Nimbus Drifter (3.5e Monster)



''Look at the fluffy clouds! That one looks like a horse! That one's a fish! And that one looks like.... OH MY GOD ITS EATING ME!!!''

Nimbus Drifters are subtle predators from the alien gas giant Sepiida. Drifting in the endless swirling winds, composed of little more than a protien membrane, poison, and solid air,, it drifts hidden among the clouds waiting for prey to pass near. They become tangled in its tendrils, and soon digested, turning the nimbus drifter a dark and ruddy stormcloud black. Able to survive in all but the most extreme pressures, they have slipped into the Elemental Plane of Air and, rarely, can be found drifting the skies of more normal material planets.

Combat
Combat with a nimbus drifter usually comes in the form of a nimbus drifter getting a surprise round, as it suddenly slips out of a low-lying cloudbank and charges, grabbing and paralyzing as many targets as it can in one go. If there are more targets ungrabbed, it will stay and fight, lashing out or striking them with lightning bolts. If it seems to be losing, it will jet away with those it has captured into the nearest cloudbank and hide, digesting what food it has obtained. Beware if it begins to "rain treasure", it is surely a sign that a nimbus drifter has just finished a meal above you in the clouds.

Constrict (Ex): A nimbus drifter deals 1d8+9 points of damage plus poison with a successful grapple check.

Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a nimbus drifter must hit with its stinger attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple of any creature two sizes smaller or less as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. If it wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold and can constrict. It can hold one person per stringer without penalty, though holding a creature means it cannot use that stinger to attack with.

Lightning Bolt (Su): A nimbus drifter can duplicate the effects of a lightning bolt spell at caster level 10, except the range is limited to targets directly under the nimbus drifter (20 ft.) as the bolts originate from the nimbus drifter itself. Nimbus drifters are immune to the lightning bolts of other nimbus drifters. Each use of a lightning bolt consumes a bio-energy point.

Pounce (Ex): If a nimbus drifter charges, it can make a full attack.

Poison (Ex): The multitude of stringers on a nimbus drifter, as well as its interior, are lined with poison sacs that debilitate all it touches. When hit by a stinger it deals 1d4 Dex damage/paralyzation for 1 minute, with a Fortitude save DC 23 to negate. The save DC is Constitution based.

Bio-Energy (3.5e Creature Ability) (Ex): As a xenotheric creature nimbus drifters have a bio-energy pool can hold a maximum amount of charges equal to 3 plus the xenotheric creature's Constitution modifier (minimum 1), and recharges at a rate of 1 charge per minute. These charges may be expended to use the lightning bolt attack option. The example nimbus drifter has a bio-energy pool of 8.

Drifter (Ex): Able to sail at the speed of the wind at whim, the Nimbus Drifter is barely noticable. Even when moving on its own power it is utterly silent. A nimus drifter always succeeds on move silently checks. This ability works against them however as well, and they count as three times smaller sized creatures for determining how they are blown about in strong winds.

Jet (Ex): A nimbus drifter can jet backward once per minute as a full-round action, at a speed of 600 feet, leaving behind an obscuring mist effect in its wake for the entire length of its dash. It must move in a straight line, but does not provoke attacks of opportunity while jetting. It often uses this to retreat to a nearby cloudbank to hide.

Skills: Nimbus Drifters recieve a +20 racial bonus on Hide checks due to their cloudy nature. In cloudy environments, this bonus rises to +40.