| Hit Dice: | 3d8+6 (19 hp) |
| Initiative: | +2 |
| Speed: | 30 ft. (6 squares), climb 15 ft. |
| Armor Class: | 17 (–1 size, +2 Dex, +6 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 15 |
| Base Attack/Grapple: | +2/+8 |
| Attack: | Tentacle +3 melee (paralysis) |
| Full Attack: | 8 tentacles +3 melee (paralysis) and bite –2 melee (1d4+1) |
| Space/Reach: | 10 ft./5 ft. |
| Special Attacks: | Paralysis |
| Special Qualities: | Darkvision 60 ft., scent |
| Saves: | Fort +3, Ref +3, Will +5 |
| Abilities: | Str 14, Dex 15, Con 14, Int 1, Wis 15, Cha 6 |
| Skills: | Climb +12, Listen +6, Spot +6; racial bonuses |
| Feats: | Alertness [bonus], Combat Reflexes, Track |
| Environment: | Underground |
| Organization: | Solitary, pair, or cluster (3–5) |
| Challenge Rating: | 4 |
| Treasure: | None |
| Alignment: | Always neutral |
| Advancement: | 4–6 HD (Large); 7–9 HD (Huge) |
| Level Adjustment: | — |
The stink of rotten meat surrounds this multilegged creature with a segmented, 10-foot-long body. Eight writhing tentacles protrude from its head, growing directly from below its clacking mandibles and toothfilled maw.
Carrion crawlers are aggressive subterranean scavengers, greatly feared for their paralyzing attacks. They scour their underground territory for dead and decaying flesh but won’t hesitate to attack and kill living creatures.
Each of a carrion crawler’s tentacles is about 2 feet long and secretes a sticky, paralyzing substance. Like so many hybrid monsters, the carrion crawler may well be the result of arcane experimentation. A carrion crawler weighs about 500 pounds.
Carrion crawlers use their senses of sight and smell to detect carcasses and potential prey. When attacking, a crawler lashes out with its tentacles and tries to paralyze its victim. The tentacles deal no other damage. The creature then kills the paralyzed victim with its bite and devours the flesh. Multiple crawlers do not fight in concert, but each paralyzes as many opponents as possible. The unintelligent creature continues to attack as long as it faces any moving opponents.
Paralysis (Ex): Those hit by a carrion crawler’s tentacle attack must succeed on a DC 13 Fortitude save or be paralyzed for 2d4 rounds. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Skills: Carrion crawlers have a +8 racial bonus on Climb checks and can always choose to take 10 on Climb checks, even if rushed or threatened.
Source: Monster Manual (version 3.5), page 30.