Xulgath Ravening
Level 4Abilities
30 feet. A creature that enters the area must attempt a DC 21 fortitude save. On a failure, the creature is Sickened 1, and on a critical failure, the creature also takes a –5 status penalty to its Speeds for 1 round. While within the aura, the creature takes a –2 circumstance penalty to saves to recover from the sickened condition. A creature that succeeds at its save is temporarily immune to all xulgaths stenches for 1 minute.
Effect: Xulgath Stench
Thresholds 48 (3 segments), 24 (2 segments)
1 to 3
Frequency once per round
Effect The xulgath ravening lashes out at enemies within 5 feet (DC 21 reflex save). The damage depends on the number of actions.
1 1d6 slashing damage
2 (1d6+5)[slashing|options:area-damage] damage
3 (2d6+5)[slashing|options:area-damage] damage
The xulgaths' Fang and Claw deals an additional 1d6 poison damage to any creature sickened by a xulgath's stench.
The troop fires a ranged attack in the form of a 5-foot area within 50 feet that deals 3d6 piercing damage (DC 18 reflex save), then the troop either Steps or Strides up to 15 feet toward the area they attacked.
Whenever a troop Strides, it first Forms Up as a free action to condense into a 20-foot-by-20-foot area (minus any missing squares), then moves up to its Speed. This works just like a Gargantuan creature moving; for instance, if any square of the troop enters difficult terrain, the extra movement cost applies to the whole troop.
Strength and hunger drive most xulgath societies, reinforced by the tenets of their abyssal patron Zevgavizeb. A powerful leader can seize control of a xulgath community and direct their followers to fight as a unit, but formation fighting isn't something most xulgaths practice. This mob mentality often results in overzealous warriors tripping over or even biting each other. Suitably, these mobs have earned the name "ravenings," a term also used when describing Zevgavizeb's carnivorous rampages and referring to the millennia of xulgath infighting and social decline.
The Power of Suggestion
Xulgath ravening are most common in clutches controlled by spiritual leaders using some combination of cult behavior, group ritual, and even a little enchantment magic. By convincing participants that they're possessed by Zevgavizeb or a similar force, the leader then identifies a target and hopes for the best. Instilling secular doubt or incapacitating the leader can shatter a ravening's focus, causing its members to scatter or even turn on their leader.