| Hit Dice: | 4d12 (26 hp) |
| Initiative: | +4 |
| Speed: | 30 ft. (6 squares), climb 30 ft., swim 30 ft. |
| Armor Class: | 19 (+1 size, +4 Dex, +4 natural), touch 15, flatfooted 15 |
| Base Attack/Grapple: | +2/–2 |
| Attack: | Intestine loop +6 melee (1d4 plus attachment) |
| Full Attack: | 2 intestine loops +6 melee (1d4 plus attachment) |
| Space/Reach: | 5 ft./5 ft. |
| Special Attacks: | Attach, blood drain, spell-like abilities |
| Special Qualities: | Blindsight 60 ft., darkvision 60 ft., inescapable craving, resistance to fire 5, undead traits, +2 turn resistance |
| Saves: | Fort +1, Ref +5, Will +6 |
| Abilities: | Str 10, Dex 19, Con —, Int 13, Wis 14, Cha 16 |
| Skills: | Climb +15, Hide +23, Listen +11, Move Silently +19, Search +8, Spot +11, Tumble +7; racial bonuses |
| Feats: | Alertness, Weapon Finesse |
| Environment: | Any |
| Organization: | Solitary or concentration (3–9) |
| Challenge Rating: | 4 |
| Treasure: | Standard |
| Alignment: | Always chaotic evil |
| Advancement: | — |
| Level Adjustment: | — |
The horrible creature walking into view is a mass of free-roaming intestines, flaccid organs, and a few odd rib bones. Dragging behind it like a dead weight is a lolling, maggot-ridden humanoid head.
A skulking cyst is disgorged from the rotting corpse of a living creature, born of a necrotic cyst that eventually kills its host (see the necrotic cyst spell).
A skulking cyst prefers shadows and dark corners, only revealing the horror of its form when it strikes lone victims from hiding. Though often cloaked in the detritus of a previous victim, the skulking cyst’s true “heart” is a 1-foot-diameter spherical sac that contains fluid and semisolid necrotic flesh, which slowly undulates as if in a mockery of breath.
A skulking cyst does not speak, but it understands Common and the languages its fleshy carapace originally spoke in life.
A creature of shadows, a skulking cyst prefers to launch attacks on lone victims from dark ceilings and sewer grates.
Attach (Ex): If a skulking cyst hits with an intestine, it latches onto the opponent’s body. An attached skulking cyst has an AC of 15.
Blood Drain (Ex): A skulking cyst drains blood, dealing 1d4 points of Constitution damage in each round it remains attached. Once it has drained 7 points of Constitution, it uses its necrotic cyst spell-like ability. After that, it drops off and attempts to skitter away into a shadowed corner or other hidden location.
Inescapable Craving: A skulking cyst has an inescapable craving (see Undead Metabolism) for blood, which it satisfies by using its blood drain ability.
Spell-Like Abilities: 3/day—darkness; 1/day—necrotic cyst. Caster level 3rd.
Skills: A skulking cyst has a +8 racial bonus on Hide and Move Silently (already calculated into the statistics above).
Source: Libris Mortis (version 3.5), page 120.