' in Gokia), is a dangerous carnivorous plant that has a symbiotic relationship with the mkodos, a type of local slime. The ya-te-veo feeds on thermal energy and various chemicals to survive but often cannot find enough, while the mkodos releases copious amounts of heat during its digestive process and all the right chemical compounds in its waste, but is sensitive to sunlight and prey to several forms of creatures.

To survive, the mkodos takes up residence inside the belly of the ya-te-veo, where it digests in peace away from the harsh glare of the sun, while the ya-te-veo spits the mkodos out for defense and to feed, benefiting from the digestive processes of the ooze. Together, they form a dangerous predator indeed.

Combat
A ya-te-veo always attempts to disguise itself as a more unassuming local flora like your average tree. When a warm-bodied creature passes near, it begins vomiting up its Mkodos, then aids them, biting creatures to keep it's health up until a mkodos is able to swallow a captured victim.

Spit Mkodos (Ex): As a ranged touch attack, a ya-te-veo can spit out a mkodos as an attack action, with a range increment of 20 feet. The attack deals 2d6 fire damage, and the newly spawned mkodos automatically attempts to engulf it's opponent. A ya-te-veo can have up to a maximum of it's HD in active mkodos on the battlefield at once.

Swallow Mkodos (Ex): When a mkodos has successfully engulfed and inhibited the struggles of its opponent, the ya-te-veo may swallow it at a move action that provokes attacks of opportunity from anyone besides the engulfed victim. Devoured creatures power it's digestive fast healing. Once inside, the opponent takes 2d6+9 points of bludgeoning damage plus 1d6 points of cold damage per round. A swallowed creature can cut its way out by using a light slashing or piercing weapon to deal 25 points of damage to the gizzard (AC 21). Once the creature exits, muscular action closes the hole; another swallowed opponent must cut its own way out. A Large ya-te-veo’s interior can hold 2 Medium, 4 Small, 8 Tiny, 32 Diminutive, or 128 Fine or smaller.

Thermal Vampire (Ex): Feeding off heat, it seems to be cold to those things which touch it. Any physical attacks gain an additional 1d6 cold damage.

Absorb Fire (Ex): The ya-te-veo is not merely immune to fire, but actually feeds off of it. A magical attack that deals fire damage heals 1 point of damage for each 3 points of damage the attack would otherwise deal. If the amount of healing would cause the ya-te-veo to exceed its full normal hit points, it gains any excess as temporary hit points to the maximum of twice it's normal hp. For example, a ya-te-veo hit by a fireball gains back 6 hit points if the damage total is 18 points. A ya-te-veo gets no saving throw against fire effects.

Death Throes (Ex): Filled with highly unstable mkodos, the ya-te-veo discourages creatures from slaying it, or risk perishing in an explosion of uncontrolled thermal energy. On death the ya-te-veo detonates, dealing 1d6+1 fire damage per HD in a 20 ft. radius around it, with a DC 18 Reflex save for half. The save DC is Constitution based. Swallowed creatures receive no save.

Digestive Fast Healing (Ex): When holding a swallowed creature, the ya-te-veo gains fast healing according to the creature's size (Fine 1, Diminutive 2, Tiny 3, Small 4, Medium 5, Large 6, and so forth). This stacks every time it swallows a creature. For example a ya-te-veo who has swallowed two small and one medium creature has fast healing 13. It digests a medium sized body completely (and thus loses its fast healing) in 24 hours. Larger and smaller bodies take greater and lesser time respectively.

Skills: Its entire body is a photoreceptor, granting it a +8 racial bonus on Spot checks.