Ice Serpent - Giant electrified Snake

The Ice Serpent is a fearsome beast, often found burrowing, and appearing up out of the ground in an ambush, attacking humans, beasts of burden, and sometimes even armed bands and convoys.

They travel in groups of up to 6, and will coordinate their appearance from underground such that they will attempt to surround a group.

It has been conjectured that the Ice Serpent is some relative to the Remorhaz  This is unknown.

The Ice Serpent will attack by biting, or by smashing.  It can smash up to 2 M or 4 S size targets, provided they are all adjacent to each other.  It can only bite one, but if it does, it will not let go, and will continue to do damage.  Once a victim has taken half of it's total damage from biting, it means it has been swallowed, and will have 1d4+1 rounds to live, unless cut out of the Ice Serpent.  Only targets of up to M size can be swallowed.

Use of magical items (including weapons that try to strike, but only including armor if the wearer was the target of a melee attack), or casting of magical spells, within 15' of an Ice Serpent will cause it to arc electricity.  The electricity will arc out and strike all targets (friend or foe) within 15 feet of the Serpent, doing 5d6 (save vs. spell for half damage).  There is no limit to how many times this may happen, but only once per round.

The head of the Ice Serpent is covered in thick, armored plates, but the armor is much softer.  The main foe of an Ice Serpent (whomever the Serpent is trying to bite) can only attack the head (AC 2)- others can attack the body (AC 4).  Other that the target fighting the head, up to 5 other M size foes can strike a serpent.

If the Ice Serpent performs a successful smashing attack, the smashed foe has been knocked down and cannot further act this round.

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Ice Serpent
Num Appearing: d4 + 2
Alignment: Neutral Evil
Movement: 90' - will ambush from underground
Armor Class: 2 front (4 side and rear)
Hit dice: 10d8
Attacks: bite OR smash (vs. 2 or more foes); electrical discharge when near magic
Damage: Bite does 2d6 damage; Smash does 1d8+2; Electrical discharge does 5d6.
Save: F8
Morale: 8 (drops to 6 if faced with fire magic or heat magic)

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