Corruption Eater

This creature is a hunched, emaciated humanoid. Its hairless head boasts an overlarge jaw bristling with needle-sharp teeth. Out of its mouth snakes a long tongue studded with small, toothed orifi ces. The creature’s arms are rubbery and serpentine, ending in pads covered with hooked barbs.

Corruption eaters, although they resemble ghouls and similar undead creatures, are living aberrations that feed, as their name suggests, on the taint of other living beings. A battle with a corruption eater can thus be a mixed blessing: Characters hampered by corruption find their burden eased by the corruption eater’s attacks, but the corruption eater itself waxes stronger as it feeds. Characters who have embraced their taint and based powers on it might find themselves losing spells or class features as the creature devours their corruption.

Combat

A corruption eater wades into melee against tainted characters, targeting its bite attack on the opponent with the highest corruption score while using its tentacles to attack untainted opponents. When using its bite attack, it opens its jaws wider than a mouth of that size should be able to open. As it pulls back from biting a target, the tiny mouths that cover its long tongue seem to draw little bits of black smoke from the target.

A corruption eater prefers to fight using its Power Attack feat, typically taking a −5 penalty on its attack rolls and gaining a +5 bonus on damage rolls. (This is reflected in its Attack and Full Attack entries.) When not using its Power Attack feat, its bite attack increases to +16 and its tentacle rakes to +11, while its bite damage decreases to 1d8+5 and its tentacle rake damage to 1d6+2.

Devour Corruption (Ex): When a corruption eater hits a character with its bite attack, it draws corruption from the target’s body and feeds upon it. The target’s corruption score is reduced by 1 (to a minimum of 0). Such a small taste of corruption nevertheless provides great nourishment to the creature. Each point of corruption it devours in this way gives it a +1 bonus on attack rolls, saving throws, and damage rolls with later attacks, and also gives the creature 5 temporary hit points. These benefits last for 1 hour.

If a corruption eater bites a character with no corruption, it deals normal damage to the target but at the same time takes 5 points of damage itself.

Tainted Exhalation (Su): Anytime a corruption eater has enough temporary hit points to bring its hit point total above its normal maximum, it can exhale a choking cloud of taint in a 15-foot cone. Creatures within this cone take 1d6 points of damage per point of corruption it has devoured in the last hour and have their depravity scores increased by 1. A successful DC 19 Will save reduces the damage by half and negates the depravity increase. The save DC is Charisma-based.

Rend (Ex): If a corruption eater hits with both tentacle rake attacks, it latches onto the opponent’s body and tears the flesh. This attack automatically deals an extra 2d4+7 points of damage.

Corruption Scent (Ex): A corruption eater can detect corruption in other creatures. With regard to creatures that have at least mild corruption, it effectively has the scent ability. It has no ability to detect creatures who are free from corruption. When it is within 30 feet of creatures with corruption, it automatically knows which creature has the highest corruption score.

Purity Vulnerability: Creatures who are entirely free from both corruption and depravity automatically overcome a corruption eater’s damage reduction.

Source: Heroes of Horror, page 144.