Invisible Plodder

Invisible Plodder
No. Enc: 1 (1)
Alignment: Chaotic
Movement: 60' (20')
Armor Class: 2 (-1 for claw)
Hit Dice: 6
Attacks: 2
Damage: 1d8 plus hold
Save: F6
Morale: 11
Hoard Class: XIV
XP: 820

The invisible plodder is most often seen as only elephantine footsteps splashing into the water, followed by victims being hoisted into the air by unseen limbs and torn to bloody shreds.

If viewed using the aid of detect invisible or similar spells, the plodder will appear as a 10’ wide football-shaped mass of gray ropy tentacles, supported by four thick tree-trunk-like legs, and sporting two crab-like pincers. Its mouth is a wet hole on top of its body, into which it drops the torn fragments of its prey.

Anything consumed by the plodder is masked by its invisible flesh, and effectively becomes invisible as well. Likewise, the tips of swords and spears plunged into its body will disappear from view.

A slain plodder will slowly fade into view, becoming fully visible within one turn.

In combat, the plodder will strike at its foes with its two pincers, doing 1d8 points of damage. Once struck, a victim is held and lifted into the air, and that claw will do no further damage, but the plodder will automatically hit with its second claw for every round thereafter until the victim is freed.

If by chance two victims are simultaneously hit and grabbed, one will be tossed aside (doing 1d6 points of damage) so that the plodder can concentration on tearing apart one meal.

Breaking free requires a successful “force doors” check (either by the victim or by his rescuer).

A victim held by a plodder may only attempt to strike at the claw, unless their weapon has an extraordinarily long reach. The claw has AC -1, and requires 16 hit points of damage to sever. Claw damage does not count towards slaying the plodder. A single-clawed plodder will always throw victims after picking them up, and a declawed plodder will flee for its life. Severed claws will regenerate within 1d3 days.

Gold weapons and bullets do double damage to an invisible plodder. Any gold swallowed by the plodder will be spat out – any other treasure the creature has swallowed will remain within its expansive gut.

A plodder on the move through water will not surprise anything with ears to hear – it makes too much splashing noise. Its normal hunting behavior is to stand completely still, waiting for cave fishes and other prey to approach. The creature is visible in these instances as four cylindrical “holes” in the water.