Page 80 - Serpent Kingdoms

MONSTERS

A nagahydra has a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to per- wild and as pets. Scalykind creatures often employ niferns as
form some special action or avoid a hazard. It can always choose hunters, trackers, and loyal guardians.
to take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered. It A nifern is a scaled quadruped with a head that looks like an
can use the run action while swimming, provided it swims in a odd cross between a lizard’s and a canine’s. It has no eyes, and its
straight line. oversized jaws are studded with sharp fangs. Its tail looks similar
Feats: A nagahydra’s Combat Refl exes feat allows it to use all to that of an ordinary dog except that it ends in a stinger and is
its heads for attacks of opportunity. carried above the back, like a scorpion’s.
Naturally blind, a nifern uses its other senses to provide the
IN THE REALMS information that eyes normally would. Its keen sense of smell
Nagahydras are most frequently encoun- not only aids in tracking, but also helps it differentiate friends
tered in the depths of the Jungles of Chult from foes on the battlefi eld.
and the Mhair Jungles. Recent reports of Niferns are normally kept in small groups, although they
a nest of nagas haunting the depths of the have been known to form packs of thirty or more
Qurth Forest may in fact stem from the individuals in the wild, menacing all who enter their
presence of a nagahydra lairing in the territory. The largest and strongest nifern normally leads
ruins of an overgrown city. a pack. A nifern’s drive for food and its voracious
appetite lead it to attack nearly everything it
Nifern encounters.

Medium Animal Combat
Hit Dice: 2d8+4 (10 hp)
Initiative: +2 Niferns prefer to attack their prey
Illustration by Jim Pavelec Base Attack/Grapple: +1/+4 are attacked with vicious claws and
Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares)
in numbers, but their tactics are
fairly straightforward. They rush
Armor Class: 16 (+2 Dex, +4 natu-
head-on into battle and sting to
ral), touch 12, fl at-footed 14
immobilize their prey. Creatures
that prove resistant to the poison
Attack: Claw +4 melee (1d6+3)
Full Attack: 2 claws +4 melee
(1d6+3) and bite +2 melee
(1d8+1) and sting +2 melee (1d4+1
Poison (Ex): Sting, Fortitude
plus poison) powerful jaws.
DC 13, initial damage paralysis
Special Attacks: Poison Nifern for 1d10 rounds, secondary
Special Qualities: Blindsight 60 ft., hold breath, low- damage 1d4 Str.
light vision Hold Breath (Ex): A nifern can hold its breath for a
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft. number of rounds equal to four times its Constitution
Saves: Fort +5, Ref +5, Will +2 score before it risks drowning (see page 304 of the Dungeon
Abilities: Str 16, Dex 14, Con 15, Int 2, Wis 14, Cha 9 Master’ Guide).
Skills: Listen +3, Spot +4, Survival +4 (+9 when tracking)* Skills: *Because of its keen sense of smell and natural instinct
Feats: Multiattack, Track B for tracking, a nifern receives a +5 racial bonus on Survival
Environment: Underground checks made to track.
Organization: Solitary, pair, group (3–5), or pack (6–12)
Challenge Rating: 2 In the Realms
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral Niferns are the hunting animals of choice among scalykind, fa-
Advancement: 3–4 HD (Medium); 5–6 HD (Large) vored by lizardfolk, troglodytes, dragonkin, and others. Because
Level Adjustment: — niferns can also bond with Scaleless Ones, they are also popular
throughout the Underdark, where they are employed as trackers
A quadruped resembling a hairless, scaly dog pads out of the by the illithids, a few drow, and members of other notoriously
jungle on extra-large paws. Its tail curves up over its head, evil races.
ending in a deadly-looking stinger.

Niferns are the scaly equivalents of hunting dogs. Though native
to the Underdark, many of them exist aboveground, both in the

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