Rukarazyll

Rukarazylls are consummate deceivers and tricksters. When summoned to the Material Plane (usually from the Elemental Plane of Earth), they delight in masquerading as charismatic men or women. In such guises, they often attempt to convince locals to establish cults dedicated to apparently benign (but altogether fabricated) minor deities. Over time, the rukarazyll slowly perverts the followers of such cults to the worship of an evil deity. When it doesn’t have the time or resources to seed cults, a rukarazyll contents itself with selling cursed items that it passes off as beneficial, or posing as a priest and inflicting diseases on those seeking healing, or pursuing other underhanded and cruel tricks.

In its true form, a rukarazyll is a loathsome creature. Its body is a bulbous mass of seething fungoid matter, studded with eyes and gasping orifices that leak stinking, black drool. It has six long, hook-studded tendrils that extrude from various random points on its body. Three of these tendrils serve as legs; the other three serve as hands. Extending from the top of the body is a long scaly tentacle, atop which sits a head that resembles a ram’s skull, complete with horns. Great fangs stud the rukarazyll’s lipless mouth, from which bubbling acidic froth constantly dribbles. Writhing nests of pale fungal filaments fill its eye sockets, and more of these filaments grow out of other random spots all over its body. The monster’s natural voice is thick and gurgling, as if its throat were partially clogged with mud, but it can disguise its voice as well as its body when it adopts another form.

Combat

The rukarazyll is physically weak, but it makes up for its lack of strength with speed and accuracy granted by the unholy energy it channels. It enjoys melee combat so much that it often forgoes its spell-like abilities if a chance to fight presents itself.

Combat with a rukarazyll is both disorienting and terrifying. As a full attack action, the monster can strike with three of its tendrils and bite with its acidic jaws. It takes full advantage of its feats, using Combat Expertise to best effect and Improved Trip and Improved Disarm as opportunities arise. It also relies on its Tumble skill to avoid drawing attacks of opportunity as it weaves about.

Change Shape (Su): A rukarazyll can assume the form of any Medium humanoid. See Change Shape.

Fungus (Su): Any living creature struck by a rukarazyll’s melee attack must make a Fortitude saving throw (DC 20) or become infested with the fecund fungus that grows on the monster’s body. Infestation requires 1 round for a Small or smaller creature or 1d4 rounds for a Medium creature. Each size category larger than Medium adds an extra 1d4 rounds to the infestation time. An affected creature can free itself of the fungus before infestation is complete with either a remove disease spell or by taking 10 points of fire or cold damage.

Once infestation is complete, the fibrous white filaments begin to seethe and twist in the host’s body, actively trying to resist any actions the host attempts. Because of this, the host incurs a –⁠2 penalty on all attack rolls, Dexterity-based skill checks, and Reflex saving throws. In addition, the fungus continues to grow in the host’s body (albeit at a much slower rate), dealing 1 point of Charisma drain per day. A host whose Charisma reaches 0 becomes unconscious, and within 1 hour his or her body transforms into an immobile heap of fungus that lives for 3d6 weeks before perishing. Any creature that comes into contact with one of these transformed bodies must make a successful Fortitude saving throw (DC 20) or become infested, with the same onset time and effects as infestation from the rukarazyll itself. A remove disease spell given after infestation is complete destroys the fungus but does not restore lost Charisma.

Spell-Like Abilities: At will⁠—​blur, cat’s grace, darkness, desecrate, detect good, detect magic, entangle, greater teleport (self plus 50 pounds of objects only), mirror image, plant growth, protection from good, snare, telekinesis, undetectable alignment; 3/day⁠—​unhallow, unholy blight; 1/day⁠—​command plants, contagion, heal, wall of thorns. Caster level 12th; save DC 14 + spell level.

Spit Ooze (Su): Once every 10 minutes, a rukarazyll can expel a Medium-size gray ooze from its mouth as a splash weapon with a 10-foot range increment. If it hits a target, the gray ooze can immediately attempt to use its improved grab ability and constrict if it gets a hold. If the attack misses, determine miss distance and direction normally. The ooze then moves to attack in the next round. Gray oozes created in this manner live only 2d4 rounds, dissolving into pools of gray goo when that duration expires.

Profane Alacrity (Su): A rukarazyll is infused with an unholy energy that grants it improved reflexes and speed. This energy gives the monster a +3 profane bonus to AC and allows it to take 10 on Balance, Escape Artist, and Tumble checks in any circumstance. Once per hour, a rukarazyll can call upon its profane alacrity ability to gain a temporary boost to its movement, doubling both its speed and the profane bonus to its AC for 1 minute. Afterward, the rukarazyll’s profane energy is depleted for 1 hour. During this period, it has no profane bonus to AC and cannot take 10 on Balance, Escape Artist, or Tumble checks except in circumstances that would ordinarily allow it.

Source: Monster Manual II, page 181. This creature’s statistics block has been updated to version 3.5 as given in the D&D® V.3.5 Accessory Update for Monster Manual II. Spell and feat names have been changed to 3.5 versions.