Seryulin

The statistics block below contains details for more than one size of seryulin. Use the horizontal scrollbar below it to display the desired one or select from the links below that.

Seryulin • Greater Seryulin

The amphibious seryulins live near coastal areas, hunting for fish and small water-dwelling mammals on which to feed. Using their sluglike antennae and sensitive cilia to find prey, they make deadly hunters.

Many sentient aquatic races befriend or enslave seryulins to use as both land- and water-based mounts. The surprise advantage gained by riding a seryulin out of the water and into a land battle is often significant, since many foes underestimate a seryulin’s land speed until they see the creature in action.

An undomesticated seryulin spends most of its time hunting. An omnivore, it primarily goes after seals, large fish (including sharks), and its favorite prey: sahuagin.

An average seryulin measures between 8 and 10 feet in length and weighs between 900 and 1,200 pounds. Seryulins do not speak but can understand Aquan.

Seryulins use their speed to great advantage in combat. Aware that most opponents will underestimate them, seryulins have been known to lure prey to them by floundering in shallow water, feigning a beached state. Once engaged in battle, seryulins typically activate their sticky spray before moving in to use slam attacks.

Seryulin riders take advantage of the painful toxin secreted by a seryulin’s cilia to wear down foes. Once a victim has been struck by the cilia, the rider typically withdraws his mount for a round or two (into the water if possible) and lets the toxin do its work.

Pain Toxin (Ex): Any living creature struck by a seryulin’s slam attack is exposed to a substance secreted by the cilia around its upper body. Contact with this substance causes the target excruciating pain, and the target takes an additional 1d6 points of damage in the round after being struck. Damage reduction does not apply to this effect. Creatures with immunity to poison are immune to a seryulin’s pain toxin.

Sticky Spray (Ex): Once per day, a seryulin can use a standard action to expel a 20-foot-radius burst of viscous goo from its body. Any creature in the area becomes entangled and must succeed on a Reflex save (DC shown in entry) or become glued to the ground, unable to move. A flying creature is not stuck to the ground, but it must succeed on the save or be unable to fly and fall to the ground. Seryulins, as well as their riders, are unaffected by the sticky spray. The save DC is Constitution-based.

A creature stuck to the ground can break free by making a DC 20 Strength check or by dealing 15 points of damage to the goo with a slashing weapon. A creature trying to scrape the stuff off itself, or another creature assisting, does not need to make an attack roll; hitting the goo is automatic, after which the creature that scored the hit makes a damage roll to see how much of the goo was scraped off. Once free, the creature can move (including flying) at half speed. A character capable of spellcasting who is bound by the goo must make a DC 15 Concentration check to cast a spell.

The goo becomes brittle and fragile after 2d4 rounds, cracking apart and losing its effectiveness. An application of universal solvent dissolves enough goo to free one creature immediately.

Can’t Be Tripped (Ex): A seryulin’s body shape makes it impossible for a foe to trip the creature. Any trip attempts against the seryulin automatically fail, as if the opponent had failed to win the opposed Strength check.

Slick (Ex): A slippery, quick-dissolving substance secreted by a seryulin’s body makes it (and its rider) immune to any effect that usually impedes movement, such as paralysis, slow, a tanglefoot bag, or the seryulin’s own sticky spray, much like the effect of a freedom of movement spell.

Unlike with the freedom of movement spell, however, a seryulin does not automatically succeed on any grapple check made to resist a grapple or pin attempt, although it does gain a +4 bonus on grapple checks to escape a grapple, and it has a +8 racial bonus on Escape Artist checks.

Skills: A seryulin has a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform some special action or avoid a hazard. It can always choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered. It can use the run action while swimming, provided it swims in a straight line.

A seryulin also has a +8 racial bonus on Escape Artist checks due to its slick body.

Carrying Capacity: A light load for a seryulin is up to 400 pounds; a medium load, 401–800 pounds; and a heavy load, 801–1,200 pounds. A seryulin’s carrying capacity is calculated as if it were a quadruped.

Particularly large specimens of seryulins are found in remote coastal areas that have plentiful food supplies. These greater seryulins are capable of taking on whales and dire sharks if the need arises.

Carrying Capacity: A light load for a greater seryulin is up to 2,400 pounds; a medium load, 2,401–4,800 pounds; and a heavy load, 4,801–7,200 pounds. A greater seryulin’s carrying capacity is calculated as if it were a quadruped.

The daelkyr created the first seryulins to serve as aquatic mounts. When the Gatekeeper druids trapped the daelkyr in Khyber, many daelkyr-created aberrations⁠—​including the seryulins⁠—​became independent, true-breeding species. Tritons inhabiting the Straits of Shargon occasionally use seryulins as mounts, and undomesticated seryulins prowl the stormy coastal waters of northern Xen’drik as well as the cavernous, subterranean seas of Khyber. Most of the seryulins encountered in Khyber are former servants or cohorts of the daelkyr, and they are typically greater specimens.

Seryulins populate the Glimmersea. Kuo-toa clerics from the Holy Mother Cauldron use them as mounts, as do a number of other Underdark races living in and around the Glimmersea. Specimens have also been encountered as far west as the Giant’s Chalice, challenging the vampiric squids that claim the subterranean lake for their own.