Wall-Walker Working Draft
Wall-Walker
Medium Magical Beast (Psionic)
Hit Dice: 6d10+6 (39 hp)
Initiative: +7
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares), climb 30 ft.
Armor Class: 17 (+3 Dex, +5 natural), touch 13, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +6/+9
Attack: Claw +9 melee (1d8+3) or bite +9 melee (1d6+3) or sting +9 melee (paralysis)
Full Attack: 2 claws +9 melee (1d8+3) and bite +7 melee (1d6+1) and sting +7 melee (paralysis)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Paralysis, psi-like abilities
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., immunity to fire, low-light vision, tremorsense 60 ft., wallwalking
Saves: Fort +8, Ref +8, Will +3
Abilities: Str 17, Dex 17, Con 16, Int 6, Wis 13, Cha 12
Skills: Climb +11, Move Silently +8, Spot +5
Feats: Improved Initiative, Multiattack, Spring Attack (B)
Environment: Underground
Organization: Solitary, pair, or hive (4-16)
Challenge Rating: 5
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 7-11 HD (Large); 12-18 HD (Huge)
Level Adjustment: —
This creature is a blend of spider and reptile. Armored scales cover its body, and its eight legs end in hooked claws. Its mouth combines insectile mandibles and reptilian fangs, while its tail ends in a barbed stinger. A pair of multifaceted red eyes sit on either side of its head.
Wall-walkers are subterranean hunters named after their incredible climbing ability. They use their claws to excavate hives inside a cavern wall, leaving great heaps of rock and dirt at the base of the wall.
Wall-walkers range across immense territories, and consider everything that passes nearby to be prey. They are intensely territorial, especially towards those species of underground predator they recognize as competitors for food and threats to their hive and young. Wall-walkers usually attack such rivals on sight.
Wall-walkers have their own language, consisting of sounds made by rubbing their legs together. Because of the specialized nature of this language, it cannot be reproduced by humanoids (and most other creatures) without the use of exotic devices or magic.
COMBAT
Wall-walkers hunt alone or in pairs, stalking along ceilings or walls while using their chameleon ability to blend in. A wall-walker will stealthily follow prey until it sees an opportune moment to strike, it prefers to attack a lone straggler. An attacking wall-walker drops or leaps onto prey, attempting to sting first and paralyze its opponent. Pairs of wall-walker take advantage of flanking tactics to overwhelm their foe. If its opponent appears powerful a wall-walker will assume shadow body before attacking.
Wall-walkers are fiercely protective of their hives and young, and will fight to the death if either are threatened.
Paralysis (Ex): Those hit by a wall-walker's sting attack must succeed on a DC 16 Fortitude save or be paralyzed for 1d6 rounds. Any effect that opposes poison, like the neutralize poison spell or a racial resistance or immunity to poison, will affect this paralysis as if it were a poison. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Psi-like Abilities: Always active—synesthete (feel light and feel sound only); at will—catfall, chameleon; 1/day—mind blank, shadow body. Manifester level 6th.
Wallwalking (Ex): A wall-walker need not make Climb checks to traverse a vertical or horizontal surface (even upside down). It retains its Dexterity bonus to Armor Class while climbing and opponents get no special bonus to their attacks against it. A wall-walker can make Jump checks and perform the Run action when it uses wallwalking to climb.
Skills:A wall-walker has a +8 racial bonus on Climb checks and can always choose to take 10 on a Climb check, even if rushed or threatened.
In Athas
In the Dark Sun campaign, wall-walkers are found primarily in the cavern of Kragmorta. The dray who reside there are in a state of war with wall-walkers, and fashion armor and weapons from the tough, supple hides of slain wall-walkers.
Kalin are wall-walkers' ecological competitors, and terrible battles often break out when these two predators spot each other. Pairs of wall-walkers will go out of their way to attack a nearby kalin.